Half Of Escambia 9th, 10th Graders Fail Reading FCAT
May 19, 2012
About half of Escambia County ninth and tenth graders failed the reading portion of the new, tougher FCAT 2.0 reading test. In Santa Rosa County, about one-third of ninth and tenth graders failed.
Students must pass the 10th grade reading test to graduate.
In Escambia County, 50 percent of ninth grade students and 49 percent of tenth grade students scored a passing 3.0 or above. In Santa Rosa County, 68 percent of ninth graders passed, while 64 percent of tenth graders had passing 3.0 or greater.
Scores for North Escambia area schools appear in the table below.
Cantonment Man Charged With Robbery Outside Pensacola Bar
May 19, 2012
A Cantonment man has been charged with robbing another man outside a Pensacola bar.
Deangelo Kirkland, age 22 of Lincoln Street, was charged with robbery without a weapon and petit theft. Kirkland was later released from the Escambia County Jail on a $27,000 bond.
The victim said he was outside The Game Plan on Fairfield Drive about 2:20 a.m. on March 31 when he was approached by two black males. One of the suspects, later identified as Kirkland, told the victim that he owned him money. Kirkland then, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, grabbed the victim from behind and choked him until he lost consciousness.
When the victim awoke, he discovered his iPhone 4S and car keys were missing.
Jobless Rate Falls In Area
May 19, 2012
The latest job numbers released Friday showed a drop in unemployment in the three-county North Escambia area — as Florida’s employment rebound continued.
Escambia County’s unemployment dropped from 8.8 percent in March to 8.0 percent in April. There were 414 fewer reported unemployed during the period, for a total Escambia County unemployment of 10,904 people. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 9.6 percent.
Santa Rosa County unemployment slipped from 8.5 percent in March to 7.5 percent in April. Santa Rosa County had a total of 5,335 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 8.2 percent.
In Escambia County, Alabama, unemployment dropped from 8.5 percent in March to 7.5 percent in April. That represented 1,138 people unemployed in the county during the month.
The jobless numbers released by Florida and Alabama do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.
Florida’s jobless rate in April fell to 8.7 percent as the state continued an employment rebound that began 11 months ago, the Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday. But April’s drop was also affected by the fact that nearly 28,000 job seekers dropped out of the hunt. The number of jobless in April was 0.3 percentage points lower than March and 1.9 points below April 2011. The national unemployment rate for April was 8.1 percent.
Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 7.2 percent in April, was down from March’s rate of 7.4 percent and was below the year-ago rate of 9.2 percent.
Three Charged In Santa Rosa Meth Lab Bust
May 19, 2012
Three people were arrested after a deputy used his nose to discover a meth lab in Santa Rosa County.
A Sheriff’s deputy was on patrol when he noticed a strong odor of smoke and a strong chemical smell coming from a home on Stanley Circle. Inside the home deputies say they found a “shake and bake” meth lab operated by Shawn Fagen and Sarah Rose.
Fagen and Rose were arrested on several drug charges.
Another man, Daniel Perkins, was also arrested at the home and charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Weekend Gardening: Hit A Home Run With Knock Out Roses
May 19, 2012
I love roses, I always have. After many years of growing roses, I found myself becoming, dare I say it, a bit of a rose snob. If it wasn’t a hybrid tea, I didn’t want anything to do with it. But as many Southerners know, the hybrid teas do have to be pampered and constantly monitored and treated for fungal diseases.
A couple of years ago, I decided to add some Knock Out roses to my landscape. I was taking a hesitant turn away from the long stems of the hybrid teas to a common shrub rose. I am very glad that I did. This year, the shrub roses are covered with dozens of beautiful blooms. Massed together, they are breathtaking and grab the attention of neighbors.
Landscape shrub roses will not make you great cut flowers, but they will give your landscape an abundance of rose flowers for the majority of the year. They practically bloom non-stop during the growing season, from March to November in Northwest Florida. Also, they are much less prone to blackspot disease than the traditional hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora roses.
The Knock Out family of roses was started by rose breeder Bill Radler when he crossed seedlings of ‘Carefree Beauty’ with ‘Razzle Dazzle’ to create the original Knock Out rose. The family now includes varieties that range from blush to vibrant red and even yellow.
In general, Knock Out roses are drought tolerant, self cleaning, and resistant to black spot and powdery mildew. Since they require little maintenance, they are ideal for gardeners who enjoy roses but who aren’t interested in the upkeep required to grow hybrid tea roses. The only drawback of Knock Out roses is that they don’t have a strong fragrance. According to the Conrad Pyle website, the only true fragrant Knock Out is the yellow ‘Sunny’ cultivar.
Like all roses, Knock Out roses need to be planted where they will receive at least six to eight hours of sun each day. It also helps to have a site with good air movement and well-drained soil that falls between pH 6.0 and pH 6.5.
Knock Out roses generally grow three to five feet tall and equally as wide, but some sources say they can reach eight feet tall if not pruned, so be sure to space them appropriately.
After planting, water them regularly until they get established. Apply a three-inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture in the soil, pulling the mulch back from the stem of the plants. Be sure to avoid overhead watering which can increase the chance of fungal leaf spots. They prefer a deep watering every once in a while rather than frequent light waterings.
Knock Out roses are referred to as self-cleaning meaning that the spent blooms will fall off on their own. They will re-bloom every five to six weeks regardless of your deadheading practices. Deadheading is the removal of faded blooms. Most gardeners have found, however, that occasionally deadheading will create and maintain a tidier, more attractive plant.
For more information on rose pests and diseases, refer to the University of Florida/IFAS online publication at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep371 or contact your local Extension Office.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Escambia Man Gets 15 Years For Subway Robbery
May 19, 2012
State Attorney Bill Eddins announced Friday that John Bruce, Jr. was found guilty of robbery by an Escambia County jury. Following the verdict, Judge Scott Duncan sentenced Bruce as a prison releasee reoffender to 15 years state prison as a mandatory minimum.
On December 16, 2011, John Bruce entered an Escambia County Subway restaurant and demanded money from the cashier. As he was making the demands, he had his hand wrapped in a shirt and motioned as if he had a weapon. The defendant was able to take over $200 in cash. The victim identified Bruce through a photo lineup.
Blue Wahoos Take Jacksonville
May 19, 2012
After waiting out another rain delay, this one only 25 minutes, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos came away with a 2-1 win over the Jacksonville Suns at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Friday night.
The Wahoos plated their first run in the top of the second when Yordanys Perez singled home Mark Fleury from second for the game’s first run. The Suns responded immediately when Thursday night’s hero, Shawn Bowman, blasted his fifth homer of the season, a solo shot, to tie the game.
Pensacola scratched across the winning run in the fourth. Joel Guzman opened the inning with a single. He stole second before scoring on another RBI single by Perez, his second of the game. That was all the Blue Wahoos needed behind a solid pitching effort by Tim Gustafson. The Pensacola starter lasted 5.2 innings and allowed just one run on only two hits while striking out five. He walked three straight in the bottom of the second before bouncing back to retire the next 10 batters. Gustafson got credit for the win, his first as a starter this season.
His opposition, Bryan Evans, was equally impressive. He gave up just two runs over seven innings in the losing effort. Donnie Joseph (8) recorded the final four outs for the Blue Wahoos to earn the save.
The two teams continue the series on Saturday from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Blue Wahoos will send right-hander Kyle Lotzkar (1-1, 1.46) to the mound against Suns righty Zach Neal (2-5, 4.29). First pitch is slated for 5:05 central time.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured above: Tim Gustafson allowed just one run over 5.2 innings Friday night against Jacksonville. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Camp Fire’s Townson Is Apple Seed Award Winner
May 19, 2012
Pam Townson, director and VPK teacher for the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Leaning Center was recently presented the 2012 Apple Seed Award by the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County.
The annual Apple Seed Banquet recognizes early learning education teachers. Camp Fire USA in Century received a 100 percent grade from the Florida Department of Education for 2010-2011 under Townson’s leadership.
“Pam not only encourages parents to be fully engaged as genuine partners in their children’s development, she advocates that early childhood structure can provide school stability and greater consistency in learning, which leads to better school achievements,” said La-vonne Haven, executive director of Camp Fire USA’s Gulf Wind Council.
Townson credits the curriculum of the Florida VPK Standards and Math Standards along with Creative Curriculum, National Camp Fire USA and the Galileo assessment tools with providing researched approaches to learning about the outdoors, nature, science, and creative arts as well as providing fine and gross motor development, early math skills, language and literacy.
Pictured: Pam Townson, director and VPK teacher for the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Leaning Center. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Commission Approves Rezoning For Walnut Hill Crude Oil Transfer Station, Up To 30 New Jobs
May 18, 2012
The Escambia County Commission voted unanimously Thursday night to rezone property in Walnut Hill where an energy company proposes to build a crude oil transfer station that could mean about 30 new high paying jobs.
With a motion from Kevin White and a second from Gene Valentino, the commission voted 5-0 in favor of rezoning acreage that fronts Corley Road, but has a Highway 97A address, from village agricultural” to “general industrial” as recommended by the Escambia County Planning Board.
Genesis Rail Systems, LLC wants to build the facility on 20 near Arthur Brown Road. The property was chosen because it is at the intersection of an existing crude oil pipeline and the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway.
Crude oil will be shipped in rail tanker cars from the north — including oil fields in Monroe and Escambia counties in Alabama — and be offloaded at the Walnut Hill facility into a 100,000 barrel storage tank before being injected into the existing Genesis pipeline for transport to refineries along the Gulf Coast.
According to project plans, the facility will create 25-30 or more well paying full time jobs in the community, plus positive economic impacts from constructions and ongoing expenditures.
Plan drawings for the facility show that the large crude oil storage tank will be surrounded by a lined containment area designed to catch storm water runoff and, in a worse case scenario, any leak, preventing any contamination to the surrounding area. The facility will also include the pumping equipment, a 1,500 square foot administration building and a 45-space gravel parking lot.
To support the planned oil transfer station, the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway is currently constructing an additional rail spur parallel to tracks that run along Corley Road from Arthur Brown Road.
Pictured above: Property off Corley Road in Walnut Hill were a company wants to build a crude oil transfer station. Pictured inset: Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway is already working to install new track. Pictured below: Plans for the facility. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
County Will Front Legal Fees For Commissioners Being Sued
May 18, 2012
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday night to front attorney’s fee for three commissioners that are being sued by Forrest Gibbs, who was hired and then fired as marketing director for Escambia County Equestrian Center.
County Attorney Alison Rogers removed her office from the lawsuit after an motion to dismiss was denied by Circuit Judge Linda Nobles. Rogers advised Commissioners Kevin White, Grover Robinson and Marie Young to obtain their own defense attorneys. She said County Attorney’s Office employees might be called as witnesses in the case, creating a conflict of interest.
“I’m not trying to make any judgement; I’m just saying I don’t think it is fair for the taxpayers to pay for the legal defense of three commissioners that were charged personally and not as in the duty of a county commissioner,” Commissioner Wilson Robertson, who is not being sued by Gibbs, said.
“We weren’t charged with anything; we were sued,” White said. “We have not been charged with anything.”
The commission voted 3-2 to provide legal defense funds for the three commissioners, with Robinson saying that he would pay for his own attorney. The three commissioners being sued — White, Robinson and Young — voted for fronting the defense money, while Wilson Robertson and Gene Valentino — who are not being sued — voted against.
“We haven’t done anything that I consider wrong,” Commissioner Marie Young said. “Why can’t we support each other?”
If the three defendant commissioners prevail in court, the county will pay their legal fees. If they lose, the commissioners will be required to repay the county.
Gibbs held the Equestrian Center job for about two weeks in October 2011 until being fired by County Administrator Randy Oliver following a complaint that Robertson influenced his hiring and landed Gibbs a $63,000 salary, which was higher than was advertised. The commission, including Robertson, called for a state investigation into the process. The State Attorney found no wrongdoing.
Gibbs filed suit in Escambia County Circuit Court against Commissioners White, Young and Robinson claiming that he was qualified and they improperly removed him from his new job. The suit did not name Escambia County as a defendant. Commissioner Valentino was also not sued by Gibbs; he was not at a meeting in which the other commissioners considered the matter.
Gibbs is seeking unnamed damages in excess of $15,000 plus legal and court costs from White, Young and Robinson.