Ransom FFA Members Place In District Forestry Field Day
October 17, 2011
For the first time in Ransom Middle School FFA history, four students recently participated in the District 1 Forestry Competition at Bear Lake Blackwater State Forest. Ransom’s FFA placed third overall , with Austin Murphy placing second in Map Interpretation and Johnnie Johnson placing second in Forest Disorder Identification.
The event was designed to stimulate student interest in forestry, to promote forestry instruction in the agricultural education curriculum, and to provide recognition for those students who have demonstrated skill and competency as a result of forestry instruction. Each participant was an active member of a chartered Florida FFA Chapter and enrolled in sixth, seventh or eighth grade. All teams consisted of four members and all members of the team participated in all six events.
Along with FFA Advisor, Dawn Inman, eighth grade students, Cole Halfacre, Paul Guy, Austin Murphy, and Johnnie Johnson competed in this event. The events covered this year were General Knowledge, Dendrology, Forest Disorders, Equipment Identification, Timber Cruising, and Map Interpretation.
Two employees from International Paper, Jack Williams and John Brown, assisted the students with preparing for this competition.
Pictured top: Ransom Middle School FFA members Austin Murphy (left) placed second in Map Interpretation and Johnnie Johnson (right) placed second in Forest Disorder Identification at the recent District 1 Forestry Competition. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tire Fire Creates Large Smoke Plume
October 16, 2011
A large plume of smoke could be seen across part of North Escambia Sunday afternoon from a fire near Enon. A large pile of tires was found to be burning in the 10000 block of Highway 97A near South Highway 99. The Walnut Hill and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, along with the Florida Division of Forestry and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the fire.
Pictured above: Smoke from an Enon tire fire could be seen from Highway 97 in Walnut Hill, about 10 miles away. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Copper Thief Strikes Community Center
October 16, 2011
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a copper thief hit the Davisville Community Center on Highway 97.
Community center managers discovered Saturday that both of the central air conditioning units at the facility had been destroyed by a thief and that stripped out copper coils. The theft reportedly happened sometime during the last week.
The incident is under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. A crime scene technician responded to the scene Saturday, dusting for fingerprints and collecting evidence.
Early estimates are that the theft could cost the county from $4,000 to 5,000 in damage and replacement costs.
In July, a copper thief struck at the Byrneville Community Center, removing the copper coils from one of three air units located just feet from the community center’s playground. That theft cost Escambia County taxpayers $2,345. There were no arrests reported in that case.
Anyone with information about the theft should contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured top: An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office crime scene technician looks for fingerprints on a destroyed air conditioning unit at the Davisville Community Center Saturday morning. Pictured inset and below: Two units were dismantled and stripped of copper coils. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Highway 97 Rollover Crash Blamed On Deer
October 16, 2011
A driver told authorities she ran off the road after hitting or almost hitting a deer early Sunday morning on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
The accident happened just north of Howell Road about 3:15 a.m. After reportedly seeing the deer in the road, the woman ran off the road into a ditch, struck a pecan tree and overturned. The female driver and a male passenger were transported by ambulance to a Pensacola hospital.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The names of those involved have not yet been released. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance also responded to the crash.
The accident was the second of the weekend in North Escambia blamed on deer. For details on a Saturday night crash on Highway 29 north of Molino, click here.
Pictured above and below: Two people were injured in this crash after reportedly avoiding deer on Highway 97 early Sunday morning. Pictured inset: The vehicle struck this pecan tree before overturning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
One Injured In Highway 29 Rollover Crash Trying To Avoid Deer
October 16, 2011
A McDavid man was injured in a single vehicle crash Saturday night on Highway 29 north of Molino.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Kyle Steven Hanssen, 24, was northbound on Highway 29 near Barth Road about 9:50 p.m when he attempted to avoid a deer in the roadway. He veered onto the shoulder of the road, lost control and rotated into the median. His 1999 Chevrolet Lumina overturned at least three times across the southbound lanes and traveled down an embankment where it collided with a utility pole.
Hanssen was airlifted to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola by Lifeflight. Both the north and southbound lanes of Highway 29 were closed by the accident for a period of time.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
The accident was the first of two in the North Escambia area blamed on deer over the weekend. For details on the other crash in Walnut Hill, click here.
Pictured: A McDavid man was injured in this single vehicle crash on Highway 29 near Barth Road Saturday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bare Feet, Flip-Flops And Pink Balloons Honor Meagan Wilburn
October 16, 2011
A group of children — most barefoot or wearing flip-flops — released pink balloons skyward Saturday afternoon as their family member, friend and classmate Megan Wilburn, 9, was laid to rest at the Dry Springs Community Church on South Pineville Road.
The Bratt Elementary School fourth grader died Tuesday after an ATV accident in Walnut Hill.
Meagan never liked to wear shoes, according to her mother Rebekah Wilburn, and she was buried barefoot. Those attending the funeral service were asked to go barefoot or wear flip-flops, while perhaps hundreds more across the country wore flip-flops Saturday in Meagan’s honor.
For related stories, click the links below:
- Fourth Grader, Age 9, Dies After ATV Accident
- A Silly Little Rhyme: A Mother Remembers Her 9-Year Old Daughter Killed In ATV Crash
- Bank Account Established To Help With Funeral For Bratt Student
- Obituary: Meagan Hope Wilburn
Pictured top: Pink balloons are released skyward Saturday afternoon at the Dry Springs Community Church following the graveside service for 9-year old Meagan Wilburn. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: No Money, More Problems For Lawmakers
October 16, 2011
You can’t buy happiness, they say, but at this point Florida lawmakers would probably be willing to give it a try. For now, the state can’t afford to buy much of anything.
State lawmakers didn’t get far into the week when they heard they would have to close a budget hole of at least $1.3 billion, and probably closer to $2 billion, in the fiscal year that begins July 1. One day after that revenue estimate rolled in, Gov. Rick Scott asked lawmakers for more tax cuts — and fewer anthropologists.
NO, PASS THIS PLAN
Scott spent much of the rest of the week pushing for government to spend less so it can tax less, and deliver the benefits to the businesses he is confident will create jobs.
In a visit to Central Florida to unveil his economic agenda, Scott said he would ask lawmakers to double the corporate income tax exemption to $50,000, dropping 25 percent of the companies that now pay it from the tax rolls. After Scott’s original plan to cut the tax rate got nowhere last year, the Legislature instead approved a measure increasing the exemption to $25,000.
Scott also proposed a $50,000 exemption from the tangible personal property tax on businesses, allowing 150,000 of the 300,000 companies that now pay the levy to avoid it. That would require a constitutional amendment that would go before voters in 2012.
“One of the most important things Florida can do to attract businesses, and in turn jobs, is to create a tax environment that welcomes business growth and encourages investment in our state,” Scott said in prepared remarks.
Scott also re-issued a call for using tolls to pay for new transportation projects across the state, a funding mechanism that would help the state accommodate growth without having to foot the entire construction bill. Other Scott priorities include port upgrades and improved shipping logistics that Florida can use to take advantage of the expansion of the Panama Canal.
Taking a page from President Barack Obama’s playbook, Scott then began touring the state to push his proposals, traveling to Jacksonville, Panama City and South Florida in an effort to push for support for his jobs package.
FEWER FLORIDIAN JANE GOODALLS?
As part of the plan, Scott also suggested universities de-emphasize degrees in fields that he thinks don’t help the state create jobs, singling out a major that supporters say is located squarely in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics arena that Scott touts.
“Do we need to use your tax dollars to educate more people that can’t get jobs in anthropology?” Scott asked business leaders at a luncheon in Tallahassee before laying out his agenda.
It was an argument Scott may lose in his own household; the Associated Press revealed his daughter, Jordan Kandah, has an anthropology degree.
On more substantive grounds, some critics said the governor’s policy was thin gruel. Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, said some of Scott’s ideas have merit, but lawmakers are missing an opportunity if they don’t look at eliminating tax breaks and loopholes that many businesses enjoy. Closing such loopholes would raise revenue instead of relying on spending cuts alone to balance the budget.
“I don’t think he gets there by getting rid of anthropology and creating new toll roads,” Williams said following Scott’s speech.
WHAT CASH CRUNCH?
If only lawmakers could ask their political donors to chip in. With one more quarter to go before they have to shut off the spigots for the legislative session, candidates revealed their hauls from the fundraising they did in from July 1 to Sept. 30.
In the House, Speaker-designate Will Weatherford brought in $190,300 in contributions for the 2012 elections that are expected to formally power him to the speaker’s chair. Weatherford, whose only declared opponent in District 61 is no-party candidate Franklin Donald Stockmeister, increased his overall cash total for the 2012 campaign to $266,750, according to quarterly reports filed this week.
A pair of hopefuls for the top job in the Senate also had strong quarters. Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, raked in $154,725, outpacing Sen. Andy Gardiner, an Orlando Republican who might end up squaring off with Latvala, raised $101,775 over the last three months.
Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, was the only other candidate to break the $100,000 barrier in donations, with $106,074, though Republican Senate District 7 candidate Jacqueline Porter took out a $100,000 loan.
PROFESSORS, LAWYERS AND COURTS
One group that doesn’t have the ability to raise its own money: the Board of Governors.
The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday that the Legislature has the power to set tuition and fees.
“We are unaware of any entity other than the Legislature in the history of our state that has been authorized by the Florida Constitution to exercise the quintessential legislative power of raising and appropriating state funds,” a three judge panel said in ruling against a group of plaintiffs including former Gov. Bob Graham and former Florida State University President Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte.
The current governor’s secretary of state also headed to court to get rid of the preclearance requirement for Florida elections changes to go into effect in five counties — Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe. Under the Voting Rights Act, those counties must get federal approval for new procedures because of a history of language or racial discrimination. Secretary of State Kurt Browning is pushing for the change to help get the state’s new voting law approved.
Critics said disregarding the preclearance requirement would do away with a valuable set of protections for minority voters.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott unveils a jobs plan that focuses heavily on cutting taxes for businesses, rolling back regulations and overhauling the unemployment and higher-education systems. It’s unclear how the tax proposals might fare in the face of the nearly $1.3 billion budget shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “There shouldn’t be anything controversial about a .45-caliber bullet. If it were up to me, we would just throw them off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and be done with it.”–Rep. Brad Drake, R-Eucheeanna, to the Florida Current, discussing his proposal to do away with lethal injection as one of the state’s methods of execution and allow inmates to choose electrocution or a new option: firing squad.
By Brandon Larrabee
The News Service of Florida
Deadline Nearing For Landowners, Farmers, Producers To Receive Assistance, Funding
October 16, 2011
The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida is encouraging landowners, farmers and producers to visit their local NRCS office now to receive more information and apply for conservation technical assistance and possible cost share opportunities.
The application process for 2008 Farm Bill conservation programs is continuous, but funding selections are only made once a year. The Florida NRCS application cutoff date for consideration for Federal Fiscal Year 2012 funds is October 31, 2011.
“Applications received after that date will be considered for future funding periods,” said State Conservationist Carlos Suarez. “We’re urging producers to get their applications in as soon as possible to be considered for this year’s funding.”
NRCS works with landowners through conservation planning and assistance designed to benefit the soil, water, air, plants, and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems.
Cost share funding is available to eligible applicants for the following Farm Bill programs:
- The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who face threats to soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land. Through EQIP, NRCS develops contracts with agricultural producers to voluntarily implement conservation practices. Persons engaged in livestock or agricultural production and owners of non-industrial private forestland are eligible for the program. Eligible land includes cropland, rangeland, pastureland, private non-industrial forestland, and other farm or ranch lands.
- The Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program for developing or improving high quality habitat that supports fish and wildlife populations of National, State, Tribal, and local significance. Through WHIP, the NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to eligible private and Tribal landowners for the development of upland, wetland, aquatic, and other types of wildlife habitat.
- The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture.
- The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a program for landowners and operators to protect grazing uses and related conservation values by conserving grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, shrubland, and certain other lands.
- The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is available on Tribal and private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land. CSP encourages producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by undertaking additional conservation activities; and improving, maintaining, and managing existing conservation activities.
NRCS encourages interested parties to visit with their staff as soon as possible because applicants who apply early have more time to resolve any program or land eligibility issues.
The Escambia County Field Office is located at 151 Highway 97 in Molino (in the Farm Bureau building), or call (850) 587-5404 ext 3. Additional information on NRCS, conservation assistance, and programs is available at www.fl.nrcs.usda.gov.
Jeter Gets 10 Years In Federal Prison For Atmore Bank Robbery
October 15, 2011
An Atmore bank robbery suspect was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison.
Chad Floyd Jeter pleaded guilty to charges of bank robbery with a weapon and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime in violence in connection with the May 19, 2009, armed robbery of the First National Bank & Trust in downtown Atmore.
Federal Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced Jeter to 37 months for the bank robbery, followed by 84 months for using a .22 caliber rifle during the robbery. He was also ordered to pay $737 in restitution to the First National Bank and Trust, the portion of $6,829 taken during the holdup that was never recovered.
In May 2010, a government psychiatric evaluation determined Jeter was paranoid schizophrenic and not competent to stand trial. He was admitted to the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina for treatment and evaluation, with the examination determining that he was once again competent to stand trial.
An independent psychiatric exam was then arranged by Jeter’s attorney in February. In April, Steele ruled that Jeter was competent to stand trail.
Jeter allegedly robbed the Atmore bank using a .22 caliber rifle, taking about $6,289. He was arrested a few days after the robbery after a manhunt in Levy County, Florida, following an attack on a Levy County officer with a “ninja throwing star”. Levy County authorities dropped an attempted murder of police officer charge against Jeter after a psychological evaluation there found him to be incompetent to stand trial.
Jeter reportedly drove up to the downtown Atmore bank in a white pickup with a camper shell and entered the bank dressed in a dark colored trench coat and the rifle. He ordered bank employees to fill a U.S. Army backpack with cash, while he stood with the rifle pointed at the floor. He reportedly threatened a teller with the rifle during the crime.
Within a few hours of the robbery, investigators identified Jeter as their suspect. Officials searched his trailer on Highway 31 near Canoe. Inside, they found troubling evidence that Jeter might be planning to attack a military base. He said in letters and notes that he was being watched by helicopters that circled his home. Police found maps with the locations of several military bases circled, including Pensacola NAS, Eglin Air Force Base, Whiting Field and Alabama’s Ft. Rucker. The notes indicated that he planned to kill military personnel and police. Military bases were alerted to the possible threat.
Jeter’s burned-out camper shell was found in the woods after the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a brush fire on a secluded section of Pine Barren Road near Breastworks Road early on the morning after the robbery.
While on routine patrol at 4:15 Eastern time two days after the robbery, an Inglis (Fla.) Police Department officer, Tim Swigget, located a blue GMC pickup trucked parked backed into a wooded area near a Yankeetown, Florida, neighborhood. Inside the vehicle that was nearly 400 miles from Atmore, he found Jeter sleeping. After the officer determined that Jeter is wanted for the bank robbery, Jeter attacked the officer with a Ninja star.
A manhunt involving several agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard followed after Jeter fled the scene. Jeter was taken into custody in a swampy area and transported to the Levy County Jail.
Pictured top: Jeter after being taken into custody in Levy County, Florida. Pictured top inset: Chad Floyd Jeter’s booking photo taken mid-January at the Baldwin County Corrections Center. Pictured middle inset: Jeter’s truck at the First National Bank & Trust in Atmore. Pictured lower inset: Surveillance video of the bank robbery in progress. Pictured bottom: Jeter’s truck is searched after he was found in Levy County, Florida. NorthEscambia.com files photos, click to enlarge.
PHS Spoils Tate Homecoming
October 15, 2011
Homecoming was for the Tate Aggies was spoiled Friday night by Pensacola High School 63-13.
Tate’s only scores of the night came early in the third quarter and late in the fourth. David Moorehead passed to Tay Samuel for a 39-yard touchdown with 10:15 on the clock in the third. With Hagen Mancuso’s good kick, the Aggies were down 54-7.
Hagen Mancuso scored on a one-yard run with 2:35 remaining in the game.
Tate (0-7, 0-4)) will host Pace (5-2, 3-1) next Friday night in a district game.
For more photos — including Homecoming Court pictures, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Carnley, click to enlarge.
