FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
October 10, 2015
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
- State Road (S.R.) 294 Chief’s Way from Corry Field Road to S.R. 295 (New Warrington Road) in Escambia County will be temporarily closed from Friday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct 23. The temporary closure will allow crews to perform shoulder construction and remove concrete pavement and replace with asphalt. Corry Field Road, West Navy Boulevard and New Warrington Road will be utilized as a detour route. Variable message boards are in place to alert drivers of the change in traffic pattern.
- U.S. 90 (Scenic Highway) repairs at the intersection of Scenic Highway Circle continues in Escambia County. No lane closures are anticipated, however, traffic flaggers will be on site to assist with traffic control as construction vehicles enter and exit the work area.
- I-10 east and westbound, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and State Road 281 (Avalon Boulevard) in Santa Rosa County. Alternating lane closures Sunday, Oct. 11 through Thursday, Oct. 15. Lane closures will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews place concrete barrier wall.
- U.S. 98 between Live Oaks Village shopping center and the Gulf Breeze Zoo in Santa Rosa County. Alternating lane closures from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, through Friday, Oct.16. Crews will be placing the final layer of asphalt on the roadway and continue shoulder widening work.
- U.S. 98 between the Gulf Breeze Zoo and Okaloosa County line in Santa Rosa County. Striping operations began Thursday, Oct. 8. Motorists may encounter minor delays and intermittent lane closures from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for approximately three weeks as crews restripe side roads, major intersections, and the mainline. Slow moving vehicles will be used to perform the work.
- S.R. 297 (Pine Forest Road) from Mobile Highway to Nine Mile Road in Escambia County. Intermittent lane closures at intersections and turn lanes Monday, Oct. 12 through Thursday, Oct. 15 as crews refurbish pavement markings and restripe the roadway. Lane closures will remain in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Drivers can expect slow moving vehicles during the striping operations.
Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone.
All planned construction activities are weather dependent and may be re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Roux Named NHS Homecoming Queen (With Photo Gallery)
October 10, 2015
Savanna Roux was named Northview High School’s homecoming queen for 2015 Friday night.
Pictured top are Junior Maid Morgan Myrick, Freshman Maid Ashtyn Carnley, 1st Runner-up Jadlyn Agerton, Homecoming Queen Savanna Roux, 2nd Runner-up Danielle Robinson, and Sophomore Maid Celeste North. Pictured inset: Roux reacts to winning. Pictured below: Roux is crowned by last year’s queen, Kamryn Brock.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Liberty County Tops Northview (With Photo Gallery)
October 10, 2015
Liberty County beat the Northview Chiefs 37-14 Friday night, which was homecoming for the Chiefs.
Liberty County intercepted a Northview pass two plays into the first quarter and were held to just a field goal by the Northview defense. The Chiefs answered to make it 7-3 at the half.
“It was a good ballgame at halftime,” Northview Coach Sid Wheatley said. “We played really good defense and a good passing game. They made some adjustments and came back and controlled the game in the second half. They got up by two touchdowns and we cut it to one….but it went downhill for us fast.”
Liberty County went on for the win 37-14.
“You’ve got to give them credit. They made those big plays that you can not give up and are back-breakers in a competitive game.”
The Chiefs will travel to Jay next Friday night for their first of just two district games of the regular season. The Chiefs are in a three-team District 1A with Jay and Baker.
“Win a district game next week and you are in the playoffs. These kids are going to have to regroup, and they are going to have to come back. We’ve got to have a really, really good week and practice,” he said . “We’ve got to get some things fixed.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Seek To Shield Seniors From Shady Guardians
October 10, 2015
A Southwest Florida lawmaker is renewing a push to better protect elderly Floridians from unscrupulous guardians who take control of seniors’ assets.
The Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee this week approved a bill (SB 232), filed by Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, that would charge the Department of Elder Affairs with certifying and overseeing professional guardians — and disciplining those who abuse their trust.
Detert told the committee that professional guardians are a growth business in Florida but are lightly regulated.
She cited a series in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, which reported in December 2014 that the number of registered professional guardians statewide had grown 1,800 percent in 11 years.
“There are predators,” Detert said. “They have kind of crawled through a crack in the law.”
Private professional guardians come into play, for example, in circumstances where families have disputes between seniors’ children. The guardians can earn $100 an hour to open mail, make appointments and pay bills — even to be present when the children came to visit.
“When you think of the power you are giving to a guardian,” Detert said. “The power to make your medical decisions, to put you on drugs, to spend your money (and) sign your checkbook.”
Private guardians often serve wealthy people, Detert said. The state also has a more heavily regulated system of public guardians who serve incapacitated people who don’t have anybody willing and able to serve as guardians.
Detert’s bill has support from the office of Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Sharon Bock, who was represented at the Senate committee meeting by Deputy Clerk Anthony Palmieri.
Since 2011, Palmieri said, the office has investigated more than 800 elder-guardianship cases, identifying “more than $4 million in unsubstantiated disbursements, missing assets and fraud” in Palm Beach County. There have been two arrests.
“Many clerks’ offices throughout the state are auditing and investigating guardianships because of this very important legislation,” Palmieri said.
Also in 2011, Palm Beach County started Florida’s — and possibly the nation’s — first hotline for elder-guardianship fraud.
Bock said in an interview that she’d gotten the idea to review private guardianships after seeing an uptick in their numbers during the economic recession. She had also noted that guardianship laws had been largely unchanged for decades at that point.
“It wasn’t on anyone’s radar screen, even though Florida has the fastest-growing elderly population per capita of any state in the United States,” Bock said.
Last spring, however, Gov. Rick Scott signed a measure by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, requiring advance notice before hearings on the appointment of emergency temporary guardians. It would also allow the mediation of guardianship disputes among family members and require the reporting of incidents of abuse, neglect and exploitation of wards by guardians.
Detert’s new bill will be considered during the 2016 legislative session, which starts in January. A similar bill unanimously cleared the Senate during the 2015 session, but died when the House adjourned three days early. House leaders had objected to the initial $3 million cost of the measure, which Detert got down to less than $1 million.
The analysis of her new bill notes that approximately 456 guardians would be regulated, but it does not show a projected cost.
Detert said she’d recruited House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, to her cause, while Rep. Larry Ahern, R-Seminole, will return as the House sponsor.
“I’ve spoken to Chair Corcoran, and he is supportive,” she said. “Rep. Ahern is doing the bill in the House, and we expect a happy conclusion this year.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Tate Beats Pace (With Photo Gallery)
October 10, 2015
The Tate Aggies beat the Pace Patriots 48-28 Friday night in what was called the “Lindsey Bowl” by many.
Tate High and head coach Jay Lindsey traveled to Pace to take on his father, Mickey Lindsey — one of just a handful of high school games in Florida history to match a son against his father in the head coaching position.
The Aggies (5-1) will head over to Escambia High School next Friday to take on Gators and 7:30 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Keith Garrison, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Finals
October 10, 2015
Here are final scores from high school football games across the area Friday nightnight:
FLORIDA
Liberty County 37, Northview 14 [Read more, photo gallery...]
Jay 58, Cottondale 56
Tate 48, Pace 28 [Read more, photo gallery...]
Navarre 20, Escambia 9
Walton 51, Gulf Breeze 17
Milton 29, Crestview 28 (OT)
West Florida 46, Catholic 7
Baker 35, South Walton 28
OFF: Washington, Pine Forest. PHS
ALABAMA
T.R. Miller 47, Geneva 13
Thomasville 17, W.S. Neal 7
Mobile Christian 42, Flomaton 41 (2OT)
Williamson 26, Escambia County (Atmore) 2
Escambia Academy 35, Morgan Academy 0
Photo Gallery: Northview Homecoming Parade
October 10, 2015
The Northview High School Homecoming parade rolled through Bratt Friday afternoon with hundreds of people in attendance.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jay Royals Hold Homecoming Parade
October 10, 2015
The Jay High School Royals held their annual homecoming parade this afternoon. Photos by Michele Edwards for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Man Charged With Attempted Homicide For Shooting Into Vehicle
October 9, 2015
A Century man is behind bars on attempted homicide charges for allegedly opening fire into a vehicle Wednesday night in Century.
Akino Jama Jackson, 23, was charged with two counts of attempted homicide, shooting into an occupied vehicle and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
A female driver, identified as Amanda Conner pulled into the Whataburger parking lot on North Century Boulevard with multiple bullet holes in her Dodge Charger. A male passenger who been shot, later identified as Roosevelt Dixon, fled the from the scene before authorities arrived. Dixon eventually made his way to West Florida Hospital for treatment; the female driver was not injured.
Deputies said the shooting occurred on Pond Street and stemmed from an argument between Dixon and Jackson over Conner.
The vehicle in the restaurant parking lot had numerous bullet holes visible in the trunk and in the rear passenger door area.
The back driver’s side passenger window and the rear window of the vehicle were blown mostly out of the vehicle. Trajectory rods place by a crime scene investigator seemed to indicate that the shots were fired from behind the Dodge Charger.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the multi-agency Gun Response Team in the investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Man Sentenced For Fatal Backwoods Road Shooting
October 9, 2015
A Century man is headed to state prison for a January 31 shooting death on Backwoods Road in Century.
Jaran Britt Myles, 21, pleaded no contest and was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison to be followed by six years probation on a charge of manslaughter with a firearm in the death of a 20-year old Jonathan Ray Wilson.
One witness told deputies that “Run Run”, later identified as Myles, pulled out a gun and asked him if he was scared of it before taking the magazine out of the weapon and pointing it him. Myles then pulled the trigger of the gun, without the magazine, but it “dry fired”, he said.
The witness said Myles then pointed the gun to Wilson’s head after loading the magazine back into the gun. Wilson then adjusted the height of the gun to his head, “correcting the placement of the gun pointed at him,” an arrest report states. The witness said when Wilson let go of the gun, Myles pulled the trigger and shot Wilson in the head.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
