Gulf Coast Baptist Celebrates Move Into New Auditorium
August 15, 2015
The Gulf Coast Baptist Church will celebrate their new auditorium with an open house on Sunday.
Through financial gifts, missionary from Continental Baptist Missions in Michigan, local construction companies and a grant from the Lasko Foundation, the church will move into the new auditorium debt-free.
Everyone is welcome to attend a special service and the open house at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Gulf Coast Baptist Church at 1499 Chemstrand Road.
Economists Add $462 MIllion To State’s Bottom Line
August 15, 2015
State economists gave Gov. Rick Scott a little more money to work with when he crafts a proposed budget for next year, as Florida continues to recover from the devastating recession that started in 2007.
A state panel that forecasts how much tax revenue the state will take in from its major income sources tacked on a relatively modest $462.3 million between now and June 30, 2017. The new numbers mean that, overall, lawmakers and Scott will be able to divvy up about $2.2 billion more in the 2016-17 budget year that starts July 1 than they did in the current year.
But at least some of the extra money is likely to be eaten up by increasing enrollment in the state’s public schools, changes to health-care spending and the like. Amy Baker, the Legislature’s chief economist, said there will be some money for lawmakers to use after taking care of those needs.
A more official estimate of the surplus the state can expect after taking care of its “critical needs” will be released next month.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, welcomed the new estimate in a statement released by his office.
“I’m pleased to see the revised forecast project an increase in revenue because it means Florida’s economy is growing,” Crisafulli said. “The projected increase in state revenue shows the House’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and creating a stronger climate for job creation is working.”
Baker said the new numbers reflected an economy that is continuing to recover after the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Currently, economists expect the state’s economy to return to normal by the end of the 2016-17 budget year.
At the same time, forecasters are keeping an eye on models that want to continue the current growth rates, which could be deceptive because Floridians are simply getting back to the habits they had before the crisis began.
“You have to constrain it by knowing that as things return to normal, you won’t have those big hikes in the growth rates,” Baker said. “It’s going to stabilize around where it used to be in a normal time. … We wouldn’t expect to see those very, very extra strong growth rates we saw coming out of the recession.”
One sector that continues to lag, Baker said, is construction, which was hammered by the downturn and the foreclosure crisis that followed.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Updated: Alabama Police Find Missing Teen
August 15, 2015
UPDATE: Flomaton Police said Saturday morning that this missing teen has been found and is safe.
The Flomaton Police Department is attempting to locate a missing teen.
Toby Matthew Jernigan, 16, was last seen between 11 p.m. Monday, August 10 and 6 a.m. Tuesday, August 11. He is described as being 6 feet tall and weighing 130 pounds.
Police said he may be with a male named “Scott” who is about 48-year old, and Scott may be driving a white Nissan or Toyota car.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Toby Matthew Jernigan is asked contact the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811 or their local law enforcement agency.
Four Games, Four Homers For Winker As The Wahoos Beat Biloxi
August 15, 2015
Pensacola left fielder Jesse Winker wasted no time in crushing his fourth homer in four games when he hit a deep fly ball to left field against Biloxi in the first inning.
Winker now has 12 homers and 44 RBIs, which leads the Blue Wahoos.
Winker’s dinger was the only run Pensacola needed as it pulled out a 1-0 victory over Biloxi Friday at MGM Park.
The win ended a two game slide and improved Pensacola’s record to 27-21 and a half game behind Mobile in second place in the second half of the South Division in the Southern League. Biloxi, the South’s first half winner, dropped to 23-24 and is in fourth place in the second half.
Last month, Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth hit five homers in five games. The Southern League record is six home runs in six games.
Winker, the top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization according to MLB Pipeline, finished the game 1-2 with a walk. He is hitting .311 in the second half with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. In August, he’s hitting .392 (20-51) and has a .455 on-base percentage.
Pensacola only other hit besides Winker’s was catcher Yovan Gonzalez’s double in his first at bat in the second inning. He went 1-3 and has now hit in six straight games. During his streak, Gonzalez is batting (10-19) with three doubles, two homers and four RBIs. He’s raised his average from .177 to .238.
In the eighth inning, Pensacola closer Zack Weiss came in relief of starter Tim Adleman after he allowed a double to left fielder Nathan Orf with one out. Adleman blanked the Shuckers for 7.1 innings, limiting them to five hits, one walk and striking out five. Adleman, who held Biloxi’s top five batters in the lineup to one hit in 20 at bats, improved to 7-8 and now owns a Southern League-leading 2.27 ERA.
Weiss retired the last five batters he faced, striking out two and is a top the Southern League in saves at 18.
Century Health And Rehab Center Celebrates National Hippies Day
August 15, 2015
The residents of Century Health and Rehabilitation Center tie-dyed t-shirts to celebrate Saturday’s National Hippies Day. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vehicle Fire In Bogia
August 14, 2015
Fire destroyed a vehicle in Bogia this afternoon. The blaze was reported about 2 p.m. on West Bogia Road, near the Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church. There were no injuries reported. The car was a total loss. The fire is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Reader submitted photos by Tanner Levins and others, click to enlarge.
Why Were No Northern Schools In Escambia County Picked For Free Meals??
August 14, 2015
An announcement that all students at 30 Escambia County schools will receive free meals this upcoming school year sparked a lot of public debate and messages to North Escambia asking why there were no school in the northern part of the county included.
According to Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, the federal funds went to the schools where the most students already qualified for free or reduced meals. He said that is how the federal dollars are allocated. A formula set by the federal government was used that multiplied the percent of free and reduced lunches by a set multiplier. That resulted in the top 30 schools being compared based upon a score of 87 to 145 percent. All of the northern schools in the county did not score as high due to fewer students already receiving free or reduced meals.
The school rankings are printed below, with those selected to take part in the program highlighted in yellow. All of the schools in the northern end of the county had fewer students receiving free and reduced lunches than those selected.
The school district’s meal program, Thomas said, does not have enough money to fund free meals for all students at the remaining schools. The meals at the schools scoring highest are being paid for by federal funds.
Click here for the original story.
Fire Damages Cantonment Mobile Home
August 14, 2015
Fire damaged a mobile in Cantonment this morning. The fire was reported about 8:20 am. in the 800 block of Highway 95A, near Archer Road. The blaze was reportedly sparked by a box fan that was plugged into a bathroom outlet. There were no injuries reported. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Man Struck By Train In Century
August 14, 2015
A adult male was airlifted to the hospital this morning after being struck sometime overnight by a train in Century.
The engineer on a passing CSX train noticed the 62-year old man on the ground next to the tracks about 5:40 a.m. behind Burger King, just south of the McCurdy Street crossing. He had apparently been hit by an earlier passing train while on the tracks.
The man was transported by ambulance to the Century EMS Post and then airlifted by LifeFlight to a Pensacola hospital as a “trauma alert”. He was reportedly suffering from a head injury. No update on his condition was available.
The man’s identity has not yet been released.
Pictured above: An unidentified man was struck by a train sometime overnight behind Burger King in Century. Pictured below: The man was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital as a trauma alert. Pictured bottom: While the man was found beside the tracks, he was struck here on the railroad tracks by an earlier passing train. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
All Students At 30 Escambia Schools To Get Free Meals This Year
August 14, 2015
All students at 30 Escambia County schools will receive free meals this school year.
The schools will participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program which will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students at each of those schools.
Free breakfast and lunch will begin on the first day of school at the following locations in Escambia County:
Elementary Schools: Bellview Elementary, Brentwood Elementary, C.A. Weis Elementary, Ensley Elementary, Ferry Pass Elementary, Global Learning Academy, Holm Elementary, Jim Allen Elementary, Lincoln Park Elementary, Longleaf Elementary, Montclair Elementary, Myrtle Grove Elementary, Navy Point Elementary, Oakcrest Elementary, Pleasant Grove Elementary, O.J. Semmes Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Warrington Elementary, and West Pensacola Elementary.
Middle Schools: Bellview Middle, Warrington Middle, Woodham Middle , and Workman Middle.
High School: Pine Forest High School
Special Centers: Judy Andrews, McMillian PreK Center, and Escambia Westgate Center.
Alternative Education/Charters: Camelot, Escambia Charter, and Jacqueline Harris Preparatory Academy
Parents of the students at these schools are not required to submit an application for the Free and Reduced Lunch program at that school.
Siblings attending schools not on the CEP list above will need to reapply to maintain status. The application will ask for a list of family members and parents should still include all names, because the number of people in a household can affect eligibility.
If a student does not attend one of these schools a Family Meal Benefits Application should be completed online at http://mealapp.escambia.k12.fl.us/ .Paper applications can be picked up at the school site or the Food Services office at the J.E. Hall Center.
“There is a 30 day grace period where students who were eligible last year will maintain their same meal status but, parents should try to get their new application in as soon as possible,” Jaleena Davis, the district’s director of food services.
For a student seeking to requalify in a new school year, or a new student who completed school registration, the online applications can be processed as quickly as 48 hours. The school’s food service account will be automatically updated and a paper notification will be sent home soon after.
For students brand new to Escambia County schools, the application may take up to ten days to be processed, so parents should plan on providing their child with money for their meals for those days to avoid creating a deficit in their account. Student accounts can also be accessed at www.mypaymentsplus.com.
For an explanation as to how the 30 schools where chosen, click here.
File photo.