Northview NJROTC Members Take Part In Teen CERT Training
July 26, 2013
Eight members of the Northview High School NJROTC unit participated in Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training this week, sponsored by the federal Emergency Management Agency. Teen CERT is a national program of volunteers trained in disaster preparedness and emergency response. Teen CERT training teaches teens about the potential disasters that could affect their area and how to safely and responsibly respond to them.
Pictured top: Northview Teen CERT members Elijah Harbison, Sean Allister, Donald Baity, Lane Carnley, Zacarra Davis, Dylan Cartwright, Kira Cartwright, and Shauna Walker. Pictured below: Teen CERT members learned basic firefighting techniques Thursday afternoon from the crew of Escambia County Fire Rescue Engine 519 from Century. Pictured inset: The teens practice moving an “injured” person using a chair. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Braves Beat Pensacola 1-0
July 26, 2013
Christian Marrero smoked a single just out of the reach of first baseman Mike Costanzo, scoring Mycal Jones to give the Mississippi Braves a 1-0, 10-inning win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Thursday night at Trustmark Park.
Jones set up the inning with a leadoff single before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch by Jamie Walczak. Edward Salcedo and Braeden Schlehuber were then walked intentionally to load the bases with nobody out. Walczak struck out Barrett Kleinknecht for the first out but Marrero snuck the liner past Costanzo to win it for Mississippi. Walczak took his first loss of the season by allowing a run on two hits in just 0.1 innings.
The walk-off dampened one of the best starts in franchise history turned in by Tim Crabbe. The right-hander shutout Mississippi over nine frames, limiting the Braves to just five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Crabbe needed just 98 pitches to get through nine innings, not allowing a single Brave past second base. It was the first time in franchise history that a Wahoos hurler had completed nine innings.
Mitch Atkins was equally as dominant for Mississippi, firing seven shutout innings for the Braves. Atkins struck out nine Wahoos against just one walk while allowing five hits. Pensacola’s biggest threat against him came in the fifth with Yorman Rodriguez on third base and one out. Tucker Barnhart chopped a ball to first where Barrett Kleinknecht fielded and fired home to nab Rodriguez, keeping the game scoreless.
Pensacola faced a similar fate in the eighth inning against reliever Pat Egan. Devin Lohman led off the frame with a double, moved to third on a groundout, but was stranded after Egan induced a pop out and groundout, the latter of which was a bang-bang play in which Donald Lutz was called out at first base.
Egan improved to 6-1 on the season with three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out one and allowing two hits.
The Braves have now taken two of the first three games in the series and look for the series victory on Friday night at 7 p.m. Josh Smith (7-8, 3.87) takes the ball for Pensacola against Mississippi’s Michael Lee (5-6, 3.96).
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Pit Bull And Wolf-Dog Attack, Kill Lambs; Owner Fights Back With Shotgun
July 25, 2013
A pit bull and a hybrid wolf-dog are being blamed for the deaths of eight lambs Thursday in Cantonment.
The two dogs attacked and mauled about nine Katahdin Lambs located in a fenced pasture behind a residence on Cooley Road, just off Highway 29, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The homeowner was able to retrieve a shotgun to defend the lambs, Sena Maddison, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said. He shot and killed the pit bull terrier. The hybrid wolf-dog fled from the scene. It was located and captured a short time later by Escambia County Animal Control.
Eight of the lambs died as a result of the dog attack.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Church Bus Vandalism Under Investigation
July 25, 2013
Members of a Gonzalez church are asking “why?” after someone broke into the church bus and unloaded an entire fire extinguisher.
The Gonzalez United Methodist Church members discovered the vandalism Tuesday morning. They say it was so bad that kids at church summer camp could not go on a planned field trip. They found a lot of broken beer bottles around the bus, but they say Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies found few other clues.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: Someone unloaded an entire fire extinguisher inside a bus belonging to the Gonzalez United Methodist Church. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Brain Cancer Claims West Florida’s Tristan Laurent
July 25, 2013
West Florida High School Jaguar Tristan Laurent passed away Wednesday at home. He was just 15.
Laurent battled a malignant brain tumor for just over a year. As a freshman last year, he played a portion of the 2013 season on the West Florida High School Jaguar freshman team. He was unable to complete the season due to his health.
He was honored by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos back in April, spending the day practicing with the Wahoos players. During a “Home Run for Life” during the night’s Blue Wahoos game, every player from both teams greeted Laurent during his lap on the field and he also received a bat signed by the entire Blue Wahoos team.
Funeral services for Tristan Laurent are not yet complete.
All Belle Foods Stores Up For Sale
July 25, 2013
As part of its ongoing bankruptcy, Belle Foods announced Wednesday that all 44 of its grocery stores — including those in Atmore and Brewton — are up for sale. The company previous announced the closing of 13 other stores, including four Food World stores in Pensacola.
Belle has agreed to sell the 44 stores because it believes the sale of the stores presents the best opportunity to maximize value for the benefit of its creditors. Bill and Jeff White, the owners of Belle, have retained the right to submit bids for the purchase of the stores.
Belle Foods and C&S Wholesale Grocers have reading an agreement for debtor-in-possession financing under which C&S has agreed to continue supplying the stores, ensuring that the stores will remain open to serve Belle’s customers. The agreement extends through at least October 4.
Belle has agreed to sell the 44 stores because it believes the sale of the stores presents the best opportunity to maximize value for the benefit of its creditors. Bill and Jeff White, the owners of Belle, have retained the right to submit bids for the purchase of the stores.
“At this point, this is the best way to serve our customers, preserve jobs for our employees and support our communities,” said Bill White, owner and president of Belle. “We expect these stores to be sold as on-going operations and will work with any new owners to see that our people remain employed. We have some of the best and most experienced grocery professionals in the south working in our stores.”
White concluded his statement by saying, “It would be great if Belle Foods were to exist in some form or fashion at the end of this process, but at this point, our focus is on our customers and teammates.”
The four Food World stores in Pensacola owed by Belle Foods are expected to closed before August 3.
Pictured: The Belle Foods store in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Greater Pensacola Chamber Selects Interim President And CEO
July 25, 2013
The Greater Pensacola Chamber Board of Directors recently announced its selection of former Pensacola Mayor Jerry Maygarden to serve as the Chamber’s interim president and chief executive officer. Maygarden, who was unanimously voted on by the Board, will oversee all operational aspects of the Chamber and its tourism arm, Visit Pensacola.
A former city councilman, Maygarden also served as a state legislator and majority leader in the Florida House of Representatives. He was the president and chief executive officer for the Baptist Health Care Foundation and has served as a senior administrator and chief development officer for the Baptist Medical System.
“As a Pensacola native, this community is very near and dear to my heart,” said Interim President and CEO Jerry Maygarden. “The Chamber is an exceptional organization, and I plan to work collaboratively with the board and staff to build upon its success.”
Maygarden will replace outgoing Chamber President and CEO Jim Hizer, CCE, CEcD, who is set to depart from the organization on August 15. The contract with Maygarden is expected to run between 90 and 120 days, after which the Chamber expects to find a permanent CEO.
“This role is critical to ensuring that the Chamber is operating at its peak performance and is continuing to serve as the region’s main economic development organization,” said Sandy Sansing, Chairman of the Greater Pensacola Chamber Board of Directors. “Jerry has a great reputation for his professionalism and integrity, and we are looking forward to his leadership as the Chamber continues to move in a positive direction.”
A graduate from the University of West Florida, Maygarden holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communication arts. He also completed professional development programs in public policy and church administration conducted by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, respectively. Maygarden officially began his new post on July 23.
Driver, Passenger Charged With Murder Following Pickup Crash
July 25, 2013
Two people have been charged with reckless murder following a single-vehicle crash Monday evening that claimed the life of a Brewton teen.
Nicholas Robinson, 13, was killed when the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado pickup in which he was a passenger left Travis Road (CR55) four miles southeast of Brewton, struck a utility pole and overturned. Robinson and another child were reportedly riding in the bed of the truck at the time of the crash.
The driver of the truck, 33-year old Earl Dickerson of East Brewton, and the adult passenger, 36-year old Angela Marie Robinson of Brewton, have both been charged with reckless murder. Authorities allege Dickerson was speeding and was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time Nicholas Robinson was riding in the bed of the truck. Robinson was charged for allegedly being under the influence of alcohol or drugs when she allowed her son to ride in the bed of the speeding truck. They are being held without bond in the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.
Anasia Brazile, 11, was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola in critical condition. Two other children, whose names have not been released, received less serious injuries in the crash.
Northview FFA Officer Team Takes Part In Summer Retreat
July 25, 2013
The Northview High School FFA officer team attended a recent Pensacola Blue Wahoos game as the first part of the summer retreat. Members of the officer team are: (front, L-R) Tabitha Chavers, Courtney Solari, Bethany Reynolds, Courtney Weekley, Haylee Weaver, (back) Tiffani Cruce, Moriah McGahan, Jessica Lauren, Hunter Kite and Kaitlyn Kleinatland. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Educational Testing Feud Highlights Common Core Rift
July 25, 2013
The controversy over Florida’s role in a testing system tied to new, national education standards highlights a simmering feud on the right between grass-roots activists who want Florida to abandon the benchmarks and longtime education-reform advocates who are urging officials to push forward.
For months now, conservative activists fearful of federal overreach have mounted a campaign to get Florida to pull out of the “common core” initiatives, a set of standards for student achievement overseen by the nation’s governors and school chiefs.
The campaign scored what some of its supporters consider a victory last week when House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, called for the state to break from a consortium of about 20 states crafting tests for students and create its own assessments for common core.
The resistance to common core has been known to state officials for some time, and some of those officials have called for a pushback against opponents’ claims, which they characterize as misinformation.
“If you listen to talk radio and anything else that’s out there, this wave is coming to kill common core,” Kathleen Shanahan, a member of the State Board of Education, said in May.
A counterattack seems to be taking place now, with former Gov. Jeb Bush’s twin education foundations and other conservative supporters of the law leading the charge. This week, five former chairs of the Republican Party of Florida sent out a joint letter backing the standards.
“Unfortunately, there has been a tremendous amount of misinformation about the movement to raise academic standards, especially among our fellow conservatives,” they wrote. ” … We implore our fellow Republicans to judge the Common Core State Standards by what they are: academic standards, not curriculum and not a national mandate.”
Those signing the letter were state Sen. John Thrasher, Carole Jean Jordan, Al Cardenas, Tom Slade and Van Poole. It also chided those who might attack the other side of the debate.
“Finally, there are good conservatives on both sides of this issue. Questioning the integrity of anyone involved on either side of this debate does not do our party or this issue any favors,” they wrote.
The argument highlights a tension between two wings of Republican thought on education policy: those who want local residents to have as much control over education as possible, and those who push for reforming the system through rigorous standards. Some of the fights echo the clashes of recent years between tea-party activists and more traditional, establishment Republicans.
Opponents of the standards shrug off arguments that the standards are not from the federal government, but are created by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Those challenging the standards point out that some of the funding for the organizations come from federal sources.
And they raise other concerns about the standards, from the cost of implementing them to the lack of debate over the ideas by lawmakers.
“Common core has not been vetted in the Florida Legislature,” said John Hallman, who lobbies for conservative groups like the Florida Campaign for Liberty and Liberty First Network.
Conservatives are also unconvinced by arguments that the state would be free to create its own curriculum as long as it follows common core, pointing out that the standards will drive state tests — which will, in turn, drive what students are taught.
“You cannot separate the standards from the curriculum,” said Randy Osborne, who has lobbied against common core in the Legislature on behalf of the Florida Eagle Forum.
But Bush and other supporters have also been active in trying to rally the business community and others behind the initiative. Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education has worked with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute to set up a website for a group called “Conservatives for Higher Standards,” though it has kept a low profile so far.
And Patricia Levesque, who heads the Foundation for Excellence in Education and the Florida-based Foundation for Florida’s Future, has backed the standards. In an interview with News Service of Florida earlier this month, she said common core was “a great example of federalism at work” because of the governors’ and school chiefs’ involvement and that it dovetailed with conservative values.
“Actually, conservatives have always been champions of high standards and American exceptionalism,” she said.
Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said there are some concerns among lawmakers about common core, including the data that could be collected in connection with the test — a fear supporters dismiss — the testing system and some of the standards themselves.
“I think there’s probably 80 percent agreement on the standards, and there’s 20 percent where we need some additional flexibility,” he said.
Brandes said he would file a bill in the coming legislative session that would allow parents to opt out of the state collection of data on students if the data isn’t closely tied to educational achievement. Supporters of common core say the data will continue to be held by the state and that the federal government and other national groups would not have access to information on specific students.
He also pointed out that the current controversy is dealing with English and math standards, which are likely to be less controversial than any standards dealing with science and social studies.
“That discussion,” he said, “will be so much more difficult.”
By The News Service of Florida