Biscuits Beat Wahoos
June 15, 2015
Juan Perez scored a run and knocked in another on a double to pull the Pensacola Blue Wahoos within, 3-2, in the sixth inning but the Montgomery Biscuits pulled out the victory in the end.
Montgomery won on two, two-run home runs smacked by left fielder Johnny Field, 5-2, in the first and seventh innings at Riverwalk Stadium.
Pensacola scored one in the fourth and one in the sixth. Blue Wahoos catcher Cam Maron singled in shortstop Juan Perez in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 2-1. In the sixth inning, Perez doubled to score third baseman Marquez Smith to bring Pensacola within, 3-2.
Montgomery went ahead, 2-0, when Field hit a two-run homer, his ninth of the year, to left center field in the first inning. Field smacked his second two-run homer of the game in the seventh to put the Biscuits up, 5-2.
On the day, Field, the Tampa Bay Rays No. 28 prospect, went 2-4 and drove in four of the Biscuits five runs in the game. He now has 10 homers on the year.
The Biscuits extended its lead, 3-1, when catcher Justin O’Conner, the Rays No. 1 prospect according to MLB, hit his fifth homer of the season over the left center field wall in the fourth inning.
Montgomery has now won four straight over Pensacola, improving its record to 33-30 in the Southern League North Division. Meanwhile, Pensacola dropped to 23-39 and last place in the South Division.
Pensacola first baseman Ray Chang went 1-3 and is hitting .372 in June. Perez continued his hot-hitting on the road, going 1-2 for a .282 average.
Traffic: Possible Delays For Striping Operation On Hwy 29
June 15, 2015
A striping operation is planned for this week on Highway 29. Motorists may encounter minor delays from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Highway 29 from Ten Mile Road to Muscogee Road. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Turfgrass Expo Is Wednesday In Jay
June 15, 2015
The UF/IFAS West Florida Research & Education Center will host the 21st Annual Annual Gulf Coast Turfgrass Expo and Field Day on June 17.
The event will take place from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the University of Florida, West Florida Research and Education Center, 4253 Experiment Road, Highway 182 in Jay. For more information, contact Robin Vickers at (850) 983-7134 or email rvickers@ufl.edu.
Attendees learn first-hand about cutting edge research aimed at minimizing green industry environmental impact through improved irrigation, fertility, and management practices; developing new and improved turfgrass cultivars that are superior to their predecessors; and improving pest (weed, insect, disease, and nematode) management practices.
Driver Strikes Utility Pole
June 14, 2015
There were no injuries when a driver lost control and crashed into a utility pole Sunday afternoon on Highway 97.
The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. on Highway 97 between West Highway 4 and Pine Forest Road in Davisville. The pole was broken during the accident, which involved a pickup pulling a second pickup truck on a trailer. An unknown number of Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers lost power as a result of the accident and repair work.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pedestrian Recovering After Being Struck By Vehicle In Century
June 14, 2015
A pedestrian was reportedly struck by a vehicle in Century Saturday afternoon.
The accident occurred shortly before 1:00 in the 400 block of West Highway 4, near Field Road. One person was transported to Jay Hospital with non-life threatening injuries following the accident.
Further details have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol as they continue their investigation. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
Florida Lawmakers Strike Deal On Economic Development
June 14, 2015
Negotiators from the House and Senate slashed almost $60 million in economic development spending Saturday as the Legislature drew closer to an elusive final deal on a state budget for the year that begins July 1.
Meeting over the weekend to hammer out the final details of a budget expected to weigh in at well more than $76 billion but south of $80 billion, House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran and Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee reached agreement on state spending for transportation and economic development.
Lawmakers are racing to get a deal done by the scheduled June 20 end of the special budget session, which was called after they failed to agree to a spending plan during their annual spring meetings. The state must have a budget in place by June 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
The economic development portion of the budget is often laden with local projects, usually promoted by lawmakers, and other items closely watched by businesses, lobbyists and Gov. Rick Scott, who won office in 2010 promising to boost the state’s economy. But like other areas of the emerging spending plan, it was constrained by the need to pump $400 million of state money into hospital funding to make up for falling health-care spending on a key federal program.
As a result, dozens of projects and some larger items were trimmed or eliminated entirely. Almost 60 spending initiatives were reduced on Saturday alone, cutting nearly $58.3 million from House or Senate proposals that were still alive heading into the weekend.
“We started out with a lot of projects in the budget…I think what we’ve come to is kind of a middle ground on projects,” said Lee, R-Brandon.
The largest target was a Senate proposal to set aside $10 million in incentives for the entertainment industry. That program was eliminated entirely in Saturday’s agreement. Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, suggested the proposal for an “entertainment action fund” should be considered in a regular session.
“I think there are members on both sides who believe that those (incentives) are helpful, and there are members on both sides who believe that that doesn’t do anything,” Corcoran told reporters after a morning meeting with Lee. “And so I think those types of issues are better having committees and having as much input as possible and letting those percolate through the process and not so much in just a budget session.”
Despite the belt-tightening, some new projects did slip into the plan at the last minute, including $2 million for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando. That proposal emerged Saturday morning, when the Senate made an offer on the economic development budget that the House accepted.
Lee did not directly answer a question about whether Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, had pushed for the funds.
“We added that late in the process, and I’m not really going to talk a lot in detail about who was adding what, where and when, but it did come up late in the process,” Lee said.
Lawmakers are still working to reach final agreements on the environmental and education budgets. They hope to complete their work by Tuesday, which would clear the way for the required 72-hour “cooling off” period to begin early enough for a Friday vote.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Two Accidentally Shot In Escambia County
June 14, 2015
A man and woman were accidentally shot Saturday morning.
The incident occurred in the 6600 block of Saufley Pines Road. A man was reportedly cleaning a gun when it fired, shooting the man in the hand and a woman in leg or groin area. She was transported by ambulance to an area hospital as a “trauma alert”, while the man’s injuries were not considered severe.
The relationship between the and the woman was not immediately known, nor was the type of weapon that fired. No criminal charges are expected.
Second Lady Christens USS Gabrielle Giffords In Mobile
June 14, 2015
The Navy christened its tenth littoral combat ship (LCS), the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), during a midday ceremony Saturday at Austal USA shipyard in Mobile. LCS 10 is named after former United States Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
“The christening of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords marks the beginning of what is certain to be a long life for this great ship,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “It is also a celebration of the skill and dedication of the men and women who have built LCS 10 and the courage of her namesake. This ship truly embodies the Navy motto of Semper Fortis – Always Courageous.”
During the event, Second Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden, the ship’s sponsor, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow thereby christening the ship in a time-honored Navy tradition.
“Gabby represents the same qualities the Navy embodies,” Dr. Biden said. “She also represents the six Americans who lived those values but lost their lives in Tucson the day Gabby nearly lost hers.”
“In congress I was proud to support our armed forces. I love the Navy. I even married a sailor,” Giffords said. “She’s stealthy. She will defend freedom around the world. Go Navy!”
The LCS class consists of the Freedom variant and Independence variant, each designed and built by different industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for odd-numbered hulls, e.g., LCS 1). The Independence variant team is led by General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works (LCS 2 and LCS 4) and Austal USA (for the subsequent even-numbered hulls). Purchased under the innovative block-buy acquisition strategy, there are 12 ships currently under construction.
While capable of open-ocean tasking, LCS is intended to operate in the littorals — shallow, coastal waters. As such, the ships can operate in water as shallow as 20 feet deep and can travel at speeds in excess of 40 knots. USS Freedom (LCS 1) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) recently demonstrated these critical capabilities as part of their operational deployments to U.S. 7th Fleet in the Asia-Pacific region.
LCS 10 is the 16th U.S. naval ship to be named for a woman, and only the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850. Giffords was a Congresswoman for Arizona’s 2nd District when Jared Loughner shot and wounded her on January 8, 2011.
Gabrielle Giffords is the third ship in a block buy contract with Austal to build 10 Independence- variant LCS ships. Sister ship Jackson (LCS 6) is preparing for builder’s trials, and Montgomery (LCS 
was christened in November 2014. The LCS program is ramping up in 2015 to deliver two ships per year from the Austal shipyard, as well as two Freedom-variant ships from the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Summer Ball Underway
June 14, 2015
Summer ball is underway for the Northview Chiefs. The Chiefs lost to Crestview 10-2 and lost to Niceville 9-7 Saturday. On Friday, the Northview Chiefs lost to Crestview 3-2 and defeated Baker 11-2 in summer ball. The Chiefs are back in action in Bratt at 4 p.m. Monday. Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hurricane Season: Insure Against The Worst
June 14, 2015
It’s early in the 2015 hurricane season in the U.S., and with the significant risk of hurricane damage in Florida – from the state’s extensive coastline to the interior – insurance experts say it’s a good time for Floridians to do a check-up on their insurance policies.
Lynne McChristian with the Insurance Information Institute says with needs and property values constantly changing, it’s best to check the status of coverage every year.
“The most important thing is to have an annual conversation with your insurance company or insurance agent,” she says. “You need to make sure your homeowner’s insurance policy is enough to rebuild your home in the event of a disaster.”
The relatively quiet hurricane seasons of recent years have enabled the state to build up its Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to $17 billion. The state-run Citizens Property Insurance Company, created when many private insurers wouldn’t write policies in Florida after a series of damaging storms, has more than $7 billion in reserves.
While many property owners are protected, McChristian says the state’s large number of renters are not, unless they’ve purchased a renter’s policy.
“A lot of renters neglect to get property insurance, because nobody forces them to get it,” she says. “A landlord’s insurance does not cover your personal possessions.”
McChristian says it’s important to remember that flood insurance is not included in standard property insurance policies, but is something all Florida homeowners should consider.
“Even if you don’t live in a high-risk area for flooding, you really need to think about flood insurance,” she says. “We have inland bodies of water in Florida, and you may have a storm surge that could push water inland. That water has to go somewhere.”
According to AAA, one in five Floridians has flood insurance. On average, a flood insurance policy costing 85 cents a day will cover $100,000 in structural damage.
by Stephanie Carson, Public News Service Florida