Reduced Price Spay, Neutering Offered For Escambia Pet Owners
February 1, 2013
In celebration of the 19th annual “World Spay Day,” qualifying Escambia County residents can receive assistance for low cost spay and neuter services during the month of February. In collaboration with Concerned Citizens for Animal Welfare, Escambia County Animal Services will spay or neuter pets for half price for the first 100 eligible citizens.
While they will have the entire month of February to take advantage of the program, pet owners are encouraged to apply early. There will also be a drawing for those participating to win pet gift baskets with treats and toys for either dogs or cats valued at $75.
Concerned Citizens for Animal Welfare, led by President Dorothy Kaser, has sponsored “World Spay Day” for the past 19 years at the shelter, as well as providing educational materials.
“We are excited to be working with such committed partners who encourage responsible pet ownership,” said Shelter Manager Delfi Messinger. “World Spay Day is a great way to engage the community in reducing the overpopulation of unwanted pets.”
To schedule the surgery, residents must verify that their household income qualifies them and bring in the pet for a brief exam. Rabies vaccinations and county licenses are also available to residents who qualify for the low cost program. The shelter is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. for visits, questions and to check eligibility for the program.
For additional information, visit the shelter at 200 West Fairfield Drive, call the shelter at (850) 595-3075, or visit www.myescambia.com.
Dog Found Dead With Arrow In It
February 1, 2013
Escambia County deputies are investigating a case of animal cruelty which resulted in the death of a seven-year old Terrier mix Thursday.
Just after noon, deputies responded to a report of a dead dog the intersection of Emerald Avenue and Kentucky Drive. Deputies learned that witnesses found the dog with a small arrow in it. When deputies arrived on scene the dog was already dead, and the dog’s owner had arrived on scene.
Escambia County investigators are working the case and asking for anyone who may have any information to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Santa Rosa Man Gets 10 Years For Truck Meth Lab
February 1, 2013
Wayne Mitchell Powers of Milton was sentenced Wednesday by Circuit Judge David Rimmer to 10 years in state prison after he was caught with a portable methamphetamine lab in his truck.
On June 15, 2012, a detective with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit conducted a traffic stop on Powers, whose driver’s license was suspended at the time.
During the stop, Powers admitted that there was a methamphetamine lab in the truck. Members of the Narcotics Unit searched the truck and located a portable meth lab. Upon further investigation, investigators discovered that during the month of June 2012, Powers and his co-defendants had also purchased numerous items used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, including Coleman fuel, drain cleaner, plastic tubing and pseudoephedrine.
Powers was also sentenced on Wednesday in two other cases involving the possession of methamphetamine. These cases were investigated by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department.
Judge David Rimmer sentenced Powers to 10 years state prison in one case and five years state prison in the other. All three sentences were ordered to run concurrent with one another.
Scott Unveils Record $74.2 Billion Budget
February 1, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott unveiled a record-breaking $74.2 billion budget Thursday, pouring hundreds of millions of additional dollars into public schools, colleges and universities in a proposal that Democrats knocked as a public-relations gimmick.
Scott’s plan would boost spending by almost $4 billion in the coming budget year, which begins July 1, with much of the increase heading to education. He said the bump reflected more incoming tax revenue brought on by an economic recovery after the fallout from the Great Recession clouded the budgets of his first two years.
“Now that our economy is on track, our ‘Families First Budget’ includes targeted investments to keep our economy growing and providing more opportunities for Florida families,” Scott said.
The spending plan marks a pronounced turnaround from two years ago, when Scott stood in front of an adoring crowd of tea partiers and conservatives in Eustis, boasting he would slash government spending.
“So join me today as we set an example for the nation that you can in fact shrink government, return tax dollars to their rightful owners — you — and create an atmosphere that creates new and better-paying jobs,” Scott said then.
On Thursday, Scott’s office pointed out that the budget was the third-lowest since 2000 on a per capita, inflation-adjusted basis. The two smaller budgets by that measurement were Scott’s first two spending plans.
“What Florida families care about is they want an effective, efficient government,” Scott said when asked about the size of the budget.
The biggest boost to the budget — a $1.2 billion increase in funding for public schools — was not a surprise; Scott had unveiled that increase and the teacher pay raise that serves as its centerpiece in the run-up to Thursday’s announcement.
Scott also proposed $393 million in new funding for universities, including $167 million in “performance funding” and $118 million that universities have said would allow them to avoid a tuition increase.
“That’s a bargain the presidents and the board of governors were willing to make,” said University of Florida Bernie Machen. “And I think we will honor that.”
The spending plan would also give $15 million to UF as part of an effort to put the university in the Top 10 in the nation. Machen, who reversed his decision to retire after receiving budget commitments from Scott, defended the school’s unique treatment in the budget.
“We’re the only one close enough to [the] Top 10,” he said.
However, Scott did not propose to separately fill in a $300 million cut in the current budget year that lawmakers said would be a one-time reduction.
Scott would also provide a $1,200 bonus for state employees with a satisfactory evaluation or better, and the chance for more for those with better evaluations; employees have not received a pay raise in six years, something Scott does not propose changing. However, more than 3,600 positions would be eliminated.
About 1,200 of those positions are vacant, and most of the rest would come from the privatization of health-care services at state prisons. Contractors have promised to retain almost all of those workers if they are allowed to take over. The budget would provide a fall-back option funding the services as state operations if the privatization is overturned by the courts, as has happened in recent attempts to move some prison functions into the hands of for-profit companies.
Democrats were already looking for new avenues to knock a plan that seemed to hew closer to their priorities than Scott’s early spending blueprints. House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, was muted in his acknowledgement of the increased spending on education.
“But I would hope Floridians understand that even with an additional $1.2 billion in education, Florida would remain about $850 million shy of education spending levels of 2007-08 when there were fewer students in our public schools,” he said in a statement.
Others griped that Scott had undergone a change of heart directly related to his approval ratings, mired at 36 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll taken in December.
“This budget is not an investment in the things that actually turn around an economy,” said Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale in a statement released by his office. “It’s a taxpayer-financed down payment on courting votes for 2014.”
By The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: Gov. Rick Scott unveils his “Florida Families First” budget Thursday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Name Released Of Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Two Vehicles
January 31, 2013
A pedestrian struck and killed by two vehicles January 8 on Mobile Highway has been identified.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Thursday morning that Helen A. Feeney, 70, was killed in the accident at Mobile Highway and Tonawanda Drive, near Walmart.
Feeney attempted to cross Mobile Highway and was struck by a 2009 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by Joel Williams of Cantonment and a 2003 Ford car driven by Leslie Hall of Pensacola. The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene by Escambia County EMS.
No charges were filed against either driver, according to the FHP.
Century Woman Sentenced For Quarter Million Dollar Bank Heist
January 31, 2013
A Century woman was sentenced Wednesday for her role in the quarter million dollar robbery of the Bank of Brewton last February that was carried out with the help of a bank teller.
Robin Ann Godwin, 43, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison along with mental health and substance abuse treatment. She was also ordered to pay $124,026 in restitution. She had entered into guilty plea to a bank robbery back in October. As part of that plea agreement, Godwin will not appeal her sentence.
According to federal court documents, Godwin formulated a plan with bank teller Pamela Steele to rob the Bank of Brewton. In December, Steele pleaded guilty to conspiracy for her part in the robbery and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Once released, she will remain on probation for three years. Steele was also ordered to pay $124,026 in restitution.
Both women had faced a maximum of 10 years in prison.
On February 17, 2012, Godwin entered the Bank of Brewton wearing a blue poncho, a grey fedora, large sunglasses, black face paint, a black Afro wig and body padding. Godwin asked Steele about renting a safe deposit box, and Steele took Godwin into the bank vault.
Once inside the vault, Godwin pulled a large bag out from underneath her poncho and demanded that it be filled with cash. Steele then filled the bag with approximately $255,000 in cash, federal documents state. Steele did not put any bait bills or dye packs in the bag along with the cash. Godwin then fled the bank with the bag full of money.
Godwin was taken into custody April 12 as the FBI raided a small travel trailer located in a campground at 1300 Liahona Trail in Bluff Springs.
“We are executing a search warrant related to a recent bank robbery in Brewton,” James Stewart, a FBI supervisory senior resident agent, told NorthEscambia.com as agents worked to complete their operation.
Nearly a dozen FBI agents from field offices in Mobile and Pensacola spent a couple of hours searching the travel trailer in Bluff Springs Thursday night. Multiple containers of evidence, reportedly including at least part of the $255,000 — were removed by agents and placed into the back of a SUV. Some of the federal agents were wearing shirts identifying them as members of a “FBI Evidence Response Team”. Working undercover, they would not allow their photographs to be taken by a NorthEscambia.com photographer.
Campground residents were inside neighboring travel trailers as FBI agents finished executing the search warrant. Even a couple of hours after federal agents arrived at the campground, some of the neighbors could be seen periodically peeking out of their doors and windows at the travel trailer in “Lot 2″, with it’s patio crowded with lawn chairs and outdoor decorations. Pink flamingo lawn ornaments and potted plants surrounded the patio — nothing making it look out of place for the quiet area just a few feet from the Escambia River.
Pictured bottom inset and below: FBI agents executed a search warrant related to a Brewton bank robbery at this travel trailer on Bluff Springs Road south of Century in April 2012. FBI agents, who were just off camera, would not allow their photographs to be taken. NorthEscambia.com exclusive file photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Assistant Coach Ty Wise Headed To Graceville
January 31, 2013
Northview High School assistant coach Ty Wise has accepted the head coach and athletic director position at Graceville High School.
Wise has been on the Northview coaching staff for four years. As offensive coordinator, he led a Chiefs offense that accumulated over 1,000 points during the last two seasons and a Class 1A state championship win this past season.
It’s a move that could have Wise and the Graceville Tigers on the opposite side of the stadium from the Chiefs this upcoming season — both teams are Class 1A Region 1…meaning they could feasibly face each other in the state playoff series.
The move to Graceville, Wise said, was the most difficult decision he has ever had to make in his professional career.
“I met with the players today and explained my desire to be a head coach; I knew it was something that I would eventually pursue,” Wise said Wednesday night. “For my family and professional career, it was the best position for us to move over there.”
But, much like the Northview players chant in the huddle following every football game, Wise said he’ll always be a Chief.
“My time at Northview was amazing. I’ll never be able to forget what we were able to accomplish; I’ll always reflect on the positive,” he said. “I hope Northview will continue to have success. I’ll always be a Chief.”
Wise, who played football for the University of Miami, is scheduled to meet with the Graceville Tigers players today and expects to make the official move to Graceville before Spring practices begin.
At Graceville, Wise replaces March Beach who went 8-3 with a district title in 2012. Beach accepted the head coaching job at Marianna High School.
Pictured top: Northview assistant coach Ty Wise celebrates a state championship win for the Chiefs last December in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl. Pictured below: Wise plans out plays on the sidelines of a Chiefs game in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Asbestos Containing Building Finally Demolished By Chamber
January 31, 2013
Nearly two years after the process began, a dilapidated asbestos-containing building in Century is gone.
The building belonged to the Town of Century, which voted last October deed the property to the Century Chamber of Commerce, shifting the demolition responsibility to the chamber.
The town council had voted to demolish the building at 7601 Mayo Street back in 2011, but asbestos concerns put those plans on hold. A study found asbestos in the older 6,400 square foot two story portion of the building, as well as in the newer single story portion of the structure, according to Century Mayor Freddie McCall.
The town located an available grant from the Regional Planning Council to abate the asbestos and demolish the structure. Because the town was not eligible to receive the grant, the building was deeded to the chamber of commerce, which was eligible for the assistance.
Now that the building is demolished, the chamber will have up to 10 years to lure development to the property or it will revert back to the town. The town will approve or deny any lease or purchase of the property.
Until the property is sold to another party, it will be used for parking for the businesses and agencies in the Mayo and Church street area.
The white, mostly brick building at 7601 Mayo Street (across from the old hospital) once housed doctors’ offices and even a pharmacy and soda fountain years ago. It has been abandoned for several years and was in an obvious state of disrepair with roof and structural problems.
Pictured above: This building on Mayo Street was demolished. Pictured inset: The empty lot where the building once stood.Pictured below: The interior of the building prior to demolition. NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Scott: Increase School Funding By $1.2 Billion
January 31, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott will propose a $1.2 billion boost in education funding Thursday when he unveils his spending plan for the coming fiscal year, he told reporters during a Wednesday speech to newspaper editors.
Scott said he would ask lawmakers to increase spending on public schools by around 6.5 percent, to about $6,800 per student. While that would mark an increase over the last two years, it would still be off the all-time high for per-student education funding.
Scott had already floated a $2,500-a-year raise for all Florida teachers; that $480 million would be included in the $1.2 billion increase for K-12 education. If approved, it would mark the second consecutive year that Scott asked for — and the Legislature approved — an increase in education funding of about $1 billion.
“In this budget, I am doubling down on our billion-dollar investment last year in education,” Scott said.
The governor said that the recent recovery in the economy, and a projected rebound in state tax revenues, gave him more room to push for increased spending on schools.
“We made the hard choices to recover and get back on track,” he said. “Now we must make the smart choices to invest in Florida’s future.”
Republican leaders in the Legislature said they welcomed Scott’s proposal, but also questioned whether they would be able to fund all of it. The most recent forecast by state economists estimated the state would have a surplus of about $829 million in the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Lawmakers have been cautious about relying even on that funding, noting that automatic spending cuts by the federal government could harm the state’s economy if President Barack Obama and Congress don’t agree to alternatives.
“Certainly, to get to that number, you would have to make some cuts somewhere else,” House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said in his own comments to the gathering.
Scott said he would more clearly spell out how he would provide the money for the education increase in his full budget proposal, set to be unveiled Thursday.
Democrats, meanwhile, credited Scott for the current increase but assailed him for cutting school funding in the first place. Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, painted it as another step in a political reinvention aimed at Scott’s 2014 re-election campaign.
“When he’s now throwing gimmicks and dollars at education after he came in and slashed education tremendously, [it] shows that he’s finally admitted that ‘I was wrong to try to starve education,’” Smith said.
By The News Service of Florida
Ernest Ward Students Explore Past With National History Day Projects
January 31, 2013
History came alive through the eyes of students at Ernest Ward Middle School recently as they displayed weeks of work on projects for National History Day.
The History Fair in the school’s gym capped off a project in which EWMS students were required to do research into a topic. The research was presented in exhibit form, much like the typical science fair, or as a drama or web presentation. Students complete projects either individually or in teams.
This was the fourth year Ernest Ward has participated in the national program, with the top projects from Ernest Ward headed next to a district competition. Winners included:
Individual Projects
- Tanner Levins
- Seth Killam
- Bailee Hinote
- Mallory Gibson
Group Projects
- Jacob Borelli, Alyssa Borelli, Victoria Amerson
- Elizabeth Wright, Kayleigh Linam, Morgan Pope
- Makenzie Colvin, Savanna Calhoun
- Jessica Stacey, Natalie Barrow, Amy Branch
Individual Performance
- Christopher Johnson
Group Website
- Triston Long, Cameron Long
- Lydia Smith, Ashtyn Carnley
Individual Website
- Delaney Reynolds
Pictured top: (L-R) Jacob Borelli, Alyssa Borelli and Victoria Amerson with their project on The Holocaust. Pictured below: EWMS History Fair projects on Jackie Robinson and Thomas Edison. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
