Friends Of The Library Book Sale Begins Friday
April 27, 2011
It’s time to stock up on summer reading material, and the Friends of the Pensacola Public Library Spring Book Sale is the place to do it at a reasonable price this weekend.
The Book Sale will be Friday through Sunday at First United Methodist Church Wright Place, 80 E. Wright Street in downtown Pensacola, and will offer thousands of gently used hardcover and paperback books, CDs and DVDs. Most range in price from 25 cents to $3. It also will feature a “Collectors’ Corner” and silent auction to showcase the more valuable books, Chairwoman Meredith McCarthy said.
The preview sale will be from 4:00 until 8:00 Friday night for members. Non-members can attend for a $5 admission fee. Non-members can join with their admission fee going toward their membership fee.
On Saturday, hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, hours are noon to 3 p.m. No admission is charged those days. On Sunday, a bag of books can be purchased for $5.
All proceeds from the sale go to support the West Florida Public Library system, including the Century Branch Library.
For more details, call McCarthy at (850) 341-1434.
Pictured: Volunteers work to prepare for the Friends of the Pensacola Public Library Spring Book Sale at Wright Place in downtown Pensacola. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Names April Students Of The Month
April 27, 2011
Bratt Elementary School has named Students of the Month for April.
They are:
- Pre-K: Layla Grace, Lizzie Amerson
- Kindergarten: Kerry Hicks Jr., Trent Knighten, Da’mius Wesley, Ar’quavian Smith
- First Grade: Paige Gibbs, Angel Merchant, Haley Baker
- Second Grade: Franki Daw, Travis Butler, Olivia Gibson, Martina Howard, Aaron Downey
- Third Grade: Cody Edwards, Sheyenne Dillon, Jalexis Robinson, Natalee Gipson, Terriana Redmond
- Fourth Grade: Gabbrielle Peebles, Jesse Fails, Danielle Stuckey, Allison Rice
- Fifth Grade: Celeste North, Tristen Segers, McKenna Miller, Kendrell Redmond
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gov, Lawmakers Push For Virtual School Expansion
April 27, 2011
Florida Gov. Rick Scott confirmed his support Tuesday for a bill that expands online K-12 education in Florida, a good indication the measure will become law this year.
After approval Tuesday in its final Senate committee stop, both chambers are now poised to vote on bills (SB 1620, HB 7197) that would require all students take an online course before graduating, would allow kindergarten students to take online classes, and allow virtual charter schools to offer full or part-time online classes.
The Florida Virtual School would also be allowed to offer full-time and part-time instruction to more grades and would be able to receive funding directly from the state instead of going through school districts.
The measures have been swiftly pushed through the Republican-dominated Legislature in the this session with minimal opposition from lawmakers and school lobbyists.
But on Tuesday, several school district lobbyists said they have major concerns about the bill, which could draw more students away from public schools and into full-time online classes paid for with state funds.
“We are very concerned about this bill and ask that it be delayed,” Seminole County Schools lobbyist Darvin Boothe told the Senate Rules Committee. “We do not feel like districts have had an adequate time to be involved in the process.”
Some critics of online education have questioned its quality, saying kids rely too heavily on the Internet for plagiarized answers and that there isn’t enough oversight of students. Many supporters of traditional brick-and-mortar schools say regular schools play a vital role in socializing young children and in checking on the welfare of students.
Even as criticisms began to emerge against the bill, a rally hosted by the group “Florida Coalition for Public School Options” brought hundreds of students and parents from across Florida to the Capitol to show their support for virtual school expansion. A broad alliance of pro-school choice groups came to support the measure, including private and charter school students as well as dozens of home-schooled students who take virtual classes.
The rally drew some of Florida’s most powerful state politicians, such as Gov. Scott, Senate President Mike Haridopolos, and Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who is scheduled to be House Speaker in late 2012.
“Some people are visual learners, some people do well in a virtual school environment,” Haridopolos said. “Not everyone learns the same way. Virtual schools have proven their success and there are enough safeguards in place.”
But in perhaps a sign of what little public attention this bill has received, there was some confusion among elected officials and rally attendees about what legislation they were supporting.
Scott said at the rally he was “calling on the Legislature to move the charter school legislation forward.”
That bill (SB 1546) allows high-performing charter schools to expand grades and enrollment. It is poised for Senate approval this week and was not the primary focus of Tuesday’s rally.
After the rally Scott spokesman Lane Wright clarified that the governor does support virtual school expansion.
“Gov. Scott supports the concept of virtual schools and has since the campaign,” Wright said. “Scott believes that parents and their students should be free to choose the type of educational options that best suit their needs.”
Some parents who attended the rally said they prefer online classes for their children.
Brevard County resident Carol Whitler, who home-schools her grandson said he is taking two virtual classes through K12, a virtual school provider that offers classes through Florida school districts.
Her grandson is hyperactive and didn’t perform well at a traditional public school, Whitler said. He is taking third-grade history and science online and Whitler teaches him the other subjects. He has responded well to online classes, and twice a month has one-on one talks with his teacher. “The future is in computers,” she said.
But other parents said that virtual classes aren’t for everybody.
Annmarie Mitchell, from West Palm Beach, said her 16-year-old daughter Amber took virtual classes but didn’t perform well. Mitchell said it was because she was given a lot of leeway to police her own school work.
“It wasn’t the best choice for her,” Mitchell said. Amber took psychology, history, English, and biology online.
Still, Mitchell supports the idea of allowing more people to take virtual classes.
“A lot of the problems happening with teenagers – and why virtual school is so great for them – is teenagers are really scared to share their opinion because of what their peers will say,” Mitchell said. “So with virtual education they have discussions and chat sessions and they are opening up more.”
Meanwhile, some lawmakers and lobbyists say they are concerned about the state’s increasing emphasis on online courses. Boothe, the schools lobbyist, said the bill could be costly. The bill analysis says it could cost the state an additional $6.2 million next school year based on estimated increases in virtual school enrollment.
Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Sunny Isles, said online education disfavors students who do not own computers. She has unsuccessfully tried to amend the bill to require parent notification for students taking online courses.
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Hundreds of children and their parents came to the Florida Capitol complex Tuesday on School Choice Day. The group was supporting several issues, including SB 1620 which would add virtual schools to the list of the approved school choice options. The measure was approved Tuesday by the Senate Rules Committee and is headed for the Senate floor. Photo by Michael Peltier for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Abortion Bills Ready For Final House Vote
April 27, 2011
The Florida House is ready Wednesday to approve a sweeping series of abortion restrictions, including a requirement that women undergo ultrasounds before they can terminate pregnancies.
House members took up five bills Tuesday that target issues such as insurance coverage for abortions, teen abortions, state funding of abortions and clinic ownership. A sixth bill would change how money is used from sales of the “Choose Life” license plate.
Republicans rejected a string of Democratic amendments during a four-hour debate. Democrats — who earlier sent out news releases describing the bills as “anti-women” and “anti-female” — repeatedly questioned the abortion focus when many voters are concerned about issues such as jobs and the economy.
“Would this legislation result in any creation of jobs?” Rep. Charles Chestnut, D-Gainesville, asked at one point.
But Rep. Rachel Burgin, a Riverview Republican who sponsored one of the bills, said “you cannot put an economic study on life.”
“I believe the health of women and health of families is really important,” she said.
With Republicans controlling the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature for the past dozen years, debates about abortion bills have been common. But the volume of bills moving forward this year has been unusual.
The Senate could take up two abortion bills on the floor Wednesday, and others appear to have a chance at passing before the legislative session ends May 6.
Here are summaries of the House bills that are poised for votes as early as Wednesday:
— HB 1127: This measure would require ultrasounds before women can have first-trimester abortions, a requirement that already is in place for later-term abortions. It would largely reverse former Gov. Charlie Crist’s veto of a similar bill last year.
Women would have to sign forms stating they do not want to see the fetal images or hear descriptions. Supporters said Tuesday that many clinics already perform ultrasounds before abortions, but critics argued it could be a financial burden for some women.
“Will the patient be forced to pay for an ultrasound that she does not wish to be performed?” asked House Minority Leader Ron Saunders, D-Key West.
But Rep. Paige Kreegel, a Punta Gorda Republican who is a physician, said good doctors already are performing ultrasounds.
“All we’re doing with this bill is mandating the good practice of medicine,” Kreegel said.
— HB 97: This proposal is designed to prevent abortion coverage in policies that will be sold through a state health-insurance exchange, which is required in 2014 as part of last year’s federal health overhaul.
Such exchanges will create new marketplaces for individuals and small businesses to buy health insurance, with low-income people able to get federal subsidies.
Tax dollars could not be used to pay for abortions, but the federal law will allow people to pay separately for abortion coverage. The House bill would block such coverage from being available in the Florida exchange.
— House Joint Resolution 1179: This proposed constitutional amendment would go on the 2012 ballot and, in part, make clear that public funds could not be used to pay for abortions — including through health-insurance coverage.
Federal law, known as the “Hyde Amendment,” already bars public funding of abortions through programs such as Medicaid. But resolution sponsor Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said that law is not part of the Florida Constitution.
The proposed resolution, however, would go further because it also would prevent the Florida Constitution from being interpreted more broadly than the U.S. Constitution when it comes to abortion issues. That is important because a privacy clause in the Florida Constitution has been successfully used in the past to challenge abortion restrictions.
— HB 1247: This measure would change a law that requires parents to be notified before minors can get abortions. It would tighten restrictions on minors who seek judicial approval to have abortions without their parents being notified.
As an example, the bill would require minors to go before judges in the same judicial circuits where they live. That would be more restrictive than the current requirement, which allows minors to go before judges in the appellate-districts where they live — a far-larger number of courts in some regions of the state.
Abortion-rights advocates have long argued that some teens need the judicial-waiver process because they could be endangered if parents find out they are pregnant or seeking abortions. Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, questioned Tuesday whether minors’ anonymity could be threatened if they have to go to courthouses in the circuit where they live.
But bill sponsor Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, said the current process allows minors to be driven up to six hours from their homes to go before judges.
— HB 1397: This measure includes a series of changes to abortion laws, including trying to prevent abortions after fetuses have reached “viability.”
But perhaps the most-controversial part of the bill would require that doctors or groups of doctors own and operate any new clinics after Oct. 1, 2011. The requirement would not apply to currently operating clinics.
Rep. Luis Garcia, D-Miami Beach, said that could be a problem because physicians often need investors to finance clinics. But Burgin, the bill sponsor, said “this is not a job for entrepreneurs.”
— HB 501: This proposal would funnel money collected through sales of the “Choose Life” license plate to a non-profit group called Choose Life, Inc.
The money is supposed to go to programs that help pregnant women who are willing to put babies up for adoption. Under current law, the money goes to counties, which then distribute it to adoption-related programs.
Baxley, the bill sponsor, said the state needs a more “uniform” process for distributing the money, which Choose Life, Inc., would provide. But opponents questioned whether the bill includes enough safeguards to make sure the non-profit uses the money appropriately.
By Jim Saunders
The News Service of Florida
Resurfacing Begins On Century’s Worst Roads
April 26, 2011
Resurfacing begins this week on seven of Century’s worst roads.
The town will repave Freedom Road, the portion of Old Flomaton Road in the city limits, Hecker Road, Elm Street, Hilltop Road, B Street and Archie Street. The streets were on the top of the town’s priority list.
Traffic delays will be kept to a minimum during the resurfacing process. “We ask our residents to be patient with us for a couple of weeks while we improve our streets,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said.
The resurfacing part of the project will cost the town about $200,000 by piggybacking on an Escambia County contract with Roads, Inc. Of Northwest Florida. Another $14,000 will be added for pavement striping on Freedom, Old Flomaton and Hecker. Striping — those lines down the middle and on the side of the roadway — will not be added to the other roads because they are low-traffic.
There will be about a dozen roads remaining to be paved on the town’s priority list. Five of them — West Cottage Street, Academy Street, Pleasant Hill Road, Ramar Street and Lake Street — are all short or dead end streets. The remaining are dirt roads that will require extensive drainage work prior to surfacing.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Man Gets 3 Years Probation On Drug Charges
April 26, 2011
A Walnut Hill man has been sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty on four drug charges.
Mark Allen Shipps, 38, pleaded guilty to manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana in connection with a meth lab that was discovered last October at a shed located at his home at in the 6400 block of Rockaway Creek Road in the Nokomis community.
Shipps was also ordered to pay fines and court costs of $668 and his driver’s license was suspended for two years.
Photos: Spring Gardening At Century Care Center
April 26, 2011
Spring means gardening for many in the area, and the residents at Century Care Center are no exception. The residents have planted a variety of vegetables in raised beds for easy access.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
27-Year Proprietor Of Mamie’s Restaurant Passes Away
April 26, 2011
Longtime Century and Flomaton restaurateur Mamie E. Rowland passed away Sunday. She was 77.
Rowland owned and operated Mamie’s Restaurant for 27 years. The business began in Century and later moved to Flomaton after fire destroyed the first location.
Funeral services for Mamie E. Rowland will be held Wednesday, April 27 at Jay Funeral Home. For the complete obituary, click here.
Friday Deadline To Pay Escambia Real Estate, Tangible Taxes
April 26, 2011
Over $24 million — about nine percent — of Escambia County’s tax roll remains unpaid, according to Tax Collector Janet Holley.
All 2010 real estate and tangible personal property taxes must be paid and receipted by 5 p.m. Friday, April 29 to prevent being advertised as delinquent, adding advertising costs to the final tax bill. Online or automated phone payments (800‑601‑1055) also must be made by midnight April 30 to prevent advertising.
The delinquent ads will be published and posted on the tax collector’s web site on May 12.
Payments must be processed:
- in person at one of four branch offices by 5:00 p.m. April 29;
- through the service center 850-438-6500 x252 by 5:00 p.m. April 29;
- on the website www.escambiataxcollector.com by midnight April 30; or
- on the automated telephone 800-601-1055 by midnight April 30.
For more information, contact the tax collector’s office at (850) 438-6500, Ext. 252.
West Florida High Criminal Justice Club Takes Part In State Conference
April 26, 2011
West Florida High School of Advanced Technology’s Criminal Justice Club travels to Daytona today for the Florida Public Service Association Conference.
The FPSA is a high school based club for students who are involved in the studies of criminal justice, teacher assisting or firefighter assisting. The organization was founded in 1990 to assist teachers and students studying in these career fields to expand the knowledge of their chosen fields by competing against others from around the state. The competitions are designed by teachers based on the Florida Department of Education curriculum guidelines for each of these career fields.
Three North Escambia residents, Cheyenne Godwin and Kaitlin Howard of Molino and Josh Vihnanek of Walnut Hill, are among those competing this week. During the conference, Godwin will be campaigning for FPSA state historian.
Last year at FPSA Conference, WFHS placed in the following:
- Community Service
- Extemporaneous Open Statement
- Extemporaneous Poster Display
- CPR
- Job Seeking Skills
- Parliamentary Procedures
- Scrapbook
- Mr. Public Service
- Ms. Public Service
- Firearms-Novice
- Firearms-Advanced (1st & 2nd Place)
- Top Gun
- Forensic Investigation
- Accident Report Writing
- Traffic Accident Report Writing
- Defensive Tactics
- Traffic Stop
- 3rd in CJ Top Chapter
Teacher-sponsor for the group is Gerald Russo.
Pictured top: The West Florida High School of Advanced Technology’s Criminal Justice Club at FPSA 2010 in Orlando. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.