Escambia Man Indicted For September Murder
October 14, 2011
An Escambia County man has been indicted for a murder last month.
A grand jury indicted Thomas Larry Bolds for the first degree premeditated murder of 53-year-old Alvin Merriwell Lewis, Jr.
On September 22, 2011, at about 10:50 p.m., deputies responded to a call of shots fired at the Moorings Apartments on Old Spanish Trail Road. When they arrived they found the victim, 53-year-old Alvin Merriwell Lewis, Jr., dead from multiple gunshot wounds inside the suspect’s apartment, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
A witness stated that Lewis had been demonstrating how he would defend himself by using a knife, but at no time threatened anyone. During Lewis’ demonstration, Bolds picked up a gun and began shooting Lewis. Lewis was shot once in the chest and seven times in the back.
JV Football: Northview Beats West Florida
October 14, 2011
The junior varsity Northview Chiefs ended their season with a 36-32 thriller against West Florida High School Thursday night.
For a photo gallery from the game, click here.
West Florida jumped out to a 12-6 lead over the Chiefs in the second quarter. Then, with 2:18 in the half, freshman Jaron Myles was in for the Chiefs. A good two point conversion, and Northview held a 14-12 lead. But West Florida managed an 18-14 halftime lead with a touchdown with 1:15 to go in the second.
The Jags increased their lead to 26-14 in the third, then Myles scored again for the Chiefs to narrow the score to 26-22.
The last two minutes of the fourth quarter were worth the price of admission. With 1:41 to go in the game, Myles scored another TD for the Chiefs. Jeffrey Taylor was in on the two point conversion, and Northview held a 25-26 advantage.
West Florida regained the lead with 52.6 seconds to go in the game, 32-30 Jags. Then, with 34.7 seconds on the clock, Northview’s Myles struck again. A missed two point conversion, and Northview took the lead 36-32.
West Florida’s dash for the end zone ended with a Northview interception with 6.2 seconds in the game.
With the win, the JV Northview Chiefs ended their season at 4-1.
For a photo gallery from the game, click here.
Pictured top: Brannon Freeman gains yardage for the Northview Chiefs Thursday night against West Florida High School’s Jaguars. Pictured inset: Jaron Myles heads for a Chiefs touchdown. Pictured below: Kahlil Grice (#63) makes a stop for the Chiefs. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Shots Fired At Deputies
October 13, 2011
An investigation is underway this morning after Escambia County deputies say they were shot at in an Ensley neighborhood late Wednesday night.
Deputies were in an unmarked vehicle conducting an investigation near Airway Drive and Johnson Avenue when someone reportedly shot out the back window of their vehicle. Deputies surrounded the area looking for a suspect in the incident, which occurred just before 11 p.m. So far, there have been no arrests reported in connection with the shooting. But evidence ,including shell casings, was recovered.
There were no injuries reported.
Scott Pitches More Business Tax Cuts
October 13, 2011
A new drive to reduce the number of businesses paying the corporate income tax and tangible property taxes will headline Gov. Rick Scott’s legislative agenda, even as state lawmakers face a budget shortfall pegged at $1.3 billion and growing.
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 roles. 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.
Under that change, about half of Florida businesses already pay no taxes.
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, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.
Scott also said he would push to turn Florida’s unemployment system into a “reemployment system” by requiring some workers to undergo job training while receiving benefits. He also touted proposals to tighten oversight of the state’s workforce boards; improvements in the state’s deepwater ports and transportation system; and pushing universities to focus more on degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The last goal has already drawn criticism from educators and others concerned by Scott’s questioning the value of some degrees, but the tax plan could run into resistance as lawmakers try to tackle a budget shortfall in the coming fiscal year that could top $2 billion.
House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, embraced the plan.
“I look forward to working alongside Governor Scott and my colleagues in the Florida Legislature during the upcoming session as we strive to meet our shared goal of reducing the tax burden on Florida families and businesses, eliminating burdensome regulations, and implementing thoughtful public policy reforms that will foster both a business climate ripe for private sector job creation and a skilled workforce ready to meet the needs of a global economy,” Cannon said in a statement following the announcement.
Calling Scott’s plans “ambitious,” Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, was more measured in his response. Haridopolos, who was at times openly skeptical of Scott’s plan to reduce the corporate tax rate last year, made no specific reference to the new tax-cut plan in his reaction to Scott’s plans.
“In the coming months and throughout the 2012 Legislative Session, we will work closely with the Governor in order to implement measures that will continue to provide stability and predictability to our state’s business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as pursue an agenda that is focused on job creation and economic development,” he said.
By Brandon Larrabee
The News Service of Florida
A Silly Little Rhyme: A Mother Remembers Her 9-Year Old Daughter Killed In ATV Crash
October 13, 2011
“Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite…I love you momma, good night.”
It was perhaps a silly little rhyme, a nighttime ritual of sorts around the Wilburn household. But it was the way daughter Meagan would tell her mom good night each evening, including Monday night, the very last night of her short nine years.
By Tuesday night, mom Rebekah sat next to Meagan’s lifeless form at Sacred Heart Hospital and said the rhyme on more time.
“Mom loves you Meagan, good night.”
Nine-year old Meagan Wilburn always loved to ride her bicycle around the family home on Occie Phillips Road. The home sits in a wooded area about a quarter mile off the roadway. The driveway is an adventurous child’s dream; it has steep terraces (like little hills) throughout to prevent erosion.
Meagan and two others were on an ATV Tuesday afternoon on the driveway when they lost control within sight of the house. The two others were uninjured. But the ATV overturned and landed on Meagan, a part — most likely the handlebar — piercing her chest.
A panicked Rebekah and her father knew it was a very serious injury and rushed Meagan nine miles to the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue where first responders were waiting.
Rebekah stood outside the ambulance in the parking lot of the fire station, wringing her hands and watching through the back windows as first responders worked on her youngest daughter. She was in the front seat of LifeFlight as Meagan was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital for emergency surgery. After surgery, she was moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“The doctor told me I could go in and see her,” Rebekah said. But it began to seem like a long time, and they did not come out and get me.
“Then they called ‘Code Blue’ to the Pediatric ICU,” she said. “We knew it was her.”
“She was such a fighter; she fought for five hours” mom Rebekah said Wednesday. “She was a fighter, stubborn, hard-headed, crazy crazy tough.”
“She had the most beautiful sky-blue eyes and the cutest freckles…those eyes were so hard to say ‘no’ to.”
Meagan enjoyed gymnastics and loved school. She had a perfect straight-A record at Bratt Elementary School, was a member of the Sunshine Math team and received numerous awards. She had recently decided that she loved the color pink.
“Her casket will be white with a pink trim and the outside will be pink.” she said. “There’s a picture in the top that shows ‘in God’s hands’.”
“I didn’t know what else to do for my baby girl. It wanted it to be beautiful. She was so beautiful. It was like she glowed all the time; she was always so happy.”
Rebekah said the one of the things she will miss most about Meagan is their little nighttime ritual.
“It was every night before bed; it was such a stupid saying,” she said. “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite…I love you momma, good night.”
“I told her that when I left her at the hospital last night…Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite…Mom loves you Meagan, good night.”
Pictured top: Rebekah Wilburn watches through an ambulance window as first responders work to save her 9-year old daughter Meagan Tuesday afternoon following an ATV crash in Walnut Hill. Pictured top inset: Meagan Wilburn’s Bratt Elementary school photo. Pictured bottom inset: Rebekah Wilburn remembers her daughter Wednesday afternoon. Pictured below: Straight-A student Meagan Wilburn received numerous awards at the end of third grade last May at Bratt Elementary School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Molino Park Community Helpers Day
October 13, 2011
It takes a lot of people, and sometimes a lot of big machines, to keep a community running smoothly.
Molino Park Elementary School held a “Community Helpers Day” Tuesday for students to learn about some of people that are hard at work in the Molino area.
The event includes personnel and equipment from Escambia County EMS, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Florida Division of Forestry, AAA Towing and Transportation, ECUA, the Escambia County School District Maintenance Department, J. Miller Construction and Charles Woodward.
Submitted photos by Candice Blackburn for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bank Account Established To Help With Funeral For Bratt Student
October 13, 2011
A bank account has been established to help with funeral expenses for 9-year old Megan Wilburn, who died Tuesday following an ATV accident in Walnut Hill.
Donations to help with the Bratt Elementary School student’s burial can be made at any branch of United Bank to the “Meagan Wilburn Benefit Fund”.
Donations can also be mailed to:
Meagan Wilburn Fund
United Bank
P.O. Box 8
Atmore, AL 36504
For more information, call the bank at (251) 446-6000.
Cross Country: Northview, Ernest Ward, Central High Results
October 13, 2011
Northview High and Ernest Ward Middle took part in a cross country meet at Sims Middle School in Pace, while Central High won a meet at Paxton.
For a photo gallery with Northview and Ernest Ward runners, click here.
Northview High School
Northview’s cross country team placed eighth out of eleven teams at Sims Middle School in Pace.
- Top 5 female NHS runners: Georgia Goetter, Lakelynn Parker, Zaccara Davis, Jazzlyn Franklin and Julia Thorpe
- Top 5 male NHS runners: Isaac McGahan, Jarrett Parker, Dakota Craft, Joesph Baldwin, and Jack Floyd
Ernest Ward Middle School
Ernest Ward did not have enough runners to place at a team during the Sims Middle School meet.
- Top EWMS female runners: Bethany Reynolds, Moriah McGahan and Jessica Barrows
- Top EMMS male runners: Zach Calloway, Gavin Coon, Logan Calloway, and Jarred Townley
Central High School
At Paxton, Central High School’s boys and girls finished first. Freshman Kyle Fuller (pictured) was first overall in the cross country meet and broke a school record with a time of 18:03. The top Central female runner was Kennedy Fuller, who is Kyle’s sister. She ran a 21:30 and came in second overall.
- Top 5 male Central High runners: Kyle Fuller, Keifer Boyett, Nick Pooley, Dylan Peacock and Morgan Givens
- Top 5 female Central High runners: Kennedy Fuller, Beth Smith, Erica Waters, Brandi Bradley and Allaina Morrow
Submitted photos by Tammy Parker and Betty Coon for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Camp Fire Kids Hold Trike-A-Thon For Children’s Hospital
October 13, 2011
The children at Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center recently held their third annual Trike-A-Thon in support of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The Camp Fire kids raised a total of $1,153.23 in support of cancer research. The children also learned about bike safety and the importance of wearing a proper helmet. Submitted photos by Pam Townson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
By The Numbers: Century General Election, Absentee Votes
October 13, 2011
Almost half of Century’s registered voters turned out to vote in Tuesday’s election for mayor and two council seats, and the number of absentee ballots casts was consistent with previous elections.
Complete, but unofficial, numbers show that 481 of Century’s 1,027 registered voters cast a ballot — a turnout of about 47 percent. Turnout for the 2010 general election in Century was much lower at just over 29 percent.
Of 481 votes in Tuesday’s general election, 37 percent (180) were absentee. In the 2010 Century election, 34 percent of votes were absentee. By comparison, in Escambia County’s August 2010 primary, 36.8 percent of ballots were absentee.
For more on Tuesday’s election, including candidate reaction, click here for a previous story.
Pictured: Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford and Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez review final vote totals Tuesday night at the Century Town Hall. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.