Local Football Playoff Point Standings Released
October 25, 2017
The Florida High School Athletic Association has released current projected football playoff point standings for local schools:
District 1-Class 6A
Escambia 38.29
Pine Forest 36.00
Tate 32.00
Washington 30.00
District 2-Class 6A
Navarre 36.00
Gulf Breeze 34.14
Milton 30.43
Pace 28.57
District 1- Class 5A
West Florida 39.75
Pensacola 28.38
Mosley 31.25
Bay 28..13
Arnold 27.13
Region 1-1A
Baker 40.5
Chipley 38.13
Holmes County 35.38
Vernon 34.50
Jay 32.50
Freeport 31.63
Bozeman 34.50
Northview 25.88
Graceville 24.83
Beginning this season, district play has been eliminated in Classes 1A-4A, with teams making the playoffs based on a points system. Classes 5A-8A retain districts, with the district champion receiving an automatic playoff bid.
For Classes 1A-4A, no region or district play is required, with each school controlling its own schedule. Four teams from each region (16 total statewide) will make the playoffs based on the new points system.
District play for Class 5A-8A remains, with 32 teams qualifying for the playoffs in each class. District champions will receive an automatic bid to the playoff and will receive a 1-4 seed based on the new points system. Four wild cards will be taken from each region based on points following the conclusion of Week 11.
For more information on the points system, click here for a informative pdf.
NorthEscambia.com file photo by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Florida Lawmakers Renew Push To Toughen Texting Law
October 25, 2017
A bipartisan group of lawmakers embarked Tuesday on a road that has resulted in a dead end in the past: getting the House and Senate to make texting while driving a “primary” traffic offense in Florida.
The Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee voted 7-1 — following testimony from family members of people killed by texting motorists — to approve a primary-offense bill (SB 90).
But the measure already faces questions over how the ban could be enforced without requiring motorists to be completely hands-free of wireless devices or if the law would create any noticeable change in motorists’ behavior.
Sen. Dana Young, a Tampa Republican who voted for the measure, said the bill might also not go far enough in tackling the issue of drivers distracted by watching movies, scrolling through music playlists, applying makeup or even reading books.
“Why would you not just deal with the issue, which is the elephant in the room, which is distracted driving, careless driving,” Young said.
Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, said he’s seen statistics showing a move to enforcement as a primary offense fails to reduce crashes.
“My main concern here is not giving people false hope that this is going to solve the problem,” Clemens said. “If we really want to do something to solve the problem, we should just not have people be able to use their phones while driving.”
Florida law bars texting while driving, but the ban is enforced as a “secondary” offense, meaning motorists can only be cited if they are stopped for other reasons, such as speeding. If it becomes a primary offense, police could stop motorists for texting behind the wheel.
Bill sponsor Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, said he is typically opposed to creating new regulations, but as the father of a daughters ages 17 and 20, “this is a public safety issue” and the proposal is intended to change people’s behavior.
Clemens got an amendment added to the bill Tuesday that would require police to inform people stopped for texting while driving that they can decline searches of their devices.
Perry’s proposal doesn’t match a House proposal (HB 121) by Democratic Reps. Emily Slosberg of Boca Raton and Richard Stark of Weston, but he said they would hammer out the differences as the measures advance.
The House measure, along with making texting while driving a primary offense, would double fines for texting while driving in a school zone or through a school crossing.
Slosberg sought a texting ban in the 2017 session and has spent the past several months urging support from local governments. More than 20 counties and nearly 30 cities approved resolutions in support of making texting while driving a primary offense.
“As deaths are increasing, our laws are doing nothing to address it,” Slosberg said during a news conference held Tuesday in the Capitol by the FL DNT TXT N DRV Coalition.
The coalition is backed by the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association.
Slosberg’s efforts to increase traffic safety are personal.
On Feb. 23, 1996, Slosberg and her twin sister, Dori, got into a car with friends. The driver, 19, was speeding 90 mph in a 50-mph zone when the car struck a median and crashed into a car heading east. Emily Slosberg survived the crash with a punctured lung and several broken bones. Dori was killed along with four other teenagers.
“I will never get my twin sister back, but I want to make sure Floridians and every other person in this state does not go through what I did,” Slosberg said.
Gwendolyn Reese, a St. Petersburg resident, said during the news conference that law enforcement needs the ability to stop motorists before more tragedies occur.
“When did we become a society that valued convenience and everything else above human life?” Reese asked.
Reese’s 24-year-old niece Lavon Reese, a Florida State University student, was killed in Tallahassee in January 2015 when struck by a vehicle driven by a woman who was driving 89 mph while texting.
“I cannot say if it had been a primary offense that my niece would still be alive,” Reese said. “But I can think that quite possibly she would, because the woman who was speeding and texting would know she could be stopped for either.”
Perry’s proposal still needs to get approved by three more Senate panels before it could go to the full Senate during the 2018 session, which starts in January.
Texting while driving is a primary or secondary offense in every state other than Montana.
Currently Florida joins Ohio, Nebraska, Arizona and South Dakota in listing texting while driving as a secondary offense, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Those other states each have some areas in which the law is a primary offense.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Kim Ryan Named Bratt Elementary Teacher Of The Year
October 25, 2017
Kim Ryan has been named Bratt Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year. Ryan has taught fourth grade at Bratt Elementary for 13 years. The last two years, she was named a High Impact Teacher by the Florida Department of Education for her outstanding achievement in helping her students make learning gains. Photo/graphic for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Camper Trailer In Molino
October 24, 2017
Fire destroyed a camper trailer in Molino Tuesday afternoon. The camper was fully involved when firefighters arrived just before 2:30 p.m. in the 5000 block of Fairground Road. There was no word on the cause of the fire. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Search Continues For Killer Known To Murdered Molino Woman
October 24, 2017
It’s been nearly six months since a Molino woman was murdered, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says the hunt for the killer continues.
Anna Louis Brown, also known as Anna Louise Brown Vega, was found shot and killed on Gibson Road off Crabtree Church Road in Molino on April 30. Brown, 38, was pronounced deceased at the scene; her body was discovered on or near the roadway.
“We are still fully committed to solving this case,” Maj. Andrew Hobbs of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Monday afternoon.
Hobbs said investigators believe the murder was not a random act of violence, and they believe Brown knew the person that killed her. No suspect has been named.
Anyone with any information on the shooting is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
NorthEscambia.com file photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Gets Life For Child Sexual Assault
October 24, 2017
An Escambia County man was sentenced Monday to life in prison on child sexual assault charges.
Christopher Altman was sentenced to life in state prison by Circuit Judge Thomas Dannheisser, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Altman previously entered a plea on July 14 to two counts of sexual battery while in a position of familial or custodial authority.
In April 2017, a child disclosed that the defendant had sexually abused her multiple times since December 2016.
Woman Injured In Vehicle Crash With ECSO Deputy
October 24, 2017
A Pensacola woman suffered minor injuries in a two vehicle crash with an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy.
About 4:50 p.m. Sunday, a Ford Mustang driven by 20-year old Destinee Brill collided with marker patrol Chevrolet Tahoe drive by Deputy Drake Fawcett. Fawcett was not injured.
Further information has not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol. The FHP said any charges with the case are pending.
Nine Mile Sporting Goods Store Armed Robbery Under Investigation
October 24, 2017
An armed robbery Saturday night at a Nine Mile Road sporting goods store remains under investigation.
The holdup happened about 7:20 p.m. at the Hibbett Sports store at 3 West Nine Mile Road. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, a black male wearing a gray hoodie and brandishing a handgun robbed the store. He fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Further details have not been released.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 436-9620.
Schools Earn Cash For Cutting Energy Costs
October 24, 2017
Several local schools have been recognized for their efforts to reduce utility costs.
The Escambia County School District Energy Management Program was established 12 years ago and has helped the district avoid milllions in utility costs. Since just year, the school district’s utility consumption is down 11 percent.
According to the district, the success of the energy program has been driven not only by the efforts of the Energy Management, Maintenance and Facilities Planning departments, but also by the staff, faculties and students at all of the district’s campuses.
For the past five years, the program has expanded to include an incentive program the recognizes and rewards schools for changing their behavior to comply with energy management guidelines.
This year all 51 Escambia District schools will receive a monetary award ranging from $350 to $1,050 for their energy savings. During the October Escambia County School Board meeting energy managers Tiffany Clark and Jackie Smith recognized the top ECSD Energy Manager schools:
Brown Barge Middle School
Brentwood Elementary School
Ernest Ward Middle School
Ferry Pass Elementary School
Jim Allen Elementary School
Lipscomb Elementary School
Northview High School
Oakcrest Elementary School
Pleasant Grove Elementary School
A.K. Suter Elementary School
C.A. Weis Elementary School
West Pensacola Elementary School
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Names FFA Officers
October 24, 2017
Ernest Ward has named FFA officers for the 2017-2018 school year. They are:
President- Kohle Harigel
1st Vice President- Sarah Sconiers
2nd Vice President- Shelby Cotita
Secretary- Paige Gibbs
Treasurer- Jonathan Gibbs
Sentinel- Bailey Danielson
Reporter Braydon Harigel
Chaplain- Andrew Denton
Parliamentarian- J.P. Gilman
Photographer- Rachael Sanders
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.