Pensacola Beach Observation Wheel Opens Today
July 3, 2012
The 360 Pensacola Beach observation wheel is set for a noon Tuesday opening.
The 360 Pensacola Beach Wheel has 42 Swiss-manufactured, fully enclosed climate controlled gondolas with heating and air conditioning. Gondolas will feature UV protective, non-reflective glass for excellent viewing, photo or video capturing. The flight lasts approximately 10-12 minutes with 4 revolutions. The wheel will include one VIP gondola that features these amenities in addition to leather bucket seats, a television and champagne bucket. Each gondola can hold up to 6 adults. But unrelated parties will not be required to sit together.
The wheel is the largest portable wheel in the world, and the first of its kind in America. It features over 1 million white Led lights outlining the wheel and each of its gondolas.
The wheel will be open 10 a.m. to midnight daily. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for kids under 48-inches tall.
Pictured above and below: Views from the new 60 Pensacola Beach observation wheel late Monday afternoon. Pictured inset: The wheel towers about 200 feet above Pensacola Beach. Photos by Jaimee Lee, WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cingrani Leads Pensacola Wahoos To 2-0 Shutout Win
July 3, 2012
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Tony Cingrani gave up just two hits and struck out nine in 6.2 scoreless frames, while reliever Justin Freeman fired 2.1 perfect innings in relief to lead Pensacola to a 2-0 shutout win over the Jacksonville Suns on Monday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The win for the Fish even the series at 1-1 to set up a rubber match on Tuesday night and improved their record in the second half to 7-5. The Suns fell to 5-7 since the All-Star Break.
After being named the Southern League’s Pitcher of the Week for the week ending on July 1, Cingrani (6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 9 SO) kept the Jacksonville bats in check and allowed just the two hits while striking out nine. The victory improved the southpaw to a 3-1 record with the Blue Wahoos this year.
The left-hander had been recognized by the league earlier in the day for his 15 strikeout performance in his previous outing on June 27 versus Jackson. Cingrani did not give up a tally in that contest as well, meaning he has not given up a run in his last 14.2 innings of work.
Freeman (2.1 IP, 4 SO) came on in the seventh in support of Cingrani and finished off the Suns in firing the last two plus innings for his fifth save of the year. The righty added four punchouts of his own to help extend the club’s lead in the Southern League in strikeouts. Entering tonight, only the Visalia Rawhide of the California League had tallied more strikeouts overall this season than Pensacola’s total of 720.
Jacksonville relief pitcher Alan Oaks (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) suffered the loss after giving up the Blue Wahoos’ two runs on three hits in his three innings of work. RHP A.J. Ramos (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO) tossed the final two innings for the Suns and allowed just one hit while striking out two.
Both teams were held quiet until the sixth when Pensacola got the only runs they would need. Cingrani helped his own cause by beginning the inning with a single to left and moved to second when 2B Brodie Greene was hit by a pitch before coming across on a run-scoring base knock from SS Didi Gregorius. Gregorius would subsequently score in the frame thanks to an infield base hit by C Brian Peacock.
Peacock has now recorded a hit 12 of his last 13 games with the Blue Wahoos dating back to April 29, with that span including a pair of stints with the Louisville Bats. During that period, the backstop has hit .340 (16-47) with five runs and six RBI.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: Tony Cingrani struck out nine & yielded just two hits in the Wahoos’ 2-0 win. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Shooting Of 2-Year Old Under Investigation
July 2, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the weekend shooting of at two-year old.
The toddler sustained a gunshot would to the stomach area, according to investigators. The incident happened Sunday afternoon about 3:30 at home in the 7300 block of Pine Forest Road.
The toddler was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to a Sacred Heart Hospital where he remained hospitalized Monday in stable condition.
Airbus Announces Plant In Mobile With 1,000 New Jobs
July 2, 2012
In a major strategic announcement today, Airbus said it will establish a manufacturing facility in the United States to assemble and deliver A320 Family aircraft. Located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile it will be the company’s first U.S.-based production facility providing about 1,000 jobs.
Airbus stressed that the assembly line, which will create jobs and strengthen the aerospace industry, is part of its strategy to enhance Airbus’ global competitiveness by meeting the growing needs of its customers in the United States and elsewhere.
The facility in Alabama will assemble the industry-leading family of A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. The company said construction of the assembly line will begin in summer 2013. Aircraft assembly is planned to start in 2015, with first deliveries from the Mobile facility beginning in 2016. Airbus anticipates the facility will produce between 40 and 50 aircraft per year by 2018.
“The time is right for Airbus to expand in America,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President & CEO at the announcement today in Mobile. “The U.S. is the largest single-aisle aircraft market in the world – with a projected need for 4,600 aircraft over the next 20 years – and this assembly line brings us closer to our customers. Mobile is now becoming part of Airbus’ global production network, joining our successful and growing assembly lines in Hamburg, Toulouse and Tianjin.
“When Airbus aircraft take to the skies, our pride and workmanship will soar along with them,” Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said. “We owe thanks to so many people who helped make this effort a success. This project will create 1,000 stable, well-paying jobs that the people of this area need and deserve. Alabama has the best workforce you’ll find anywhere in the U.S. Airbus has recognized all that this state can offer expanding industries, and the company is making a significant new investment in Alabama. Airbus and its parent company, EADS, have been great citizens of Alabama for years now, and we are excited to build on our wonderful relationship.”
Airbus already has a strong and growing presence in Alabama and throughout the United States. In Alabama, the company operates an Engineering Center in Mobile – also located at Brookley Aeroplex and employing more than 200 engineers and support staff – as well as an Airbus Military customer services operation supporting U.S. Coast Guard aircraft. In addition, Airbus operates an Engineering Center in Wichita, Kansas; an aircraft Spares Center in Ashburn, Virginia; a Training Center in Miami, Florida, and a regulatory and government liaison office in Washington, D.C. Subsidiary Metron Aviation, a leading provider of advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) products and services, is based in Dulles, Virginia. Airbus’ headquarters for the Americas are located in Herndon, Virginia. All together, Airbus’ U.S. facilities currently employ more than 1,000 people.
The company said that the new Mobile assembly line, together with associated functions, should create as many as 1,000 new high-skilled jobs.
Airbus’ assembly line in Mobile will add to existing production capabilities by other EADS companies in the United States. For example, American Eurocopter manufactures helicopters at facilities in Columbus, Mississippi and Grand Prairie, Texas, while Cassidian Communications has an assembly plant in Temecula, California.
Airbus is the largest export customer for the U.S. aerospace industry. Since 1990, the company has spent $127 billion with U.S. suppliers – $12 billion last year alone.
Airbus partners with hundreds of US suppliers in more than 40 US states, and the company’s expenditures in the U.S. support more than 210,000 American jobs.
Airbus is the leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Over 11,500 Airbus aircraft have been sold to more than 470 customers and operators worldwide and more than 7,200 of these have been delivered since the company first entered the market in the early seventies. Airbus is an EADS company.
Man Incompetent To Stand Trial For Robbing, Beating Store Clerk
July 2, 2012
A judge has declared a Cantonment man incompetent to stand trial for the January robbery of a convenience store and beating of the clerk.
Antoan Dekyl Fountain, 32, was charged with battery causing bodily harm, grand theft and robbery with a firearm for the January 7 holdup of the CMP Food Mart at the corner of North Highway 29 and Beck’s Lake Road in Cantonment.
After a psychological examination was complete, Judge Jan Shackelford declared that Fountain was incompetent and ordered him committed to the Department of Children and Families.
According to Escambia County Sheriff’s Office reports, Fountain was dressed in all black when he entered the store about 10:35 p.m., jumped over the counter and tried to get into the register. When Fountain was unable to open the register, he beat the clerk with a handgun to force him to open the cash drawer. Fountain then fled on foot in an unknown direction with about $300 in cash.
Fountain was busted after deputies received an anonymous tip that Fountain had been bragging about committing the robbery.
The clerk positively identified Fountain as the bandit from a photo lineup, according to an arrest report.
Pictured: The CMP Food Mart in Cantonment as seen a few hours before a January 7 robbery. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
McDavid Man Charged With Battery By Strangulation
July 2, 2012
A McDavid man is facing a felony charge for allegedly trying to strangle his girlfriend outside a Pensacola Walgreens.
Marcus Dion Berthiaume, age 44 of Cox Road, was charged with felony battery by strangulation. He was released from the Escambia County jail on a $15,000 bond.
The victim and another male were allegedly stopped at a Davis Highway traffic light when Berthiaume got out of his vehicle and threatened them. He continued to follow them and tried to run them off the road until they stopped at a Walgreen’s on Olive Road, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
The victim told deputies that Berthiaume then choked her and slammed her head into the center console of a vehicle. A Walgreen’s customer provided deputies a smartphone video of Berthiaume diving into a vehicle and another witness pulling him out by the waist band of his pants.
The victim told deputies that she was currently dating Berthiaume and the pair had lived together for about two weeks.
Retired Astronaut Dies In Pensacola Beach Jet Ski Accident
July 2, 2012
A retired NASA astronaut died Sunday from injuries he received in a Pensacola Beach jet ski accident.
Captain Alan Poindexter, 50, was jet skiing with his two sons near Little Sabine Bay about 1:30 Sunday afternoon.
Poindexter and one of his sons, age 21, were sitting still in the water on a jet ski when his other son accidentally came barreling into him on a second jet ski, according to reports. He was airlifted by LifeFlight to Baptist Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Poindexter’s wife is formerly of Gulf Breeze. He was a graduate of then Pensacola Junior College and Georgia Tech. He flew numerous space shuttle missions, spending nearly 28 total days in space before he retired from NASA in 2010.
In 2008, he was the pilot on the STS-122 space shuttle mission to deliver and install the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. In 2010, he was the commander for STS-131, a resupply mission to the station that delivered more than 13,000 pounds of hardware and equipment.
“The NASA family was sad to learn of the passing of our former friend, and colleague Alan Poindexter who was killed today during a jet ski accident in Florida,” a NASA Facebook posting stated. “Our thought and hearts are with his family.”
During his career, Poindexter was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, NASA Aviation Safety Award, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, various other service awards.
“He was a talented, courageous Navy veteran with gifts,” astronaut Greg H. Johnson wrote on Twitter. “Dex was a lovable guy with a strong work ethic.”
Pictured top: Astronaut Alan Poindexter works on the aft flight deck of space shuttle Atlantis during his first spaceflight in 2008.
New Molino Tax Collector, Property Appraiser Offices Open
July 2, 2012
A new Molino location for the Escambia County’s tax collector and property appraiser have opened.
The property appraiser will be open Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The Molino tax collector service center will process motor vehicle and vessel registrations and titles, hunting and fishing licenses, property taxes, and business tax receipts. Limited driver license and ID card services will be available by appointment only. The new office will continue to offer drive thru service and a 24-hour drop box. Office hours will remain the same — Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. while the tax collector will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m and will have a 24-hour drop box.
For more information, contact the Escambia County Property Appraiser’s Office at (850) 434-2735 or the Tax Collector’s Office at (850) 438-6500.
The facility is located at the Old Molino School on Highway 94A, just south of Molino Road.
An open house will be held at both offices in the coming weeks.
Pictured: The new Molino location for the Escambia County Tax Collector and Property Appraiser.
Scott: Florida Won’t Implement Optional Portions Of ‘Obamacare’
July 2, 2012
Rep. Gov. Rick Scott announced Sunday night that two major provisions in the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare” are inconsistent with his mission to grow jobs for Floridians, make sure there is adequate funding for education, and to keep the cost of living as low as possible.
The Affordable Care Act does not require states to take any action before the 2012 general election, and the full law does not take effect until January 1, 2014, provided it is not repealed before that date. Scott, like other state governors, has made it clear that even though Florida will opt out of implementing two major, yet optional, provisions, should there be any legal obligation to implement ObamaCare, the state will follow the law.
Florida will opt out of spending approximately $1.9 billion more taxpayer dollars required to implement an expansion of the Medicaid program. A second provision in the Affordable Care Act gives Scott the flexibility to opt out of building insurance “exchanges.”
“Floridians are interested in jobs and economic growth, a quality education for their children, and keeping the cost of living low,” Scott said. “Neither of these major provisions in ObamaCare will achieve those goals, and since Florida is legally allowed to opt out, that’s the right decision for our citizens.”
Florida already has health care safety net programs om [tphts, for those with the greatest need, including assistance for families with incomes up to 133% of the poverty line, and Florida KidCare to ensure no child goes without health care in Florida.
But even though the federal government has promised to initially pay 100% of the increase in Medicaid payments for the first three years of ObamaCare, the burden increasingly shifts to Florida taxpayers in future years. Scott said.
“The real problem with health care is that costs continue to rise. That’s why I believe we need more choice for patients, more free-market competition, increased accountability for providers, and incentives for personal responsibility,” said Scott. “These are the things we can do that will hold down health care costs and make it affordable for more people. Unfortunately, ObamaCare doesn’t do any of those things. In Florida, we are focused on becoming the number one place for businesses so that Floridians have more jobs.”
Suns Beat Pensacola Blue Wahoos 10-4 In Season Opener
July 2, 2012
Eight of the nine spots in the Jacksonville lineup reached base while first baseman Curt Smith, right fielder Jeff Dominguez and second baseman Paul Gran all homered to power the Suns to a 10-4 victory over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Sunday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
With the win, Jacksonville improves their record in the second half to 5-6, while the Blue Wahoos fell to 6-5 since the Southern League All-Star Break.
The Suns got the scoring started early on, plating two tallies in the opening frame. LF Jake Smolinski drew a leadoff walk and then stole second before coming home on Smith’s blast to left to push Jacksonville to a 2-0 advantage. Dominguez would then leave the yard in the next inning to move the Suns margin to three.
Pensacola however, would answer with three runs of their own in the third to draw the contest even. After C Mark Fleury and CF Ryan LaMarre each drew a free pass, SS Didi Gregorius brought both home with a triple down the right field line, while Gregorius would later come across on 2B Brodie Greene’s sacrifice fly to right.
Jacksonville would then take command of the game however in the fifth thanks to their third longball of the evening. Relief pitcher Kyle Kaminska drew a leadoff base-on-balls prior to a another walk by Smolinski, his third of the contest, before Gran launched a three-run blast to left to give the Suns a lead they would not give up.
The home team would add a total of four insurance runs combined in the sixth and seventh frames, including a run-scoring single by Gran for his fourth RBI of the contest. Smolinski would reach base once more when he was hit by a pitch in the seventh with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Jacksonville reliever Kyle Kaminski (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO) earned the win after yielding a lone earned run on two hits, while Joshua Schmidt (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 SO) earned his first save of the year by tossing the final three innings. Blue Wahoos starter Tim Crabbe (4.0 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 SO) suffered the loss after allowing six earned runs on three hits while walking six in his four frames.
Three Suns batters, including Gran (2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB), Smith (2-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB) and Dominguez (2-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI), all collected two hits in the contest while Pensacola LF Bryson Smith (4-4, 1 2B) tallied four base knocks in the loss. Smith in his last three games has now tallied eight hits in 12 at bats and is hitting .533 since his promotion from High-A Bakersfield on June 27.
By Andrew Green