Tate Opens Season With Win Over West Florida
February 18, 2012
The Tate Aggies came from behind in the bottom of the seventh Friday night, scoring three runs to take down West Florida 7-6.
Hunter Black doubled home two runs for the Aggies to secure Tate’s first win of the season. Cody Palmer was 3-4 with two RBI’s. JT Granat got the win in relief.
Navy Federal To Hire 450-600 This Year
February 18, 2012
Navy Federal Credit Union announced Friday that the company will hire another 450 to 600 call center employees during 2012.
CEO Cutler Dawson said the new employees are needed due to the credit union’s growth — including 400,000 new members last year. The new jobs are in addition to 700 new hires last year that pushed total employment to 2,200. With the new hires, the company’s Beulah campus will near its 3,300 worker capacity.
Navy Federal has expressed interest in purchasing the adjacent 240-acre Langley Bell 4-H Center. So far, no agreement has been made to purchase the 4-H facility from Escambia County.
WABB-FM 97.5 Sold To Religious Broadcasting Company
February 18, 2012
WABB 97.5 — one of the oldest Top 40 radio stations in the country — has been sold to not-for-profit EMF (Educational Media Foundation) of Rocklin, CA.
EMF will take over all programming and the format for the station on March 1. EMF is a religious broadcast that controls the programming on stations across the country, mostly with their K-Love and Air1 formats. Both play Christian music. The company has not yet made any official announcements concerning WABB.
WABB has been a family owned station for 52 years. Bernie Dittman bought WABB-AM in 1959 and put WABB-FM on the air in 1973 with a Top 40 format. A legendary icon in the broadcasting industry, Dittman was devoted throughout his career to maintaining WABB as an independent, family owned station. The family continued to operate the station after his death in 2006.
Despite the station’s success, the next generation of the family no longer resides in the Mobile area and, as a result, the family viewed the sale as a logical transition.
“This was a very difficult and emotional decision for our family,” said Judith Dittman, Bernie’s wife. “WABB-FM has enjoyed decades of success and being an integral part of the Mobile-Pensacola communities. But the time has come for us to move into another phase of life and spend more time together as a family.”
Bank Of Brewton Robbed
February 17, 2012
The main branch of the Bank of Brewton was robbed Friday afternoon.
Brewton Police have released few details about the early afternoon robbery at 103 Belleville Avenue.
Investigators indicated that the suspect or suspects fled the bank. A manhunt followed involving multiple agencies including the Brewton Police Department, East Brewton Police Department, the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office, a K-9 team from the Century Correctional Institution and the FBI.
The only description provided by police so far is that the suspect is black, but it was unknown if they were male or female due to the disguise that was used. The suspect reportedly walked into the rear entrance of the bank off a public boardwalk.
“This isn’t your normal situation,” Lt. Brock Holt of the Brewton Police Department said.
Pictured: Three images from video surveillance inside the Bank of Brewton Friday afternoon. Submitted for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Troopers: Speed Was Factor As Man Plows Into Train
February 17, 2012
Speed was a factor as a 24-year old man plowed his pickup truck into the side of a moving freight train north of Flomaton this morning.
William David Stewart of Irvington, Ala., was seriously injured in the 8:36 a.m. crash on Foshee Road near Hammac Road, about 10 miles from Flomaton. He was transported by LifeFlight to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.
The accident caused a minor diesel fuel leak from a tank on one of the engines. No one on the train was injured.
The crossing is marked by signs but no automated crossing arms or lights. Well over 100 feet of skids marks from the truck were evident on the asphalt leading up to the crossing.
Pictured: One person was seriously injured in this pickup truck versus train crash Friday morning north of Flomaton. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
County Gives 30 Acres To Muzzle Loaders
February 17, 2012
The Escambia County Commission Thursday night voted to give the Escambia River Muzzle Loaders the 30 acres where they operate and allow the group to extend their shooting hours.
The vote was the final approval needed to give the land to the non-profit ERML group to release the county of any liability associated with the shooting range and avoid an environmental cleanup.
Neighbors of the range on Rocky Branch Road have spoken out in opposition to the range and its practices for years. They claim ERML committed to spend $250,000 to improve the range’s safety and reduce noise. But neighbors said the upgrades have never happened. Neighbors have also claimed that the Muzzle Loaders want to purchase additional property to expand the range — and shoot in the direction of neighboring homes.
Changes approved in spirit by the commission Thursday include:
- The range will be open extended hours from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. during the April 1 to September 30 period. Previous hours were 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
- A safety officer must be present whenever the shooting range is being used.
- The range will remain closed on Mondays, unless it is a national holiday other than Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter Sunday.
- Lighting can be installed around the shooting platform only.
The Escambia River Muzzle Loaders is located on Rocky Branch Road, north of Quinette Road near the Escambia River.
Former Alabama Trooper, Atmore Police Investigator Arrested For Theft
February 17, 2012
A former Alabama State Trooper and Atmore Police Department investigator from Walnut Hill has been arrested on theft charges.
Jonathon Dees, 48, surrendered Thursday at the Baldwin County Jail on second degree theft of property charges for allegedly stealing gasoline. Dees provided a current address in the 7000 block of Highway 97 in Walnut Hill, according to jail records.
Dees had been assigned to the Mobile office of the Department of Public Safety and was later hired as a police investigator by the City of Atmore. He resigned his position with the Atmore Police Department on Thursday.
Alabama AG Luther Strange’s office presented evidence to a Baldwin County grand jury on February 3, 2012, resulting in the indictment of Dees for:
- Second-degree theft of gasoline valued at more than $500, occurring and continuing between the approximate dates of July 2009 and January 2011;
- Intentional use of his official public position as an Alabama State Trooper for unlawful personal gain to himself or a family member, the gain being gasoline; and
- Intentional use of equipment facilities, time, materials, labor, or other public property under his discretion and control, being his State vehicle and gas, which had a material effect to his own private benefit.
The Alabama Attorney General did not release any further information about the investigation or about Dees’ alleged crimes.
In Alabama, second-degree theft is a class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $15,000. Use of official position for personal gain, a violation of the state ethics law, is a class B felony, with each count punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000.
Dees was released from jail on a $5,000 bond Thursday.
Escambia Set To Extend Lake Stone Caretaker, Management Agreement
February 17, 2012
The Escambia County Commission is set to extend a contract for the management of Lake Stone Campground near Century.
Since the inception of the Lake Stone Campground, the county has entered into an agreement for on-site caretaker and management services at the facility. Mervyn Simmons has served as the caretaker since February 2009.
At their regular meeting Thursday night, the commission is expected to extend the agreement with Simmons until February 12, 2013.
Simmons is compensated $850 per month with housing and utilities provided.
Gov. Scott Will Explore Ways To Privatize Prisons Without Law Change
February 17, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott said Thursday he will explore opportunities to privatize state prisons on his own following the Senate’s defeat of a bill that would have required some prisons be bid out to private companies.
Speaking to reporters Thursday morning after a public event on insurance fraud, Scott acknowledged that initially he didn’t consider privatizing prisons a priority, but was disappointed the Senate voted down a bill that would have done that, and said he’ll explore what many backers of the Senate plan said was a possibility – that the governor could order privatization unilaterally.
“It wasn’t something that was one of my legislative session priorities this year, but here’s what I think about it,” Scott said. “I got elected to hold government accountable, to not waste taxpayers’ money. So here was an opportunity that the Senate had to give us the opportunity to save a significant amount of money….. I’m disappointed the Senate didn’t do that. I’m going to look at what I have the opportunity to do. …I’m going to make sure that we don’t waste money.”
Scott pointed out that there are fewer inmates than anticipated and that it didn’t make sense to spend state dollars on half-full prisons.
“Why wouldn’t we save that money and put the money into education, into textbooks, and to make sure we have the right health care safety net instead of spending the money where we don’t need to?” Scott said.
The Senate earlier this week voted 21-19 against a bill that would have required privatization of most of the prison facilities in an 18-county area from roughly Tampa Bay south. The bill would have required prison operators to guarantee savings of $16.5 million a year immediately in order to get the bid, though many opponents said they didn’t believe the savings would materialize.
A coalition of senators from both parties, including those who represent lots of prison guards, to those who said they didn’t trust the savings figures, to those who said they worried about turning over a critical safety function to the private sector, opposed the bill, which was a top priority of the Republican leadership in the Senate.
Scott’s jump into the controversy – after months of refusing to answer directly what his position was on the idea – drew immediate criticism from the opponents of privatization, including the union that currently represents most state corrections officers.
“The Senate reflected the will of the citizens of Florida when it voted to kill prison privatization,” said Ken Wood, acting president of Teamsters Local 2011, which represents about 20,000 correctional officers in the state. “Floridians do not want the rules changed so private companies can get secret contracts with no cost-benefit analysis and no public review.”
The House never got a chance to vote on the issue.
House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said Thursday when asked what he thought about Scott taking the lead on the issue that he would defer to the governor and if Scott pursued it, he would likely support him.
“That’s totally his call,” Cannon said. “I’ve said that my personal view is that privatization is one component of reconfiguring our criminal justice system asset. It’s not a panacea … But the bill died in the Senate, so I think as a legislative matter it’s dead. I would defer entirely to him if he chooses to pursue it, I would be inclined to respect his judgment.”
Miller, Bonner Call For BP Fines To Be Reserved For Gulf States
February 17, 2012
Congressmen Jeff Miller of Florida and Jo Bonner of Alabama were among several Gulf Coast lawmakers to introduce a bill amendment Thursday that would require a portion of the fines paid by BP for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill be set aside for use along the affected shores of the Gulf Coast.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday afternoon to add language to a transportation and energy bill requiring that 80 percent of civil fines from the 2010 oil spill be reserved to help Gulf states rebound from the disaster.
“Nearly two years after the accident, the Gulf Coast continues to feel the economic impacts of the Gulf oil spill, and BP must be held accountable,” Miller said. “Florida businesses are struggling, the real estate market has yet to recover, and individuals are still looking for work. This amendment will ensure the fines paid by BP for their mistake would be returned to our area and promote the economies of the local communities still reeling from last year’s disaster.”
The amendment is the first step in the process to restore the Gulf Coast from the damages we suffered as a result of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Under the Clean Water Act, BP is expected to pay between $5 billion and $21 billion in fines, based on estimates of the flow of oil from the Macondo well.