Cantonment Man Charged In Drug-Related Shooting; Second Suspect Sought
August 21, 2015
A Cantonment man has been charged and deputies are looking for a second suspect in a shooting Tuesday afternoon near Ferry Pass Elementary School.
At 4:30 p.m., the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported shooting on Fairburn Street. Deputies said Collin Ray Anderson was found with non-life threatening injuries in what they described as a drug-related shooting.
Preston Adam Ennis, age 19 of Cantonment, was arrested and charged with robbery and battery. He was later released from the Escambia County Jail on a $25,500 bond.
Investigators are also looking for Trevor Amos Brown on robbery, battery and weapons charges in the incident. Anyone with information on his whereabouts on or on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Chestnut Road Bridge In Molino To Undergo Repairs
August 21, 2015
The Chestnut Road bridge at Dry Creek, located in Molino, will undergo repairs and maintenance beginning Monday.
The bridge on Chestnut Road is one-eighth of a mile north of Molino Road.
Project duration for repairs and maintenance is estimated to last 30 days, weather permitting. During construction, there will be single-lane closures with flagman present. The current posted load for this bridge is five tons.
Appeals Court Turns Down Teachers In Evaluation Case
August 21, 2015
A federal appeals court has turned down a request that it reconsider a decision upholding a controversial Florida law that tied teacher evaluations to student performance.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order rejecting the request from teachers unions and individual educators. The court last month upheld the law — dubbed the “Student Success Act” — saying it did not violate constitutional rights for the state or a school district to base part of a teacher’s evaluation on tests that the teacher’s students took in other subjects or on tests taken by children not taught by that teacher. That prompted the plaintiffs in the case to file a motion for rehearing, contending that the court misconstrued an attorney’s argument and that part of the ruling was “built entirely on a false factual premise.”
A U.S. district judge also ruled against the plaintiffs in the case, which was filed against the State Board of Education and three school districts.
Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Confederate Flag At Government Sites
August 21, 2015
A Democratic lawmaker this week filed a proposal that would ban the display of Confederate flags on state and local government property in Florida. Under the bill, filed Wednesday by state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, any flags now flying would have to come down.
The bill says the ban would apply to “the flag or emblem of the Confederate States of America or any flag or emblem used by the Confederate States of America or its military or naval forces at any time within the years 1860 to 1865.”
The flag issue has been heavily debated since a racially motivated massacre of nine black churchgoers in June in Charleston, S.C. With the flag continuing to fly at some local-government sites in Florida, Thompson said it’s time for lawmakers to act.
“We haven’t seen the county level move to remove the flag,” she said. But House Local & Federal Affairs Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said the bill will die if it comes to the committee he leads. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve gotten tied up in this discussion of cultural cleansing,” Baxley said. “The problem is once you start moving on this, then it goes to monuments, then it goes to roads, then it goes to disturbing graves.” The bill (SB 154) is filed for the 2016 legislative session, which starts in January.
by The News Service of Florida
Giant American Flag Raised Over Flomaton
August 21, 2015
Flomaton is patriotic small town with a big heart– and now a really big American flag. The giant American flag was raised Thursday the intersection of Highway 113 and Highway 31.
The flag is 25 x 40 feet flying on an 86-foot tall pole at local business Rowland Tires.
Owner Christopher Rowland, who grew up in Flomaton, said he wanted to give something back to his town and show his gratitude to the many men and women that have sacrificed to keep our country free.
The community quickly responded to giant flag, taking to Facebook to thank the store.
“This is awesome! God bless our little town,” one person wrote. “From a veteran from Flomaton, I thank you so much. This is beautiful,” said another. “Actually brought a tear when Old Glory was flying in the wind this afternoon, beautiful sight,” wrote another resident.
Several other businesses and individuals help make the Old Glory display possible: Jimmy White and Deep South Crane, Campbell Sand and Gravel, Steve Stanton, Jason Beasley, Frank Beasley, Pete Salazar, American Concrete and Brantley Contractors.
Pictured top: A giant American flag at Highway 113 and Highway 31 in Flomaton, AL. Pictured inset: The flagpole was lifted into place by Deep South Cranes on Wednesday. Pictured below: The flag was raised during a special ceremony Thursday afternoon. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia 4-H Youth Win At State Competition
August 21, 2015
Members of 4-H from Escambia County won several awards in recent state competitions.
This year, Escambia County 4-H participated in a variety of events and four youth to state level competitions at 4-H University – a week-long overnight event for senior 4-H youth ages 14-18 at the University of Florida. Attendees participated in educational workshops led by UF faculty and explored career opportunities, interacted with youth from all over the state and worked on life skills that will help them become productive and engaged citizens within their very own community.
Winners from Escambia County are Danielle Tinker and Michelle Tinker, who took a 1st place/blue ribbon in Team Demonstrated/Illustrated Talk in Animal Industry; Amanda Tanner taking a 1st place/blue ribbon in Public Speaking. Danielle Tinker and Karrigan Scott with a 1st place/blue ribbon in Share the Fun.
In the category of Senior Photography, Amanda Tanner won 1st place in Flora, 2nd place in 4-H Theme and Evan Bush took 1st place in 4-H Theme. For Intermediate Photography, Ami Rodgers won 1st place in Flora, 2nd place in Architectural Design, and 2nd place for Photo Story. In addition to winning in competitive events, Danielle Tinker was also elected Florida 4-H state treasurer and also won a travel scholarship to the National 4-H Congress.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Results: Northview Preseason Volleyball Classic
August 21, 2015
Here are results from a volleyball preseason classic Thursday at Northview High School
Court 1, Game 1 Laurel Hill vs Central
20-25, 26-24, 17-15 Laurel Hill wins
Court 2, Game 1 Jay vs PCA
32-34, 25-14, 15-9 Jay wins
Court 1, Game 3 Laurel Hill vs NHS
25-17, 26-24 Laurel Hill wins
Court 2, Game 4 Central vs PCA
25-21, 26-16 Central wins
Court 1, Game 5 Jay vs Laurel hill
20-25, 27-25, 15-12 Jay wins
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Amerson, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Top Lookouts
August 21, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (30-23 ,55-66) came away victorious over the Chattanooga Lookouts (23-28, 66-53) by a score of 3-1 in front of 4,156 fans Thursday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Wahoos starter Tim Adleman (8-8) was stellar once again as he pitched 7.1 innings while allowing only one run on five hits. The effort brought his ERA down to 2.21, the best among Southern League starters. Adleman did not allow a run until the eighth inning, allowing him to reach 19.2 consecutive innings pitched without a run allowed. The feat is the longest for a Wahoo pitcher this season, breaking his previous record of 17.1 innings.
Chattanooga starter Aaron Slegers (1-2) earned the loss despite a decent effort, allowing three runs on six hits through 6.2 innings. Zack Weiss earned the save for the Wahoos, his 22nd of the season. The number ties a team record for saves in a season.
Kyle Skipworth, who went 2-3 with an RBI and a run, led the Wahoos at the plate. It marked Skipworth’s first multi-hit game since June 22nd.
The Wahoos got on the board first in the bottom of the second when Skipworth brought Marquez Smith home on an RBI single up the middle. It was Skipworth’s first RBI since August 6th at Jacksonville.
Chattanooga threatened in the top of the fourth, but Juan Duran came up big in the outfield. D.J. Hicks tagged up at third on a would-be sacrifice fly, but Duran was able to one-hop a throw from right field to Skipworth at the plate, ending the frame.
The Wahoos extended the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Ray Chang’s shot to the corner in left resulted in an RBI double that scored Skipworth. Beau Amaral made it 3-0 on an RBI single that plated Chang.
Amaral also came up huge with two SportsCenter worthy diving catches in center field while Phillip Ervin, who made his Double-A debut, raved for an out in left field.
The Lookouts cut into the lead in the eighth inning on a Max Kepler RBI single. Kepler extended his hit streak to nine games on the play.
Century Youth Football Donation, Mayor’s Spending Raise IRS, Legal Questions
August 20, 2015
The acceptance of an anonymous donation to the Town of Century for a youth football program and how those funds were disbursed by the mayor without propert authority have raised legal and tax questions.
At last Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council, Mayor Freddie McCall notified the council that an anonymrous “football player” had donated a “substantial” amount of money toward the youth football program in Century. McCall said the donor had discovered that youth program’s sponsoring organization, the “Century Recreation Association”, had in fact lost their tax exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service.
In order for the donor to receive a possible tax write-off for the donation, McCall told the council that the town had accepted the donation, and he had authorized a payment made to the Century Recreation Association for the full amount of the donation. During the council meeting, McCall declined when asked to identify the football player and the amount of the donation.
NorthEscambia.com has since learned that the donation was for $2,093, a very specific amount needed to replace youth football equipment that belonged to the recreation association, not the town, that was stolen from Anthony Pleasant Park. The donation was made by the football player through a trust fund.
(NorthEscambia.com has confirmed the name of the football player, but in keeping with his wishes to help local youth while remaining anonymous, we are not disclosing his name as the source of the funds is irrelevant to this story.)
McCall then asked the council to allow the Century Recreation Association to solicit donations from individuals and businesses with checks made payable to the Town of Century, allowing donors to receive a tax write-off. The donations would then be passed through the town’s accounts to the non-tax exempt Century Recreation Association. The council took no action on his request, with concerns voiced over the legality of the request.
“I can’t vote for that,” Council President Ann Brooks, also a certified public accountant, said.
In a memo to the town council dated Wednesday, McCall wrote, “Concern was raised regarding circumventing Internal Revenue Service rules and even misuse of public funds. In addition, questions were asked as to the validity of the Town donating to organizations that are not registered with the IRS as a not-for-profit entity.”
In the memo, McCall expressed several points supporting his decisions that were written after consulting with Town Attorney Matt Dannheisser.
The funds, the mayor said, were provided to the Century Recreation Association for a public purpose — “to buy equipment for our young people to participate in organized sports is indeed a public purpose. Providing recreational opportunities and community events such as football games is valuable to our community. The Town is well within its right to take public funds to pay for these things.”
According to the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations’ online search tools, the “Century Recreation Association” is currently not a legal entity or organization name in the State of Florida. And, as reported by the mayor, IRS records confirm there is no such tax exempt organization.
But Dannheisser told NorthEscambia.com that the town is still allowed to pass donations to the loosely formed organization if the council determines the spending serves a public purpose.
In his memo, McCall said he thought of the funds as a “pass-thru”, but he exceeded the $200 mayoral spending limits in the town charter.
“I did not have authority to spend the funds without Council approval,” he wrote. He plans to ask the council at their next regular meeting on September 14 to consider whether the funds were spent on a public purpose and ratify his actions.
The “Century Recreation Association” is expected to provide receipts showing how the $2,093 was spent. The town routinely verifies receipts from other organizations that receive town funding for a public purpose.
Battle Continues Over Doctor-Patient Gun Law
August 20, 2015
Raising concerns about First Amendment rights and public health, opponents of a controversial Florida law aimed at restricting doctors from asking questions about patients’ gun ownership have asked a full federal appeals court to take up the issue.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month upheld the constitutionality of the 2011 law, which has drawn heavy attention and was dubbed the “docs vs. glocks” law. The 2-1 ruling was a victory for gun-rights supporters such as the National Rifle Association and a defeat for medical groups.
Attorneys for opponents filed documents Tuesday asking the full appeals court to hear the case, a move known as seeking an “en banc” hearing. The documents also make clear that opponents plan to go to the U.S. Supreme Court if they continue to be unsuccessful at the Atlanta-based appeals court.
“The (appeals-court panel) majority’s decision breaks with established precedent and will invite other attempts to silence professional speech because of its message,” one of the documents said. “(The law), on its face, restricts professional speech on the basis of its content, and disagreement with a particular viewpoint is what spurred its passage.”
The law includes a series of restrictions on doctors and other health providers. For example, it seeks to prevent physicians from entering information about gun ownership into medical records if the physicians know the information is not “relevant” to patients’ medical care or safety or to the safety of other people.
Also, the law says doctors should refrain from asking about gun ownership by patients or family members unless the doctors believe in “good faith” that the information is relevant to medical care or safety. Also, the law seeks to prevent doctors from discriminating against patients or “harassing” them because of owning firearms.
In the panel ruling last month, the majority pointed to instances in which doctors could continue justify asking about firearms, such as in the case of a patient considered at risk of suicide.
“The purpose of the act, as we read it, is not to protect patient privacy by shielding patients from any and all discussion about firearms with their physicians; the act merely requires physicians to refrain from broaching a concededly sensitive topic when they lack any good-faith belief that such information is relevant to the medical care or safety of their patients or others,” the majority opinion said.
The documents filed Tuesday said the law has effectively remained on hold during a legal battle, which included a federal district judge issuing a preliminary injunction in 2011 and further ruling against the law in 2012. A stay remains in place while the opponents seek a hearing before the full appeals court.
But one of the documents filed Tuesday also asked for a stay to remain in place if the request for an “en banc” hearing is rejected. That is because opponents would take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“If the challenged provisions are permitted to take effect, (the law) ensures that Florida residents will receive less information about firearm safety from their physicians,” the document said. “The public health consequences of allowing the act to go into effect at all — let alone while the Supreme Court still is considering it — are clear, and they are significant.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida