Sammy Day Named Northview Teacher Of The Year
December 14, 2011
Northview High School Athletic Director Sammy Day has been named the school’s Teacher of the Year.
Day, who will retire at the end of this school year, has been a teacher and coach for 37 years in the Escambia County School District and has served as athletic director and coach at Northview High School since the school opened. He also currently teaches driver’s education at Northview.
Teachers of the year are chosen by the faculty and staff at each school in the county. The Escambia County Teacher of the Year will be announced at the annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner in February 2012.
NTSB Urges Ban On Cell Phone Use While Driving; Florida Backer Not So Optimistic
December 14, 2011
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday urged states to ban cell phone use while driving, the first such call by a federal agency.
In Florida, bills that would prohibit kids under 18 from talking-while-driving are filed by a Senate Republican and a House Democrat, while another bill, carried Republicans in both chambers, would ban texting and driving.
But the House Democrat sponsoring the bill to ban kids under 18 from using cell phones while driving said Tuesday he wasn’t confident the NTSB recommendation would go very far to move along his proposal, which he fears will die in an unfriendly House committee.
“Unfortunately for the state of Florida, all these road safety bills are bottled up in a drawer,” said Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton.
Slosberg has in the past criticized the chairman of the House Transportation and Highway Safety Subcommittee, Rep. Brad Drake, R-Eucheeanna, suggesting that Drake wants to kill bills related to regulations on drivers.
And Slosberg did again in an interview on Tuesday.
“I guess they have to go very slowly, the only thing I can do is to have patience and bring the issue up over and over and one day they’ll just be tired from hearing it from me,” said Slosberg, who has made road safety his main issue in the Legislature. Slosberg’s daughter died in a car crash several years ago, and for many years, Slosberg was best known in the Legislature for his effort to pass a bill allowing police to pull over drivers for not wearing a seatbelt, which eventually became law.
Drake didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday. But last month during a committee meeting, under questioning from Slobserg on a texting ban, Drake said if there was support from enough members, and if it were “feasible and realistic,” then he’d hear a bill in the committee. Slosberg is a co-sponsor of a bill (HB 299), along with Republican Rep. Ray Pilon of Sarasota, that would ban texting and driving. The measure is assigned to Drake’s subcommittee, but hasn’t been put on the agenda for a hearing.
Slosberg is also the House sponsor of a bill that would prohibit the use of handheld cell phones and other electronic devices – not just for texting, but any use – by drivers under 18 and people driving school buses, regardless of their age. That bill (HB 187) also would have to get through the Highway Safety subcommittee. The measure would also put a limit on how many passengers young drivers could have in their car.
The ban on cell phone use by minors is sponsored in the Senate (SB 930) by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, while the ban on texting (SB 416) is sponsored by another Republican, Sen. Nancy Detert of Venice, and was recently approved unanimously by the Senate Transportation Committee, so the issue isn’t a partisan one.
But restrictions on what drivers can do – from seat belt and car seat laws to those restricting kids from riding in the backs of pickups – have long cut along two divides in the Florida Legislature.
One is between rural lawmakers, some of whom see it as an infringement on a personal liberty that is part of rural culture and personal responsibility that goes against the Libertarian streak in many rural areas, and everyone else.
The other is along racial lines, with some black and Hispanic lawmakers in the past expressing concerns over new traffic laws, which some fear could lead to additional racial profiling.
The NTSB said Tuesday that distracted driving, some of it due to cell phone use, contributed to nearly 4,000 highway deaths last year, citing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.
“According to the National Safety Council, drivers using cell phones look but fail to see up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment,” the NTSB said in its recommendation.
The agency also said that in a national survey by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 69 percent of Americans reported that they’ve talked on their cell while driving in the last 30 days and 24 percent said they’ve texted or emailed while driving recently.
By The News Service of Florida
Trio, Including Father And Son, Charged With Multiple AC Thefts
December 14, 2011
Three men — including a Cantonment resident and his dad — are charged with a string of air conditioning thefts in Pensacola.
Frank Steven Davis, age 50 of Cantonment, and his father, 75-year old Frank Joseph Davis of Pensacola, are facing multiple counts of grand theft, larceny and dealing in stolen property. Another Pensacola resident, 56-year old Morris Roger Frazier is also charged. The three men remained in the Escambia County Jail early Wednesday morning with bonds ranging from $227,000 to $232,000.
According to an arrest report, the three were caught red handed by Pensacola Police carrying a stolen AC unit from a vacant residence on West Chase Street to a nearby pickup truck. The Cantonment man, Frank Steven Davis, admitted to police that the trio had stolen complete AC units from 15 different residences and businesses in Pensacola and Escambia County.
He said that he would help Frazier remove the units while his father, Frank Joseph Davis, would sit in their truck waiting. The AC units, he told police, were taken back to Frazier’s residence where they were dismantled and then sold for scrap. The money, according to police, was then split three ways between the men.
Century Reschedules Council Meetings, Announces Holidays
December 14, 2011
The Century Town Council has rescheduled their first two meetings of 2012 and announced several upcoming town holidays.
The Century Town Hall, including the gas and water department, will be closed December 23 and December 26 for Christmas, January 2 for New Year’s and January 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Both regular January council meetings have been rescheduled due to the holidays. The January 2 meeting will be held Tuesday, January 3, and the January 16 meeting will be held the following Monday, January 23. Both meetings are at 7 p.m. and are open to the public.
NHS Students Receive DCT Awards
December 14, 2011
The Northview High School DCT class recently took part in the District 1 CECF/DCT competition held at the University of West Florida.
Northview winners were:
- DCT Chapter Brochure – Darwin Robinson, 1st
- Color Photography – Wesley Sirmon, 3rd
- Black and White Photography – Christina Donald, 5th
- Customer Service – Jacob Munro, 3rd
- Information Technology – Darwin Robinson, 5th
- Medical Office Procedures – Charla Stark, 2nd; Raylin Spence, 3rd; Savannah Singleton, 4th
- Automotive Technology – Jonathan Moretz, 2nd; Wes Chancery, 3rd; Ryan Walker, 4th; Mason Coleman, 5th
In the DCT class, students work outside the classroom along with taking their core classes. They received the salary from their job, along with school credit for their on the job training. Northview’s DCT coordinator is Tommy Weaver.
Alabama’s First County High School Recognized
December 14, 2011
The first public county high school in the state of Alabama is being recognized. A new historical marker at the Atmore YMCA Community Center marks the site of the original Escambia County High School building.
Plans for the school began in the last 1800’s with the school completed in 1909. That building later burned.
The current 1926 building was acquired by the Atmore Lions Club in 1989 and later dedicated as the Atmore Lions Community Center in 1991. In 2004, the building was donated to the Atmore Area YMCA.
The marker placed by the Escambia County (Ala.) Historical Society; the second marker to be placed in the county by the group. The first marker placed at Pollard Methodist Church, the oldest church building in Escambia County, Ala.
Pictured: The Atmore YMCA Community Center building, constructed in 1926, was the first public high school building in Alabama. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Natural Gas Smell Overpowers Portion Of Atmore
December 13, 2011
A strong smell of natural gas filled the central portion of Atmore early Tuesday evening, prompting a half hour search for the source.
The Atmore Fire Department discovered the smell was originating from a railroad spur near the western end of Ashley Street. Natural gas is routinely used to offload oil from rail cars, according to officials. The process takes place in that location multiple times each week; it was not immediately clear why the smell overpowered residents Tuesday evening.
The smell was reported just after 5 p.m. in an area bounded basically by Highway 31, Williamson Street, Jack Springs Road and Carver Avenue, including a portion of Main Street.
There was reportedly no danger to residents.
Jeter Lane Closed In Century
December 13, 2011
Jeter Lane in Century has been closed for the installation of culverts. The road is open to residents only; all other motorists should use Elm Street.
The road is expected to be opened by no later than Wednesday.
Woman Charged With Arson For Torching Cars, Lawnmower
December 13, 2011
A 47-year old Cantonment woman has been arrested for arson for allegedly torching a vehicle and a lawnmower at her brother’s residence.
Kelly Colleen Lister was charged with arson by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office. She remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $10,000 early Tuesday morning.
Just after 1 a.m. last Friday, Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a vehicle fire in in the 3000 block of Highway 95A in Cantonment. The fire department found a Ford Bronco fully engulfed in fire. Three other vehicles on the property — a 2000 Ford Excursion , a 1980 Chevrolet Camaro and a 1985 Pontiac — had their gas tank fill doors open. The Camaro had fire damage around the fill door.
The State Fire Marshal reported finding two gas container spouts and a red plastic gas container outside the burned Bronco. The Bronco fire, according to an arrest report, was intentionally set, as was the fire on the Camaro.
The Fire Marshal said a third, separate fire was set, destroying a push lawnmower.
Lister’s brother told investigators that he heard a loud noise and went outside to investigate. He said he found the Bronco ablaze with Lister standing next to it. Lister began cursing at her brother, according to a Florida State Fire Marshal report, and was laughing and yelling that she still “has one more gallon of gas to use”.
Gulf Power Seeks $93 Million Rate Hike, Partially For North Escambia Land Purchases
December 13, 2011
Gulf Power began Monday to try and convince state regulators that customers should pay an additional $93.5 million a year for electricity — partially to fund land purchases in North Escambia that could be for a nuclear power plant.
Attorneys for consumers and business groups criticized the proposal on a series of grounds Monday. For example, they targeted money that the company wants to use for employee bonuses and money that would go toward purchasing 4,000 acres near McDavid for a possible future nuclear-power plant.
While Gulf Power says it is justified in seeking money for the land purchase, state Associate Public Counsel Joe McGlothlin said the company has not taken initial regulatory steps for a nuclear plant.
“In this case, the cart is about a city block in front of the horse,” said McGlothlin, whose office represents consumers in utility issues.
Currently, a Gulf Power residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt hours a month of electricity pays $127.16. That number will drop slightly to $125.80 in January because of lower fuel and environmental costs. But if the PSC approves Gulf Power’s base-rate proposal, the customer bill would jump to $133.46 in April.
Utilities commonly use 1,000 kilowatt hours as a benchmark, though many customers use more power than that each month. After the hearing this week, the commission could make a decision as early as February about whether to approve Gulf Power’s proposal.
Top executives told the state Public Service Commission that Gulf Power has not received a base-rate increase in nearly a decade and needs to collect more money to continue upgrading its system in Northwest Florida.
“We asked for what we thought we needed,” Gulf Power President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Crosswhite told the commission on the first day of a week-long hearing. ” We didn’t pad it.”
But attorneys for consumers and business groups argued that Gulf Power far overstated the need to raise rates, contending that the utility had only justified a $16.2 million hike.
“Gulf simply doesn’t need any more than that to continue providing safe, reliable and adequate service,” said Robert Scheffel Wright, an attorney for the Florida Retail Federation, which often becomes involved in utility issues.
Gulf Power’s request likely will be the first of three major rate cases that the Public Service Commission will consider during the coming year. Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy Florida in early 2012 are expected to seek increases in base rates — the billions of dollars that flow to utilities each year to cover many of their day-to-day costs.
Base-rate cases involve myriad details of utility financing. But looming over the Gulf case are questions about how much customers should be required to pay amid tough economic times, an issue that was raised during earlier public hearings in the Panhandle.
“One of the themes we seemed to hear (was), ‘This is just bad timing,’ ” Commissioner Lisa Edgar said as she questioned Crosswhite about money-saving steps the utility has taken.
Gulf Power earlier this year proposed a $93.5 million base-rate increase for such needs as power-plant fuel and environmental compliance. That total has increased to about $101 million because of a shift of costs from the environmental-compliance part of customers’ bills. But because it is a shift, Gulf says the bottom-line impact on customers would be $93.5 million.
Perhaps the biggest issue during the hearing will be how much money Gulf should be able to earn through base rates. The company is seeking an 11.7 percent return on equity, a common measure of profitability, but opponents say that number should be limited to 9.25 percent.
Vicki Gordon Kaufman, an attorney for the Florida Industrial Power Users Group, a business group that includes heavy users of electricity, described the 11.7 percent proposal as “pretty shocking.”
But Gulf officials said they need to offer returns that will attract investors to help finance costly improvements in the company’s electric system. Chief Financial Officer Scott Teel said Gulf’s return on equity dropped from 12.75 percent in 2007 to 9.5 percent in 2010 and has continued to sink this year.
Crosswhite said the utility has taken steps to hold down costs and is concerned about financially strapped customers’ ability to pay for electricity. But he said he also has concerns about being able to provide adequate service if the company does not receive a base-rate increase.
“We tried to push this case off as long as we could,” Crosswhite said.
The News Service Florida contributed to this report.