Ball Registrations Continue For NWE, Molino
January 24, 2014
Here is baseball and softball registration information for NWE’s Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill and the Molino Ballpark:
Northwest Escambia’s Bradberry Park will hold open registration for ages 3-18 on Saturday, January 25 from 10 a.m. until noon. Registration fees vary and a payment plan is available. A birth certificate is needed at the time of registration. For complete information, click here.
The Molino Ballpark is accepted all age groups from 3-16 year old. Registration will be held at the Don Sutton Ballpark on Crabtree Chuch Road on Saturday, January 25 and Saturday, February 1 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Registration is $55 for the first child, $50 for the second child and $45 for the third child. A birth certificate is needed at the time of registration. For more information, click here.
Northview Takes Two From Rocky Bayou; Friday’s Game Canceled
January 24, 2014
The Northview Chiefs beat Rocky Bayou in boys and girls basketball action Thursday night.
Northview 93, Rocky Bayou 61
The Northview varsity boys beat Rocky Bayou 93-61 Thursday night in Bratt.
Leading scorers for the Chiefs were Neino Robinson with 30 and Tony Mcaroy with 23 points. Also scoring for the Chiefs were Eric Williams with 16, Cameron Newson 10, Tydre Bradley 6, Trent Howard 3, Brodie Amos 2, Nick Lambert 2, and Jeffery Taylor 1.
The Northview varsity boys game against Escambia Charter scheduled for Friday night has been canceled.
Northview 41, Rocky Bayou 20 (Girls)
The Northview varsity girls beat Rocky Bayou 41-20 Thursday night in Bratt.
The Chiefs led 25-6 at the half and held the Knights to just six earned field goals. The NHS Chiefs were led by E’Layzha Bates with 12 points, Danielle Steadham with 11 and Lana Clayton with 11. Jada Tucker had 3, and Zacarra Davis and Mallarie Rigby added 2 points each.
West Florida has canceled girls games for Friday; the girls will play next Tuesday versus Jay at Jay in the district tournament at 6:00.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Molino Museum To Open Saturday
January 24, 2014
Grand opening for the Molino Museum be held at 10:00 this Saturday morning inside the Molino Community Complex.
At 2 p.m., Lil King, president of the Molino Mid-County Historical Society will host a presentation on “The History of Molino”. A special tour of the museum will be given following the event at 3 p.m.
With its location just 25 miles north of Pensacola, the Molino area, including the old town of Molino, played a vital role in the area’s settlement and development. From its start as a Spanish mission in the 1700s, an important mill town during the Industrial Revolution and into the modern era, Molino’s history is the story of life in rural Florida and how it has changed over the years.
The Molino Community Complex — the former Molino School — is located at 6450 Highway 95A.
Garbage Rates Rising In Century
January 24, 2014
Century residents will soon see a slight increase on their garbage bills.
The rate for residential service will increase 41-cents, from $15.70 to $16.11 per month for household waste. The town is passing along a 2.6 percent rate increase from Allied Waste, the town’s service provider. Under their contract with Century, Allied is allowed to periodically adjust rates based upon increases in the Consumer Price Index.
Commercial garbage customers in Century that utilize Allied Waste will see an increase of 2.76 percent.
Voting Rights Changes Would Not Impact Florida
January 24, 2014
A proposed overhaul of the Voting Rights Act that would essentially revive the process of “preclearance” would leave Florida out of the list of states that would have to get federal approval for changes to elections procedures, a scenario that concerns some voting-rights advocates.
Voting-rights groups, many of which have been involved in recent legal battles over elections issues in Florida, largely support the bill, introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. House and Senate members. But they note that the process in the bill for selecting which states are required to gain preclearance would not include Florida or several other jurisdictions that were included under an old formula.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as antiquated the formula Congress established in the 2006 version of the law to single out so-called “covered jurisdictions.” That formula, based on data from the 1960s and 1970s, was used to decide which parts of the country must submit almost any changes in voting laws or practices to the federal government for approval — the process known as preclearance.
Before the ruling, five Florida counties were among the “covered jurisdictions,” which in effect required the state to submit any rules or new laws affecting those areas. That allowed the U.S. Department of Justice or a three-judge federal panel to review essentially any statewide voting law as well.
Florida officials, who had challenged the preclearance section of the Voting Rights Act in a separate case, applauded the decision.
“Any time we have the opportunity to make our own decisions, I think that’s great for our state,” Gov. Rick Scott said at the time.
Under the new proposal, any state where governments were found to have violated the Voting Rights Act five times in a 15-year period would be subject to preclearance. While at least one of the violations would have to be committed by the state itself, others could be committed by local governments.
There would also be separate procedures for requiring that cities or counties be subject to preclearance.
“This bill modernizes the Voting Rights Act and will restore those protections that were gutted by the court, and will ensure that every citizen has an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy,” said House Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., at an event unveiling the change.
According to supporters of the legislation, it would sweep up four states: Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Under the old Voting Rights Act, Virginia, Arizona, Alaska and parts of California, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota were covered, along with Florida’s five counties.
That disappointed some groups involved in battles with the state of Florida over the last several years on everything from a massive rewriting of the state’s elections laws to efforts to remove the names of suspected non-citizens from the voting rolls.
“We’re very concerned on behalf of the voters of Florida and the groups we work with on the ground there,” said Katherine Culliton-González, director of voter protection for Advancement Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group involved in some of the legal fights in Florida.
One shortcoming of the preclearance formula, Culliton-González said, is that only a judge’s ruling or a denial of preclearance for a covered jurisdiction counts as a violation. If legal settlements or consent decrees were also included in the definition, she said, Florida would be eligible for coverage.
The new standard could actually encourage voting-rights groups and others to continue legal fights in hopes of getting a court order that would count toward preclearance, she said.
But advocates also note that the state would still be eligible for preclearance if there are problems in the future.
“We have concerns that Florida is not on the initial list, but because the proposal contains a rolling trigger, it will enable Florida … should it be necessary, to be on the protected list” again, said Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
Other provisions of the bill, including one requiring 180 days’ notice for changes that would affect federal elections and another making it easier to get voting changes blocked, would be implemented nationwide.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Single Vehicle Jacks Branch Wreck Injures Multiple People
January 23, 2014
Serveral people were injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Thursday morning on Jacks Branch Road.
The accident was reported about 11:30 a.m. in a curve on Jacks Branch Road, just off Muscogee Road. One of the patients was trapped in the vehicle for a brief time until extricated by firefighters.
Three patients were transported by ambulance to West Florida and Baptist hospitals. None of the injuries were considered to be life threatening.
Further details have not yet been released; the accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Reduced Service Hours Announced For McDavid Post Office
January 23, 2014
The U.S. Postal Service has announced reduced retail hours for the McDavid Post Office. The retail window will actually be open earlier and stay open later on weekdays while reducing service hours by five.
The new hours for the McDavid Post Office, effective February 22, will be 7-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8-10 a.m. on Saturdays. The post office’s retail window is currently open 7:45 -11 a.m. and noon – 3:45 p.m. during the week and 7:45 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturdays. Access to post office boxes will remain 24/7.
Residents and businesses in the 32568 zip code were notified in December that the Postal Service will take future action regarding the McDavid Post Office. They were surveyed with 77 percent of respondents choosing a reduction in hours over other options including closure.
About two dozen people attended a public meeting with postal officials on January 16, at which time they were reassured that the McDavid Post Office would remain open.
There are no plans to make any changes at the Walnut Hill Post Office, which shares McDavid’s 32568 zip code. The Walnut Hill Post Office is a contract location operated by Escambia River Electric Cooperative, providing retail window services and post office boxes.
The McDavid Post Office was the only local post office in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties on the current closure or cutback list.
Pictured: The McDavid Post Office. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Six Wildfires Reported Wednesday; Avoid Outdoor Burning
January 23, 2014
The Florida Forest Service responded to six wildfires Wednesday in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. The fire burned about 40 acres total, with one fire alone estimated at 20 acres. All of the fires were contained by nightfall.
“Dry, windy conditions will persist for the next several days and residents are advised to refrain from burning any yard debris and be careful during any outdoor activity that might cause a fire,” said Joe Zwierzchowski, wildfire mitigation specialist for the Florida Forest Service.
ECSO Investigating After Driver Hits House
January 23, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has released few details about an incident Tuesday night in which someone drove a vehicle into an Oak Grove home.
Deputies were dispatched to a disturbance at the home in the 1300 block of North Highway 99 just before 9 p.m. A short time later, the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was called to the home to check out a report of a vehicle that struck a house, and to make sure all was safe after the vehicle came to rest on a propane tank.
The fire department determined the home was structurally sound following the crash and determined there was no danger from the propane tank.
A spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday afternoon that the incident was domestic violence related and confirmed that there were no injuries. The spokesperson said an investigation is actively continuing, and there have been no arrests. Further details were not released.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview Celebrates Success In Reading
January 23, 2014
Northview High School is once again celebrating improved test scores — this time on the district reading subject area exam.
The exam is given to every student who takes a reading course at Northview High School. Of the students taking the exam, 84 percent passed, an improvement over last year’s 74 percent. Also this year, almost half of the Northview students taking the test scored between 80-100 while last year only 28 percent scored in the upper range.
Pictured with the students that took the district reading subject area exam are reading teachers Tammy Calloway, Megan Carroll, Barbara Luker, and instructional aide Rhonda Killam, Principal Gayle Weaver and Assistant Principal Gerry Pippins. Teacher Sue Jernigan, instructional aide Amy Holland, and Literacy Coach Margaret Blum also contributed greatly to the success of these students but are not pictured. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.