Woman Sentenced For Smuggling Contraband Into Century Prison
October 13, 2013
A Tallahassee woman has been sentenced to probation after trying to smuggle contraband into a visitation the Century Correctional Institution.
Rose Ann Wiggins, 22, was sentenced to two years probation for possession of marijuana and smuggling contraband intoxicating beverage to an inmate. She was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.
Down And Dirty Mud Run Benefits Group That Helps People Stay Clean
October 13, 2013
Over 1,000 people got down and dirty Saturday in Cantonment as they climbed, crawled, waded and sloshed their way through the Cantonment mud in the Pensacola Mud Run. The proceeds from the event benefit Pathways for Change, a nonprofit committed to keeping people clean – clean from drugs and crime free.
The Pensacola Mud Run was an untimed obstacle course designed to push participants slightly out of their comfort zones. The start and finish were on 117 acres specifically developed for event next to the St. Matthews Baptist Church on Highway 95A in Cantonment.
The three mile loop included a dozen professional designed obstacles, ranging from balance beams across three feet of muddiness, rope walls, mudslides, military crawl through the mud, ice pits, dirt moguls, tires, haystack climbs and more.
The event also included a big surprise for one young lady as her muddy boyfriend proposed..and she said yes.
Pictured: “Team Dirty Faith” from Momentum Church makes their way through the course Saturday at the Pensacola Mud Run in Cantonment. Photos by Beck Lodge for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
17 High School Bands Take Part In Assessments At Tate
October 13, 2013
The Florida Bandmasters Association Marching Music Performance Assessments were held Saturday at Tate High School. Seventeen bands from across the area took part in the event.
Complete school by school results and more photos will be available and published next week on NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured: The Florida Bandmasters Association Marching Music Performance Assessments Saturday at Tate High School. Performances included bands from Northview (pictured top), Jay (pictured inset) and Washington (pictured below). NorthEsambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida GOP Rakes In Campaign Cash
October 13, 2013
Little more than a year before the 2014 elections, the Republican Party of Florida and its leaders are showing their financial muscle.
The state GOP raised about $5.1 million between July 1 and Sept. 30, more than three times the $1.44 million raised by the Florida Democratic Party, according to totals on the state Division of Elections website.
What’s more, the three GOP state Cabinet members — Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam — combined to raise nearly $1.2 million during the three months, while the Democrats do not have a name-brand candidate in any of the Cabinet races.
Large amounts of money also flowed to some GOP legislative leaders. As an example, Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, collected $208,462 during the three-month period, bringing the overall total for her re-election campaign to $410,887. Benacquisto does not have an opponent at this point.
Similarly, Rep. Steve Crisafulli, a Merritt Island Republican who is slated to become House speaker after the 2014 elections, raised $155,183 during the July-through-September quarter, giving him a total of $222,883.
Another example is House Majority Whip Dana Young, R-Tampa, who reported raising $102,561 during the quarter and a total of $173,711. Both Crisafulli and Young are unopposed.
State candidates, parties and political committees faced a Thursday night deadline for filing their third-quarter finance reports, which continued to trickle onto the state Division of Elections website throughout the day.
The Republican fund-raising dominance is nothing new, as the party has controlled the governor’s office since the 1998 election and both chambers of the Legislature for even longer. But the new numbers reinforce the financial advantage that the GOP will have going into an election year in which the governor’s office, the Cabinet offices and House and Senate seats will be in play.
Gov. Rick Scott has not opened a campaign account for his re-election bid. But the “Let’s Get to Work” political committee, which is closely aligned with his campaign, collected $4.4 million during the quarter and has reeled in more than $13 million this year, according to the reports.
Former House Minority Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston, is the only prominent Democrat who has announced that she will run for the governor’s office — though former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist is widely expected to announce he will run as a Democrat. Rich’s updated campaign-finance information was not posted on the state website Thursday afternoon.
Bondi’s numbers also had not been posted, but her campaign said it would report that she raised $624,594 during the quarter — her first since opening a campaign account. Putnam, meanwhile, raised $209,094 during the quarter, bringing his total to $800,105.
Atwater raised $343,116 during the three months, giving him an overall amount of $538, 241. A potential challenger also emerged this week for Atwater, as Deerfield Beach Democrat William Rankin opened a campaign account to run for chief financial officer.
Aside from the statewide races and money flowing to legislative leaders, the reports also indicate how support is lining up in some open races or competitive districts.
For instance, Pinellas County Republican Chris Latvala raised $90,105 as he seeks to replace term-limited Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, in House District 67. As another example, Broward County Democrat Kristin Jacobs raised $64,588 in her bid to succeed term-limited Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, in House District 96.
Walnut Hill Baptist Church Breaks Ground On New Family Life Center
October 13, 2013
Walnut Hill Baptist Church recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Family Life Center. The new building will provide additional Sunday School rooms, rooms for the church’s children and youth departments, a full basketball court, a full kitchen and a stage.
The ceremony was officiated by the church’s pastor, Rev. Ted Bridges. He was joined by contractor David Denham of D&D Construction; and Alex Jones, Ricky Smith, Kellie Ridgeway and Rachel Holland from United Bank. Also taking part in the ceremony were Walnut Hill Baptist Church trustees Brett Ward, Curtis Amerson and Carl Deckard.
Construction on the new Walnut Hill Baptist Church Family Life Center is expected to being in early November.
Pictured: (L-R) Rev. Ted Bridges, Brett Ward, Curtis Amerson, Carl Deckard, Alex Jones, David Denham, Ricky Smith, Kellie Ridgeway and Rachel Holland. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Truck Pull Benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities
October 13, 2013
Ronald McDonald House Charities’ Annual Fire Truck Pull was held in downtown Pensacola Saturday. Thirty-two teams competed to see who could pull a fire truck 50 feet in the fastest time.
This year, a new tournament style had teams advancing through the brackets to determine an undisputed champion. Each team had 15 people.
All proceeds benefited the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida, allowing the organization to provide a home away from home for families of children who travel to Pensacola to receive medical treatment.
Pictured top: The Ronald McDonald House Fire Truck Pull Saturday in Pensacola. Winners were: 1st place – Southeaster Dog Hunter’s Association (pictured below in pink); 2nd place – Naval Hospital Pensacola (pictured bottom); 3rd place – NAS Whiting Field Crash and Rescue (pictured inset). Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Thompson, Wiggins To Wed
October 13, 2013
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Wiggins and Mr. Charles Thompson are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter, Chastity Alita, to Scotty Dewayne, son of Mr. and Mrs. Buford Wiggins. The wedding will be held at Lake Stone in Century on Saturday, October 26, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. Reception to follow.
Friday Night Finals
October 12, 2013
Here is a look at Friday night football scores from across the area:
FLORIDA
- Graceville 44, Jay 14 [Read more...]
- Tate 43, Washington 10 [Read more...]
- West Florida 66, Rutherford 27
- Catholic 28, Milton 6
- Niceville 26, Navarre 0
- Crestview 22, Pine Forest 14
- Mosley 13, Gulf Breeze 7
- Pace 31, Fort Walton Beach 17
- Escambia 62, Leon 34
- Baker 42, North Bay Haven 0
- OPEN: Northview, PHS
ALABAMA
- Southern Choctaw 30, Flomaton 22
- Escambia County 34, Monroe County 22
- T.R. Miller 54, Southside Selma 14
- Bayside 34, W.S. Neal 26
- Escambia Academy 44, South Choctaw 10
Volunteers Lend A Hand In Day Of Caring
October 12, 2013
About 1,350 volunteers were hard at work Friday in Escambia County as part of the United Way’s 21st Annual Day of Caring.
The one-day community events put volunteers from area businesses and the military to work across the county to help nonprofit organizations and schools with lawn maintenance, painting, cooking meals and more.
In the North Escambia area, a volunteer group from the University of West Florida helped with landscaping and pressure washing at Tate High School. At Jim Allen Elementary School, volunteers from retailer T.J. Maxx worked to organize workbook pages.
Meanwhile, volunteers from manufacturer Pall Corporation worked across the campus, reading to students, cleaned the grounds, pressure washed and more. Volunteers from the NAS Community Outreach worked with Pathways for Change to set up the race course for the Pensacola Mud Run 5K on Highway 95A.
And volunteers from Ascend Performance Materials helped clean up and repair the nature trail at Escambia Westgate School.
It was estimated that volunteers donated more than a quarter million dollars worth of time and services Friday at 109 sites across Escambia County.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Move To Ditch ‘No Fault’ Insurance Coming In Florida Senate
October 12, 2013
Legislation is being drafted to scrap the state’s no-fault auto insurance coverage, as a landmark 2012 effort to remove fraud from the system remains tied up in court.
Insurance industry representatives say they have already been told the measure could come before a committee in November, and they’re just waiting to see what is in the package.
Senate Banking and Insurance Chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, said he’s advancing the measure at the request of a number of insurance officials who don’t expect reforms to the state’s decade-old Personal Injury Protection (PIP) auto insurance system to fully take hold.
“I’ve had several of our major insurance companies come to me and say that they are ready to move on, and that’s irrespective of a 1st District Court of Appeal ruling,” Simmons said. “They’re saying that the system is broke, we acknowledge it’s broken, it’s difficult to fix the unfixable.”
An appeals court ruling is pending in a challenge by a group of acupuncturists, massage therapists and chiropractors over a reduction of individual medical coverage and the contention that the law reduces access to courts.
The ruling is expected to be taken to the state Supreme Court, regardless of the outcome.
The 2012 law signed by Gov. Rick Scott requires those involved in motor vehicle crashes to seek treatment within 14 days, allows up to $10,000 in benefits for emergency medical conditions and $2,500 for non-emergency conditions.
Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis ruled March 20 the law illegally prevents accident patients from using PIP claims to pay for treatment by acupuncturists and massage therapists and limits the services from chiropractors. He also found fault with the law’s lower limit on how much will be paid for non-emergency medical care.
Backed by Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, the law was considered a last-ditch effort to maintain the no-fault, or PIP, system that requires motorists to carry $10,000 in medical coverage. Scott and Atwater contended that fraud involving no-fault claims collectively has hit motorists by as much as $1 billion a year through the increased costs of coverage.
Simmons said for most motorists moving to bodily injury coverage wouldn’t require much change to existing policies.
The state Office of Insurance Regulation has estimated that more than 70 percent of motorists already have some bodily injury coverage.
At the end of the 2013 session, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee voted in support of replacing PIP with bodily injury coverage in a similar measure (SB 7152). But the proposal failed to advance.
Sam Miller, executive vice president of the Florida Insurance Council, said his members are waiting to see what is included in Simmons’ proposal, with keen interest on what would be considered an appropriate level of costs for bodily injury coverage and if there is any medical pay coverage.
“It’s not as simple as do you support repealing PIP or do you not, our support of a bill repealing PIP and replacing it with a new system would be contingent on the details of the new system,” Miller said. “Our health insurers are concerned that if you replace PIP with only mandatory BI that there will be a shifting of costs to health insurance and an increase in health insurance premiums.”
Questions have also been raised that without no-fault, the shift in medical coverage could also put more cases into the courts as injured parties seek to recoup expenses from at-fault motorists.
Simmons said that the draft was still in progress.
Florida Insurance Council members have a series of conference calls planned next week to discuss the potential changes.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida