Rosters Announced For Friday’s Subway All-Star Football Game
December 12, 2012
Rosters have been announced for the 9th Annual Subway High School All-Star Football Game scheduled for Friday night. The roster includes several players from North Escambia area schools, including members of the state champion Northview Chiefs.
The game will include seniors from Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa County. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Pace High School.
The coaching staff for the West Team, which includes teams from Escambia County, will be led by the head coach from Washington High School, Craig Laborde. Coaches from the other county high schools will assist Laborde with his game plan. The East, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa Counties, will be coached by John Hicks from Niceville High School. He will be assisted by the other head coaches from the two-county area high schools.
West Team: Nate Crawford, Demetrius Smith, Luke Jackson, Frank Herbert, and Cory Ness from West Florida Tech, Jeff Linzy, T.J. Myers, Shay Oakley from Escambia, Chris Simms, Vihola Pohiva, Kevontarius Williams, and Josh Johnson from Washington, Lorenzo Long, Todd Ryals, Chris Shelby, Andrew Briske, and Matt Burke from Tate, Jace Banfell, Frankie Castagna, and Simon Smiley from Catholic, Blake Norwood, Darian Pickett, Reggie Warren, Deondre Farrington, Jonathon Bennett, Keith Coleman, and Preston Sellers from Pensacola High, La’Mikal Kyles, Neiko Robinson, Roderick Woods, Blake McCall, LeDaerious Franklin, and Kevin Vaughan from Northview, Siosia Finau, Trebian Suggs, Dante Young, DeMarcus Glover, JonDarius Gardner, Lawrence Colston, Terrence Sims, and Ronald Brown from Pine Forest.
East Team: Darryl Johnson, Gaston Rackard, and Eric Brelia from Choctaw, Zach Cresse John Marvin, and Chris Baudin from Fort Walton Beach, Devin Vazquez, Andrew Mitchell, Nick Haynes, Austin Campbell, Denzel Applewhite, Carter Fletcher, Barrett Perry from Niceville, Jacob Holcomb from Rocky Bayou, Colton Williams from Jay, Tommy McMillion, Austin Rollins, J.C. Curry, Brice Moore, Blake Ladouceur, and Jeffery Wright from Pace, Alex Pagonis, Austin Droogsma, and CJ Nelson from Gulf Breeze, Jay Warren, Nick Benton, Johnny Robinson-Pettus, Andrew Rieves, Jonathon Shaw, and Devin Colonel from Navarre, Blake Parker, Micah Reed, Jonathon Longman, Jordan Waddell, and Damarious Bethune from Crestview, Cody Chunn, Taylor Brown, and Logan Nixon from Baker, and Dejon Funderburk, Trevor Wheeler, and Christian Walker from Milton.
Tickets to the game are $7 or $5 with a canned good. The PSA is teaming with Manna Food Bank for a canned good drive and encouraging everyone to help families for Christmas by bringing a canned good item.
Chiefs Week: Football Action Photos, Part II
December 12, 2012
This is Chiefs Week on NorthEscambia.com — we are taking a complete look back at Northview’s Class 1A state championship win over Trenton Friday night in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl.
Today, we have an action photo gallery from the second half of last Friday night’s game.
To view the photo gallery, click here.
Coming up later this week, we will have more game info and hundreds of photos as Chiefs Week continues.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Corrections Department Appeals Prison Health Ruling
December 12, 2012
The Florida Department of Corrections has moved forward quickly with an appeal of a circuit judge’s ruling last week that blocked a plan to privatize prison health services in the central and northern parts of the state.
The 1st District Court of Appeal received the department’s notice of appeal Thursday, two days after Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled that the Legislative Budget Commission overstepped its authority by approving the privatization plan, according to an online court docket.
The appeal is not a surprise — the department said it would challenge Cooper’s ruling. The prison-health privatization plan is highly controversial, with the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees and the Florida Nursing Association leading a long-running legal fight to try to block it.
Chiefs Plan State Championship Celebration
December 11, 2012
The Northview Chiefs are planning a state championship ceremony for Saturday night.
The public is invited to attend the event in the school gym beginning about 6 p.m. Certificates of appreciation will be presented, and the state champion Chiefs will sign t-shirts. At 7 p.m., the Class 1A state championship game will be played in the gym on a large inflatable screen.
Bleacher seating will be available. Those that wish to bring a lawn chair to watch the game from floor should bring a beach towel or mat to go under the chair as to prevent damage to the gym floor.
Tate High Student To Represent Florida In U.S. Senate Program
December 11, 2012
Tate High School senior Amy Sapp has been selected as one of only two students to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate Youth Program.
The program recognizes students for their academic, leadership and public service accomplishments. Sapp will receive a $5,000 scholarship and a trip to Washington D.C. as part of the Washington Week program.
In Washington, Sapp will meet with high level government officials and participate in a wide variety of experiences. She was selected as part of an interview process conducted by the Florida Law Related Education Association Inc. with the assistance of both U.S. Senate offices and the Florida Department of Education.
Sapp is also on the Mock Trial for Tate High School and was named as one of the top attorneys in the nation at the National Mock Trial Competition last May.
Chiefs Week: Football Action Photos, Part I
December 11, 2012
This is Chiefs Week on NorthEscambia.com — we are taking a complete look back at Northview’s Class 1A state championship win over Trenton Friday night in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl.
Today, we have an action photo gallery from the first half of last Friday night’s game.
To view the photo gallery, click here.
Coming up later this week, we will have more game info and hundreds of photos as Chiefs Week continues.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Christmas Parade Set For Saturday
December 11, 2012
The 10th annual Molino Christmas Parade will be held this Saturday.
The parade will begin at 11 a.m. at the west end of Crabtree Church Road and will end at the Molino Ballpark where Santa will be waiting to visit with all the good little boys and girls.
Entry fees are $25 for vehicles’ $15 for motorcycles, tractors and golf carts; and $10 for horses. No 4-wheelers or go-carts are allowed. Preregister now at Fran’s Diner or on the day of the parade. Entrants need to be in line at the parade start by 10 a.m.
All proceeds will go directly toward helping needy children in the Molino community during the Christmas season. Donations such as toys and non-perishable food items can be dropped off at Fran’s Diner in advance of the parade.
For more information, call Christa at (850) 587-3201 or Fran’s Diner at (850) 587-2803.
The parade rain date will be Sunday, December 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Pictured: The annual Molino Christmas Parade last year. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Video: Northview Chiefs Say ‘Thank You’ For Support
December 11, 2012
It took the work — and financial contributions — of scores of individuals and businesses for the Northview Chiefs to travel to Orlando last Friday night in order to win the Class 1A state football championship.
The Northview Chiefs have created a video thanking everyone for their support.
(If you do not see the video above, it is because your work or school firewall is blocking external videos.)
Gaetz Looks For Answers On Public Website That’s Unavailable
December 11, 2012
Senate President Don Gaetz is weighing alternatives to a $5 million budget-tracking website that the public can’t currently access, he told members in a memo after two watchdog groups slammed the state for getting ready to scrap the project.
Gaetz, R-Niceville, wrote Friday that the Senate would work to find out if there was a better way to offer the public information now available on Transparency 2.0, a web-based budget program developed by Spider Data Services under a no-bid contract. The state’s current deal with Spider Data is set to run out Dec. 31.
Spider Data says it will cost another $1 million a year to maintain the website with 600 licenses for legislators and staff members, with more funding needed if the system is taken public.
“Considering the importance of budget transparency and the known and as of yet unknown costs, I will ask the members of the Senate to decide how and whether to proceed with the Spider Data relationship or some other initiative that will achieve the same or similar transparency functions related to state spending and contracts,” Gaetz wrote.
Specifically, Gaetz said he would ask Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Chairman Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, and Senate General Government Appropriations Chairman Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, to weigh legislation to create an alternative to Transparency 2.0.
Gaetz said he would also look into how much it would cost to overhaul a similar site currently maintained by Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater; supporters of increasing public access to Transparency 2.0 say the CFO’s site is more cumbersome than the new product.
The memo came hours after Integrity Florida and the First Amendment Foundation held a press conference to pressure state leaders to allow public access to the site.
“The public paid for it and we should be allowed to see it and use it,” said Dan Krassner, executive director of Integrity Florida.
Krassner and Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation, said they were given access to the site and thought it was easier to navigate and use than Atwater’s system. They pushed for the state to renegotiate the contract to allow the public to use it.
The tumult over the deal seems to spring in part from the controversial tenure of Steve MacNamara, a former chief of staff to Scott and, before that, former Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island. MacNamara resigned in May over questions about his role in shakeups of Scott’s administration and in some state contracting, including the Transparency 2.0 deal.
Gaetz wrote that a transfer between the Senate and Scott’s office is on hold, despite a “memorandum of understanding” signed this spring by Haridopolos’ office.
“Following staff changes, the Governor’s Office declined to sign the Memorandum and has not taken over responsibility for the contract, expressing concerns to my office over the manner in which it was procured and their authority to take over the no-bid contract,” Gaetz said.
But Krassner said the state should move forward with Transparency 2.0.
“If we really want to follow the money in Tallahassee … this is the site,” he said.
By The News Service of Florida
Bill Would Create Poverty-Based Educational Category In Florida
December 11, 2012
School districts with a higher percentage of low income students would receive additional funding from the state, under a bill filed Monday by Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami.
The bill (HB 31) would authorize state education officials to create another special category of funding to address districts with higher percentages of low income students.
The bill would require the Department of Education to develop a threshold level above which schools would be eligible for funding. The formula would be based on the percentage of students eating free or reduced lunches. Lawmakers would annually approve the distribution of funds.
The bill would leave up to school districts how to divvy up the money, but the funding must be used for class size reduction, reading initiatives and intervention programs targeting students in kindergarten through third grade.
By The News Service of Florida