Gaetz Will Face Four Challengers For Congressional Seat
May 5, 2018
Five candidates have qualified for the congressional seat currently held by Matt Gaetz.
Gaetz is seeking a second term. He will face Republicans Cris Dosev of Pensacola and John Mills of Miramar Beach in the Republican primary. Two democrats will face off in the primary election; they are Phil Ehr of Pensacola and Jennifer Zimmerman of Pace.
The qualifying period for federal offices ended at noon Friday.
The primary election will be held on August 28.
Four Qualify For Three Escambia County Judicial Seats
May 5, 2018
Four candidates have qualified for three Escambia County Court judicial seats. They are:
- Joyce H. Williams, Group 2 (incumbent)
- Paul Hamlin, Group 2
- Amy Brodersen, Group 4 (incumbent)
- Kerra Smith, Group 5 (incumbent)
Qualifying closed at noon Friday.
Groups 4 and 5 will not appear on the ballot, as only one candidate qualified for each office, according to Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford. Group 2 will appear on the August 28 primary election ballot
Autumn Williams Named Tate FFA Rodeo Queen; Rodeo Continues Tonight
May 5, 2018
The Tate High School FFA Alumni Association has named their 2018 Rodeo Queen — Autumn Williams of the Northview FFA Chapter..
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Tips For The Month Of May
May 5, 2018
The Escambia County Master Gardeners offer the following May lawn and garden tips:
- Continue planting summer annuals. Try one or two that you’ve never grown and/or one that is not available in stores as transplants.
- Plant heat-resistant summer flowering annuals such as begonias, impatiens, coleus, salvia, marigolds, torenia, verbena, ornamental peppers and gaillardia.
- Bulbs: Caladium, gladiolus.
- Vegetables: Continue planting warm weather seeds and transplants (Shade those transplants!). Use transplants for cherry tomatoes, eggplant and sweet potatoes. Plant seeds of lima beans, okra, southern peas: purple hull, crowder, etc.
- Prune and shape spring flowering shrubs and trees now. Later pruning may destroy next year’s blooms.
- Good cultural practices help maintain a healthy lawn and discourage insects and disease. Mow with a sharp blade. Centipedegrass should be cut to a height of 1½ to 2 inches. St. Augustinegrass normal growth habit cultivars should be cut to a height of 3 to 4 inches.
- Climbing roses are pruned after they finish blooming. Blooms form on one-year-old canes, so any older ones may be removed to make them more tidy. Cut each flowering stem back to the first five leaflet stem to encourage them to bloom again.Spray with horticultural oil or malathion for mites, scale and white flies, if insects are present, before it gets too hot (85 degrees).
- Yellow leaves on azaleas may mean they need iron. Apply iron sulphate or chelated iron.
- Feed citrus plants using special citrus fertilizer. Broadcast under the tree canopy and water in.
- Begin planting palms while the weather is warm and rainy.
- Make cuttings of azaleas, hollies, camellias, and other choice shrubs as new growth becomes half hardened.
- Take soft wood cuttings to root: alyssum, begonia, chrysanthemum, shrimp plant, dianthus, geranium, hibiscus, hydrangea, etc.
- Dig bulbs after foliage turns brown if they need to be divided or the space is needed for other plants. If the space isn’t needed, braid the foliage.
- Cut back the vines of Irish potatoes when they begin to die but leave the tubers in the ground for about two weeks longer to toughen the skin. Handle the potatoes carefully during digging, as skinned or bruised potatoes decay quickly when stored.
- Divide crowded and vigorously growing perennials.
- Promote continued flowering of bedding plants by removing faded blooms.
- Encourage coleus to branch and produce more colorful leaves by pinching off the flower stalks as they form.
- Prune poinsettias when new growth is 10-12 inches high (back to the last four leaves). Prune new growth at the base throughout the summer.
- Stop pruning after Labor Day.
- Keep roses watered, cut out weak spots, feed every six to eight weeks or at every new flush of growth, dust.
- For insect or disease problems in your garden, use the least toxic control possible.
Motorhome Destroyed By Fire, Nearby Residence Is Spared
May 4, 2018
Fire destroyed a recreational vehicle in Cottage Hill Friday afternoon, but firefighters were able to save a nearby mobile home from major damage.
The motorhome was reported as fully involved in fire just before 1 p.m. in the 1800 block of Williams Ditch Road. The motorhome was parked adjacent to a carport that is attached to a mobile home. The carport was damaged. A pickup truck was also damaged.
The cause of the fire is under investigation the State Fire Marshal’s Office.. There were no injuries reported.
The Cantonment, Ensley and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS were among the responding units.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bright Futures Expansion Ready For Summer
May 4, 2018
For the first time in 17 years, top-performing students will be able to use their Bright Futures scholarships to attend summer classes at state universities and colleges.
The state Department of Education sent out a memorandum this week to financial-aid offices at the schools outlining how the merit-based scholarships can be used in summer semesters this year.
Under a new law and the current state budget, the summer scholarships will be limited to 44,456 students who qualify as “academic scholars,” the highest achievement level in the Bright Futures program. The scholarships pay full tuition and fees for the qualifying students.
In the memorandum, Levis Hughes, head of the Department of Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance, said in addition to students already enrolled in universities and colleges, the summer scholarships can also be used by new high-school graduates if they have qualified for the award.
“OSFA (the Office of Student Financial Assistance) will be notifying all 2018 high school graduates eligible for (awards) about the availability of funding for the 2018 summer,” Hughes wrote. “Students will be informed that funding is only available if their postsecondary institution allows them to enroll as a degree-seeking student during the summer.”
This will mark the first use of Bright Futures scholarships for summer classes since 2001. The scholarship program, which began in 1997, is primarily funded by proceeds from the Florida Lottery.
The summer scholarships are part of an expansion of the Bright Futures program that was made permanent by legislation (SB 4) passed during the 2018 legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott in early March.
Under the law and the 2018-2019 state budget, the summer scholarships will be expanded to 46,521 students who qualify as “medallion scholars” in the Bright Futures program in the summer of 2019, meaning a total of more than 90,000 Bright Futures students will have the option of using the scholarships for summer classes next year.
The new law also makes permanent the expansion of the “academic scholars” awards to cover 100 percent of tuition and fees, while also giving those students a $300 stipend for books and other costs in the fall and spring semesters.
The law increases the scholarship amount to cover 75 percent of tuition and fees for the “medallion scholars” beginning in the fall.
About 82 percent of Bright Futures students attend state universities, another 9 percent are enrolled in the state college system and the remaining scholarship students attend private institutions.
In funding the expansion of the Bright Futures program, lawmakers brought the overall total to $520 million, a record level.
The higher-education initiative, which was led by Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, also expanded need-based aid, including $270 million in funding in the next academic year for the Florida “student assistance grant” program. That represents more than an 82 percent increase in funding since 2016-2017 and will provide financial aid to an estimated 237,000 students beginning in the fall.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Escambia County Settles Female Firefighter’s Sexual Harassment Claim For $175,000
May 4, 2018
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday night to settle for $175,o00 with a female fighter that complained of of sexual harassment and discrimination.
She filed a discrimination claim against the Escambia County with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The woman kept a detailed personal journal in which she detailed a culture of verbal, physical and sexual harassment within Escambia Fire Rescue. The journal was part of a county investigation into Escambia Fire Rescue that led to the county fire chief being relieved of his duties, the dismissal of a firefighter and a reprimand for a lieutenant.
She claimed she endured a hostile work environment, sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
The payment will come from the county’s insurance company.
The commission voted 4-1 to approve the settlement, with Commissioner Lumon May casting the dissenting vote. He said the county has not done enough to address the situations that led to the complaint.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview To Present How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (With Gallery)
May 4, 2018
The Northview High School Theater Department will present “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying” this Friday and Saturday nights at 7:00.
Tickets are $6 in advance, $8 at the door.
Pictured: A dress rehearsal Thursday afternoon at Northview High School for “How Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Always A Hero: Escambia Corrections Officer Honored At State Law Enforcement Memorial
May 4, 2018
Escambia County Corrections Officer Joe William Heddy’s family has always known he was a hero.
They knew him to treat everyone with respect and offer help to anyone who needed it – even complete strangers.
“He gave you anything and everything if he had it,” said his wife of 44 years, Jill Heddy.
Heddy will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved him, and now his name will forever be remembered by the law enforcement community.
Heddy’s name was recently added to the Fraternal Order of Police Law Enforcement Memorial in the Capitol Courtyard in Tallahassee, Florida, joining the 805 other names of law enforcement officers throughout the state who have died in the line of duty.
Heddy was a loving husband, father and grandfather, a member of the Air National Guard and a corrections officer for 35 years, ultimately finishing his career as an Escambia County Corrections officer.
He died of a heart attack while working at the county road prison on June 17, 2017, at age 63.
Heddy was honored at the Fraternal Order of Police’s annual ceremony April 29 and 30 in Tallahassee, along with 13 other fallen officers who were added to the memorial this year. The names will also be inscribed with more than 21,000 others at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C.
His wife, Jill, and daughter, Joy Laub, attended the ceremony, surrounded by dozens of families of fallen law enforcement officers. Escambia County Corrections officers Lt. Ron Hankinson and Shannon Hankinson attended in support of the family, along with Assistant County Administrator Matt Coughlin.
Heddy is also survived by his twin sons, Jeffrey and Jason, seven grandchildren and many other family members and friends.
Before working for Escambia County Corrections, Heddy served as a federal corrections officer for 27 years. Laub said her father’s commitment to treating every inmate with respect made him especially good at his job.
“My daddy was a fair man,” she said. “He made a good corrections officer because he didn’t believe that the people who were in there were bad people – he truly believed that they made a bad mistake, and that they could move on from that.”
During the ceremony in Tallahassee, each fallen officer’s name was read aloud, and families were given an opportunity to speak their loved one’s name to honor their memory. Tearful wives, husbands, children and others gathered around the memorial to view their fallen officer’s name engraved among the hundreds of others, with some placing flowers and mementos at the site.
Jill Heddy said seeing her husband honored at the ceremony filled her with pride, but the experience also magnified just how much she misses him. Surrounded by law enforcement officers and police vehicles, she shed tears as bagpipes and drums played during the memorial service.
“His absence is felt even more when we see things he would have liked, like all the motorcycles or the drum band,” she said.
Lt. Ron Hankinson, who worked as Heddy’s supervisor for three years with Escambia County Corrections, remembered him as a fair officer and a good man who had a passion for his family and for helping veterans who were incarcerated.
“He was very dedicated,” Hankinson said. “He was extremely interested in veterans and veteran programs, and he actually would be a liaison between some of them. He would go to the VA and get their benefits started and get the paperwork they needed, and that would give them a base when they got out of jail so they could get the benefits they needed. They were just totally lost, so he would guide them.”
Hankinson said Heddy is deeply missed by all who knew him and had the opportunity to work with him as a corrections officer.
“He was very fair,” Hankinson said. “He followed the rules, but he wasn’t overbearing. He was middle of the road, easygoing – as long as you do what you’re supposed to, everything is fine. He was just a good guy.”
Heddy’s wife and daughter recalled a time when he was in Germany while in the Air Force Reserves and helped save a woman and child caught in a train door as it was leaving the platform. He and another man pried the door open so they could safely get inside the train before it left.
Heddy was awarded the Air Force Medal of Valor for his act of bravery.
“That’s just the way he was, though,” his daughter said. “Every situation where he thought he could help someone, he would get up and do it, no matter what it was.”
Along with the memorials in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., Heddy’s name is being inscribed in the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville, Florida.
Although Heddy’s family doesn’t need memorials or plaques to remember him, they expressed their gratitude and pride in knowing his name will forever be memorialized – especially for the young grandchildren he left behind.
“Now they’ve got a hero to look up to,” Jill Heddy said.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Observes National Day Of Prayer (With Photo Gallery)
May 4, 2018
A National Day of Prayer event will held Thursday evening in Century.
Community members and spiritual leaders gathered in prayer, asking for God’s favor on their town, surrounding areas and the nation. Guest speaker was Pastor Al Bethea of the Flomaton Pentecostal Holiness Church.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
