Escambia Jail To Be Rebuilt At Current Location
November 13, 2015
The new Escambia County Jail will be built at or near the site of the current jail — not at any of three prospective sites that were under consideration.
Following the April 2014 flooding and explosion at the jail, the county developed a list of potential new jail locations, including locations in Cantonment and Molino. That list was cut to three sites, one of which was set to be chosen at a special meeting Thursday night.
Those sites were at Palafox Street and Airport Boulevard, an area near Brent Lane and Palafox and an area known as the Midtown Commerce site, a former Superfund site. The Airport Boulevard and Brent Lane sites were both near schools.
But after listening to speakers against the new locations, most calling for the jail to be rebuilt at its current location, the commission reversed course on the three sites. Numerous people spoke out against the three proposed sites, while several bail bondsmen said moving the jail would destroy their businesses.
After the public comments, Commissioner Luman May made a motion to rebuild the jail at its current location.
Commissioner Grover Robinson said the current jail site will not work for the larger complex envisioned for the new jail; instead it would required more vertical, multi-story construction. Plus, he said, flooding issues exist at the location. In the long run, he said it will cost Escambia County residents.
Robinson cast the lone dissenting vote against keeping the jail at its current location.
Pictured: The Central Booking and Detention Center was damaged beyond repair during a natural gas explosion following flooding on April 30. 2014. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Bought A New Vehicle Recently? Police Say Check For This
November 13, 2015
Have you bought a new vehicle lately? Did you check the owner’s manual for a valet key?
Pensacola Police said if not, please do, and if it’s in there, you might want to consider removing it from the vehicle to inside your residence.
The reason: Vehicle burglars have learned a valet key often is placed in the owner’s manual on newer model cars. If they can get the key, they can steal the vehicle.
Detective Darlene Loftin said over the past few months, she has investigated several vehicle thefts where the valet key was removed from the owner’s manual and used to steal a vehicle.
“We’ll go to a scene and while looking around find the owner’s manual on the ground away from the vehicle,” Loftin said. “That’s because the burglar was looking for the key and didn’t find it…so they threw the book down.”
Or, if the vehicle is missing, they used the key to drive away.
Molino Park Elementary Students Participate In All County Chorus
November 13, 2015
The Escambia County School District All County Chorus performed earlier this week at the Saenger Theater in Pensacola. Participants from Molino Park Elementary School included were (pictured L-R) fifth graders Shelby Lashley, Aaron Adams and Alyssa Jackson. Also pictured is Katherine Powell, Molino Park music teacher. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Elementary Students Participate In All County Chorus
Florida Worker’s Comp Rates Reduced
November 13, 2015
Florida employers will see overall workers-compensation insurance rates drop 4.7 percent as of January. 1, according to an order issued Thursday by the state Office of Insurance Regulation.
The National Council on Compensation Insurance, while files proposed rates each year for insurers, initially called for a 1.9 percent decrease. The Office of Insurance Regulation rejected that proposal and said overall rates should go down 5.1 percent. But at the request of the organization known as NCCI, regulators looked again at some factors used in setting rates. That led to Thursday’s order for the 4.7 percent decrease in 2016.
Ransom Academic Teams Compete; One Headed To Nationals
November 13, 2015
Three Ransom Middle School academic teams competed recently in Tallahassee, with one team walking away qualified to move on to the national level.
Ransom Middle School academic teams participated in the Second Annual Fairview Egghead Tournament Tallahassee. There were 10 intense rounds, as they competed against 28 middle school teams from North Florida and South Georgia.
The matches in the tournament paired opposing teams and challenged them to work together to answer complex academic questions.
Clarissa Brown and Lucinda Bateman coached the teams for Ransom Middle and explained that the tournament questions are much more than quick “trivia” questions.
“They have a ‘pyramidal’ structure, where the questions begin with more difficult clues, slowly progressing to more familiar information. It rewards the more knowledgeable students for their ability to answer with less and more difficult, high level information,” Brown said.
Members of the teams were:
Ransom Team A – Captain Elizabeth McConnell, Braden Boutwell, Maggie Brown and Chris Espy
Ransom Team B - Captain Ravyn Brown, Jordan Hay, and Tristin Kayworth
Ransom Team C – Co-Captain Sarah Stringer, Co-Captain Tia Sweet, Natalie Holt, and Tristan Espy
Ransom’s Team A finished third overall and qualified for the 2016 Middle School National Championship Tournament, which will be held the weekend of May 6–8, 2016, in Atlanta.
“Please join us in congratulating Elizabeth, Braden, Maggie and Chris, along with the rest of the teams for their outstanding effort and enthusiasm,” Ransom Principal Brent Brummet said. “We are so proud of how well they represented Ransom Middle School and Escambia County.”
Pictured top: Ransom Academic Team members (front, L-R) Elizabeth McConnell, Tristin Kayworth, Tristan Espy, (middle row) Natalie Holt, Tia Sweet, Maggie Brown, Jordan Hay, (back) Chris Espy, Braden Boutwell, Sarah Stringer, Ravyn Brown and Coach Clarissa Brown. Pictured below: Ransom’s Team A in action. Submitted photos for NorthEscabia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged For Store Armed Robbery
November 12, 2015
A Cantonment man has been arrested in connection with an armed robbery Tuesday in Navarre.
Daniel Ferry Lee, 31, was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Okaloosa County Jail for the armed robbery of the Underwood Food NERre on Highway 87 in Navarre.
According to an arrest report, Lee entered the store wearing mask and said “I am sorry, but I want the money” while armed with a knife. After the clerk handed over the money from the store’s register, Lee reportedly asked if there was more cash under the register.
The clerk told Lee “No! Now Go” by the employee. Witnesses say the he then fled the scene in a dark grey Lexus vehicle with no license plate.
Lee is expected to be returned to Santa Rosa County to face multiple felony charges including with fleeing with disregard of safety to person or property, assault on a officer and robbery with a weapon.
Motorcyclist Injured In Cantonment
November 12, 2015
A motorcyclist was injured in a crash Wednesday afternoon in Cantonment.
The driver reportedly was thrown off the motorcycle and into a ditch in the 3:30 p.m. crash on Santa Rosa Road at Muscogee Road.
The motorcyclist was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital by LifeFlight. Their condition was not available.
Further details have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Escambia Resident Attacked By Rabid Fox
November 12, 2015
For the second time this year, a rabid fox has attacked an Escambia County resident.
The recent attack, during the daytime hours, occurred in the area of Dog Track Road. Back in July, an area resident was also attacked during the daytime hours in the Century area. In both cases, environmental health specialists collected tissue samples from the fox which were used by the state laboratory to confirm the presence of the rabies virus.
Rabies is a viral disease that infects the central nervous system. Without proper treatment, rabies can cause brain infection and death. Rabies is transmitted by a rabid animal by a bite, a scratch, or by contact with mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose, or mouth. A series of “rabies shots” can protect a bite victim from developing the rabies infection, if given soon after the bite occurs.
“Rabies is a fatal infection but is preventable,” Dr. John Lanza, the FDOH-Escambia director. “It is important to not feed or pet wild and stray animals, to avoid animals that appear to be acting strangely, and to keep pets vaccinated against rabies. Persons who are bitten by a wild animal or an animal who has not been vaccinated against rabies should seek immediate medical care. Proper medical treatment of an animal bite can be life-saving.”
In Florida, raccoons, foxes, bats, and cats are the animals most frequently diagnosed with rabies. Other animals that are at high risk for rabies include dogs, bobcats, skunks, and otters. Because of their proximity to people, stray and unvaccinated cats and dogs pose a special risk.
- Individuals cannot always tell if an animal has rabies by looking at it. To against rabies, the health department recommends residents follow these steps:
- Teach your children not to go near wild and stray animals, and never keep them as pets.
- Vaccinate your dog, cat, ferret, or horse to protect against rabies. Keep vaccinations up-to-date.
- Do not feed your pets outside. The food may attract wild animals.
- Make sure your garbage is securely covered. Open garbage attracts wild and stray animals.
- Spay or neuter your pet to reduce its tendency to roam or fight.
- Do not let your pets roam freely or allow them to interact with wild or stray animals. Keep them in a fenced yard or on a leash at all times.
- Call Escambia County Animal Control, at (850) 595-0097, to remove stray animals from your neighborhood.
- Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas, where they might come into contact with people and pets.
- If your pet is bitten by another animal, immediately seek veterinary assistance for the animal and contact Escambia County Animal Control.
- If you are bitten by a wild animal, or by any animal that is acting strangely, seek medical care as soon as possible so that a physician can evaluate your risk of rabies infection and administer the rabies vaccine if appropriate.
DOH-Escambia’s Environmental Health division investigates animal bite reports, tests animals for rabies through the state laboratory, and orders animal quarantine as necessary. For more information, or to report an animal bite, contact the FDOH-Escambia Environmental Health office at (850) 595-6700 or visit www.EscambiaHealth.com.
Lawmakers Pitch Regulations For Florida Fantasy Sports
November 12, 2015
Two Republican lawmakers are filing legislation that would regulate the daily fantasy sports industry, which is the subject of a federal probe and lawsuits in Florida and other states focused on whether the popular online games are illegal gambling. Sen. Joe Negron of Stuart and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Fort Walton Beach — both lawyers — issued a press release Tuesday with a draft version of their proposal.
The legislation would require all fantasy sports game operators to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and impose restrictions on who can play the games.
Employees, family members and owners of the fantasy sports websites could not participate in the games, and employees also could not share confidential information that could affect fantasy game played with third parties until the information is publicly available.
Players, officials and others affiliated with real sports teams could not participate in any fantasy game that is determined by the performance of the player, the team or the accumulated statistics of the team or player. Three million Floridians currently play some sort of fantasy sports games, according to industry insiders.
“I do not believe that these Floridians should be at risk of criminal prosecution for doing nothing more than participating in the fantasy sports contests they enjoy. However, due to a dated attorney general opinion, there is a need to clarify in Florida law that fantasy sports are legal, as well as institute commonsense regulations that address consumers,” Negron, who is slated to become the next Senate president, said in the press release.
The fast-growing daily fantasy sports industry is under scrutiny by prosecutors in New York and Tampa, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office recently subpoenaed the Florida-based Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Daily fantasy sports companies DraftKings and FanDuel, and the association have hired some of the state’s most influential lobbyists, and the association contributed at least $70,000 to political committees led by Florida lawmakers in September.
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, told The News Service of Florida last month that he’s asked his lawyers to check into the fantasy sports industry, in which players pay entry fees to draft “teams” that compete against each other for cash prizes based on the actual performance of athletes.
by The News Service of Florida
Let The Miracle League Fry Your Turkey
November 12, 2015
Want a fried turkey but afraid to try it yourself? Volunteers from the Miracle League of Pensacola will fry your turkey for you on Wednesday, November 25, saving you the time and trouble while benefiting the charity. And there is still time to make an appointment.
Completely thaw your turkey, removing all of the inside packaging and giblets. Write down exactly how much your turkey weighs so it is fried perfectly and take it to the Miracle League Park at 555 East Nine Mile Road from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25. For a monetary donation to Miracle League, the volunteers will fry your turkey to perfection. A minimum of $20 per turkey is necessary to help cover costs, and any additional donation will benefit the Miracle League of Pensacola.
Call (850) 384-9180 with questions or to schedule your time (leave a message if no answer). Reservations should be made early as they number of time slots is limited.