School Board Approves North Escambia School Personnel Changes
September 5, 2011
The Escambia County School Board has approved numerous North Escambia teacher and staff transfers, resignations, and rehires at their last regular meeting.
The school board took action on the following teachers and staff at schools across North Escambia:
Instructional/Professional Appointments
- Francisco Alvarez-Pena, Northview High, teacher
- Sherry Howard, Tate High, teacher
- Cynthia R. Murphy, teacher, Tate High,
- Morgan Soutullo, teacher, Tate High
- Jean S. Wiggins, teacher, Tate High
Instructional/Professional Reappointments
- Patricia B. Clements, Jim Allen Elementary
- Rhoda C. Greenwell, Jim Allen Elementary
- Sharon M. Kite, Bratt Elementary
- Kirstin K. Metcalf, Jim Allen Elementary
- Kate O. Sapp, Molino Park Elementary
- Kelsey L. Womack, Ernest Ward Middle
Instructional/Professional Transfers
- Tammy L. Calloway, Bratt Elementary to Northview High
- Ann B. Copenhaver, Ransom Middle to staff development
- Megan D. Driver, Brentwood Elementary to Molino Park Elementary
- Blake G. Garcia, Tate High to Pensacola High
Instructional/Professional Resignations/Retirements/Other
- Francis R. Gindl, Jr., Ernest Ward Middle, teacher
- Joalex Mercado-Diaz, Northview High, teacher
- Heather M. Salon, Jim Allen Elementary, teacher
Instructional/Professional Leaves of Absence
- Maleesa M. Redish, Jim Allen Elementary, teacher
- Mary G. Vickory, Tate High, guidance counselor
Administrative Transfer
- Steven T. Harrell from Ransom Middle dean to specialist, workforce education
Educational Support Personnel Appointments
- Silvia Martines, Tate High, custodial worker
Educational Support Personnel Resignations/Retirements/Other
- Deloise S. Stanton, Tate High, food services assistant
Educational Support Personnel Leave of Absence
- Tamara G. Godwin, Bratt Elementary, food services assistant
Photos: Tropical Storm Lee Pounds Pensacola Beach
September 4, 2011
Tropical Storm Lee pounded Pensacola Beach over the weekend with heavy surf and high winds.
For a photo gallery from Pensacola Beach on Saturday, click here.
Pictured top: Heavy waves pound powered by Tropical Storm Lee pound Pensacola Beach Saturday. Pictured below: A surfer catches a wave. Submitted photos by Amanda Kindley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Northwest Escambia Opens 2011 Football Season
September 4, 2011
Northwest Escambia’s Mini-Mites, Mites and Midgets open their 2011 season Saturday in Walnut Hill against Milton Black. Next Saturday, NWE will travel to Myrtle Grove, with the Mites playing at 11 a.m. and the Midgets at 2 p.m.
For a photo gallery from Saturday’s NWE Mini-Mite game, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Inside Escambia County’s Command Center On Wheels
September 4, 2011
If a major tropical storms or other disaster hits Escambia County, or even during a large event like a Blue Angels air show, Escambia County’s Office of Emergency Management has a mobile communications trailer ready to roll into action.
The emergency command center consists of a Freightliner tractor and 48-foot trailer outfitted to handle an emergency communications. Powered by a 20 KW diesel generator, the trailer has a complete radio system, cellular phone, conventional landline and fax system as well as computer network.
“We can run any scene from this trailer,” John Dosh, Escambia’s emergency management manager said. “It is completely self contained.”
The garage-kept trailer is designed to be deployed to a disaster or emergency, or large scale scene to coordinate communications between fire, EMS, law enforcement and other agencies. It is also used at events like the Blue Angels air show. At events such as the Blue Angels, the trailer is equipped with a 30-foot pneumatic mast with a camera system to allow operators to monitor a crowd.
The trailer has 320 square feet of climate control work space, including a conference room (pictured left), communications center and restroom. The trailer, Dosh said, was used one in emergency situation in North Escambia — after a February 2008 tornado touchdown in Molino.
Pictured top and bottom: Escambia County’s emergency command center. Pictured top inset: Emergency Management Manager John Dosh operates the command center’s video system from a computer control. Pictured bottom inset: The trailer’s conference room. NorthEcambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Oil And Water
September 4, 2011
With Labor Day beckoning, things were quiet around the capital this week with the exception of college students returning, swelling the capital city’s population and lengthening the time it takes to get a pizza delivered.
Despite the unofficial end of summer, an abbreviated list of things to do occupied state and party officials as August summer vacations gave way to September tailgate parties.
The Republican Party of Florida will be led by another as its chairman, David Bitner, announced his coming retirement this week for health reasons amid kudos for his services to the party. Meanwhile, one of his predecessors, the ousted Jim Greer, talked publicly for the first time in a while this week, pointing fingers at members of the party who forced him out.
Consumers remain edgy over their economic security, according to a University of Florida poll that says Floridians remain skeptical and cautious as the state’s economy sputters back to life.
Much of the week was spent laying the groundwork for future endeavors. A handful of would-be presidential contenders toured the state, in the hopes of convincing fellow Republicans they have what it takes to unseat a sitting (and currently unpopular) Democratic president.
Meanwhile, a slew of interim reports were released on Thursday and legislative leaders concluded a statewide tour to get input on redrawing political boundaries, but hinted that future meetings may be in order after voters actually have something to look at.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Economic news remained foremost in the minds of consumers and political candidates this week as the nation’s sputtering recovery prompted responses from the campaign trail to the kitchen table. Mounting fear over the nation’s economic health – both in the short run and the long term – dragged down consumer confidence in Florida, which in August fell to the near record low posted at the bottom of the housing bust, a University of Florida report indicated Tuesday.
Consumer confidence among Floridians fell to 62 on the UF index in August, a confidence level only three points higher than the record-low 59 set in June 2008, according to data compiled monthly by the school’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
The monthly survey posted downticks among all five of the survey’s indices, with respondents feeling less confident about the national economy and their own personal finances over the near term and beyond.
Respondents over 60 years old were most dramatically more gloomy. Their faith in the U.S. economy over the next five years fell by 16 points. But the survey also found younger respondents more pessimistic about the country’s long-term economic health and more likely in August to hold off on major purchases.
Such caution appears to have been shared by others. U.S. unemployment in August held steady at 9.1 percent, but an anticipated increase in the workforce did not materialize, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday.
State economists, however, say they are not ready to cede the notion that the nation is heading into the second of a double dip recession. Despite some negative figures, economists say the chances of growth remain higher than another recessionary slip. One indication is that state revenue collections have been higher than expected, leading state economists to cautiously predict that the state will have enough money over the next few years to pay for critical and high priority programs.
THE RIVER OF GAS?
Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann started it off by arguing that oil drilling and Everglades water could mix, an assertion that drew immediate fire from a number of people in Florida, including fellow tea party favorite, Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West.
Meanwhile, Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, resurrected a proposed ban on oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico by filing a proposed constitutional amendment to end such exploration and production.
Bachmann made the comments during a campaign swing through the state, leading a list of Republican hopefuls including Herman Cain and Mitt Romney who also visited the critical swing state during the week.
TEACHER PAY PROMPTS EXODUS:
A News Service of Florida analysis of salaries published this week found that on average, school districts have raised the minimum pay for a teacher by 1 percent over the last four years, according to newly released data by the Florida Department of Education. And fewer than half of all school districts haven’t given raises at all, with most districts keeping salaries flat over the last four years.
In the last four years, the average pay of a Florida teacher has decreased $1,199, from $46,922 in the 2007-2008 school years to $45,723 in the 2010-2011 school year, a decline of about 2.5 percent.
“We are professionals, but we are held to high standards that our pay does not match,” said Lisa Dos Santos, a world history teacher at Forest Glen Middle School in Broward County. “Many of us have lost a house or gone bankrupt, and I speak from personal experience.”
Lawmakers say their goal for next year is to keep funding for education stable, rather than having to cut as deeply as this year, when lawmakers approved a budget that slashed school funding by 8 percent on a per-student basis.
BITNER STEPS DOWN:
Republican Party of Florida Chairman David Bitner said Wednesday he would resign because of his declining health, a move that sends the party looking for its fourth leader in less than two years. Bitner announced earlier this year that he has ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“At the time I first discussed my health with you, I also made a promise that I would serve as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida only as long as I could do so with all the energy and attention this position deserves,” Bitner wrote in a letter to Republican activists. “I have kept that promise, and it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve you and my beloved Florida.”
Bitner, a former lawmaker, will step aside Sept. 23, following the party’s Presidency 5 event. Vice Chairman Lenny Curry, who also heads the Duval County GOP, is Bitner’s heir apparent after receiving his former boss’s blessing, and having several other top leaders saying they’ll support him.
POLITICAL BOUNDARY TOUR MAY INCLUDE ENCORE:
While party leaders regroup, legislative efforts to get public buy-in on new political boundaries may not be finished despite the conclusion this week of a statewide tour of committee meetings.
Republican leaders appear to be acknowledging the criticism that voters are being asked to comment on new congressional and state legislative boundaries before any proposed maps have even been drawn up. Questions such as “Where are the maps?” have dogged the hearings since they began in Tallahassee in June.
Senate Reapportionment Chairman Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and his House counterpart, Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Chapel Hill, signaled to reporters that they may extend the public discourse by way of videoconferences to make it easier for voters who can’t make the trek to Tallahassee. Gaetz, whose committees met in Tampa, Largo and other Southwest venues, noted that lawmakers have pledged that they will not vote on a map without public input. And he also raised the possibility this week that the complainers are correct and maybe the next time the state redistricts the process should start earlier, though that would require changing the constitution.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Michele Bachmann makes waves by suggesting that oil drilling could be done in the Florida Everglades.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The United States needs to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy and more dependent upon American resourcefulness. Whether that is in the Everglades, or whether that is in the eastern Gulf region, or whether that’s in North Dakota, we need to go where the energy is. Of course it needs to be done responsibly. If we can’t responsibly access energy in the Everglades then we shouldn’t do it.” Michele Bachmann, during her Florida campaign swing that concluded this week.
And: “When I see her next week, I’ll straighten her out about that,” U.S. Rep. Allen West on Bachmann’s Everglades energy idea.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
Molino Ladies Create Green Angels
September 4, 2011
The Molino Homemakers recently made “Green Angels” as a reminder to recycle.
The angels were made out of cotton, hand sewn with a a button hole stitch around the edges of the angel’s head and wings. A ribbon at the top allows the project to be hung in the kitchen as a reminder in each lady’s home to recycle.
The Molino Homemakers meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino. The next meeting will be September 7. Visitors are welcome; dues are $5 per year.
Submitted photos and article by Terri Brown for NorthEscambia.com, click photos to enlarge.
Saturday Prep Football
September 4, 2011
In Saturday football action, two area teams — Pine Forest and Escambia County High (Atmore) — both picked up wins.
Pine Forest defeated Columbia (Ga.) High Saturday 20-14 in the Georgia vs. Florida Gridiron Challenge in Jonesboro, Ga. Pine Forest scored with a touchdown pass from Rashaad Lee and a 12-yard run from Lorenzo Long. PFHS also had two field goals from kicker Johnathon Cagle.
Escambia County High slid past B.C. Rain 8-2 in a very rainy game Saturday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. Escambia County quarterback Chris Johnson had 2-yard touchdown run with 6:30 to go in the third quarter for the win. Johnson gained 167 yards on 27 runs, while ECHS had 218 total yards. Escambia County will host UMS Wright next Friday night in Atmore.
Military: Gullett Graduates Basic Training
September 4, 2011
Air Force Reserve Airman Samantha K. Gullett graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
She is the daughter of Michael and Angela Gullett of Turnberry Road in Cantonment.
Gullett graduated in 2003 from J.M. Tate High School.
Road Construction Suspended For Holiday Weekend
September 4, 2011
If you brave the wet tropical weather, those orange traffic barrels won’t slow down your Labor Day weekend drive — both Florida and Alabama have suspended construction operations until Tuesday.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has directed construction contractors working on state roads to cease operations during the Labor Day weekend, according to Tanya Sanders Branton, spokesperson.
In Alabama, road construction has been on hold not only due to the holiday weekend but also because it’s the first weekend of college football, according to Rebecca Leigh White, spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Transportation.
One Injured In Bratt Wreck
September 3, 2011
One person was injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Saturday afternoon in Bratt.
Donna Miller, 49, apparently lost control of a Nissa Pathfinder about 3:15 p.m. and struck a ditch at Highway 4 and Dortch Road. The vehicle came to rest on its side, trapping Miller inside. Firefighters were able to free her in about 20 minutes. She was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
The Walnut Hill and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Atmore Ambulance and the Florida Highway Patrol responded to the crash.
Pictured top: The driver of this Nissan was trapped for about 20 minutes following a wreck Saturday afternoon in Bratt. Pictured inset: Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free the driver. Pictured below: One person was injured in the wreck. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
