Poarch Creeks Donated $6K In Computer Equipment To Atmore PD
March 3, 2014
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians Police Department recently donated for Dell laptop computers and docking stations valued at $6,000 to the Atmore Police Department.
“We are pleased to have this equipment donated, as a small department it can be a challenge to maintain the latest equipment,” the Atmore Police Department said in a statement.
Pictured top: Poarch Band of Creek Indians Police Department Assistant Chief Butch Lee withAtmore Public Safety Director Glenn Carlee. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Evers Bill: Motorists Should Face Tougher Penalties For Hitting ‘Vulnerable Road Users’
March 2, 2014
A bill filed in the Florida Legislature by Sen. Greg Evers would would impose tougher penalties for hitting certain road users.
Evers’ bill, and a companion House bill by Rep. Dwight Dudley, would impose a second-degree misdemeanor charge on any motorist who commits a moving violation that causes serious bodily harm to a “vulnerable road user”.
The designation would go to pedestrians, including people engaged in work on highways, and people lawfully on the road riding bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds or animals, or operating farm equipment, skateboards, in-line skates, horse-drawn carriages, electric personal-assistive mobility devices or wheelchairs.
The penalty would grow to a first-degree misdemeanor, with the potential loss of a motorist’s driver’s license for at least one year, if a “vulnerable road user” dies.
The penalties wouldn’t replace other charges motorists could face.
The proposal already has support from the motorcyclists-rights organization ABATE (American Bikers Aim toward Education) of Florida.
The measure is separate from the “Aaron Cohen” Hit-and-Run Act (SB 102 and HB 183), which has already started to move in the Legislature. That measure would make it a second-degree felony — rather than a third-degree felony — and carry the potential revocation of a driver’s license for a motorist who fails to remain at the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injuries. A motorist would face a minimum of four years in jail for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in the death of a person.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Pictured: A motorcyclist was critically injured in this hit and run accident on Highway 97 in Molino in April 2013. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Funeral Held For Atmore Police Officer
March 2, 2014
Law enforcement officers and first responders joined family and friends Saturday in honoring Atmore Police Office Dean Lindberg, who passed away Tuesday following a stroke. He was 54.
A retired Army Ranger, Officer Lindberg has been employed with Atmore Police Department as a full-time law enforcement officer since March of 2011. He had previously worked as a law enforcement officer for the Kent, WA, Police Department and the Whiting Field Naval Air Station.
He is survived by his wife of 14 years, Mary Ann Lindberg, two sons, Terry (Kate) Lindberg and Adam Lindberg both of Kent, WA, a daughter, Hunter Rose Lindberg, and a host of other relatives and friends. He attended the Grace Valley Baptist Church in Cantonment.
Funeral services were held Saturday morning at Johnson Quimby Funeral Home. Burial followed at Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church just off Highway 29 in Bogia.
Pictured top: The Atmore Fire Department flies a giant American flag along the funeral route to pay respect to Atmore Police Office Dean Lindberg. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Lady Chiefs Win T.R. Miller Tournament
March 2, 2014
The Northview High School Lady Chiefs won the T.R. Miller Invitational Tournament this weekend in Brewton, Ala.
The Chiefs went undefeated, taking the tourney title with an 8-2 championship win over Davidson of Mobile. Other teams in the tournament were Escambia County (Atmore) High School, McGill, T.R. Miller, Uriah and W.S. Neal.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rachel Grammer Named District 1 Miss FFA Sweetheart
March 2, 2014
Rachel Grammer of the Tate High School FFA was named the District 1 Miss FFA Sweetheart Saturday at Northview High School. First runner-up was Patra Miller from the Tate High FFA, and second runner-up was Victoria Kent of the Tate High FFA.
A dozen young ladies from the Tate, Northview, Ernest Ward and Bethlehem FFA chapters took part in the second annual pageant.
Pictured top: (L-R) Second Runner-up Victoria Kent, District 1 Miss FFA Sweetheart Rachel Grammer, First Runner-up Patra Miller, all of the Tate High School FFA Chapter. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Bill Filed That Would Allow Recreational Marijuana Use
March 2, 2014
In the latest twist in a debate about legalizing marijuana in Florida, Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, filed a proposal Friday that would allow the recreational use of marijuana. The bill (SB 1562) likely has little chance of passing the Republican-dominated Legislature.
But it calls for allowing people who are 21 or older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and also would allow them to cultivate up to six marijuana plants. The proposal also would create a regulatory structure that deals with issues such as the sale and taxation of marijuana.
The proposal comes as Florida voters prepare to cast ballots in November on legalizing medical marijuana. Also, lawmakers are considering proposals to legalize a marijuana extract that can help some children who have a form of epilepsy and suffer from severe seizures.
by The News Service of Florida
Two-Year Old Fatally Shot In Escambia County
March 2, 2014
A tw0-year old died after being shot in the head Saturday in Escambia County.
The shooting, which is being called accidental, occurred in the 1500 block of West Fairfield Drive about 10:30 a.m. The child was pronounced deceased at the scene by Escambia County EMS.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Further details including the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the child’s name, have not yet been released.
Branden Penegar Memorial Car Show Held In Gonzalez
March 2, 2014
The Branden Penegar Memorial Car Show was held Saturday at the Gonzalez United Methodist Church on Pauline Street in Cantonment. Penegar, the “Gentle Giant” was a 2011 graduate of Tate High School, an assistant coach for the freshman Aggies’ football program and varsity tennis team, and a member of the Tate High School Student Hall of Fame. He passed away in March 2013 at the age of 20.
Penegar was a active member of the Gonzalez United Methodist Church and youth program.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Locals Compete In Horse Show
March 2, 2014
Several local girls took part in a Coastal Jumper Horse Show at the Escambia County Equestrian Center, with Trinity Farms bringing home more than 120 ribbons including grand champions.
Among the local competitors and winners were: Morgan Mickel, Lexy Small, Tessa Walsingham, Molly Arnold, Trinity Smith, Rebecca Fulton, Aubrey DePury, Lindsey Walden, Sarah Birdsong, Ruth Gatewood, and Brystal Rhodes.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Avalanche Of Bills Filed Before Session Begins
March 2, 2014
Lawmakers might have largely taken off the last week before the beginning of the 2014 legislative session, but workers responsible for shuffling papers at the Capitol were not so lucky.
With the session looming — and, with it, the opening-day deadline to file bills for consideration this year — legislative offices were busily cranking out proposal after proposal. By 5:30 p.m. Friday, at least 101 bills had been filed — on that day alone.
Not much else was happening in or around the Capitol. A few last-minute press conferences were held, and the denizens of official Tallahassee quietly prepared for what they all know is coming: two months of controlled chaos.
SENATE SHOWS ITS HAND
After months of playing it close to the vest, the Florida Senate laid its cards on the table this week, releasing a 453-page gambling measure that, without changes, has a slightly better chance of passing the Legislature than a casino customer has of hitting a jackpot.
The bill (SPB 7052) would authorize two Las Vegas-style casinos in South Florida, create a gambling commission and allow voters to decide if they want to control future gambling expansions. The Gaming Control Board would oversee the Department of Gaming Control — with five members appointed by the governor and requiring Senate confirmation. That agency would replace the state’s Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering.
As for the giant casinos in Broward and Miami-Dade counties? Bidders would have to pony up $125 million just to play — though, unlike the casinos themselves, the state would refund the money to any losers — and then pay annual $5 million license fees while seeing their games taxed at 35 percent.
Despite the Senate’s apparent desire to consider gambling legislation, House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, insists his chamber will not pass any measures unless Gov. Rick Scott renegotiates a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Weatherford also wants any changes approved this year to be subject to a statewide referendum and require 60 percent approval for passage.
“I will defer to our committees on the substance of the Senate gaming bill,” Weatherford said in a statement Monday. “However, as I have said all along, the House will approach gaming in a comprehensive manner which means any change must include a constitutional amendment on the future of gaming expansion in Florida and a renegotiated Seminole compact.”
Scott has given no indication whether he intends to wrap up talks with the Seminoles in time for lawmakers to approve a new deal before the legislative session ends May 2. Scott also said he opposes the gambling commission included in the Senate plan and which Weatherford also supports.
GRADING ON A CURVE?
One of the biggest policy battlegrounds over the past few years has been public education. And while some of the more sweeping measures dealing with K-12 schools had already been filed before the week began — witness the voucher expansion bill the House has put forward — there were still plenty of ideas ready to pop.
Some of the biggest remaining changes are to the state’s system for grading schools. Almost everyone agrees that the accountability system needs to be put on hold in some form and for some period of time. The prescriptions for how long and exactly how to do that are what causes debate.
The leading contender is likely a bill that would follow Education Commissioner Pam Stewart’s proposal for dealing with new state education standards and the new tests on those standards that will be introduced in the 2014-15 school year. Under that bill (SPB 7060), schools would not face penalties for the grades they receive in 2014-15, but the grades would still be tallied, and the system for handing out those marks would be simplified.
While school districts and teachers have called for the grading system to be suspended and allow for a “transition period,” Stewart has insisted that the grading should go forward, helping to establish a starting point for future cycles.
Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, filed legislation (SB 1638) that would more radically change the system. The grading system would be paused for three years. Over the same time frame, a state test could not be the “sole determiner” of whether a student graduates or gets promoted to the next grade level.
“Florida’s accountability system is no longer credible in the eyes of the public — from the adoption of new standards, the selection of a new assessment, to the awarding of school grades,” said Montford, who doubles as the chief executive officer of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
Montford’s bill would also alter the state’s performance-pay law, approved by the Legislature in 2011, by lowering the portion of a teacher’s evaluation that has to be based on test results from 50 percent to 30 percent. Another 20 percent would be based on other measures of a teacher’s performance.
And it would delay for three years — from July 1 of this year to July 1, 2017 — the date when new employees are required to enter the state’s performance-pay system. A companion bill (HB 1197) was later filed in the House by Rep. Mike Clelland, D-Lake Mary.
PRESCRIPTION FOR CHANGE
Health care could also spark some conflicts in 2014, though no one expects the GOP-dominated Legislature to seriously consider a potential expansion of Medicaid paid for almost entirely by the federal government.
Sen. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, jumped into the fight over trauma care with a bill (SB 1276) that would overhaul the way Florida approves trauma centers and ensure that three disputed facilities remain open. The bill could also short-circuit a debate about how the Florida Department of Health determines where new trauma centers should be allowed to open.
It would allow trauma centers in operation on July 1 to remain open — a proposal that likely would ensure the continued operation of trauma facilities at Blake Medical Center in Manatee County, Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Pasco County and Ocala Regional Medical Center in Marion County.
A major lobbying battle is expected, with the HCA health-care chain backing the proposal while big hospitals in the Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Gainesville areas lining up to oppose it.
HCA has argued, in part, that allowing more trauma centers would better meet the needs of injured patients in various parts of the state.
“I think it (the bill) presents a clear path to moving forward,” said Stephen Ecenia, an attorney for the company.
Other hospitals see things differently. Mark Delegal, general counsel for the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, which represents public and teaching hospitals that have long operated trauma centers, said his group thinks current laws offer a proper balance for determining whether needs exist for new trauma centers.
Delegal described the part of the bill that would ensure the continued operation of the disputed HCA trauma facilities as the “big enchilada.” Also, he said a “proliferation” of trauma centers would reduce the volume of patients going to the highly specialized facilities, which could ultimately affect quality of care.
Grimsley also proposed a measure that would allow advanced registered nurse practitioners to prescribe controlled substances — but stops far short of a House plan to expand nurse-practitioner powers.
Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said he opposed a bill approved by the House Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation that would allow nurse practitioners to provide care without physician supervision.
Grimsley’s bill would keep physician-supervision requirements, though it would make some other changes such expanding the drug-prescribing powers of nurse practitioners.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Lawmakers pushed forward dozens of bills in the final week before the 2014 legislative session begins.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Certain legislators will file legislation they know will not pass because they will be able to demagogue during their campaigns and say, ‘I filed it but couldn’t get it passed.’ This happens in every state in the union and on the federal level. People use bills to accentuate their beliefs on certain issues. And those who want to be able to stand up and say, ‘I support the Second Amendment, I support the rights of law-abiding gun owners,’ are going to want to be able to vote on some pro-gun legislation and sometimes against anti-gun legislation.” — National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer, as the Legislature considers a series of gun-related bills.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida