One Arrest In ‘Flomo Klown’ Case; More Arrests Forthcoming
September 16, 2016
UPDATE 2:45 pm Friday:
Makayla Smith, 22 of Pecan Leaf Lane in Flomaton, has been charged with making a terroristic threat in the Flomo Klown case. Three additional juvenile arrests are expected. Two of the juveniles are from Alabama, and one is from Florida. None of the suspects had affiliation or were currently attending the public school system, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Charges are pending in the case and the juveniles remain in the custody of their parents but will be turned over to the juvenile authorities at a later time once official charges are filed, which will be in the immediate future. The Sheriff’s Office will release further information after the district attorney and juvenile authorities determine what charges will be filed.
UPDATE 1p.m. Friday:
Four suspects have been identified in the Flomo Klown case that locked down several schools Thursday, but there have been no arrests as of just before 1 p.m. Friday, according to Escambia County (AL) Chief Deputy Mike Lambert.
Lambert said his department is awaiting a judge’s signature on the warrants before any arrests can be made.
The suspects are three juveniles and one adult, all from Flomaton except for one juvenile that is from Pensacola.
Further details will be posted as they become available.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Multiple Escambia County, AL, schools were on lockdown Thursday morning due to the report possible violence from clown.
A Facebook page entitled “Flomo Klowns” that featured scary clowns with blood and other gore prompted the lockdown at Flomaton High School, Flomaton Middle School and Flomaton Elementary (all located on the same campus), Huxford Elementary north of Atmore, Escambia Academy near Atmore and a partial lockdownEscambia County High School in Atmore.
In addition, a threatening phone call was received at Huxford Elementary, said Mike Lambert, chief deputy with the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office.
All schools are off lockdown and all students are reported to be safe.
The Flomo Klowns Facebook page said that they are from Flomaton and contained statements such as “I kill people for a living” and a Thursday post that stated “It’s going down tonight”.
The situation was taken “very seriously”, Lambert said.
The FBI has been called to assist in the investigation.
Northview’s Ward Receives Offer From Division 1 Mercer University
September 16, 2016
Northview High School senior Luke Ward received his first official offer Thursday evening from Division 1 Mercer University. Mercer University is the oldest private university in Georgia with its main campus in Macon, GA. Pictured: Luke Ward on the phone receiving his first D1 offer from the Mercer University Bears Thursday evening. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Greater Use Of Juvenile Civil Citations Sought
September 16, 2016
A coalition of groups released a report Wednesday that calls for an increased use of civil citations for juvenile offenders in Florida.
Civil citations serve as an alternative to arresting youths for incidents such as fighting, minor drug and alcohol offenses and petty theft. Instead of being arrested, the offenders are required to do such things as community service and writing letters of apology to their victims.
Although the use of civil citations has increased recently, about 12,000 Florida youths were arrested for those types of misdemeanors last year. Children’s advocates said a majority of the youths should have been instead given civil citations, as juvenile records can prevent young people from renting apartments, entering the military or getting jobs.
The coalition of groups held a news conference Wednesday in Tallahassee to call for using more civil citations.
“We are not here today to pick a fight with law enforcement, but we are here to make a point,” said Roy Miller, president The Children’s Campaign. “The pilot project is in. The research is conclusive. Civil citations work better than arrests, and we need to get everybody on board.” The use of civil citations by law enforcement is voluntary, and statewide the diversion plans are used 42 percent of the time when they are an option.
“The alarming thing about this report is that there are still too many communities that are jeopardizing the future of young people by saddling them with an arrest record for a non-violent, minor offense,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
by The News Service of Florida
Navy Report: Blue Angel Crash Due To Pilot Error
September 16, 2016
Three months after the death of of Blue Angel number six in a Tennessee air show, a Navy report says the crash that killed that killed U.S. Marine Corps Captain Jeff Kuss was due to pilot error.
“Although Capt. Kuss was a highly trained and respected naval aviator, his deviations from standard operating procedures in executing the Split S maneuver resulted in a fatal loss of situational awareness,” the report stated. In the “Split S”, the plant turns toward the opposite direction from which in came after a swooping dive.
Kuss was transitioning from a High Perfermance Climb into the Split S, but he was too fast and too low.
“It is mathematically impossible to successfully execute a Split S maneuver under the parameters that Capt. Kuss flew,” the report stated.
Kuss tried to eject at the last second, but trees likely prevented that from happening, His official cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma.
The Split S maneuver will be removed the Blue Angels show.
Gulf Breeze JV Tops Northview (With Photo Gallery)
September 16, 2016
The Northview High School Chiefs lost to Gulf Breeze 30-6 in junior varsity football action Thursday evening in Bratt. The JV Chiefs will next next host the West Florida Jaguars on September 22 at 6 p.m.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Trailer Park Disturbance Under Investigation
September 16, 2016
Multiple people were reportedly struck by a vehicle Thursday afternoon at the Silver Lake Mobile Home Park on Pine Forest Road, but Escambia County EMS reported only one person was taken to the hospital.
The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. Escambia County Fire Rescue and EMS responded with one victim transport to West Florida Hospital. At least two vehicles were reported to have collided during a possible disturbance at the trailer park.
The incident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Further details have not yet been released.
Volleyball: Baker Beats Northview
September 16, 2016
The Northview Chiefs lost to the Baker High School Gators in girls high school volleyball action Thursday.
JV 11-25, 16-25 Baker wins
Varsity 10-25, 18-25, 5-25 Baker wins
The Lady Chiefs will next travel to Escambia High School in Pensacola on Monday before returning home to host Central on Thursday.
Pictured: Junior varsity action as Northview hosted Baker Thursday afternoon in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Provost Named UWF President Amid Claim Of ‘Interference’
September 16, 2016
University of West Florida trustees on Thursday elevated a provost to the school’s presidency, rejecting a state senator while the top trustee cited “interference” from Tallahassee in the decision.
Culminating a six-month search process, which resulted in 83 applicants to replace retiring President Judy Bense, the university’s Board of Trustees voted 9-4 to make Provost and Vice President Martha Saunders the new president on Jan. 1. Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who served as Senate president from 2012 to 2014, received the other votes.
Saunders has deep academic ties to the Pensacola-based university, where she served as a faculty member and administrator between 1984 and 2002 before leaving to take administrative jobs at out-of-state schools, including the presidency of the University of Southern Mississippi. She returned to the University of West Florida as provost in 2013.
She described the board’s decision as a “fairy tale” ending to her academic journey, saying she was surprised by the vote.
“I’m thrilled and honored beyond belief,” Saunders said. “It has been a long and arduous process, but UWF is worth it.”
Gaetz had the fewest amount of higher-education credentials among the final four candidates. But he had the deepest ties to Tallahassee, where state government plays a large role in setting policy for the university as well as providing the bulk of its funding.
But political machinations in Tallahassee may have played a role in Gaetz coming up short.
Lewis Bear, chairman of the trustees, decried “character assassination” aimed at Gaetz, as critics tried to tie the senator to an ongoing investigation of a hospice company that Gaetz helped found but later sold his interest in. Bear said Gaetz had no part in the inquiry.
“I think we have spread bad rumors about somebody who has done a great job for our state,” Bear said.
Bear also said he was disturbed by “government” interference in the process.
“A number of our trustees have had phone calls from Tallahassee, from high office, from governing boards,” Bear said. “There was never any undue pressure, but there were promises that if you vote for a certain candidate we will do certain things to enhance the University of West Florida.”
Asked to clarify his remarks after the meeting, Bear said his information was “third hand” from trustees, whom he declined to name, nor would he name any Tallahassee officials who allegedly made the calls.
But Bear said he believed the calls hurt Gaetz’s candidacy.
“The comments that were made were insinuations that if the university does not select a person with direct relationships with legislators that the university shouldn’t worry about that because there are people in Tallahassee who will make sure if we select a different candidate, the university would still be taken care of,” Bear said.
Gaetz, who is leaving the Senate in November because of term limits, declined to react to Bear’s comments.
“I was honored to be nominated and privileged to even be considered,” Gaetz said. “I think the trustees made an excellent selection in Dr. Saunders. I know her. I have worked with her. And I admire her, and I wish her and the university the very best.”
Brittany Davis, communications director for the state university system, said neither Chancellor Marshall Criser III nor any members of the system’s Board of Governors, which oversees the 12 state universities, contacted UWF trustees in favor or opposition to a presidential candidate.
Jackie Schutz, communications director for Gov. Rick Scott, said the governor “frequently talks with trustees on key issues at our universities.”
“He is thankful for their service to the state and the many hours they volunteer to make our higher education system more affordable and accountable,” Schutz said. “Gov. Scott appreciates all of the candidates who put their names forward to serve as president of UWF and looks forward to working with president-elect Martha Saunders as she meets with the Board of Governors to outline her vision for UWF’s future.”
Scott has played an active role in the boards of trustees that run each university.
Earlier this year, he rejected two University of West Florida trustees who sought reappointment to the board. His two replacement appointees, as well as another trustee who was reappointed in March, were among the nine trustees voting for Saunders.
Three of the four trustees, including Bear, who voted for Gaetz, had also either been appointed or reappointed by Scott.
Also this year, Scott rejected the reappointment of Allan Bense, a former House speaker, as a trustee for Florida State University, apparently miffed by Bense’s earlier support for a tuition increase.
Mort O’Sullivan, a University of West Florida trustee who chaired the search committee that recommended the four final candidates and who also supported Gaetz, said he had not received calls from anyone in Tallahassee regarding his vote.
“We conducted an open, fair, honest process, that was my charge,” O’Sullivan said about the search committee. “I know in my heart we accomplished that.”
Saunders had strong support from the university faculty. The faculty Senate passed a resolution Friday in opposition to Gaetz, with a survey showing a majority preferred Saunders. Ted Fox, a trustee and a biology professor who leads the Senate, was among the nine supporters of Saunders.
Jake Hebert, another trustee who is president of the Student Government Association, also voted for Saunders.
“I think it went the way it should have,” Hebert said, saying Saunders was “the right one for the future of the university even in Tallahassee.”
Two other presidential candidates, Frank Ashley, a vice president with The College Board, and William M. “Mike” Sherman, a provost at The University of Akron, drew praise from the trustees but no votes in the final decision.
O’Sullivan was designated by the board to negotiate the details of Saunders’ three-year contract. She will also undergo a more extensive background check before she assumes the presidency in January. Saunders, who will be the university’s sixth president, also faces a confirmation vote from the state Board of Governors.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Gulf Power Looks To Hire New Line Workers
September 16, 2016
Line work is dangerous. Long hours, difficult – if not impossible – conditions. Life-threatening situations with thousands of volts of electricity flowing through the lines. As first responders, lineworkers need to be able to respond at home or other parts of the state or country during any kind of weather.
During the recent hurricane that hit Northwest Florida and the southeastern part of the country, Gulf Power deployed 100 lineworkers to Tallahassee and Georgia to assist in power restoration for more than a week. Lineworkers not only restored energy and got the lights back on, but helped restore hope to hundreds of thousands of customers during the hot August summer.
It takes a certain kind of person to tackle this line of work.
Gulf Power will be hosting a Line Worker Expo in October, specifically to recruit people who might be interested.
“It’s tough work and it takes someone with a special skill set to excel at it,” said Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. “We have to constantly be on the lookout for candidates who can come in and do this job, safely and efficiently.”
The expo will be from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 8, at the McCrary Training Center in Pensacola. Line crews from all three districts will be there to demonstrate the different types of jobs involved in line work. Exhibits will also be set up for potential recruits to see what is involved in being a lineworker for Gulf Power.
“The crews will work through several different scenarios, demonstrating the skills required to do the job and show those attending how it’s done,” DelaHaya added. “Human Resources will also be there to answer any questions about working for Southern Company and Gulf Power.”
HR will also help the recruits sign up for an employment profile on the company’s Careers website. There is no cost for candidates to attend and lunch will be provided at the event.
“This is a great opportunity for anyone who has thought about a career in line service with Gulf Power to come out — learn about the job and ask any questions,” said DelaHaya.
For more information on the Lineworker Expo, contact Ben Scott, at 850.505.5630 or register at http://glfpwr.co/lineworkerexpo.
Northview FFA Chapter, Alumni Association Named National Award Winners
September 15, 2016
Once again, the Northview High School FFA chapter has been named one of the very best in the nation, and the Northview High School FFA Alumni will receive a national bronze award.
The Northview FFA will receive the national Two-Star Chapter Award during the National FFA Convention and Expo next month in Indianapolis, IN. The Northview High School FFA was named one of Florida’s Finest FFA chapters and recognized on stage during the 88th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo in Orlando this past June.
The selection of Florida’s Finest FFA Chapters is based upon the completion of the National Chapter Award program application. These chapters have excelled in the areas of student, chapter and community development and have worked hard to fulfill the mission of the FFA. Northview’s FFA chapter will represent Florida at the national level.
The Northview High School FFA’s “Fresh From Florida Advocacy Program” was also named the second best program in 2015 and 2016 and was previously honored as the best in Florida for three consecutive years.
Pictured: Northview High School’s FFA chapter was named one of Florida’s Finest FFA chapters and recognized on stage during the 88th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo in Orlando this past June. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.