Two North Escambia Area Administrators Named Tops In School District
October 23, 2017
Two North Escambia area principals have received top honors as principal and assistant principal of the year for the Escambia County School District.
Principal of the Year
The Escambia County School District’s outstanding Principal of the Year is Susan Sanders, principal of R. C. Lipscomb Elementary School.
A graduate of Tate High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of West Florida. She taught at Oakcrest and Beulah elementary schools. She became an assistant principal while at Beulah and then served as assistant principal at R. C. Lipscomb Elementary before becoming the principal in 2012.
Susan Sanders is married to Kevin Sanders, who is also an educator in Escambia County School District. They have two sons, Kevin and Tyler.
During her tenure as principal at R. C. Lipscomb, Sanders has provided outstanding leadership for the faculty, staff, and students. She is passionate about the work she does at her school and maintains a strong focus on data-driven instruction.
This past year the school earned a school grade of “A”. Sanders will tell you it is a combination of student effort along with the ability of her staff to provide highly effective instruction. Her staff, however, believe her leadership is a direct influence on the success at the school.
Assistant Principal of the Year
Ransom Middle School Assistant Principal Sandra Ames has been selected as the Escambia County School District’s Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year.
Ames is s graduate of Escambia High School. Ames graduated from the University of West Florida Magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English Education. She started her career as a teacher assistant at Pine Forest High School. The next year she became a language arts teacher. She taught language arts at Pine Forest High School for over 20 years, impacting the lives of many Escambia County students.
She started her administrative journey as a dean at Pine Forest and then served as assistant principal at Brown Barge Middle School, Principal at Brown Barge Middle and Assistant Principal at Ransom Middle School. Ames is married to Scott Ames, who is an agriscience teacher at Ransom. The Ames have three children, who are all graduates of West Florida High School.
Pictured: Superintendent Malcolm Thomas with Principal of the Year Susan Sanders (top) and Assistant Principal of the Year Sandra Ames. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
October 23, 2017
Drivers will encounter traffic variations on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County
· Interstate 10 (I-10)/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements Phase I – Drivers will encounter the following traffic impacts on I-10 and U.S. 29 near the interchange (Exits 10A and 10B) from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 through Thursday, Oct. 26 as crews perform construction activities:
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- Alternating lane closures east and westbound I-10 and north and southbound U.S. 29.
- Intermittent closure of the U.S. 29 south to I-10 eastbound ramp and the U.S. 29 north to I-10 eastbound ramp. Traffic will be detoured on U.S. 29 to access I-10 eastbound.
- Intermittent closure of the I-10 westbound to U.S. 29 south ramp (Exit 10A). Traffic will be detoured to Exit 10B.
- Alternating lane closures on the I-10 westbound to U.S. 29 north ramp (Exit 10B).
· I-10 Widening from Davis Highway to the Escambia Bay Bridge-Drivers will encounter alternating east and westbound lane closures between Davis Highway (Exit 13) and Scenic Highway (Exit 17) and on Scenic Highway near the I-10 interchange from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 through Thursday, Oct. 26 as crews perform construction activities.
· U.S. 29 Widening from I-10 to Nine Mile Road- Drivers traveling U.S. 29 and Nine Mile Road will encounter traffic pattern changes from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as follows:
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- Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 overpass: Nightly eastbound traffic shift onto the westbound inside travel lane continue as crews prepare the area for construction of the support column for the new center bridge deck.
- U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road: Drivers may experience alternating lane closures as crews perform drainage operations.
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· S.R. 742 (Creighton Road) Construction Improvement Project from east of Davis Highway to Scenic Highway– Intermittent and alternating lane closures between Davis Highway and Scenic Highway from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. continue as crews perform milling and paving operations, curb replacement, sidewalk repairs, and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades.
· Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road to U.S. 29- Alternating lane closures continue Untreiner Avenue as crews perform jack and bore operations.
· U.S. 98 (S.R. 30) Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Alternating east and westbound lane closures on Bayfront Parkway between 14th Avenue and the bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23 through Saturday, Oct. 28 as crews install barrier wall and perform temporary signalization and striping work. On Tuesday, Oct. 24, westbound lane restrictions will be in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
· I-10 at W Nine Mile Road Utility Work Pacing Operations- Utility crews will perform work on the Navy Federal Reconductor project over I-10 at Nine Mile Road Thursday, Oct. 26. Motorists may encounter minor delays from 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26 to 1 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27 as law enforcement assist with two 15-minute traffic pacing operations.
Santa Rosa County
· I-10 Widening from Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (Exit 22) – Widening efforts on I-10 and reconstruction of the Avalon Boulevard overpass continues. Alternating I-10 lane closures will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 through Friday Oct. 27. Drivers can also expect lane restrictions on Avalon Boulevard, near the I-10 interchange.
· S.R. 87 Multilane from Eglin AFB Boundary to Hickory Hammock Road – Traffic between County Road 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) and the Eglin AFB boundary will remain restricted to loads less than 11-feet wide through completion of the project in late 2018.
· U.S. 98 Turn Lane Closure at Panhandle Trail in Navarre- The eastbound, left and westbound, right turn lanes at Panhandle Trail will be closed from 6 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 through 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. This is in association with the temporary closure of Panhandle Trail to perform utility work.
Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through the construction zone, and to pay attention for workers and equipment entering and exiting the work area. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Century Blackcats Youth League Scores
October 23, 2017
Mighty Mites (4-7 year olds)
Frisco City 20, Century 18
The Century Blackcats fell short in a thriller 20-18 to Frisco City on Saturday afternoon at Anthony Pleasant Park in Century. A game that went back and forth all day came down to the wire. With 1:03 left in the game and the Blackcats down by eight, 20-12, Jamarria Davison ran for 58 yards behind a key block by Keyunta Ewing, bringing the ball to the 2-yard line. Ewing scored two plays later, making the score 20-18 with 22 seconds left in the game.
Ewing fought hard for the two point conversion, but came up short within inches of goal line. Frisco City won the game and the championship 20-18.
Tiny Mites (8-10 year olds)
Century 22, Beatrice 12
Pee Wees (11-13 year olds)
Castleberry 16, Century 0
Northview High Debuts New Facebook Page
October 23, 2017
Northview High School has a new Facebook page, located at:
https://www.facebook.com/northviewchiefspage/
School officials said it will be used mainly for information, announcements and news. The page has been added to the Escambia County School District’s Families App. The free app — ECSD Families — is available for download in the Apple App Store for iPhones and on Google Play for Android phones.
Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
October 23, 2017
Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings for the week of October 23-27:
Monday, Oct. 23
Attorney/Client Session – 9 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, Board Chambers, 221 Palafox Place
Library Board of Governance – 4 p.m., Downtown Branch Library, 239 North Spring Street
Tuesday, Oct. 24
October Coffee with the Commissioner: Jeff Bergosh, District 1 – 6:30 a.m., McDonald’s, 5 S Blue Angel Pkwy.
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place (Agenda)
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place (Agenda)
Gambling Ballot Initiative Tops 300,000 Signatures
October 23, 2017
Trying to get on the November 2018 ballot, backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that could make it harder to expand gambling in Florida have topped 300,000 petition signatures, according to the state Division of Elections website.
The political committee Voters In Charge had submitted 301,370 valid signatures to the state as of Friday afternoon.
It needs to submit 766,200 signatures to get the measure on the 2018 ballot.
The initiative would change the state Constitution and give voters the “exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling” in the state. It would require voter approval of casino-style games in the future.
by The News Service of Florida
Morgan Questions Commission’s Planned ‘Shade’ Meeting Over Budget Appeal
October 22, 2017
The Escambia County Commission plans to hold a shade meeting Monday to discuss Sheriff David Morgan’s budget appeal to the governor, but Morgan is calling for that meeting to be held in the sunshine.
The BOCC will hold the private meeting with its attorneys Monday morning at 9:00 to discuss the pending appeal, according to a public notice.
“Florida has a long-standing policy mandating that meetings to discuss public business be conducted in the open,” Morgan said in a letter Saturday to Escambia County Commission Chairman Doug Underhill. “The law governing such meetings (Chapter 286 of the Florida Statutes) allows for closed Board meetings in only very limited circumstances — when there is pending “litigation” and when the subject matter of the meeting is confined to settlement negotiations or strategy sessions related to litigation expenditures.
“My understanding is that the subject matter of Monday’s planned meeting is the drafting of the reply to my budget petition. I am not aware of any settlement negotiations underway.”
Morgan also wrote, “The debate about replying to my appeal is not limited to “litigation” or “settlement” strategies. In question are the very type of public policy issues that by law must be addressed and debated in public, in the light of day. I was given very short shrift in this year’s budget debate. I find it unconscionable, and perhaps a violation of the Florida’s Sunshine Laws and policy, to close this meeting from public scrutiny when the subject of the debate is the EBOCC reply to my appeal.
“We have attempted to get straight answers about the budget from EBOCC and its staff. We have records requests that have yet to be answered, and have not been given straightforward answers to our questions. When we asked the County Administrator for clarification of budget issues, we were told that the County would not ‘do the math’ for the Sheriff. This does not give me confidence that the County is being forthcoming about the Escambia County Budget. Closing this meeting will further advance the notion that there is something about the EBOCC budget that EBOCC does not want the public to know.
“I call upon EBOCC to squarely and frankly discuss these issues in the light of day in public. You may want to consider additional legal guidance before closing the meeting. If you do hold the closed meeting as planned, in my opinion it is not in the best interests of our constituents, nor will it foster our working relationship as we strive to achieve a budget resolution.”
All county employees received a pay raise under a budget approved in late September by the Escambia County Commission — including Sheriff’s deputies — but Sheriff David Morgan said then that he still planned appeal his budget to Scott. The budget included $3.7 million to provide a 3 percent across the board raise for all permanent employees, including those at the Sheriff’s Office.
The budget approval cane at the end of a long summer in which Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan fought for pay raises and changes in the pay structure in his department in order to retain deputies. Morgan said the raises did nothing to stop pay “compression”.
Change Wars: Byrneville Students Help With Hurricane Relief
October 22, 2017
“Change Wars” at Byrneville Elementary School recently raised $430 for hurricane relief.
The “Change Wars” pitted students in grades kindergarten through second against students in grades third through fifth. Each group brought spare change to the school, with the the K-2 team taking top honors and earning a popcorn party.
The money will be used to help a south Florida charter school with hurricane recovery.
Massey Named Jim Allen Teacher Of The Year
October 22, 2017
Cheryl Massey was recently named the Jim Allen Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Massey has been teaching for 12 years, and she says family is very important to her. Her husband Joe works at David Bowen Sporting Goods. Her daughters Lauren, Jessica, and Katie are all grown or in college and all work very hard. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Archery, Crossbow Season Begins Drawing A New Generation Of Hunters
October 22, 2017
by Tony Young,
There’s a new kind of hunter afield these days creating a new trend. Young urbanites, many of them millennials, are taking up bowhunting. These young people are motivated by healthy lifestyles, organic food and the ever-growing farm/field-to-table movement.
During archery season, in addition to taking a legal buck, you are allowed to take antlerless deer, which greatly increases your chances of putting quality meat in the freezer.
Millennial hunters care about fitness, red meat and doing their own thing. Bowhunting is booming with this new generation of hunter, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. Because hunting with a bow requires more tracking, these young fitness-minded people are picking it up.
Today, teen girls are being inspired to take up archery and bowhunting because of movies like “The Hunger Games” and “Brave,” and are motivated by a generation of women who are dedicated to the outdoors, fitness and wellness.
If you’re stealthy enough and have done your preseason homework, you have a good chance of having a nice one come within shooting range of your bowhunting setup. Early in the season, before deer are subjected to significant hunting pressure, they are more active during daylight hours. Once gun season hits, though, you might not see that big ’un again for the rest of the year, except for maybe a trail cam pic taken in the middle of the night.
Archery and crossbow seasons started Saturday in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Antlered or antlerless deer may be taken by bow or crossbow until November 22. Antlered deer can be take only by crossbow or bow November 27-December 1. For information on the remainder of deer season, refer to the maps and chart below or click here.
