Florida Supreme Court To Heart Arguments On Gambling Initiative
July 10, 2016
The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments Nov. 2 on a proposed ballot initiative that could make it harder to expand gambling in the state. The court issued an order Friday scheduling the arguments, as pari-mutuel facilities contend that the measure should be kept off the 2018 ballot. Justices do not rule on the merits of proposed constitutional amendments but must sign off on the ballot wording. The proposal, known as “Voter Control of Gambling in Florida,” would require future statewide votes to authorize casino-style games including blackjack, craps and roulette. The amendment, which has received financial backing from the group No Casinos Inc., would take away the Legislature’s ability to approve casinos in Florida but would not affect tribal casino operations, which are regulated by federal law.
by The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Open Series With Win Over Biloxi
July 10, 2016
Pensacola center fielder Jeff Gelalich was called up to Double-A to be a backup player on the Blue Wahoos team.
But he created a problem for Pensacola manager Pat Kelly by hitting so well.
Now a starting outfielder for the Blue Wahoos, Gelalich smacked two doubles and drove in Pensacola’s first run of the game to propel them to a, 4-2, victory in the series opener Saturday against the Biloxi Shuckers in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Kelly said Gelalich is a good “problem” to have, hitting .321 in 32 games with five doubles, three triples, one home run and 11 RBIs.
“If you hit it doesn’t create a problem for you,” he said. “I’ll find a spot for you. At this level, if you perform, you’re going to get an opportunity to play.”
Gelalich, who was a high draft choice by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012, came into his fifth year in the minor leagues with a career .245 average. He spent three years at the Low-A Dayton Dragons before moving up to High-A Daytona Tortugas this year.
Gelalich was promoted May 15 to the Double-A Blue Wahoos after hitting .235 in 24 games for Daytona. He’s happy to have worked himself into a starting role with Pensacola.
“It’s always a goal,” said Gelalich, who was 2-4 with one RBI Saturday. “You always want to play.”
The Pensacola victory was the first time the first half South Division champions have won back-to-back games in the second half. They moved out of the cellar and are 7-9 in the second half and 48-38 on the season.
The Blue Wahoos scored first in the third inning when catcher Jose Duarte scored on a double by Gelalich off the right field wall for a 1-0 lead. Then pitcher Tyler Mahle scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by second baseman Alex Blandino to go up, 2-0.
“I’m just trying to hit the ball hard and not do too much with it,” Gelalich said.
Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo hit a deep solo shot to right center field to lead off the fifth inning and put Pensacola ahead, 3-0. It was Jagielo’s second homer in three games and sixth on the season.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej smashed a line drive into right center field for a stand up double. Right fielder Juan Duran then hit a zinger past the third basemen into left field that scored Vincej, giving the Blue Wahoos a 4-0 lead.
Biloxi first baseman Nick Ramirez crushed the ball deep over the scoreboard in right field to end Mahle’s scoreless inning streak in the seventh inning and pull the Shuckers within, 4-1.
Shuckers left fielder Johnny Davis hit a grounder into right field to start the eighth and advanced to third base on Biloxi right fielder Tyrone Taylor’s single to center. Davis scored when Brett Phillips grounded out into a double play to pull Biloxi within, 4-2.
Pensacola righty Mahle rebounded from his worst outing in three starts with Pensacola when he gave up five earned runs to Mobile in 4.2 innings, the shortest of his three starts.
He gave up just one run on a solo dinger, five hits, one walk and struck out five. Mahle improved his Pensacola record to 3-1 with an earned run average of 3.74.
Kelly said he has liked what he has seen out of the 21-year-old pitcher.
“He had a good fastball and spotted it where he wanted to,” Kelly said. “That was a quality seven innings.”
Northview, Jay Students Take Part In Washington Youth Tour
July 10, 2016
Rebecca Boutwell of Jay High School and Zipporah Harris of Northview High School recently joined 1,600 youth leaders representing electric cooperatives from 43 states for a week-long tour of the nation’s capital as Washington Youth Tour delegates.
Rebecca and Zipporah won Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s contest held annually for juniors in EREC’s service area.
Highlights of their trip included visits to the World War II, Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean and FDR memorials; Arlington National Cemetery; relaxing on the Potomac River during an evening boat cruise; and visiting many other places of interest in Washington, D.C.
Youth Tour delegates also met with Congressman Jeff Miller and visited the U.S. Capitol, where they learned more about how government works. During the Rural Electric Youth Day program, they gained a better understanding of rural electric cooperatives’ history and their importance in the communities they serve.
Major Drug Bust In Jay (With Photo Gallery)
July 9, 2016
Local and federal authorities conducted a major meth bust in Jay, with a Century connection, Friday morning.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics and SWAT units, along with the DEA and the Monroe County (AL) Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 3501 Highway 4 in Jay, a small rental home on the corner of Highway 4 and Luman Shell Road.
Authorities located over 14 ounces of crystal methamphetamine valued over $50,000 along with several assault style weapons, hand guns and caches of ammunition. In addition, several stolen items were located from neighboring counties, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Edgardo Xavier Rivera, age 33 of Jay, was taken into custody in the parking lot of a business on North Century Boulevard in Century as he arrived to pay his rent. Authorities also arrested was 35-year old Mariana Solano of Jay at the Jay residence.
Rivera and Solano were both charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, methamphetamine trafficking, and possession of drug paraphernalia. They were both booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail with bond set $141,000 each.
A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution, said she and other neighbors were concerned about activity at the home.
“There are always people coming and going from the house at all times of the day and night,” she said. “And we all felt like something was up by the way they kept the windows and carport blacked out all the time. It just seemed like they really had something to hide.”
For a photo gallery, clck here.
Pictured top and bottom: Deputies collect evidence under the carport of a Jay home Friday morning. Faces of undercover deputies have been obscured for their safety. Pictured below: Weapons and over $50,000 worth of crystal methamphetamine seized during the operation. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Most School Grades Fall
July 9, 2016
The Florida Department of Education released school and districts grades Friday, and they generally fell across the board due to a new scoring system for leaning gains.
The Escambia County School District fell from a B in 2015 to a C for 2016. Last year, there were 14 A schools in Escambia County; that number fell to six this year.
Individual school grades are in the table below:
Atmore Woman Charged After Child Left Unattended In Hot Car
July 9, 2016
An Atmore woman has been charged with child abuse after allegedly leaving her young child in a hot vehicle outside a local Walmart.
According to Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks, a customer saw unattended the two-year old child crying and upset in a parked car that was not running about 12:20 p.m. Thursday. The customer was able to reach through window that was rolled down slightly, unlock the vehicle, remove the child and take it inside the air conditioned store.
Atmore Police arrived to find the child inside the Walmart being given water by an employee.
The child’s mother was identified as Kim Ross of Atmore. She told police that the child was asleep in the car when she arrived at the store. Ross said she rain inside the store to purchase birthday supplies for the child’s birthday.
Brooks estimated the child had been in the hot car for 6-7 minutes, but would have been there 20 minutes before Ross returned if not rescued by the Good Samaritan.
Ross was booked into the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton on a charge of torture and willful abuse of a child.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources was called to assist with the investigation. The child was later released with a family member.
Officers Pray For Dallas Victims, Nation
July 9, 2016
Local law enforcement officers gathered Friday at noon at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church for a prayer vigil for the Dallas shooting victims and to pray for healing for our nation. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Congresswoman Indicted Over Sham Charity, ‘Personal Slush Fund’
July 9, 2016
Longtime Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown was indicted Friday on charges that she and a top aide used a sham education charity to pay for personal expenses and luxurious events, allegations that pose the most serious challenge yet to her 23-year congressional career.
Brown and Elias “Ronnie” Simmons, her chief of staff, pleaded not guilty to all 24 counts in the indictment, 22 of which deal with Brown. Federal prosecutors say the two worked with Carla Wiley, a Virginia woman who reached a plea deal with the government in March, to set up “One Door for Education” and use it “as a personal slush fund,” in the words of Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell.
Brown is charged with conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, concealing income on financial disclosures that members of Congress are required to file, and four counts of violating tax laws.
“Congresswoman Brown and her chief of staff are alleged to have used the congresswoman’s official position to solicit over $800,000 in donations to a supposed charitable organization, only to use that organization as a personal slush fund,” Caldwell said in a prepared statement announcing the indictment. “Corruption erodes the public’s trust in our entire system of representative government.”
But Brown, a pugnacious congresswoman known for fiercely defending her district and her legacy, insisted to reporters Friday that she is innocent. The congresswoman, who has built her identity around constituent service, said she would “let the work I’ve done speak for me.”
“My heart is just really heavy,” she said. “This has been a very difficult time for me, my family, my constituents. But I’m looking forward to a speedy day in court to vindicate myself. … We’ve got the rest of the story. So I’m looking forward to presenting the rest of the story.”
In a sign of the fallout from the indictment, U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced Friday that Brown had stepped aside from a high-ranking post on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, in line with caucus rules.
“For more than two decades, Congresswoman Brown has served her constituents in Florida with passion and energy. She has been a champion for America’s veterans,” Pelosi said. “The charges against Congresswoman Corrine Brown in the indictment today are deeply saddening.”
Brown spoke in favor of returning Amtrak service to the Gulf Coast as an Amtrak inspection train stopped in Atmore back in February.
Speculation about a grand jury investigation into One Door for Education, and the implications for Brown’s political future, has churned through the political gossip mill for months. All the while, she has fought a pitched battle against the redrawing of her district under a voter-approved ban on political gerrymandering and framed the dual battles as part of an orchestrated campaign to drive her from office.
Brown, 69, is facing what could be her toughest re-election battle in years. Her district, drawn in 1992 to give African-American voters in North and Central Florida a chance to elect a candidate of their choice, has traditionally run north-south, with the most recent version winding from Jacksonville to Orlando. But following the ban on gerrymandering, courts ordered the seat to be reoriented. It now cuts across the northern part of the state, going from Jacksonville in the east to Gadsden County in the west, traveling through Tallahassee along the way.
One of her attorneys lacerated the federal government Friday for not agreeing to push back the arraignment to accommodate Brown’s congressional schedule — she missed several votes Friday — and for leaks from the criminal investigation. Brown’s indictment was widely reported Thursday, even though her attorneys didn’t see the charges until the congresswoman turned herself in Friday.
“Congresswoman Brown is the subject of an indictment today, but in reality, she has endured a one-sided inquisition in the court of public opinion for over one year. … The manner in which the government has handled these proceedings leads to the inescapable conclusion that it desires to improperly influence the upcoming election and undermine the legislative process,” attorney Betsy White said.
According to the indictment, Brown and Simmons worked with Wiley to raise more than $800,000 for One Door — which was falsely portrayed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit — and then used an array of financial transfers to funnel the money to themselves and one of Brown’s relatives.
In addition to car repairs, flights and other expenses, prosecutors say the money was used to pay for a golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach in Brown’s honor and luxury boxes at a Beyonce concert and at an NFL game in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the organization only gave out $1,200 in scholarships, its supposed purpose.
Even before the indictment, Brown faced a serious challenge in the Aug. 30 Democratic primary from former state Sen. Al Lawson of Tallahassee. Lawson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. In a post to his Facebook page Thursday, as word of the indictment began to circulate, Lawson called the situation “unfortunate” but said he was focused on the campaign.
“I promise all the voters of the 5th Congressional District I intend to carry the torch of equality, decency and honesty to Congress and to make everyone proud,” Lawson wrote.
A recent poll by the Public Opinion Research Laboratory at the University of North Florida, based in Jacksonville, showed Brown with a three-point lead over Lawson, 30 percent to 27 percent, with 4 percent going to little-known LaShonda Holloway. The incumbent’s lead was well within the poll’s margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
Brown held a resounding lead in the portion of the district located in Duval County, where the incumbent drew 52 percent of the vote, but she trailed Lawson by double digits in the rest of the district.
Mike Binder, faculty director of the poll, said Friday that voters in the western parts of the district had mostly been introduced to Brown through the fight against the redistricting plan, followed by the criminal charges.
“The voters have seen that side or her, and now they’re seeing this side of her, which I can’t imagine is going to be good for likely voters,” he said.
Binder also noted that Brown has to deal with the criminal charges, which could lead to up to 357 years in prison and $4.8 million in fines, though the maximum sentences are rarely given to first-time offenders as a practical matter.
“From a candidate perspective, how focused are you on campaigning when you’re staring at indictments and a potential of 300 years in jail?” Binder asked.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: Florida Congressman Corrine Brown spoke in favor of an Amtrak return to the Gulf Coast during an Amtrak inspection train stop in Atmore last February. Pictured inset: Brown shakes the hand of a veteran at the Atmore Amtrak event after walking through a sword arch provided by the Northview High School NJROTC. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Motorcyclist Critical After 50 Foot Plunge Off Bridge
July 9, 2016
An Escambia County motorcyclist is in critical condition after plunging about 50 feet off an interstate bridge Friday afternoon.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 22-year old Campbell Dean Gares was merging from I-110 to I-10 when he attempted to pass between a box truck and another vehicle. He lost control, crashed into a concrete barrier. He was ejected from his 2004 Yamaha motorcycle and went over a railing, falling up ro 50 feet. He landed on a grassy shoulder of I-10 below.
Gares, who was wearing a helmet, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. He was cited for reckless driving by the FHP.
Blue Wahoos Take Series Finale Over Mobile
July 9, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-hander Nick Travieso pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits to the Mobile BayBears to win his first game Friday in eight starts.
Plus, Blue Wahoos catcher Jose Duarte and pinch hitter Calten Daal both smashed their first Double-A home runs as Pensacola won, 4-3, at Hank Aaron Stadium.
Pensacola captured the final to take two of the five games in the series against Mobile. The Blue Wahoos start a five-game series at 6:30 p.m. Saturday against the Biloxi Shuckers, who Pensacola beat for the first half Southern League South Division title.
Travieso, the Cincinnati Reds No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America, earned his first victory since May 17 when he shut out Mississippi over seven innings. Travieso improved to 4-4 in his first season with the Blue Wahoos and lowered his ERA to 4.35.
In his last four starts, Travieso has allowed just four runs in 22 innings for a 1.67 ERA.
Pensacola closer Alejandro Chacin pitched the final two innings, allowed two hits and struck out three for his Southern League-leading 16th save on the year.
Travieso got all the run support he needed from two unlikely hitters in Pensacola’s offense, which scored three runs in the second. Pensacola catcher Jose Duarte clobbered a two-out, three-run homer in the inning for his first Double-A homer and first RBIs.
Duarte, who was called up on July 2 from Low-A Dayton Dragons, was playing in only his third Double-A game. He has a career .222 batting average in six minor league seasons with the Reds organization and hit two homers in a season once.
In the top of the seventh inning, Pensacola pinch hitter Calten Daal smacked a solo homer to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-0 lead. It was Daal’s first Double-A blast and second in 912 professional at-bats through his first four seasons in the minors.
Daal, who is hitting .310 for Pensacola, proved to hit the game-winner when Mobile came back with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull within, 4-3.
The BayBears first run scored when catcher Matt Jones hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in BayBears left fielder Rudy Flores. Pinch hitter Travis Denker then singled to drive in second baseman Jamie Westbrook with the second run of the inning. The third run scored when Mobile shortstop Ildemaro Vargas doubled to right field to score right fielder Tom Belza.
The BayBears Denker also tried to score and tie the game on Vargas’ double. But Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde threw to shortstop Zach Vincej, who relayed a strike home to Duarte to catch Mobile’s Denker out at the plate to end the inning.