Boil Water Notice Lifted For Bristol Park, Devine Farm Subdivisions
December 4, 2015
Effective immediately, the Precautionary Boil Water Notice (PBWN) issued by the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) on Tuesday for the Bristol Park and Devine Farms Subdivisions has been lifted.
Results of two independent bacteriological samples have both returned as clear. Precautionary Boil Water Notices are issued as a part of the standard protocol following any loss of water pressure, whether as a result of planned maintenance activities or unscheduled repairs.
Century Officially Lights Town Christmas Tree (With Gallery)
December 4, 2015
The Century Town Council held a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Thursday night at the Nadine McCaw Park. The Byrneville Elementary School Chorus led Christmas carols during the event. The lights are on nightly in the park, which is located on North Century Boulevard at Hecker Road in Century.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
No Serious Injuries In Century Crash
December 4, 2015
There were no serious injuries in two vehicle accident Thursday night in Century.
The accident occurred about 5:45 p.m. on North Century Boulevard and Hecker Road when the driver of a Chevrolet Colorado apparently rear-ended a Buick Century. Everyone involved in the crash refused medical treatment at the scene, according to officials.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Work Out At Florida State
December 4, 2015
The Tate Aggies worked out at Florida State University’s indoor facilities Thursday on their way to Tampa. Photos by Tina Decoux for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Head To Tampa For State Semi-Final Game (With Photo Gallery)
December 4, 2015
The Tate Aggies departed Cantonment Thursday morning bound for the state 6A semi-final game against Armwood Friday night.
The Aggies started their day with a hearty breakfast provided by Gonzalez United Methodist Church, and then departed the school in grand style following an Aggie Sprit Walk through the student body Thursday morning.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The team stopped at Florida State University for a full practice (FSU photos) before continuing to Tampa for the night. The total mileage from Tate to Armwood is about 470 miles.
The Tate Aggies will face Armwood High School in Seffner, FL, with a 7:30 Eastern kickoff. Gates open at 5:30 Easter. Parking is $2, and admission id $9 with no passes.
For those that not able to make the trip, a viewing party will be held at the school beginning at 6:30 p.m. A live video stream will be available for $10 at TateFootballLive.com, and NorthEscambia.com will have live updates on our Facebook page (click here) and @northescambia on Twitter.
Pictured: The Tate Aggies departed the school this morning on their way to the Tampa area. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
‘Stand Your Ground’ Bill Heads To Senate Floor
December 4, 2015
After stalling in the House, a proposal that would shift the burden of proof to the state in cases involving Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law is poised to go to the full Senate.
The Senate Rules Committee on Thursday unanimously passed the measure (SB 344), filed by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, after adopting several amendments.
The “stand your ground” law says people can use deadly force and do not have a duty to retreat if they think it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.
Bradley filed the bill after the Florida Supreme Court ruled in July that people who use the defense have the burden of showing they should be shielded from prosecution. In “stand your ground” cases, pre-trial evidentiary hearings are held to determine whether defendants are immune from prosecution.
Bradley’s measure would place the burden of proof on prosecutors in the evidentiary hearings and would apply retroactively to pending cases.
“Recently the Florida Supreme Court in its decision in ‘Bretherick v. State,’ in my estimation, misinterpreted legislative intent,” he told the committee. “This bill is remedial and is intended to correct the procedure that the courts have been using for self-defense hearings.”
The bill’s easy passage through the Rules Committee keeps alive the issue after it appeared to die in the House last month.
The House version of the bill (HB 169), filed by Rep. Dennis Baxley, R- Ocala, failed on a tie vote in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
Bradley has maintained that the Senate would keep the measure alive. The 2016 legislative session starts Jan. 12.
“The intention and hope right now is that we deal with this bill on the Senate floor in the first or second week of session, send it over in messages to the House — and would like to see the House speaker take it up in the form that it’s sent over there,” he told reporters after the vote.
The measure heading for the floor includes several amendments by Rules Chairman David Simmons, an Altamonte Springs Republican who noted that he’d helped author the original “stand your ground” law in 2005 and was well aware of lawmakers’ intentions in passing it.
One of his amendments, for example, would require prosecutors to provide “clear and convincing evidence” that the defendant should not be immune under the “stand your ground” law.
“Just to be clear: We are going from (a legal standard of) ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ to ‘clear and convincing’ (evidence) with this amendment, with that burden being on the prosecution?” asked Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando.
“That is correct,” Simmons said.
Sen. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican who is slated to become Senate president in November 2016, said he would vote for the amendment, but was uncomfortable with the burden of proof being a lesser standard than “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“I think that’s a core principle,” Negron said. “I don’t care what the proceeding is. I don’t care if it’s a traffic ticket.”
Another amendment removed an earlier provision that defendants who successfully claim immunity under “stand your ground” be reimbursed for expenses if the prosecution violates what are known as rules of discovery.
Bradley said prosecutors had been “concerned about the precedent that would be set if we were to go down that road. … At the end of the day, I think that’s a reasonable position for my friends in the state attorney’s office to take, and so we agreed to remove the language.”
Soto and Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, who had voted against the bill in previous committee stops, supported the amended measure.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Keep The Wreath Green: Escambia County Records First December Fire
December 4, 2015
A structure fire on the 7700 block of Breezewood Circle in Pensacola represents the first red bulb on the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety wreath. Upon arrival of Escambia County Fire Rescue crews, smoke was noted coming from the roof, and a fire was found in the living room on a large chair. The fire was quickly extinguished.
The structure had extensive smoke damage throughout except for one bedroom, with a door that was closed prior to the fire, and the residents of the home have been displaced. The resident had been outside the home before the fire was noticed. The cause of the fire was determined to be an overloaded outlet, which had a multiple outlet plug with a space heater and lamp plugged in. The resident was using the space heater to warm the house. Escambia County Fire Rescue reminds citizens to turn space heaters off when you leave the room or home.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with City of Pensacola and Santa Rosa County to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 23 different county fire stations. Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.
Photo courtesy Escambia Fire Rescue for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Deputies Seek Tractor Supply Tool Thief
December 4, 2015
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man that allegedly stole tools from Tractor Supply Company on Nine Mile Road.
Deputies said the man stole $570 in Dewalt power tools and caused about $100 in damage to display cages. The incident occurred on Black Friday of last week, the ECSO said Thursday.
Anyone with information on the identity of the man pictured or his whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bill Would Allow Students To Take Computer Coding As A Language
December 4, 2015
Move over Spanish, French and Latin. Computer coding could be on the way.
A Senate committee Thursday approved a bill aimed at allowing high-school students to take computer-coding classes as an alternative to learning more-traditional foreign languages.
Bill sponsor Jeremy Ring, a Margate Democrat who is a former Yahoo executive, said the proposal would give Florida students a “true leg up” in the increasingly tech-driven world.
“We’re not replacing foreign language,” Ring told members of the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee. “We’re saying computer language should be in the language initiatives, in the language disciplines.”
The committee voted 8-2 to approve the bill (SB 468), which is filed for the annual legislative session that starts in January. But some committee members, including at least two who voted for the bill, expressed skepticism about making the change. Opposing the bill were Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, and Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth.
Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who doubles as CEO of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, said he was concerned that adding computer coding would lead to schools dropping other programs. He pointed, in part, to limited amount of time in the school day.
“If you add something, something’s going to fall out,” said Montford, a former Leon County schools superintendent.
Sen. Nancy Detert, a Venice Republican and former member of the Sarasota County School Board, called the proposal “forward thinking.” She said, however, she is afraid the state would not fully pay for it, which could force costs onto local school districts.
“I think this just screams unfunded mandate (to the local districts),” she said.
The bill would require school districts to develop plans for computer-coding curriculums and submit them to the state by Jan. 1, 2017. Ultimately, it seeks to allow high-school students to learn computer coding to satisfy two credits of foreign-language instruction.
It remains unclear whether the bill will pass during the upcoming legislative session. A House version (HB 887) was filed Thursday by House K-12 Chairwoman Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, and Ring’s measure would have to be approved by two more committees before it could reach the Senate floor.
But supporters argued, in part, that allowing students to take computer coding would help prepare them for jobs.
“We should be preparing kids to be successful in the world in which they live,” Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, said.
Ring also was adamant that the proposal would not replace traditional foreign-language courses.
“It is not a replacement. It is optional,” he said. “You can take French, and you can take Spanish.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
ECUA: Sanitary Sewer Overflow On Highway 297A
December 3, 2015
According to ECUA, a sanitary sewer overflow occurred December 2 on Highway 297A about 100 feet north of County Road 97. The overflow was estimated at 1,800 gallons, of which 675 gallons were recovered and transported to the ECUA Bayou Marcus Water Reclamation Facility for proper disposal and treatment.
ECUA crews repaired the main and the overflow area was then cleaned and disinfected with a biocide agent that abated any contamination concerns, per State protocol. The Escambia County Health Department, the State Warning Point, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection were notified.