‘A Miracle’ — Deputy Jeremy Cassady Released From The Hospital
November 20, 2010
Deputy Jeremy Cassady was released from the hospital Friday, 20 days after Cassady was shot while responding to a home invasion.
“Jeremy realizes that he is here only by what he called ‘a miracle’,” Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, said.
“Jeremy and the entire Cassady family want to express their sincere appreciation to the surgical team and staff at Sacred Heart Hospital and the community for their overwhelming support of blood donations, food and especially prayers. Jeremy also wanted to thank the law enforcement community, businesses and everyone who came calling when the Cassady Family needed it,” said Roy.
Cassady was shot by Phillip Monier, 47, on October 29. Monier remains in the Escambia County Jail on $2 million bond. He is charged with three counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and home invasion robbery.
Cassady was at the Bayview Circle home of Monier’s ex-girlfriend Jackie Rosenbloom. Cassady was struck in the side. Deputy Sam Parker was hit in the chest, and Deputy Chad Brown was hit in the arm. Parker and Brown were treated and released.
Rosenbloom, who was shot in the legs and pelvis, has been released from Sacred Heart Hospital.
Court documents show the incident began when Monier forced his way into the home and demanded that a ring be returned.
Prep Football Playoff Scores
November 20, 2010
Here are playoff scores from Friday night action across the area.
- Northview 20 Blountstown 7 [Read more...]
- Bibb County 35 — Escambia County 13 [Read more...]
- Freeport 27 Liberty County 14
- Pine Forest 42 Crestview 6
- Pensacola 29 Jacksonville Andrew Jackson 0
- Catholic 31 Fort White 21
- Navarre 28 Niceville 7
- Taylor County 41 Walton 13
MSNBC Suspends Joe Scarborough Over Local Campaign Contributions
November 20, 2010
MSNBC Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough has been suspended from the network for two days without pay for his Panhandle political contributions.
Washington newspaper Politico reported Friday that Scarborough has acknowledged giving eight contributions to candidates, a violation of NBC’s ban on contributions without permission. Scarborough, a former congressman from Pensacola, will be off the air until Wednesday, MSNBC said.
Politico reported it found five contributions since 2005 from Scarborough to Republican candidates, and then Scarborough went through his records and found three more. In addition to contributing to state Sen. Don Gaetz and his son, Rep. Matt Gaetz – who he has known for more than a decade – Scarborough or his wife also gave to his brother, George Scarborough, who ran unsuccessfully twice for the state House, his former congressional chief of staff David Stafford, who ran for Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
Politico reported that Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, has known Scarborough since Gaetz was a kid, and contributed to Scarborough’s campaigns, and simply asked Scarborough to return the favor.
Photos: Area Residents Watch As Alabama Beats Georgia State
November 20, 2010
The Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Georgia State Panthers 63-7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium Thursday night. Alabama dominated on both sides of the ball, racking up 478 total yards (262 rushing, 216 passing) while the defense forced five turnovers that led to 35 Alabama points.
For a photo gallery with scenes before, during and after the game, click here.
Pictured top: The Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Georgia State Panthers 63-7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium Thursday night. Pictured inset: Bama Head Coach Nick Saban paces the sidelines. Pictured below: Area residents with Alabama players Trent Richardson and Brandon Gibson. From the left, Cade White, Hailey Lambeth, Trent Richardson, Brooks Hart, Brandon Gibson, Blakelee White & Dalton Hart at The Hotel Capston the night before the game. NorthEscambia.com photos by Alisa Hart, click to enlarge.
Authorities Seek Help To Solve Decades Old Century Murder
November 19, 2010
Authorities are looking for information in a 20-year old unsolved Century murder.
On, Saturday, October 27, 1990, sixty-two year old white male Dawyan Willie Lee Warrick was found deceased at his residence in the area of Cottage Street and Old Flomaton Road in Century. Investigators determined that Dawyan Willie Lee Warrick was murdered.
Warrack was seen by a Century police officer about 9:00 the previous night when he responded to a prowler complaint at Warrick’s address.
He was described by family members as a World War II veteran, where he received injuries that led to him being disabled.
Investigators are still looking for the person or persons responsible for Warrick’s murder. Anyone with any information regarding what might have happened to Dawyan Willie Lee Warrick, or anyone familiar with Dawyan Willie Lee Warrick during the time frame leading up to October 27, 1990, is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580, or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Editor’s Note: An October 29 NorthEscambia.com story incorrectly named the victim of this crime based upon incorrect information provided by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Bratt Students Enjoy Lunch With Parents
November 19, 2010
Students at Bratt Elementary School were joined by their parents, grandparents and guardians for lunch on Thursday and Friday as the school celebrated American Education Week. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Does The IRS Owe You Money? Check The List
November 19, 2010
The IRS may be looking for you — and that’s a good thing. The IRS has undelivered refund checks for 151 residents of Escambia counties in Florida and Alabama, and Santa Rosa County. In total, local taxpayers are due refunds of about $130,000, with the average refund of about $850.
In the North Escambia area, the following taxpayers are owed an undelivered refund check:
- Milagros Maldonado, Cantonment
- Courtney L. Moore, Cantonment
- Ibrahim A. Selmane, Cantonment
- DeWayne Snow, Cantonment
- Justins Stearns, Cantonment
- Ella M. Branson,Century
- Deja Jackson, Century
- Tarrance J. Wright, Century
- Shon O. Owens, Jay
- Willie J. Jackson, Atmore
- Steven R. Slack, Atmore
A taxpayer only needs to update his or her address once for the IRS to send out all checks due. Undelivered refund checks average $1,471 this year, compared to $1,148 last year. Some taxpayers are due more than one check.
The average dollar amount for returned refunds rose by just over 28 percent this year, possibly due to recent changes in tax law which introduced new credits or expanded existing credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.
If a refund check is returned to the IRS as undelivered, taxpayers can generally update their addresses with the “ Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. The tool also enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds. A taxpayer must submit his or her Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2009 return. The tool will provide the status of their refund and, in some cases, instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.
Taxpayers checking on a refund over the phone will receive instructions on how to update their addresses. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.
While only a small percentage of checks mailed out by the IRS are returned as undelivered, taxpayers can put an end to lost, stolen or undelivered checks by choosing direct deposit when they file either paper or electronic returns. Taxpayers can receive refunds directly into their bank, split a tax refund into two or three financial accounts or even buy a savings bond.
The IRS also recommends that taxpayers file their tax returns electronically, because e-file eliminates the risk of lost paper returns. E-file also reduces errors on tax returns and speeds up refunds. E-file combined with direct deposit is the best option for taxpayers; it’s easy, fast and safe.
The public should be aware that the IRS does not contact taxpayers by e-mail to alert them of pending refunds and that such messages are common identity theft scams. The agency urges taxpayers not to release any personal information, reply, open any attachments or click on any links to avoid malicious code that will infect their computers. The best way for an individual to verify if she or he has a pending refund is going directly to IRS.gov and using the “ Where’s My Refund?” tool.
New Teacher Merit Pay Details Emerge
November 19, 2010
The highly contentious teacher merit pay proposal that was shot down by Gov. Charlie Crist last spring has re-emerged, but with some preliminary concessions to teachers and also perhaps to Gov.-elect Rick Scott, who as the father of a special education teacher voiced concerns about the proposal’s fairness to some educators.
A draft of new legislation that would base half of teacher pay raises on student test scores, similar to the bill vetoed last year by Crist, is circulating among education advocacy groups in Tallahassee and potentially setting up a replay of last spring’s politically-charged debate over how teachers should be compensated.
But the new draft language contains some major concessions to the last year’s opponents and possibly Scott, who though supportive of teacher merit pay as a candidate, acknowledged he thought the original bill could have been improved. In particular, the new draft language directly states that teachers of students with disabilities would not be evaluated by their students’ performances on standardized exams, but rather on measures outlined in individual student education plans.
Special education teachers were a significant part of the opposition to the original vetoed bill, known as SB 6. Crist cited the issue – whether a teacher should be punished because their students had disabilities and had a harder time improving on exams – in rejecting the bill. That veto was one of a couple last year that solidified the break between Crist and the Republicans in the Legislature, resulting in Crist’s departure from the party at the end of the session.
Scott has mentioned his daughter’s career as a special education teacher throughout the campaign and said several times that he felt that any bill dealing with merit pay had to be fair to all teachers.
Trey Stapleton, a spokesman for the Scott transition, said Thursday that he did not believe Scott had spoken to anyone in Tallahassee about the pending new legislation, but that the issue of education and merit pay were at the top of his priority list.
“He’s very much into monitoring and ensuring that people are productive,” Stapleton said. “He’s definitely about accountability and holding people accountable.”
The original bill generated a mountain of controversy and infuriated teachers across the state who challenged the notion that their effectiveness should be based on students’ test scores. In particular, teachers questioned whether students with special needs or students of lower socioeconomic status, who might have a harder time learning, would harm a teacher’s earning ability – in turn, making it harder to find teachers willing to work with such children.
The bill also had significant political undertones. The proposal was a pet project of former Gov. Jeb Bush’s education foundation, the Foundation for Florida’s Future, and it was directly opposed by the teachers’ union, which largely funded Bush’s 2002 gubernatorial opponent Bill McBride. It was also sponsored by the head of the Republican Party, Sen. John Thrasher and supported by many Republican-leaning groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
Florida Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Edie Ousley said that the Chamber expects to be fully involved in the issue again during the 2011 legislative session and that while the state has made strides in education reform, the state’s schools still were not good enough.
“The state has very strong English arts and math standards, good charter school laws and accountability standards,” she said. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure students are prepared for college and prepared for the workforce.”
The draft language also contains some other changes from the original SB 6. The bill vetoed by Crist required that the state hold back 5 percent of a school district’s budget to pay for the teacher raises. The new version being floated this week in Tallahassee says nothing about where the money will come from.
The new draft also addresses the issue of tenure, which underpinned the debate over SB 6.
Under the draft language, a newly hired teacher would be put on a probationary contract for one year, during which he or she could be fired at any time. Then for three years, teachers would be placed on annual contracts, where after the end of a school year, administrators could choose whether or not to renew the contract.
After those three years, a teacher is eligible for a professional contract, which runs for three years before the teacher is subject to renewal.
Newly elected state Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, who is also executive director of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, said a group of superintendents began meeting over the summer to discuss their own ideas for a merit pay measure. The group objected to SB 6, but has been generally in favor of teacher merit pay. It has not yet developed any draft legislation, but the group has also been meeting with Bush’s education foundation to discuss possible tweaks to the draft before it is officially filed with the Legislature.
“We knew this was coming back,” he said.
So far, no lawmaker has been officially attached to the bill as a sponsor, and Thrasher did not return calls seeking comment.
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida
Northview Awards Cross Country Runners
November 19, 2010
Northview High School’s Cross Country team held their annual banquet Thursday night, presenting awards to many members.
The following awards were presented:
- Jim Ross Memorial Award: Aaron Rausch
- Junmi Ross Award: Sara Killam
- Most Valuable Runner: Josh Scott
- Most Valuable Runner: Georgia Goetter
- Most Improved: Madalyn Coon
- Most Improved: Jacob Boswell
- Junior Chiefs: Seth Killam, Patton Goetter, Natalie Goetter, Bethany Reynolds
Pictured top: Members of the Northview High School Cross Country team. Pictured below: “Junior Chiefs”. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Poarch Creek Indian Pow Wow Club Performs
November 19, 2010
The Poarch Creek Indians’ Pow Wow Club performed Thursday at the Century Branch Library and Century Care Center.
Several dozen children enjoyed the performance at the library. For a complete photo gallery, click here.
The Century Branch Library and the other libraries in the West Florida Public Library system will be closed November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.