Class Size Penalties To Be Revisited
January 12, 2011
Senate President Mike Haridopolos said this week that lawmakers would likely revisit the issue of class size penalties this spring when the Legislature convenes.
Escambia was among 32 of Florida’s 67 school districts that met the mandate that dictates how many students can be in certain classes at each grade level, while Santa Rosa County was not. But officials in both counties have expressed opposition to the amendment.
Schools that don’t meet class size caps set out in the Constitution are penalized financially, potentially adding up to millions of dollars for individual districts. According to the Department of Education, about 5 percent of Florida classrooms are not in compliance.
However, many schools have said that with declining state appropriations, they cannot meet the class size requirements.
“We’re not going to penalize schools that are just trying to do their best to make ends meet,” Haridopolos said. The Florida School Boards Association has said it would file a lawsuit against the state if the penalties are enforced.
“We have not filed suit though we have the complaint ready,” said association attorney Ron Meyer. “We will not file unless and until the fines are actually imposed and money withheld. If the Legislature fixes the problem, the litigation will not be necessary.”
In 2002, voters passed a constitutional amendment that capped individual classrooms at 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school. The limits have been phased in since the amendment was passed, with the hard numerical caps going into effect this year. The state has struggled to pay for the constitutional mandate, making it, in turn, difficult for schools to meet the requirement.
In November, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have repealed those hard class size caps, allowing class size caps to be calculated at a school-wide average, rather than on a per-classroom basis.
The News Service Florida contributed to this report.
Arrest Made In Double Murder
January 11, 2011
An Escambia County man was arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with an October double homicide.
Jeremy Jenkins, 25, of Pensacola is charged with the October 13, 2010, shooting deaths of De’neisha Kimbrell Lewis and Corleis Dion Robinson. He is behind held without bond on charges of robbery and homicide.
Jenkins was taken into custody without incident at the Oakwood Terrace Apartments, 700 W. Truman Ave. in Pensacola, and was transported to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for questioning prior to being booked into the county jail.
The arrest stemmed from a weapons discharge call at the Royal Crest Apartments, 190 Old Corry Field Rd. in Pensacola. Upon arrival deputies made contact with a private security officer who stated he had heard several shots from the complex. Deputies began walking the complex and found Lewis, 19, and Robinson, 22, lying outside an apartment. Both victims had sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our investigators have worked tirelessly on this case. They developed a suspect by tracking down numerous leads and processing physical evidence which led to the arrest of Jenkins,” said Sheriff’s spokesperson Chris Welborn.
Alzheimer’s Support Group To Meet Wednesday
January 11, 2011
Alzheimer’s Family Services provides monthly support groups for family members or friends coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
A support group meeting will take place Wednesday, January 12 at 10:00 a.m. at Century United Methodist Church at 530 Church Street. The support group is free but registration is required to attend, and respite care is available in most locations.
Support Groups are a means for caregivers and others interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s disease to exchange ideas, gather information and discuss their concerns with others who are dealing or have dealt with the same issues. To register for this support group or for additional information, call (850) 478-7790 or visit www.AlzFamServ.org.
Alzheimer’s Family Services is a not-for-profit organization serving individuals and families in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties in Florida as well as Escambia County in Alabama. Our mission is to provide education and emotional support through a variety of services including: memory screens, support groups, tracking devices for wandering patients, respite, and counseling. AFS is an affiliate of Covenant Hospice.
Escambia County Schools Moving Closer To Random Student Drug Testing
January 11, 2011
The Escambia County School Board will hold a public hearing next month as they continue to consider random student drug testing for the next school year. The public hearing, pending approval from the board at their January meeting, will be scheduled for February 15 at 5:30 at the J.E. Hall Center at 30 East Texar Drive.
Under the proposed policy first presented to the school board in December, students that participate in athletics, extracurricular activities or park on campus would be subject to the random urine tests. A signed parental consent form would be valid during the entire school year, not just for the duration of the athletic season or extracurricular activity period.
Students whose parents do not consent to the tests would not be allowed to participate in the activities — including any practice, tryout, rehearsal or even sit with the team, club or organization at a game or pep rally.
The drug tests will be conducted by the school health nurse or technician under the plan. If there is a positive result, the student would be required to take a follow-up drug test at a District-approved licensed laboratory within 24 hours. Failure to take the follow-up test would be considered a positive result, according to the proposed plan.
If a student refuses to participate in a random drug test, it will be considered a positive result.
A positive result would result in the student being removed from all extracurricular and athletic activities, including practices, for at least 30 days and would be suspended from driving on the school campus. The student would be referred to a District-approved drug assessment and rehabilitation program.
A student with a positive drug test result would be required to pass a second drug test before participation in future activities at the expense of their parents. They would be subject to additional random drug tests, and they would remain on probation for the rest of their school years in the Escambia County School District. The student would not be allowed to return to any leadership position — such as captain of a squad, club officer or class officer — for the remainder of the school year.
A second positive result would prohibit a student from participation in all athletics and extracurricular activities and from driving on campus for one full calendar year.
Before the random drug testing plan is implemented for the 2011-2012 school year, it must first be approved by the Escambia County School Board. That approval can come anytime after the February 15 public hearing.
Auburn Tigers Win National Championship 22-19 Over Oregon
January 11, 2011
A 19-yard field goal as the clock wound down from Wes Byrum gave No. 1 Auburn a 22-19 win over No. 2 Oregon for the BCS national championship Monday night.
The Ducks managed to tie it at 19 with 2:33 to go with a two point conversion. But Auburn’s Cam Newton came back with a 73-yard drive for the Tigers on the strength of key plays from freshman Michael Dyer. Dyer rolled over an Oregon defender, with most of the field thinking the play was over about the midfield mark. But cheered on by his teammates on the sidelines, Dyer sprinted another 30 yards down to the 23.
On the next play, Dyer was down to the one on a 16-yard run.
Byrum’s kick at the buzzer gave the Auburn Tigers their first national championship since 1957.
Area Woman Convicted On Federal Weapons Charges
January 11, 2011
An Atmore woman has been convicted on federal weapons charges after a gun went off in vehicle being chased by police.
A federal jury in Mobile found Britney LaFaye Barnes, 20, of Ridgley Street guilty of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm while under indictment.
According to prosecutors, Barnes was a marijuana user and has used cocaine the day before the August 16, 2010, police chase. At the time of the chase, she had been indicted for a September robbery of man in the parking lot of a Winn Dixie in Foley. She later pleaded guilty to the robbery.
Barnes testified that her husband, James Ellis Brown, had forced her at gunpoint to come with him. She said she grabbed the .380 caliber pistol because she feared for her life, causing the gun to go off in the vehicle. Brown told authorities that they pair was trying to throw the gun out of their vehicle’s window on Highway 31 near Brewton when it fired.
Barnes is scheduled to be sentenced April 18 in Mobile federal court.
Deputies Seek Suspect In Sexual Battery
January 11, 2011
Escambia County Sheriff’s Investigators and Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers is seeking the public’s help in locating a suspect who is wanted for questioning pertaining to a sexual battery and child molestation case.
Terrance Anton Harris, 26 of Pensacola, currently has an outstanding felony warrant for violation of probation for two counts of failure to redeliver leased property. Investigators also want to question Harris about a November 2010 sexual battery of a 15-year-old child.
Any information on the whereabouts of Terrance Anton Harris should be reported to Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP (7867) or Escambia Sheriff’s Investigator Brian Shorette at (850) 436-9682.
Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards for information which leads to the arrest of a felony suspect and you never have to give your name when you call.
Florida Senate Begins Immigration Debate
January 11, 2011
With immigration one of the top issues in the nation’s legislatures in the wake of last year’s Arizona law, a panel of Florida senators took its first steps Monday in crafting its own law to deal with those suspected of being here illegally.
The Florida Senate held a three hour meeting to gather information from homeland security officials, the state Department of Education, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Highway Safety on how both legal and illegal immigration affects the state. The meeting spurred no immediate plans for legislation, and was intended as a way to start people asking questions to learn about the issue, said Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, who chaired the meeting.
“The most important thing that we want is input from all people from across the state of Florida, whether you’re on one side, the other side or as I suggested earlier, there’s probably 20 sides to the issue,” Flores said.
Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, has filed a bill addressing illegal immigration and in the House, Rep. Will Snyder, R-Stuart, is spearheading similar efforts. The issue became a major focal point in the governor’s and attorney general’s campaigns last year. Both Attorney General Pam Bondi and Gov. Rick Scott have said they are supportive of strengthening the state’s laws for removing illegal immigrants, though neither has put forth a specific proposal.
Snyder’s draft legislation would require police to check the status of suspected illegal immigrants during a lawful stop, require businesses to use the federal E-Verify database to check the status of new hires and subject illegal immigrants who commit crimes to harsher penalties than legal immigrants or U.S. citizens.
Bennett’s bill (SB 136) allows law enforcement officers during a lawful detention or arrest to ask for the detainee’s immigration documents if the officer suspects they may be in the country illegally. The bill, however, prohibits law enforcement from using race as a reason for checking the person’s documentation. The bill also penalizes legal aliens who refuse to carry their documentation, with a possible fine of up to $100 and a 20-day jail sentence.
Monday’s meeting contained little debate from lawmakers, but featured presentations from a variety of state and federal agencies about the impact of immigrants on the state.
Florida International University law professor Ediberto Rámon did caution lawmakers that he believed an Arizona-style law would be struck down by the courts and that it would be devastating to the state’s economy because it would turn off international tourists. He also said the state shouldn’t discount the positive economic impact immigrants have on the state.
“The business sector is reaping the benefit and then you see frustration as you see here at the state and the local levels,” Rámon said. “Frankly some of it is legitimate in terms of health care in the short term, in terms of education.”
Flores said no agenda has been set for the two other meetings that Senate President Mike Haridopolos has pledged to hold on the issue, but she said the next step would be to hear from some of the advocates.
Juan Chavez, a membership organizer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said he believes the Legislature does need to hear more about immigrants’ contributions to the state, but he also questioned whether lawmakers could put together a bill that did not have a racial component, despite pledges from legislators to do so.
“If they bring something similar [to Arizona’s law], it will be a good sign that they are ignoring Floridians,” he said. “And that’s basically a good sign to destroy the economy of the state. So we’d be basically legalizing racial profiling if they bring something similar.”
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida
Cantonment Man Among 3 Injured In Crash That Shut Down I-10
January 10, 2011
A Cantonment man was among four people in a three vehicle crash this morning that shut down I-10 near Milton.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Oscar Campbell, 37, of Navarre was westbound on I-10 at 6:10 a.m. when he lost control while changing lanes to avoid a slow moving vehicle. His vehicle overturned in the median and continued into the lanes of oncoming eastbound traffic. That’s where Campbell’s vehicle was struck by a Nissan Altima driven by Roosevelt Davis, 34, of Cantonment, and a 2001 Saturn driven by Douglas Hansen, 40, of Pensacola.
Campbell and his passenger, Dana Wooley, 38, of Ft. Walton Beach, were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries. Davis also received minor injuries and was transported to Sacred Heart. Hansen was not injured.
Campbell was charged with careless driving by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Robbery Suspect Shot, Killed By Victim; 2 Others Charged With Murder
January 10, 2011
Sheriff’s investigators said a robbery victim shot and killed one of his attackers early Sunday morning.
According to investigators, Eddie Llyod Peterson, 29, of Pensacola, was shot once at about 2:13 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Mobile Highway and Massachusetts Avenue.
Peterson and two other men identified as 32-year-old Tavares Joeneeke Grimsley and 32-year-old Ortavious Devon Wilson, both of Pensacola, tried to rob the victim at gunpoint, but the victim shot back and killed Peterson.
The victim has been identified as Cornell Stallworth Jr., 25, of Pensacola.
Investigators arrested and charged Grimsley and Wilson with murder and robbery. They are being held without bond in the Escambia County Jail.