Escambia Students Score Above State Averages On EOC Exams
June 17, 2014
End of Course (EOC) test results were released Monday by the Florida Department of Education and, across the board, Escambia County students performed at or just above the state averages.
In Escambia County with 66 percent of students taking the Algebra EOC passed, which was also the state average.
In Geometry, 74 percent of Escambia County students taking the test were at grade level 3 or above. The state average passing was 64 percent.
In Biology, 71 percent of Escambia students earned a passing grade; the state average was 68 percent.
In U.S. History, 67 percent of Escambia students earned a passing grade, better than the state average of 65 percent.
Scott Signs Bill Targeting Synthetic Drugs
June 17, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed a bill that is the latest chapter in the state’s effort to curb the sale and use of synthetic drugs.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Clay Ingram, adds six new synthetic drugs to criminal drug laws.
With Attorney General Pam Bondi taking a lead role, Florida has made repeated attempts during the past few years to crackdown on synthetic drugs, which involve mixes of chemicals that produce highs similar to drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The new law also adds three toxic compounds – commonly found in the street drug “molly” – to the trafficking statute. The bill passed the House and Senate overwhelmingly during the spring legislative session.
“Thanks to the hard work of our superior law enforcement officers and prosecutors, Florida is at a 43 year crime low, but we must keep working to ensure our children are protected from these dangerous substances. By signing this bill into law, we are giving the brave men and women who serve in our communities each day the authority needed to keep Florida families and visitors safe,” Scott said.
“We must protect our youth from dangerous synthetic drugs, and this key public safety legislation will advance our efforts to keep these drugs out of the hands of Floridians. We are committed to doing everything in our power to continue to outlaw emergent forms of these deadly drugs,” Ingram said.
Century Mayor Freddie McCall took time during Monday night’s Century town council meeting to praise Ingram and the new law.
“Sometime drugs overflow in our town,” McCall said. “It (the new law) is going to make it harder on those selling drugs in our town.”
Escambia County Mosquito Control Urges Horse Vaccinations Against Eastern Equine Encephalitis
June 17, 2014
Escambia County’s Mosquito Control Division encourages horse owners to take preventative actions by vaccinating their horses for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in the light of increased production of mosquito species that may carry and transmit this widespread disease.
Recent local weather events have contributed to the emergence of both the primary and secondary vectors of EEE, a severe to fatal disease transmitted to horses by several distinctive mosquito species. Horses are “accidental hosts” of this disease, with a natural cycle that typically involves birds and the primary vector, Culiseta melanura, inhabiting cypress hammocks and other freshwater swampy areas.
To protect horses from the effects of this disease, vaccinations should be current and delivered on a frequency of two times each year, every six months in consultation with a local veterinary professional. In horses, the clinical presentation of EEE includes the following: apprehension, depression, elevated temperature, head shaking, muscle twitching, incoordination, weakness of hind limbs, inability to stand, aimless wandering, head pressing and listlessness. If you have questions or concerns, please consult your veterinarian for further information. Horses depend on their owners to prevent their exposure and avoid becoming victims of mosquito-borne disease.
Humans can take actions on their own to prevent their exposure to mosquitoes by avoiding activity at the times of dawn and at dusk when mosquitoes are active, dressing to cover exposed skin, using a mosquito repellent that contains DEET and by draining large and small water-filled containers, as may breed nuisance pests.
If you are experiencing mosquito problems, please contact the Mosquito Control Division. Inspection by a licensed applicator is required under state regulations and rule prior to any applications of pesticides. Call (850) 937-2188 and provide your name, address and contact number to initiate a response by Escambia County Mosquito Control.
Crime Stoppers: Do You Know This Man?
June 17, 2014
Do you know this man? He is suspected of stealing a silver Genesis bicycle from outside Walmart on Pensacola Boulevard in Ensley on June 2, according to Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers.
Anyone with information on this man is asked to call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Callers may remain anonymous and may be be eligible for a cash reward.
Molino Man Charged With Multiple Thefts In Florida And Alabama
June 16, 2014
A Molino man is facing charges in multiple thefts in Escambia counties in both Florida and Alabama.
Dakota John Kimrey of Chalker Road was arrested Friday in Century on charges from Escambia County, Ala., and he is now facing more charges in Florida. Charges between the two counties include multiple counts of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and attempted burglary.
Authorities said Kimrey, 21, was responsible for the theft of at least nine utility trailers, game cameras, feeders and other items from hunting camps in both states between February and June of this year. Numerous items, including over half of the utility trailers, have been recovered by law enforcement.
Kimrey is being held in the Escambia County, Fla., jail without bond.
As previously reported by NorthEscambia.com, Kimrey was arrested on June 3 on two counts of grand theft and two counts of uttering a forged instrument for allegedly writing checks stolen from his mother.
Scott Signs Charlotte’s Web Legislation
June 16, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott quietly signed a bill Monday legalizing a limited form of medical marijuana known as “Charlotte’s Web,” even as much of the state’s GOP leadership continues battling a constitutional amendment allowing more sweeping use of pot.
The measure (SB 1030) allows some patients to use a strain of marijuana that is low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but high in cannabidiol (CBD) — a mix that supporters say provides the health-care benefits of pot without the high.
The strain is supposed to dramatically reduce life-threatening seizures in children with a rare-form of epilepsy but has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“The approval of Charlotte’s Web will ensure that children in Florida who suffer from seizures and other debilitating illnesses will have the medication needed to improve their quality of life,” said Scott, who had announced during the legislative session that he would sign the bill. “I am proud to stand today with families who deserve the ability to provide their children with the best treatment available.”
The governor also signed a measure (SB 1700) shielding patient records related to the use of medical marijuana from public view.
The charge for the legislation was led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, a conservative Fort Walton Beach Republican who took up the cause after discussions with Holley and Peyton Moseley. They say Charlotte’s Web can help their adopted daughter, RayAnn, and children in about 150,000 other Florida families. Gaetz is also the son of Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
“Thank you @FLGovScott for signing the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act! #helpisontheway,” the younger Gaetz wrote in a Twitter post Monday.
The House limited eligible growers to large commercial nurseries that have been in business in Florida for at least 30 years. The measure also requires five distribution centers — one each in the northwest, northeast, central, southeast and southwest parts of the state.
Under the proposal sent to Scott, growers — who will also manufacture the substance and distribute it to users — must also be registered with the Department of Agriculture for the cultivation of more than 400,000 plants and post a $5 million bond.
Scott signed the bill as some conservatives are gearing up to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 2, which would allow for more widespread use of medical marijuana without the restrictions on THC content. That measure, backed by Orlando trial attorney and Democratic campaign contributor John Morgan, will go before voters in November.
Andrew Ittleman, an attorney who works on issues facing marijuana businesses in states that have legalized it, underscored the difference between the broader industry and the relatively narrow exception carved out for Charlotte’s Web in Florida.
“We’ve gotten one little variety, one little strain of cannabis passed,” said Ittleman, of the firm Fuerst Ittleman David & Joseph.
But he said that some of the issues that face growers in states like Colorado — where pot growers are facing trouble finding banks, for example — could still emerge in Florida under the law Scott signed, because the federal government would still consider Charlotte’s Web to be a Schedule I drug.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Flame Broiled: No Injuries In Vehicle Fire
June 16, 2014
There were no injuries in a vehicle fire on West Owens Street next to Burger King in Atmore this morning. The fire was quickly extinguished by the Atmore Fire Department before the car was a total loss. A witness said the female and her small dog escaped without injury. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Man Gets 15 Years In Prison For Drug Trafficking
June 16, 2014
A Century man has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison on drug charges that stemmed from a traffic stop in Pensacola.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop in August 2013 for improper window tint on Old Spanish Trail at the Moorings Apartments. The driver, 34-year old Kevin Lamar Brown of Ramar Street in Century, admitted to deputies that he did not have a valid driver’s license.
Inside the vehicle, deputies reported finding a plastic bag containing an unmarked pill bottle containing a large quantity of acetaminophen-hydrocodone pills and a digital scale.
Brown told deputies that he and a female had found the bag while visiting Wayside Park at the foot of the 3 Mile Bridge. He said he was taking the pills to a friend to see if they could be sold for money, according to an arrest report. Deputies also reported finding a plastic bag with crack cocaine and marijuana.
Brown was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance (hydrocodone), possession of drug paraphernalia, cocaine possession and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
Judge Terry Terrell also ordered Brown to pay $105, 568 in fines and court costs when he handed down the 15 year sentence.
Deputies Searching For Attempted Murder Suspect
June 16, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man wanted for attempted murder.
Michael Jerome Gratton, 30, is wanted in connection to a double shooting that happened on May 6th.
Just after 7 p.m. that evening, an 18-year old was shot in the leg near the 2500 block of South Catherine Avenue and North “S” Street. The victim was a “trauma alert” as he was transported to Baptist Hospital by Escambia County EMS.
A few minutes later, a second shooting was reported a on West Yonge Street. The 20-year old male victim of that shooting was transported as a trauma alert to Sacred Heart Hospital. He was reportedly shot in the back, possibly with a shotgun.
If you know the whereabouts of Gratton, you are asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at a (850) 433-STOP.
Appeals Court Backs Man In Anonymous Public Records Request
June 16, 2014
Siding with a man who filed public-records requests without giving his name, an appeals court said the city of Greenacres, Fla., could not require him to fill out a form before obtaining the documents.
The 4th District Court of Appeal overturned a lower-court decision to dismiss the case filed by Joel Edward Chandler. The case stemmed from public-records requests that were submitted by email to the city but did not include the name of the sender.
The city clerk responded that the sender needed to fill out a form on the city website before receiving the documents. The form was not filled out and, ultimately, a lawsuit was filed under the state’s public-records law.
The city argued, in part, that it did not improperly block access to the records but that filling out the form was required as part of the process to obtain payment for costs associated with providing the documents, according to the ruling. But a three-judge panel of the appeals court rejected those arguments.
“In sum, the city could not properly condition disclosure of the public records to the then-anonymous requester on filling out the city’s form and giving an ‘address or other identifiable source for payment of the associated costs,’ ” said the opinion, written by Judge Martha Warner and joined by judges Melanie May and Spencer Levine. “The city could have sent an estimate of costs through e-mail to the requester just as it could through regular mail, had the request been made via paper by an anonymous requester. Requiring appellant (Chandler) to provide further identifying information prior to disclosure could have a chilling effect on access to public records and is not required by the Public Records Act.”
by The News Service of Florida