Jacksonville Sunds Burn Wahoos 9-4 In Series Opener
April 20, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos battled back from four runs down to tie the series opener with the Jacksonville Suns in the sixth inning on Saturday night, but the Suns countered with a five-run rally to put away Pensacola 9-4 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
With Pensacola trailing 4-1 in the top of the sixth, Sean Black singled in his first professional at bat to extend the inning for Juan Duran. He proceeded to blast his second homer of the season, a three-run shot to tie the game at four. The Suns answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning against Wahoos relievers Black and Fabian Williamson. The Suns used four hits, three were doubles, and two walks to build the rally.
Brodie Greene broke out of his drought with a two-hit game including a double and a run scored. Yorman Rodriguez (3-for-4, RBI, R) and Duran (3-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI) led the way offensively for the Wahoos.
Daniel Renken got the start for Pensacola and went 3.0 innings allowing 4R/3ER on six hits with three strikeouts. Black took the loss after allowing 3 R/ER over 2.1 innings. Suns starter Anthony DeSclafani earned his third win of the year with 6.0 innings of work. He allowed eight hits, a walk and 4R/ER with six punchouts.
The Blue Wahoos will look to snap their four-game skid on Easter Sunday with RHP Daniel Corcino (1-2, 3.92) going against LHP Andrew Heaney (2-0, 1.56). First pitch is set for 2:05 CT from the Baseball Grounds.
by Tommy Thrall
Work Continues On Rockaway Creek Road Bridge
April 20, 2014
Work continued Saturday on the Rockaway Creek Road bridge over Rocky Branch on the Alabama/Florida state line. Work on the bridge, which was constructed in 1965, was originally due to be completed in late March. Pictured: Looking across the Rockaway Creek Road bridge from Alabama toward Florida Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Fall In Final Game Of Series
April 19, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell 3-1 to the Montgomery Biscuits in the final game of the series at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The Wahoos (7-8) drop below .500 for the first time this season. The Biscuits (9-6) have won three games in a row.
RHP Michael Lorenzen pitched 5.0 innings and gave up 2 R/1ER while giving up six hits in his shortest start of the season. For the first time this season, Lorenzen did not record a strikeout. Reliever Mikey O’Brien pitched well in relief eating up 3.0 innings for the Wahoos and gave up no runs. O’Brien gave up three hits and made a great catch on a line drive back up the middle to end the top of the eighth.
Designated hitter Yorman Rodriguez had a breakout game with four hits. Rodriguez’s four hits were the most by a Wahoo in a single game this season. Shortstop Devin Lohman had a two-out RBI in the fourth inning to cut the Biscuit lead to 2-1.
Biscuits LHP Grayson Garvin was scheduled to go just 3.0 innings and did just that giving up no runs and striking out six Wahoo batters. RHP Matt Neil made his first appearance of the season in relief of Garvin and pitched 2.2 innings giving up just 1 R/ER on four hits.
LHP Braulio Lara shut the door on the Wahoos over the final 2.1 innings of the game. Lara earned the save and gave up just one hit.
First baseman Cameron Seitzer went 0-for-4 but had a sacrifice fly in the top of the first to give the Biscuits the lead. Right fielder Joey Rickard put the Biscuits up 2-0 with a sacrifice fly in the second inning.
The Wahoos travel to Jacksonville next to take on the Suns in a five-game series. The Wahoos will send RHP Daniel Renken (0-0, 0.00) to the mound for the first game of the series on Saturday. Jacksonville will go with RHP Anthony Desclafani (2-1, 3.79).
by Joey Truncale
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost to the Montgomery Biscuits 3-1 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium Friday night. Photos by Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Blue Wahoos) for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Six Injured In Hwy 97, Hwy 29 Crash In Molino
April 19, 2014
Six people were injured in a two-vehicle crash Friday night at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
Officials said 33-year old Erica Wright of Pensacola was attempting a left-hand turn in her Hyundai Elantra from northbound Highway 29 onto Highway 97 when she pulled into the path of a southbound Chrysler Town and Country van driven by 62-year old Linda Murray of Lillian, AL.
Wright was not seriously injured in the crash. Three passengers in Wright’s vehicle — Bobby Ray Smith, 39; Mamie Smith, 53; and Lucy Driver, 53 — were critically injured and transported as “trauma alerts” to Pensacola hospitals.
Murray and a passenger were also critically injured and transported to Pensacola hospitals as “trauma alerts”. A dog in Murray’s van escaped serious injury.
Wright was cited for making an improper left turn.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway patrol.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, five Escambia County EMS units, Atmore Ambulance and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Escambia County and the Florida Department of Transportation are currently working on redesigning the Highway 29, Highway 97 and nearby Crabtree Church Road intersections and to install a red light. For more information, click here for an earlier NorthEscambia.com story.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
Maintenance Work Planned For Several State Roads, Including Hwy 4
April 19, 2014
A Florida Department of Transportation maintenance contractor will be performing striping operations at various locations throughout Escambia County through April 27. The slow moving operations will be performed at night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. at the following locations:
- State Road 4 in Century from U.S. 29 to the Escambia River Bridge
- State Road 95 (Palafox Street) from Pinestead Road to Diamond Dairy Road.
- State Road 95 (Palafox Street) from U.S. 90 eastbound to Ten Mile Road.
- I-10 east and westbound from the Florida/Alabama state line to mile marker 2.3.
- State Road 750 (Airport Boulevard) from North 9th Avenue to North 12th Avenue.
- State Road 30 (Chase Street) from Palafox Street to North Jefferson Street.
- State Road 30 (Gregory Street) from Alcaniz to Palafox Streets.
- State Road 295 (New Warrington Road).
- State Road 292 (Perdido Key Drive/Sorrento Road).
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Motorists are reminded by FDOT to travel with care through the work zone and to watch for construction equipment and workers entering and exiting the roadway.
State Attorney Clears Public Records Complaint Against Valentino
April 19, 2014
The State Attorney’s Office has cleared a complaint against Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino that contended he did not respond to a public records request in a timely manner.
The public records request was made by Douglas Underhill for emails related to the CMT show “Party Down South”. Valentino said, and provide written documentation from his company’s IT director, that a technical issue with his personal iPad may have caused a problem that led him to answer county business emails from his personal email — a violation of the county’s technology party. That, in turn, led to confusion in providing the records upon Underhill’s original request.
“The failure to provide the records at the time of the original request was inadvertent, we will take no further action regarding this matter,” Chief Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille wrote in a letter to Underhill.
Click here for related documents.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Pondering Where Things Stand
April 19, 2014
The Capitol fell largely silent this week, as lawmakers, lobbyists and some reporters took time to relax after the opening month and a half of the legislative session. The sniping between Gov. Rick Scott and his chief Democratic opponent, former Gov. Charlie Crist, continued to generate emails and tweets.
But for the most part, it was time to reflect on where the session’s major bills stand and where they could be going. Here are some top issues to watch as the final two weeks approach.
TOP PRIORITY: BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
Outside of once-a-decade redistricting sessions, lawmakers are fond of saying they have one constitutional duty every year: passing a balanced budget. This year, with the week of Passover and Easter falling just two weeks before the end of the session, hammering out a spending plan is going to be a sprint.
That’s because House and Senate budget writers have a nine-day window to hammer out whatever differences might be left behind after leaders agree on “allocations” for different areas of the budget. There could be a few side deals (announced or not) that would take some of the big-ticket issues off the table. But the budget has to be done by sometime April 29 in order for lawmakers to wait the required 72 hours and approve the spending plan on May 2, the last day of session.
The plan is likely to settle in around $75 billion and make room for Scott’s election-year promise of $500 million in tax and fee cuts. The Legislature has already decided to cut nearly $400 million in vehicle-registration fees, and the House and Senate are now arguing over how to divvy up another $100 million or so in tax cuts, with potential breaks on everything from back-to-school supplies to cement mixers.
Leaders on both sides say the differences are small, with the Senate being more generous to higher education, while the House gives more to K-12 schools and education-construction projects. The two also differ about how much to spend on water projects and what kind of projects to fund. And there are items that account for slivers of the budget but have drawn public attention, like $13 million set aside in the Senate to allow Florida State University to start its own engineering college, independent of the program it now shares with Florida A&M University.
One thing that’s unlikely to happen: the House and Senate conference committees agreeing to find a way to draw down federal funds intended to expand Medicaid, as House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, asked them to do in a letter Thursday.
“In my view, what plainly will not be acceptable to most Floridians is the current legislative stance of ‘no thank you’ to an estimated $51 billion of available federal money over 10 years to address Florida’s health coverage crisis,” Thurston wrote. “Floridians expect and deserve that their federal tax dollars be put to work in our state.”
GOP leaders say the federal government has proven to be an unreliable partner in funding for joint programs like Medicaid, and they’ve ruled out any Medicaid expansion.
EDUCATION DEBATES: IMMIGRATION AND CHOICE
One of the most closely watched non-budget bills of the session has been a measure that would grant in-state tuition rates to some illegal immigrants (SB 1400) and potentially help the Republican Party get a toehold in the rapidly growing bloc of Hispanic voters.
Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, has led the charge to pass the bill after the House overwhelmingly approved a similar measure (HB 851). Just before the Legislature began its break for Passover and Easter, Latvala said enough senators had signed on to give him a majority that would support the bill.
Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, sent a letter Thursday to supporters reiterating that he would not vote for the bill. Gaetz had suggested he would not block the bill if it would pass the Senate.
“Though I am likely in the minority in the Legislature on this matter, I cannot support taxpayer subsidies in the form of tuition discounts for undocumented or illegal students,” Gaetz said.
The prospects for the bill took a nose-dive later Thursday, when Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, announced that he would not put the measure on the committee’s agenda. The bill was scheduled to make a final stop before that panel and then head to the floor.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, is still trying to push through a bill that would expand eligibility for the state’s de facto school-voucher system. But Gaetz sounded skeptical about the measure (HB 7167).
“There is no accountability provision in the House bill, and I think I still want to be faithful to the understanding that Speaker Weatherford and I had, when we articulated our work plan, that we would try to expand school choice with accountability,” Gaetz said.
SHOTS FIRED IN CULTURE WAR: GUNS AND ABORTION
With the November elections only a few months away, Republicans are also looking for measures that will fire up socially conservative voters — such as restrictions on abortion and bills advancing Florida’s reputation as a gun-friendly state.
The main flashpoint on abortion is a measure (HB 1047) that would largely bar the procedures if doctors determine that fetuses have reached viability. The bill passed the House and is scheduled to be heard Monday by the Senate Rules Committee.
Under current law, abortions in most cases are barred during the third trimester of pregnancy. But the bills would require that physicians conduct examinations before performing abortions to determine if fetuses are viable. If viability is reached, abortions would generally not be allowed — a change that the bills’ supporters say could prevent abortions around the 20th week of pregnancy.
It’s not clear whether the Senate companion (SB 918) can pass the full Senate, where moderate Republicans sometimes team with Democrats to try to block abortion restrictions.
The culture wars could also emerge over legislation that would allow Floridians to carry concealed weapons without licenses during evacuations ordered by the governor. The House version (HB 209) has passed that chamber, and a counterpart (SB 296) could soon go to the floor.
Rep. Neil Combee, R-Polk City, said the “last thing you need to worry about is being charged with a crime because you’re taking maybe one of your most valuable possession with you” when your house is damaged, the power lines are down and communications are out.
But Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami, argued against the bill by noting that part of the intent of the state’s concealed weapons licenses is so individuals are trained to carry.
“Perhaps we can help encourage people that part of hurricane preparedness is that if you feel the need the carry a weapon on your person, if there is an emergency, get a conceal carry permit,” Rodriguez said.
A PLETHORA OF OTHER ISSUES
Lawmakers will grapple with dozens of other bills as they look to get out of Tallahassee in early May and start campaigning for the November elections. The issues range from industry fights, such as hospitals battling about new trauma centers, to quirky bills, such as creating the position of state poet laureate.
But while the Capitol gets filled with political intrigue and lobbying battles at the end of each session, it’s important to remember that some legislation can have far-reaching effects.
As an example, the House and Senate are still working on bills that would address gaps in Florida’s child-protection system after revelations in The Miami Herald about the deaths of children who had previously come to the attention of the state Department of Children and Families.
And in an issue that affects state employees and other government workers, such as teachers, both chambers appear to be headed toward overhauling the state’s pension system. Broadly, the effort seeks to encourage more workers to join a 401(k)-style investment plan instead of the traditional pension system. While employee unions have objected to changes, Weatherford and other lawmakers say an overhaul is needed to ensure the long-term financial stability of the retirement system.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Internet giant Amazon.com announced it will start collecting sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians as of May 1.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Indeed, the capacity to become pregnant is one of the most significant and obvious distinctions between the female and male sexes.” Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente, writing for the majority in a case regarding whether pregnancy is covered under Florida’s Civil Rights Act.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Unemployment Numbers About Steady In The Local Area
April 19, 2014
The latest job numbers released Friday show the unemployment level steady or inching downward in most of the North Escambia area — as Florida’s unemployment rate went up since the first time since the middle of 20110.
Escambia County’s unemployment remained steady between February and March at 6.7 percent. There were 9,213 people reported unemployed during the period. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 7.6 percent.
Santa Rosa County unemployment fell from 5.9 to 5.7 percent from February to March. Santa Rosa County had a total of 4,251 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 6.8 percent.
In Escambia County, Alabama, unemployment inched fell from 9.3 percent in February0 to 8.6 percent in December. That represented 1,210 people unemployed in the county during the month.
Florida’s unemployment mark rose from 6.2 percent in February to 6.3 percent in March. Jobs officials say the negative movement is in part because more people are in the labor pool.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced Friday that while the number of people with jobs has increased, the state’s unemployment mark rose from 6.2 percent in February to 6.3 percent in March.
A release from Gov. Rick Scott’s office briefly referred to the increase, instead focusing on the creation of private sector jobs across Florida during the past month, year and since January 2011, when the governor took office.
“Today I am proud to announce that Florida businesses created more than 20,000 jobs in March,” Scott, who is campaigning for re-election on job growth, also said on Twitter. The bulk of the new jobs were in service-related fields, topped by leisure and hospitality, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.
The last time the state’s monthly mark — based on estimates of the number of people employed and actively seeking employment — increased was in August 2010. At that time, the figure rose from 11.2 percent to 11.3 percent, and an estimated 1.03 million Floridians were out of work. There are currently an estimated 606,000 jobless Floridians.
Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 6.7percent in March, was up from February’s rate of 6.4 percent and was up from the year-ago rate of 6.6 percent
The jobless numbers released by Florida and Alabama do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are
Century Gets Look At Future Economic Development Plan
April 18, 2014
The Century Town Council got a sneak peek at their Economic Development Strategic Plan during a special meeting Thursday afternoon with the Haas Center, the research and consulting arm of the University of West Florida, updating the council on their work over the past several months.
Once finalized, the plan will lay out a vision, a road map of sorts, that will guide Century into their economic future.
Ideas presented by the Haas Center’s Brice Harris included: promoting educational opportunities at locals schools, free financial literacy programs, skills training, anti-poverty initiatives , development of partnerships with organizations that aid low income households and dropout prevention.
The plan also calls for identifying industrial opportunities, soliciting input from local businesses for marketing efforts, developing marketing, pursuit of a daycare program, partnerships with other local communities, improving Century’s “curb appeal”, expanding available broadband Internet services, Internet subsidies for low income residents, identification of mass transit needs, exploring the benefits of expanding the town limits, and pursuing grants for low income residents.
Also under the strategic plan, Century would work with business networks, provide support and training to local businesses, pursue grant funding to staff business incubator, offer small businesses classes, conduct a feasibility study for a local hotel, increase civic participation in local government, stream council meetings online, publish town council meeting minutes, utilize an online calendar, distribute a town newsletter and institute a youth leadership program. The town would also have an increase social media presence, organize more community events and work with area schools and churches to bring more youth-based activities and sports to Century.
In addition to research, the Haas Center has solicited input from area businesses, residents and other economic development agencies in the region in developing the plan, funded by a $25,000 a Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Under the grant requirements, the Haas Center is developing an economic and demographic profile report, local and regional market area analysis, accepted input from local and regional stakeholders and soliciting input from a steering committee.
The final draft of the strategic plan is due to the town by April 30, with an implementation plan and funding matrix to be submitted by May 30.
Pictured top: Brice Harris of the University of West Florida’s Haas Center provides a look at Century’s new Economic Development Strategic Plan during a Thursday afternoon meeting. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Win District 1-7A Championship
April 18, 2014
The Tate High School Lady Aggies won the District 1-7A championship Thursday night with a 8-1 win over the Navarre Raiders. The Aggies will now host Tallahassee Chiles in the quarterfinals next Thursday. Photos by Timothy Dunsford for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
