Northview Holds Sendoff Pep Rally For The Chiefs (With Video)
December 2, 2010
Northview High School held a big sendoff pep rally for their Region 1-A Champion Chiefs Thursday morning. The football team departed after the pep rally on their way to Jacksonville for the state semifinal game against Trinity Christian Friday night.
(This article was originally published prior to Northview’s 49-14 loss December 3 against Trinity Christian.)
For a photo gallery from the pep rally, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from a pep rally Thursday morning at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Grand Opening Held For $316 Million ECUA Wastewater Plant
December 2, 2010
Thursday was the official grand opening for the largest public works project in the history of Escambia County — the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority’s new Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment, which has been in operation since late August.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority held community celebration to mark the completion of the new, $316-million CWRF. The public was invited to join ECUA board members and staff, as well as federal, state and local officials, as the state-of-the-art facility officially began operations.
The new plant sits on 2,000 acres on land adjacent to Ascend Performance Materials (formerly Solutia) on Old Chemstrand Road near Cantonment. A full 15 miles north of the existing Main Street Treatment Plant, the facility is well above the flood plain and is built to resist hurricane-force winds. Redundant power and storage systems help to ensure that the facility can remain operational during conditions that crippled the Main Street plant during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
With the CWRF complete, ECUA plans to demolish the aging Main Street facility, which many believe will help encourage economic development in the area. Another benefit is that reclaimed water from that facility will no longer be discharged into Pensacola Bay. Thanks to innovative partnerships with Gulf Power Company and International Paper, reclaimed water from the CWRF will be reused by those two companies.
The CWRF was funded in large part through grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal sources, the State of Florida, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola. Several local firms, employing hundreds of Northwest Florida employees, participated in the design and construction of the facility and its 25 miles of pipeline.
Escambia Meets Class Size Caps, Santa Rosa Does Not
December 2, 2010
The Escambia County School District officially complies with Florida’s class size amendment, but Santa Rosa does not.
In a state report released late Tuesday, 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.
Santa Rosa County had a total of 393 classes not in compliance, according to the state report.
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.
Districts not in compliance have until December 17 to file an appeal to the Florida Department of Education. Those still not under the caps have until February 15 to present the state with a plan to meet the mandate.
The districts that remain in of violation of class size standards laid out in the state Constitution potentially face hefty fines. A percentage of the fines will be awarded to those district in compliance. A spokesman for the department said the exact amount in fines has not yet been calculated.
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.
Bid Awarded To Move Carver/Century Covered Play Area To Bratt
December 2, 2010
The Escambia County School District has awarded a contract to move a covered play area from the former Carver/Century School to Bratt Elementary School.
The low bidder on the project was Trammell Construction, Inc. at $48,275 for moving the structure, plus $1,051 for an intercom system for the play area. There were six other bids received in amounts up to $99,000.
Current plans call for the 40 x 60 foot structure to be moved to Bratt Elementary over Christmas break. The 16-foot high cover will be disassembled and re-erected at Bratt with electricity and appropriate lighting.
“The request was made by the school to investigate the feasibility of relocating the covered play structure located at the former Carver/Century K-8 school to Bratt Elementary. The assessment was conducted and the project was commissioned,” said Shawn Dennis, assistant superintendent of operations for the Escambia County School District.
Pictured above: A festival was held under the covered play area at Carver/Century K-8 school in October, 2008. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Two Arrested After Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting
December 2, 2010
A drive-by shooting in Escambia County led to the arrest of two gang members by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit.
Tuesday afternoon, deputies responded to a reported shooting in the area of Olive Road and Tippin Avenue. According to witnesses a blue Lincoln was seen driving through the area while the passenger fired several shots out the window. No one was injured as a result of the incident.
Deputies assigned to the Gang Unit were in the area and responded to assist patrol deputies looking for the suspect vehicle. As they drove through the intersection of Fairfield Drive and Davis Highway, they observed the suspect vehicle parked at a convenience store near that intersection.
During the investigation the deputies identified the vehicles occupants as Jason Joseph Dill, 30, of Pensacola, and Joshua Edwin Diggins, 25. Diggins is originally from New Orleans but currently has a Pensacola address.
Both Dill and Diggins were identified as members of the Gangster Disciples. The Gangster Disciples is a nationwide gang that was originally formed on the South-side of Chicago in the late 1960’s. They are known for criminal activity such as drug trafficking, robbery, extortion and murder.
Deputies arrested Dill and Diggins charging them with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Diggins was also charged with resisting arrest without violence. They were booked into the Escambia County Jail and held with no bond.
Deputies seized the vehicle and a 9mm handgun.
Florida Hunters Could Be Required To Report Every Deer Harvested
December 2, 2010
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering new rule proposals requiring all hunters to tag harvested white-tailed deer and report the harvest to the FWC.
However, the commissioners directed staff to provide a menu of options regarding exempt hunters, showing how those hunters would report their harvest. Exempt hunters include individuals 65 and older and 16 and under.
Tagging and reporting game harvests is commonly done in many states, and FWC staff reviewed several other states’ harvest-reporting systems to see what might work well in Florida, according to a FWC news release The agency is seeking to craft a system where hunters would report their harvested deer, to better track where and how many deer are harvested in Florida.
FWC staff presented a draft proposal at five public meetings across the state and gathered input and feedback through an online poll.
The proposed harvest-reporting system would utilize a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week telephone and Internet system, and tags to attach to harvested deer.
Some of the information hunters would have to report includes their customer number, date of harvest, county, method of take, hunting with or without dogs, type of deer (antlered buck, button buck or doe) and number of antler points on bucks. All compiled statewide harvest data would be available to the public online and updated daily, but would not include hunters’ personal information.
“We want to make this system as friendly as possible for Florida’s hunters,” said Cory Morea, FWC biologist and deer management program coordinator. “We need the data to give Florida hunters what many of them have asked for – that is better management of the state’s deer herd, and at a more local level. This will give us one of the tools to enable us to do that.”
The new rules could be approved for final adoption at the February 2011 Commission meeting and would become effective July 1, 2011, and apply to the 2011-12 hunting season.
For more detailed information on the proposed harvest-reporting system, go to MyFWC.com/Deer.
FHP Plans Checkpoints
December 2, 2010
The Florida Highway Patrol has announced locations for driver’s license and vehicle checkpoints during the month of December in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
In Escambia County, FHP checkpoints will be held during December at the following locations:
- Guidy Lane north of Nine Mile Road
- Avery Street west of “W” Street
- Patton Drive north of Gulf Beach Highway
- Johnson Avenue east of Davis Highway
In Santa Rosa County, checkpoints will be held:
- Quintette Road west of County Road 197
- County Road 197 north of Guernsey Road
- Nicholes Lake Road east of State Road 87
- Da-Lisa Road east of Galt City Road
Pushin’ The Limits Walk To Benefit Nadine McCaw
December 2, 2010
A “Pushin’ the Limits” walk will be held Sunday to benefit cancer patient Nadine McCaw.
The walk will begin at 2 p.m. at the Food Giant in Century and be from the northern to the southern city limits in Century, a distance of about three miles. Registration is $20, with advance registrants receiving a t-shirt.
To register, click here for a registration form to return to the Century Branch Library, or visit the library for a registration form by Saturday.
Registrations will also be accepted until 1:30 Sunday at the Century Ag Building on West Highway 4. Transportation will be provided from the Ag Building to the start of the walk. Late registrations will also receive a t-shirt, but their shirts may be delayed until next week.
Disturbance, Kidnapping And Wreck Lead To Manhunt For Local Man
December 1, 2010
Escambia County deputies are looking for a local man accused of battery, kidnapping and theft after and early morning disturbance with his former girlfriend.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for Brandon Ryan Switzer, 32, of Pensacola. According to Escambia County court records, Switzer recently resided at an address on Littleton Street in Cantonment.
Around 7:41 Wednesday morning, deputies responded to a reported kidnapping in the 300 block of Wiggins Lane in Pensacola, and a manhunt for Switzer followed.
Deputies were told by Switzer’s former girlfriend, Stacey Lee Markle, 24, of Pensacola, that she and Switzer were engaged in an argument. When Markle attempted to leave, Switzer allegedly grabbed her by the neck and pulled her away from their vehicle. Switzer then grabbed a five month old baby from Markle’s arms, throwing the infant into the back seat of a Saturn car.
When Markle attempted to get into the vehicle she says she was grabbed and thrown to the ground by Switzer. Switzer then drove off in the red Saturn with the five month old still in the backseat, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Switzer crashed the Saturn into a tree in the dead end of Jean Street, located near the intersection of Legair Street. When deputies found the vehicle it wasn’t occupied. A witness to the crash approached deputies and told them that Switzer, who was said to be bleeding from the head, approached her and handed her the infant. Switzer then walked into the woods, according to the witness. The infant was not injured.
Deputies and the Sheriff’s K-9 unit began an extensive search for Switzer but were unable to locate him. He was last seen wearing a white “hoodie” and tan jacket. He should also have an abrasion or laceration to the head.
Switzer faces charges of battery, kidnapping and theft. Child endangerment charges are being filed by the Florida Highway Patrol in connection with the crash.
Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Switzer is being asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Ernest Ward Reschedules Event, Will Excuse Absences For Playoff Game
December 1, 2010
Ernest Ward Middle School has rescheduled a planned beauty pageant and announced that absences will be excused due Friday due to Northview High School’s playoff football game in Jacksonville.
The Mister Mister Beauty Pageant scheduled for Friday night has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 14.
Ernest Ward students that have a verifiable absence Friday to attend the Northview playoff game will be excused, according to Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry.