School Board Proclaims It’s National FFA Week
February 24, 2012
The Escambia County School Board has declared this week as National FFA Week. At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, FFA members from Tate and Northview high schools were on hand as the board issued a proclamation.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Beat Washingon 4-3; Tate’s JV Falls
February 24, 2012
The varsity Tate Aggies beat Washington High School Thursday night 4-3, while Washington got past Tate 4-3 in junior varsity play.
Tate 4 Washington 3 (Varsity)
The Aggies came from behind again for the second game in a row on David Moorhead’s two run double in the top of the seventh inning. Riley Hodge threw a complete game allowing three
unearned runs on three hits while striking out six. Mac Seibert 2-4 RBI. JT Granat 1-3 HR RBI. Austin Quina 1-2 2B. Andrew Mack 2B.
Tate’s varsity with host Escambia High’s Gators Friday night at 7:00 in another district matchup.
Washington 4 Tate 3 (JV)
The junior varsity Tate Aggies fell to 3-2 on the season with a 4-3 loss to Washington Thurday afternoon. The JV Aggies will host Escambia at 4:30 Friday afternoon.
State Attorney: Flomaton Chief Target Of Florida Investigation; Council To Consider Job Status
February 24, 2012
The State Attorney’s Office confirmed late Thursday that Chief Geoff McGraw is the target of their investigation into the Flomaton Police Department over an incident that occurred in Escambia County, Florida. The announcement came just days before the Flomaton Town Council is set to consider the chief’s job.
Prior to Thursday, the State Attorney’s Office had only said the department was the subject of the investigation by the State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
Assistant (Fla.) State Attorney Greg Marcille said Thursday that his office and FDLE met this week concerning the status of the case involving McGraw. “All I can say right now is that the investigation is still ongoing” he said.
NorthEscambia.com has confirmed through multiple independent sources outside the State Attorney’s Office that the investigation centers around a suspect that claims he was wrongfully detained or arrested in Century by a member or members of the Flomaton Police Department without following proper arrest and extradition procedures.
McGraw’s employment status as police chief has become the focus of multiple rumors this week in Flomaton and on internet sites like Facebook, but Mayor Dewey Bondurant told NorthEscambia.com that McGraw remains Flomaton’s police chief.
“Chief McGraw is still chief of the Flomaton Police Department,” Bondurant said. The mayor said that McGraw is out of work this week on medical leave due to a sick relative. Bondurant had no further comment concerning McGraw or the investigation.
The police chief’s position is on the agenda for discussion at next Monday night’s meeting of the Flomaton Town Council at 6:30.
“I do not have any comment at this time due to this being an ongoing investigation,” McGraw said January 26, the day before NorthEscambia.com broke the story about the State Attorney and FDLE investigation into the Flomaton Police Department.
Man Charged With Choking Girlfriend To Death
February 24, 2012
An Escambia County man is behind bars today, charged with choking his girlfriend to death Thursday evening.
Kristopher Shawn Silas, age 36 of Garden Street, is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond, charged with second degree murder.
Pensacola Police Department detectives James Gore and Chad Willhite determined Silas and his girlfriend – 40-year old Tammy Lynn Bigham –were arguing in their apartment at the Carlton Palms condominiums at Alcaniz and Garden streets. The disagreement then escalated into a physical confrontation. Silas called 911 around 5 p.m. and said he had choked his girlfriend, according to police.
Bigham died at the scene. A motive remains under investigation, and an autopsy is pending.
Golden Apple: Escambia’s Pribble Named Teacher Of The Year
February 24, 2012
Jeffrey Pribble of Escambia High School was named Escambia County’s Teacher of the Year Thursday night during the annual Golden Apple Awards dinner.
Pribble teaches English, journalism and multimedia classes at Escambia High. He has been a teacher for 16 years.
One teacher from each school in the district was nominated for the award. From the North Escambia area, nominees were: Laura Jackson, Jim Allen Elementary; Pamela Trice, Bratt Elementary; Stephanie Gilmore, Byrneville Elementary; Chet Truet, Ernest Ward Middle; Twinette McDonald, Molino Park Elementary; Sammy Day, Northview High; Karen McRae Ransom Middle; Alan Culp, Tate High; and Majorie Stradle, West Florida High.
For a complete list of nominees, click here for an earlier story.
Twin Sisters Ask For Youthful Offender Status In Fire Deaths Of 3 Kids
February 24, 2012
The twin sisters from Atmore accused of reckless murder after their three young children died home alone in a house fire last year are now seeking youthful offender status.
Akeevia Lajoseia Abner and Tekeevia Lajoseialan Abner, both 18, were due to appear in court Thursday for an arraignment hearing. The hearing never happened after the women applied for youthful offender status.
Under Alabama law, a person under 21 that is designated as a youthful offender will waive their right to a jury trial and consent to be tried without a jury. Youthful offenders can have their sentences suspended with or without probation. The most time a youthful offender can serve in prison is three years and the longest probation term is also three years.
To determine youthful offender status, the court will perform an investigation and look a the women’s previous records. The determination process could take several months.
If tried and convicted of reckless murder as adults, the Abner twins face up to life in prison on each of three counts. Both women remain in the Escambia County (Ala.) Detention Center in Brewton with bond set at $300,000 each.
The November 7 fire on 1st Street in Atmore claimed the lives of 3-year olds Aniyia Abner and Takia Abner, and 22-month old Michael Coleman.
A State Fire Marshal’s investigation determined the fire was caused by an unattended stove. Authorities say the mothers had left the children home alone while they were elsewhere in the neighborhood.
“They showed an extreme indifference to these children’s lives and created a grave risk of death to the children by leaving them home alone on November 2, 2011,” according to the Escambia County (Ala.) District Attorney’s Office shortly after the arrests.
Two of the children were found dead in a hallway while the third was found in a bedroom. And prosecutors said that a mattress was blocking the living room door.
Forensics evidence determined that the three young children died from smoke inhalation, authorities said.
Pictured top: Pictured bottom inset: This photo shows the oven door propped open inside the kitchen of the home. Pictured below: Three children died in a November 7 fire at this home. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Citizens Insurance Revamp Passes House
February 24, 2012
A measure that will change the way Citizens Property Insurance Corp pays for claims in the event of a major storm passed the House Thursday on a 89-25 vote.
The bill would reduce the assessment on coastal Citizens policyholders from 6 percent to 2 percent and eliminates it for other residential and commercial accounts. The bill would make up the loss of revenue by shifting the repayment of losses by levying emergency assessments on a wider pool of policyholders and lengthening the repayment period.
Citizens now has about $12.8 billion available to pay claims until it would be require to seek assessments to pay claims. Meanwhile, the cost of a one in 100 year storm would be $23.2 billion..
By The News Service of Florida
Cancer Scam: Chris Luker Charges To Be Dropped; Wife Sonja Faces Trial
February 23, 2012
Charges will be dropped in the next few days against the husband in the Molino couple accused of faking the wife’s cancer diagnosis for financial gain, according to prosecutors.
Gerald “Chris” Luker entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors under which he made restitution to each identifiable victim, and, in turn, charges against him were to be dismissed.
“The evidence indicated that he believed that his wife had cancer,” Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said Wednesday, “and that he was not criminally involved.”
Sonja Luker is still facing trial next month and has no plea agreement available to her from prosecutors, Marcille said. Sonja Luker is charged with felony fraud; a previous grand theft charge against her was dropped in May 2011.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, numerous fundraisers were held between May 2004 and October 2010 that raised over $19,000. Sheriff’s investigators found that about $14,000 was used in 2009 to avoid foreclosure on their home in the 4700 block of Pine Circle Drive and about $4,000 in cash was used by Chris Luker to purchase a 1997 Harley motorcycle, according to an arrest report.
Chris Luker provided the funds to make restitution to those that donated to the “Sonja Luker Kickin Cancer Fund” and checks were mailed to victims over the past week. Victims that made donations by check received the full amount of the original donation.
By tracing bank deposits, prosecutors found $8,506.81 in donations that were made in cash by unknown donors to Sonja Luker. Chris Luker agreed to make an equal donation of $8,506.81 to the American Cancer Society “with the intent of the original donors to support the cure for cancer,” according to a letter that known victims received from the State Attorney’s Office.
Under the plea agreement, Chris Luker will be unable to claim a tax deduction for his donation to the American Cancer Society.
Pictured top: Sonja and Chris Luker (in black shirts) are seen in a 2009 NorthEscambia.com photo from a motorcycle ride fundraiser that benefited her alleged fight against cancer. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Republican Women’s Club To Host District 5 Commission Candidate Forum
February 23, 2012
The Escambia Federated Republican’s Women’s Club will host an Escambia County Commission District 5 candidate forum next week.
The forum will feature four of the five Republican candidates seeking the seat of incumbent Kevin White, who dropped out of the race last week.
Sam Archer, Glenn Austin, Steven Barry and Jim Taylor are scheduled to take part in the forum Monday at 11:30 a.m. at New World Landing in Pensacola. The cost, including lunch, is $15 for club members and $18 for non-members. Payment will be accepted by cash or check at the door.
For more information or to RSVP, email efrwcrsvp@gmail.com or call Leslie Ingram at (850) 723-3820.
School Prayer Bill Passes Final House Committee Stop
February 23, 2012
A bill allowing inspirational messages in public schools appeared to be on the cusp of becoming law Wednesday, as the last House committee to consider the bill approved the measure.
The House Judiciary Committee’s move sends the bill (SB 98) to the House floor; if it passes there without being amended, the measure would head to Gov. Rick Scott for his signature.
Supporters of the measure say that it simply restores the constitutional rights of students by allowing them to decide — without input from school officials — whether an inspirational message should be delivered at school events. Local school boards could decide whether to enact rules allowing the inspirational messages.
“The bill is sorely needed to protect students from the war against religious liberty and free speech,” said John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, which had voiced concerns about an earlier version of the measure. “The Florida ACLU, the Anti-Defamation League and other left leaning group’s opposition to this bill even after amended is intellectually dishonest, inconsistent with classical liberalism and really exposes their hostility toward religion as expressed by private citizens in the public square.”
But opponents say the measure is little more than a stalking horse for religious messages.
“The reality is, it’s nothing more than a euphemism for prayer,” said Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach. “It’s because we can’t say ‘prayer’ in a bill, because we know that the courts will strike it immediately.”
And that, they say, will land the state in court to defend the measure even as revenues for defending such challenges dwindles.
“Religious issues and government generate lots of litigation,” said Pamela Burch Fort with the ACLU of Florida. “And if this measure is enacted, it will invite litigation.”
David Barkey, religious freedom counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, labeled the measure “un-American” in a statement issued after the vote.
“Our public schools are about uniting children as Americans and not dividing along religious lines,” Barkley said.
Supporters pushed back on those notions. Rep. Charles Van Zant, the Keystone Heights Republican who’s handling the measure in the House, emphasized that nothing in the bill requires prayer.
“This bill doesn’t mention it — and I didn’t, either,” Van Zant said.
And KrisAnne Hall, a former prosecutor fired for speaking at tea-party gatherings two years ago, blasted the reasoning that the state should reject the measure to avoid litigation.
“Do not shy away from standing for constitutional rights simply because there may be a threat of challenge,” Hall told the committee.
By The News Service of Florida