Basketball: Northview Eliminated In State Semis
February 19, 2014
The Northview Chiefs lost to West Gadsden 61-54 Tuesday night in the state regional semi-finals.
The Chiefs were able to tie the game at 44 in the fourth quarter, but were unable to hold onto the momentum through the end of the game. West Gadsden advances to play Chipley in the regional finals after a 66-41 Chipley win over Port St. Joe Tuesday night.
Northview finished the season at 17-3.
‘Do Not Text’ Spam Bill Advances In Senate
February 19, 2014
A proposal to include text messages that feature sales pitches in the state’s “Do Not Call” list is one step closer to the Senate floor.
The measure by Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, received the unanimous backing of the Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee on Tuesday.
“This is a simple bill that simply keeps us up with technology,” Clemens said.
Currently, sales calls are prohibited when made by telephone solicitors to numbers on the list. The bill would expand the definition to include text messages. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has estimated the change could cost about $200,000 a year, mostly for the salaries of regulatory consultants and a staff clerk.
Gripes about violations of the state’s “Do Not Call” list easily dominated the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ top complaints for 2013
Northview Celebrates National FFA Week
February 19, 2014
FFA members at Northview High School are celebrating National FFA Week with a variety of events. Tuesday, the FFA officers and members prepared a homestyle breakfast for teachers, staff and invited guests that support the FFA program.
Pictured top: Northview FFA Parliamentarian Mitchell Singleton, 2nd Vice President Haylee Weaver, and Vice President Courtney Weekly serve breakfast Tuesday morning at Northview High School. Pictured inset: Northview FFA President Courtney Solari. Pictured below: Breakfast was served to mark National FFA Week. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cunningham, Chavers To Attend Boys State
February 19, 2014
Two Northview High School juniors — Matthew Chavers and Austin Cunningham — have been chosen by Atmore American Legion Post 90 to attend Florida Boy’s State. Attendees are required to attend one governmental meeting on the local level prior to the trip, and the young men chose to attend a recent meeting of the Century Town Council.
They are being sponsored personally by Century Mayor Freddie McCall.
Matthew Chavers is third academically in his class, a member of the FBLA, tutors his peers in algebra after school and attends Aldersgate United Methodist Church. At Pensacola High School, he was in the International Baccalaureate Program, president of the Chess Club and a member of the Mock Trial Team.
Matthew is an accredited legal secretary — one of the youngest ones in the country. For fun, he enjoys playing video games.
His father and grandfather are both Marine veterans, and his grandfather Mike Adams served in the Vietnam War.
Austin Cunningham plays center on the Northview football team, and was on the state championship team. He lifts weights, able to bench press 240 pounds. He’s a member of the FFA and shows livestock such as cattle.
Austin is class treasurer, SGA treasurer, a member of the Beta Club and is also a member of Highland Baptist Church.
Pictured top: Century Town Council members (seated) Annie Savage, (back, L-R) Gary Riley, Jacke Johnston and Ann Brooks with Northview Boy’s State representative Austin Cunningham and Matthew Chavers. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Board Of Education Approves Common Core Changes
February 19, 2014
The State Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to go forward with dozens of changes to the Common Core State Standards, a move that seemed unlikely to quell the grass-roots furor over the educational benchmarks.
The approval followed a raucous public hearing that seemed to indicate that passionate opposition to the benchmarks remains despite a concerted effort by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Education to tamp down conservative anger over the standards.
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart has argued that the changes, which include reinserting creative writing into the standards and explicitly including calculus guidelines, as well as the fact that the state has science and social studies standards that aren’t part of the Common Core, justify renaming the initiative as the “Florida Standards.”
Stewart told reporters after the vote that it made the state’s standards clear.
“The vote that the board took today certainly does lay to rest where we’re headed, the direction we’re going with our standards, and this is the right move,” she said.
But dozens of activists slammed the standards during a lengthy public hearing before the vote, portraying Common Core as a federal plot to take over education and blaming it for a variety of ills. While the benchmarks were spearheaded by a coalition of state officials, they have since been encouraged by the U.S. Department of Education.
“I do not want a watered-down, world-class system; I want a school system that promotes American exceptionalism,” said Chris Quackenbush, a leader of the anti-Common Core movement.
At one point, Quackenbush and board chairman Gary Chartrand clashed over an attempt to stop audience members from clapping during the meeting. For a while, the crowd seemed to go along, waving their hands and at least one American flag instead of applauding.
Stacie Clark, another critic of the standards, said Common Core was already causing health problems in the state because of stress over homework and coursework given to students who are too young.
“There is an emergent psychological pandemic taking place among children in Florida,” she said. “It’s called Common Core, or it used to be until it was rebranded. Our children are suffering from anxiety attacks, vomiting, emotional outbursts, headaches and even self-mutilation.”
Terry Kemple, president of Community Issues Council, a Tampa Bay-area Christian advocacy group, was among those saying there could be consequences for elected officeholders, as opposed to the appointed Board of Education.
“We’re hopeful that the Legislature and the governor realize before it’s too late that there will be a political price to pay if they don’t take decisive action to stop Common Core now,” he said.
A few speakers at the hearing took up for Common Core.
“These Florida Standards will help our state and its students remain competitive in the global economy,” said Morgan McCord of Florida TaxWatch.
The board also seemed to indicate agreement with a set of changes to the school grading system, which Stewart will now take to the Legislature. The initiative is meant to simplify the often-confusing grading process while also setting the stage for a new test that will be used in the 2014-15 school year.
While schools will not face penalties for the grades they receive that year, Stewart said the grades would establish a starting point for future cycles. She dismissed the idea that the state should forget doing the grades altogether for fear that it could shock parents and teachers.
“We’ll still see that, but it will just be a year later, and I’m not sure the benefit by just waiting another year,” she said.
But Florida Education Association President Andy Ford said the changes to the grading were “cosmetic” and wouldn’t fix problems with the system.
“Florida needs a pause in this madness,” he said. “School grades are underpinned by high-stakes testing. Even with the education commissioner’s proposed grading simplification, grades will still be largely based on high stakes testing — a test we don’t even have yet.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Nurse Practitioners Win First Round In Fight For More Power
February 19, 2014
Despite opposition from physician groups, a House select committee Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal that would give additional power to nurse practitioners — including allowing them to provide care without doctor supervision.
House Republican leaders have pushed the proposal, at least in part because they say it would help address a shortage of primary-care physicians in the state. Senate leaders have shown less enthusiasm, but Tuesday’s vote was a milestone for the group of health providers technically known as “advanced registered nurse practitioners,” who have long sought more authority.
“This debate will now be had because of the work we’ve done here,” said Rep. Jose Oliva, a Miami Lakes Republican who is chairman of the House Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation.
Physician groups, such as the influential Florida Medical Association, are lobbying against the proposal. They point to years of additional training that doctors receive to provide care and raise questions about why students would want to take on huge amounts of debt to attend medical school if they could do much of the same work as nurse practitioners.
“We’re trying to solve a problem of access and affordability (of medical care), and I think this bill comes at it from a very wrong direction,” said Rep. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican who was one of the lone dissenters in a 13-2 vote by the select committee.
Advanced registered nurse practitioners have more education and training than registered nurses and contend that they already provide much of the care envisioned in the bill (PCB SCHCWI 14-01). Along with applying to nurse practitioners who provide primary care, the bill would apply to specialists such as nurse anesthetists.
Under current law, nurse practitioners work under the supervision of physicians, receiving approval of what are known as “protocols” that outline care. The bill still would allow nurse practitioners to work under the supervision of physicians, but it also would free them to meet criteria to work independently. Also, they could get authority to prescribe controlled substances.
Rep. Cary Pigman, an Avon Park Republican and physician who is leading the House’s effort on the bill, rejected arguments about issues such as the proposed changes leading people to forgo becoming primary-care physicians.
“I see this as opening more doors,” Pigman said. “I see no doors closing.”
But the bill deals with what are known in Tallahassee as “scope of practice” issues, which physician groups typically watch very closely. Rep. Travis Cummings, R-Orange Park, described those issues as a “contact sport.”
Harrell and Rep. Elaine Schwartz, a Hollywood Democrat who cast the other dissenting vote, said they think the bill goes too far in expanding the nurse practitioners’ scope of practice.
“It is really much too broad for my comfort,” Schwartz said.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Trouble Looms For State Pension Proposal
February 19, 2014
Hopes seemed to evaporate Tuesday that exempting law-enforcement officials and emergency personnel would make changes to the state retirement system an easier sell this year, as a key senator signaled he had deep reservations about the measure.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee voted to introduce the bill (SPB 7046) by a 5-4 margin after Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, joined the panel’s three Democrats in voting against the measure. Latvala was one of a handful of renegade GOP senators who sank a more-sweeping pension overhaul last year.
“I’ve got more convincing to do,” said Senate Community Affairs Chairman Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, who sponsored the bill.
This year’s Senate proposal would close the Florida Retirement System’s traditional pension plan to new employees after July 1, 2015, though those employees already in the system would remain. New hires would be required to choose between a 401(k)-style investment plan and a “cash balance” plan, which in some ways acts like a 401(k) but guarantees a minimum benefit.
Employees would have de facto accounts set up and would be guaranteed a return of at least 2 percent a year on the money in their accounts. If the plan’s investments made more than 2 percent, then three-quarters of the extra money would go to employees.
Law enforcement officers and emergency personnel who qualify for the “special risk” category could still sign up for the traditional pension plan, a concession that appeared to be aimed at winning over at least some of last year’s critics. But Latvala said that some law enforcement employees wouldn’t qualify, and he questioned carving out certain groups.
He also criticized the decision to move forward with the bill before an accounting study on the effect of the changes was complete.
“I really am taken aback by how you would want us to start voting on a bill where — although you may understand, and you may believe in your heart, and I know you believe in your heart that this is the right thing for our future — when we don’t have any numbers, any actuarial study to show us that,” Latvala said.
Simpson said he could not guarantee that the study would be available in time for every committee that considers the measure, but suggested it would be available at least once.
“What I will say is that it would not be appropriate for the Appropriations Committee to hear this bill before we have that study back,” Simpson said.
Supporters say an overhaul is necessary to help preserve the pension plan without bankrupting the state. Lawmakers already set aside $500 million a year to try to cover costs of the “unfunded actuarial liability” in the plan. If the plan were to fail, Simpson said, retirees who rely on the fund could be wiped out.
“I would just say that anyone that’s opposed to these current shifts (is) jeopardizing everyone in this pension plan’s livelihood,” he said.
House leaders still have not spelled out their plan for revamping the retirement plan, long a top priority of Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel. The House is considering either a cash balance system or a proposal that would divide an employee’s retirement between the traditional pension plan and the investment plan.
“There’s a glaring problem with $500 million a year that we’re putting towards the pension fund as opposed to education,” Weatherford said Tuesday. “It’s too soon to say what exactly what it’s going to look like.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Chiefs Beat Rocky Bayou
February 19, 2014
The Northview Chiefs beat Rocky Bayou Monday night in Bratt, 4-2.
The Chiefs (2-0) will be action again Thursday night on the road for district game at Baker before returning home to face the Flomaton Hurricanes on February 24. Both games begin at 6 p.m.
For a bonus photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com and Ramona Preston photos, click to enlarge.
Century To Look To China For Local Jobs
February 18, 2014
In their search for local economic growth, Century is now turning to China for possible jobs.
The Century Town Council has approved spending about $3,650 economic development dollars to send Mayor Freddie McCall, Century Chamber Economic Development Coordinator Cindy Anderson and town consultant Debbie Nickles to the U.S.-China Manufacturing Symposium that will be held in Dothan on March 26-28. Co-organized by SoZo Group and China Chamber of International Commerce, the symposium will bring up to about 400 Chinese businessmen looking to bring businesses to American soil.
The Dothan event is the combination to two events, including the smaller Alabama-China Partnership Symposium that was held a few years ago in Monroeville, Ala. That event paid off for Thomasville, , a town of 4,209 people just over 100 miles northwest of Century, landed a deal with the Golden Dragon copper tubing plant that now employs over 100 people with plans to triple that workforce in the next year. The town was able to recruit the Chinese plant that employees local Thomasville residents without ever traveling to China.
Century was the only small Florida Panhandle community invited to participate, according to Nickles, by Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz.
“I believe the symposium will provide a unique opportunity for the town,” Nickles said.
Century’s price tag for attending the event includes $2,400 in registration fees, hotel expenses for Nickles and McCall (Anderson’s lodging will be paid the Century Chamber), and $1,253 for ad agency Ideawörks to create and print 500 tri-fold brochures promoting Century.
Former Corrections Officer Charged With Child Sex Abuse
February 18, 2014
A former Santa Rosa Correctional Institution employee has been arrested on multiple child sex abuse charges.
Billy Chad Gibson was charged with 10 counts of capitol sexual battery on a child less than 12 years of age. Investigators with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit said the abuse of a male victim allegedly occurred repeatedly between 2012 and 2013.
Gibson was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail last Thursday with bond set at $1.5 million. He was fired from his position with the state on Friday.