Blue Wahoos Split Doubleheader With Smokies
April 18, 2015
The Blue Wahoos split Friday night’s doubleheader against the Tennessee Smokies on an evening where Pensacola’s starting pitchers, Daniel Wright and Tim Adleman, combined for 11 strikeouts and only allowed four hits. The Smokies took the first game 1-0 while the Wahoos won the second game 4-1.
The first game of the doubleheader was a pitchers’ duel with the teams garnering a combined six hits. After giving up six runs in 2.2 innings of work in his first start of the year, RHP Wright gave up no runs and two hits in five innings before being relieved by RHP Kevin Shackleford. RHP Ivan Pineyro took the mound for the Smokies also only gave up two hits in six innings of work.
Shackleford walked C Kyle Schwarber in the bottom of the seventh inning, advanced to second on a single by 1B Dan Vogelbach and then to third on a wild pitch. RF Bijan Rademacher singled through the hole at second base to drive in Schwarber for the walk-off win.
The pitching duel continued into the second game with RHP Tim Adleman throwing 59 pitches, 44 for strikes, in five innings. Reliever Carlos Gonzalez had a strong showing in the bottom of the sixth inning giving up a hit.
First baseman Kyle Waldrop started the second game with a home run in the second inning to give the Blue Wahoos an early 1-0 lead. This marked his second home run in seven games this year.
RHP Ben Klimesh came in for the save in the seventh inning but the Smokies tied it up with a run by Rademacher. In the eighth inning, RHP Kyle McMyne came into the game and threw a one-hit inning to give the Wahoos another chance in the top of the ninth.
After a hitless day, RF Jesse Winker hit a double in the ninth inning and advanced to third after Beau Amaral reached base on a fielding error by first baseman Dustin Geiger. Amaral then reached second on a wild pitch by RHP Zach Cates. Waldrop drove in Winker with a sacrifice fly to left field and then Amaral scored on a pair of errors by second baseman Stephen Bruno. Zach Vincej had the final run of the night after scoring off of a double by 2B Juan Perez.
McMyne returned to the mound and closed out the game to secure the win for the Blue Wahoos. This was his first win since July 1, 2014 for the Bakersfield Blaze.
LHP Wandy Peralta (1-0, 0.00) is scheduled to take the mound for the Wahoos against RHP Frank Batista (1-0, 1.50) on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m.
The Blue Wahoos return to Pensacola Saturday, April 25th against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Regulators Approve Gulf Power, Military Solar Plan
April 17, 2015
The Florida Public Service Commission on Thursday approved a plan that would lead to Gulf Power Company buying electricity from major new solar facilities on Northwest Florida military bases.
“Adding solar energy to our portfolio is another step in further diversifying our energy mix,” said Stan Connally, Gulf Power president and CEO. “Through careful planning, we’ve been able to work alongside our military partners to help provide cost-effective renewable energy — and all our customers will reap the benefit.”
The solar energy farms will be constructed at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach (30 megawatts), Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Outlying Landing Field Holley in Navarre (40 megawatts), and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Outlying Landing Field Saufley in Pensacola (50 megawatts).
“We support this important partnership between Gulf Power and the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy that will play a major role in Florida’s energy future,” Public Service Commission Chairman Art Graham said. “The solar facilities will diversify the utility’s power supply and increase Florida’s emissions-free electricity generation.”
Gulf Power will serve customers across Northwest Florida with power from these renewable energy-generating facilities. Together, these new solar facilities, which will be developed by HelioSage Energy, could produce enough energy to power approximately 18,000 homes for one year.
As an intermittent energy resource, the solar farms will not replace Gulf Power’s generation plants, but will have the capability to provide energy that will diversify the power supply and provide a cost-effective alternative during peak energy usage.
Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2016 and the facilities are expected to be in service no later than December 2016.
The company’s first renewable energy project was the 3.2-megawatt Perdido Landfill Gas-to-Energy facility, which has produced more than 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity since starting commercial operation in 2010.
Gulf Power also submitted a request in February to the FPSC to approve an agreement that would make the utility a leading purchaser of wind generation among Florida utilities. If approved, this would bring the company to a total of five renewable energy sources.
Pictured: Examples of HelioSage Energy solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott To File Suit Against Feds Over Health Funding
April 17, 2015
In a new sign of escalating tensions between state and federal officials, Gov. Rick Scott announced Thursday he will sue the federal government to try to resolve a standoff over $2.2 billion in funding for hospitals and other health providers.
But even lawmakers who support Scott’s move said any court decision would come too late to resolve a budget impasse that has made it a near-certainty that the Legislature won’t finish a spending plan — its one constitutionally required responsibility — before the annual session’s scheduled May 1 conclusion. If so, it would mark the first time lawmakers have gone into overtime on the budget since 2009.
Scott’s lawsuit would rely on a potentially novel interpretation of the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the federal Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. In that case, NFIB v. Sebelius, the court ruled that the federal government couldn’t coerce states into expanding Medicaid by requiring any state that didn’t do so to give up all of its Medicaid funding.
The governor’s legal action would argue that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is doing the same thing by linking an extension of the Low Income Pool, or LIP, program to whether the state expands Medicaid coverage. LIP, which provides money to hospitals and other health providers that serve large numbers of poor and uninsured patients, is set to expire June 30.
“Our citizens already pay federal taxes that go into the federal LIP program,” Scott said in a statement announcing the action. “Now, President Obama has decided that the state must take on a larger Medicaid program, forcing our taxpayers to pay even more to government, before they get their own federal tax dollars back. This is outrageous, and specifically what the Supreme Court warned against.”
Advocates and hospitals have said that if the state loses LIP funding, it could cause cutbacks in services or programs across the state.
Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera said Scott’s administration was doing whatever is necessary to try to get LIP funds for Florida.
“We need to explore every option to ensure that these funds are available for the most needy here in Florida,” Lopez-Cantera said. “That’s what Gov. Scott’s always done. He’s always fought for Floridians, and that’s what he’s doing with this.”
The lawsuit plays into a heated battle over a Senate plan to use $2.8 billion in Medicaid expansion funding to help lower-income Floridians purchase private health insurance. But the House and Scott — who once favored straight-up Medicaid expansion — oppose that idea. House leaders say the federal government wouldn’t approve it even if they agreed to go along.
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said he’s skeptical that the lawsuit will free up LIP dollars before the new budget year begins July 1.
“Certainly, the governor has his opinion and has put forward kind of a new little wrinkle today, but I’m not sure that that solves the situation that we’re in where we have to have a balanced budget, and we have to make some decisions,” Gardiner said.
Any case could take weeks to be heard, and any initial ruling could spend months winding its way through the appeals process. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, a Merritt Island Republican who backed Scott’s lawsuit, also said legal action wouldn’t have a practical impact on the immediate budget problem.
“No, most likely, it won’t,” he said. “The only thing that will have an effect on the budget from the standpoint of LIP and CMS is if Washington does something.”
Asked about the lawsuit, a spokesman for CMS said the state could do what it wanted with Medicaid, but referred back to a letter in which the agency said “the state’s expansion status is an important consideration in our approach regarding extending the LIP beyond June.”
That letter outraged some state officials and eventually led to Scott’s lawsuit.
“Florida, like all states, is free to implement Medicaid expansion or not. … We look forward to the state submitting its LIP proposal and CMS will review it based on the principles articulated in our April 14 letter,” spokesman Aaron Albright said in an email.
Democrats, meanwhile, blasted the governor for an act that they said wouldn’t solve the problem and would lead to the state being tied up in costly litigation. Scott, whose foray into politics began with a fierce ad war against Obamacare before seeking the governor’s office, has frequently battled the federal government in court.
“It’s more of the same from the governor,” said House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach. “It’s a corporate reaction: We sue people. The sad part is, it’s the taxpayers of Florida that will pay more.”
Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, accused Scott of hypocrisy for pushing for LIP dollars from the federal government while rejecting expansion money from the same source.
“Today’s grandstanding underscores his commitment to wasting Florida’s tax dollars to get what he wants, at whatever cost,” Joyner said in a statement issued by her office. “This is all about scoring points against President Obama.”
At the same time, Crisafulli signaled a willingness to use state money to try to shield hospitals from the effects of lost LIP funding. The speaker has said before that he would not use state dollars to “backfill” the LIP system, but drew a distinction Thursday between that and setting up a state program.
“If we want to talk about a plan moving forward, we can talk about a plan moving forward from the standpoint of trying to help those safety-net hospitals with a different kind of program,” he said. “But for us to take up and put a pot of money out there that they get to draw from like they do right now with LIP is not something that we could possibly do in Tallahassee with even the greatest of budget reserves.”
Molino Park Presents ‘Alphabet Adventures of Sometimes Y’
April 17, 2015
The first grade classes at Molino Park Elementary School presented “The Alphabet Adventures of Sometimes Y” Thursday night at the school. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Wrap Regular Season At 21-4 With Milton Win
April 17, 2015
The Tate High School Aggies beat Milton Thursday night 3-1 to end the regular season with at 21-4.
For Tate, Jared Hatch picked up his first varsity win.. Branden Fryman was 1-3, RBI; Mark Miller 1-2, RBI; Jacob Saulnier 1-3; AJ Gordon 1-3, run; Earl Justice 1-1, run; Sawyer Smith 2-2, run.
The district tournament is up next for the Aggies next week.
Four In A Row: Jay Lady Royals Win 12-Inning District Championship Battle
April 17, 2015
The Jay Lady Royals won their fourth District 3-1A championship in a row Thursday night 7-6 in a hard fought 12-inning battle over the Chipley Tigers.
Hitting for Jay were: Kolby Bray 3-5, R; Emily Dobson 3-6, R, 2 RBIs, 2B; Avery Jackson 2-6, RBI, 2B; Destiny Herring 2-5, R; Samantha Steadham 2-6, R, RBI.
The Lady Royals advance to the Region 1-1A playoffs on April 28.
Pictured: The Jay Lady Royals won their fourth District 3-1A championship in a row Thursday night. Photo by Diann Tagert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Defending State Champ West Florida Drops Close District Final Game
April 17, 2015
The defending 4A state champion West Florida Lady Jaguars lost to the Walton Braves 2-1 in the District 1-4A championship game Thursday.
The Lady Jags took a 1-0 lead, but gave up two unearned runs in the third inning. Farrah Nicholas pitched six for West Florida, striking out two. Emily Loring and Kayla Miller were both 1-3.
As district runner-ups, the Lady Jaguars are still in the playoffs. They will travel to Tallahassee next Thursday to play 2-4A champion Florida High School.
Pictured: West Florida drops District 1-4A championship game to Walton Thursday. Photos by Gary Carnley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Academy Wins Boys Track State Championship
April 17, 2015
The Escambia Academy boys track team won the 3A AISA State Championship held in Selma, AL. Escambia Academy is located in Canoe, AL, just outside Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photo by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge.
Smokies Win Their Season Opener Against Blue Wahoos
April 17, 2015
Marquez Smith hit a pinch-hit, two-out double in the top of the ninth inning Thursday against the Tennessee Smokies.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Juan Perez then was put in to pinch run for Smith and advanced on a wild pitch. Beau Amaral walked and Pensacola had the tying and winning runs on first and third base. However, Zach Vincej struck out to end the game at Smokies Stadium.
Tennessee held on to win its season opener, 5-4, when it scored three runs in the fourth. Stephen Bruno scored the decisive run on a fielders choice to first by Pin-Chieh Chen, which put the Smokies ahead, 5-2.
Both teams will make up Wednesday’s rain out with a doubleheader that begins at 5:30 p.m. ET Friday. Both games are scheduled to last seven innings tomorrow.
Yovan Gonzalez doubled in Seth Mejias-Brean and Ryan Wright in the seventh inning to pull Pensacola within one run, 5-4.
Making his Blue Wahoos debut Marcus Walden lasted three innings, giving up all five runs to Tennessee on seven hits and three walks. He struck out two.
Leading the Wahoos lineup were outfielder Jesse Winker who went 2-4 with an RBI; Gonzalez, who went 2-4 with a double and 2 RBIs; first baseman Kyle Waldrop, who was 1-3 and walked; and Beau Amaral, who scored a run and was 1-4.
Battle Over Future Of Escambia Fire Services Heats Up
April 16, 2015
There’s a battle of sorts heating up over the future of fire services in Escambia County. Will fire stations be staffed by volunteers? Paid firefighters? Both? Will fire taxes be raised for some, or all? Will fire fighters respond at all to an emergency at your home?
Good Friday morning, there were two house fires in the area served by the Ferry Pass Volunteer Fire Station, but no truck from Ferry Pass ever rolled to either fire due to a lack of volunteers at the time. Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown placed 24/7 paid fire crews at the station to “assist” the volunteers to ensure proper coverage for the district that includes ares such as North Davis Highway, University Parkway and eastern Nine Mile Road. The firefighters are being paid with funds already available in the county’s fire services budget this year.
In over half of the county’s 23 fire districts, volunteers are the first to answer the call for help.
A “manpower summary” report provided to NorthEscambia.com last week by Escambia County show nothing less than a dismal, even a frightening, response level by volunteer fire stations.
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That report shows volunteer firefighter stations did not respond at to one-third of all calls and missed 45 percent of critical incidents where life or property were threatened. Wednesday, the Escambia County Professional Firefighters Local union posted the summary information above online, and relayed it in a Twitter message to several media outlets. But now that report has come under fire as being inaccurate in regards to North Escambia stations.
Using the report as ammunition, the union is calling for paid staffing at more of the county’s fire stations, and they will push the Escambia County Commission for a $50 increase in the MSBU (municipal services benefit unit) to fund the firefighters.
“It’s a small price to pay,” Nick Gradia, union president said Wednesday. “It would increase the $85 now paid by each resident up to $135, but that’s less than many areas.” Gradia and union envision the county’s volunteer firefighters continuing their service, working alongside the paid firefighters for an even better response to emergencies.
“This is not about getting rid of the volunteers. This is about making sure there is a guaranteed response from the fire station when a resident makes a call for help,” Gradia said.
In North Escambia — specifically the Beulah, Century, McDavid, Walnut Hill and Molino fire stations — the numbers provided last week (above) show a poor response by volunteers, including a 47 percent “understaffed” response to critical emergencies by the Walnut Hill Fire Station.
According to Escambia Fire Chief Pat Grace, the “understaffed” response computations were based on any response where a fire apparatus did not roll out of a station with at least three firefighters on board.
As NorthEscambia.com investigated the county report, we found apparent errors as the numbers relate to the rural North Escambia departments. For instance, apparatus used in the north-end include brush trucks and, in Walnut Hill, a medical squad — all of which have only two seats and can never respond with three firefighters. At fire stations in the north end of the county, one firefighter may respond from the station in a fire engine, while three or more of certified firefighters may respond directly to the incident scene in their private vehicles, but that would have been included in the report as an inadequate response, according to county officials.
In a letter dated Wednesday to each of the Escambia County Commissioners, union secretary Dimitri Jansen said the report data (above) provided to commissioners “could be construed as incorrect”, specifically among the North Escambia stations. Other inaccurately reported data could show a non or inadequate response when a specific apparatus is dispatched but instead response was in a different vehicle, or, in the case of Walnut Hill, Century and Molino, the response came from the district’s substation, the letter states.
Jansen’s letter admits that the problem with insufficient responses is an issue with departments in the south-end of the county, not among the northern, more rural departments.
“Overall the responses for North Escambia have been very successful and should be considered a model for any fire district within Escambia County,” Jansen wrote to commissioners. “It has never been our intention to inflate or deflate the data we provided to you in order to further any agenda. It is both for the citizens of Escambia County as well as that of Escambia County Fire Rescue best interest to provide you and the public with an accurate analysis of the large gap in fire protection.”
Gradia said it had been brought to his attention that data for north-end stations might not be completely accurate due to reporting criteria and different response methodology, but a volunteer response problem still exists in North Escambia, despite better responses than south end stations.
“We are not as concerned about the north end where they are doing a much better job,” Gradia said.
With the $50 fire tax increase, he said the union would like to see an additional 24/7 advanced life support fire crew stationed in North Escambia, likely in Molino or McDavid, to supplement the volunteer response, along with a 24/7 paid crew already in place in Cantonment and a daytime paid crew already in Century.
But Escambia County Public Safety Director Mike Weaver disagrees.
“I see nothing in the near future, the next 5-7 years at least, that shows any additional paid crews are needed north of Nine Mile Road,” Weaver said. He said the county “manpower” report being circulated was inaccurate for the North Escambia volunteer fire stations.
An internal Escambia County public safety report obtained Wednesday by NorthEscambia.com paints an entirely different picture for several fire stations than the report circulated by the firefighter’s union.
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The report details response from all fire stations in the county during fiscal year 2014. The report was generated after each and every questionable response was analyzed in the county’s fire services software, eliminating almost all inaccurate data for each station.
“This report more accurately reflects the true picture of department responses,” Weaver said. Rather than showing 47 percent inadequate response by the Walnut Hill Fire Station, for instance, the newly researched report (above) shows Walnut Hill missed zero percent of calls.
“We should be looking at the northern stations, particularly Walnut Hill and McDavid, and see what they are doing right,” he said. “Some of these stations are a perfect model of how the volunteer system can work”.
Weaver said paid-only crews would never work in northern stations. For instance, if a paid crew placed in Walnut Hill responded to a structure fire in the Molino district, it would leave 200 square miles in the Walnut Hill district without any response. “You are always going to have to rely on volunteers at some of these stations.”
But one thing is clear on both reports — volunteer non-response at several south-end stations is a problem, and the volunteer only model is simply not working at those stations.
“It’s just absolute garbage that the union is trying to push out the volunteers,” Gradia said. “Nothing could be further than the truth. Volunteer and paid can work together and compliment each other in a fire station.”
In addition to Ferry Pass, the union is currently pressing for the fire tax increase to fund career crews to higher volume stations in Bellview, Myrtle Grove, Innerarity Point and West Pensacola.
“We know that changes are necessary,” Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown said. “The north end is doing fine, but we must do something to provide adequate protection to the citizens of the south end. We need stations in the south where paid firefighters and volunteers are working together.”
Escambia County Commission Chairman Steven Barry said the commission will begin to hammer out the fire services issues at a workshop meeting on April 23.
Pictured: Volunteer firefighters battle a full-involved house fire on Highway 97 in Davisville last November. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.