Vehicle Registration Fees Drop In Florida
August 30, 2014
Florida motorists will save on motor vehicle registration fees beginning Monday, September 1.
Floridians will save approximately $17 to $25 when renewing their registrations, depending on the size of vehicle. The fee reductions were proposed by Governor Rick Scott earlier this year and were approved by the Florida Legislature during the 2014 legislative session. While the reductions will save Floridians millions of dollars each year, it will not affect the level of service provided by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, officials said.
“This year, we set out to cut many taxes and fees on Florida families, and starting next week we are rolling back many of the 2009 tax increases on annual motor vehicle registrations. This fee cut will result in an annual savings of about $25 per typical motor vehicle. Families deserve to keep more of their hard earned money, and we will now be able to save Floridians $400 million, because it’s their money,” Scott said.
“The reduction in vehicle registration fees will benefit both individuals, as well as the Florida business community,” said DHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “There are more than 14 million registered vehicles here in Florida that are covered by these fee reductions and that is a lot of savings for the people of Florida.
Example reductions are as follows:
- Motorcycles — $17.05 reduction
- Autos/Trucks under 2,500 lbs — $18.55 reduction
- Autos/Trucks between 2,500-3,500 lbs — $21.55 reduction
- Autos/Truck more than 3,500 lbs — $25.05 reduction
The reductions will apply to vehicle registrations renewed on or after September 1, 2014.
Friday Night Finals
August 30, 2014
Here are final scores from around the North Escambia area Friday night:
- Northview 49 Bozeman 7 [Read more...]
- Tate 19 West Florida 7 [Read more, photo gallery...]
- Flomaton 42 Jay 20 [Read more, photo gallery...]
- Pine Forest 36 East Gasden 0
- Baker 30 Graceville 27
- Tallahassee Lincoln 31 Pensacola High 27
- Navarre 31 Catholic 21
- Niceville 55 Rutherford 7
- Choctaw 36 Pace 28
- Milton 28 Crestview 14
- W.S. Neal 27 Escambia County (Atmore) 6
- T.R. Miller 21 Tallassee 10
- Milton 28 Crestview 14
- Escambia Academy 21 Autauga 20
Escambia Prostitution Sting Nets 15 Arrests
August 29, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit has arrested 15 people for prostitution related crimes following an undercover operation.
The anti-prostitution operations took place over the past week and targeted both those individuals engaged in prostitution and the clients that sought their services. The arrests occurred after the suspects either offered to perform sexual acts in exchange for money with undercover investigators or sought sexual acts with undercover officers.
Atmore Hospital To Be Managed By Infirmary Health; Baptist Out
August 29, 2014
The Escambia County Healthcare Authority (ECHA) voted during a called meeting Thursday afternoon to move forward with a management agreement with Infirmary Health of Mobile rather than renewing a 20-year old agreement with Baptist Health Care of Pensacola.
Baptist entered into an agreement in 1995 to manage the 49-bed facility; that agreement expires in June 2015.
ECHA issued a request for management proposals as part of an inquiry period that began in late 2013. The proposals, including one from Baptist Health Care, were analyzed by the ECHA Executive Committee which ultimately recommended Infirmary Health.
“I am confident the board has recommended the option that will be best for employees, providers, our patients and the communities we serve. Now the hard work begins as we complete due diligence and negotiate the new contract. Be patient with us because we don’t have all the answers yet but will be working diligently to ensure the final contract represents the best interests of our staff, providers and the community,” said Ruth Harrell, chair of the ECHA.
As the largest non-governmental, not-for-profit healthcare system in Alabama, Infirmary Health is composed of three acute care hospitals, three post-acute care facilities, three diagnostic centers, and more than 22 medical clinics and other affiliates serving an 11-county area along the Gulf Coast and treating more than 800,000 patients annually.
Infirmary Health currently operates Mobile Infirmary, Thomas Hospital in Fairhope and North Baldwin Infirmary in Bay Minette. The company employees more than 4,900 people with about 700 physicians on staff. The company is the largest private employer in Mobile.
“We are pleased to have been selected to manage Atmore Community Hospital and are dedicated to providing superior healthcare to residents of the Atmore community. As a community-based health system, Infirmary Health has a 104-year history with a demonstrated record of exceptional quality and safety measures, high employee and
physician engagement and commitment to the communities we serve,” said Mark Nix, president and CEO of Infirmary Health.
Pictured: Atmore Community Hospital. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Photos: Ernest Ward At Jay HS Football
August 29, 2014
The junior varsity Jay High Schools Royals defeated their Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles Thursday in Jay, 24-12.
Ernest Ward’s Eagles will be in action again next Thursday, September 4 on the road in Fairhope, AL.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Calendar Change: Escambia Schools Cancel ‘Late Start’ Days
August 29, 2014
Three “late start” days on this year’s Escambia County School District calendar are being removed.
Schools were scheduled to start late on September 17, November 5, and December 3, but school will now begin on those days at the regularly scheduled time.
“This decision is based on a large number of concerns that parents have expressed regarding the late start days. Many parents have indicated that starting school late will create a hardship for them. As a result, we believe it is in the best interest of the families that we serve to cancel the three late start days,” Assistant Superintendent Steve Marcanio said in an email to school administrators on Thursday.
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas will recommend the calendar change at the September 10 meeting of the Escambia County School Board for formal approval.
Felony Fraud Charges Filed Against Former Escambia Schools Food Services Director
August 29, 2014
The State Attorney’s Office has filed felony fraud charges against Gail M. Szoboszlay, former Escambia County School District Director of Food Services, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Szoboszlay was hired by the Escambia County School District in July 2012 at a salary of $82,875. She subsequently resigned in February 2013 after issues were raised regarding the circumstances of her hiring.
The criminal charges resulted from an investigation of Szoboszlay by the State Attorney’s Office, with assistance of the Escambia County School District, which revealed that she had submitted a fraudulent job application and resume to the Escambia County School District. According to court records, Szoboszlay falsified or misrepresented her previous work experience, education, and arrest history.
Szoboszlay was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $10,500 bond.
Assistant State Attorney Russ Edgar, who directed the investigation, will prosecute the case.
Editor’s note: Szoboszlay’s mugshot was not available from the Escambia County Jail Thursday night.
Northview Grad Neiko Robinson Makes College Football Debut
August 29, 2014
Northview High School graduate Neiko Robinson made his college football debut Thursday night for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs as they rolled passed Northeast 41-8 in Perkinston, MS.
Robinson, a freshman defensive back, recorded five tackles, one quarterback sack and one pass breakup for the Bulldogs.
“I’m proud of the way our guys came out strong. They had a lot of energy and played fast and hard,” said new Gulf Coast coach Chad Huff after his first win.
Gulf Coast, ranked #9 in the NJCAA, takes on Northwest (0-1) Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. at A.L. May Memorial Stadium in Perkinston.
Thompson Indicted For Santa Rosa Double Murder
August 29, 2014
A Santa Rosa County grand jury Thursday indicted Derrick Ray Thompson for a double murder last month.
Thompson was indicted for two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of 60-year old Steven Tyrone Zackowski and 59-year old Debra Lynn Zackowski, both found shot to death in their Goliath Road home July 20.
Thompson was previously indicted in Bay County for the killing of Allen Johnson. The State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit intends to move forward and prosecute both cases at the same time.
Thompson allegedly fled Santa Rosa County and subsequently murdered Johnson in Bay County.
Johnson was discovered deceased on July 21. in his residence on Wilson Avenue when family members, concerned when they could not reach him by phone, went to his home, made entry and found his body.
Thompson, already a person of interest in the double homicide in Santa Rosa County, was quickly identified as a suspect. Thompson’s vehicle had been left in Johnson’s driveway and Johnson’s vehicle, a silver Toyota Tundra, was missing. Law enforcement believed Thompson had taken it.
Subsequent investigation revealed that while in Johnson’s vehicle, Thompson used money obtained from Johnson and Johnson’s cell phone to purchase illegal narcotics in Bay County shortly after the homicide. Based on this information, a warrant was obtained for Derrick Ray Thompson for the murder of Allen Johnson.
Information on the suspect and the vehicle was distributed to local media and media in the Alabama area when it was suspected that Thompson might go there. Thompson had done electrical work on a hunting lodge in that area.
A citizen in Troy, AL, familiar with a description of the vehicle from media reports, spotted the Toyota Tundra entering the hunting lease and reported it to local law enforcement. A team comprised of the US Marshals, the Troy Police Department, and the Pike County Sheriff’s Office formed a perimeter and, due to the fact Thompson was believed armed and dangerous and weather was bad, decided to wait for daybreak to move in on the suspect.
Thompson attempted to leave just before daybreak. When he got out of the Tundra to open the gate and leave the property, SWAT teams deployed a flash bang device and took the stunned Thompson into custody on the warrant from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office without further incident.
Law enforcement from Bay and Santa Rosa counties traveled to Pike County, Alabama and spoke with Thompson. After interviewing Thompson, investigators believe he committed the double murders in Santa Rosa County on Saturday, July 19, 2014. He fled Santa Rosa County and stayed that Saturday night with a friend on Panama City Beach. Sunday morning, Thompson went to Chipley and stayed overnight in a motel. After checking media reports online, he found out law enforcement had connected him to the double homicide in Santa Rosa County. On Monday, Thompson used a borrowed phone from the motel clerk and called Allen Johnson and asked if he could come to Johnson’s home on Wilson Avenue under the guise of borrowing money.
It is believed that Allen Johnson, an acquaintance of Thompson’s, was unaware that Thompson was a person of interest in the double homicide in Santa Rosa County.
Thompson was able to give law enforcement details about the murder of Allen Johnson not yet released to the public.
Allen Johnson was a deputy with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office from 1974 to 1988, working as a confidential informant prior to becoming a law enforcement officer. Johnson was the first to work undercover in drug enforcement for the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Volleyball: Northview Wins Beats Holmes County; Ft Walton Over Tate
August 29, 2014
The Northview Lady Chiefs earned a couple of big wins on the road Thursday at Holmes County, while the Tate Lady Aggies opened their season with a district loss.
In varsity action, Northvew beat Holmes County 23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14. In junior varsity play, Northview downed Holmes County 25-19, 25-21. The Northview Chiefs will host the Baldwin County Tigers on Tuesday. Play begins at 4:00 for junior varsity, 5 p.m. for varsity.
The Tate Aggies opened District 1-7A play with a loss to Fort Walton Beach, 25-13, 25-22, 26-28, 25-17.