Laurel Hill Defeats Northview (With Gallery)
September 2, 2016
Laurel Hill earned a 3-0 win over Northview Thursday evening in Bratt in varsity volleyball action.
Varsity 12-25, 17-25, 24-26 Laurel Hill wins
Laurel Hill also defeated Northview in junior varsity action.
JV 22-25, 25-22, 8-15 Laurel Hill wins
The Lady Chiefs are on the road next Tuesday against T.R. Miller, and back home next Thursday as they host Jay.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
Century Chamber Plans October Fall Festival, Vendors Needed
September 2, 2016
The Century Area Chamber of Commerce is planning a Fall & Craft Festival & Car Show for Saturday, October 15 at Showalter Park.
The event will feature craft booths, family fun, food, a car show and entertainment featuring The Horseshoe Halo Band and Michael Peterson.
The chamber is currently seeking vendors, entertainment and sponsors for the event. For a vendor booth application, click here. For sponsorship or other information, call Kim at (850) 256-3208 or email kgodwin@centuryflorida.us.
The festival is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured: A Wednesday lunch meeting of the Century Chamber of Commerce membership. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Federal Judge Questions State On Card Games
September 2, 2016
A federal judge on Thursday appeared skeptical of the state’s defense of how gambling regulators handled controversial “designated player” card games at the heart of a legal challenge by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
During a pre-trial hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle repeatedly questioned J. Carter Andersen, a lawyer representing the state, about the games, also the subject of recent decisions by state administrative law judges in disputes involving cardroom operators.
The popular games have taken off since first introduced at Florida pari-mutuels more than four years ago, but the Seminoles contend that, by allowing the games, the state breached an agreement that granted the tribe the exclusive rights to operate “banked” card games, such as blackjack.
A five-year deal giving the tribe exclusive rights to operate banked games — part of a larger agreement, known as a “compact,” signed in 2010 — expired last summer, prompting the Seminoles’ lawsuit. Under the compact, the tribe is allowed to continue to operate the games for the remainder of the broader 20-year deal, if the state permits anyone else in the state to offer them.
Under Florida law, a “banking game” is defined as one “in which the house is a participant in the game, taking on players, paying winners, and collecting from losers or in which the cardroom establishes a bank against which participants play.”
Pari-mutuel cardrooms are allowed to conduct games in which players compete only against each other.
Years after the designated-player games first popped up at pari-mutuels in Florida, gambling regulators in January filed complaints against more than a dozen cardrooms regarding the games.
The complaints came months after the Seminoles filed their legal challenge accusing the state of breaching the compact.
“It only reversed its position and said that they were unauthorized banked games after the lawsuit which we are currently litigating was filed,” Barry Richard, a lawyer representing the Seminoles, said Thursday.
Richard cited testimony from Department of Business and Professional Regulation Deputy Secretary Jonathan Zachem, who headed the division overseeing gambling in January, when regulators proposed repealing a rule governing the card games.
In his deposition, Zachem said that “where a banker is using their table, their dealer, their facility — meaning the cardrooms — that they are establishing a bank,” Richard said Thursday.
Lawyers for the state insist that gambling regulators do not have the power to authorize card games prohibited by state law.
But Hinkle appeared to reject that argument during Thursday’s telephone hearing, focusing on the part of the law that bars cardrooms from “establishing” a bank.
“Why isn’t that a description of a designated-player game?” the judge asked Andersen.
“Regardless of what the regulator does, it’s the Legislature that determines whether or not the state permits banking games,” Andersen said.
But Hinkle then described a hypothetical situation in which gambling regulators allowed a facility to hold blackjack games.
“And (the cardroom) set it up and they go and they have a blackjack game. And you say, tough on the tribe. That doesn’t give them any right because even though the division formally said you can do this, it turns out it’s against the law, so you can ignore what the division said and tribe, you’re out of luck. That’s the state’s position?” Hinkle asked.
Andersen said that the Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering never “authorized” the games, but approved the cardroom operators’ internal controls laying out conditions for the games, which in some cases required potential designated players to put up $100,000.
Based on a review of the internal controls, it appeared “that the games would be played in accordance with state law,” Andersen said.
“The concept of designated player games in other jurisdictions and in the industry is that they are games similar to Texas Hold ‘Em where the button rotates and the players are playing against each other,” Andersen said. “If certain cardrooms were playing the games in an unauthorized manner, it’s our position that it isn’t something that was authorized.”
“Is it true or not true you never took an action to shut one down until after this lawsuit was filed?” Hinkle persisted.
“When the state learned that these things were a problem, the state took action,” Andersen replied, adding that the tribe only “started complaining about this last year.”
But Hinkle pointed out that the tribe initially objected to the games as long ago as 2012.
The judge also appeared troubled that regulators had signed off on a $100,000 “buy-in,” required by Melbourne Greyhound Park, to serve as the designated player, indicated by a “button” on the card table.
“It seems to me, it’s just common sense. I don’t know that it’s necessarily right, but it seems to me that nobody walked off the street that was going to play this game was going to take the button if you had to be approved in advance and come up with $100,000,” Hinkle said.
Hinkle also told the lawyers that he would not rule on motions for summary judgment but instead intended to hold a trial, slated to start Oct. 3 in Tallahassee.
Thursday’s hearing came less than a week after Administrative Law Judge E. Gary Early ruled against gambling regulators in a challenge filed by multiple cardroom operators.
Early said in a decision Friday that gambling overseers were wrong to do away with a rule governing the card games without replacing the regulations.
Gambling operators maintain that doing away with the rule, adopted in 2014, would put an end to games that bring in at least $87 million a year and are now offered at nearly every cardroom around the state. Regulators proposed doing away with the rule late last year.
In a separate case, Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk sided with the state in a case involving the Jacksonville Kennel Club Inc., also known as bestbet Jacksonville. Van Wyk found that the manner in which the Jacksonville facility was conducting the games violated state law.
by The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Beat Birmingham
September 2, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have won six of its last seven games and are just 1.5 games behind the Mississippi Braves in the race for the second half title in the Southern League South Division.
After beating the Birmingham Barons, 11-8, Thursday at Regions Field there are just four games left in the season for Pensacola to try and overtake the Braves.
Mississippi also won Thursday and is 37-28 in the second half, while Pensacola, which won the first half to qualify for the playoffs, is 36-30.
Both Pensacola and Birmingham slugged 15 hits in Thursday’s game that featured 19 combined runs. Six of the Blue Wahoos nine hitters had multi-hit games.
Blue Wahoos catcher Chad Wallach led the way going 3-5 with two runs scored. DH Brandon Dixon also continued his hot streak going 2-5 with a triple, his first of the year, and a double. He scored twice and drove in a run, his 65th of the season, which leads Pensacola.
The offensive outburst started when Dixon tripled to leadoff the second inning and scored when Pensacola third baseman Taylor Sparks grounded out to shortstop to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0. Pensacola went up, 3-0, when centerfield Jeff Gelalich doubled with two outs to score both Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo and Wallach.
Birmingham shortstop Trey Michalczewski’s doubled to left field in the third inning to drive in right fielder Keenyn Walker to pull the Barons within, 3-1. Birmingham DH Eudy Pina then grounded out to shortstop to allow shortstop Joey DeMichele to make the score, 3-2.
In the fourth inning, Birmingham went ahead, 6-3, when centerfield Hunter Jones singled to right field to drive in third baseman Ryan Leonards to knot the score, 3-3. Birmingham went ahead, 6-3, when left fielder Courtney Hawkins hit a two-out, three-run homer to left field that also brought in Jones and Walker.
In the top of the fifth inning, Zach Vincej lined a single to center field to drive in both second baseman Alex Blandino and left fielder Phillip Ervin to pull Pensacola within, 6-5, of the Barons.
Pensacola finally took the lead for good, 10-6, when it scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning with two outs. Ervin singled to right field to drive in Wallach and tie the game, 6-6. Right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to right field to score Alex Blandino and put Pensacola ahead, 7-6. Dixon then doubled, his 23rd of the season, to left field to score Ervin and put the Blue Wahoos up, 8-6. Vincej singled to right field to score both Elizalde and Dixon for a 10-6 Pensacola lead.
Pensacola added an insurance run when Gelalich hit a line drive to right field for a solo homer, his second of the season, in the seventh inning to put the Blue Wahoos up, 11-6.
Birmingham did get the run back in the bottom of the seventh when right fielder Keon Barnum hit a solo shot to right center field to make it a 11-7 game in Pensacola’s favor.
Hawkins then hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to score Jones for the final run of the game but the Barons still trailed Pensacola, 11-8.
Corrrections Officer In Critical Condition After Being Stabbed By Holman Inmate
September 1, 2016
Alabama Department of Corrections officials report that a correctional officer was stabbed during an assault by an inmate at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore on Thursday.
The stabbing happened at 12:35 p.m. in the facility’s dining hall during the noon meal.
Prison officials report the inmate assaulted and stabbed the officer in retaliation for being denied an extra tray of food. Correctional officers responded to the incident and were able to restrain the inmate and give aid to the injured officer.
The officer was airlifted in critical condition to an area hospital.
Inmate Cleveland Cunningham was detained as a suspect in the stabbing. Cunningham is serving a 20-year sentence on a 2013 first-degree robbery conviction from Baldwin County. Cunningham was segregated from general population without further incident.
No other inmates were involved in the stabbing. The facility was placed on lockdown while ADOC officials investigate the incident.
The ADOC is not releasing the name of the officer pending the ongoing investigation.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
ATV Driver Seriously Injured After Hitting Van
September 1, 2016
One person was injured in the collision of a three-wheel ATV and a van this morning in Canoe, AL, just about two miles north of the state line.
The accident happened about 7:40 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 31 and South Canoe Road. It appeared the adult male driver of the ATV was riding westbound on the shoulder of Highway 31 approaching South Canoe Road when collided with the side of the van. The ATV driver’s view of the approaching van was possibly blocked due to a building on the corner of the intersection.
The ATV driver was transported by Atmore Ambulance to an area hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the van was not injured.
The accident remains under investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Hires Attorney For Task Force Members Charged With Sunshine Law Violation
September 1, 2016
The Century Town Council voted during a special meeting Wednesday night to hire an attorney to represent four volunteer task force members charged with noncriminal violations of the Florida Government in the Sunshine Law.
The council voted to hire attorney Kim Skievaski, a former circuit judge, at $300 per hour to represent Alfonzie Cottrell, Helen Mincy, Sylvia Godwin, and Robert Mitchell , who were charged by the State Attorney’s Office with having a public meeting that was not properly advertised. On July 26, a meeting was advertised to begin at 4:00 p.m. The meeting was actually held at 2:00 p.m. preventing the public from attending.
The vote was not unanimous, as council member Ann Brooks vote against the town paying for the attorney.
“I understand that the people that took on the responsibility for this task force are very intimidated and scared, and a I think we owe them some responsibility. However, this was not a mistake of the town,” Brooks said. She made a motion that the two consultants bear the cost of the attorney.
“We have to pay for our mistakes sometimes,” Brooks said. Her motion died for the lack of a second.
Mayor Freddie McCall told his council that he has been told that the four citizens will be offered pre-trial diversion at their September 7 arraignment.
“They (the State Attorney’s Office) weren’t here to try to crucify the poor people that served on the thing. Their recommendation to the judge is going to be PTD (pre-trial diversion)…I said I don’t now what that means,” McCall said. “He said pre-trial diverson would be no charges within a period of time and if nothing else comes up that will be dropped.”
A telephone interview following the meeting, Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille clarified McCall’s statement. He said the four will be offered pre-trial diversion if they take a Sunshine Law course or if they resign from the task force. Otherwise, they will face a judge trial and, if found guilty, a fine of up to $500.
McCall said Skievaski was not necessarily in favor of pre-trail diversion; rather, the attorney wanted to see the charges dropped altogether.
Skievaski met with the four task force members on Monday, even though he had not been official hired by the council.
“I told him don’t worry about his money; I would pay him out of my pocket for the meeting Monday if the council decides not to hire him,” McCall said. He also said Skievaski was recommended by town attorney Matt Dannheisser.
“I am nervous. I never been to jail, and I sure don’t want to go for some mess somebody else made,” Mincy told the council. However, the charge against Mincy are noncriminal and would not include jail time.
The State Attorney’s Office investigation began after a July 27 article on NorthEscambia.com “Century Holds Meeting In Apparent Violation Of State Sunshine Law“. NorthEscambia.com arrived the previous day for the 4 p.m. meeting to find the front doors of the Century Hall locked and the parking lot empty. We later learned that the meeting had been held at 2 p.m. The town provided a public notice on Wednesday, July 27 and re-held the meeting on Thursday, July 28.
A letter from State Attorney Bill Eddins to Century Mayor Freddie McCall essentially placed blame for the law violation on the Town of Century for not providing the adequate Sunshine Law training,
Pictured top: Facing noncriminal charges from the State Attorney’s Office, Helen Mincy (left) addresses the Century Town Council Wednesday. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Kaine Campaign Swing Called Off Due To Hermine
September 1, 2016
With Florida bracing for Tropical Storm Hermine, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine has called off a campaign swing that was expected to include stops in Pensacola, Panama City and Jacksonville. Hermine, which was upgraded Wednesday afternoon from a tropical depression to a tropical storm, has caused Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency in 42 counties in North and Central Florida. The storm, which is in the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to hit the state late Thursday or early Friday. Kaine had been scheduled to campaign Thursday afternoon in Pensacola and Panama City before appearing Friday in Jacksonville.
Century Mayoral Candidate Receives Zero Votes
September 1, 2016
Felic Fussner had hoped he would be the next mayor of Century, leading the town through an important recovery period following last February’s devastating tornado. Instead, he’s the guy in the four-way race that received zero votes. That’s right, no one voted for Felic Fussner in Tuesday’s primary election or during early voting, or by mail.
“I’ve never heard of a candidate receiving no votes,” Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford, who has held his position since 2005, said.
But Fussner said he was not exactly surprised that he received he none of the 333 votes cast in the mayor’s race.
“I figured as much,” Fussner said Wednesday morning. “The people considered me an outsider.”
Of course zero votes does raise the question — Did Felic J. Fussner vote for himself? Well, that answer is no, and that raises another set of questions.
Fussner’s Front Street home was at ground zero during the EF-3 tornado six months ago, picked up and moved several feet off of its foundation. He found another residence outside Century to call home as a result, but continued his campaign.
“The tornado moved my precinct, and my name was not on my ballot,” he said, making him unable to vote at all in the race.
So if Fussner moved, temporarily or permanently, was he even eligible to seek the office of Century mayor? The town charter says a mayoral candidate must live in the town at least six months prior to the date he qualified to run for office. But there is historical precedence governing candidates that might be displaced temporarily due to a natural disaster like the February 5 tornado, Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez said.
She said the issue of Fussner’s residency was discussed, and the town’s attorney said the town council would hold the ultimate decision making power. But by the time the clerk was instructed to take the issue to the council, ballots were already printed with Fussner’s name.
Without a determination to the contrary by the Century Town Council, Fussner was still on the ballot come primary day. And he still received no votes.
A candidate receiving no votes is so unusual, Stafford took extra steps Tuesday night to make sure nothing had gone wrong with the electronic totals. The physical paper ballots were escorted by an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy to the downtown elections office where a security seal was broken and the Canvassing Board conducted a hand audit of the paper ballots. Still no votes for Felic Fussner.
Fussner’s work on his campaign was all grassroots. According to his campaign finance reports, he did not purchase political signs, billboards or advertisements in the local media like the other candidates. His campaign was face to face.
Now that he lost his bid to be mayor in a big way, Fussner is back at work hoping to help Century rebuild following the tornado as a Florida Recovery Team construction manager.
And while he really can’t promise any votes, Fussner is offering his endorsement to Henry Hawkins, a former council member that is seeking to to oust incumbent Freddie McCall during a November runoff.
“I spoke to him (Hawkins) at length, and I believe he could do a good job. I believe he can get things going on tornado recovery,” he said.
Trump To Hold Pensacola Rally Next Week
September 1, 2016
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will hold a rally in Pensacola next week.
Trump will hold a rally at the Pensacola Bay Center at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 9.
Trump last visited Pensacola in January, giving a 70 minute speech at the Pensacola Bay Center.