Photo: Sunset Sailing Away
April 14, 2013
Saturday ended on a sunny note across the North Escambia area, but Sunday was mostly cloudy and wet.
Pictured above: A powered paraglider trike and the sunset as seen along Highway 97 near Nokomis Road Saturday in Davisville. Photo by Ditto Gorme for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pedestrian Struck And Killed In Escambia County
April 13, 2013
A pedestrian was struck and killed Friday night in Escambia County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 30-year Teresa Lynne Fowler of Pensacola was traveling south ina 1998 Chevrolet C1500 on Mobile Highway at Tonawanda Drive in the inside lane when she struck a pedestrian that was in the roadway. The pedestrian sustained fatal injuries in the 8:15 p.m. crash. Fowler was not injured.
The identification of the pedestrian is still pending, according to FHP.
Escambia Sheriff’s Office Changes Pursuit Policy
April 13, 2013
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has made changes to its pursuit policy following a pursuit April 5 that wound for miles, causing a minor wreck on Highway 29 and finally ending with a suspect taken into custody near Pine Forest High School.
“In reviewing the tapes of the pursuit, we found several discrepancies not only with existing policy, but policies not being in line with those across the rest of the nation,” Sheriff David Morgan said.
Under the new policy, a supervisor must approve a deputy’s pursuit only in extreme circumstances and with the same care as if he or she were justifying the use of deadly force while endangering innocent lives.
“Such authorization must be limited to matters so serious and exigent that the need to immediately capture or kill the suspect would warrant an authorization to use of a firearm against a suspect located in a crowd of innocent bystanders,” the new policy states. “The supervisor must also be reasonably certain that the public safety need to immediately capture or kill the suspect is so grave that the supervisor is willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent civilians, deputies, and the suspect. If there is any doubt whether the circumstances and evidence make the supervisor reasonably certain of the propriety of the pursuit, the pursuit must not be authorized and any ongoing pursuit must be cancelled.”
The department’s previous policy allowed the safe and reasonable pursuit suspects that had committed, or tried to commit, a forcible felony.
The policy change was made, Morgan said, “to stay in step with the rest of Florida and the nation at large”. The new policy will be reviewed with more changes forthcoming, he said.
To read more about the April 5 chase that led to pursuit policy changes at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, click here.
Pictured top and bottom: The end of a high speed pursuit April 5 on Longleaf Drive. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Ordinary Agenda For Regular Century Council Meeting
April 13, 2013
A tentative agenda for the Century Town Council’s regular Monday meeting has been set, and it includes just ordinary business.
The council is set to approve minutes from a previous meeting and pay bills. The five-member council will also hear from the mayor, council members and the public.
The Century Town Council will meet Monday, April 15 at 7 p.m. Council meetings are scheduled for the first and third Mondays of each month.
House Passes Budget On Broadly Bipartisan Vote
April 13, 2013
The House overwhelmingly approved a $74.4 billion budget for the coming fiscal year on Friday, setting up negotiations with the Senate that could be eased by the brightest state revenue picture in years.
The broadly bipartisan, 99-17 House vote was an anomaly after years of bitter fighting about how to cut budgets in a drearier economic climate. Just days after staking out a party-wide position against the spending plan — a position that was later lifted — 25 Democrats broke with their party leadership to support the measure.
One Republican, Rep. John Tobia of Melbourne Beach, voted against the budget.
For House leaders, it was a chance to join their Senate counterparts in crowing about a united chamber as they head into talks about the final blueprint for the budget year that begins July 1.
“It does show that the chairman and the Republican majority did work hard to try to make this budget one that was bipartisan, and we’re very proud of that,” House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said after Friday’s session as he stood next to Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland.
House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, shrugged off the defections of more than half of his membership.
“When you have the highest budget you’ve had in the past six or seven years, that means there’s money to go around to our core constituents, as well as maybe projects that they think are important for the state of Florida,” Thurston said.
Republicans laid the groundwork for the bipartisan vote on Thursday, when they released an alternative to the optional Medicaid expansion contained in the federal Affordable Care Act. Democrats have generally dismissed the House GOP plan as inadequate, especially when compared to proposals by Gov. Rick Scott and the Senate, but said getting the House to reveal any plan was enough of a victory to drop a caucus position against the budget.
Thurston said House Republicans should not doubt his party’s resolve on pushing for a broader health-care plan.
“Simply because some people voted for the budget doesn’t mean that there’s any less of a united front when it comes to providing health care for the most-needy Floridians,” he said.
The focus will now swing to a series of meetings over the final three weeks of the annual session, as House and Senate negotiators will have to hammer out an agreement on a budget. Republican leaders anticipate being able to start those discussions as soon as next week, meaning that the final amounts for each portion of the budget would be set in the next few days.
“I don’t see a whole lot of stumbling blocks,” Weatherford said. “I think that we’re very close. If you look at the House and Senate budgets, it’s about as close as they’ve been in quite some time.”
There are some disagreements. For example, the Senate would set aside $480 million for increases in teacher pay, one of the big-ticket items in the spending plan and a top priority of Gov. Rick Scott; the House would add $676 million in education funding with a strong suggestion that it be used for teacher pay raises. Both chambers have their own formula for changing how hospitals are paid for care under Medicaid.
And neither side has decided how to spend all of the money set aside for tax cuts, including whether to eliminate the sales tax on manufacturing equipment, another one of Scott’s goals for this year. The governor used his weekly radio address to prod lawmakers on the proposal again.
“We need to level the playing field to compete for manufacturing jobs,” Scott said. “For Florida families to succeed, we must build up our manufacturing jobs in Florida.”
By The News Service of Florida
NHS Beats Baker, Earns No. 2 Seed In District Tourney
April 13, 2013
The Northview Chiefs shut out Baker 6-0 Friday night.
With the win, the Chiefs, at 8-2 in the district, secured the No. 2 seed at the district tournament beginning April 22 at Baker.
For the Chiefs, Kevin Vaughan threw seven innings, allow four hits, with striking out 18 with no walks. He was 2-4 at the plat with an RBI. Chad Smith was 2-4, with two runs; Chasen Freeman went 3-4 with a run and a double; Brannon Freeman was 1 -4, with a run and triple; Winston Riley went 1-3, with a run and one RBI; Daulton Tullis was 1-3 with a run; and David Burkett went 1- with two RBI and a double.
The Chiefs will round out their regular season with a couple of non-district games next week, hosting Escambia Academy on Monday and Flomaton on Tuesday. First pitch is 6 p.m. for both games.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
‘Operation Dry Spring’ Yields Arrests, Drug Seizures
April 13, 2013
The Florida Sheriffs Task Force, in conjunction with the Florida Sheriffs Association, has concluded a five week operation aimed at protecting youth in Florida. Operation Dry Spring focused on preventing underage youth from purchasing and using alcohol, tobacco and various forms of synthetic and illegal drugs. The operation, conducted from March 4 through April 7, resulted in 5,016 arrests across 37 counties.
The operation targeted underage youth in possession of alcohol, tobacco or synthetic drugs as well as businesses selling these substances to underage youth.
In Escambia County, 9,300 grams of synthetic narcotics were seized. Ten people under the age of 21 were arrested for alcohol possession, one person was arrested for synthetic drug sales and about 170 grams of marijuana were seized.
Operation Dry Spring was a remarkable success getting dangerous drugs off the streets, with 18,588 grams of various illegal narcotics seized by Sheriffs’ offices,” said Polk County Sheriff and Task Force Chair Grady Judd. “FSA is proud of the great work of the Florida Sheriffs Task Force to make this state safer for our youth.”
NHS Graphics Arts Students Design Winning Posters
April 13, 2013
Graphic Arts Academy students at Northview High School participated in a recent Century Sawmill Pageant Poster contest.
Winners were as follows (click on a student’s name to view their poster design):
- Steven Gregory, first place;
- Kasie Braun, second place;
- Alisha Grice, third place; and
- Kassey Redmond, honorable mention.
Gregory was awarded $25 for his winning entry.
Pictured top: First place winner Steven Gregory with Northview Graphic Arts Academy Instructor Donna Smith. Pictured below: The first and second place winning posters. (To view each winner’s poster, click their name above). Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Plant Your Own Butterfly Garden
April 13, 2013
Butterflies are not only beautiful to look at in your landscape; they serve as important pollinators of your fruiting plants. Attracting them to your garden and incorporating some features to get them to stay and reproduce involves a little planning ahead of time for optimum results.
Choose a location that provides some protection from wind. Trees and shrubs that provide wind protection also serve as a safe harbor from rain and predators. The garden should be mostly sunny with some part sun areas. Ensure that any new plantings have access to a convenient irrigation source so they can be successfully established and maintained in good health.
Now you’ll need to choose the plants. Adults feed on the nectar of many flowering trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals and, fortunately, there are usually many choices that will meet your site requirements and your taste preferences. In order to keep the butterflies in your garden, certain plants need to be available to serve as host plants for their young. Determine which species of butterfly is common in your area and that you want to attract. Most species have very few plants on which the caterpillars can feed so those host plants need to be chosen wisely. Determine whether any of the plants you already have are host plants and they can be integrated into your butterfly garden. For example, cassia is a host plant for the Cloudless Sulphur and citrus is a host plant for the Giant Swallowtail.
In choosing your nectar plants, select those that are native or Florida-Friendly as they are lower maintenance, giving you less trouble in the long run. Choose plants that have flowers in a variety of color, size, and shape. Different butterflies like to feed at different elevations, so choose trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals of varying heights. In order to have nectar available throughout the time when the butterflies occur, include plants that bloom at different times of the year. And include some plants that bloom all the time, like pentas or moss verbena.
Larger plants should be placed in the background with smaller plants layered in the foreground. When you plant smaller annuals and perennials, place them in masses to better attract the butterflies. Consider placing host plants in an area that is in close proximity to the nectar plants, but in an area of your garden that is not a focal point. Host plants can get quite ragged looking from hungry caterpillars!
Good maintenance practices will enhance the health of your garden. Regular fertilization and irrigation if needed will help keep your plants in bloom and healthy – healthy plants are less susceptible to disease and pests. Avoid pesticides as they may harm the very creatures you are trying to attract. Never use a Bt or systemic pesticide. If you must, target a pest with lower risk oils or soaps and then only treat the affected plants. Lastly, be aware of beneficial insects that will help you achieve satisfactory control of a pest.
Now that your plants are placed there are several things to do to make your butterfly garden complete. Add a spot where water can puddle on the ground for the adult butterflies to drink. They require minerals from the soil that get dissolved in the water. Also add a rock or log in a sunny spot where butterflies can rest and sun themselves. And consider placing a comfortable place for you to sit and enjoy the beauty of your garden and its inhabitants.
Mary Derrick is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent UF/IFAS Santa Rosa County Extension
Pictured top: A buckeye butterfly. Photo courtesy David Davidson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tim Tebow Named ‘Great Floridian’
April 13, 2013
His professional football career remains up in the air, but Tim Tebow was named a “Great Floridian” Friday by Gov. Rick Scott. The former Florida Gator quarterback is one of only 66 people since 1981 to get the award.
The “Great Floridian” designation is given in recognition of the outstanding achievements of men and women who have made significant contributions to the progress and welfare of Florida.
“It is an honor to present one of our first of 2013 ‘Great Floridian’ awards to football legend and Florida native Tim Tebow. Tim is a great role model for young athletes, and throughout his career, he has proven to be a true competitor and humanitarian. Tim is not just an athlete, he is a true example of someone who lives to serve others. It is my distinct honor to recognize football legend, proud University of Florida Gator and humanitarian Tim Tebow with the ‘Great Floridian’ Award,” Scott said.
Tim Tebow said, “I am so honored to be selected by Governor Scott for the Great Floridian award. It has always been wonderful to call Florida home.”
Two “great Floridians” are chosen each year by the secretary of state from a list of nominees. Scott presented Tebow with the award at an event at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. Tebow was a backup quarterback this past year for the New York Jets, and they’re looking for a taker on a trade deal.
Pictured: Gov. Rick Scoot named Tim Tebow a ‘Great Floridian” Friday. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.