Jennifer Luker Named Ernest Ward Middle Teacher Of The Year
November 1, 2017
Jennifer Luker has been named Teacher of the Year at Ernest Ward Middle School.
Luker is a 2001 graduate of Northview High School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of West Florida in 2006 and started the first of her 12 years teaching. She taught at the elementary level for four years, obtaining her master’s degree in educational library media. She started teaching at Ernest Ward in 2010, where she has taught math, science, language arts and history.
Luker and her husband Jonathan have one son, Noah.
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Local Football Playoff Point Standings Released
November 1, 2017
The Florida High School Athletic Association has released current projected football playoff point standings for local schools:
District 1-Class 6A
Escambia 37.88
Pine Forest 34.38
Tate 33.38
Washington 29.22
District 2-Class 6A
Navarre 37.50
Gulf Breeze 33.38
Milton 31.63
Pace 27.50
District 1- Class 5A
West Florida 39.75
Mosley 32.00
Arnold 29.44
Pensacola 28.38
Bay 27.78
Region 1-1A
Baker 40.22
Chipley 37.56
Holmes County 35.89
Vernon 34.38
Jay 33.67
Bozeman 32.13
Freeport 31.30
Graceville 27.75
Northview 26.11
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, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Facing 40 Years For Hammer Attack
November 1, 2017
An Escambia County man is facing up to 40 year in prison after attacking a female victim with a hammer.
Charles Clark was found guilty of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, felony battery, assault and criminal mischief.
The charges arose from a domestic incident that occurred on February 13. Clark waited outside the victim’s home for her to arrive. When the victim arrived, Clark attacked the victim by striking her with a hammer multiple times. Clark threatened and punched another victim on scene before fleeing the victim’s residence.
Circuit Judge Jan Shackelford remanded Clark on no bond and scheduled sentencing for December 20. Clark qualifies for sentencing as a habitual violent felony offender and is facing up to 40 years in prison.
Clerk Childers Returns $914K To Escambia County
November 1, 2017
Escambia County Clerk and Comptroller Pam Childers has returned $914,107.81 to the Escambia County Commission.
Under state law, her office is required to return excess revenue at the end of each fiscal year.
“The first is the savings of the finance budget, and the second is the effect of additional revenues generated in the official records function..the savings in the Finance department totals $429,042..the Official Records department has excess funds of $485,065 which is predominately the impact of an upward turn in the economy,” Childers said in letter to the board.
The commission will decide at a future date where the funds will be allocated.
Florida Looks At Fuel Reserves For Future Storms
November 1, 2017
Florida could be moving closer to stockpiling fuel for future hurricanes or other disasters.
Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, filed a proposal (SB 700) Tuesday that would establish a task force within the state Division of Emergency Management to come up with recommendations for a strategic fuel reserve.
The proposal, filed for the 2018 legislative session, doesn’t outline costs or how much fuel could be stored for a rainy day, but it would require the recommendations to be completed by April 30, 2019.
“It is our obligation to ensure the safe and timely evacuation of our citizens and guests who are in harm’s way leading up to a natural disaster,” Farmer said in a statement. “In the days prior to Hurricane Irma, it became readily apparent that our fuel supplies could simply not keep up with the demand for gasoline. This created a situation where many Floridians were unable to travel to safety, or to properly prepare for the storm.”
The measure was filed as the House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness has included among its charges the exploration of a centralized state gasoline reserve.
“Gas wasn’t readily accessible,” House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, said Sept. 19, when creating the committee. “Having a committee that looks at why does a state, in the richest country in the world, the third largest (state), why don’t we have a significant gas reserve in the central part of the state so that’s not an issue moving forward for our citizens?”
Select Committee Chairwoman Jeanette Nunez, R-Miami, said last week she expects bills to come out in mid-December that could include fuel depots or distribution points.
“I think the onus is on the state to prepare for the worst-case scenarios,” Nunez said Thursday.
Florida strained to keep up with fuel demand as Hurricane Irma neared the state in early September.
As 6.5 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes, others scrambled for last-minute hurricane supplies. Motorists reported spending up to 12 hours on routes that typically are covered in six or seven hours.
The situation grew worse as ports, where fuel is delivered to the state, were closed due to storm winds.
Rushing fuel to South Florida before the storm, the Florida Highway Patrol served as escorts for tanker trucks.
A month later, when Hurricane Nate threatened the Gulf Coast, Gov. Rick Scott acknowledged that Florida was better prepared for Nate than Irma because there weren’t concerns about fuel shortages.
“With regard to Irma it was right after (Hurricane) Harvey, the refineries were shut down, so going into Irma we were low on fuel,” Scott said on Oct. 6. “We were worried that we wouldn’t have enough fuel to make sure everybody could evacuate.”
On Thursday, Scott directed the Florida Department of Transportation to work with other state agencies, Florida ports, law enforcement and fuel retailers to determine how to increase fuel capacity during emergencies.
Scott gave the transportation agency until January to complete its findings.
“Increasing the availability of fuel for evacuations at Florida gas stations is a top priority,” Scott said in a prepared statement.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Wrong Way Driver Crashes Into Semi On I-10
November 1, 2017
A crash involving a wrong-way vehicle on I-10 left an Escambia County woman in critical condition early Wednesday morning.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 27-year old Chasidy Nichole Peace was traveling west in the eastbound lanes of I-10 for several miles when she collided with a semi-truck and trailer driven by 53-year old Mario Juan Vazquez Olive of Hileah, FL. Troopers said she drove under the trailer being pulled by Olive, causing semi and trailer to flip.
Troopers said Peace reportedly drove the wrong way on I-10 from Davis Highway to Mile Marker 3 near Beulah where the 4:01 a.m. accident occurred.
Peace was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. Olive was not injured.
Any charges against Peace are pending the outcome of the FHP investigation.
Possible Routes For Beulah Beltway Reduced To Three
October 31, 2017
A Beulah Beltway Alternative Corridor Evaluation Public Meeting was held Monday night at Hillcrest Baptist Church.
The public had an opportunity to review the latest plans for the project, including the reduction of the number of possible northern routes. The 11 mile, four-lane Beulah Beltway will serve to connect Nine Mile Road in Beulah to Highway 29 somewhere in the area from south of West Quintette Road to Barrineau Park Road. The highway will also have a new exit on I-10.
There’s no funding available yet for the northern potion of the project, which has seen the number of possible routes drop to three. At their next meeting on Thursday, the Escambia County Commission is set to consider cutting the number of possible northern routes to just one or two.
The interchange and southern segment are expected to begin construction in 2023. Without a funding source, there is no estimated time frame for the northern segment.
Click here for a full-page pdf map of route options.
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Escambia Schools Announce Their Teachers Of The Year
October 31, 2017
Teachers of the Year have been named at each school in the Escambia County School District.
Each teacher on the list has been selected by their peers and they represent ingenuity, dedication, compassion, organization, and so many other traits shared by teachers in their schools. They teach subject areas and how to use technology, but they also teach life skills and employability skills such as teamwork, time management, and social responsibility.
Each has been honored by their school and they will be honored at the District level at the Golden Apple Awards set for Jan. 26, 2018. Sponsored by the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation is a special night when each of these outstanding educators will receive their Golden Apple. The top five will receive special recognition and the overall Teacher of the Year will be announced.
Several North Escambia area Teachers of the Year have already featured with a front page photo on NorthEscambia.com, and we will continue to feature them over the coming days.
The Escambia County School District’s Teachers of the Year are:
Alternative Education — Mercedes Musto
Jim Allen Elementary — Cheryl Massey
Jim C. Bailey Middle — Bobby White
Bellview Elementary — Katie Trier
Bellview Middle — Paulette Brown
Beulah Academy of Science — Rodney Story
Beulah Elementary — Suzanne Hollingsworth
Blue Angels Elementary — Donna C. McKay
Bratt Elementary — Kim Ryan
Brentwood Elementary — Mrs. Scotti Mason
Brown-Barge Middle — David Mellor
Byrneville Elementary — James McDaniel
Camelot Academy — Barbara Belvin
Hellen Caro Elementary — Amy Blamires
N. B. Cook Elementary — Kim Anthony
Cordova Park Elementary — Julios Dewberry
Ensley Elementary — Myra L. Palmer
Escambia High — Keitha Jenkins Brown
Escambia Westgate — Barbara McGill
Ferry Pass Elementary — Nikki Cole
Ferry Pass Middle — Dustin Brenton
Global Learning Academy — Clarence Myles, Jr.
Reinhardt Holm Elementary — Tonya Gron
Lakeview School — Sherry King
Lincoln Park Primary — Jamila Richardson
R. C. Lipscomb Elementary — Patti Payne
Longleaf Elementary — Rena Croker
L. D. McArthur Elementary — Elizabeth Benoit
McMillan Pre-K — Lillian Welch
Molino Park Elementary — Shana Brown
Montclair Elementary School — Catherine Gritsavage
Myrtle Grove Elementary — Angela Carver
Navy Point Elementary — Dawn Paulus
Northview High — Megan Carroll
Oakcrest Elementary — Lori Martin
Pensacola High — Thelma Mullin
Pine Forest High — Jeffrey Lance
Pine Meadow Elementary — Vanessa Taylor
Pleasant Grove Elementary — Alison Schultheis (Sarah)
Ransom Middle — James Jackson
Scenic Heights Elementary — Melissa Thompson
O. J. Semmes Elementary — Cole Harper
Sherwood Elementary — Alexis Quick
George Stone Technical Center — Susan Shockley
A. K. Suter Elementary — Susan Anderson
J. M. Tate High — Alton “Dale” Gilmore
Title 1 — Wendy Ellis
Ernest Ward Middle — Jennifer Luker
Warrington Elementary — Keri Buck
Warrington Middle — Anne Laurenzi
Booker T. Washington High — Carla Ross
C. A. Weis Elementary — Jennifer Kemp
West Florida High — Shawn Walker
West Pensacola Elementary — Tereasa Newton
W. J. Woodham Middle — William Broome
J. H. Workman Middle School — Milagros Sessions
Escambia Charter, Jacqueline Harris Prep. Academy and Pensacola Beach Elementary did not submit names for the list.
Dedication Held For Sheriff Wendell Hall Highway
October 31, 2017
A portion of Highway 90 from Chumuckla Highway to Woodbine Road in Pace was designated as the “Sheriff Wendall Hall Highway” during a ceremony Monday to honor former Sheriff Wendell Hall.
The designation was passed by the Senate and House of Representatives and signed into law by Governor Rick Scott at the request of Senator Doug Broxson and Representative Jayer Williamson.
Born in Atmore, Hall attended Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill before continuing his education at Pensacola State College and Troy State.
Sheriff Hall was elected in 2000 and is the first Sheriff in Santa Rosa County to have been elected and re-elected to four terms. Since his tenure, his office was readily accessible to the community, and he was well known for his “Open Door” policy for all. He strived to ensure excellence, accountability and integrity in the management and conduct of Sheriff Office programs and policies.
Sheriff Hall is also very involved in the community through volunteer service with the Santa Rosa Kids House, United Way of Santa Rosa, Florida Sheriff’s Association, Vets to VA Clinic, Think of NW Florida, and the WW II Veterans to Washington DC Committee.
A highway designation is a rare honor reserved for those Floridians who give extraordinary service to the state. A designation requires an act of the Legislature and approval by the Governor.
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Florida Back to School Tax Holiday Pitched For 2018
October 31, 2017
Sales taxes would be lifted for two weekends before the start of the 2018 school year on clothes, school supplies and personal computers, under a measure filed Monday in the Senate.
The back-to-school sales tax “holiday” proposal (SB 686) by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, would allow shoppers to avoid paying sales taxes for 10 days in late July and early August on clothes and shoes costing up to $100 per item, school supplies that cost $15 or less, and personal computers and related accessories priced at $1,000 or less.
This August, the state offered a three-day tax holiday, with taxes not collected on clothes and shoes costing up to $60 per item and personal computers priced at $750 or less. This year’s tax break included school supplies at the $15 mark.
The state has offered back-to-school tax holidays most years since 1998.
The House does not currently have a version of Perry’s bill, which is filed for the legislative session starting in January. If Perry’s bill is approved, the tax holiday would last from July 27 through August 5.
by The News Service of Florida