Downed Tree Shuts Down Highway 95A In Molino
August 14, 2015
Highway 95A just north of Molino Road was closed for a short time period Thursday night after a tree fell across the roadway about 9 p.m. The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the incident. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Proposal Filed To Overhaul Medical Marijuana Law
August 14, 2015
More than a year after lawmakers approved allowing limited types of medical marijuana to be sold in Florida, a House Republican filed a bill Thursday that would overhaul the law.
The proposal (HB 63), filed by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, will be considered during the 2016 session and comes as the Florida Department of Health still is trying to carry out the law passed in 2014. That law would allow some patients, such as children with severe epilepsy, to obtain types of low-THC medical marijuana that purportedly do not get users high.
Steube’s bill would replace the 2014 law with a 33-page measure that addresses a wide range of issues, including who could receive the medical marijuana and where it could be sold. As an example, the proposal would allow patients to qualify if they have cancer, HIV, AIDS, epilepsy, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or a terminal illness — a more-detailed list than under the current law.
As another example of the proposed changes, Steube’s bill would give county commissions the ability to determine whether medical marijuana would be sold in their counties. The bill would prevent the Department of Health from licensing retail facilities in communities unless county commissions pass ordinances specifying the numbers and locations of such facilities that would be allowed.
by The News Service of Florida
Eddie Mercer Donates 50 A/C Units To Council On Aging
August 14, 2015
Eddie Mercer Automotive donated 50 air conditioning units to the Council on Aging of West Florida on Thursday.
The Council on Aging of West Florida is in need of donations to help senior clients stay cool. Many clients are in need of fans and air conditioners. Donations, which must be new in the box with a standard 120 volt plug, can be dropped off at the Council on Aging Office at 875 Royce Street in Pensacola.
Pictured: Eddie Mercer Automotive donated 50 air conditioning units Thursday to the Council on Aging of West Florida. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Students Meet Their Teachers, Attend Orientation Events
August 14, 2015
Thousands of Escambia County students and parents attended “meet the teacher” and school orientation events Thursday. The first day of school is Monday. Pictured: Incoming Bulldogs had a chance to meet their teachers Thursday morning at Bratt Elementary School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Pickup
August 14, 2015
Fire destroyed a pickup truck Thursday night in Molino. The fire was reported about 9:10 p.m. in the 5300 block of Chalker Road. There were no injuries and no structures threatened by the blaze. The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bill Seeks Help For Combat Veterans
August 14, 2015
A Senate Republican on Thursday filed a proposal aimed at helping combat veterans and their families get mental-health and substance-abuse services. The bill (SB 128), filed by Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, would direct the Florida Department of Children and Families to help establish the “Florida Combat Veterans’ Care Coordination Program.”
The program would work with the Florida 211 Network, which provides referral services, to increase the use of community-based services and U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs services. Along with offering referral services, the program would provide care coordination to the combat veterans and their families. The bill, which will be considered during the 2016 legislative session, lists as one of its goals preventing suicides by combat veterans. It calls for the Legislature to spend about $2 million on the program during the 2016-17 fiscal year.
by The News Service of Florida
Assisted Living Facility Bosses Sentenced For Elderly Abuse And Neglect
August 14, 2015
Two former administrators at an Escambia County assisted living facility have been sentenced for crimes against the elderly.
Former Kipling Manor administrator and owner Belie Brock Williams is headed to prison for 33 months, and his daughter, assistant administrator Adrienne Taylor, was given two years on community control.
Williams was accused of refusing psychological nursing caregivers entrance into the Kipling Manor facility to assist mental health residents resulting in residents without care for two to three weeks. Taylor was accused of failing caregiver responsibilities to protect the residents from the abuse and not ensuring residents received prescribed nursing services. Investigators received information regarding the alleged abuse and neglect from the Northwest Florida Long Term Care Ombudsman Program Office.
Kipling Manor was shut down by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration last year.
Winker Homers Again, Wahoos Lose To Biloxi
August 14, 2015
Pensacola left fielder Jesse Winker hit a three-run homer in the third inning and now has smacked three homers in three games. The top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization according to MLB Pipeline now tops the Blue Wahoos with 11 home runs on the year and 43 RBIs.
Right fielder Juan Duran also homered against the Biloxi Shuckers in the inning and Pensacola went up, 4-1, at MGM Park.
But Biloxi broke out with five runs in the fifth and pulled out its second straight victory, 6-5, against Pensacola.
Blue Wahoos centerfielder Bryson Smith singled in shortstop Zach Vincej in the top of the ninth with two-out to pull Pensacola within one but that’s as close as it would get.
Biloxi’s big five-run inning started off with shortstop Orlando Arcia, ranked the eighth best prospect in America by Baseball America, hitting his 32nd double of the year to score two runs. Arcia would then score on a passed ball to tie the game, 4-4. Shuckers third baseman Taylor Green singled in the final two runs of the rally that sent nine batters to the plate and put Biloxi up, 6-4.
Pensacola fell to 26-21 and third place in the second half of the South Division in the Southern League. Biloxi, the first half winner, improved to 23-23 and is in fourth place behind Pensacola.
Meanwhile, Winker is hitting hotter than the sweltering August temperatures at .308 in the second half with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. In August, he’s hitting .387. He went 2-4 against Biloxi, his fourth multi-hit game in his past six games, with a run scored and the three-run shot.
Man Rescued After Three Hours In Tree
August 13, 2015
A man was rescued from a tree this afternoon almost three hours after he climbed it and refused to come down.
Pensacola police officer Greg Gordon said the man was initially loitering around Five Sisters Blues Café, on Belmont Street. Gordon said employees called police because they were concerned for the man’s safety after he began climbing a nearby tree around 10:45 a.m.
The 32-year-old man, whose name is not being released, climbed about 25 to 30 feet up into the tree. Sgt. Jimmy Donohoe, who is a crisis negotiator, talked with the man for about one and a half hours trying to convince him to come down.
However, the man remained in the tree until about 1:30 p.m. when he became tired and agreed to allow SWAT officers, who were in training and responded to the scene, to rescue him using a bucket on a fire department truck, said Capt. Chuck Mallett.
As SWAT officers got close to him, the man changed his mind and said he’d climb down. But when it looked as though he might fall, the officers grabbed him to prevent him from falling and brought him down in the bucket, Mallett said.
No criminal charges will be filed on the man, who was taken to a medical facility for evaluation.
Home Destroyed By Fire
August 13, 2015
]Fire destroyed a house overnight in Escambia County.
The house on East Olive Road was heavily involved when firefighters arrived on scene about 2 a.m. The home was vacant and was under renovation. There were no injuries reported.
The exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.