ESCO: Pot, $42K Seized In Traffic Stop
April 21, 2015
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized several pounds of pot and thousands in cash following a weekend traffic stop.
Sunday morning deputies were proactively conducting surveillance in an area of Medford Avenue known to have high drug activity. At one residence there was considerable foot traffic, and deputies noticed large bags being transferred to vehicles in front of the residence, the department said.
A traffic stop was conducted which led to a felony narcotics arrest. During a search of the vehicle over 10 pounds of marijuana, just over $42,000 in currency and the vehicle were seized. Hoang Thanh Huynh, 29, was a charged with possession with intent to sell.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
DCF Faulted For Oversight Of Privatized Agencies
April 21, 2015
Two reports presented to lawmakers last week criticized the Florida Department of Children and Families for poor oversight of the privatized agencies that deliver child-welfare, substance-abuse and mental-health services statewide.
The reports arrived as the Legislature is considering further changes to all those services.
The Florida Office of the Auditor General published its findings last month and reviewed them Thursday with members of the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee.
One report faulted the state’s oversight of what are known as managing entities, which oversee the delivery of substance-abuse and mental-health services. With lawmakers focused on improving those services this year, the managing entities could be revamped under a bill (SB 7068) ready for a vote by the full Senate possibly as soon as Wednesday. The House version (HB 7119) is ready to go to the full House.
The other report criticized the state’s oversight of community-based care organizations, known as CBCs, which provide foster care, adoption and family-support services. The agencies have been under legislative scrutiny in recent years for a series of child deaths from abuse and neglect. Now, lawmakers are revisiting a child-welfare reform law passed last year — and the possibility of more funding for the CBCs to provide mental-health and substance-abuse treatment, among other services.
Together, the reports point to shortcomings in the Department of Children and Families’ monitoring of the privatized agencies, which receive hundreds of millions of dollars a year to coordinate and deliver services in their regions.
“The department did not always adequately conduct, document, review, and report the results of (community based care agencies) monitoring,” noted the report on the foster-care services.
“The department could not provide documentation supporting the conclusions reached on cost analyses performed for (managing entity) contracts awarded on a noncompetitive basis,” said the report on mental-health and substance-abuse services. “The department had not always documented that employees involved in the contractor evaluation and selection process attested in writing that they were independent of, and had no conflict of interest in, the MEs (managing entities) evaluated and selected.”
What’s more, department monitoring of the managing entities “did not ensure that all key assessment factors and performance measures were included in the scope of its monitoring activities. Additionally, the department did not always appropriately document that proper follow-up on ME actions was taken to correct deficiencies identified through monitoring.”
Department of Children and Families Secretary Mike Carroll, in a response to both reports, wrote, “The department generally concurs with the findings.”
The criticism comes as the House and Senate prepare to vote on whether to alter the way the seven statewide managing entities bid on Department of Children and Families contracts. The House and Senate bills would require those contracts to be performance-based and to include consequences for failing to comply. What’s more, the House proposal would require that at least two managing entities bid on each contract — or the bidding process could be opened to for-profit companies and Medicaid managed-care organizations.
Members of the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee questioned Lisa Norman, an audit manager with the Auditor General’s Office, on the reports, and some of the individual agencies objected to specific findings.
For instance, the report faulted Our Kids, the community-based care agency serving Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, for expenditures related to a $28,000 graduation event for young adults in the Independent Living program. The costs included $6,684 for food for 250 guests, which the Auditor General’s report found an inappropriate expenditure under state law.
“We recommend that Our Kids, in consultation with the department, make appropriate funding source adjustments for the unallowable costs related to the graduation event,” said the report.
But in her written response to the report, Our Kids president and CEO Jackie Gonzalez said that the event helps young people in foster care build their self-esteem.
“Our Kids has received approval from DCF for this event since we began acknowledging the success of our students in a ceremony in 2009 and did not think it necessary to receive approval each year,” the response said. “We believe that (the Auditor General) is taking an overly narrow view.”
Committee Chairwoman Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, asked Norman how Our Kids could have done the event differently.
“Use private funds,” Norman replied.
Christina Spudeas, executive director of the advocacy group Florida’s Children First, reminded lawmakers that under former DCF Secretary David Wilkins, the department had slashed most of its quality-assurance positions — which had performed some of the monitoring.
“They went down 70 positions,” Spudeas said. “Two years ago, you gave funding, but only reinstituted one-half of those. We need the rest of those positions to do full quality assurance, quality improvement, for the programs around the state. It’s very important for the children in care.”
As to the managing entities, the chief executive officer of one of them, Linda McKenna of the Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, said that the four selected for the Auditor General’s scrutiny “were the newest managing entities in the state and had all recently come up and were developing their procedures.”
Mark Fontaine, executive director of the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association, agreed, but said it was clear that lawmakers were “redefining their expectations” for the managing entities and their coordination of the services they provide.
“The expectations on the MEs are going to be greater,” Fontaine said. “It’s more like shifting to health-care management: ‘Let’s look at the people we’re serving and figure out how to do better services for those people.’ ”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Beat Barons
April 21, 2015
Scoring one run in six different innings, the bats slowly came to life as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos topped the Birmingham Barons 6-5 in the first game of the series.
Pensacola posted season highs in almost every offensive category in tonight’s win with highs in runs (6), hits (11), doubles (7), triples (2), RBIs (6), walks (8) and extra base hits (9).
It started in the third inning as Juan Silva doubled to start the inning. Sean Buckley drove him home with a soft fly ball single to the right field as the Blue Wahoos took a 1-0 lead.
RHP Robert Stephenson made his first start since Opening Day and posted four strikeouts in the first two innings. The bats also came to life for the Barons in the third inning as Jeremy Farrell homered to right center. In the next at bat, Joey DeMichele got a triple and then scored off of Tim Anderson’s single to right field. Anderson stole two bases and then scored off of a sac fly by Christian Marrero.
Despite the Barons three runs in the third, the momentum continued to build for the Blue Wahoos as the team scored a run in the fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth inning to win the game. Marquez Smith scored in the fourth off of a sac fly by Chris Berset. In the sixth inning, Juan Silva was walked home.
The Barons held on tight as Birmingham came to bat in the sixth inning and scored their final run of the night to head into the last third of the game with a 5-3 lead.
Smith doubled in the seventh inning and then was brought home off the bat of Seth Mejias-Brean as he registered a triple. The Blue Wahoos tied the game back up in the eighth inning as Silva scored off of a single by Jesse Winker.
Mejias-Brean drove in Kyle Waldrop for the final run of the game in the top of the ninth to give the Wahoos their third win of the season.
Carlos Gonzalez got his first win of the season after throwing one inning of relief in the eighth as Ben Klimesh got his first save of the year by allowing only one hit in the ninth. Stephenson finished the night with 5.1 IP, 6 H, 5R, 2 BB, 9 SO and 1 HR.
Since the Wahoos scored five runs in tonight’s game, fans win with 50% off Papa John’s pizza when they order online using promo code WAHOOS on Tuesday, April 21.
The two teams will square off Tuesday night in Birmingham at 7:05 p.m.
Highway 29 Crash Slows Afternoon Traffic In Cantonment
April 20, 2015
One person received minor injuries in a two vehicle crash that caused rush hour traffic problems in Cantonment Monday afternoon.
The accident occurred at Highway 29 and Muscogee Road just before 5 p.m., closing most of the intersection for over an hour. One person was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered severe.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash to direct traffic.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Escambia Woman Charged In Morning School Bus Hit And Run
April 20, 2015
An Escambia County driver was arrested after a school bus hit and run crash this morning.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 24-year old Starmeka Turner pulled her 2005 Lincoln out of a Circle K parking lot on Jackson Street into the path of a school bus with 12 passengers on board about 7:45 a.m.. Turner then fled the scene, but was located a short time later and arrested.
There were no injuries to the driver or 12 passengers on the school bus.
Turner was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and violation of right of way. At noon, she remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $250.
Statewide Computer Based Student Testing Fails – Again
April 20, 2015
Statewide computer-based testing was once again down Monday morning in Florida, causing school districts across the state to delay or postpone testing in grades 5-10.
A technical problem prevented schools from logging into the testing server, according to Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
“Because of the time zone difference between here and South Florida, we knew beforehand that the problems existed at the state level,” Thomas said. Those statewide vendor problems were resolved by about 9:30 a.m.. “Many of our students never knew there was a problem. It was fixed before most of our middle schools were in session.”
Each individual school in the county decided how to proceed with testing today after the system was back online, the superintendent said.
““This morning, AIR’s President of Assessment notified me of a technical change that was made to the Florida Standards Assessment testing system over the weekend that was not approved by the Department. This change was unnecessary to the administration of the Florida Standards Assessment and resulted in a disruption that hindered students from being able to log in to the system and take their test today,” Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said. “The company’s failure to follow protocol is absolutely unacceptable and the Department will hold AIR accountable for the disruption they have caused to our state’s students, teachers and school staff.”
The new Florida Standards Assessment tests have been plagued by by technical problems and cyber-attacks that have prevented students for logging on, or sometimes finishing. In March, Escambia County suspending testing for days due to the statewide vendor problems. Only about 150,000 eighth-, ninth- and 10th-grade students had been able to take the Florida Standards Assessment writing test — about a quarter of the students registered for that exam — by the second day of failures in March.
American Institutes for Research, a non-profit group, has a six-year, $220 million deal to design and deliver the tests.
Century Correctional Inmate Labor Saves Thousands For Schools
April 20, 2015
Inmate work crews from Century Correctional Institution are continuing to provide thousands of dollars worth of labor to towns and schools in the North Escambia area.
Recently, CCI inmates completed several projects on the Northview High School campus. They cleaned overgrown foliage from around the school’s retention pond, which school officials said had become a dangerous eyesore along Highway 4. The prisoners also painted a storage shed on the campus and edged sidewalks.
All total, Northview officials estimate the Century Correctional prison labor save the school about $8,000 in just a few days.
About 200 CCI inmates per day –less than 15 percent of the total inmate population — work on multiple prison works crews from Century Correctional’s Main Unit on Tedder Road and the Berrydale Forestry Camp near Jay. Dedicated crews are assigned to the Town of Century, the Town of Jay, Gulf Breeze and other entities.
The prisoners also work on projects for multiple schools in addition to Northview, but they are only allowed on campus when students are not present. Earlier this year, CCI inmates delivered 25 newly constructed picnic tables to Escambia Westgate School. It’s estimated that Escambia Westgate saved about $5,000 with the Century Correctional built tables versus purchasing commercially available tables.
Pictured top: A cleaned retention pond at Northview High School. Pictured inset: The pond prior to clearing. Pictured below: A storage shed on the Northview campus painted by inmates. Pictured bottom: CCI inmates deliver new picnic tables to Escambia Westgate School. NorthEscambia.com and submitted photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools Release 2015-2016 School Calendar
April 20, 2015
The calendar for the 2015-2016 school year has been released by the Escambia County School District.
To download the calendar (pdf), click here.
2015 Fall Semester Highlights:
- Teachers will return to schools on Monday, Aug. 10, 2015.
- Students are to report on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015.
- Labor Day Holiday will be observed Sept. 7, 2015. (Schools and offices will be closed.)
- Students will have Oct. 12, 2015 off – Teachers have a planning day.
- Veteran’s Day Holiday will be on Weds., Nov. 11, 2015. (Schools and offices will be closed.)
- Students and teachers will have Nov. 25, 2015 off. (Offices will be open.)
- Thanksgiving Holiday will be observed Nov. 26 and 27, 2015. (Schools and offices will be closed.)
- Schools and offices will be closed for the Winter Holiday, Christmas and New Years from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan. 1, 2016.
2016 Spring Semester Highlights:
- Teachers return from the winter break on Mon., Jan. 4, 2016. (Students off.)
- Students return to school and begin the second semester on Tues., Jan. 5, 2016.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be observed on Jan. 18, 2016. (Schools and offices are closed.)
- Students will have Feb. 15, 2016. (Pres’s Day) off – Teachers have a planning day.
- Students and teachers are off for Spring Break March 21 to 24, 2016. (Offices are still open.)
- Spring Holiday will be observed March 25, 2016. (All schools and offices will be closed.)
- The last day of school for students will be Thurs., May 26, 2016.
- Memorial Day will be observed on May 30, 2016. (All schools and offices will be closed.)
- Last regular working day for teachers will be Tues., May 31, 2016.
Man Charged With Dumping Paint
April 20, 2015
An Escambia County man is facing a felony charge after allegedly dumping dozens of gallons of paint into the ground.
Ezequiel Santos-Gomez was charged with littering in any quantity for commercial purposes, a third degree felony, and disposal at an unpermitted sold waste facility.
Escambia County Code Enforcement received an anonymous complaint about the improper disposal of paint. Code Enforcement and Florida Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement officers responded and found an excavated pit that was 5-feet wide, 11-feet long and 4-feet deep. They reported finding white paint around and inside the pit, along with about 100 five-gallon plastic buckets stacked adjacent to the pit, located in a residential area near Pensacola Christian College.
Santos-Gomez reportedly told officers that he checked an could only dispose of 20 gallons per day at the landfill.
It was estimated that 60 gallons of paint had been dumped in the pit.
Weekend Livestock Show Award Winners Announced
April 20, 2015
Award winners have been announced from Saturday’s Gulf Coast Agriculture and Natural Resources Youth Organization (GCA & NRYO) Spring Livestock Show in Molino. The complete list is below.
For an earlier story about the show, click here.
Pictured is Haylee Weaver and her 1,425 pound Grand Champion Market Streer named “Breakaway”.
Click the list below to enlarge
Photos by Meridith Caum for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
