Traffic To Switch At County Road 97A Boggy Creek Bridge
March 23, 2017
Construction of the detour (acrow) bridge on County Road 97A over Boggy Creek near Enon in Escambia County is complete. Traffic was to be transitioned to the temporary structure Thursday, March 23. Drivers were reminded to use caution as workers make necessary adjustments to move traffic.
Crews will now begin replacing the existing structure with a new, modern bridge encompassing 12-foot travel lanes, eight foot shoulders and a solid concrete barrier railing. The bridge approaches will also be replaced. Work is anticipated to be complete in the fall of 2017, weather permitting, on the $3,041,965 project..
Drivers are reminded to slow down to the posted speed limit of 30 MPH, use caution and be aware of the ‘S’ shaped curve when approached the temporary bridge. There will be weight restriction on the temporary detour bridge. Vehicles weighing over 88,000 ponds and cranes will be prohibited.
The bridge to be replaced was constructed in 1969.
Pictured: The CR 97A temporary bridge still under construction earlier this month. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
After A Record Hot Wednesday, Expect Upper 70’s Today
March 23, 2017
Wednesday’s high at the Pensacola airport was 90 degrees — a new all-time record for the month of March. The previous record was 88 on March 30, 1946 — 70 years ago.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Tate Win Advances Aggies To Sarasota Classic Championship Game
March 23, 2017
The Tate High School Aggies have reached the finals of the Sarasota Baseball Classic with a 2-0 win Wednesday over Sarasota.
Trey LaFleur earned the win for the Aggies in five innings, allowing six his and striking out six.
For Tate – Reid Halfacre 1-3, R, RBI; Mason Land 1-3; Logan McGuffey 1-3, RBI; Logan Blackmon 2-3 2B; Ryan Greene 1-3, R; Jesse Sherrill 1-1.
The Aggies will play at 7:30 Eastern Thursday night against Trinity Christian in the Sarasota Classic championship.
Cantonment Man Get 25 Years For Attempted Murder After Robbery, Beating
March 22, 2017
A Cantonment man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for beating a victim during an armed home invasion.
Zanterrial DeJohn Carter was convicted of an Escambia County jury of attempted first degree murder, burglary of a dwelling while armed with a dangerous weapon and grand theft.
In the early morning hours on November 14, 2015, Carter broke into an apartment on Spink Lane where the victim was severely beaten. entered a home in Escambia County and held a resident down on the bed while striking him repeatedly in the head with a knife or small hatchet. The victim suffered deep wounds to his scalp and a broken arm from attempts to block the blows.
Carter assisted in stealing multiple electronic devices from the victim and fled the scene. The victim was able to call for help from a neighbor’s house. A witness in the area of the crime was able to identify Carter and also provided property to law enforcement that had been stolen from the victim.
The victim told deputies that he believed Carter intended to kill him, and the only reason he survived is because he played dead during the attack.
Several items, including a TV, laptop computer and desktop computer were stolen during the incident, according to an arrest report. The total value of stolen item was $1,734.
Escambia County Alabama Looks To Increase Sales Tax
March 22, 2017
The county commission in Escambia County, AL, is asking the Alabama legislature to increase the county sales tax by 1 cent.
A 1-cent increase is expected to boost the county’s annual revenue by over $2.7 million. Without the increase, commissioners have said the county will be facing service cutbacks and possible layoffs due to lower general fund revenue, partially due to a decrease in revenue from oil and gas severance revenue and gas taxes.
The sale tax in Atmore, Flomaton in Brewton is currently 9 percent, while East Brewton already charges a 10 percent sale tax. The increase would mean a 10 percent tax in the cities, except 11 percent in East Brewton. Just to the south in Escambia County, FL, the sales tax is 7.5 percent, except for groceries and medications that have zero tax.
The commission has petitioned the legislature for the increase because Alabama law won’t allow a local county to pass a regulation to create new revenue.
Pictured top: The sales tax in Atmore, including at this Winn Dixie store, is currently 9 percent but may soon increase to 10 percent. A few miles away in Florida, shoppers pay no sales tax on groceries, 7.5 percent on most other items. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Senate Poised To Vote On ‘Religious Liberties’ Bill
March 22, 2017
The Florida Senate moved forward Tuesday with a bill that supporters say would strengthen protections for expressions of religious faith in public schools.
The “Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties Act” (SB 436) could come up for a vote as soon as Thursday after advancing through a routine procedural stage.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Dennis Baxley, would extend protection to religious activities and organizations and seek to prevent discrimination against students or school employees based on their faith. Unlike a House counterpart, the Senate version of the bill also would require school districts to approve a “limited public forum” policy for student speakers.
But some critics have questioned whether the bill would “open the door for domestic hate groups and other extremists that hide behind religious expression,” in the words of Sen. Victor Torres, D-Orlando. Baxley, R-Ocala, dismissed those concerns, saying it would instead give students a “moral compass” that could lessen tension.
“We spend an awful lot of time teaching students the ‘how,’ and there’s very little opportunity for them to capture the ‘why.’ … We protect all kinds of speech, and it shouldn’t be just that we protect filthy speech but that we actually protect inspirational and encouraging speech. So I think it will actually diminish hate, and people will find that they have much more in common,” he said. Some senators also suggested that the legislation might be unnecessary.
“What does this bill do that the First Amendment doesn’t currently do?” asked Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth. Baxley said the bill was needed to clear up any misunderstandings about the religious freedoms of students and employees.
by The News Service of Florida
Anonymous Donor Gives $3 Million Gift To UWF
March 22, 2017
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the University of West Florida will receive more than $3 million to assist deserving students in their pursuit of the American Dream.
This transformational gift will establish an endowment for need-based scholarships with preference given to immigrants and refugees and enhance accessibility to higher education for UWF students. UWF enrolled 290 students classified as immigrants in Fall 2015. With the additional scholarship funds, new student enrollment is projected to increase by approximately 30 percent over the next several years.
“Sometimes it amazes me how strong the power of generosity is in our region,” UWF President Martha Saunders said. “This gift will provide needed financial aid to students for generations to come. The donor does not want credit for this incredible act of giving. We are deeply grateful.”
Endowment dollars enable UWF to sustain growth, increase its reputation for quality and compete in the higher education marketplace to attract and retain a talented and diverse student body. Need- and talent-based scholarships to support students within all academic programs improve the lives of students and, in return, the community.
“Providing the opportunity for higher education ensures economic prosperity and mobility for our students as financial barriers can often interfere with academic progress,” said Dr. Meredith Brunen, interim vice president for university advancement. “The foresight of our benefactors is so noble. The ripples of this gift will be felt in perpetuity.”
More Movie Money Surfaces In Local Area
March 22, 2017
More motion picture “funny money” has surfaced in the North Escambia area.
The Flomaton Police Department reports coming into contact recently with a juvenile who had 15 “For Motion Picture Use Only” $100 bills in his possession.
“These Motion Picture Use Only (bills) are not illegal to have but they are illegal to use as real currency. If you have some, we suggest that you destroy them,” Flomaton police said.
At first glance, the fake $100 bills look almost exactly like real money — that’s why they are used in movies and TV shows.
However, the fake bills have the words “FOR MOTION PICTURE USE ONLY” clearly printed on the bill along with the statement “This note is not legal. It is to be used for motion pictures”. The security ribbon is fake, and picture of Ben Franklin is slightly different.
Back in December, the Flomaton Police Department reported that two of the bills had been used at local merchants. One woman told police she had no idea that she had spent a fake $100 — she said she received the bill when she cashed in a winning scratch off lottery ticket in Florida.
Authorities say the fake cash — which can be in any denomination — does not feel like real currency. It does not pass a currency pen test designed to detect counterfeit bills. The fake bills are legal to purchase and posses, but it is a felony offense to use the bills in any financial transaction.
Anyone that suspects a fake bill is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.
Pictured top: Fifteen “For Motion Pictured Use Only” $100 bills recently surfaced in Flomaton. Pictured below: Close-ups of movie money used in Flomaton last December.
Florida Senators Ponder Direction On School Testing
March 22, 2017
A Senate Education Committee meeting Tuesday on the state’s accountability system turned into a show of strength by people who want to scale back standardized testing, as lawmakers consider the next move.
The long-running debate over the use of assessments in school grades, teacher evaluations and retention and graduation decisions has flared again, prompting a spate of new bills from lawmakers to tamp down testing — and pushback from supporters of former Gov. Jeb Bush’s drive to strengthen accountability over the past 15 years.
“The insanity has gone on far too long,” said Luke Flynt, secretary-treasurer for the Florida Education Association, the state’s main teachers union. “The only consistent result that we have seen from state testing is that they have sucked the joy out of learning and out of teaching.”
What is less clear is the way forward in the debate — whether the Republican-dominated Legislature, which still includes many Bush proteges, will back more-sweeping proposals to eliminate several statewide tests or a measured approach backed by the Bush-founded Foundation for Florida’s Future.
Several of the newest proposals were aired Tuesday at the Senate Education Committee.
Sen. Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican who has been leading the panel’s meetings in the medical absence of Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, said after the meeting that no decision has been made.
“We may put together some sort of a committee bill … with a configuration of the bills that you just heard,” Simpson said. “But again, that’s Senator Hukill’s ultimate call. We’ll have to confer with her first.”
House members are already moving forward with what is known as the “Fewer, Better Tests” legislation (HB 773) backed by the foundation — a bill ironically named, critics say, because it doesn’t explicitly eliminate any tests. Supporters say it could lead to some local tests being shelved because they don’t meet reporting standards in the legislation.
But several of the people who spoke Tuesday at the Senate committee meeting, even some traditionally aligned with conservative causes, slammed the Senate version of the “Fewer, Better Tests” bill (SB 926) as insufficient.
“It’s not a bipartisan bill,” said Catherine Baer, chairwoman of The Tea Party Network and part of a coalition backing stronger legislation. “It’s been put forward by former Governor Bush’s foundation. The foundation’s educational philosophy has been soundly rejected by parents in the state of Florida and across the United States.”
Most of those wanting to more strongly dial back testing have rallied around a bipartisan proposal spearheaded by Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who doubles as head of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
That measure (SB 964) would, among other things, get rid of the requirement for end-of-course tests in geometry, Algebra II, U.S. history and civics; allow college-entrance exams like the SAT and ACT to be used in lieu of the state’s graduation test; and allow a pencil-and-paper option for the state’s current, computer-based tests.
“What began as a system to measure student performance and to hold students accountable has become an educational system that has been dominated by tests — over-testing, I would suggest,” Montford, a former Leon County schools superintendent, said Tuesday.
But Sen. Anitere Flores, a Miami Republican handling her chamber’s version of “Fewer, Better Tests,” said the Florida Department of Education first needs to look at whether the entrance exams would accurately measure how well students have learned the state’s education standards.
Flores’ bill calls for that review.
“If we don’t ask the DOE to look into that, then just arbitrarily replacing it may be problematic,” she said.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Tate Beats Mosley; Northview Crushes Baker
March 22, 2017
Northview 15, Baker 3
The Northview Chiefs 10-run ruled the Baker Gators 15-3 Tuesday in Bratt in five innings.
Zach Payne had five RBIs for Northview in the district game, including a double in the first, a single in the third and a double in the fourth.
For Northview – Quinton Sampson 1-3, R; Chandler Lowery 1-3, 2R; John Chivington 1-4, R; Zach Payne 3-4, 5 RBI; 2 R; 2 2B; Seth Killam, 3-4, 2R, 3 RBI; Josh Neese 1-3, 3R; Bailey Wilson 2-4, R, 4 RBI; Daniel Mascaro 2 R.
Up next – the Chiefs will head to Myrtle Grove on March 27 to take on the Escambia Gators. The JV will play at 4:00; the varsity at 6:00.
Tate 6, Mosley 4
The Tate Aggies beat Mosley 6-4 Tuesday in the Sarasota Baseball Classic.
Gabe Castro earned the win for Tate Aggies Varsity. He tossed two innings, giving up one run, two hits, striking out two, and walking zero. Logan McGuffey started the game for Tate Aggies. He went five innings, surrendering three runs, four hits, and striking out one.
Kyler Hultgren and Hunter NeSmith had two RBIs for Tate, while Reid Halfacre and Logan Blackmon had one RBI each. Mason Land had a double for Tate.
Tate will play Sarasota High School at 7:30 Wednesday at Sarasota.
Tate 12, Navarre 1 (9th)
NorthEscambia.com file photo.