Deputies Seek Truck Possibly Involved In Shooting
June 28, 2015
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The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a vehicle that was believed to be occupied by three people during a shooting Friday in Escambia County.
The occupants were believed to be involved in a shooting about 9:40 a.m. at the Blue Angel Mobile Home Park. The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The vehicle is a 2010 or newer, dually four-door Dodge mega cab flatbed truck. The truck is white with a construction name on the front driver’s door. There are toolboxes along the driver’s side flatbed carrying a 12-19 dual axle trailer with an attached frame ladder on the side of the driver’s side.
If you see this vehicle or know of the whereabouts of it, call Crime Stoppers at (85433-STOP. You can remain anonymous and if your information leads to an arrest, you could receive a cash reward.
Little Free Library Available At Carver Park In Cantonment
June 28, 2015
A Little Free Library is available in Carver Park in Cantonment.
The concept is simple….pick up a book or two, and return another book or two to share. The Cantonment Little Free Library is located next to Carver Park Resource Center at 208 Webb Street. The Little Library is stocked with children’s books and more.
Several improvements were recently unveiled at Carver Park, including a renovated community resource center, enlarged parking lot, volleyball court and re-striped basketball court. The park will also soon feature a new pavilion for family and local events. The improvements began in 2014 and were funded to Local Option Sale Tax dollars.
Much of the work at Carver Park has been spearheaded by the Cantonment Improvement Association, a group working, as their name implies, to improve the quality of life for all law-abiding citizens of Cantonment, with an emphasis on making sure children and safe and well-prepared.
Editor’s note: The Cantonment Little Free Library is not maintained or affiliated with the West Florida Library. West Florida Library books cannot be returned to the Little Free Library.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Hams Demonstrate Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
June 28, 2015
It’s Amateur Radio Week, and the Five Flags Amateur Radio Association held a 24-hour public demonstration of emergency communications this weekend.
The public had a chance to meet and talk with Escambia County ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about as hams across the country held field days this weekend. Visitors were able to learn how ham emergency communications work, see the new capabilities of ham radio and learn how to obtain their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.
Escambia County ham radio operators, as part of Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), have provided emergency communications support to Escambia County Emergency Management, the America Red Cross and other agencies for several years. They were on duty during Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, during other hurricanes, the major flooding event, and most recently during the winter ice storm of 2014.
The field day was held at Escambia Search and Rescue, 9530 Nims Lane, just off Nine Mile Road.
Pictured: Amateur radio field day at Escambia Search and Rescue Saturday. Pictured below: Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas stopped by to learn more about amateur ham services. Photos courtesy Jim Walters, ESAR, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Female Ejected In Rollover Crash
June 28, 2015
One person was ejected in a two vehicle crash Saturday evening near Pine Forest Road and Highway 297A. The female driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. Reader submitted photo by Stephanie Norton for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sheriff’s Office To Host Church Safety And Security Workshop
June 28, 2015
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is inviting all ministers and concerned church members to attend a special conference on “Security in the Place of Worship” next week.
“Our places of worship should be regarded as safe havens where the community can worship and experience fellowship free from worries about violence, theft or unethical behavior,” said Sheriff David Morgan, “I encourage all citizens to arm themselves with the knowledge necessary to prevent fraud, theft and other crimes.”
The workshop is free and is designed to assist citizens in their efforts to reduce crime in our places of worship and in their communities. The event will be held on Thursday, July 2 at 6 p.m. at the ECSO Main Administration Building at 1700 West Leonard Street.
To register, call Deputy Delarian Wiggins at (850) 436- 9705.
Pictured: The McDavid United Methodist Church. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Wahoos Top The MS Braves
June 28, 2015
Before the end of the first half of Southern League play, Pensacola Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly said he needed a closer.
That closer currently is Zack Weiss, who did what a reliever is supposed to do—preserve a one-run win in the ninth.
The Blue Wahoos defeated the Mississippi Braves, 1-0, thanks to Weiss getting a game ending double play in front of 4,072 fans Saturday at Trustmark Park.
Weiss has now allowed no runs in five innings and converted two-of-two save opportunities in his last four games since June 15. On the season, Weiss is 0-3 with a 4.91 ERA.
Kelly has credited Weiss’s return to form to watching videotape of his throwing motion with pitching coach Jeff Fassero.
Right-hander Tim Adleman remains the Blue Wahoos most consistent starter. He pitched eight scoreless innings, allowed four hits, walked one and struck out five. He lowered his ERA to 2.09, which is among the best in the Southern League.
Pensacola scored its only run in the sixth inning. Right fielder Jesse Winker started the rally with a leadoff walk and scored when shortstop Juan Perez, who went 2-4, singled to right field to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0.
Winker, the Cincinnati Reds No. 2 prospect, has started the Southern League’s second half off hot for the 2-1 Blue Wahoos. He’s now batting .545 (6-11), getting two hits in each of the first three games in the series against Mississippi. Winker has a homer, two RBIs, three runs scored and three walks, so far.
Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth, who came of the disabled list and played in his first game in over a month had a second strong day at the plate. He’s now 4-8 with two doubles, going 2-4 in both games against Mississippi.
Scott Cut $1 Million For Highway 29, Muscogee Road Work; Intersection Improvements Coming
June 27, 2015
When Gov. Rick Scott signed Florida’s budget Tuesday, he slashed $461 million in projects, including $1 million that would have gone toward upgrading the Muscogee Freight Corridor in Cantonment.
The $1 million would have been for widening and resurfacing along the Muscogee Freight Corridor — Muscogee Road from Highway 29 to the Alabama state line. Without the added cash from the state, county officials say the project is on hold.
However, improvements are still forthcoming in the area of the Highway 29 and Muscogee Road intersection. Escambia County recently received a $1.95 million grant from the State of Florida Economic Development Transportation Fund. The grant will be used for intersection improvements, a turn lane, and improvements to the International Paper entrances along Highway 29 and Muscogee Road.
The entire intersection project is estimated to cost $2.09 million, with the county pickup up the $140,000 difference above the grant. Work is expected to begin in about 60 days.
Pictured: The intersection of Highway 29 and Muscogee Road in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Dollar General Robbery Under Investigation (With Video)
June 27, 2015
An armed robbery at the Dollar General in Cantonment is under investigation.
The holdup happened just after 8:00 a.m. Friday at the store in the 1400 block of Highway 29, near Winn Dixie. The store was closed today for work to be done. Both employees and service company employees were in the building when a black male entered, pointed a gun and them and forced them to the floor.
He stole jewelry from employees and contractors, while forcing an employee to empty cash from the safe.
The suspect was wearing a very distinctive black leather jacket with the word “CHEVY” and the automaker’s emblem printed on it and a hat with long ties. He fled with an undetermined amount of cash.
Surveillance video is at the bottom of this story. If you do not see it, it is because you home, work or school firewall is blocking YouTube video.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Escambia Man Faces Up To 40 Years For Drive-By Shooting
June 27, 2015
An Escambia County man is facing up to 40 years in prison for a 2014 drive-by shooting.
Ahmad Sheaffers was convicted by an Escambia County Jury for two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, shooting from a vehicle and shooting at a dwelling.
The charges stem from a drive by shooting that occurred June 21, 2014, in the area of Fisher Street and Gonzalez Court. The defendant, known as “Spook”, was identified by witnesses at the scene as being one of possibly two shooters in the backseat of a vehicle. A home received multiple gun shots, but no one was injured in the shooting.
Circuit Judge Edward P. Nickinson, III remanded Sheaffers into custody and scheduled his sentencing for August 14. Under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, Sheaffers is facing 40 years in state prison as minimum mandatory.
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Same-Sex Marriage
June 27, 2015
In a landmark decision heralded by gay-rights supporters, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that same-sex couples have a fundamental fight to marry, forcing 14 states to join dozens of others — including Florida — where the unions have already been declared legal.
In the 5-4 majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that marriage is “essential to our most profound hopes and aspirations,” “sacred to those who live by their religions” and offers “unique fulfillment to those who find meaning in the secular realm.”
Friday’s decision was issued on the second anniversary of the historic ruling in the United States v. Windsor case that overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Settling split appellate court decisions on gay marriage bans, Friday’s ruling in the Obergefell v. Hodges case overturned prohibitions in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee upheld by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family,” Kennedy wrote. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”
Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor joined the Kennedy opinion.
In a harshly-worded dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that states should have final say on the matter.
“However heartened the proponents of same-sex marriage might be on this day, it is worth acknowledging what they have lost, and lost forever: the opportunity to win the true acceptance that comes from persuading their fellow citizens of the justice of their cause. And they lose this just when the winds of change were freshening at their backs,” he wrote. The other three dissenting justices — Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas — also penned their own opinions.
But Greg Bourke, one of the plaintiffs in the Kentucky case, told reporters that, if left to voters or the Legislature in his state, he did not believe he and his long-term partner, Michael De Leon, would be able to wed in their lifetimes.
“The judge, with all due respect, does not understand what it’s like for gay people in Kentucky,” Bourke said in a telephone interview. “After 33 years together, Michael and I feel like we deserve this opportunity to have our marriage recognized.”
Gay couples in Florida have been able to get married since January, based on a federal judge’s ruling that the state’s voter-approved, same-sex marriage prohibition violated Fourteenth Amendment guarantees of equal protection and due process.
Friday’s ruling clears up any uncertainties about whether U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle’s Florida ruling, issued last August, would stand.
“We have always sought finality on this important constitutional issue, and today the United States Supreme Court provided the clarity our state and country was seeking,” Attorney General Pam Bondi, who represented the state in the Florida lawsuit, said in a statement Friday. “Legal efforts were not about personal beliefs or opinions, but rather, the rule of law. The United States Supreme Court has the final word on interpreting the Constitution, and the court has spoken.”
Friday’s decision ignited intense emotional reaction from both sides, including from President Obama, who said that the ruling “reaffirmed that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law.”
The decision will end a “patchwork system” throughout the country, Obama said.
“It will end the uncertainty hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples face from not knowing whether their marriage, legitimate in the eyes of one state, will remain if they decide to move [to] or even visit another. This ruling will strengthen all of our communities by offering to all loving same-sex couples the dignity of marriage across this great land,” he said.
But Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger, the force behind the state’s constitutional ban, vowed that the fight over same-sex marriage isn’t over.
“Regardless of how it appears, today’s decision is not the final word on marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court has been wrong before, as in the case of Dredd Scott when the court attempted to declare that black people were not persons. The court was also wrong in Roe vs. Wade when it effectively declared that unborn children were not persons. Once again, the court is wrong today in its attempt to force all 50 states and all U.S. citizens to legally declare that marriage is something other than the union of one man and one woman,” Stemberger said in a statement.
Kennedy, whose opinion relied heavily on the Windsor decision, also wrote that excluding same-sex couples from marriage hurts children.
“Without the recognition, stability, and predictability marriage offers, their children suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser. They also suffer the significant material costs of being raised by unmarried parents, relegated through no fault of their own to a more difficult and uncertain family life. The marriage laws at issue here thus harm and humiliate the children of same-sex couples,” he wrote.
But Michael Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that children are harmed by what he called a redefinition of marriage.
“As more and more children are not raised in a family with their own married mother and father in a stable home, it’s a great concern to us,” Sheedy said. “Marriage has been, for millennia, the only institution that unites one man and a woman and any children born in their union. That’s really been the basic building block of society.”
Jacksonville civil rights lawyer Betsy White and her husband, Bill Sheppard, represented two gay couples who successfully overturned Florida’s ban.
White said she expects pushback from state legislatures and others who will try to impose restrictions on gay marriage, similar to what has happened in the decades since the landmark abortion decision.
“Whenever there is an issue that is controversial, you are always going to see a certain segment of society that is going to basically be dragged along,” White said Friday. “It is unfortunate that people hold those views. But from my perspective, it’s not going to hold the progress back.”
The highly-anticipated ruling sparked celebrations from gay-marriage advocates throughout the nation, including in Florida, where events were held from Key West to Pensacola.
Jim Brenner, one of the plaintiffs represented by White and Sheppard who decided to challenge the Florida law, called the ruling “a great day for all Americans because it shows that our system works.”
Brenner told the News Service of Florida that he intends to ignore Roberts’ dissent.
“There really isn’t any reason at this point to bother myself over what he might be thinking,” Brenner, who lives in Tallahassee, said. “Those four justices lost. And that’s all I need to know. For me, what President Obama said this morning was far more important. …We all become more free when everyone is treated equally.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida