Tate Tops Choctaw
October 24, 2015
The Tate Aggies earned another win on the road Friday night as they beat the Indians of Choctaw 35-28.
Tate was first on the scoreboard with a 27-yard pass from Sawyer Smith to Cole Crews, and Choctaw answered with a 3-yard run to tie it up 7-7.
Smith scored again with a 5-yard run for a 13-7 Tate advantage. Alondo Thompkins expanded Tate’s lead to 19-7 with a 76-yard touchdown run. With another touchdown, the Aggies were up 26-7 at the half.
In the second half Choctaw scored on a 1-yard run, followed by a 33-yard Tate field goal from Evan Legassey, and another 1-yard run from the Indians to put the scoreboard at 29-21.
Thompkins added a 18-yard touchdown run and Choctaw scored once more for the 35-28 final.
Next Friday night, the Tate Aggies will host the Pine Forest Eagle for the District 1-6A championship. Both teams are 2-0 in the district.
Pictured: Tate at Choctaw. Images courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FWC: Stay Legal With These Hunting Tips For Bow Season
October 24, 2015
by Tony Young, FWC
Today is the first day of bowhunting season in Northwest Florida.
Hunting with a bow or crossbow is a great way to get a jump on the gun hunters. Bowhunters are allowed in the woods earlier and get that first crack at the deer. During archery season, you can also take antlerless deer, which really increases your chances of putting venison in the freezer.
Maybe that’s why bowhunting continues to be so popular in our state, accounting for more than 10 percent of all deer harvested, 15 percent of harvested does and 25 percent of the deer taken on wildlife management areas. Last year, more than 30,000 people bowhunted in Florida.
And along with hunting the rut, early bow seasons provide a great opportunity to take a trophy whitetail and arguably are among the best times to do so. In northwest Florida, it’s even better because bucks are still hangin’ out in their bachelor groups.
If you’re stealthy enough and have done your pre-season homework, you have a good chance of a nice one coming within shooting range of your bowhunting setup. In the early season, before the deer are under as much hunting pressure, they are more active during daylight hours. When gun season hits, you might not see that big ’un again for the rest of the year, except for maybe a picture of him taken from your trail camera in the middle of the night.
License and permit requirements
But, before you go, you need to make sure your license and required permits are up to date. To hunt during archery season, you’ll need a Florida hunting license and an archery permit. During crossbow season, you’ll need a hunting license and crossbow permit. If you’re a Florida resident, an annual hunting license costs $17. Nonresidents have the choice of paying $46.50 for a 10-day license or $151.50 for 12 months. Archery and crossbow permits are $5 each, and all deer hunters must have the $5 deer permit.
Anyone planning on hunting one of Florida’s many WMAs must purchase a management area permit for $26.50. And don’t forget to pick up the WMA rules and regulations brochure for the area you wish to hunt. You can get brochures at the closest tax collector’s office, or you can print them from MyFWC.com/Hunting under “WMA Brochures.”
You can obtain all the licenses and permits you’ll need at a county tax collector’s office, any retail outlet that sells hunting and fishing supplies, by calling 888-HUNT-FLORIDA or at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
Legal to take
During archery season and that part of crossbow season that runs concurrent with archery, you can take legal-to-take bucks (as defined by the regulations for the deer management unit in which you’re hunting) and antlerless deer, which are does and bucks with less than 5-inch antlers. You may never take spotted fawns. After archery ends, during the remaining portion of the crossbow season, you may only take legal-to-take bucks according to the specific DMU antler rules. The daily bag limit on deer is two. Bag limits for deer on WMAs can differ, so check the specifics of the area before you hunt.
You can hunt wild hogs on private lands year-round with no bag or size limits. On most WMAs, there’s also no bag or size limits, and hogs are legal to take during most hunting seasons except spring turkey. But on a few WMAs, bag and size limits do apply, so to be certain, check the brochure for the specific area.
In addition to hunting big game, it’s also legal to shoot gobblers and bearded turkeys during archery and crossbow seasons, assuming you have a turkey permit ($10 for residents, $125 for nonresidents). You may take two turkeys in a single day on private lands, but the two-bird fall-season limit still applies, and the daily bag limit for turkeys is still one on WMAs. It’s illegal to shoot turkeys while they’re on the roost, over bait, when you’re within 100 yards of a game-feeding station when bait is present or with the aid of recorded turkey calls. In addition, it’s against the law to hunt turkeys in Holmes County in the fall.
If you’re hunting during the archery season, you may hunt only with a bow and you must have the archery permit. During crossbow season, you may use either a crossbow or bow, but you must have the crossbow permit. On WMAs, only hunters with a disabled crossbow permit are allowed to use crossbows during archery season. All bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds, and hand-held releases are permitted. For hunting deer, hogs and turkeys, broadheads must have at least two sharpened edges with a minimum width of 7/8 inch.
As far as legal shooting hours go, you’re allowed to let your arrow or bolt fly between a half-hour before sunrise and a half-hour after sunset. Except for turkeys, you’re permitted to take resident game over feeding stations on private property. It’s against the law to use bait on WMAs.
You can’t use dogs to hunt deer or turkeys, but you are allowed to use a dog on a leash to help you trail any wounded game.
Giant Equipment Trailer Travels Through North Escambia; Parked In Century (With Gallery)
October 23, 2015
A giant piece of equipment being moved from the port of Pensacola to the Georgia Pacific mill in Brewton passed through the North Escambia area overnight and is now parked in Century, within sight of the state line.
The generator turbine is on a trailer that is 18-feet wide, almost 25-feet tall and 173.5-feet long. Along the way, utility crews were forced to lift, pull or remove and estimated 400 obstructions such as power and phone lines. Some residents were without power for an hour or two overnight due to the transport, but most the of the power lines were moved “live” without service interruptions.
The trailer left a Highway 29 weigh station in Cantonment about 9 p.m. Thursday. By 4:30 a.m. Friday, the giant generator had passed through the intersection of East Highway 4 and Highway 29, barely clearing a red light being held by a crane. By 5:30 a.m. a decision had been made not to continue into Alabama. The trailer will be parked until at least Sunday night on an empty lot in Century, just south of the state line. At last report, neither state will allow the trailer to move over the weekend, until 9 p.m. Sunday.
Another large generator is still at the Port of Pensacola awaiting transport to Brewton. On a trailer, it will be 18-feet wide, 18.5-feet high and 192.5-feet long when it passes through the area, likely sometime next week, on the same route.
NorthEscambia.com will update the story with any additional schedule details as they become available.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: A giant generator turbine is transported through Century early Friday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Thefts In Century, Walnut Hill
October 23, 2015
A Century man was jailed on a felony charge after allegedly stealing a TV from a Century garage and a generator from a Walnut Hill home.
A resident of the 100 block of Mincy Court told deputies that William Edward Perry, 55, walked off with a 25-inch TV taken from her garage.
Deputies located Perry hiding behind a privacy fence at a nearby home and the TV on the other side of the fence. He told deputies that he had done yard work for the property owner on Mincy Court and that he thought the TV was junk and no good. He first told deputies that he was going to fix the TV and return it, then he said he was going to remove the transistors and sell them for money.
Perry was charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and petit theft first degree.
He was also charged with petit theft for allegedly stealing a generator from a home on Mayhaw Road in Walnut Hill. He later said he sold the generator for $150 to man in the “hood” near Pond and Jefferson streets in Century, according to a witness statement.
Perry remained in the Escambia County Jail early Friday morning with bond set at $32,500.
Over $91K In Grants Awarded To 59 Escambia Teachers
October 23, 2015
Almost five dozen Escambia County teachers were awarded an Escambia County Public Schools Foundation Committee classroom grant Thursday. Grants for Excellence is a competitive grant program through which the Foundation awards funding for classroom projects to enhance curriculum and drive student achievement in Escambia County classrooms.
The committee funded 59 projects for a total of $91,284.87. The Foundation receives funding for the Grants for Excellence program from the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, but in order to receive the funding, the board of directors must raise matching dollars from our generous community partners.
The 59 recipients received up to $2,000 each for their innovative classroom projects in the areas of Literacy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math:
- Derek Akhi, Bellview Middle, “Acting Up, Acting Out”
- Kimberly Andreoli, Bratt Elementary, “Listening through Literacy”
- John Auner, Escambia High, “…To the Moon”
- Edward Bauer, Booker T. Washington High, “Lionfish Prey Selection”
- Bethany Bauer, Jim C. Bailey Middle, “Operation Starry Night”
- Robin Blalock, Tate High, “Couriers of Memory”
- Michael Bloomer, Booker T. Washington High, “Advanced AP Chemistry Lab”
- Angelina Carter, Blue Angels Elementary, “Dash and Dot Makes Learning Fun”
- Brandi Cole, Longleaf Elementary, “SplashMath for Success”
- Laurie Cothran, West Pensacola Elementary, “Drama Drive: A TV Production”
- Tim Deloge, Escambia High, “NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge”
- Diedra Diettel, A.K. Suter Elementary, “Curio ‘city’: A City for the Curious”
- Stephanie Gaffney, Navy Point Elementary, “Discovery Island”
- Krystal Gibson, Beulah Elementary, “Leaders in the ‘Make’ing”
- Jeremy Gibson, West Pensacola Elementary, “Printing: The 3rd Dimension”
- Heather Gillman, Bratt Elementary, “Six Traits to Improve Writing”
- Lisa Hale, West Pensacola Elementary, “Music Makerspace”
- Anna Harageones, A.K. Suter Elementary, “Interested in Informational Texts”
- Melissa Harold, Beulah Elementary, “Literacy Tablet Lab”
- Cristen Hartley, West Pensacola Elementary, “STEM Bowling”
- Catherine Hendren, Pine Meadow Elementary, “Author Study Cross Curricular Project”
- Kelly Hered, Booker T. Washington High, “What Do Fireworks, Lasers, and Neon Signs Have in Common?”
- Pam Hicks, Booker T. Washington High, “Chemistry: How Sweet it Is”
- Blair Husted, O.J. Semmes Elementary, “STEM Out! Club”
- Sarah Ingram, West Florida High, “I Like to Print and I Cannot Lie”
- Elizabeth Isphording, Ransom Middle, “Science Studio”
- Jennifer Kemp, C.A. Weis Elementary, “STEM with Sphero”
- Emma Land, Pine Meadow Elementary, “Ready, Set, Grow”
- Marnie Lowery, West Pensacola Elementary, “The Fabrication Station”
- Dana M. Lupton, Pine Forest High, “All Terrain Robot”
- Peter N. Lupton, Pine Forest High, “A Journey to a Sustainable Tomorrow”
- Matthew MacGregor, Escambia High, “Bringing Back our Bayous”
- Sarah Mason, Blue Angels Elementary, “Makey Makey Eggs and Bakey!”
- Jill Mealy, Ensley Elementary, “Roller Coaster Engineers”
- Cathy S. Melton, C.A. Weis Elementary, “In the Wings”
- Cassie Mense, Myrtle Grove Elementary, “Fourth Grade Engineers”
- Tammy Miller, R.C. Lipscomb Elementary, “Enriching, Creating, and Reaching Others through Technology”
- Angela Mills, NAS Museum, “Understanding Earth’s Atmosphere”
- Molly O’Connor, Roy Hyatt Environmental Center, “Bringing Technology to the Outdoors”
- Jean Odom, N.B. Cook Elementary, “Project Green Screen Video Camp”
- Myra Palmer, Ensley Elementary, “Makerspace Minecraft”
- Dawn Parnell, Pensacola High, “Salty Citizen Scientists”
- Karen Potter, Ransom Middle, “Don’t Judge a Book by its Movie”
- Katherine Powell, Molino Park Elementary, “Getting’ Techie With It”
- Sharon Powers, Longleaf Elementary, “Speaking of Literacy”
- Thomas A. Roberts, Cordova Park Elementary, “Literacy and STEAM – An Unstoppable Combination!”
- Crystal K. Roberts, Ransom Middle, “Makerspace Interface: Literacy and STEAM Powers Unite!”
- Sherry Roughton, Beulah Elementary, “The LEGO Art of Storytelling”
- Milagros Sessions, Workman Middle, “Creating Fertile Spaces”
- Stephanie Phillips, Scenic Heights Elementary, “STEM Discovery with Dash and Dot”
- Tatum Tirado, Booker T. Washington High, “The Math Games”
- Julie Tomlinson, Myrtle Grove Elementary, “Kids Kitchen Conservatory”
- Kevin Turner, Booker T. Washington High, “Measuring Speciation of Tidewater Silversides”
- Rebecca Van Fleet, Bellview Middle, “Fill It Up!”
- Shawn Walker, West Florida High, “Determining Lionfish Prey by using DNA Analysis”
- Casandra Waller, Montclair and C.A. Weis Elementary Schools, “Phys Academy”
- Theresa Ward, Blue Angels Elementary, “Figurative Language?? Go Figure!!”
- Roberta Wetzel, Jim C. Bailey Middle, “Think It and Move It: LEGO Wall in Motion”
- Alisha Wilson, Booker T. Washington High, “Robotic Learning; Where STEM and Literacy Collide”
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Yearbook Receives Top Columbia Scholastic Press Association Award
October 23, 2015
For the second consecutive year, the Northview High School Tribal Spirit yearbook staff has been honored with a Gold Medal from the nationally recognized Columbia Scholastic Press Association, affiliated with Columbia University in New York City and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
The staff earned a total of 908 points out of a possible 1000 for their 2015 Tribal Spirit yearbook. The reference section scored 192 out of a possible 200 points.
“You and your staff worked very hard to produce a very solid outstanding publication. The staff made sure that every activity, sport, club, student life, etc. was covered. Very nice job! It was a pleasure to have been part of your community. Lots of luck for 2016,” a statement from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association to the Northview staff said.
The Tribal Spirit yearbook staff and their adviser, Alison Robinson, attended the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Convention in New York City in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
Pictured: Northview Tribal Spirit Yearbook staff members (front, L-R) Jessica Amerson, Ellie Amerson, Bethany Reynolds, (back, L-R)Celeste North, David Weber, Destiny Watson and Jordan Taylor. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Justices Give Geen Light To Solar Initiative
October 23, 2015
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday approved a proposed ballot initiative that seeks to expand the use of solar energy, moving the state one step closer to a fierce political battle next year.
Making clear they were not offering an opinion on the merits of the proposal, justices ruled 6-1 that the initiative, backed by a group called Floridians for Solar Choice, met legal standards to go before voters. The group now will have to submit 683,149 valid petition signatures by Feb. 1 to qualify for the November 2016 ballot — about 500,000 more than it had submitted as of Thursday morning.
“We are thrilled with the high court’s ruling so that voters may have the opportunity to vote on removing a barrier that currently blocks Florida’s families and businesses from greater energy choices through the power of the free market,” Tory Perfetti, chairman of Floridians for Solar Choice, said in a prepared statement immediately after the Supreme Court decision. “People power is what will get us on the ballot, and we continue to gather thousands of signatures each week from Floridians eager for solar choice.”
The proposed constitutional amendment, in part, would allow businesses to generate and sell up to two megawatts of solar power to customers on the same or neighboring properties. In doing so, it would largely shield the solar producers from state and local regulations.
The initiative has drawn opposition from a coalition including major electric utilities and has spawned a competing solar ballot proposal. That proposal, spearheaded by the group Consumers for Smart Solar, is awaiting a review by the Supreme Court.
Dick Batchelor, co-chairman of Consumers for Smart Solar, said it was “unfortunate” that justices approved the Floridians for Solar Choice proposal.
“We caution Florida voters about this disingenuous solar ballot measure that favors big out-of-state solar companies instead of Florida consumers,” Batchelor said in a prepared statement. “We simply cannot allow this seriously flawed amendment to pass. This special interest amendment puts Florida consumers, and especially our seniors, at great risk of fraud and abuse.”
The Supreme Court reviews proposed constitutional amendments to make sure they will not be confusing or deceptive to voters. That involves making sure proposed amendments deal with single subjects and that the ballot titles and summaries — the parts seen by most voters — are clearly worded.
The majority opinion, supported by Chief Justice Jorge Labarga and justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis, Peggy Quince, Charles Canady and James E.C. Perry, said the Floridians for Solar Choice proposal met the requirements.
“Without considering the merits of the measure, we find that the title and summary clearly and unambiguously inform the voter that the amendment will prevent government and electric utilities from imposing regulatory barriers to supplying local solar electricity up to two megawatts to customers at the same or contiguous property,” the opinion said.
But Justice Ricky Polston dissented, arguing that the ballot summary is “confusing” and doesn’t accurately describe the scope of the proposal.
In part, Polston wrote that the ballot summary “leads the voter to believe that this initiative is about someone who owns a small house or small business with a solar panel on the roof and wants to sell electricity on a small-scale. However, according to the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association, a single local solar generating facility capable of generating two megawatts of electricity would span over 12 acres and could serve approximately 714 customers. The ballot summary does not provide notice to the voter that this proposed amendment provides for this scale of completely unregulated electricity generation.”
With the court’s majority approving the ballot proposal, however, the groups on both sides were clearly readying Thursday for a political fight.
Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a key supporter of Floridians for Solar Choice, quickly took aim at “big monopoly utilities” that oppose the initiative.
“We fully expect more misleading attacks from the big electric utilities and their proxy front groups in their desperate attempt to limit customer choice,” Smith said in a prepared statement.
by Jim Saunder, The News Service of Florida
Scott Wants $250 Million To Lure Businesses To Florida
October 23, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott, pressing reluctant lawmakers to fund a “nearly bankrupt” effort to recruit businesses to Florida, said Thursday he will ask for $250 million in 2016 for corporate incentives, with new rules on how the money would be approved and banked.
Scott, addressing the Enterprise Florida Board of Directors in Orlando, also ratcheted up his call for business leaders to lobby lawmakers for the money, advising them not to give in until each legislator publicly announces support for the funding plan.
“If they (lawmakers) don’t put out a press release and say, ‘I absolutely will support these reforms,’ then that’s a no,” Scott said.
Scott spoke with Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, before the Enterprise Florida meeting. But Gardiner, whose members have been skeptical of the public-private business recruitment agency’s claims about a lack of available incentive money, isn’t ready to make a decision on Scott’s request.
“The president told the governor that he was looking forward to reviewing the governor’s proposal in more detail in the coming weeks,” Gardiner spokeswoman Katie Betta said in an email.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said he was looking forward to seeing the details of Scott’s proposal.
“I know we all share the goal of keeping Florida a national leader in job creation,” Crisafulli said in a prepared statement.
The $250 million is part of Scott’s proposal to change the incentives-funding process under Enterprise Florida.
He also wants lawmakers to: create the Florida Enterprise Fund, a trust fund that would keep designated incentive money in the state treasury until companies reach job-creation goals; and to let the House speaker and Senate president sign off on deals that top $1 million instead of waiting for the Joint Legislative Budget Commission to give approval.
Currently, money the state promises a business for relocating to Florida or expanding in the state is placed into a low-yield commercial escrow account, with payouts made when promised new jobs and economic-development performance measures are met.
Lawmakers have been questioning the use of escrow accounts.
Gardiner has proposed the state set an annual statutory cap of $50 million to cover future economic incentive payments, which he noted have never topped $20 million in a single year.
Scott, calling his proposed trust fund the “Let’s beat Texas’ butt enterprise fund,” said the use of the treasury will give the state a better interest rate than the escrow accounts.
Florida Chamber of Commerce President Mark Wilson, an Enterprise Florida board member, called the $250 million request, with the quicker approval process, “a good start.”
“This is about diversifying the economy, which is why this organization was created,” Wilson said of Enterprise Florida.
Earlier this year, Scott asked lawmakers to set aside $85 million for business incentives. The final budget for the fiscal year that started July 1 included $53 million for Enterprise Florida, of which $43 million was for incentives and $10 million was for marketing.
Scott said his latest request is needed to compete with other states, such as New York, which has $150 million for incentives; Texas, which has $90 million; South Carolina, which has $58 million; and Georgia, which has $46 million.
“We’re not going to beat these states if we don’t reform the Quick Action Closing Fund,” said Scott, who repeated a claim he’s made since August that the fund used to complete incentive deals is “nearly bankrupt” for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.
“I don’t care what anybody says, it will in fact, run out of money,” Scott said.
Members of the Senate Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee questioned such claims Tuesday. They noted that about $141 million is currently held in escrow and that over the prior four years, $112 million that had been available for the agency’s recruitment “toolkit” went unspent.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
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Driver Charged With DUI In Nine Mile Road Crash
October 22, 2015
A man was arrested for DUI after crash with a motor scooter on Nine Mile Road.
Florida State Troopers said 24-year old Zachary Jordan Pittman was driving drunk when his 2000 Honda Accord crashed into a motor scooter occupied by 18-year old Antonio Delvalle. The accident happened about 3:30 a.m. on Nine Mile Road just west of I-10.
Devalle was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. Pittman was charged with DUI with serious bodily injury and careless driving.
Coffee With A Cop Held In Century
October 22, 2015
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office held a Coffee With a Cop event Thursday morning at the Southern Panhandle restaurant in Century.
The Coffee with a Cop event provided an opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about what the ESCO is doing in their neighborhood.
Coffee with a Cop is a national initiative supported by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Similar events are being held across the county, as local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and state police forces strive to make lasting connections with the communities they serve. The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between law enforcement and community members one cup of coffee at a time.
Pictured top: Coffee with a Cop in Century Thursday morning. Pictured inset: Century Mayor Freddie McCall with Deputy James Gilman during the event. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.