Scott, GOP Not So Worried About Isaac
August 24, 2012
Appearing at ease and exuding confidence, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn went on national TV late Thursday and essentially told Republicans to relax and come on down.
Buckhorn said on CNN’s Situation Room that he was “not particularly worried,” about Tropical Storm Isaac, which officials said was looking less and less likely to take direct aim at his city as it prepares to host some 50,000 visitors for the Republican National Convention starting Monday.
His optimism was similar to that expressed – though more cautiously — by other top officials, including Gov. Rick Scott, who appeared more relaxed at an afternoon media briefing Thursday than he had earlier in the day. Scott started by noting that new forecast tracks have pushed the likely storm path out farther into the Gulf of Mexico.
He also said the state and the Tampa Bay area were ready for what is expected and said three times that Florida knows how to deal with hurricanes and large influxes of people. “The state is a hospitality state,” Scott said, aware no doubt of the economic consequences that canceling the convention would entail.
“Clearly, Tampa’s ready for this convention,” Scott said. “It’s beautiful right now. It’s open for business.”
Forecasters shifted the projected track of Isaac on Wednesday, moving the center of the likely path farther out into the Gulf. While that was good news for the Tampa Bay area, the storm track was being watched closely in the Florida Panhandle, which could eventually be in Isaac’s path.
The message was that Florida deals with storms all the time – and also is used to having lots of tourists.
“It looks like we’ll have some rain and some wind,” Scott said. “Right now, it’s full speed ahead (for the convention.)…. We’re looking forward to the delegates coming. We’re going to keep them safe.
“We do this, this is what we do for a living in Florida,” Scott continued. “We’re a hospitality state that knows how to deal with hurricanes.”
Buckhorn was also downplaying the potential for the storm. Flying in the face of years of emergency management warnings not to underestimate hurricanes, Buckhorn said even once the storm gets to its expected strength, it won’t be a very big deal.
“Isaac is just a distraction,” said Buckhorn, a Democrat. Once it strengthens and comes up the coast, “it is only a Category One storm,” he noted.
Scott said he also relayed his optimism to Romney, with whom Scott spoke on Thursday afternoon.
“I gave him assurance that Florida has dealt with hurricanes in the past and we know how to deal with hurricanes,” Scott said.
Scott’s own plans for the convention remained up in the air. He said he had planned to leave Sunday for Tampa, where he is on the schedule for a Monday evening welcome address at the convention.
“I’ll wait and see what happens,” Scott said.
By The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Beat Biscuits; Welcome 300,000th Fan
August 24, 2012
The Blue Wahoos batted around and tallied eight hits as part of a five-run fifth inning, led by a two-run triple from designated hitter Yordanys Perez, while three Pensacola pitchers kept Biscuits batters to just four hits in their 6-0 shutout victory over Montgomery in front of another sellout crowd of 5,038 on Thursday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
With the victory, the Fish improved their record to 30-30 in the second half and are now four games behind the Biscuits for first in the South Division. Montgomery fell to 34-26 since the season’s midpoint.
The capacity crowd was the 37th of the year for the Blue Wahoos in their 63rd home date. Prior to the game, the club welcomed their 300,000th fans at attend in their inaugural season. The Apostolides family was greeted by Blue Wahoos staff and Kazoo to celebrate the milestone and present the family with a special prize pack.
After both teams went scoreless into the fifth, LF Donald Lutz and C Tucker Barnhart began the Wahoos’ big inning with back-to-back base hits and then were driven in on Perez’s triple to right-center. Perez would then come plateward courtesy of 2B Miguel Rojas’ RBI single, while RF Josh Fellhauer eventually scored Rojas with a run-scoring double down the left field line.
The inning’s scoring was capped with Fellhauer coming across on 1B Beau Mills’ RBI single to left. The eight hits in the frame, collected by eight different Pensacola batters, set a new team record, breaking the previous mark of five that had been set on seven previous occasions. Pensacola plated their final tally in the eighth when Barnhart reached on a walk, moved to second on a free pass and third on a single, before coming home on a wild pitch.
Fellhauer (3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB) recorded a game-high three hits and reached base four times for the second straight night, while Barnhart (2-3, 2 R, 1 BB) and Rojas (2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) each collected a pair of base knocks for the Blue Wahoos. 3B Omar Luna (2-3, 1 BB) was the lone batter to collect a multi-hit effort for the Biscuits in the defeat. Pensacola SS Billy Hamilton collected a hit and two walks but did not steal a base to keep his all-time single-season steals record total at 148.
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Daniel Corcino (5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO) earned the victory after allowing just two hits in five scoreless frame to improve to 8-7. Relievers Josh Ravin (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO) and Chris Manno (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 SO) preserved the shutout with two shutout innings each. Montgomery starter Jacob Thompson (4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 7-11 after yielding five earned runs on nine hits in his 4.2 innings.
Pensacola will now travel to Pearl, Mississippi for their final road series of the season with a five-game set scheduled against the Mississippi Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday night, with the Blue Wahoos slated to send RHP Wirfin Obispo to the mound, while the Braves are expected to give the nod to LHP Jose Lugo.
Following the five-game series, the Blue Wahoos will return home for their final series of the regular season, facing the Tennessee Smokies, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, with the first game of that series set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 30.
By Andrew Green
Pictured top: The Blue Wahoos welcomed their 300,000th fans, the Apostolides family, Thursday at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The Wahoos were the first Southern League team to hit the 300,000 milestone this season. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FEMA Positioning Equipment For Isaac
August 24, 2012
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is positioning supplies in Jacksonville in anticipation of Tropical Storm Isaac.
The federal agency, led by former Florida emergency chief Craig Fugate, has begun shipping MRE’s and generator units to a distribution center in advance of the storm.
Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said state warehouses are stocked but responders are waiting for more information on the storm’s path before pre-positioning material.
“We’re not quite sure where it is going so we don’t want to move supplies into the path of the storm,” Koon told reporters Thursday.
The National Guard has been alerted and plans call for the guard to bolster security should law enforcement need to be redeployed from the Republican National Convention.
Upwards of 4,000 law enforcement officials are expected to provide security for the event, which is expected to draw more than 50,000 visitors to the Tampa Bay region.
One Injured In Crash Near State Line
August 23, 2012
One person was injured in a single vehicle wreck just north of the Alabama-Florida line Thursday afternoon.
The driver of a Ford pickup was trapped in her vehicle about 30 minutes following the crash in Alabama just after 2 p.m. on the Alabama/Florida Highway (CR 8), just north of North Highway 99 in Bratt.
The adult female was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
She was apparently northbound on when she ran off the road, lost control and overturned into a cotton field. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation by Alabama State Troopers. Further details have not been released.
The Atmore Fire Department, Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured above and below: Firefighters use the Jaws of Life to free the river from this overturned truck. Pictured inset: The truck came to rest on its side in a cotton field. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Bookkeeper Indicted For Stealing $282,000 From Local Company
August 23, 2012
A Cantonment woman is facing 125 charges for allegedly stealing $282,000 from her employer over a five year period.
Thursday, a federal grand jury charged 43-year old Kandi Kay Holden in a federal indictment that included 120 counts of wire fraud and five counts of federal tax violations.
The 125-count indictment charges Holden with diverting funds from her place of employment and failing to report this money as income on her federal income tax returns. From November 2004 until her discharge in January 2011, Holden was employed in the bookkeeping and accounting department of Cantwell Steel Erectors in Pensacola.
During her employment, she allegedly initiated 120 unauthorized wire transfers totaling $282,000. Prosecutors said she then transferred the money from the bank account of Cantwell Steel Erectors into various bank accounts that she controlled.
Holden is also charged with filing false tax returns for the years 2006 through 2009 and willfully failing to file her 2010 individual federal income tax return.
If convicted, Holden faces maximum sentences of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, three years in prison for each count of filing false tax returns and one year in prison for willfully failing to file a tax return.
The federal indictment followed an investigation by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation unit.
SBA Disaster Assistance Available Following June Storms, Flooding
August 23, 2012
Florida and Alabama residents and businesses affected by severe storms and flooding June 9-11, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The loans were made available in response to a letter from the governor’s office requesting a disaster declaration by the SBA. The declaration covers Escambia County and the adjacent counties of Santa Rosa in Florida, Baldwin and Escambia in Alabama.
“The SBA is strongly committed to providing the people of Florida with the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes with federal disaster loans,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “Getting businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA.”
“Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta. SBA’s customer service representatives are on hand at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions about the disaster loan program, explain the process, issue and help individuals complete their applications.
The Disaster Loan Outreach Center is open weekday until August 30 and Saturday, August 25 at the Small Business Development Center, 401 East Chase Street in Pensacola.
Businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets,” said Wilfredo Gonzalez, SBA’s Jacksonville district director.
The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements, as verified by SBA, to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by future disasters of the same kind.
For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and most private nonprofit organizations of all sizes, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.
Interest rates are as low as 1.938 percent for homeowners and renters, 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Individuals and businesses unable to visit the Center may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to the Center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is October 22, 2012. The deadline to return economic injury applications is May 21, 2013.
School District: Watch Out For The Big Yellow Buses
August 23, 2012
Escambia County School officials are asking motorists and students to be careful around school buses.
With the start of a new school year, comes a dramatic increase in traffic during the morning and afternoon commutes. Parents driving their children to school as well as the addition of 320 yellow school buses will add traffic pressure. Motorists are advised to take a little extra time to get to work or school, be patient with delays, and, most importantly, expect the unexpected.
Last school year, half of all traffic accidents involving school buses were caused by motorists who rear-ended a stopped school bus at a railroad crossing, traffic signal, or school bus stop. “Inattention to driving is the only reasonable explanation,” according to Rob Doss, the district’s director of transportation. Doss added that now is an excellent time to put the cell phone away and watch the road ahead.
“It is the goal of the Escambia County School District to be a safety leader,” remarked Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. “Our school bus drivers are fully trained and qualified, are able to apply best practices in safety, and are focused on getting students to and from school in a safe environment.
For school bus safety tips and more district transportation information, visit www.escambiayellow.com.
One Dead In Another Escambia County Shooting
August 23, 2012
A man was shot and killed Wednesday night in Escambia County.
The victim was identified by neighbors as 21-year old Darrington Lovely.
He was found shot in the front yard of a home about 9:15 p.m. in the 1100 block of Webster Drive in the Mayfair community. Lovely was unresponsive as he was transported to an area hospital where he later died.
There were no immediate arrests, as Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputies canvassed the area for clues.
Investigators and the Gun Crime Response Team are continuing the investigation and are asking anyone with information on the murder to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Swing Dancing Coming To North Escambia Friday Night
August 23, 2012
Swing dancing is coming to North Escambia Friday night.
“Swing Molino Swing”, a family oriented event, will be held at the Barrineau Park Community Center on Barrienau Park School Road.
“This is an event for all ages and you can dress up or dress down as much as you want,” said Meridith Caum, one of the event organizers. She said spike heels are not allowed, and females that plan to wear a dress and practice the dip moves will need a pair of shorts underneath.
Lessons begin at 6:30 with the dance from 7-11 p.m. There will be a $5 charge to cover costs, and there will be a $5 meal available with a hot dog, chips, dessert and drink.
There will be no alcohol and no smoking allowed in the Barrineau Park Community Center, and there will be a deputy on site for security and peace of mind.
Pictured top: Marshall Caum and Haylee Weaver in a swing dancing dip. Pictured inset: (top to bottom, L-R) Marshall Caum, Meridith Caum, Lydia Weaver, Justin Purvis and Haylee Weaver. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Deputies: Woman Tries To Attack Daughter With Bat Over Swimsuit
August 23, 2012
A Century woman was jailed after allegedly trying to attack her daughter with a baseball bat after a fight over a swimsuit.
Kimberly Renee Harwell, 38, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. She remained in the Escambia County Jail early Thursday with bond set at $25,000.
Harwell allegedly become involved in a physical confrontation with her daughter over a bathing suit. The fight escalated until Harwell was allegedly outside a window with her daughter inside, at which time she struck the window with a bat and shattered it.
The daughter locked the mom outside, but she managed to make access. Once inside the home, Harwell allegedly tried to hit the daughter with the wooden bat.
The daughter suffered minor cuts in the incidents and refused medical treatment.