HS Basketball: Tate Boys, Northview Girls Win; Jay And Tate Girls Fall
November 30, 2016
Here’s a look at high school basketball scores from around the area Tuesday night:
BOYS
Tate 55, West Florida 50
The Tate Aggies picked up their first win of the young season at home Tuesday night 55-50 over West Florida. The Aggies were led by Robert Rush with 19. Up next, the Tate Aggies (1-3) will be at Pine Forest on Thursday.
GIRLS
Northview 44, Catholic 20
The Northview Lady Chiefs defeated the visiting Catholic High Lady Crusaders Tuesday night in Bratt, . The Lady Chiefs will be at Chipley at 5:00 Thursday and at Baker at 5:30 on Friday.
West Florida 56, Tate 19
The West Florida Lady Jaguars defeated the Tate Lady Aggies Tuesday 56-19. The Lady Aggies will host Escambia High School at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Baker 57, Jay 26
The Jay Lady Royals (2-2) lost to Baker 57-26 Tuesday night at Jay. Corrissa Mulford added 10 points to lead the Royals. The Lady Royals will host Catholic High School on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Pictured: Northview’s Lady Chiefs defeated Catholic Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Deputy Involved Crash In Cantonment
November 29, 2016
There were no injuries in a wreck involving an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Cantonment Monday night.
The accident happened about 7:15 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 297A and west Kingsfield Road. There were no serious injuries; both drivers refused medical treatment at the scene.
Further details have not yet been released by the Florida Highway Patrol as they continue their investigation into the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Tougher Texting While Driving Law Sought
November 29, 2016
A Broward County Democrat wants lawmakers in 2017 to toughen the state’s ban on texting while driving, though similar proposals in the past have repeatedly been rejected.
Rep. Richard Stark, D-Weston, filed a bill (HB 47) on Wednesday that would allow police to pull over motorists for texting while driving. Under current law, motorists can only be cited for texting while driving if they have been pulled over for other reasons — what is known as a “secondary” offense.
Also, Stark’s bill would double fines for texting while driving in designated school zones or school crossings. The bill is filed for the session that will start in March.
Pedestrian Struck And Killed in Escambia County
November 29, 2016
A pedestrian was struck and killed Monday night in Escambia County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 67-yaer old Deborah Leigh Askegren of Pensacola was northbound on Pace Boulevard south of Godfrey Street. A pedestrian, identified as 61-year old Richard Johnson of Pensacola, was crossing Pace Boulevard when he was struck by Askegren’s GMC Yukon.
Johnson was pronounced deceased on the scene following the 6 p.m. crash.
No charges were filed against Askegren.
In Escambia Case, Appeals Court Backs Notifying Minor’s Parents Before Abortion
November 29, 2016
With one judge pointing to a lack of “sufficient maturity to make this critical decision,” a state appeals court Monday rejected a minor’s attempt to get an abortion without her parents being notified.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld an Escambia County circuit judge’s decision to refuse to grant a waiver from the state’s parental-notification law. The ruling did not detail the age or the hometown of the minor, identifying her only as “Jane Doe 16-A.”
Florida voters in 2004 approved a constitutional amendment that requires parents to be notified before their minor daughters can have abortions. But that amendment and subsequent laws created a process for minors to go to court to prevent the notification — a process known as a judicial bypass or waiver.
Monday’s ruling said the minor based her request on two legal grounds: that she was sufficiently mature to decide whether to have the abortion and that the notification would not be in the “best interests of the petitioner.”
In a four-page opinion written by Chief Judge Clay Roberts and joined by judges M. Kemmerly Thomas and Scott Makar, the appeals court said it could find “no abuse of discretion” in Escambia County Circuit Judge Coleman Lee Robinson’s decision to reject a waiver from the notification requirement.
“In considering the denial of a petition for judicial waiver, this court looks to whether the circuit court abused its discretion and may not reweigh the evidence presented below in order to reach a different result from the circuit court,” Roberts wrote. “Our review on appeal is highly deferential to the circuit court, due, in large part, to the confidential, non-adversarial nature of the proceeding below. The circuit court sits in a far better position to assess a minor’s demeanor and credibility than this court can upon review of the transcribed hearing.”
Makar wrote a more-detailed concurring opinion, saying that the minor’s testimony “fell short of the clear and convincing standard required to obtain a judicial order that her parents not be notified she is seeking to terminate her pregnancy.”
“Among many evidentiary deficiencies, the minor did not know what the medical procedure involved (and had no plan if post-surgical complications arose), had accepted little or no responsibility for ‘anything at all’ in her life, and planned on her parents paying for the procedure,” Makar wrote. “The limited evidentiary record paints a portrait of an emotionally overwhelmed young woman lacking sufficient maturity to make this critical decision independent of her parents for whom she expressed only a generalized fear about their possible reaction.”
The ruling does not prevent the minor from having an abortion but requires that a physician notify her parents before it can be performed.
The parental-notification law has been controversial, but a footnote in Makar’s concurring opinion suggested that judges rarely turn down requests for waivers. The footnote said 89.5 percent of petitions were granted in 2013, 90.5 percent in 2014 and 94.7 percent in 2015.
Deputies Seek Man On Firearms, Narcotics Charges
November 29, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating 23-year old Kewauntez Antonio Matthews. Matthews is wanted for firearms and narcotics offenses.
The Sheriff’s Office said he is to be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or 911.
Escambia School Board Installs Members For Coming Year
November 29, 2016
The Escambia County School Board held an Installation Ceremony Monday night for newly re-elected Superintendent Malcolm Thomas (pictured above) and board members Kevin Adams, District 1 (below); Bill Slayton, District 5 (below middle); and Patty Hightower, District 4 (pictured bottom).
The board recently elected Linda Moultrie as chairman for 2016-2017 and Gerald Boone as vice-chairman. Regular board meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the J.E. Hall Center, Room 160.
Photos by Kim Stefansson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Winners Circle Brush Fire
November 29, 2016
Firefighters were called to battle a brush fire about 10:00 Monday night in the 2000 block of Winners Circle. The fire was contained to a wooded area bounded by Winners Circle, Filly Road and East Kingsfield Road. It took firefighters over an hour to extinguish the fire as they battled against a strong wind that was pushing the flames. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Local Governments Receive Grants For Disaster Prep and Response
November 28, 2016
Volunteer Florida has awarded over $42,00/0 in federal funding to establish or enhance Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and citizen corp programs in Escambia County.
The Town of Century received a $7,000 grant for their CERT, plus an additional $7,400 for the Town of Century Citizen Corps.
The Escambia County and Pensacola CERT programs received $7,000 each, while The Escambia County and Pensacola Citizen Corps received an additional $7,000 each.
The organizations will match the funding dollar for dollar through cash or in-kind investments. The program is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and administered by Volunteer Florida.
“Volunteer Florida’s CERT funding specifically trains Floridians to take action following emergencies or disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes,” said Chester W. Spellman, Volunteer Florida CEO. “This unique training allows citizens to support the critical work of our emergency management officials by deploying CERT volunteers when they are needed, saving taxpayer dollars.”
CERT was created as a grassroots approach to encourage “neighbors helping neighbors” in the event of emergencies or disasters. Grantees conduct emergency management training to enhance the capabilities of local emergency management personnel. Following their training, grantees deploy citizens to impacted areas so that they can assist in response and recovery. Citizens are prepared to assist with light search and rescue, offer immediate help to victims until professional services arrive, provide evacuation assistance, and support damage assessment teams.
“The CERT program allows communities to recruit and train civilians as neighborhood, business and government teams that become auxiliary responders during disasters,” said Bryan Koon, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “We are thrilled that Volunteer Florida is administering this funding for Florida.”
Pictured: Century CERT volunteers during a disaster exercise. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
FDLE Offers Safe Online Shopping Tips For Cyber Monday
November 28, 2016
It’s Cyber Monday — the Monday following Black Friday. Most online retailers hold a Cyber Monday sale; it is traditionally the busiest day of the year for online retailers. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement offers the following tips for safe online shopping today, and every day of the year.
Make Sure to Use a Secure Browser.
Make sure your browser meets industry security standards. Features such as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encrypt your personal information as it is sent over the Internet. Most browsers are capable of SSL encryption and other security features.
There are two ways to determine if a website encrypts data before it is sent over the Internet. The first is that the URL displayed in the address bar will begin with the abbreviation “https.” This stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. Web pages that do not encrypt data only display “http,” without the “s.”
Secure web pages will also display a second indicator, which differs depending on the particular browser being used. In most browsers, a small lock will appear in the bottom-right corner of the browser window.
Shop Only With Companies You Are Comfortable With.
Ask for paper documentation, such as a catalog or a brochure, if you are unfamiliar with an online merchant. This should help you become familiar with the vendor’s services and policies. Never deal with an on-line merchant whose policies are not explicitly clarified.
Keep Your Password(s) Secret.
Never reveal passwords that you use on-line. See the page on SecureFlorida.org for more information about passwords.
Pay by Credit or Charge Card.
Using your credit card online ensures that you will be protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. This law provides consumers with the right to dispute charges made to their accounts. If unauthorized charges are made to your credit card, by law you are liable only for the first $50, and many companies don’t require you to pay anything.
Keep Records.
Keep a record of confirmation numbers and purchase orders. Print them out and keep personal copies. On-line orders are covered by the Federal Mail/Telephone Order Merchandise Rule. This rule states that merchandise ordered online must be delivered within 30 days unless otherwise noted. Your records will be able to provide proof of the date and time of purchase.
Paying Your Bills Online
Most companies offer you the convenience of paying your bills and checking your account online. Before enrolling in one of these “click-to-pay” programs, make sure you fully understand the company’s privacy policy and security measures. If an appropriate description of a company’s security procedures is not available, ask the company by calling them or e-mailing them.