Florida Stand Your Ground Panel Starts Work
June 13, 2012
The first public hearing of Gov. Rick Scott’s Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection offered a wide range of opinion on the “stand your ground” law in Seminole County Tuesday, with roughly 100 people turning out to speak.
Among them were hardline supporters of the statute and the bereaved parents and spouses who’d lost loved ones to shooters who were never charged.
Longwood, near Sanford, was chosen for the panel’s first hearing because it’s near where 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed on Feb. 26.
Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, the panel’s chairwoman, said the charge of the task force is not to debate Trayvon Martin’s death or the case of George Zimmerman, who says he shot Martin in self-defense. National outrage over the lack of an arrest in the case prompted Scott to create the task force and to name Jacksonville State Attorney Angela Corey the special prosecutor in Martin’s case; she charged Zimmerman with second degree murder.
Carroll said the first public hearing was held here to give its community members some “closure” on the shooting death that has roiled the state and nation for months.
The task force’s morning session offered an overview of the law by Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Krista Marx. Prosecutors, public defenders and law enforcement officials presented as well.
“Reasonable minds will vary,” said Marx – and differing opinions were then expressed.
The afternoon session was the public hearing. Among the speakers was state Sen. Chris Smith, incoming Senate Democratic Leader and leader of an independent panel investigating “stand your ground.” He called on the state to start to start keeping statistics on cases affected by the law.
“There are many instances where law enforcement used their discretion not to arrest and state attorneys used their discretion not to charge,” said Smith, “so we don’t know of the maybe thousands of times that ’stand your ground’ was used and nothing ever happened.”
Ronald Vogt, a Seminole County resident who supports the law, said police officers couldn’t be everywhere.
“But there come[s] a point in time where I see a robbery or rape or something going down where I need to intervene, I think there’s a better probability of saving their life than losing my own. The ’stand your ground’ law is the only way of entering in without my going to jail,” Vogt said. “I’m not afraid of dying – the only thing I fear is God.”
“This is a good law,” said B.J. Smith, a retired civil trial lawyer. “Please do not try and fix it.”
Other speakers called for changes or clarifications in “stand your ground,” including Martin’s parents.
Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, parents of the unarmed black teen who was shot killed less than four months ago, didn’t necessarily call for the law’s repeal. Fulton pleaded with the panel to at least “look at” the law in light of her son’s death.
Tracy Martin choked up as he said he’d be spending Father’s Day this year at the cemetery. He and Fulton also delivered 375,000 online petitions collected by Second Chance on Shoot First, a national campaign.
Listening to the stories “softened” the stances of panel members, Smith said.
Criminal attorney Mark Seiden, a task force member, said he was disappointed that more local citizens didn’t turn out. But Carroll was upbeat.
“From the comments that we heard from the sponsors of the law – and even they came to the forefront and said, ‘from what we heard, we need to make some changes, and I’ll be receptive’…I want to listen with an honest and open mind,” Carroll said.
Many of the speakers didn’t want to give up their right to defend themselves, she said, but also want a fair application of the law.
The panel is holding meetings statewide and will make recommendations to Scott and the Legislature about whether the law should be changed.
By The News Service of Florida
Pension Fight Heats Up In Supreme Court
June 13, 2012
With Republican legislative leaders and the Florida League of Cities already weighing in, Gov. Rick Scott and Cabinet officers have asked the state Supreme Court to approve a plan requiring public workers to chip in money to the state pension system.
Lawyers representing Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater filed an initial brief that asks justices to overturn a Leon County circuit judge’s ruling that said already-hired employees could not be forced to contribute 3 percent of their salaries to the Florida Retirement System. Lawmakers approved the requirement in 2011, as they tried to close a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall.
“Pension and retirement costs are among the largest and most longstanding financial commitments of state and local governments,” said the brief, which was filed Monday in the Supreme Court. “When revenues expand, government agencies can increase retirement benefits for public employees. But in financially challenging times such as these, the Legislature must be able to adjust its future pension commitments.”
As a sign of the high stakes involved in the case, Senate President Mike Haridopolos and House Speaker Dean Cannon and the Florida League of Cities have already formally asked the Supreme Court to be able to file briefs. Scott, Bondi and Atwater oversee the pension system while serving as the State Board of Administration.
“The matters at issue involving the Florida Retirement System necessarily implicate the Legislature’s appropriations and policy-making powers as well as the responsibility to enact a balanced state budget,” attorneys for Haridopolos and Cannon wrote in a motion filed with the Supreme Court last week.
The Supreme Court has already approved the League of Cities’ request to file a brief, known as an amicus brief. In its request, the organization said that 185 cities participated in the Florida Retirement System in 2011 and that another 206 cities have local plans.
“In recent years, pension costs have been consuming an ever-increasing portion of cities’ budgets,” the league request said. “This case may very likely affect the ability of cities to include pension modifications in response to current fiscal challenges.”
The case has moved quickly to the Supreme Court, with the 1st District Court of Appeal taking the somewhat-unusual step of passing it along without holding a hearing or ruling. Justices have scheduled arguments Sept. 5.
Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford issued a ruling in March that sided with the arguments of public employees who filed the lawsuit last year. She pointed, in part, to a 1974 law that said employees would not be required to contribute to the pension fund and that the rights were of a “contractual nature.”
Fulford found that the Legislature’s plan to require pension contributions would violate the rights of employees hired before July 1, 2011.
“To find otherwise would mean that a contract with our state government has no meaning and that the citizens of our state can place no trust in the work of our Legislature,” Fulford wrote. “Those are findings this court refuses to make.”
Despite Fulford’s ruling, the state has collected the 3 percent contributions during the lawsuit. Scott and the other state officials, whose lead attorney is former Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero, contend in the brief this week that Fulford’s ruling violates legal precedents and “if left standing would handcuff the Legislature’s response to changing financial circumstances.”
By The News Service of Florida
SciTech: NASA to Launch Black Hole Hunter Today
June 13, 2012
[VOA] The U.S. space agency is set to launch a telescope into space today to seek out and study black holes — those still-mysterious celestial bodies that scientists believe lie at the heart of every massive galaxy, including our own Milky Way.
Black holes have a gravitational pull so intense that not even light can escape from them. As gas, dust and stars are sucked in, the material accelerates and heats up, generating powerful X-ray light emissions.
Only a few decades ago, scientists thought black holes were rare. But their thinking has changed in the past 20 years, and now NASA is setting out to conduct a census of the black holes in the universe.
The U.S. space agency is launching a black hole hunter, a new telescope called NuSTAR, but formally known as Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array.
Paul Hertz is the director of NASA’s astrophysics division.
“Stars, nebulae and black holes emit X-rays of the type that we use in medical X-rays, and these cannot be detected from the surface of the Earth,” explained Hertz. “But the NuSTAR telescope will focus these X-rays onto its digital camera and send the pictures back to Earth for scientific analysis.”
(article continues below photo)
Current telescopes provide images that show a general glow from hundreds of massive black holes. NASA expects NuSTAR will be able to provide far better images of black holes and other high-energy events when it surveys the extra-galactic sky.
The images will be studied by people around the world, including NuSTAR’s principal investigator, Fiona Harrison.
“NuSTAR will open a whole new window on the universe, by being the very first telescope to focus on high-energy X-rays. As such, it will make images that are 10 times crisper and 100 times more sensitive than any telescope that is operated in this region of the spectrum,” Harrison said.
The NuSTAR telescope is about the size of a refrigerator, but it has a hidden tool. About a week after NuSTAR launches, it will deploy a 10-meter mast that will separate its mirrors from its detectors. That mast provides the distance required to focus the X-ray light into sharp images.
NASA scientists say that perhaps two out of every three black holes in the universe are hidden.
This telescope will be able to find these black holes behind their obscuring veils of dust and gas. It will also be able to tell how quickly a black hole is spinning, which will help scientists learn how black holes form.
“Like all of our NASA missions, we’re going to find unexpected things out there that will lead us to questions and answers that we aren’t even anticipating at this time,” predicted NASA’s Paul Hertz.
NASA says NuSTAR will start providing data to scientists about a month after its launch.
Tri-County Beats Atmore For 8U District Championship
June 13, 2012
The Tri-County All-Stars beat Atmore 5-4 Tuesday evening at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill to claim the 2012 8U Machine Pitch District Baseball Tournament.
Scores from the tournament were as follows:
Atmore 14, Northwest Escambia 2
Tri-County 14, Atmore 2
Atmore 12, Northwest Escambia 3
Tri-County 5, Atmore 4
Members of the Tri-County All- Stars are: Cason Burkett, Andrew Diamond, Cole Dunsford, Kaitlyn Gafford, Jamarcus Jefferson, Landry Locklin, Todd Macks, Caden Odom, Devin Sauls, Bryson Scott, Nathan Smarr, and Preston Smith. Coaches are Shane Burkett, Jamie Gafford, Frank Smarr and Rusty Steele.
Pictured: The Tri-County All Stars celebrate Tuesday after winning the 2012 8U Machine Pitch District Baseball Tournament in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos submitted by Hollie Sims, click to enlarge.
George Zimmerman’s Wife Arrested
June 13, 2012
Shellie Zimmerman, the wife of George Zimmerman, the alleged shooter in the Trayvon Martin case, has been arrested on perjury charges in Seminole County.
The charge arises out of Shellie Zimmerman’s testimony in a bond hearing for her husband in his second degree murder case. Prosecutors allege she testified falsely at that hearing about the family’s personal finances, failing to disclose her access to all the cash the Zimmerman’s had in the bank in part as a result of a fundraising website set up for him.
She bonded out of jail Tuesday afternoon, Seminole County officials said.
Escambia Health Dept. Offers Tips For Dealing With Mold
June 13, 2012
As Escambia County residents clean and repair their flood-damaged homes and buildings, the Escambia County Health Department is urging the public to take precautionary measures to avoid indoor air quality problems
Moisture that enters buildings from leaks or flooding accelerates mold growth. Molds can cause disease, trigger asthma symptoms and allergic reactions and continue to damage materials long after the storm. Failure to control moisture and mold can present short and long-term health risks.
Mold growth can often be seen or smelled. Mold often appears as a staining or fuzzy growth on furniture or building materials (it may look cottony, velvety, rough, or leathery and have different colors like white, gray, brown, black, yellow, or green). If you can smell an earthy or musty odor, you may have a mold problem.
TO PROTECT AGAINST HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH MOLD:
- Remove standing water from your home or office.
- Remove wet materials. If the moldy material is not easily cleanable, such as drywall, carpet padding and insulation, then removal and replacement may be necessary.
- Consider using personal protective equipment when cleaning or removing mold – gloves, goggles and an N-95 particle respirator (found at most local hardware stores).
- Check with your physician before wearing a respirator. Do not use a respirator if you have heart disease or chronic lung disease such as asthma or emphysema.
- Individuals with known mold allergies or asthma should not clean or remove moldy materials. If you have concerns regarding your health before starting the cleanup, consult your healthcare provider.
- If mold growth has already occurred, carefully remove or clean the moldy material in a well ventilated area. If the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet (less than roughly a 3 ft. by 3 ft. patch), in most cases, individuals may clean up the mold using a detergent/soapy water or a commercial mildew or mold cleaner. The cleaned area should then be thoroughly dried. Throw away any sponges or rags used to clean mold. If the mold returns quickly or spreads, it may mean the building materials are still wet enough to support mold growth. Additional drying of these materials may be needed.
- After working in a mold affected area, shower and launder work clothes separate from the other laundry. Keep shoes and work clothes away from the unaffected living area.
- Never mix cleaners (such as a cleaner with ammonia) and disinfectants (such as bleach), as chemical reactions between these ingredients are likely to result in the release of hazardous gases (such as chlorine). Read and follow label instructions of cleaners and disinfectants carefully. Open windows and doors to provide plenty of fresh air.
65 Gulf Power Workers Depart Century To Restore Power In Tuscaloosa
June 12, 2012
A Gulf Power Company storm restoration team of 65 employees departed Century Tuesday morning headed to Tuscaloosa to help restore electric service following a powerful storm system that swept across most of Alabama last night.
At the height of Monday’s storm, 129,000 Alabama Power customers were without power. The majority—79,000—were in the Birmingham area.
Gulf Power employees from across Northwest Florida comprise the 65 members of the work group, which includes 49 linemen and 16 support personnel that will assist Gulf Power.
“We’re glad to be able to help our fellow Southern Company utility after this storm,” said Jeff Rogers with Gulf Power. “Our crews had just spent the past weekend battling outages here in our service area so we know how important it is to work safely to get power restored as quickly as possible.”
Picture: Gulf Power workers from across the region met in Century Tuesday morning to head to Tuscaloosa to help restore power outages caused by powerful storms Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Rains Provide Some Welcomed Drought Relief
June 12, 2012
While one to two feet of rain in the past few days created havoc in the Pensacola area, a slow and steady weekend rain followed by heavier downpours on Monday were welcome news for many North Escambia farmers.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were officially in a severe drought as of last week. In the North Escambia area, rainfall totals Saturday through Monday morning were mostly in the three to six inch range.
This was the second year that the North Escambia area was in a severe drought. Last year, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were declared federal disaster areas due to the combined effect of excessive drought and the summer’s high temperatures. Many farmers lost a large percentage of their crops to the dry soils. This year, non-irrigated crops were suffering tremendously in the dry soil, making 2012 look like a repeat of 2011.
Pictured above: Water standing between rows in a Walnut Hill field Monday afternoon. Pictured below: Dry, parched corn in Walnut Hill prior to the rains. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Cottage Hill Mobile Home
June 12, 2012
Fire destroyed a mobile home in the Cottage Hill community Monday night.
The fire on Williams Ditch Road near Chavers Road was first reported to emergency dispatchers as a brush fire that spread to a fence and then as a house fire.
The single wide mobile home was reported to be about half engulfed in flame when the first firefighters arrived on scene. The fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
There were no immediate reports of any injuries in the blaze. Further details were not available.
The Cantonment, Molino, Ensley, Beulah and McDavid stations of Escambia Rescue were dispatched to the fire.
Man Charged With Fathering 13-Year Old’s Child Says He’s Not Guilty
June 12, 2012
A North Escambia man accused of fathering a child with a 13-year old girl has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Michael Lee King, 26, remains free on bond after being arrested May 29 on three felony charges — sexual battery, lewd and lascivious battery, and child abuse. His attorney, David B. Ackerman, has filed a written plea of not guilty and waived a scheduled June 21 arraignment hearing, according to court records. No trial date has been set.
According to an arrest report, King first had non-consensual sex in 2010 with the girl when she was 12 years old. Their sexual encounters continued for over a year, she told investigators, until King was arrested on unrelated charges in August.
At age 13, the girl became pregnant, giving birth at age 14, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office obtained a voluntary DNA sample from the 14-year old girl and baby, and obtained a search warrant for a DNA sample from King. According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab report, there was a 99.99 percent probability that King was the father of the child.
King did not provide deputies with a statement prior to his arrest, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.
At the time of his arrest, King listed his address as a trailer park on Barth Road in Molino. He previously resided on Highway 164 in McDavid, according to jail records. The abuse incidents occurred in McDavid, according to the arrest report.