Arrest Made In Case Of Man Found Dead At Confederate Monument
October 16, 2015
A homeless man who strangled another homeless man in Lee Square in August has been arrested.
A warrant was served on Brandon Brown, 44, no permanent address, in the Escambia County Jail Thursday afternoon. He was charged with homicide, and is being held without bond.
Detective Amy Parsons said Brown was developed as a suspect in the August 9 strangulation death of Larson Brake, 50, no permanent address. Parsons said the two men got into an argument and that Brown placed Brake in a “sleeper hold.”
Brown then placed Brake on a bench in the park where an officer discovered him around 9:35 a.m. that day. Parsons said the medical examiner’s office recently notified the police department that Brake’s death was a homicide. After police consulted with the State Attorney’s Office, the charge was brought.
Brown has been in the Escambia County Jail since he was arrested around 8:15 a.m. on August 9 after he chased and threw a brick at a bicyclist in the 700 block of North Palafox Street near where the homicide occurred. Police found him hosing himself off outside a house near Lee Square.
Brown was charged with aggravated assault, trespassing, petit theft, and resisting an officer for that incident.
Forecasters: Cooler And Wetter Winter Predicted For Local Area
October 16, 2015
We are set for a cooler and wetter winter season, according to the U.S. Winter Outlook released Thursday by the NOAA Climate Prediction Center.
The outlook favors cooler and wetter weather in Southern Tier states with above-average temperatures most likely in the West and across the Northern Tier. This year’s El Niño, among the strongest on record, is expected to influence weather and climate patterns this winter by impacting the position of the Pacific jet stream.
“A strong El Niño is in place and should exert a strong influence over our weather this winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “While temperature and precipitation impacts associated with El Niño are favored, El Niño is not the only player. Cold-air outbreaks and snow storms will likely occur at times this winter. However, the frequency, number and intensity of these events cannot be predicted on a seasonal timescale.”
Forecasters say it’s important to note the cooler and wetter does not mean snow. Snow forecasts are dependent upon the strength and track of winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.
ESAR Locates Missing Alzheimer’s Patient In Minutes
October 16, 2015
A missing woman was located by Escambia Search and Rescue is just minutes Thursday night.
ESAR volunteers assisted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in locating the missing 63-year old Alzheimer’s/dementia patient neear Lowe’s on Nile Road in Ensley. She had been missing about 3.5 hours. ESAR arrived, gathered information and formed search teams. One team located the woman within minutes, according to Jim Walters, ESAR public information officer.
The woman was returned to her family in good condition.
ESAR was alerted at 7:23 p.m. and found the woman at 7:39 p.m.
Gulf Power, Other Utilities Continue To Fuel Solar Amendment
October 16, 2015
A political committee pushing one of two competing solar-energy initiatives for the 2016 ballot has quickly amassed nearly $1.5 million, with financial backing from Florida’s major electric utilities.
The committee, “Consumers for Smart Solar,” reached a key threshold Thursday when it submitted enough valid petition signatures to trigger a review by the Florida Supreme Court. To help fuel the effort, it collected $670,000 during September, bringing its overall contributions to $1,468,045.
The committee, which began raising money in July, has received money from Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, Tampa Electric and Gulf Power. The utilities collectively accounted for $395,000 of Consumers for Smart Solar’s contributions in September, after pitching in $180,000 in August and $115,000 in July.
The committee’s largest contribution in September, $200,000, came from a Tallahassee-based group known as “Let’s Preserve the American Dream,” which was created as a non-profit social welfare organization.
A Tallahassee-based political-action committee with the same name lists its chairman as Ryan D. Tyson and its treasurer as Robert D. McRae, both officers with the powerful business-lobbying group Associated Industries of Florida. Tyson, in an email, said the Let’s Preserve the American Dream organizations are entirely different, with separate missions and purposes.
Associated Industries later released a statement and noted that, “If and when AIF does take an official position on either of the two proposed constitutional amendments regarding solar in Florida, we will release an official statement.”
The committee is seeking a constitutional amendment that would allow Floridians with solar equipment on their property to sell energy to power companies and “ensure that consumers who do not choose to install solar are not required to subsidize the costs of backup power and electric grid access to those who do.”
As of early Thursday afternoon, the state Division of Elections website reported that the committee — whose leadership includes two former state lawmakers, a Jacksonville tea-party founder and a former chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission — had submitted 68,792 valid signatures.
The state needed to validate 68,314 of the committee’s signatures to trigger a court review of the proposed ballot language..
The committee’s monthly fundraising total surpassed the $446,670 raised by “Floridians for Solar Choice,” which is spearheading the competing solar initiative. It had collected an overall total of $859,002 between December and Sept. 30.
Floridians for Solar Choice, which has most of its money coming from a political arm of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, is seeking to pass a constitutional amendment that, in part, would allow businesses to generate and sell up to two megawatts of solar power to customers on the same or neighboring properties.
Stephen Smith, of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said this week that fundraising and signature collections continue, but they are expected to accelerate if the Florida Supreme Court rules that the initiative’s proposed ballot language meets legal requirements to go before voters in November 2016.
The court heard arguments Sept. 1 about the proposed ballot language. If Floridians for Solar Choice gets approval from the Supreme Court, it would need to submit a total of 683,149 valid petition signatures.
As of Thursday morning, it had submitted 182,660 valid signatures to the state Division of Elections. Major electric utilities oppose that ballot proposal.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Ernest Ward Eagles End Undefeated Season With Win Over Atmore
October 16, 2015
The Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles ended a perfect season with a win over Escambia County Middle School of Atmore.
The Eagles of Ernest Ward beat the Eagles of Escambia County 42-8 in Atmore.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Reimagine Flomaton Planning Begins
October 16, 2015
The organizational volunteer meeting for Reimagine Flomaton was held Thursday night at the Flomaton Fire Department.
Reimagine Flomaton will be held Saturday, February 20, 2016. Reimagine has held similar events in Century, Brownsville, Warrrington, Thomaston, GA, Santa Rosa County and Peru. Events have included clothing giveaways, free haircuts, free food, free health checks and displays from community organizations.
The next meeting for the group will be Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting location will be announced at a later date on NorthEscambia.com. For more information, contact Linda at (850) 454-5280.
Pictured: Volunteers discuss Reimagine Flomaton Thursday night at the Flomaton Fire Department. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Restore Advisory Committee To Meet Next Week
October 16, 2015
The Escambia County RESTORE Advisory Committee will meet Tuesday, October 20, at 4 p.m. in the County Commission Chambers at 221 Palafox Place to discuss submitted projects and the next step in the process. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
The County’s RESTORE project submission portal website launched on July 1 and closed on October 2, 2015. More than 120 projects were submitted for entry, with initiatives ranging from bayou restoration to coastal sediment management, a native path boardwalk, workforce development, stormwater projects, habitat restoration, community centers and more.
For more information or general questions about the RESTORE process, upcoming meetings or related topics, visit myescambia.com/restore
West Florida Downs Northview
October 16, 2015
The West Florida Lady Jaguars defeated the Northview Chiefs Thursday night 3-1 in varsity action, and 2-1 in junior varsity play.
West Florida def. Northview varsity 25-, 25-13, 21-25, 26-24.
West Florida def Northview junior varsity 25-9, 25-15.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Amerson, click to enlarge.
Molino Woman Charged With Exploitation Of Elderly Man
October 15, 2015
A Molino woman has been charged with stealing from an elderly man.
Heather Nicole Gulsby, 27, was charge with felony grand theft, crimes against the elderly and six felony check offenses.
Gulsby was caretaker for a 65-year old man unable to adequately take care of himself, according to an arrest report. Without proper permission, Gulsby allegedly wrote six checks totaling $1,084.72 on the elderly man’s account for her own personal benefit.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report, Gulsby wrote checks for her benefit on the victim’s account as follows:
- Three checks for $200 each cashed at a local bank on different dates.
- A $290.37 check to Walmart for merchandise.
- A $144.35 check to Molino Utilities, of which $92.22 was applied to her personal account. The remaining$52.13 was applied to the victim’s account; however, the check was written without his permission, the report states.
- A $50 check cashed at a local bank.
Northview Chiefs Baseball Coach Lister No Longer With The Team
October 15, 2015
Northview High School head baseball coach Martin “Marty” Lister is no longer in charge of the school’s baseball program.
“He has been removed as baseball coach,” Northview Principal Gayle Weaver said Wednesday. She declined to provide any specific reasons for the decision. Lister remains a member of the Northview faculty teaching drafting and construction technology.
Last season, Lister led the Chiefs to their first appearance in the 1A state final four in school history. They lost to Blountstown 7-4 in the Class 1A state semifinal game at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers.
Lister joined the Chiefs as head baseball coach in October 2012.
He was drafted in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1992 MLB June Amateur Draft from Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton. He has pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations.
Lister taught at Escambia High School in Pensacola for five years before coming to Northview to teach drafting and construction technology. He coached varsity baseball for four years at Escambia, along with freshmen football, running back coach for varsity football and boys weightlifting. He also was an assistant baseball and pitching coach at Pensacola State College.