Mobile Takes Season Opener From Pensacola
July 22, 2014
Minor league baseball’s strikeout kings for most of the season went head-to-head Monday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The result? The Pensacola Blue Wahoos Ben Lively retook the strikeout mantle with four strikeouts for 135 on the year. But the Mobile BayBears Aaron Blair had 9 Ks to up his total to 134 on the season and got the win in his Double-A debut.
Plus, Blair earned the first hit off Lively in the game in the fifth inning with a bloop single to left field.
Mobile won the opening game of the five-game series, 6-3, extending its winning streak to seven games. The BayBears are now 44-4 when leading after the seventh inning and the first half Southern League South Division winners now lead the second half, too, with a 20-9 record and are 62-36 overall.
Meanwhile, Pensacola fell to 10-21 in the second half and 41-60 overall.
Lively, who fell to 0-4, was trying for his first win at Double-A with the Wahoos, but left the game after walking the first two batters in the seventh and reliever Carlos Gonzalez allowed one of those BayBears to score. Lively did not allow a hit for the first 4.1 innings and only gave up two singles but ended up walking seven.
Blair, the Diamondbacks No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com, said his debut win was even more special since he and Lively have known each other for four years, playing in the same division in college, pitching as teammates for the same team in Cape Cod League (summer collegiate) and facing each other in High-A.
“It was about as good a debut as you can hope for,” Blair said. “It was cool getting to pitch and hit against a good friend.”
Lively, a Gulf Breeze product, said he feels no pressure about getting his first win of the season for the Wahoos. Lively has allowed 25 walks, hit 2 batters and given up 23 hits in 30.2 innings for Pensacola, so far.
“Once I have good games and not give up a lot of free passes and put up zeros the wins will start coming,” he said. “If I make the right pitches, I can get anybody out.”
Pensacola manager Delino DeShields gave Lively a pep talk outside the locker room after the game, telling him to stay in control of his emotions.
“Ben, even though he walked seven guys, still gave us a good game,” DeShields said. “I’m still waiting for him, and I don’t want to say this the wrong way, to control his emotions. I think it’s getting the better of him sometimes.”
Pensacola kept from getting shutout for the 11th time when catcher Ross Perez hit a two-out, three-run shot over the right field wall that made the final score, 6-3.
The second game of the five-game series with Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate the Mobile BayBears gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. RHP Daniel Corcino (8-8, 4.36) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the BayBears RHP Mike Lee (6-4, 4.14).
by Tommy Thralll
Old Sid Nelson, Ransom Middle Coming Down For Bus Compound
July 21, 2014
The old Ransom Middle School on Muscogee Road is coming down, most likely to make way for a school bus compound.
Most recently, the buildings housed the Sid Nelson Community Learning Center with a preschool and alternative school that shut down about four years ago. And a head start program called the old campus home, but it has now been moved to the Molino Community Complex for the next school year.
The Escambia County School Board voted to demolish the buildings, and, unless there’s a change in the next few weeks, construct a paved bus compound to park school buses overnight, provide basic maintenance and provide a fueling station.
But the Cantonment Improvement Committee, which was formed in 2012 to address blight in Cantonment, wants a community center on the property because their area is currently without one.
“There is a need for the bus compound in that part of the county, whether it is that site or not,” Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said. “That site must come down; there is no building there suitable for a community center.”
Thomas said he’s game to listen to proposals for the site if someone can find him about 10 acres in the Muscogee Road and Highway 29 area that is on a major road and suitable for the bus compound. Or, he said, it might be possible for the bus compound and a small, newly constructed community center at the Sid Nelson site to c0-exist on the 12 acre parcel.
“But I will not deal with the Cantonment Redevelopment Committee,” Thomas said, “because community centers are a county responsibility. I would deal with the county directly.”
But so far, there’s been no positive news from Escambia County about a possible community center for the Cantonment area. For now, the Escambia County Commission has pulled the renewal of the local option sales tax (LOST) off the August 26 primary ballot. LOST dollars are often used for project like community centers, but there are no funds for a Cantonment community center on a “wish list” of projects that would be funded by a LOST renewal.
“The Sid Nelson site ads to the blight of the area,” Thomas said. “And right now I’m stacking buses on school sites where there’s not room and inadequate light. That Cantonment site is what we need — and it’s already owned by the taxpayers.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tax Collector Offices Collecting Food Drive Donations For Manna
July 21, 2014
A food drive is currently underway at Escambia County Tax Collector offices, including Molino, downtown and Marcus Pointe.
The employees of Janet Holley, Escambia County Tax Collector, are supporting Manna Food Pantries by sponsoring a food drive to help them restock their pantry from the April flood. Their goal is to collect 2,000 pounds of food to help Manna meet the needs of the hungry in our area.
Nonperishable food items can be dropped off at any of the three convenient tax collector locations Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through August 6. Manna Food Pantries welcomes any food donations, but their most needed items are peanut butter, canned fruit, canned tuna and chicken, and canned dinners.
Escambia Count Tax Collector offices are located at:
- Molino – 6440 Hwy. 95-A North, Ste. A
- Marcus Pointe – 6451 North “W” Street
- Downtown – 213 Palafox Place
Florida Supreme Court Ponders New Juvenile Sentencing Law
July 21, 2014
The Florida Supreme Court has asked attorneys how a new state law might affect cases dealing with inmates who were sentenced to long prison terms for committing murders or other major crimes when they were juveniles.
The new law went into effect July 1 and was designed to carry out two landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings based on the idea that juveniles are different from adults and function at different stages of brain development. As a result, the U.S. Supreme Court held, juvenile sentencing guidelines must offer young offenders the chance to have their cases reviewed after serving a certain number of years.
Now the question is whether the state law or the U.S. Supreme Court rulings are retroactive to sentences imposed on juveniles in the past.
Last month the Florida Supreme Court asked attorneys in cases that might be affected by the new sentencing guidelines to submit briefs on the issue.That included cases from Bay and Duval counties, where juveniles were sentenced to 70 years or more. The attorney general’s office also is expected to weigh in.
One of the U.S. Supreme Court rulings, in a 2010 case known as Graham v. Florida, banned life sentences without a “meaningful opportunity” for release for juveniles convicted of non-homicide crimes. The other ruling, in a 2012 case known as Miller v. Alabama, banned mandatory life sentences for juveniles convicted of murder. Juveniles can still face life sentences in such cases, but judges must weigh criteria such as the offenders’ maturity and the nature of the crimes before imposing that sentence.
That’s why the Florida Legislature this spring passed HB 7035, calling for judicial hearings and sentencing standards that vary depending on the nature of the crimes. Under the law, a juvenile convicted of a murder classified as a capital felony could be sentenced to life in prison after a hearing to determine whether such a sentence is appropriate. If a judge finds that a life sentence is not appropriate, the juvenile would be sentenced to at least 35 years. Also, juveniles convicted in such cases would be entitled to reviews after 25 years.
But while the new law tries to bring Florida into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court rulings, it doesn’t mention retroactivity. Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, the law’s Senate sponsor, said it was not intended to address that issue.
“We were simply looking at a statutory scheme that was clearly unconstitutional,” the Fleming Island Republican said. “We were looking at two United States Supreme Court decisions that set forth certain parameters, and we developed a sentencing framework that complied with those two decisions. As far as how that applied individually to individual defendants, we’ll leave that to the court system.”
In the years between the U.S. Supreme Court rulings and the new law taking effect, juvenile sentencing cases have landed at the Florida Supreme Court.
As an example, one of the pending cases concerns Rebecca Falcon, who is serving a life sentence for a murder she committed in Bay County in the course of a botched robbery in 1997, when she was 15 years old. Another, from Duval County, involves Shimeeka Gridine, who was sentenced to 70 years in prison for crimes — attempted first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and aggravated battery — committed during an attempt to rob a gas station in 2009, when Gridine was 14 years old.
“We believe that (the) Miller (ruling) itself is retroactive,” said Tania Galloni, managing attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Florida office. She said Falcon and Gridine should be entitled to re-sentencing hearings.
Falcon’s attorneys are seeking to have her mandatory sentence — life without parole — vacated under the Miller ruling, arguing that as a new rule of constitutional law, it is retroactive for the courts.
“I’m not arguing that the new (state) law should be applied retroactively,” said Karen M. Gottlieb, an attorney for Falcon. “I’m arguing that the court has an inherent power and obligation to enforce constitutional rules of law that are retroactive. … That’s an important distinction.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, president of the Florida Sheriffs Association, said the Florida Supreme Court faces a balancing act. On one hand, the justices must comply with the U.S. Supreme Court rulings; on the other, he said, juveniles who commit serious felonies are a threat to public safety.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has already clearly said you can’t give them what amounts to a life sentence,” Judd said. “But we’re dealing with an extremely small percentage of people who are extremely violent, and the overwhelming majority of them would be again when set free upon society.”
But Galloni of the Southern Poverty Law Center said juveniles who commit crimes are still capable of changing the course of their lives.
“I think everyone involved in policymaking should be basing their decisions not on emotion or visceral reaction but on the science, on the facts,” she said. “And we know from the science of brain development that children are going to change.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Still Time To Register For Northview QB Club Softball Tournament
July 21, 2014
The Northview High School Quarterback Club will host a double elimination coed softball tournament August 2 at Showalter Park in Century from 8 a.m. until. The cost is $150 per team. Proceeds will go to support the Northview Chiefs football program.
Suns Take Finale Over Wahoos
July 21, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (10-20, 41-59) dropped the series finale, 5-2, to the Jacksonville Suns (18-11, 54-45) at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Wahoos fell to 1-7 over their last eight games.
The Wahoos jumped out to an early lead when starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen singled home his battery mate Ross Perez in the second inning. The Wahoos put together little more offensively, despite receiving three hit days from both Perez and center fielder Yorman Rodriguez.
In his first start since July 1, Lorenzen was able to work through the first three innings of the game unscathed, but the Suns put three runs on the board to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Catcher Austin Barnes homered for the second straight day to open up the inning and tie the score at one. Following the solo home run, Joe Benson doubled down the third base line and later scored on Brady Shoemaker’s double into left field. That gave the Suns a lead they would never relinquish. Shoemaker later came home to score on a Wilfredo Gimenez groundout.
The Suns tacked on another run in the fifth thanks to Barnes’ second homer of the game and they put the game away in the bottom of the eighth when Alfredo Lopez scored Alex Burg on an RBI single to right field. The Wahoos fought back in the top of the ninth with Ryan Wright scoring on an error, but Perez left a man in scoring position when he grounded out to end the game.
Lorenzen took the loss for the Wahoos, allowing 4 R/ER on eight hits while striking out two batters. RHP Drew Hayes pitched well in relief of Lorenzen, allowing just one hit over 2.1 innings of work.
RHP Jose Urena earned the win for the Suns; he allowed 1 R/ER over 5.2 innings of work. Urena struck out five, walked three and gave up seven hits. RHP Matt Ramsey earned the save for the Suns.
Pensacola returns to Bayfront Park for a five-game set with the Mobile BayBears on Monday. The Wahoos will send Gulf Breeze native Ben Lively (0-3, 4.38) to the mound for game one of the series. RHP Bradin Hagens (8-4, 3.95) is set to start for the BayBears.
by Joey Truncale
Escambia Jury Slams RJ Reynolds With $23.6 Billion Verdict
July 20, 2014
An Escambia County Jury has returned a $23.6 billion punitive damage verdict against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
The jury also awarded Cynthia Robinson an additional $16.8 million in compensatory damages. She filed suit against the tobacco giant in 2009 on behalf of Michael Johnson, Sr., her late husband and longtime smoker who died from lung cancer in 1996 at age 36 after smoked Kool brand cigarettes for years.
The trial took about four weeks to complete, with jury returning the damages about 10:00 Friday night after 18 hours of deliberations.
R.J. Reynolds plans to appeal.
“The damages awarded in this case are grossly excessive and impermissible under state and constitutional law,” J. Jeffery Raborn, vice president and assistant general counsel for R. J. Reynolds, said Saturday in a statement. “This verdict goes far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness and is completely inconsistent with the evidence presented. We plan to file post-trial motions with the trial court promptly and are confident that the court will follow the law and not allow this runaway verdict to stand.”
Highway 97 Collapse Repairs Complete
July 20, 2014
Repairs to a collapsed shoulder on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill are complete.
Back on May 15, the shoulder of Highway 97 about a mile south of Ernest Ward Middle School collapsed in an existing 50-foot deep gully after a drainage pipe separated and undermined the shoulder. About a month later, the situation worsened, with part of the paved shoulder falling into the hole, prompting temporary repairs by the Florida Department of Transportation. Crews used sandbags to shore up the shoulder on temporary basis back on June 13.
Permanent repairs were completed by Scott Bridge, Inc., for a total of $102,577. Since the damage occurred after the flooding event that led to a presidential disaster declaration for Escambia County, repair costs for Highway 97 will not be reimbursed by FEMA.
Pictured top and inset: Repairs complete to Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. Pictured below: A washed out pipe caused the road shoulder to collapse into an existing gully. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Grad Deploys To Afghanistan As Black Hawk Medevac Pilot
July 20, 2014
A Northview High School graduate is among a group of soldiers to be deployed Tuesday from Fort Bragg to Afghanistan.
Casey B. Wilcoxon is a Black Hawk medevac pilot with Company C, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
The air ambulance crews and their support personnel, who also go by the nickname All American Dustoff, are deploying for the first time since 2012, when they covered an area in eastern Afghanistan roughly the size of Virginia with their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
Wilcoxon completed the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Aviator Course and was graduated as a pilot from the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, AL, last September. He has been in the Army for seven years, formerly as a UH 60 Black Hawk mechanic, having achieved the rank of Sergeant prior to being commissioned as a Warrant Officer.
This is his third time in Afghanistan, his first as a pilot. His previous deployments were as an enlisted member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). He also had two deployments to Iraq with the 160th before becoming a pilot.
A 2006 graduate of Northview High School, Wilcoxon is the son of the late William B. Wilcoxon of Century and Erbie and Pamela Pritchett, also of Century and is the grandson of the late John Wilcoxon and Grace Wilcoxon of Century and James and Mildred Lambeth of Flomaton.
Editor’s note: The unit was originally set to deploy on Saturday, but the departure was delayed until Tuesday due to weather.
Pictured top: Casey Wilcoxon, right, embraces his wife, Kelley (also a Northview gradudate), and two daughters, Kami and Kali Saturday at Fort Bragg. Photo courtesy Abbi O’Leary/Fayetteville Observer for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Pictured inset: Casey Wilcoxon. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Teachers Union Challenges Bill Expanding School Vouchers
July 20, 2014
The state’s largest teachers union filed a legal challenge contesting how lawmakers “log rolled” a series of education issues — including an expansion of a controversial school vouchers program — into a single bill that passed in the waning hours of the 2014 legislative session.
The Florida Education Association, a longtime opponent of voucher programs, filed a complaint in the 2nd Judicial Circuit in Leon County that challenges the constitutionality of how legislators patched together legislation into a wide-ranging education bill (SB 850). The voucher expansion had appeared dead in the Senate until getting approved in the broader bill.
“This was a sneaky way for the legislative leaders to enact measures that had already failed,” said union Vice President Joanne McCall. “It’s an outrage that the corporate voucher expansion was tacked on to an unrelated bill and slipped into law on the session’s final day.”
The lawsuit, which is filed under the name of East Lee County High School social studies teacher Tom Faasse, was quickly criticized as “shameful” and a “new low” by the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which was founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
“As a society, we must work to unlock education opportunities for students who need them the most. Senate Bill 850 will help children with Down’s syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities have greater choices and the critical support necessary for successful education outcomes,” foundation Chief Executive Officer Patricia Levesque said in a prepared statement. “There are those who believe families should have options and trust parents in those decisions for their kids. And sadly there are those who find educational choices threatening to their political power.”
Incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, also criticized the lawsuit in a separate statement, saying, “It is unfortunate the hard-earned money our teachers contribute to the FEA is now being spent to fund litigation designed to limit educational opportunities for children across our state.”
McCall said after a news conference that the union had been working towards the lawsuit since the bill was approved May 2 by the Legislature. She added that the lawsuit is unrelated to the union’s endorsement of former Gov. Charlie Crist in this year’s gubernatorial race.
Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law June 20. Among other things, the law makes changes in middle-school and career education, along with continuing efforts to reduce hazing and prevent dropouts.
The House initially approved the bill 115-1 on April 30. But lawmakers broke along mostly party lines in the House and Senate as a 140-page amendment was approved on the final day of session.
The amendment included changes to the Tax Credit Scholarship vouchers program and created “personal learning scholarship accounts” that are aimed at helping parents of students with disabilities pay for educational services.
The Florida Education Association is seeking a quick decision in the lawsuit as the “personal learning scholarship accounts” are being introduced this week.
Union attorney Ron Meyer said lawmakers “log rolled” several pieces of unrelated legislation, loosely tied to education, into a single package, which is prohibited the Florida Constitution. The constitution requires each law to embrace a single subject that is “briefly expressed” in the title.
“Log rolling has always happened, and I guess unless someone says you have to follow the constitution, people will continue to go forward not following the constitution,” Meyer said.
The Tax Credit Scholarship Program provides tax credits to companies that donate money to nonprofit entities that then pay for children to go to private schools. Changes to the program were a major priority for House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.
Under the new law, a family of four earning up to $62,010 a year will be eligible for at least a partial scholarship, a nearly $20,000 boost from the current $43,568 annual income limit. The value of each individual scholarship also will rise.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida