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
Scott In Aspen With GOP Governors
July 25, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott is hobnobbing in Aspen, Colo., with his fellow GOP governors and an expected crowd of wealthy donors as he continues his summer travels. Scott’s office had no itinerary for the Wednesday and Thursday trip to the Republican Governors Association’s annual summer meeting.
The association is a political organization that helps elect Republican governors. The organization gave $8.3 million in 2010 to the Republican Party of Florida, which contributed $5.2 million to Scott’s campaign, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
A spokeswoman said the trip wasn’t listed because it is “not a state event.”
The Aspen meeting will include panel discussions with titles such as “What’s Working at the State Level?,” which is slated to include New Jersey Gov.Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov.Bobby Jindal, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Scott has spent little time in Tallahassee during the past two weeks, with the exception of a meeting last Thursday night with some of the protesters who continue to camp outside his Capitol office. Also, he attended services Sunday at Bible Based Church as part of his Statewide Day of Prayer for Unity in Florida.
Scott told the Palm Beach Post on Tuesday that he expects to return to Tallahassee “probably next week sometime.”
By The News Service of Florida
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Knock Off The Mississippi Braves 5-2
July 25, 2013
Bolstered by a dominant start from Daniel Renken, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos knocked off the Mississippi Braves 5-2 on Wednesday night at Trustmark Park. The win evened the five-game series at one game apiece.
Renken entered Wednesday having fired five consecutive quality starts sandwiched around a relief appearance and continued his strong performance with six shutout frames. The right-hander had bits of trouble in the fourth and fifth innings while twirling his gem. In the fourth, two batters reached on two Pensacola errors, but Renken induced two pop-ups to get out of the jam. In the fifth, the Braves loaded the bases on two walks and a single but Robby Hefflinger grounded out to thwart the threat.
The right-hander’s team-leading 12th quality start featured four strikeouts and two walks with just two hits allowed. Renken improved to 4-7 with the win.
The Wahoos provided early offensive support for Renken with a pair of runs in the second inning off Mississippi starter Gus Schlosser. Tucker Barnhart led off the inning with a single and scored on a double by Travis Mattair. Ryan LaMarre then singled up the middle to score Mattair and make it 2-0. Schlosser (6-3) worked just four innings, allowing the two runs on four hits.
Pensacola added to its lead in the fifth inning on a two-out double by Mike Costanzo, who finished the night going 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.
The Wahoos added extra insurance in the eighth inning against Ronan Pacheco, which proved to be rather important. The first two hitters reached on walks in the inning before Mattair laced a single up the middle to make it 4-0. Two batters later, Ray Chang made it 5-0 with an RBI groundout.
Mississippi made things interesting in the last of the ninth against Josh Ravin. Christian Bethancourt slashed a two-run single to right field to draw the Braves back to within three. Tommy La Stella, representing the tying run with two outs in the ninth, flew out to the warning track in dead center field to end the contest.
The Braves and Wahoos will square off in the middle game of the five-game set on Thursday night at Trustmark Park. Tim Crabbe (4-7, 3.63) gets the call for Pensacola against Mississippi’s Mitch Atkins (2-1, 2.90). First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
story by Kevin Burke
Dog Attack Victim Speaks Out, Calls For Dogs To Be Put Down
July 24, 2013
A Nokomis woman mauled by two pit bulls at her home last Thursday morning is speaking out about her recovery and calling for the dogs to be put down.
Sandra Lambert, 63, was airlifted to the USA Medical Center in Mobile following the brutal attack. She underwent multiple surgeries, including the full amputation of her right arm up to her shoulder. She also suffered deep puncture and gash wounds to her left arm and her legs. She still faces more surgeries for skin grafts to her left arm and legs on her long road to recovery.
She remains in the SICU at USA Medical Center. She has been able to relate to her family the events that transpired the morning of the attack.
Lambert had taken both pit bulls out for a walk behind her home. Molly, the female dog, was one a leash and lunged at some chickens in the yard. Lambert yelled “No, Molly” to the dog and pulled on her leash. The dog quickly turned on her and attacked, with the male dog, Rosco, joining in. Buddy, who had been the family’s dog for years, tried to help and was brutally attacked by the pit bulls.
Buddy did not survive the attack, but he is credited with perhaps saving Lambert’s life, giving her the chance to crawl inside her home and call 911.
Both dogs were captured by Escambia County Animal Control and remain in the county’s animal shelter in Pensacola. Their future is still unknown, according to Bill Pearson, Escambia County spokesman.
The dogs “are still under their ten day rabies quarantine. Once that time is up, Animal Control will have the opportunity to complete a ‘dangerous dog’ evaluation on the animals. That is also when it will be officially determined who owns the dogs (if anyone) and what the next step will be,” Pearson said Tuesday afternoon.
As for Lambert, she strongly believes the dogs should be euthanized.
“Sandra said they need to be put down. She said what she saw in the eyes of the dogs that day was a look that she’d never seen before-a killer look, and from her injuries it appears that is what the dogs were trying to do,” Lambert’s cousin Martha Hall said on her behalf.
Lambert had taken the two dogs in as strays, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and had been caring for them. The dogs had reportedly been left behind about five months ago when their owners moved away from the area.
“Many people wonder why Sandra would take in these dogs, but for those who don’t know her, let me give a little background information on Sandra. For 25 plus years, Sandra worked as a registered nurse,” Hall said.
“Even after leaving the medical field, Sandra’s sense of caring and nurturing carried over in her personal life, whether it was spending time with her kids and grandkids, or taking care of her husband who died from cancer in March 2011. Sandra herself is a cancer survivor, and has always loved animals and has taken care of many, whether they were a dog, cat, squirrel, bird, etc. If they were injured or hungry, she would try to help them. So, when she saw the pit bulls left behind at an abandoned house, she would go by and leave them food and water. After a period of time, when she felt the animals were comfortable with her, she eventually took them to her house.”
An account to help Lambert with medical expenses has been established. Donations can be made to the “Benefit Account for Sandra Lambert” and any branch of United Bank.
“Sandra has a long road to recovery ahead of her,” Hall said. “The family would like to thank everyone for their concern, visits, phone call, and prayers.”
Pictured top: An Escambia County Animal Control officer removed a tranquilized pit bull from an enclosed porch. Pictured inset: One of the two pit bulls involved in a vicious attack last Thursday morning was trapped on an enclosed porch. Pictured below: The female dog Molly after being tranquilized. Pictured bottom: The attack happened at a mobile home in Nokomis, FL. Lambert was airlifted to the USA Medical Center in Mobile. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Indicted For Selling Fake Viagra
July 24, 2013
An Escambia County man is facing federal charges for selling fake Viagra through the mail.
Robert P. Galea, 53, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he trafficked in counterfeit Viagra and fraudulently executed a scheme to deliver the misbranded pharmaceuticals through the United States Postal Service.
Galea made his initial appearance in federal court on 10 counts of trafficking in counterfeit drugs, selling misbranded drugs, and mail fraud. The indictment alleges the counterfeit drugs were obtained from sources in other countries, including India.
A jury trial for Galea has been scheduled before Judge Casey Rodgers on September 9. If found guilty of trafficking in counterfeit drugs or mail fraud, Galea faces up to 20 years in prison.
Manna Cuts Ribbon On Renovated, Upgraded Food Pantry
July 24, 2013
Manna Food Pantries held a ribbon cutting and open house at their newly renovated warehouse facility on Gonzalez Street Tuesday. The Main Pantry renovations were made possible by a grant from the Impact 100 group.
Manna serves those in need in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties through six pantries located in Pensacola, Ensley, Gonzales, Cantonment, Milton and Jay.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Storms Cause Minor Damage
July 24, 2013
A line of thunderstorms that moved through the North Escambia area caused minor damage. A pecan tree came crashing down at a home on Pine Barren Road near Highway 4 in Bratt (pictured above). There were also scattered power outages and minor flooding reported. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
4-H Holds Celebration Camp For Navy Kids
July 24, 2013
A 20 local youth members of 4-H recently held four 4-H Celebration Camps at the Langley Bell 4-H Camp in Beulah.
The youth presented and demonstrated various aspects of 4-H to over 120 children in grades K-3 from the NAS Pensacola and Corry Station child development centers.
4-H members Izzy, Elise and Jessica talked about their goat and pig projects and the children were given the opportunity to learn about the animals and how much time and effort goes into preparing them for showing. They also demonstrated to the groups that having an animal is a huge responsibility.
Donnie, Jamie, Amanda and Dwayne showed rabbits, and the children were able to get up close with them. The children were able to ask questions and learn about keeping rabbits healthy and how to show them.
Rebekah, Dillon, Alex, Sir, Dominic and Elydia all taught the Children the 4-H Pledge with the words and hand motions. For the older groups they demonstrated how to run a 4-H meeting. They were able to create their own club and hold their own 4-H meeting.
4-H clubs taking part in the event included Barrineau Park, Spectrum, Tech Wizards, Lost Bay, the Lucky Clovers and the Escambia County 4-H Horse Club.
Pictured top: Youth and children from one of the sessions. Pictured inset: Izzy, Jessica and Elise show a goat to the participants. Pictured below: Izzy and Jessica making a presentation. Pictured bottom: Rebekah, president of Escambia County 4-H explains the day to a group of fellow 4-H members. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Deputies Seek Home Invasion Suspects
July 24, 2013
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for two suspects following a home invasion last Friday in the 7000 block of Charter Oaks Drive, just off Olive Road.
At about 9:30 a.m., two black males forced their way into the residence, the Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. One was 6-foot, 2-inches, and the other was about 6-foot, 5-inches, deputies said. The suspects struck the victims with a handgun after binding them. They suspects fled after taking money and other items.
The three victims were able to free themselves and call 911.
Investigators are currently looking for a 2003 tan Chevrolet Tahoe with tinted windows in connection with the incident.
Anyone with information should contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Citizens should not approach the suspects, deputies said, because they should be considered armed and dangerous.
Pictured: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said two home invasion suspects fled in a Chevrolet Tahoe similar to this one. Courtesy image.