Watch Their Video, Help Escambia Westgate Win National Contest
March 27, 2014
Escambia Westgate School is in the running to win a school recording package in a national contest.
The Concert for Music In Our Schools Month contest from the National Association for Music Education contest ends March 31, with the prize package awarded to the school with the most online views of their video.
View the Escambia Westgate video below, or click here.
Man Jumps Airport Fence, Gets In Pilot’s Seat To Go See Mom
March 26, 2014
A Georgia man told police he wanted to fly to Atlanta to see his mother and that he didn’t have any money, so he jumped the fence and climbed into a plane at the Pensacola airport this afternoon.
Mahiri Hanif, 20, of Atlanta, was charged with burglary/unoccupied conveyance unarmed after police said he climbed over a fence at the Pensacola International Airport and boarded an unoccupied cargo plane.
The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. Police officers said Hanif had gone inside the airport and tried to enter the airport concourse through the exit lane. An officer made contact with Hanif at the exit lane and told him he had to go through the TSA checkpoint.
Hanif left the area and was seen a short time later climbing over a fence topped with barbed wire, running up portable steps leading to the cargo plane, opening the door, and entering the plane.
When officers arrived, they found him sitting in the pilot’s seat and took him into custody.
I-10 Speed Limit To Be Increased
March 26, 2014
The speed limit on a portion of I-10 in Escambia County will be increased.
On Friday, the speed limit on I-10 in Escambia County will be increased from 55 to 60 mph from Davis Highway to west of Highway 29 beginning Friday, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
The change is being made based upon the results of a recent speed study, according to FDOT.
Cantonment Man Arrested For Burglaries
March 26, 2014
A Cantonment man was arrested for burglary after deputies say a homeowner caught him in the act — and then he was linked to another residential burglary.
About 3:30 a.m. Sunday, a resident of Virecent Drive said he went outside to investigate after he was awakened by the sound of his dogs barking. The victim told deputies he observed 21-year old David Tyler Morgan rummaging around the bed of his truck. The resident told Morgan that he’d called 911, and he advised Morgan to stay put.
The victim told deputies he believed he interrupted a burglary in progress because nothing was missing.
Morgan told deputies that he was riding a four-wheeler in the neighborhood with his girlfriend, but he decided to walk after getting into an argument her. He said he had stopped and was urinating beside the road when he was approached by an unknown male that told him to stay because he had called deputies. He denied rummaging through the pickup truck.
Deputies did locate Morgan’s girlfriend in the neighborhood on a four-wheeler parked near the intersection of Virecent Drive and Eden Lane. She provided a totally different account of what the pair was doing in the neighborhood, saying they were visiting a friend when her four-wheeler began to make noises, prompting her to stop.
Morgan was charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance.
The deputy in the Virecent Drive case was in a conversation with another deputy that had worked a burglary a couple of days prior in the 3000 block of Molino Road. The deputy mentioned the four-wheeler that was involved, which turned out to have been taken in the Molino Road burglary.
During the Molino Road burglary, someone forced their way into the residence of a vacationing couple, taking jewelry, a handgun and other items. A four-wheeler was stolen from an outdoor shed.
Deputies responded to Morgan’s residence in the 2100 block of North Highway 29, at which time Morgan produced several of the stolen items for deputies, according to an arrest report, including a handgun, jewelry and the four-wheeler.
For the Molino Road burglary, Morgan was charged with larceny from an individual 65 or older, grand theft of a firearm, armed burglary of a dwelling, grand theft of a vehicle and criminal mischief.
Morgan remained in the Escambia County Jail Wednesday morning with bond set at $38,000.
Learn How To Help Victims Of Fires, Crimes, Wrecks, Other Tragedies
March 26, 2014
You can learn how to help victims of crimes, house fires, auto wrecks and other life-changing events.
A training program will be held in Pensacola beginning at 6 p.m. April 3 for people interested in becoming volunteers with Trauma Intervention Programs, which teaches citizens how to give emotional and practical support to traumatized people immediately after tragedy strikes.
The classes will be held at the Pensacola Police Department, 711 N. Hayne St. The course, which takes 30-plus hours, covers such topics as “Dealing with Death,” “Street Smarts” and “Working with Emergency Responders.” It concludes April 12.
TIP volunteers respond to calls from hospital personnel, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics day or night. They help family members confronted with natural or unexpected deaths; crime victims; disoriented or lonely older persons; victims of vehicle accidents; and anyone emotionally traumatized by a crisis event. Volunteers range in age from teens to senior citizens.
More than 30 volunteers participate in the program, but more are needed. The volunteers range in age from high school students to senior citizens.
For more information, visit www.tip-ser.org or call (850) 612-1068.
Sewage Overflow Reported On East Kingsfield Road
March 26, 2014
A sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) occurred Monday at 505 E. Kingsfield Road as a result of a blockage in an air release valve (ARV) caused by debris, according to ECUA. The 4-inch ARV is designed to release air trapped in the high points of a pressurized sewer main, and the debris impeded the ARV’s normal operation.
ECUA crews immediately halted the spill and cleared the blockage. The overflow is estimated at 20,086 gallons, of which 4,800 gallons were recovered by vacuum truck and transported to the ECUA’s Central Water Reclamation Facility for proper treatment and disposal.
Per state protocol, the overflow area was then cleaned and disinfected with a biocide agent that abated any contamination concerns. The Escambia County Health Department, the State Warning Point, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection were notified, according to ECUA.
Northview Stadium Now Officially The ‘Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium’
March 26, 2014
After an emotional outpouring from those that knew “Papa Weave” best, the Escambia County School Board voted Tuesday evening to name the stadium at Northview High School as the “Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium”.
Tommy Weaver was a longtime DCT and Ag instructor and assistant coach who passed away suddenly at the age of 61 in March 2012. The Chiefs’ entire 2012 state championship football season was dedicated to Weaver.
“We love you Papa Weave, and you are forever in our hearts” Northview FFA 2nd Vice President Haylee Weaver tearfully said before the school board after encouraging their vote.
“He was definitely a colleague of mine , but more importantly he was a friend of mine,” Northview head football coach Sid Wheatley said. “It’s an honor for both myself and my team to be able to play in Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium.”
Ernest Ward Middle School Principal Nancy Perry spoke on behalf of Tommy Weaver’s son, Toby. “Thank you for doing this for his daddy, and it makes him real….,” Perry said.
“Proud,” Toby Weaver leaned into the microphone and said.
Pictured top: Northview FFA members Mitchell Singleton, Haylee Weaver and Courtney Weaver support the stadium name change before the Escambia County School Board Tuesday. Pictured bottom inset: Ernest Ward Principal Nancy Perry and Toby Weaver. Pictured below: The Escambia County School Board Resolution named the “Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium” (click to enlarge).
National Guard, Scott Back Emergency Concealed Carry Measure
March 26, 2014
A measure backed by the National Rifle Association that would allow people to conceal a firearm without a license during an emergency now has the open support of Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida National Guard but is still on hold in the Senate.
St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes on Tuesday for the second time delayed a vote on his bill (296), now seemingly stalled in the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee.
“Clearly we’re going to continue to work with law enforcement and the agencies involved to come up with a better product,” Brandes said Tuesday after again postponing a vote on the measure.
The bill could still advance because the committee may hold up to two more meetings, Chairman Thad Altman, R-Melbourne said.
Scott and the National Guard this week came out in support of the plan after NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer took issue with objections to the bill expressed by the chief lawyer for the Florida Department of Military Affairs. The agency is overseen by Scott, who is seeking re-election this year.
Hammer said she questioned the governor’s aides about comments made by Capt. Terrence Gorman, general counsel for the military agency, at a March 19 meeting.
“I’m not interested in bringing law enforcement on board. This is about law-abiding people being able to protect themselves in a time of emergency,” Hammer told reporters after the vote was postponed on Tuesday. “It is not about the convenience of law enforcement.”
Allowing people who have not had the required training to carry firearms during stress-filled times like evacuations can create a potentially “tricky” situation, Gorman told the panel during a March 19 meeting.
“When people aren’t thinking clearly … they probably shouldn’t have a weapon shoved in the back of their pants,” Gorman said last week.
After Gorman’s testimony, Sen. Charlie Dean, an Inverness Republican and former Citrus County sheriff, said he would no longer support the measure.
But in the wake of Hammer’s visit and at the request of Scott’s staff, the head of the Florida National Guard, Maj. Gen. Emmett Titshaw, sent Altman a letter saying the Guard backs the bill.
“Capt. Terrence Gorman is not authorized to speak for the Department of Military Affairs on legislative issues,” Titshaw wrote on March 20. “Department of Military Affairs supports Senate Bill 296.”
Titshaw said Tuesday that Gorman was only providing information last week.
“As the questioning proceeded, the perception could have been that he was in opposition of the bill,” Titshaw added.
Scott’s office confirmed that Titshaw was asked to write the letter and that the governor supports the bill.
“Our office took action to correct an inaccurate representation of this administration’s policy during a Senate committee meeting,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said in an email on Tuesday.
Brandes’ bill is slated for another committee stop before reaching the Senate floor for a full vote.
The House companion (HB 209) by Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers, is scheduled for a vote by the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, the bill’s final stop before it reaches the floor.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
County Paving Remaining Dirt Roads In Old Molino Area
March 26, 2014
An Escambia County dirt road paving project is near completion in “Old Molino”.
According to the county, the project consists of the design and paving of all or portions of:
- Brickyard Road
- Brickton Road to Barth Road
- Molino Road to Blake Street
- Blake Street from the West End to Brickyard Road
- McKinnonville Street from Molino Road to Brickyard Road
The project also addressed drainage upgrades necessary to prevent roadway flooding.
The project was designed to eliminate the dirt roads in the Old Molino area, eliminating the need for the county to send a motor grader to the area to perform routine maintenance.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Focus On Child Protection Gains Momentum
March 26, 2014
A Florida House panel approved a potentially groundbreaking child-protection measure Tuesday, designed to upgrade the effectiveness, professionalism and transparency of a state agency under fire after a series of children’s deaths.
The House Healthy Families Subcommittee unanimously passed the measure it had worked on since September, sparked by media reports about the abuse and neglect deaths of children — who, in many cases, had earlier drawn the attention of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
The bill (PCB HFS 14-03) would add tens of millions of dollars to the state’s child-protection services, said panel Chairwoman Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart.
“It’s got a big fiscal (impact),” Harrell said. “It’s probably $30 (million) or $40 million.”
Ryan Duffy, a spokesman for House Speaker Will Weatherford, said the House is proposing $1,071.5 million for child protection services during the upcoming budget year, with $791,168,438 going to privatized community-based care lead agencies.
The complex legislation would create an assistant secretary for child welfare at the Department of Children and Families. It would establish education requirements for child-protective investigators, case managers and their supervisors, along with tuition-exemption and loan-forgiveness programs for them.
It would keep siblings together and medically fragile children in their communities whenever possible. It would establish the Florida Institute for Child Welfare to conduct research and review policy results.
The bill would also create critical-incident response teams to conduct immediate investigations of child deaths, disappearances and other serious episodes of child abuse and neglect. It would require the Department of Children and Families to publish the basic facts of all deaths of children reported to the state abuse hotline.
And it would require greater transparency from the community-based care lead agencies about their budgets and administrators’ salaries.
“We want to have the very best child-protection system in the entire country,” Harrell said.
Gov. Rick Scott has recommended spending nearly $40 million to hire 400 new child protective investigators during the upcoming fiscal year.
But as the House and Senate studied the Florida child welfare system, it became apparent that other aspects were under-funded as well. Last fall the Department of Children and Families began conducting a “gap analysis” to identify the availability of services such as mental health and substance-abuse treatment programs.
This month, a Miami Herald investigative series, “Innocents Lost,” analyzed the deaths of 477 children whose families had a history with DCF over a six-year period. The Herald reported that the children died despite warnings that they or their siblings could be in danger. It also found that the agency’s budget had been reduced from $2.88 billion in fiscal year 2005-06 to $2.80 billion in fiscal year 2013-14 – even as the state budget grew from $64.5 billion to $74.1 billion.
The report galvanized lawmakers in both chambers. The Senate had already passed three measures (SB 1666, 1668 and 1670) along the lines of the House bill. But Sen. Eleanor Sobel, a Hollywood Democrat who chairs the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee, is rewriting her measure (SB 1666) to add the requirement of comprehensive services for children and families. Gaetz spokeswoman Katie Betta said the Senate could release an estimated cost for the bill as early as next week.
“I’m very hopeful,” said DCF Interim Secretary Esther Jacobo. “Nothing is guaranteed in life, I guess, but every legislator I’ve talked to, the governor’s office, everyone is so committed to — at the end of the session — having some comprehensive solutions to the child welfare system. Starting from resources, because you can do as many tweaks to the law as you want, but if you don’t have the time to do the things you need to do, you’re not going to do a good job.”
Sobel said that the community-based care lead agencies, which oversee adoption, foster care and case management services, “are doing a decent job. However, we need to provide more services with accountability measures.”
Harrell said if the committee process had permitted it, she would have kept the bill for another week to refine it further.
“Money is extremely important,” Harrell said. “You can’t do this without additional resources, whether it’s for (child protective investigators) or additional money into services — you’ve got to have both.”
She also pointed to troubled homes plagued by domestic violence. She said she’d continue trying to find legislative language to deal with boyfriends in the homes who can’t be put under court order, and to protect battered spouses as well.
“If there’s domestic violence in the home and you’re holding the victim responsible for the acts of the perpetrator …you don’t want to do that,” Harrell said. “So we’ve got to find the right language to make sure that we can help parents make the right decisions and take care of their children, keep their children safe.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida