Update: Missing Teen Located
May 12, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Monday night that a missing teen has been safely located.
Earlier story:
Carly Knoth, 15, was last seen Friday, May 9 in the 7600 block of Brook Forest Place off Scenic Highway. She is described as 5-feet, 6-inches tall, 130 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
“There is a concern for her well-being,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, noting that her appearance may be slightly different than the photograph provided.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Century, Pensacola Continue Negotiations On North Escambia Gas Franchise
May 12, 2014
The Town of Century and the City of Pensacola are continuing talks on a new natural gas franchise ordinance for the Town of Century.
Century currently holds exclusive franchise rights from Escambia County to provide natural gas service from the Escambia River westward to almost the Perdido River and from the Alabama state line southward to near Bogia. The franchise area includes Century, Byrneville, Bratt, Oak Grove, Walnut Hill and McDavid.
The 50-year franchise was granted by the county in 1968 to the Town of Century (then known as the Town of South Flomaton) to provide natural gas services to the northernmost part of the county.
Pensacola Energy, formerly known as Energy Services of Pensacola, currently provides natural gas service to commercial customers in Bratt and Walnut Hill — within the Town of Century’s gas franchise area. Pensacola Energy provides natural gas to Ernest Ward Middle School and Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill, and Bratt Elementary and Northview High School in Bratt. They also provide natural gas service to an unknown number of residential customers near Kansas Road, Green Village Road and North Highway 99 in Bratt.
The Escambia County Commission has agreed to hold off about 90 days to allow Century and Pensacola to work out their differences prior to scheduling a public hearing on the proposed franchise.
Pictured top: A Pensacola Energy meter in front of Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, inside the Town of Century gas franchise area. Pictured below: The Town of Century’s gas franchise map (click to enlarge). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Health Department Main Facility Closed, Services Relocated
May 12, 2014
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County’s (DOH-Escambia) main facility on Fairfield Drive sustained major damage in the recent flood and will remain closed until further notice.
All DOH-Escambia medical clinics provided at the Fairfield Drive location are currently suspended. The department anticipate resuming clinic services, at a location yet to be determined, by the week of May 19. A phone number for scheduling appointments will be posted as soon as that information becomes available. Other services usually provided at the Fairfield Drive facility are currently available at the following locations:
Established clinic patients needing medication refills call (850) 595-6500. Established clinic patients experiencing a medical emergency should go to an urgent care facility or hospital emergency department.
Pregnant women seeking presumptive Medicaid eligibility can find resources at escambiahealth.com.
2014 Florida Legislative Session: What Passed, What Failed
May 12, 2014
Florida lawmakers ended the 2014 legislative session late Friday after passing a budget and a flurry of other bills dealing with issues such as child welfare and school vouchers. But hundreds of bills died as lawmakers headed home to gear up for re-election campaigns. Here are 10 issues that passed during the session and 10 issues that failed.
PASSED
— BUDGET: Buoyed by a surplus topping $1 billion, lawmakers passed a $77.1 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The spending plan is the largest in state history and includes additional money for public schools, child-protective investigators and protecting and restoring the Everglades and other waterways.
— CHILD WELFARE: Lawmakers approved a package of changes to the child-welfare system after highly critical reports about children dying because of abuse and neglect. The bill includes steps such as trying to bolster investigations of child deaths and increasing transparency and accountability at the state Department of Children and Families and at privatized community-based care agencies.
— GUNS: The Republican-dominated Legislature passed a series of bills backed by gun-rights advocates, including a measure — dubbed the “warning shot” bill — that would allow people to threaten to use force, including showing guns or firing warning shots, in self defense. Another bill seeks to prevent schoolchildren from being disciplined for simulating guns while playing or for wearing clothes that depict firearms.
— JUVENILE JUSTICE: After struggling in the past to reach agreement on the issue, lawmakers approved a bill that seeks to bring Florida in line with two U.S. Supreme Court rulings about life sentences for juveniles who commit murders and other serious felonies. The bill calls, in part, for judicial hearings and sentencing standards that would vary depending on the nature of the crimes.
— MEDICAL MARIJUANA: In an issue that quickly gained support during the session, lawmakers approved a bill that would allow a strain of marijuana that backers say would help children who suffer from a rare form of epilepsy that causes severe seizures. The substance, known as “Charlotte’s Web,” is low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), so users do not get high.
— SCHOOL VOUCHERS: After the issue earlier appeared dead in the Senate, lawmakers Friday approved a plan to expand eligibility in the state’s de facto school-voucher system. Under the bill, additional families would be eligible to take part in the Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which provides tax breaks to companies that donate money to nonprofit entities that pay for children to go to private schools.
— SEXUAL PREDATORS: Lawmakers hurried at the start of the session to pass a package of bills aimed at keeping sexually violent predators locked up so they cannot attack again. The package, already signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott, came after an investigative report by the South Florida Sun Sentinel found that hundreds of sexually violent predators had been released only to be convicted of new sex offenses.
— TAX AND FEE CUTS: Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders made a priority of cutting $500 million in taxes and fees. The bulk of the cuts, ultimately totaling nearly $400 million, will come from rolling back vehicle-registration fees that were increased in 2009. Lawmakers also approved smaller proposals, such as holding a back-to-school tax holiday in August.
— TUITION: Lawmakers largely went along with Gov. Rick Scott’s calls to hold down higher-education costs, including by dramatically scaling back a “differential tuition” law that has allowed universities to request annual tuition hikes of up to 15 percent from the Florida Board of Governors without legislative approval. Also, lawmakers approved changes that will hold down costs for families in the Florida Prepaid College Program.
— UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS: In one of the most closely watched issues of the session, lawmakers approved allowing undocumented immigrant students to qualify for in-state tuition rates at Florida colleges and universities. Also, lawmakers approved a bill that will allow an undocumented immigrant to be admitted to The Florida Bar. The immigrant, Jose Godinez-Samperio, was brought to the country by his parents at age 9 from Mexico and later graduated from law school.
FAILED:
— GAMBLING: Lawmakers spent months studying potential changes in Florida’s gambling laws, including the possibility of allowing resort casinos in South Florida. But the heavily lobbied issue did not advance during the session, in part because lawmakers said the state needs to resolve negotiations on a gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
— GROWLERS: One of the most talked-about issues of the session dealt with regulation of Florida’s growing craft-brewing industry. The issue became known as the “growler” bill after the name of 64-ounce beer containers, but it died after what was more like a food fight in the beer industry.
— LAWSUIT LIMITS: Lawmakers took a timeout this year from the annual fights about limiting lawsuits, an issue commonly known as “tort reform.” Proposals were floated on issues such as trying to rein in so-called “bad faith” lawsuits and revamping the medical-malpractice system, but they did not move far. One exception was a bill that passed about nursing-home lawsuits, though that bill was negotiated by the nursing-home industry and plaintiffs’ attorneys.
— MEDICAID EXPANSION: Democrats railed throughout the session about the state’s refusal to accept tens of billions of dollars from the federal government to expand access to health coverage through Medicaid or a similar program. But House Republican leaders made clear in 2013 they wouldn’t accept the money, which would be available under the federal Affordable Care Act, and they largely ignored the issue this year.
— NURSE PRACTITIONERS: After years of debate about the idea, the House backed a plan that would allow advanced registered nurse practitioners to provide care without physician supervision. But the proposal faced heavy opposition from groups such as the Florida Medical Association, and it died in the Senate.
— PENSIONS: House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, spent two years trying to overhaul the state employees’ retirement system. He wanted to spur employees to move from the traditional pension plan to 401(k)-style investment plans. But Weatherford could not gain enough support in the Senate, where a coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined to block the proposed changes.
— RED LIGHT CAMERAS: Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, made a splash early this year when they called for repealing the state’s red-light camera law or at least making substantial changes in the local programs. But motorists should still be prepared to come to a complete stop, after those ideas stalled during the session.
— SPRINGS PROTECTION: Pointing to concerns about the health of Florida’s natural springs, a coalition of senators proposed an ambitious plan aimed at reducing pollutants going into spring systems. But while funding for springs was increased in the new budget, the House did not address the broader policy issues.
— STAND YOUR GROUND: Like Medicaid expansion, Democrats called repeatedly for changes in Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense law. But Republican leaders rejected the idea, with House Criminal Justice Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, somewhat famously saying before the session started that “not one comma” in the law should be changed.
— TRAUMA CARE: Parts of the hospital industry have battled for three years about the Department of Health’s approval of new trauma centers. The House and Senate appeared to support proposals that would have ensured the continued operation of three disputed trauma centers in Manatee, Pasco and Marion counties. But the proposals died Friday after becoming tangled in broader health-care bills.
by The News Service of Florida
Tate Academic Team Qualifies For Quiz Bowl Nationals, Needs Donations
May 12, 2014
C
The Tate High School Academic Team has qualified for the National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT), to be held in Chicago on May 31- June 1.
The team qualified by placing first overall at the Enterprise (AL) State College Cerebral Weevil tournament in December 2013. Tate is only school in the area with a team qualified to attend the national event.
In order to help raise funds, the Tate High School Academic Team is accepting donations. Donations can be made through a GoFundMe account by clicking here.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bloodsworth Commissioned Into Navy, Graduates From Auburn
May 12, 2014
Bloodsworth is a 2010 graduate of Northview High School where she was a NJROTC cadet under the leadership of SCPO Lee Coleman and Captain Charlie Code. She is the daughter of Howard and Sherrell Bloodsworth of Bratt.Barons Over Wahoos 3-2
May 12, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the top of the ninth only to have the Barons hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the inning handing the Wahoos their second straight loss, 3-2. Christian Marrero, who was just activated from the disabled list before the game, avenged a three-strikeout game with a three-run opposite field home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth for the game winner.
Both teams traded zeros over the first eight innings of Sunday’s game in Birmingham before the Blue Wahoos finally broke through in the top of the ninth inning. Steve Selsky opened the inning with a base hit then alertly moved up two bases on Devin Lohman’s sacrifice bunt to the third baseman. The base went uncovered and Selsky took advantage. Ray Chang, a batter later, executed a suicide squeeze perfectly to score the game’s first run. Rey Navarro and Brodie Greene followed with back-to-back doubles to put the Wahoos in front 2-0.
The Barons rallied in the ninth against Shane Dyer (L, 0-1), who came into the game perfect in four save tries this season. He allowed a leadoff walk and a one-out single to setup Marrero’s game-winning home run.
Robert Stephenson was stellar in 6.0 innings in his start. He allowed just four hits with a walk and five strikeouts in the no-decision. Drew Hayes followed him with back-to-back scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. Barons starter Chris Beck matched Stephenson for 6.0 innings. He also took a no-decision after allowing seven hits, two walks and one strikeout. Despite allowing both Wahoos runs in the ninth inning, Birmingham reliever Ryan Kussmaul (W, 1-0) earned the win.
Greene and Selsky paced the Wahoos offense with three hits each. Greene had a pair of doubles while all three of Selsky’s hits were singles.
Pensacola will try to get in the win column against the Barons on Monday afternoon. The Wahoos will send RHP Jon Moscot (2-2, 2.28) to the mound against RHP Myles Jaye (0-4, 5.25). First Pitch is set for 11:30 a.m. CT at Regions Field.
Carjacking Victim Stabbed; Suspect Shot By Deputy Following Chase, Wreck
May 11, 2014
A carjacking victim was stabbed and the suspect was later shot by a deputy following a chase and wreck Saturday night.
The incident began about 7:20 p.m. Saturday in the area of West Nine Mile Road and Pensacola Boulevard when Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies responded to an armed carjacking that had just occurred. A male victim had been stabbed, suffering non-life threatening injuries.
Immediately after the call was received, deputies located the carjacked vehicle in the area of Palafox Street and Olive Road. The driver of the vehicle fled, with deputies giving pursuit. The pursuit continued until the suspect crashed on Pensacola Boulevard and Ensley Street, near the Walmart store.
An officer-involved shooting occurred following the traffic crash, according to a spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The exact circumstances leading up to the shooting were not released.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital where he is expected to recover, authorities said.
Escambia County Sheriff’s investigators said the original carjacking incident and stabbing appear to have been drug related. The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is standard procedure.
Further details have not yet been released.
Pictured: A carjacking suspect was shot Saturday night by Escambia County deputy on Pensacola Boulevard near Walmart following a chase and traffic crash. Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Soldier Wins Car, Gives It Away To Sergeant Suffering From Leukemia
May 11, 2014
When dedicated blood donor and Florida National Guard Sergeant Jacob Thomas won a car in a blood center promotion in Escambia County…he knew almost right away that he was not going to keep it.
He decided to give the car away to his friend and fellow Platoon Sergeant William McNeil, Jr. who is fighting Leukemia and awaiting a bone marrow transplant.
“I got a reliable car, I don’t particularly need the money, so you know, it’s like helping a friend out. I mean, he needs it a lot more than I do. It’s the right thing to do. The car is just a bonus. The real winning is donating blood and helping people and saving their lives”, said Thomas.
“He told me I just want to give you the car. I was completely blown away and I really didn’t know what to say. I have a really old car and must travel to Shands Hospital in Gainesville for treatment. Now I have a car that will hold my family and one that is a gas saver”, said McNeil.
Jacob has been donating blood since high school and ironically enough, his friend William has received multiple blood and platelet transfusions due to the harsh effects of chemotherapy.
Pictured top: Florida National Guard Sergeant Jacob Thomas (blue shirt) signs over a Kia that he won to fellow Platoon Sergeant William McNeil, Jr. (left). Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tons Of Food Collected During Annual ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ Drive
May 11, 2014
Saturday was the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, with letter carriers in Escambia County collecting tons and tons of food to benefit local groups like the Manna Food Pantries.
Manna Food Pantries received 73,485 pounds of food, with more expected to trickle in next week from Publix stores and late donations at area post offices. Saturday morning, the Manna warehouse was nearly empty after having been devastated by the flood, but by the end of the day it was nearly fully again.
North Escambia residents were generous in their giving. The Century, Jay, Molino and McDavid post offices collected a combined total of 4,004 pounds of food — 722 pounds more than last year. The Cantonment Post Office collected 10,172 pounds, up 1,484 pounds over last year.
Each year the National Association of Letter Carriers holds the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive, where U.S. Postal Service employees pick up donations of non-perishable food along their routes.
Pictured top: Shelves restocked at Manna Food Pantries. Pictured inset and below: Letter carriers and scores of volunteers collect and sort food donations to Stamp Out Hunger Saturday. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
