Study: Floridians Support Mandatory Spanish Classes In Public Schools
July 9, 2015
Two-thirds of Floridians support requiring Spanish language instruction in Florida public schools, according to a new University of Florida survey.
“Overall reactions to the notion that Spanish should be a required subject in public schools was far less polarized and more popular than we imagined,” said Chris McCarty, director of the University of Florida Survey Research Center at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, which conducted the survey. “As immigration and the Hispanic vote will be front and center in the 2016 presidential election and Florida a swing state, we can expect this to be a topic of discussion.”
The questionnaire was designed to gather opinions about requiring Spanish instruction without focusing explicitly on that subject. The questions asked by professional telephone interviewers included five topics of instruction, with emphasis on requirement: “The next questions are about REQUIRED classes in Florida public schools. For each class, please tell me if you think it should be REQUIRED.”
The highest support was for basic computer skills, with 95 percent saying “agree” or “strongly agree.” Next was “a second language of student’s choice” with 81 percent agreement, followed by Florida history (77 percent) and geometry (75 percent).
The magnitude of support for requiring Spanish (67 percent) is important because a constitutional amendment requiring Spanish instruction would need 60 percent of voters. However, the survey did not ask about funding, which may pose a barrier to implementation.
Not A Good Neighbor: Man Charged With Shooting Into State Farm Office
July 8, 2015
An Atmore man has been charged with firing a weapon into a local State Farm insurance company office.
Jerry Herman Reed, 66, was arrested Tuesday on charges of criminal mischief and shooting into an unoccupied building, both felonies.
Employees of State Farm on Church Street in Atmore arrived for work the morning of June 30 and discovered that it appeared someone had a fire a weapon at the front of the building. Atmore Police determined a small weapon was fired at the building, leaving behind holes in both front glass windows and a glass door. The building was unoccupied at the time of the shooting.
Atmore Police said their investigation led to the arrest of Reed. The U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force and the Atmore Police Department took Reed into custody without incident. He is being held in the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.
Jay Woman Claims $50K Scratch Off Lottery Prize
July 8, 2015
Ashton Edwards, 21, of Jay, claimed a top prize in the $50,000 GOLD RUSH Scratch-Off game at the Florida Lottery District Office in Pensacola, where she purchased her winning ticket.
Edwards visited the Pensacola lottery office with her mother, who was claiming a $1,000 prize, when she decided to purchase a ticket of her own. Edwards was shaking when she approached the counter to claim her prize and said she was very excited to use the winnings to take her daughter shopping for her birthday, according to Florida Lottery officials
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Votes To Permanently Replace Confederate Flag
July 8, 2015
No version of the Confederate flag will fly over Escambia County buildings, following a unanimous vote Tuesday night by the Escambia County commission. It will be replaced with the state flag of Florida permanently.
The county was following a resolution that called for the county to mirror the five-flag displays as flown by the city of Pensacola. So the county followed when Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward ordered the Confederate flag replace by the State of Florida flag on June 25. But commissioner decided to act on their own and not be bound by any future flag decisions of the city.
Scores of residents — most against flying the Confederate flag — addressed the commission for over two hours Tuesday night.
Any display of the five-flags at county owned buildings, such as the Pensacola Bay Center, will now consist of the America, Florida, British, Spanish and French flags.
Grand Finale – Century Votes After The Show To Pay For Fireworks
July 8, 2015
The show’s not over until it’s over – or until the bill is paid.
Last Friday night, the towns of Century and Flomaton presented their annual fireworks show at Hurricane Park in Flomaton — a highly successful event, according to Century Mayor Freddie McCall. But a check of council minutes from this year found that the Century Town Council never formally approved funds for their share of the bill for the fireworks show.
Now, the council has officially voted to rectify the mistake and to pay $2,500 for their half of the show.
Flomaton and Century split the bill each year for the event, and they alternate hosting the show. The 2016 Century-Flomaton Fireworks Show will be at Century’s Showalter Park.
For a photo gallery from the Century-Flomaton Fireworks Show, click here.
Pictured: Last Friday night’s Century-Flomaton fireworks show in at Flomaton’s Hurricane Park. NorthEscambia.com photos by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge.
Horse Rescue Group Needs Foster ‘Parents’, Financial Help
July 8, 2015
A local horse rescue groups is turning to the public with an urgent need for foster homes and financial donations.
Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment needs experienced horse owners to take any one of their special needs facility horses. The PER facility is full and seeking foster homes to make room for a rescue horse. “Jumper” needs to return to the PER facility for treatment, but they are full after taking in six rescue horses during the month of June, according to PER board member Georgia Brazzell.
Under PER policy, no barbed wire is permitted where horses will be fostered and full shelter must be provided. Financial donations are also needed to assist with veterinary care if six rescue horses.
The only horse rescue in Escambia County, Panhandle Equine Rescue was founded by a small group of concerned citizens with a mission to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected and abandoned equines. PER is authorized by the court system to investigate equine cruelty in Escambia County.
For more information on Panhandle Equine Rescue and how to donate to the organization contact Diane Lowery at rlowery@panhandle.rr.com or visit www.panhandleequinerescue.org to print a foster application.
Bergosh Prefiles For Escambia Commission
July 8, 2015
Three-term Escambia County School Board member Jeffrey Bergosh pre-filed Tuesday as a Republican for Escambia County Commission, District 1 in the 2016 Election.
Bergosh was first elected to the Escambia County School Board District 1 in 2006.
Century, Escambia Commission Schedule Budget Workshops
July 8, 2015
The Town of Century has been holding budget workshops for the past few weeks, and the Escambia County Commission will begin their budget workshops this next week.
The Century Town Council will hold a special budget workshop this Thursday afternoon. If needed, there is one additional budget workshop scheduled for Thursday, July 16. All meetings will be held at 1:30 p.m. on the listed dates in the council chambers at the Century Town Hall at 7995 North Century Boulevard.
The Escambia County Commission Committee of the Whole will hold special budget workshops on Tuesday, July 14, at 1 p.m. (a time change from an original 9 a.m.), and Wednesday, July 15 at 1 p.m. The BOCC will be held in the Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, Board Chambers, Room 100, 221 Palafox Place in Pensacola.
All budget workshops are open to the public.
Poarch Creek Indians Establish $1 Million Scholarship Fund
July 8, 2015
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians has approved the creation of a $1 million scholarship fund to benefit high school graduates in Alabama and parts of the Florida Panhandle.
On Tuesday, PCI made an initial $250,000 contribution to The Community Foundation of South Alabama to establish The Poarch Creek Indian Community Scholarship Fund and committed an additional $750,000 for 2016. This Fund will award two scholarships annually to one male and one female residing in Alabama or select Florida counties — Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington and Gadsden.
Scholarship recipients will be selected and awarded by The Community Foundation of South Alabama on an annual basis. As an endowed fund, all contributions will be pooled with the Foundation’s assets and invested, causing the fund to grow over time. As the fund grows, the amount of the award will fluctuate. In the first year, the selected students are expected to receive up to $6,000 each.
“We are so proud to make this contribution, and to partner with The Community Foundation of South Alabama. Education is the catalyst that can help individuals attain their career goals, and we are honored to help them reach for these goals that may have otherwise been unattainable,” said Stephanie A. Bryan, Tribal Chair/CEO, Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
“The Poarch tribe is once again supporting the community of southwest Alabama in a way that will give back to younger generations alive today and yet to come,” said Rebecca Byrne, President and CEO of The Community Foundation of South Alabama. “Through this gift, the tribe recognizes and enables education as the most important way people can lift themselves up and in so doing lift up the whole community.”
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is no stranger to philanthropy, providing funding for a wide variety of community services and projects in the region. The Foundation is thrilled for the opportunity to partner with such a unique entity to advance the quality of life for all in our region both now and in the future, the group said in a press release.
Scholarships will be awarded beginning in 2016.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Florida Teacher Evaluation Law
July 8, 2015
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a controversial Florida law tying teacher evaluations to student performance.
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 even on tests taken by children not taught by that teacher, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said. Essentially, the judges ruled that the state’s approach to boosting student performance was not entirely unreasonable.
“While the (formula) may not be the best method — or may even be a poor one — for achieving this goal, it is still rational to think that the challenged evaluation procedures would advance the government’s stated purpose,” wrote Judge Jill Pryor in the court’s opinion. The appeal came after U.S. District Judge Mark Walker threw out parts of the case in two rulings last year.
In 2013, the state passed a law aimed at making sure classroom teachers are only assessed based on the students they teach, but the appeals court said that didn’t make the lawsuit moot because the new law could still allow districts to approve similar polices.
“We’re disappointed that the court did not agree that Florida’s flawed evaluation system violated these teachers’ constitutional rights,” Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, said in a prepared statement. Ford said the FEA, which joined with the National Education Association, local unions and seven teachers to challenge the law, was still deciding what to do next.
by The News Service of Florida