Senate Prez Doesn’t Like School Grades Decision
July 31, 2013
Raising concerns about parents not getting accurate evaluations of their children’s schools, Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said he was not a “big fan” of a state decision to prevent schools from dropping more than one letter grade this year.
Six Escambia County schools benefit from the one letter grade drop protection: Ernest Ward, C.A. Weis, McArthur, Montclair, Navy Point and O. J. Semmes.
“I don’t think you’re really kidding anybody when you say, ‘Well, we’ve got a C school that really dropped to an F school, but we’re just going to give it a D and hope that everybody sort of figures out that this is a school that’s not done so well,’ ” Gaetz said during an appearance this week on The Florida Channel’s “Florida Face to Face” interview show.
Gaetz, a former Okaloosa County schools superintendent, added, “I think when you get an F, you get an F. When you get an A, you get an A. And I think we ought to be honest with parents.”
Gaetz made the comments about two weeks after the state Board of Education voted 4-3 to prevent drops of more than one letter grade. That move came after school superintendents said they feared steep drops this year in the closely watched grades. Superintendents pointed, at least in part, to repeated changes in the state’s school-accountability system — 13 this year alone — which they say have made it harder to meet standards and have created uncertainty.
Gaetz acknowledged during the interview that changes had complicated the grading system.
For the 2013 school grade for every Escambia County elementary and middle school, click here. High school grades won’t be released until later this year.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Northview Schedules 9th Grade, New Student Orientation
July 31, 2013
Northview High School will host 9th grade and new student student orientation on Thursday, August 15, from 8-11 a.m..
Students will report directly to the theater. Signs and guides will be available to direct students to the correct area. Parents should arrange for transportation to pickup their child from the school promptly at 11:00.
Current 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students can pick up schedules, get their textbooks any time between 9 a.m. and noon on August 14. Upon arriving on campus, students should report directly to the attendance window to pick up schedules before proceeding to the media center for textbooks.
Parents can find bus transportation information on the school website.
Counselors will not be available for schedule changes at this time but students may pick up a change of schedule form. Offices will be closed from noon until 1 p.m.
Homicide Victim Found In Motel Room
July 31, 2013
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the homicide of a man found in Pensacola motel room on Monday.
The body of 57-year old Robert Jeffrey Weber was found in room at the Homestay Lodge on Mobile Highway about 7:15 Monday morning. Weber’s body was discovered by a hotel employee after he did not answer his door.
Tuesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office said their preliminary investigation had determined that the death was a homicide. Further details have not been released.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about Weber or his death to call them at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pit Bulls Attack Road Crew, Deputy Shoots Dogs In Self-Defense
July 30, 2013
Two pit bulls attacked a road crew and were later shot and killed by an Escambia County deputy Tuesday morning in the Grand Oaks Subdivision in Cantonment near Tate High School.
The incident began just after 7:00 a.m in the 900 block of Brandemill Drive where two pit bull terriers attempted to attack residents that were able to retreat to safety in their homes, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The dogs were next seen near the entrance to the subdivision where they attacked and bit two road construction crew members. The crew was able to fend off the attack by striking the dogs with hand tools.
The dogs retreated back into the subdivision where a resident who observed the attacks armed himself with a gun. He went searching for the dogs in his truck and came into contact with them at the intersection of Brandemill and Grand Oak drives where a man was walking his dog. The pit bulls became aggressive towards the man and his dog, prompting the resident to fire his gun into the air and scare off the pit bulls.
A deputy located the dogs in the 900 block of Brandemill Drive. As the deputy exited his vehicle, the dogs charged him from a nearby porch. The deputy discharged his shotgun once in self-defense striking and fatally wounded both dogs, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The road crew workers sustained minor wounds and were treated and released.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Animal Control are investigating the incident.
Pictured: A road crew back at work Tuesday morning after a dog attack in Cantonment. Photos by Christina Leavenworth, WEAR 3, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
911 Transcript: Burglary Call Leads To Man Being Shot By Deputies
July 30, 2013
911 Transcription
ECSO13OFF021716
Reported 2:38 a.m.
July 27, 2013
Dispatch: Sheriff’s 911 what is your emergency?
Caller: Yeah, I’m, um, 218 Shadow Lawn Lane somebody is trying to steal my neighbor’s car.
Dispatch: O.K., they are not trying to break in, they are trying to actually steal the car?
Caller: Yes. They’re actually already in the car, trying to hotwire it.
Dispatch: O.K. , O.K…. What kind of vehicle is it?
Caller: It’s a Cadillac. It’s a white Cadillac.
Dispatch: A white Cadillac. Is it 2-door, 4 door?
Caller: 4 door.
Dispatch: And the 218 Shadow Lawn is that your address?
Caller: No ______ is my address 218 is my neighbor’s address.
Dispatch: O.K… Can you tell, is it a male, female?
Caller: It’s a black male.
Dispatch: Can you tell what he’s wearing, or no?
Caller: He’s wearing a tank top, uh, dark colored.
Dispatch: Can you tell anything else?
Caller: No, not really.
Dispatch: O.K. and he’s still in the vehicle, right?
Caller: Yes
Dispatch: You said you heard him trying to crank it up?
Caller: Uh, yes… He keeps ducking down underneath the dashboard, trying to reach for something.
Dispatch: O.K., and you’ve never seen him before, right?
Caller: No.
Dispatch: What’s your name, sir?
Caller: My name is ________.
Dispatch: And your last name?
Caller: ________.
Dispatch: Aright. Just stay on the phone with me.
Caller: O.K.
Dispatch: We’ve got several deputies enroute. Do you want to speak to the deputies or no, do you just want them to get over there?
Caller: Uh, just get ‘em over here.
Dispatch: Alright. I completely understand. I just have to ask. Um, do you know if there’s any… did the guy come in a vehicle or did you just happen to walk outside and see him?
Caller: I actually was closing my child’s blinds, um, and saw the light on in the car.
Dispatch: O.K.
Caller: So I came outside to check it out.
Dispatch: Are your neighbor’s home?
Caller: Yes. They’re home. They’re asleep.
Dispatch: O.K… You don’t see anybody else standing around or anything like that?
Caller: No. I’m actually standing out in the yard. This guy doesn’t even notice me.
Dispatch: Oh… Let me know if he does anything. He still hasn’t gotten the car started, has he?
Caller: No.
Dispatch: O.K.
Caller: Looks like he’s rifling through the center console right now.
Dispatch: You should see the deputies any minute.
Caller: Alright.
Dispatch: He still has not noticed you?
Caller: No… This is crazy. I’m standing out here in the middle of the yard talking on the phone, and he’s hardly even noticed me.
Dispatch: You should see a deputy on the street now. Let me know if you see them… Do you still see him in the car?
Caller: Yes.
Dispatch: Do you see any deputies yet?
Caller: Uh, yeah, I see them.
Dispatch: You do, O.K.
Caller: Yeah. He parked just down the road. Looks like he’s about to walk up.
Dispatch: O.K. I’m going to go ahead and get off the phone with you, O.K.?
Caller: O.K. There’s the other one.
Dispatch: O.K. Bye.
Caller: Bye.
Century Plans Series Of Special Budget Workshop Meetings
July 30, 2013
The Century Town Council has scheduled a series of budget workshops next month to discuss the town’s fiscal year 2013-2014 budget.
The budget workshop meetings will be held Thursday, August 1; Thursday, August 22; and Thursday August 29. All meetings will be held at 2 p.m. in the council chamber at the Century Town Hall at 7995 North Century Boulevard.
Trials Delayed In Lottery Store Murder, Robbery
July 30, 2013
Trial was set to begin Monday for one of the Alabama men that allegedly robbed and shot a Davisville lottery store owner last November. But now trials for both men accused of the murder have been delayed.
Jury selection was set for Monday morning in the trial of Brent Dewayne Lambeth, 20, but a continuance was granted by Judge Linda Nobles until September. A continuance until September was also granted earlier this month for Malcolm McGhee Jr., 24.
Lambeth and McGhee remain in the Escambia County Jail without bond, charged with first degree murder and robbery with a firearm for the shooting death of 74-year old Thomas “Tommy” Kroll during a robbery on November 6, 2012, at the State Line O’ Yes Lotto on Highway 97.
Investigators said McGhee and Lambeth targeted Kroll’s business because they had previous purchased “Spice” there and the duo intended on robbing the store of more of the synthetic marijuana.
Pictured top and bottom: The scene outside the State Line O’ Yes Lotto on Highway 97 following the murder of store owner Thomas Kroll on November 6, 2012. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Childrens’ Advocates Look For Keys To Statewide Success
July 30, 2013
Children’s advocates from the capital area met Monday in Tallahassee to discuss — and at times debate — their top priorities for the families they serve.
They did so at a forum held by the Children’s Movement of Florida, which launched three years ago and is trying to turn its priorities — early learning, children’s health, special-needs screening and treatment, mentoring and parent engagement — into policy gains.
The meeting included a lively debate about how to get parents involved in their children’s programs. Some speakers said for the children to succeed, the parents must participate — and in any case, it’s the best use of slender resources.
Others said many of the parents they serve have their hands full trying to hold down two or three jobs, care for their kids and perhaps take a night class.
“In Chattahoochee and Havana, we never even see a parent,” said Theresa Flury, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend. “If we tell them, if you don’t come to a parent meeting, your child can’t come…We’ll have that child come on his bike and bang on the door, and say, ‘Please let me in.’ How do you say no? You just can’t.”
“We’ve got to go where they are if they’re not going to come to us,” said Ted Granger, president of the United Way of Florida.
Brittany Birken, executive director of the Florida Children’s Council, said there should be clear expectations for parents if they want their children to receive services.
“If we can do some organizing that helps parents know where to plug in and set some expectations, then we can look at where we’re falling short,” Birken said. “Are there specific groups of families that are falling out because of their level of crisis? And then move resources to address that.”
Vance Aloupis, statewide director of the Children’s Movement of Florida, said every local area has its own agenda, and finding it is the key to organizing Florida.
“How do you find that frustration, that energy within each of these local neighborhoods…that translates into effecting change statewide?’” Aloupis said. “This is a statewide movement.”
The Children’s Movement of Florida has divided the state into 17 regions, and Aloupis meets regularly with the leaders of each as they develop their lists.
In the Big Bend, on Monday, advocates represented the United Way, the Children’s Forum, the Early Learning Council of the Big Bend, the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at Florida State University, the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend and more.
They heard that the top five priorities for their region were the creation of a Children’s Services Council — an independent special district with dedicated funding — more support for the holistic Whole Child Leon, higher-quality early education, more comprehensive family-support services and community-based literacy.
Also on hand for the meeting: Courtenay Garcia, the coordinator for the Children’s Movement’s ReadingPals program in Tallahassee. The three-year initiative, administered by local United Way organizations, is trying to train and deploy volunteer “ReadingPals” in 10 Florida regions to increase the number of students reading at grade level by the end of the third grade.
By The News Service of Florida
Gaetz Suggests Residency Test For Lawmakers
July 30, 2013
The Legislature may be asked to consider imposing stronger residency requirements, amid allegations that a number of sitting lawmakers are loosely following the current rules.
Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said legislators should have a “litmus test” of sorts regarding residency beyond what is already in state law. But he wants top attorneys for the House and Senate to first recommend what standards are needed.
“This isn’t Great Britain where you can just run in a constituency that needs somebody to run. This is Florida in the United States where you’re supposed to represent the people you live among,” Gaetz said Monday.
State law says each legislator “shall be at least twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the district from which elected and shall have resided in the state for a period of two years prior to election.”
However, Senate Ethics and Elections Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, has raised questions about a number of Democratic lawmakers claiming residences within the districts they represent, but actually living outside those districts.
Besides directing their top attorneys to recommend standards for residency, Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, stated in a letter to Latvala last week that they have asked Secretary of State Ken Detzner to compile — by Sept.1 — a list of where all 160 legislators are registered to vote.
“Getting an answer to those questions was the point of writing the letter,” Ryan Duffy, a spokesman for Weatherford, said in an email Monday.
No deadline has been set for the House general counsel and the Senate general counsel to render residency recommendations.
State lawmakers, who tackled high-profile ethics and campaign-finance reform issues during the 2013 session, return to Tallahassee the week of Sept. 23 for the first committee week in advance of the 2014 session.
Latvala has recently expressed concerns about the residency of Democratic Sen. Maria Sachs, as well as Reps. Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, Hazelle Rogers, D-Lauderdale Lakes, and Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee.
Similar questions were directed at Republican Sen. John Legg during his 2012 Senate campaign after his filing paperwork listed a Trinity address that was outside his then-House district.
Gaetz said because of the questions that have been raised and comments he’s received from county supervisors of elections and attorneys, there needs to be “finer” rules in place regarding residency.
“Is it enough that you vote in the district that you represent? Is it enough that you’re homestead there?” Gaetz asked. “Is it enough that you pay your water bill there, that you get your newspaper there? What are the real tests of residency?”
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Escambia Man Convicted Of Double Shooting
July 30, 2013
An Escambia County man is facing up to life in prison for shooting two people last year.
Vernon Polk was found guilty as charged on the charges of attempted second degree murder with a weapon and aggravated battery with a firearm by an Escambia County Jury.
On June 18, 2012, Vernon Polk Walked up to the victim’s car outside the Chicago Store on North Davis Highway and opened fire, shooting then 31-year old Alonzo Lindsey twice in the chest and 28-year old Antoinette Hunter in the arm. Lindsey was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital where he underwent lifesaving surgery. Both victims were able to positively identify Polk from photo lineups.
Polk could be sentenced up to life in prison by Judge Linda Nobles on September 4.