Anything But Perfidious: Escambia’s Best Spellers Take On The Bee
January 30, 2015
The 2015 Sandy Sansing Spelling Bee wrapped up Thursday night with the crowning of the very best student spellers in Escambia County.
At the high school level, winners were:
1st Place — James Henderson, 9th grade, Pensacola High/IB Program
2nd Place — Dawn Van Iderstine, 11th grade, West Florida Home School
3rd Place — Malik Blankenship, 10th grade, Booker T. Washington High School
Other North Escambia area students that took part in Thursday night’s round were: Morgan Myrick, 10th, Northview; McKenzie Fleming, 10th, Tate; Jessica Amerson, 11th, Northview; and Matthew Chavers, 12th, Northview.
The winning word was “perfidious”, an adjective that means deceitful and untrustworthy.
Other grade level winners were:
Middle School
1st Place – Amber Lee – Jim C. Bailey (7th grade)
2nd Place - Kneia Williams – Warrington (6th grade)
3rd Place – Justin Witter – PCA (7th grade)
5th grade
1st Place – Connor Barton – Helen Caro
2nd Place – Lauren Bisson – St. Paul
3rd Place – Colin Gold – EDS
6th Grade
1st Place – Christina Wooten – Home School
2nd Place – Kneia Williams – Warrington
3rd Place – Jeffrey Bates – Jim C. Bailey
7th Grade
1st Place – Justin Witter – PCA
2nd Place – Anna Huynh – Ransom
3rd Place – Amber Lee – Jim C. Bailey
8th Grade
1st Place – Rebecca Woodcock – GBMS
2nd Place – Andrew VanIderstine – Home School
3rd Place – Cassilyn Owens – PCA
Pictured top: Sandy Sansing Spelling Bee high school winners: (L-R first place James Henderson, 9th grade, Pensacola High/IB Program; third place Malik Blankenship, 10th grade, Booker T. Washington High School; second place Dawn Van Iderstine, 11th grade, West Florida Home School, and sponsor Sandy Sansing. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cat Country 98.7 Nominated For ACM Radio Station Of The Year
January 30, 2015
Escambia County’s locally owned country radio station, Cat Country 98.7, has been nominated for Radio Station of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.
Winners will be announced during the 50th Annual ACM Awards Show live from Dallas on CBS on Sunday, April 19.
“Our team is passionate about our community and country music, this is a great honor,” said station owner Dave Hoxeng.
This is the seventh time Cat Country 98.7 has been nominated for the prestigious award in the last 11 years. Cat Country was name ACM Radio Station of the Year in 2006, 2009 and 2011.
Northview Students Place In Cooperative Education Club Events
January 30, 2015
Several Northview High School students recently place in District Cooperative Education Clubs of Florida (CECF) events:
- Raymond Clark – Fourth place in Automotive Technician
- Savanna Roux – First place in Business Communications
- Iyanna Davidson – Third place in Business Communications
- Hannah Gibson – First place in Customer Service
- Kortney Reid – Fourth place in Customer Service
- Austin Adams – Third place in Hospitality
- Grady Rigby – Fourth place in Hospitality
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Ends Season With Win Over PCA; District Tourney Begins Tuesday
January 30, 2015
The Northview Chiefs ended their regular season Thursday night with a 61-24 win over Pensacola Christian Academy.
Leading scorers for the Chiesf were Cameron Newsome with 20, Micheal Jones, Jr. with 15 and Bradley Van Pelt with 15. Other scorers for Northview were Jalen Parker with 4, and Tydre Bradley, Nick Lambert and Tony Harrison with 3 each.
The Northview Chiefs will begin district play at 6:00 Thursday as they host Freeport in Bratt.
Instagram Pot Photos Land Cantonment Woman In Jail
January 29, 2015
A Cantonment woman’s latest “selfie” was a mugshot at the county jail after a DCF investigator found Instagram photos and video of her smoking pot and rolling up marijuana cigarettes, and after she and a juvenile tested positive for drugs.
Stacy Jo Ferguson-Sharp, 31, was charged with felony child neglect and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond due to an outstanding warrant for violating probation in a 2013 DUI case.
A Florida Department of Children and Families investigator told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that she had located Instagram photos and video of what appeared to be Ferguson-Sharp smoking marijuana out of a “bong” and pictures of her “rolling up blunts” on a social media web site.
Ferguson-Sharp had blood shot eyes and slurred speech when she meet with the investigator, but refused to submit to a urinalysis to test for drugs, according to an arrest report. A juvenile living in her household did test positive for marijuana use, the report states.
Century’s New Wastewater Superintendent Resigns
January 29, 2015
Century’s newly hired wastewater superintendent has resigned, once again leaving the town searching for a certified operator.
April Conatser was hired for the job back in November and held dual certifications in wastewater and water. Mayor Freddie McCall said she gave no reason for her resignation.
The town currently has a part-time employee able to do the job and keep the town in compliance with state regulations, but the town “desperately” needs to find a replacement for Conatser as soon as possible, McCall said.
New Cantonment Improvement Committee Home Almost Ready
January 29, 2015
Final preparations are underway for a new home for a the Cantonment Improvement Committee in Carver Park. A modular building will be repositioned into its permanent location in the next few days. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Read Like Crazy: Molino Park Premieres Literacy Week Video
January 29, 2015
A couple of days ago, we brought you the story a reading flash mob at Molino Park Elementary School. Music teacher Katie Powell rewrote the words to the popular song “Call Me Maybe” and created the “Read Like Crazy” video. The final version of the video is now complete, and it’s posted below.
If you don’t see the video above , it’s because your work, school or home firewall is blocking YouTube videos.
Scott’s Budget Includes $84 Million For Highway 29 And Nine Mile Road Widening Projects
January 29, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott’s “Keep Florida Working” budget announced Wednesday includes $118 million in major road projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The budget includes $38 million to add lanes and reconstruct Highway 29 from north of I-10 to Nine Mile Road in Escambia County, including reconstruction of the Highway 29/Nine Mile Road intersection to increase traffic capacity.
Also included is $46.1 million to add lanes and reconstruct Nine Mile Road from Beulah Road to Highway 29 in Escambia County, and $34 million to add lanes and reconstruct Highway 97 from two miles south of the Yellow River to Highway 184 in Santa Rosa County.
For a complete story about Scott’s $77 billion budget, click here.
Scott Pitches $77 Billion Budget Plan, Tax Cuts
January 29, 2015
Not long after Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his nearly $77 billion state spending plan for the budget year that begins in July, lawmakers were already casting doubt on whether he would get all of a major tax cut at the heart of the proposal.
There were few surprises in the plan that Scott unveiled Wednesday at an annual meeting of reporters and editors hosted by the Associated Press. Scott had already released key details, including a record per-student figure for spending on public education and cuts to taxes on cell-phone bills, television services and college textbooks.
Of the $673 million in tax cuts that Scott pitched, a reduction in the communications services tax, applied to cell-phone bills and cable and satellite television, is by far the largest. It would reduce state revenues by $470.9 million and save an average Florida family about $43 a year, Scott’s office said.
Speaking at the Associated Press event at the Capitol, the governor touted the reach of the proposed tax cut.
“The benefit of the CST (communications services tax cut) is that it impacts pretty much everybody in the state. … It’s going to go to everybody,” Scott said.
But House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, told the same gathering that Scott’s plan on the communications tax was higher than what the House had in mind. And Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said there are “plenty of ideas” about how to reduce taxes in addition to Scott’s request.
“Certainly, that will be on the table,” Gardiner said. “But there will also be quite a few others.”
Overall, Scott’s budget proposal would reduce state spending by about 0.1 percent from the current budget year, but the plan would still be well above the roughly $69 billion budget that Scott signed during his first year in office. Scott, who came into office promising deep cuts in government spending, defended the growth.
“Revenues are growing in our state. Our state is getting bigger. We’re now bigger than the state of New York. But if you look at this budget, like I’ve done every year, we’ve cut taxes. … We’ve paid down debt. We’re doing the right things for our taxpayers,” he said.
Still, to cover the tax cuts and education spending while keeping the overall budget relatively flat, Scott’s proposal calls for deep reductions in other areas. Spending on transportation would fall by almost $235.5 million, though Scott’s office said the Florida Department of Transportation’s work plan is smaller this year and fully funded. The proposal would also cut nearly $120 million from the Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care Administration.
The plan would reduce the state’s payroll by more than 1,000 full-time positions. Scott’s office said that the “vast majority” of those jobs are expected to be unfilled by the time the budget takes effect. Most of the positions would come from the Department of Health; the agency would shed 758 full-time positions.
Some agencies would gain jobs. For example, the Department of Corrections, recently plagued by reports of suspicious inmate deaths, would add 163 full-time positions.
Lawmakers will consider Scott’s proposal as they negotiate a budget and tax cuts during the legislative session that starts March 3. In preparation for the session, House and Senate committees will receive presentations about the proposal next week.
But the overall reduction in positions drew questions from House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, a West Palm Beach Democrat who suggested some government functions could be hindered.
“We’re already the leanest state in the nation, I believe, in terms of population versus government employees,” he said. “We’re the leanest. … What were (those jobs) actually doing?”
Scott’s proposal also calls for $271.9 million to be swept from an array of trust funds designated for specific areas of the budget. State workers would not get a raise, but Scott pointed out that they would receive the benefits of the state’s tax cuts. And Scott would bank on the extension of an expiring pool of health-care money worth about $2 billion.
“We’re hoping that we can continue to work with the federal government with regard to that,” he said.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida