Northview Splits Two Spring Jamboree Games (With Photo Gallery)
May 19, 2013
The Florida 1A state champion Northview Chiefs took on a couple of Alabama teams in spring football games Saturday afternoon in East Brewton, Ala.
The Chiefs defeated Andalusia High School 12-6 in a two-quarter game before losing 22-12 to Hillcrest of Evergreen (Ala.).
For a photo gallery from Northview vs. Andalusia, click here.
For a photo gallery from Northview vs. Evergreen, click here.
For Northview Coach Sid Wheatley, Saturday was a chance to check out the strengths — and weaknesses — of a team that’s full of new, young faces with 24 seniors graduating. There were three ninth graders starting for the Chiefs Saturday.
“We’re talking about fundamentals…we’ve got to get better as blockers and tacklers,” Wheatley said after Northview’s 1-1 jamboree performance. “Our young offensive linemen are going to keep getting better and better because we are going to coach them up. We are kind of struggling right there at this moment…this was kind of a landmark to see where we are at and were we will progress from here.”
Summer will bring long days at practice and new plans for the Chiefs.
“We will evolve our offensive package during the summer,” Wheatley said. “I did not want to throw too much at the young faces during the spring.”
For a photo gallery from Northview vs. Andalusia, click here.
For a photo gallery from Northview vs. Evergreen, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Powerball Frenzy Fairly Tame In North Escambia; One Florida Ticket Wins All
May 19, 2013
The frenzy over Saturday’s $600 million Powerball drawing wasn’t much more than a stir in North Escambia during the early evening hours.
A billboard displaying the $600 million estimated prize lured drivers across the state line from Atmore. Just feet into Florida, the parking lot at the Grey Goose lounge was full of mostly Alabama tags as a short line formed outside the building. Just down Highway 97 at the Davisville BP, the parking lot — and, at times, the side of Highway 97, was full of wannabe millionaires.
Saturday night’s drawing was winner takes all, with one winning ticket sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills.
The winning Powerball numbers drawn late Saturday were 10, 13, 14, 22, 52 with Powerball number 11.
Pictured top: A small line for Powerball tickets forms outside the Grey Goose lounge, just feet from the Alabama state line. Pictured inset: Atmore drivers were tempted by this $600 million billboard located on the state line. Pictured below: Millionaire hopefuls fill the parking lot of the Davisville BP Saturday. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: ARTmore Celebrates The Arts With Gallery Night
May 19, 2013
A few dozen artists from South Alabama and Northwest Florida took part in the inaugural “ARTmore” gallery night event in Atmore Saturday evening. The event gathered artists, photographers, potters, crafters, musicians and more on the streets of Atmore.
For NorthEscambia.com ARTmore photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Saturday evening’s “ARTmore” gallery night in downtown Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
NWE 15U Boys Win Bay Minette Youth Baseball Tournament
May 19, 2013
Northwest Escambia’s 15U Boys won the Bay Minette Youth Baseball tournament Saturday in Bay Minette. NWE’s tournament record was 4-1. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mobile BayBears Even Series With 4-1 Over Blue Wahoos
May 19, 2013
The Mobile BayBears scored in four straight innings, slowly separating themselves from the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in a 4-1 win on Saturday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Entering the third inning trailing 1-0, Mobile put up single tallies in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth frames. Justin Greene provided the tying RBI with a two-out double in the third and two innings later, made it 3-1 with another double that scored Ender Inciarte. Nick Evans launched a solo homer in the fourth that gave Mobile a 2-1 lead. It was Evans’ seventh homer of the year, and fourth in the last five games. The BayBears scored their fourth run thanks to a passed ball scoring Brent Clevlen in the sixth inning.
Pensacola’s lone tally against Archie Bradley came in the first inning. The Wahoos were able to load the bases with nobody out on a hit batter, single and an error. Joe Mather brought a run home with a sac fly, but Bradley retired the next two hitters to get out of the jam.
The Wahoos ended up tying a season-high with 12 runners left on base, including the bases loaded in the eighth as Kevin Munson struck out Bryson Smith. Munson went on to pick up his sixth save of the season.
Bradley picked up his third win in four starts at Double-A, allowing a run on five hits in six innings while striking out five. He bested Ryan Dennick (2-3) who gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits in five frames.
The two teams square off again on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Manny Parra (0-0, 0.00) will make his third rehab start for Pensacola and will be followed by Daniel Renken (1-3, 4.58). David Holmberg (1-2, 2.20) will start for Mobile.
story by Kevin Burke
Scalpball Tourney Raises Funds For HS Volleyball Program
May 19, 2013
Winners in the annual Northview High School Scalpball Tournament Saturday were Nada Es Facil in the teen bracket (below) and D’s Balls in the adult division (above). Proceeds from the event benefit the volleyball program at Northview High School. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Jobs Report Is No Turkey
May 19, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott must have dreamed of a day like Friday.
Not only could Scott tout an unemployment rate at its lowest level since September 2008, but the jobs, jobs, jobs governor also signed a tax-break bill for manufacturers that was one of his top legislative priorities.
“It’s a great day for our state,” Scott said. “I feel great for all the families that are getting jobs in our state.”
Scott will never be known for riveting sound bites. But to punch up Friday’s news about the 7.2 percent unemployment rate, his office sent out a link to a slick, campaign-style video featuring background music, graphics and Scott recounting steady job growth during his two-plus years in office.
Make no mistake, Scott’s 2014 re-election campaign is well underway. Remember Scott’s “Let’s Get to Work” ads that seemed to be on an endless TV loop in 2010? Get ready for a barrage of ads during the next 18 months with the theme, “It’s Working.”
Democrats, of course, won’t give Scott a pass. In a recent email invitation to the party’s upcoming Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, state Democratic Chairwoman Allison Tant said it is important for Democrats to “come together to celebrate the historic gains we made last year and to turn our efforts to defeat the most unpopular Governor in the nation — Rick Scott!”
But at least for now, Scott has the field virtually to himself. The will-he-or-won’t-he speculation about former Gov. Charlie Crist’s possible entrance into the race dominates discussions about Democrats.
Meanwhile, Scott spent Monday and Tuesday of this week traveling to businesses across the state to celebrate passage of the bill that includes a sales-tax exemption for manufacturing equipment. That came after a similar victory tour last week to celebrate passage of a plan to increase teacher pay, another one of Scott’s legislative priorities.
And by the way, Scott took some time Thursday to champion the addition of $36 million to provide services to people with disabilities who have been stuck on a waiting list. Put all of the pieces together, and it looks like a campaign.
GOBBLE, GOBBLE
The biggest issue facing Scott is next Friday’s deadline for signing the state budget and issuing vetoes. With the governor and an entourage leaving late Monday for a trade mission to Chile, it remains unclear when he will make his decisions.
But Florida TaxWatch, a group that makes recommendations each year about vetoes, issued a report this week that came up with nearly $107 million in budget “turkeys” — the Tallahassee term for pork-barrel spending.
TaxWatch’s biggest gobbler, weighing in at $14 million, was a budget item for a science, technology, engineering and math building at Gulf Coast State College, which is in the district of Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville. In all, TaxWatch targeted 107 items in the proposed $74.5 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1.
“We don’t give the leaders a pass, we don’t hold them to a higher standard or a lower standard,” TaxWatch researcher Kurt Wenner said.
The TaxWatch list, which takes into account issues such as whether lawmakers stuck projects in the budget during final negotiations and whether projects were recommended by agencies, is an annual staple in Tallahassee. But the report released Thursday drew harsh criticism from Gaetz and Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart.
Gaetz issued a statement that seemed to almost border on apoplexy. Here’s the first paragraph:
“The TaxWatch list is built on the unconstitutional perversion that if an appropriation isn’t recommended by unelected agency officials it shouldn’t be considered in conference by elected legislators,” Gaetz said. “This is an arrogance of the elite who spend too much time in Tallahassee and Washington listening to the echoes of their own invented wisdom and thinking they’re hearing the voice of God.”
And that was just the start. Here’s another snippet:
“If our founders had shared the slavish devotion of TaxWatch to unchallenged decisions and dictates of faraway bureaucrats, we’d all be drinking English tea and singing God Save the Queen. A good song. But not an American song,” Gaetz said. “The Constitution obligates and empowers elected legislators, who come from communities and go home to communities, to write the state’s budget. If TaxWatch staffers want to test their budget theories in the public square, let them stand up in front of conference committees and testify in public.”
It remains to be seen what projects Scott will veto — or whether he will draw a similar reaction from legislative leaders. He shed little light Friday about his plans.
“My job is to make sure I represent the taxpayers of the state, I don’t want to waste any of their dollars,” Scott said. “I want to make sure we go through every line. Make sure the dollars are spent well.”
MONEY TALKS
While Scott talks about jobs for Florida families, he might not have to worry about two groups of people who sometimes cross paths in the Capitol — lobbyists and state-college presidents.
At least that’s the take-away from numbers released this week.
Five lobbying firms collected at least $1 million in legislative lobbying fees during the first three months of the year, while 11 others collected between $500,000 and $999,999, according to reports filed by a Wednesday night deadline.
Meanwhile, a report issued by Scott’s chief inspector general, Melinda Miguel, found that presidents at the 28 state colleges are making between $143,866 and $630,157 during the current fiscal year. Miguel said it was sometimes difficult to figure out how much the presidents make and called for changes.
“Therefore, we recommend that the boards of trustees, in consultation with the Division (of Florida Colleges), jointly establish the parameters upon which the presidents’ total compensation is determined, document the factors upon which compensation is based and standardize the methodology across state colleges,” Miguel said.
But that idea drew pushback from some college officials.
“With a system as diverse as ours in terms of size, geography, community demographics and businesses, which leads to varying mix of programs to meet those local needs, it is difficult to imagine that a ‘one size fits all’ formula for presidential compensation would be very effective,” wrote Lake Sumter State College Board Chairman Timothy Morris in a response. “If, for example, size were a limiting factor, colleges like ours would become training grounds for new presidents who would soon move on to the next opening at a larger school. Such a model would be destabilizing for our college and others like us.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.2 percent in April.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It is little wonder that TaxWatch is irrelevant 364 days a year.” — Senate President Don Gaetz, in a statement railing on TaxWatch’s annual budget “turkey” list.
Walnut Hill Homeowner Shoots Burglar
May 18, 2013
A burglar was shot by a homeowner Friday afternoon in Walnut Hill.
About 4 p.m., the resident of the 3900 block of Rockaway Creek Road reported a burglary in progress at his home. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said he arrived home to find two intruders inside of the residence.
The homeowner held the suspects at gunpoint while he called the Sheriff’s Office. As he was speaking with dispatchers, one of the suspects, identified at 33-year old Ricky Dewayne Taylor, lunged toward him. The homeowner fired a .38 caliber revolver, striking Taylor in the leg. Taylor was alert and conscious when he was transferred to LifeFlight to be airlifted to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. His injuries did not appear life threatening.
The female suspect, identified as 35-year old Teresa Dianne Sunday, received a minor injury on her face from a ricochet; she was taken into custody at the scene by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Taylor and Sunday were charged with burglary of a residence and grand theft of a dwelling. Sunday was being held with bond set at $12,500 Saturday night in the Escambia County Jail, while Taylor remained hospitalized.
The homeowner was not injured, and no charges have been filed against him.
Pictured top: Burglary suspect Ricky Taylor, shot in the leg, is loaded into an ambulance on Rockaway Creek Road Friday afternoon. Pictured inset and bottom: Taylor is transferred to LifeFlight. Pictured below: The scene of an alleged burglary that ended with the suspect being shot Friday afternoon in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
One Killed In Single Vehicle Escambia County Crash
May 18, 2013
An Escambia County woman was killed in a single vehicle traffic crash Friday night at the intersection of Pine Forest Road and I-10.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 35-year old Rachael W. Lawson of Pensacola was westbound on I-10 when she attempted to exit onto Pine Forest Road. She lost control of her 1999 Toyota Corolla and begin to spin onto the grass shoulder. She then hit a fence and a wooden utility pole with the driver’s side of the vehicle. Lawson was pronounced deceased at the scene by Escambia County EMS.
Pictured: One person was killed at the intersection of Pine Forest Road and I-10 Friday night. This was the scene in a reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local Employment Numbers Improve
May 18, 2013
The latest jobs numbers released Friday show the unemployment rate fell dramatically in the North Escambia area.
Escambia County’s unemployment rate fell from 6.9 percent in March to 6.4 percent for April. There were 628 fewer people reported unemployed during the period, for a total Escambia County unemployment of 9,005 people. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 8.0 percent.
Santa Rosa County unemployment decreased from 6.2 percent in March to 5.8 percent in April. Santa Rosa County had a total of 4,334 persons reported to be still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 7.4 percent.
In Escambia County, Alabama, unemployment dropped from 8.5 percent in March to 7.4 percent in April. That represented 1,112 people unemployed in the county during the month. The year-ago rate was 7.8 percent.
The jobless numbers released by Florida and Alabama do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.
Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.2 percent in April, down from 7. 5 percent a month earlier, giving Gov. Rick Scott more fodder for his claim that the administration’s efforts are working to return the economy to pre-recession success.
The new rate is the lowest it has been since September of 2008, early in the recession and marks several months of continued recovery. The improvement also, however, tracks national gains in employment, though the state’s jobless rate is now below the national rate of 7.5 percent.
“Florida’s families are getting back to work and our state’s economy is growing,” Scott said in a statement. “With 16,700 new private sector jobs added last month and an unemployment rate that continues to decline, Florida is once again below the national average at 7.2 percent.”
Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 6.9percent in April, was down from March’s rate of 7.2 percent and was below the year-ago rate of 7.4 percent.