Man Dies Days After Being Ejected In Wreck Near Atmore
April 17, 2018
A Freemanville man has passed away from injuries sustained Saturday in a single vehicle accident Saturday near Atmore.
According to Alabama State Troopers, 38-year old Antonio Richardson was a passenger in a 2007 Scion that left the roadway and overturned on Highway 21 near Woods Road. Richardson was transported to the USA Medical Center in Mobile where he died Monday.
The driver, 28-year-old Willie James Hudson and a second passenger, 27-year-old Wade Johnson III, were ejected and transported to Atmore Community Hospital for treatment of their injuries.
None of the vehicle occupants were wearing seatbelts, according to a crash report.
Alabama State Troopers are continuing their investigation.
No Injuries In Highway 95A Collision
April 17, 2018
There were no injuries in a two vehicle collision about 7:40Tuesday morning on Highway 95A at El Camino Drive in Cantonment, near St. Monica’s Episcopal Church. The northbound lane of Highway 95A was blocked by the wreckage. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Two Pickup Crash
April 17, 2018
There were no injuries in collision involving two pickup trucks on Tate Road at Highway 29 Tuesday morning. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Town Of Century Buying AED For The Flomaton Fire Department
April 17, 2018
The Century Town Council voted Monday night to pay for an automated external defibrillator (AED) for the Flomaton Fire Department.
The AED will cost $1,103, according to Century Mayor Henry Hawkins, who made the request on behalf of the fire department.
“We are trying to get several more units,” Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton said in a phone interview following the meeting. “They save lives.”
Just last week, a Flomaton High School student fell to the gym floor in cardiac arrest during a basketball game. An AED was used in his resuscitation, and he was back home with his family by Saturday night. [Read more...]
The Flomaton Fire Department provides a mutual aid response in Century.
AED’s are already part of the emergency response in Century — they are carried by deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Escambia County EMS ambulances and trucks from Escambia Fire Rescue. The town also purchased AED units for the town hall, the community center on Highway 4 and the town maintenance shop.
Stanton say anyone that wishes to contribute toward the purchase of AED’s should call Flomaton Town Hall at (251) 296-2431.
Pictured: An AED installed in the lobby of the Century Town Hall. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Students Redesign Ascend’s Parking Lot In STEAM Challenge
April 17, 2018
Students from four schools recently took part in the “Parking Lot Challenge” STEAM competition, pitching parking lot capital improvement plans to leaders at Ascend Performance Materials in Cantonment..
Teams of middle and high school students presented their ideas to redesign the primary administrative parking lot at the company.
Detailing plans for budgets, timelines and resources, the students focused on identifying safety and efficiency improvements to one of the large parking lots for the nylon manufacturing site that employs around a thousand workers in Cantonment. A team of Ascend site leaders, including executives and engineers, reviewed the projects and awarded the winning design to the team from Gulf Breeze Middle School.
Following the award, Ascend leaders revealed plans for a pending parking improvement project that incorporated many design elements gleaned from the student plans. Schools represented included Sims Middle School, Gulf Breeze Middle School, Avalon Middle School and Jay High School.
Santa Rosa County Schools has a comprehensive K-12 science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics — also known as STEAM — curriculum in their schools.
This year, Santa Rosa County has become the first district in the nation to integrate STEAM learning into every grade level.
STEAM Innovate trains teachers and administrators — also known as innovators — how to better educate students for the world they will face in the future, according to Assistant Superintendent Bill Emerson.
“We partner with Discovery Education to help transform the way students learn and think and the way teachers set up their classrooms and deliver instruction,” Emerson said.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview, Tate FFA Chapters Named Among Florida Finest Chapters
April 17, 2018
The Florida FFA on Monday announced Monday at the Northview and Tate High School FFA chapters have been named among “Florida’s Finest” FFA Chapters.
The selection of these chapters is based upon the completion of the National Chapter Award program application. These chapters have excelled in the areas of growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture and have worked hard to fulfill the mission and vision of the FFA.
One member and one advisor from the Northview and Tate FFA chapters will be recognized in June during the 90th Florida FFA Convention in Orlando.
Pictured: Tate (top) and Northview (below) FFA members and National Degree recipients at the at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN, last November. Both the Tate and Northview FFA chapters were recognized in the 2017 National Chapter Award Program from the National FFA Organization. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Learn About Audiobooks, E-books, Magazines And More Digital Items At The Library
April 17, 2018
The Century Branch Library will present a “Digital Shelf” program Thursday at 6 p.m.
Library patrons can learn more about digital audiobooks, e-books, magazines and even comics that can be downloaded for free from the library. The workshop will include information on how to access this resource from the West Florida Pubic Library.
The Century Branch Library is located at 7991 North Century Boulevard, next to the Century Town Hall.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Releases Latest Honor Roll
April 17, 2018
The following students were named to the third nine weeks honor roll at Bratt Elementary School:
Kindergarten Honor Roll
Shayla Adkins
Waylon Bell
Teagen Black
Rex Brown
Bailey Campbell
Jonah Carter
Sarah Jane Classen
David Daniel
Zoey Davidson
Ella Grace Diller
Amanuel Dubose
Linley Dunn
Brooklynne Fountain
Audrey Franklin
Cameron Gipson
Cade Hare
Riverly Heathcock
Kalli Ikner
Zoe Jantz
Rylan Johnson
Aubree Kite
Ivyonna Knight
Trevor Knighten
Brantley Laborde
Landon Lee
Jadon Long
Bentley Lowery
Madalynn Lowery
Makyla Mason
Freddie McCall
Alyssa McCann
Brylynn McGhee
McKenzie Norton
Dalton Perdue
Brylee Peters
Kailah Pompa
Bentley Rice
Aric Rolin
Chayton Rolin
Anniston Salter
Calee Satterwhite
Houston Smith
Emma Southard
Makiah Spates
Byron Stewart
Bella Walker
First Grade A Honor Roll
Alexis Amerson
Alexa Beasley
Abigail Brown
Addison Carpenter
Harmony Cruz
Aubrey Flowers
Olivia Garrett
Kyndal Hadley
Autumn Heist
Mason Helton
Sophia Ikner
Maybree Johnson
Jeremy Lisenby
Noah Luker
Parker Marsh
Jonathan Patrick
First Grade A-B Honor Roll
Eric Anthony
Sadie Baker
Nola Barber
Jaxon Byrd
Payton Coon
Carson Eady
Pryce Flowers
Kintley Flowers
Josyah Fontenot
Nathan Gilmore
James Kerns
Ava Marquis
Briley Moore
Natalia Morales
Layla Pettway
Keylashia Randle
Madison Rice
Caden Sanspree
Tragen Slate
Jamileon Syria
Kimmora Thomas
Javan Thompson
James Thompson
Brooklyn Turk
Mi’Kavion White
Kinley White
Dillon Wiggins
Second Grade A Honor Roll
Landon Allcock
Logan Diller
Sawyer Gilmore
Brody Hall
Ja’kayvioun Jacobs
Camden Jacobson
John McAnally
Makinzi Roley
Lani Steadham
Kaylee Wilson
Second Grade A-B Honor Roll
Govan Alexander
Tyler Amerson
Eli Anthony
Kendal Ard
Gabrielle Boatwright
Jack Carpenter
Jamarreai Davison
Jacob Dove
O’Neshia DuBose
Brayden Faircloth
Blake Faith
Zachary Flowers
Parker Ganey
Presley Gibson
Emmalee Grimes
Evelyn Jones
Annabella Keen
Hunter Parker
Levi Peters
Madalynn Pittman
Kain Pompa
Brooklyn Reynolds
Christian Roberts
Jackson Salter
Breah Shelly
Adalynn Southard
Noah Spence
Wyatt Spence
Cassandra Stilwell
Kameryn Thompson
Third Grade A Honor Roll
Amara Campbell
Christian Caraway
Caley Daharsh
Hayden Gipson
Presley Johnson
Kaylee Long
Savannah Lowry
Mikayla McAnally
Dakota Richardson
Anna Claire Sanspree
Avery Stuckey
Third Grade A-B Honor Roll
Presley Amos
Montgomery Baker
William Classen
Crimson Davis
Carlie Davis
Kylar Davis
Annberly Dunn
Nolan Eady
Cathryn Greenwood
Micheal Griffis
Laila Hadley
Lori Hall
Dallas Kelson
Logan Morris
Makayla Plato
Miles Smith
Jake Taylor
Raleigh Warr
Cobie Wiggins
Fourth Grade A Honor Roll
Desiray Bagwell
Jackson Bridges
LanDon Johnson
Jessica Jowers
Jackson Simmons
Fourth Grade A-B Honor Roll
Lauren Abbott
Claire Amerson
Wade Bailey
Bailey Blackwell
Karissa Boatwright
Nevaeh Bush
Luke Chavers
Addison Classen
Tristan Crumm
Aakira Davis
Jordan Dawson
Addison Eicher
Allison Flowers
John Glenn
Talise Gregson
Joseph Hardenbrook
Kailey Hawkins
William Heard
Fallon Hubbard
Tristan Johnson
Cheyenne Keen
Keeli Knighten
Samantha Minchew
Carley Moore
Christopher Odom
Braylan Shelly
Brayden Smith
Justy Starns
Maggie Stewart
Charles Waters
Mya Wilson
Jasmine Zisa
Fifth Grade A Honor Roll
Colton Criswell
Beau Daw
JaCee Dortch
Jamison Gilman
Mary Catherine Hughes
Laura Laborde
Colby Pugh
Ally Richardson
Maggie Scott
Zakyla Smith
Fifth Grade A-B Honor Roll
Ayden Atallah
Evan Chick
Kinslee Coker
Ashton Covan
Calene Davis
Payton Daw
Noah Faulkner
Aliyah Fountain
Taliyah Johnson
Kamryn Langham
Michael McGhee
Adannaya Mondaca
Sophia Morris
Bryce Stabler
Ashkia Weaver
Brayson White
Jayden White
Florida Voters To Get Say On Education Changes
April 17, 2018
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission on Monday signed off on a proposed constitutional amendment that could lead to term limits for county school-board members and make a revision that one critic called a “game changer” for charter schools.
The commission voted 27-10 to put the proposed education amendment (Proposal 6003) on the Nov. 6 ballot. It was one of a series of ballot proposals — ranging from issues dealing with oil drilling to victims’ rights — that the commission considered during a day-long debate.
The education proposal, if approved by 60 percent of voters in November, would impose eight-year term limits on school-board members. That would make school boards similar to the Legislature and state Cabinet, where members are generally limited to eight years.
The proposed constitutional amendment also would direct the Legislature to put in law efforts to promote civic literacy in schools.
But while the term-limits and civic-literacy issues drew little discussion Monday, another part of the proposed constitutional amendment related to school governance spurred controversy.
Under current law, school boards operate and control public schools within their counties. But the proposed constitutional amendment could lead to the state having control over public schools that would not be established by school boards.
Commissioner Roberto Martinez, a Coral Gables attorney and former member of the State Board of Education, said the proposal is designed to create a state process to oversee charter schools. That would come after years of clashes between some county school boards and charter-school operators about whether charter schools should be allowed to open. Charter schools are public schools that are typically run by private organizations.
“It (the proposal) is a big deal,” said Martinez, who voted against the proposal. “It’s a game changer.”
But Commissioner Patricia Levesque, who is a top official with two education-advocacy organizations founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush, said the proposal is not only about charter schools. She said it also could help lead to more university lab schools or collegiate high schools at state colleges.
Levesque said the current system was set up in the state’s 1968 Constitution and that the Legislature could be “very innovative” with changes.
“Right now, we have a governance model that was built 50 years ago,” said Levesque, CEO of the non-profit Foundation for Excellence in Education and executive director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future.
Martinez and other critics sought unsuccessfully to break apart the proposed constitutional amendment and take up the issues separately. In part, they said voters should be able to consider each of the issues rather than taking an up-or-down vote on the bundle.
“They are not related sufficiently to stay bundled, in my opinion,” said Commissioner Bill Schifino, a Tampa lawyer who is a former president of The Florida Bar.
But Levesque said all three issues deal with kindergarten through 12th-grade education and part of the Constitution that governs education.
“Absolutely, these issues are related,” she said.
Northview Track Races To Raise Money With GoFundMe To Attend Regionals
April 17, 2018
A record number of Northview High School track team members will be headed to regionals next week, and they are seeking financial help.
There were 29 athletes that qualified to attend the regional competition April 24-26 in Tallahassee, with top finishers advancing to the state finals on May 3-6.
A GoFundMe account has been established to help the Northview Chiefs track athletes attend regional and state competitions. To donate, click here.