Brush Fire Damages Railroad Line
May 10, 2015
A brush fire Sunday afternoon caused some damage to a rail line.
The fire was reported about 2:30 p.m. along the railroad tracks near the 7800 block of South Highway 99, just north of the South Highway 99 crossing at Highway 97A. About 10 railroad ties burned, as rail traffic on the Alabama Gulf Coast Railroad was stopped.
There were no word on the cause of the fire.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Dinner Theater: Murder Mystery ‘Crazy Quilt Club’
May 10, 2015
Byrneville Elementary School presented a dinner theater performance of the the “Crazy Quilt Club” Saturday night at the school. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tons Of Food Collected During Annual ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ Drive
May 10, 2015
Saturday was the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, with letter carriers in Escambia County collecting tons and tons of food to benefit local groups like the Manna Food Pantries.
Manna Food Pantries received 71,532 pounds of food, with even more expected to trickle in next week. A total of 85 volunteers contributed 354 volunteer hours to help Manna sort the food.
Each year the National Association of Letter Carriers holds the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive, where U.S. Postal Service employees pick up donations of non-perishable food along their routes. In its 23rd year, the annual food drive has grown to be the largest national single-day effort that benefits millions of Americans who struggle to put food on the table.
Escambia and Santa Rosa letter carriers collected food donations Saturday for local food banks including the Bay Area Food Bank and Manna Food Pantries. Last year, organizations received a total of 159,625 pounds of food from the community during the food drive. This year’s overall total for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties was not available Saturday night.
“This is a critical food drive because it comes at a time when donations are typically low and the need has increased,” said DeDe Flounlacker, Manna Food Pantries’ executive director. “During the school year, many children get a healthy meal through the free or reduced breakfast and lunch programs. During the summer, those programs aren’t available. The generous donations from the community allow us to provide nutritious food to hungry families and children throughout the summer months.”
Pictured: Volunteers sort donated food Saturday at the Cantonment post office. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Poley, Klavon, McMillian Gradudate From Military Training
May 10, 2015
Air Force Airman Brandon S. Poley graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Poley is the son of Clifton S. Poley of Jay, Fla.
He is a 2014 graduate of Jay High School, Jay, Fla.
Army Pvt. Logan Klavon has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches and field training exercises.
Klavon is the grandson of Deborah Hawthorne of Jay, Fla.
Air Force Reserve Airman Destruan O. McMillan graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
McMillan is the son of Darlene and George McMillan of Atmore, Ala.
The airman graduated in 2012 from Escambia County High School, Atmore, Ala.
Photo Gallery: Northview High Presents ‘Hairspray’
May 10, 2015
The Northview High School Theatre Department presented the Broadway musical “Hairspray” Friday and Saturday nights.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Local Scouts Volunteer At Horse Rescue
May 10, 2015
Local scouts spent their Saturday morning volunteering at Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment. The scouts from Troop 628 pulled weeds, picked up sticks, cleared fences and performed other barn chores for the nonprofit horse rescue group. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Win Third Straight Over Tennessee
May 10, 2015
Wandy Peralta usually needs a translator when speaking with the media.
Asked if he trusted his fellow Spanish-speaking catcher, Yovan Gonzalez, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos left hander gave his answer in English. “Yes, a lot.”
The battery mates stole the show Saturday as Pensacola won its third in a row—it’s longest win streak since July 22-25 last season—in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Pensacola beat the Tennessee Smokies, 5-1, to also win the six-game series, 4-2. It was the first series the Blue Wahoos have taken this season, too.
Peralta gave up eight runs in two innings in his last start against the Jackson Generals. This time, Peralta got stingy. He gave up just one run in seven innings on four hits and four strike outs. He improved to 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA.
Meanwhile, Pensacola hitters backed him up with five runs, including a solo homer deep over the left field fence by Gonzalez, who was activated off the disabled list Saturday. Gonzalez, who put Pensacola up 4-1, went 2-4 on the night after hurting his back so much he couldn’t even swing a bat.
“My back was so sore I couldn’t even swing,” Gonzalez said. “In a game, I couldn’t throw the bat at the ball.”
Did he feel any pain on his long home run? “No, but the ball did,” Gonzalez said.
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly said jokingly that he doesn’t remember seeing Gonzalez hit a dinger in his career. He actually has 11, including one last year for the High-A Bakersfield Blaze that Kelly managed.
“Wandy is very emotional out there and Yovan does a great job of keeping him calm,” Kelly said. “Their communication is better because of their language. (Gonzalez) caught him a lot in Bakersfield.”
Pensacola got Peralta runs right off the bat, when they went ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Kyle Waldrop lashed a two-out triple into the right field corner that scored Jesse Winker, who had doubled, and Marquez Smith, who earned a walk.
Another run came across in the third when Beau Amaral doubled in Ray Chang, who had doubled to make it, 3-0, after two innings. Gonzalez then homered and Pensacola added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Winker scored his second run of the game on a Chang sacrifice fly to right field that made the score, 5-1.
Kelly said he was not surprised by the Blue Wahoos (11-19) performance in the series.
The Smokies hitters, who entered the series leading the league in hitting, batted just .201 against Pensacola pitching. Smokies star hitters catcher Kyle Schwarber, who bats third, went 2-11 and is batting .325 on the season. Meanwhile, first baseman Dan Vogelbach was 3-16 and drove in three runs and is now batting .330.
“This is what we are capable of doing,” Kelly said. “Getting those two-out base hits really makes a difference. It’s nice to see the players with some confidence. They really played great all series.”
Tate Softball Championship Team Returns To Hero’s Welcome
May 9, 2015
The Tate Lady Aggies returned home to a hero’s welcome Friday afternoon, a Class 7A state championship trophy in hand. The state softball championship is the first in Tate High School’s history.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Evers Applauds Scott For Prison Reform Order After Legislation Stalls
May 9, 2015
After lawmakers failed to agree on prison reforms this session, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday issued an executive order incorporating some of the provisions in House and Senate bills, including those involving use of force and chemical agents by guards.
Senate Criminal Justice Chairman Greg Evers, who made a series of unannounced visits to several state prisons this year, praised Scott for issuing the order.
“This is very pleasing. It just goes to show that our governor is really paying attention to what goes on in the Legislature,” Evers, who represents the North Escambia area, said.
Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones has already begun to implement some of the items included in Scott’s four-page executive order, which she said emphasizes the importance of the reforms.
“There’s so much skepticism as to whether were going to follow up on things and whether we’ll really do it. It was just to make the point that this is important. I want to implement all of the good stuff the Legislature tried to accomplish this past session. The best way to nail it home was to codify it and make it official. That’s the only reason that we did the executive order,” Jones told The News Service of Florida.
The reforms come amid increased scrutiny of Florida’s prisons in the wake of reports of inmate deaths at the hands of abusive prison guards, cover-ups involving inmate deaths and allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers.
Mirroring a component of a bill unanimously approved by the Senate, Scott’s order requires the department to track use-of-force incidents. Guards or officers who use force on inmates will also have to create “independent” reports of the incidents, sworn under oath, and file them within one day.
Jones said she is already asking prisons to start compiling use-of-force reports.
“Then everything is going into one major spreadsheet in Tallahassee, and that way I can look at officers as they move between facilities to keep track of any and all of their activity. So it’s happening on two different fronts,” she said Friday.
And, as in the Senate proposal (SB 7020), Scott’s order requires each prison to keep track of the use of chemical agents as well as the disposal of expired, used or damaged canisters of gas.
Tracking use-of-force incidents as well as the chemical agents themselves are among the most significant items included in the reforms, Jones said.
“The mere fact that we have eyes on the use of force issues. … We’re going to go ahead and create the extra accountability at the regional level that the House wanted, and we’re doing a deep dive on the chemical agents. That whole audit and that wholesale review of the chemical agents, you’ve heard stories. I’ve heard stories. I think that’s a big piece,” she said.
Like the House plan, Scott’s executive order adds a fourth administrative region to the Department of Corrections and requires regional directors to make at least two surprise visits each quarter to prisons within their areas. The directors will also have to review “statistics and trends” related to use of force, employee discipline, inmate grievances and inmate abuse four times a year.
Scott’s order also requires Jones to “ensure that the department establishes a policy to protect from retaliation those employees who report wrongdoing,” an undertaking Jones and her predecessor, Mike Crews, have struggled to implement in an agency where guards have repeatedly complained about retribution from supervisors or colleagues after exposing abuse or corruption.
The governor’s executive action also requires the agency to investigate and evaluate “the usefulness and dependability of existing safety and security technology,” including new video-monitoring systems, and to contract with safety and security consultants as needed.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
May 9, 2015
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending May 7 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Lewis, with assistance from Officer Ramos, had another busy weekend in the Blackwater State Forest. In addition to several citations issued for possession of alcoholic beverages in posted areas and driving on closed roads, they charged four subjects with possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. Another charge for possession of hash oil is pending.
Officer Jones was on patrol on East Bay where he observed a fisherman in a kayak catch a redfish and put it on his stringer. When the fisherman left the fishing site, Officer Jones stopped him for a routine inspection. The fisherman was found to be in possession of three redfish with the bag limit being two fish per day. The man was charged with the violation.
FWC officers aboard the vessel FINCAT patrolled the Gulf of Mexico in both state and federal waters. During these patrols, several state and federal violations were discovered on several different vessels. Warnings were given for no state fishing license and possession of gray triggerfish during the closed season. Federal citations were issued to persons on different vessels in federal waters for being in possession of red snapper, gray triggerfish, gag grouper and failure to land greater amberjack in whole condition.
No report from Escambia County was submitted.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week;however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.