Little Found During Daily Drug Dog Searches In Escambia Schools
October 12, 2010
Drug dogs have been used daily in Escambia County’s schools since August, and, so far, very few illegal substances have been found.
Each day, at least one middle or high school in the county is randomly visited by a canine officer and his dog. The North Escambia schools — Ernest Ward, Northview, Ransom and Tate — have each had five random searches since the first day of school. Nothing has been found at any of the North Escambia schools, according to data obtained Monday by NorthEscambia.com. (See the complete report at the bottom of this page, click to enlarge.)
Of the 17 schools searched, only three have had positive searches — Escambia High, Washington High and the Judy Andrews Center. At Washington High, the K-9 has alerted on three of five visits, including finds of two grams of marijuana in a men’s bathroom, an empty baggie that smelled of marijuana and a third find of a trace amount of marijuana.
The most searched schools have been Workman Middle and West Florida High School with six canine visits each, while Jim Bailey Middle and Pensacola High School have been searched just twice. The Judy Andrews Center, which provides career, technical and adult programs, has only been searched once.
The Escambia County School Board implemented the random drug dog searches this school year, as part of an aggressive anti-drug and alcohol policy. Only one person at the district office, Manager of Protection Services Steven Sharp, knows which school will be visited in advance. The canine officer reports to the principal’s office upon his or her arrival and is accompanied during the search by an administrator or their designee.
Students are not being searched, and they are removed from any classroom that is searched. Searches also include hallways, lockers, parking lots and other common areas.
The district is spending $36,000 from its general fund over the course of a year for the program. Two dozen off-duty canine officers from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Pensacola Police Department are utilized for the searches.
Pictured above: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Wayne Gulsby performs a drug dog search late last week at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Thief Strips Copper Wiring From County Radio Tower In Molino
October 12, 2010
Copper wiring valued at over $3,000 was reported stolen Monday from a county radio tower in Molino.
A technician for CES Team One Communications, the company that maintains the radio tower for Escambia County, told deputies that the theft occurred sometime between September 1 and his service visit Monday morning.
The technician told Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators that someone cut a gate lock on the fence surrounding the tower, which is located behind the Escambia County Health Department on Highway 29.
The thief took two copper bars about three feet in length and cut nine, two-foot sections of copper wire; and ten, six-foot sections. The items were valued at $3,450.
According to Escambia County officials, the wiring was part of the tower’s electrical grounding system and no county communications systems were taken off the air by the incident. Spokesperson Cameron Johnson said the missing wiring would place the tower and equipment at a higher risk of damage from lightning, and replacement items are on order.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the incident is continuing.
Sample Ballots Mailed
October 12, 2010
Sample ballots for the upcoming November 2 General Election have been mailed to Escambia County voters, according to Supervisor of Elections David Stafford.
The sample ballot includes an image of both sides of the ballot, the voter’s polling location, instructions on marking their ballot, and information on early voting, absentee voting, and voting at the polls on Election Day. A sample ballot is also available at EscambiaVotes.com.
Escambia County voters have three different ways to cast their ballot:
BY MAIL: Voters may vote by mail via an absentee ballot by contacting the Elections Office by mail, phone (850-595-3900), e-mail (absentee@escambiavotes.com), fax (850-595-3914), or using the online form at EscambiaVotes.com. Absentee requests must include the voter’s date of birth and address, and must be received no later than Wednesday, October 27th. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee voters may now track their ballot status by clicking the Track My Ballot link on EscambiaVotes.com.
EARLY VOTING: Beginning Monday, October 18th, voters may cast their ballot early at any one of four area locations:
Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, 2nd Floor;
Elections Office Cantonment Annex, 292 Muscogee Road;
Genealogy Branch (formerly Tryon Branch) Library, 5740 North 9th Avenue;
Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway.
Early voting dates and times are as follows:
Monday, October 18 through Friday, October 22: 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 23: 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 24: 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Monday, October 25 through Saturday, October 30: 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
AT YOUR PRECINCT: The third option for voters is to cast their ballot at their precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Citizens Insurance Rates Headed Up
October 12, 2010
Premiums for homeowners who get their property insurance through the state-run program will see rates rise 10.4 percent beginning in January, after state insurance regulators on Monday approved rate hikes higher than those requested last week by Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Citing the need to move toward actuarially sound rates, the Office of Insurance Regulations raised premiums higher than the 9.8 percent requested by Citizens. Commercial condominium rates will rise 8.1 percent. OIR also approved rate hikes of 11 percent for residential wind-only condominium association insurance and 11.3 percent for residential condo association without wind coverage.
Lawmakers have capped rate hikes at 10 percent per year, but Citizens can exceed that cap to help build up the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. The panel approved a 3.4 percent CAT fund build-up rate. Citizens is the state’s largest property insurer with more than 1.2 million policies in place
Mexican Venture Buying Out Area Concrete, Gravel Companies
October 12, 2010
Mexican company Cemex SAB is buying out its joint venture partner Ready Mix USA, including cement plants in Cantonment, Flomaton and Atmore, as well as a sand and gravel pit in Century, for about $360 million.
The joint venture operated by Ready Mix USA owns 10 sand and gravel pits, 149 concrete plants and 20 block plants located throughout the South — including Southeastern Sand & Gravel in Century, Pensacola Ready Mix in Cantonment and Atmore Ready Mix.
Ready Mix USA will continue to manage the joint venture until the closing of the transaction, which is expected to be in September, 2011. Cemex, based in Monterrey Mexico, already owns 49.9 percent of the joint venture controlled by the family of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s son.
Cemex is a global building materials company that provides high-quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries throughout the world.
Vote For Northview’s Roderick Woods For TV 3 Play Of The Week
October 12, 2010
Once again, a Northview High School football player’s outstanding moves have him nominated for a WEAR TV 3 Play Of the Week.
In the Play of the Week nominee video, Roderick Woods catches a pass from NHS quarterback Brandon Sheets. Woods is tackled by a couple of Holmes County Blue Devils, only to roll off of them and sprint almost 70 yards to about the Blue Devil’s five-yard line. The play resulted in a one yard touchdown dive from the Chiefs’ Levi Gideons.
To view the video and vote for Northview’s Roderick Woods as the WEAR TV Play of the Week, click here. (It’s video number one.)
Northview’s La’Mikal Kyles recently won a WEAR 3’s Prep Football Final Play of the Week for swiping the ball from a surprised Bozeman Buck on a fumble and carrying it 32 yards for a NHS touchdown.
Pictured above: Northview’s Roderick Woods rolls over two Holmes County Blue Devils to continue nearly 70 yards Friday night in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
NHS Students Win George Washington Honor Medals
October 12, 2010
Northview High School students Katelyn Garrison and Dixie Carnley have been chosen to receive the George Washington Honor Medal for their essays on “What Is Your American Dream?”. The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge essay contest was part of Lorenzo Jones’ history class last year at Northview.
The medals will be presented to Garrison and Carnley later this year by the Pensacola Freedoms Foundation Volunteer Chapter.
Pictured above: George Washington Honor Medal winners Katelyn Garrison and Dixie Carnley. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tropical Storm Paula Forms; Expected To Become Hurricane
October 11, 2010
Tropical Storm Paula formed off the coast of Honduras Monday afternoon, and forecasters say it could become a hurricane by Tuesday.
Paula was located about 130 mils east-southeast of Isla Guanaja, Honduras. Hurricane warnings have been issued for portions of the Mexican Coast.
Complete details on Tropical Storm Paula are available in the graphic above.
Molino’s Leaning Post Ranch In The Running For $50K From Pepsi
October 11, 2010
The Leaning Post Ranch in Molino is in the running for $50,000 in funding from the Pepsi Refresh Project.
The mission of the Leaning Post Ranch is to provide equine assisted activities and therapeutic riding to individuals with disabilities and at-risk youth in Northwest Florida.
“We could grow so much more if we had that much more support and help from our community,” said founder Fran Gersin. She said she hopes The Leaning Post can expand to provide services to anyone in need.
“When I hear kids speak for the first time, or maybe paint or write their name on a horse, or try to walk, or begin to walk, or respond for the first time in an appropriate way, or see an at risk rider overcome their anger and decide they want to get an education — that’s what it’s all about,” Gersin said.
There is a currently a waiting list of 22 riders for The Leaning Post Ranch. With the Pepsi Refresh Project funds, The group plans to expand its staff in order to meet those requests. The $50,000 would allow The Leaning Post to expand weekly therapeutic lessons for disabled riders from 34 to 68 and increase weekly outreach to at-risk youth from eight to 30.
Supporters can vote daily for The Leaning Post Ranch in the Pepsi Refresh Project by clicking here. For more information, visit www.theleaningpostranch.org or view the video below.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Computers Missing From Old Carver Middle School; Last Seen With Pastor
October 11, 2010
According to Escambia County School District records, two computers worth nearly $2,000 are missing from the Old Carver Middle School in Century.
The computers were in the possession of Pastor Irvin Stallworth of New Life Baptist Church, the old school’s former tenant, according to Charles M. Peterson, director of maintenance services for the school district.
“I made several attempts to contact Pastor Stallworth since being notified of the missing computers,” Peterson wrote in a school district memo to be presented this month to the school board. Stallworth returned Peterson’s call in late September and said that someone from the district picked up the computers, according to the memo.
According to school district documents, a report of the missing items will be presented to local law enforcement agencies as is standard procedure.
Peterson said no one from the district picked up or removed the computers. “The location of these computers is unknown,” Peterson said. The computers were valued at $1,898.48.
The computers were last inventoried by the district in the school in May, 2009, but were reported missing at the time of the 2010 inventory.