Motorcyclist Killed In I-110 Crash
December 19, 2012
A motorcyclist died Tuesday night when he struck a barrier wall on I-110 and was ejected into the parking lot of the Pensacola Bay Center below.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 27-year old David Wayne Bryant, Jr., of Pensacola, was southbound at 11:35 p.m. on I-110 at a high rate of speed. He failed to negotiate a curve, struck a barrier wall and was ejected onto the parking lot below. Bryant was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Smoldering Fire At Cotton Gin Keeps Firefighters Busy For Hours
December 19, 2012
Fire departments from across the area responded to the West Florida Gin on Meadows Road in Davisville. It took firefighters hours to control the smoldering cotton seed and fiber fire after the initial report of a blaze about 2:10 p.m.
There were no injuries reported.
The Walnut Hill, McDavid, Century and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Atmore Fire Department responded to the fire.
Pictured: Firefighters remained on scene hours after a blaze was reported Tuesday afternoon at the West Florida Gin on Meadows Road in Davisville. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
So Far, New Gun Proposals Are Few In Florida
December 19, 2012
The tragic mass killing at a Connecticut school last week has produced a stream of ideas on gun control and school safety at the national level — but reaction in Florida has been muted, at least in the form of concrete legislation.
Gov. Rick Scott has called for school districts to review their safety procedures after the shooting, which left 20 students and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in addition to the shooter and his mother, who was killed at her home.
But no gun legislation has been introduced in either the Florida House or the Senate since the tragedy. Legislative Republicans, who have traditionally worked to expand gun rights, have largely steered clear of the issue. A spokeswoman for Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, responded vaguely to questions about whether the Senate was planning a legislative response.
“As a former school superintendent, Senator Gaetz supports Governor Scott’s call for Florida’s school districts to review emergency procedures and determine if there are ways to improve security in Florida schools and to communicate these actions with Florida’s families,” spokeswoman Katie Betta wrote in an email.
Democrats have also seemed hesitant, mindful that the GOP-dominated Legislature is unlikely to pass sweeping new laws to control firearms.
“You have to look at the recent history of the Legislature,” said Rep. Mark Pafford, a West Palm Beach Democrat who heads up his caucus’ policy efforts. “The Legislature is very, very pro-gun lobby.”
Some lawmakers are still talking about the possibility of firearms legislation. A spokesman for House Democrats said members were discussing how to respond to the shooting.
And Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, said his office was researching potential changes, including whether to transfer responsibility for background checks for concealed weapons permits from the Department of Agriculture to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Ideas for making it easier to check an applicant’s mental health history are also under consideration, Smith said.
“It’s not just the guns,” Smith said. “It’s the guns in the hands of people with mental illness.”
One Republican who spoke out on the issue of gun control Monday wound up trying to walk back statements he made seeming to suggest that guns should be allowed on school property.
“In our zealousness to protect people from harm we’ve created all these gun-free zones and what we’ve inadvertently done is we’ve made them a target,” House Judiciary Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said Monday, according to the Associated Press. “A helpless target is exactly what a deranged person is looking for where they cannot be stopped.”
Baxley is telling constituents that he wasn’t trying to float a legislative proposal, his office said Tuesday. He also issued a media statement attempting to blunt the remarks.
“Our focus should be on the victims and their loved ones,” Baxley said. “Out of respect for them, we should not politicize a national tragedy. There will be plenty of time for debate in the near future.”
Even some Democrats say the larger issues, such as whether to limit access to high-capacity ammunition clips that can hold dozens of rounds, could be better handled on the federal level, instead of taking a state-to-state approach that could make rules harder to enforce.
“You don’t want a mish-mash of gun laws … by which all you have to do is (buy) a tank of gas and you have a different law apply,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith.
Pafford said the state should at least take a look at the resources it devotes to mental health, where Florida ranks as one of the lowest-spending states in the nation.
“If it’s easier to actually fund mental health in this state, let’s do that,” he said.
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Bill Dropped To Tie Bright Futures To Living, Working In Florida
December 19, 2012
A proposal to require Bright Futures scholarship recipients to return the money if they drop out or move to another state is being mothballed, its sponsor said in a statement Tuesday.
Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness, filed the proposal (HB 35) last week.
The bill was “intended to make sure that Bright Futures has the longevity it needs to benefit the most students possible,” Smith said in a statement. “However, after thoughtful discussion with constituents, I feel this goal could be better achieved by different means and look forward to working diligently to find answers to the issues that need to be addressed concerning Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship Program.”
The popular scholarship program has seen its costs rise rapidly with more students using the assistance. Lawmakers have made changes in recent years to tighten academic requirements for the Bright Futures program.
By The News Service of Florida
Photos: Byrneville Christmas Play
December 19, 2012
Students in grades K5-2nd at Byrneville Elementary School presented their Christmas program “Granny McBee’s Christmas Eve” at Northview High School Tuesday night.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Submitted photos by Raja Atallah, click to enlarge.
Manna Hat Fetches Record $2,000
December 19, 2012
A new record was set during the seventh year of the Annual Manna Hat Auction by CatCountry 98.7. Last year the CatCountry 98.7 Manna Hat raised $1,676 but this year the Manna Hat auction collected $2,000. That will allow Manna to feed 66 local residents who need food.
John Cheney and his wife from Pensacola were the high bidders. He said, “as business owners, we felt like it was the right thing to do to help out with a very worthy
cause”.
Country artists like CMA Entertainer of the Year Blake Shelton and his wife, CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert, helped out by autographing the special hat that was put up for auction on the eBay this week.
Eric Church (CMA Album of the Year), a three time signer, said, “I’m honored help and be asked again”. One hundred percent of proceeds from the auction will be presented to Manna Food Pantries before Christmas.
Manna Food Pantries has seen a 60-percent increase in usage in the last two years. “Manna gives people Hope,” said Brent Lane from Cat Country 98.7.
Manna is a private, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to alleviating hunger in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties of northwest Florida. Manna is nonsectarian, community focused, volunteer supported and committed to the philosophy, “waste not, want not”. Manna believes that every person has a right to live free from hunger and that every person is to be treated with respect and dignity.
Manna Food Pantries began serving the hungry on January 3, 1983, then known as Manna Food Bank. Since then Manna has served over half a million people in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida, from Century to Navarre.
CatCountry 98.7 is a family-owned radio station with a history of putting community service first. What started off as a way to do something fun, and do good for our community has really taken off.
“The artists all signed it enthusiastically,” said morning host Lane. Artists who signed the hat included Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Brantley Gilbert, Jana Kramer, Craig Morgan, Lee Brice, The Eli Young Band and Eric Church.
“CatCountry 98 7’s mission is to help our community in every way that we can. All the artists who were involved in this should be applauded for their contributions as well,” said Dave Huxeng, station owner.
Pictured: Brent Lane, DeDe Flounlacker (executive Director of Manna), Kim and John Cheney from Pensacola , presenting Manna a check for $2,000. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Teen Hit By Van
December 18, 2012
A Century teen was hit by a van as he tried to cross a busy street in Pensacola Monday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 18-year old Ryan Wade Qualls Stephens was standing in the driveway of a Whataburger restaurant at Fairfield Drive and Pace Boulevard when he tried to run across the street without using a crosswalk.
He was struck by a full size Chevrolet passenger van driven by 43-year old Thearthur Tyron Thomas of Pensacola.
Stephens was transported to Baptist Hospital with minor injuries. He was cited by the FHP for failing to cross in a crosswalk.
Three Escambia Men Indicted On Federal Child Porn Charges
December 18, 2012
Three Escambia County men were arraigned Monday on child pornography charges.
Kevin Allaire, 24, is charged in a two-count indictment alleging that he received and possessed child pornography between June 2008 and August 2010. Mack Varnado, 32, is charged in a three-count indictment with receipt, transportation, and possession of child pornography between March 2005 and February 2012. William Dunaway, Jr., 22, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography on July 31, 2012.
If convicted, Allaire and Varnadoeach face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to a maximum of twenty years in prison, and Dunaway faces up to a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment. All three cases are set for separate trials in February 2013.
These cases werebrought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Century Caregiver Support Meeting Scheduled
December 18, 2012
The Council on Aging of West Florida will host a Century Caregiver Support Group Meeting on Thursday, December 20 at 6 p.m.
There is no cost and the public is invited to attend. Reservations are not required. The meeting will be held at Century Care Center located at 6020 Industrial Blvd. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month at the same time and location. County residency is not required to attend.
The support group is designed to reduce stress, increase coping skills, provide strategies for effective management of care giving tasks and enable caregivers to provide high quality care in the home. The programs are sponsored by Council on Aging of West Florida, the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging. For more information, call 432-1475.
Scott Appoints Crews To Head Up Department Of Corrections
December 18, 2012
Deputy Secretary of Corrections Michael D. Crews was promoted to secretary Monday by Gov. Rick Scott, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Ken Tucker.
Crews becomes the third secretary of the prisons agency under Scott in three years. Tucker had replaced Scott’s initial choice for secretary, Ed Buss, who had disagreements with the administration.
Tucker would have had to leave the agency no later than March, when his time in the state’s Deferred Retirement Option Program is up. Crews took over as the head of the agency on Monday.
Crews has nearly 30 years experience in corrections and law enforcement, and has been deputy secretary since last year. He’s also worked at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and started his career as a probation and parole officer, before working as a correctional officer at Apalachee Correctional Institution and the Tallahassee Work Release Center from 1984 to 1986.
“Throughout Michael’s impressive career, he has demonstrated an excellent understanding of law enforcement and a willingness to serve the citizens of Florida,” Scott said in a statement released Monday morning. “I am confident Michael will lead the Department of Corrections with integrity, leadership, and with an understanding of our ultimate goal to keep Floridians safe.”
Crews takes over an agency that has been forced to cut positions, and is in the middle of a long-running battle between lawmakers and corrections officers unions over privatization, both of prisons and the health care services in the prisons. The agency has also seen lawmakers target a number of prisons for closure, as the number of empty beds has risen with lower crime rates.
The agency, faced with the prospect of additional budget cuts, has also raised the prospect that it may consider more privatization, though it hasn’t spelled out any detailed plans yet. A budget document published in October said the department could cut costs through further privatization of facilities, though a spokeswoman said at the time that no list of possible privatization targets existed yet.
Crews has a bachelor’s in criminology from Florida State. The secretary of corrections makes $160,000.
By The News Service of Florida