Northview’s Elliott, Kyles Qualify For State Weightlifting Meet
April 10, 2013
Northview’s Arkelle Elliott and LaMikal Kyles have qualified for the 1A State Weightlifting Meet in Kissimmee later this month.
Kyles finished second in the 183-pound class at the regional meet on recently at Arnold High School with a total of 535 pounds. Elliott finished fourth in the 199-pound class with a total of 565 pounds.
Also at the regional meet, Luke McDaniel and LaDerious Franklin finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 238-pound class.
Pictured: LaMikal Kyles at the recent regional state weightlifting meet. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Perdido Lake Road Wildfire
April 10, 2013
Firefighters battled a brush fire Tuesday afternoon near Cantonment. The fire was reported on Perdido Lake Road about 1:15 p.m. Firefighters from several Escambia Fire Rescue stations worked for over an hour to contain the fire and protect several structures in the area. The Florida Forest Service also responded to the wildfire. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Beulah Wreck
April 10, 2013
Two people were seriously injured in a two vehicle crash early Wednesday morning in Beulah.
The accident occurred about 2:30 a.m. at Nine Mile Road and Beulah Road. Both victims were transported by ambulance as “trauma alerts” to Sacred Heart Hospital.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 22-year old Joseph Patric Gartman of Cantonment was northbound in a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer on Beulah Road when he ran a red light and hit a 1995 Honda Accord driven by 19-year old Josehua M. Miskimens of Pensacola.
Gartman’s vehicle came to rest on it’s passenger side in a ditch, while Miskimens’ vehicle overturned and came to rest about 1,000 feet from the intersection.
Charges are pending in the accident, according to FHP.
The Beulah and Bellview stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the early morning crash.
Pictured: Two people were critically injured in this Beulah wreck early Wednesday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Nine 
Navy Officially Cancels Remainder Of Blue Angels Season, Including Pensacola Beach
April 9, 2013
The remainder of Blue Angels 2013 schedule — including practices and air shows — has been canceled through the end of the current season in September. The cuts are a response to the federal budget cuts.
The Blues won’t fly any federally funded airshows or public practices through September, although there will still be decrease private practices for basic flight training purposes — without the maneuvers for which the Blue Angels are famous.
The cancellation spells the end of the Blue Angels July airshow on Pensacola Beach. The Santa Rosa Island Authority and other groups have discussed the possibility of Pensacola Beach finding alternative funding for the air show. But with a decreased practice schedule between now and July, that simply would not be possible, according to the Blues.
“The Navy believes there is value in demonstrating the professionalism and capabilities of our Navy and Marine Corps Naval Aviation team, thus inspiring future generations of Sailors and Marines. The Navy intends to continue aerial demonstrations in the future as the budget situation permits,” the Navy said in a press release.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Motorcyclist Seriously Injured In Highway 97 Hit And Run Wreck
April 9, 2013
A 72-year old motorcyclist was seriously injured in a hit and run accident Monday night in Molino.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Bruce Winsor of Pensacola and the pickup that fled the scene were both traveling northbound on Highway 97 near Gibson Road about 7:30 p.m. Winsor was traveling two to three car lengths behind the pickup and one of the witnesses when he changed lanes and attempted to pass the vehicles in front of him. At that time, the pickup slowed and began to turn onto Gibson Road. The front of Winsor’s Honda 1300 motorcycle struck the rear quarter panel of the pickup.
Winsor was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by ambulance as a “trauma alert”.
The vehicle that fled the scene was described as a older model, single cab cab pickup that was teal in color, possibly a Ford F150.
Anyone with information on the crash should contact the Florida Highway Patrol or local law enforcement. Charges in the crash are pending, according to FHP.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured: A motorcyclist was critically injured in this hit and run accident on Highway 97 in Molino Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
New Data: 18 Percent Of Escambia Students Are Obese
April 9, 2013
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County Monday released student Body Mass Index (BMI) data. The 2012-2013 data indicates that 64 percent of the students measured fall within a healthy weight range. This number has increased from 61 percent, as measured in 2005-2006. The number of students measured that are classified as obese has decreased from 21 percent in 2005-2006 to 18 percent in 2012-2013. No net change was seen in students classified as either overweight or underweight.
Dr. John Lanza, Director of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County said, “While we’re seeing an impact from these efforts in our schools, we still have a long way to go. Facilitating lasting, generational changes can take ten to twenty years or more. We hope to continue to see a downward trend in the incidence of both overweight and obesity in our students.”
Reducing overweight and obesity requires a community-wide commitment. According to Lanza, “Everyone must do their part to help Escambia County change its culture about nutrition and physical activity. We need a community where good nutrition and regular physical activity are accepted as a normal part of our daily lives. We also need a community environment that enables us to make healthy choices. With 34% of our students overweight or obese, every parent, grandparent, neighbor, and community leader needs to be a role model for good nutrition and regular physical activity.”
Molino Man Claims $1 Million Powerball Prize
April 9, 2013
James Allen, Jr, of Molino has claimed a $1 million Powerball prize from the March 27 drawing, according to Florida Lottery officials.
Allen, 47, purchased his winning ticket from the Tom Thumb at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97. The Tom Thumb received a $1,000 bonus commission for selling the $1 million Powerball ticket.
There have been 94 Florida Powerball millionaires since the Florida Lottery added the game in 2009.
Escambia School District Honored For Transparent Website
April 9, 2013
The Escambia County School District has been honored for having one of the most transparent government websites in the nation. The award was presented by Sunshine Review, national nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency.
“The Escambia County School District knows the importance of promoting transparency. We are honored to receive a Sunny Award and will continue to empower citizens by providing the necessary information to keep them informed,” said Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
For the 2012 awards, Editors at Sunshine Review analyzed more than 1,000 government web sites and graded each on a 10-point transparency checklist. Editors looked at content available on government web sites against what should be provided. They sought information on items such as budgets, meetings, lobbying, financial audits, contracts, academic performance, public records and taxes. The winners of the Sunny Award all received an “A” grade during the extensive grading process.
“The Sunny Awards recognizes governments that make transparency a priority. The winners of the Sunny Awards are cities, counties, and school districts that proactively share the public information that empowers citizens and keeps government accountable to the people,” said Michael Barnhart, President of Sunshine Review.
To visit the Escambia County School District website, click here.
Pictured: A screenshot of the Escambia County School District website.
United Way: Florida’s Children Are Struggling
April 9, 2013
It’s Children’s Week at the Capitol, marked by thousands of colorful hand cut-outs hanging down the open floors of the rotunda. The man behind the yearly spectacle – Ted Granger, executive director of the United Way of Florida – is gearing up for a make-or-break week on bills that could help kids.
“Florida’s children today are struggling,” he said. “We’re still coming out of the Great Recession. We’re in a moribund economy.”
By Granger’s figures, the recession lasted twice as long — 20 months — and cost twice as much — 4 percent of GDP — as other U.S. recessions since World War II. Now, although the economy is starting up again for many Floridians, others are still hurting.
One in five Florida families reported there were times last year when they didn’t have money for food. Bottom line: 19.2 percent of adults and 28.4 percent of children are sometimes hungry in Florida, compared to national averages of 16.1 percent for adults and 21.6 percent for children.
The Rev. Pam Cahoon is executive director of CROS (Christians Reaching Out to Society) Ministries, a coalition of about 100 religious groups that runs food pantries and other programs to feed the hungry in Palm Beach County. One is an after-school snack program that CROS took over from a city program that couldn’t afford it anymore.
Cahoon said kids in the free- and reduced-price lunch program often eat their lunches by mid-morning.
“There were just a lot of discipline problems, and so we started getting groups to provide sandwiches for the kids after school — and the discipline problems went away,” Cahoon said. “Those kids were just hungry.”
CROS also started sending backpacks of food home for the weekend, because teachers were seeing students come in hungry on Monday morning. Academic performances improved.
“Principals have identified the children we’re giving the backpacks to,” said Cahoon. “It’s the kids that go around the cafeteria and say, ‘Are you not going to eat that apple? Are you not going to eat that orange — may I have it?’ It’s the child that lays their head on the desk because they’re hungry, and they can’t keep their head up and do their schoolwork.”
POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS
A 2006 report, America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness, ranked Florida 43rd of the 50 states for homeless kids. At the time — during the 2005-2006 school year, before the recession — 49,886 children and youths were homeless in Florida. By 2008-2009, that number had grown to 70,633 — a 42 percent increase in three years.
The economic downturn has led to increases in numbers of homeless children and families. Most of these children are not living on the streets, but with their families in shelters, substandard housing or doubled-up in unhealthy situations.
About 21 percent of Florida children were living below the federal poverty level in 2009, according to
U.S. Census data. A disproportionate number of children were black (38 percent) or Hispanic (25 percent) compared to white children living in poverty (12 percent).
Then there are children who become homeless because the alternative is worse. Last year about 7,500 Florida children fled violent homes with a parent, said Leisa Wiseman of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Florida battered-women’s shelters housed about 15,000 people in the last fiscal year, and 7,484 were children under the age of 18.
“When they’re in shelter, they’re safe,” Wiseman said. “They’re receiving services, with the mom, that they need.”
But again, because of the recession and the lack of affordable housing, Florida’s domestic violence shelters were forced to turn away 3,471 requests for emergency shelter in 2012.
“It’s disruptive, there’s no doubt,” Wiseman said. “They may have to change schools because of safety. The perpetrator may know where to find that child at school.”
Granger said because there hasn’t been a budget surplus since before the recession, lawmakers will have a tough job sorting out everyone’s needs. There are potholes and crumbling infrastructure everywhere you look, he said.
“But from our point of view, the most important infrastructure is the human infrastructure,” he said. “If we don’t have a solid human structure, everything else doesn’t matter.”
Granger, Cahoon and other children’s advocates will visit lawmakers this week with that message.
Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, is already on board. He praises programs like Cahoon’s, but is also asking both the Senate and House to boost funding for food banks and homeless programs.
“We want to make sure the money is used properly,” he said. “But I think those are areas where even the most conservative Republican — and I’m a conservative, and I’m a fiscal conservative — that the most vulnerable folks in our society — the disabled, children, and hungry and homeless people — are the very people we ought to be helping.”
By Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Northview Lady Chiefs Claim No. 1 Seed For District Tourney
April 9, 2013
The Northview Lady Chiefs claimed the No. 1 seed in the upcoming district tournament with a win over Bonifay Monday night.
The Lady Chiefs, now 10-1 in the district shut out Bonifay 11-0. Senior Morgan Payne had a home run for the Lady Chiefs.
The district tourney begins Monday in Chipley. The Chiefs will likely start with a bye and then play the winner of a Bonifay and Chipley game.