Administrative Changes At Northview, Ransom; Ernest Ward Teacher Becomes Assistant Principal
July 13, 2010
Northview High School’s assistant principal has been transferred to a different school, a teacher at Ernest Ward Middle School has been promoted to an assistant principal post, and a new assistant principal has been named for Ransom Middle School.
Northview High School Assistant Principal Michael Sherrill has been promoted to assistant principal at Pine Forest High School. His position will be filled at Northview, according to Principal Gayle Weaver. Interviews for the Northview assistant principal position closed Monday, and interviews will be held next week.
Sherri Mims, who was a reading lab teacher at Ernest Ward Middle School, has been promoted to assistant principal at Ferry Pass Middle School.
Joseph P. Snyder has been promoted from curriculum coordinator at the George Stone Center to assistant principal at Ransom Middle School.
The new administrative appointments have been recommended by Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and are subject to approval at the July 20 regular meeting of the Escambia County School Board.
NEP All-Stars Headed To World Series
July 13, 2010
The Northeast Pensacola 13U All-Stars recently finished second in the Florida Dizzy Dean tournament. They have been invited to compete in the Dizzy Dean World Series in Jefferson, Georgia, beginning Friday.
“I am excited and feel honored to represent the Pensacola area in such a big tournament,” said Shadow Singleton, pitcher and catcher for NEP.
Pictured are: (front, L-R) Mitch Haigler, Casper Gaal, Ben Glodfelter, Jesse Yetzer, Austin Gardner, Brett Weeks, Jesse Gunter, (back, L-R) Coach Weeks, Kyle McLemore, Ashton Linton, Coach Haigler, Shadow Singleton, Dakota Singleton, Coach Brake. Photo courtesy Herman Allday for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Supreme Court: Ackerman Should Not Return To Escambia Bench
July 13, 2010
The Florida Supreme Court issued an opinion Monday advising Gov. Charlie Crist that Escambia County Judge David Ackerman should not return to the bench.
Ackerman resigned his office on May 24 with the intent to return in February, one month after he was to begin new six-year term. He was the only candidate to qualify for the position. Ackerman resigned, he said, to collect a $1.3 million lump sum retirement payment to deal with a financial problem involving his wife’s business.
In an unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court said Crist should appoint a new judge to fill the position.
“The consideration that must predominate here is the right of the people of Escambia County to the services of a county judge when the incumbent has presented himself to the people for reelection but then has laid aside the duties of his office,” the justices wrote in their opinion. “A judgeship is not an office that may be temporarily forsaken at will for personal benefit.”
The Judicial Nomination Commission has presented the governor with a list of five attorneys recommended to fill Ackerman’s post: Thomas Dannheisser, Michelle Inere, John Miller, Lee Robinson, and Clara Smith. The appointed judge will serve for two years, at which time Ackerman could seek election again to his former job.
Click here to read the complete opinion issued Monday by the Florida Supreme Court.
FHP: Traffic Crashes Up During Fourth Weekend
July 13, 2010
Traffic crashes in the local FHP district were up over 40 percent during the Fourth of July weekend over the same holiday period last year.
There were 126 crashes in district this year, up from 88 in 2009. Those crashes happened July 2-5 in the Florida Highway Patrol’s Troop A, which includes Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun and Gulf counties.
There were two fatalities in FHP Troop A area, with 16 overall fatalities across Florida.
The FHP issued 9,334 citations during the Independence Day weekend across the state. Troopers made 100 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and cited more than 3,000 drivers for speeding and more than 1,000 for failure to buckle up.
“The Florida Highway Patrol works hard to ensure residents and visitors make it safely to their destinations,” said Col. John Czernis, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “For us, that means putting additional troopers on the roadways to deter and to stop motorists who drive illegally and without regard to others’ safety. FHP does not tolerate risky behavior, such as drinking and driving, and neither should you. The Patrol encourages motorists to report aggressive drivers by dialing *FHP (*347) from your cell phones.”
Pictured above: A passenger in this vehicle was injured in an early morning crash July 3 near Walnut Hill. Pictured inset: Pictured below: A passenger in the vehicle was transported by LifeFlight. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
BP Lowers Cap On Oil Well, Appears Contained
July 12, 2010
BP has lowered a new cap on the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico Monday, with underwater video appearing to show the leak is contained.
BP officials have not officially commented on the new cap. They have said that it will take from a few hours to two days to monitor the cap and make sure there are no other leaks from the well.
The new cap is not a permanent fix; BP is still working on two relief wells to reach the blown-out well from underground and plug it with mud and concrete.
Pictured above: The image on the left shows the cap being moved into place. The image on the right shows the containment cap over the well.
Former Century Resident Buck Showalter ‘Heavy Favorite’ To Manage The Orioles
July 12, 2010
ESPN reported Sunday that former Century resident Buck Showalter is the “heavy favorite” to become the next manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
Showalter, who is currently an analyst with ESPN, reportedly meet with the team again this weekend. He has met with team officials several times since Dave Trebly was fired as the Orioles’ manager in early June. A replacement is not expected to be named until after Tuesday’s All-Star game.
Showalter has managed the New York Yankees, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Texas Rangers. Showalter first managed the Yankees from 1992-1995 for 581 games posting a 313-268 record finishing 45 games over .500 with a .539 win/loss percentage. He was voted 1994 AL Manager of the Year after the Yankees finished first in the AL East going 70-43. Unfortunately, there would be no post-season in 1994 due to the strike. He made it to his first post-season appearance in 1995, losing the divisional series 3-2 to the Seattle Mariners.
He moved on to the Arizona Diamondbacks where he managed 486 games from 1998-2000 with a 250-236 record. His best season with the Diamondbacks came in 1999 when they finished first in the NL West going 100-62 and eventually losing in the divisional series 3-1 to the NY Mets. Showalter took over as Texas Rangers skipper in 2003-2006 posting a 319-329 record in 648 games. He was selected 2004 AL Manager of the Year with the Texas Rangers going 89-73 with a .549 win/loss percentage.
His father was a high school coach and principal, moving to Century in the late 1950’s. Showalter played Little League ball in Century in a thriving program. Century’s modern day Showalter Park is named after him.
Photo courtesy ESPN.
Escambia Deputies Investigating Another Murder
July 12, 2010
Authorities are investigating the tenth murder of the year in Escambia County.
At about 2:00 Sunday morning, deputies responded to a fight in the parking lot of the Blue Bar on Mobile Highway. Deputies encountered about 20-25 people yelling and jumping around the front of the business in what appeared to be the start of a fight, according to Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The deputies dispersed the crowd with the help of off-duty deputies that were working at a Circle K across the street.
Once the fight was broken up, deputies were advised of a “man down” at the Circle K across the street from the bar, Roy said. They discovered a black male lying in the front door of the convenience store who was unresponsive and covered in blood, according to Roy.
The victim’s injuries were the result of foul play, and the case has been ruled a homicide, according to sheriff’s investigators. No one has been taken into custody in connection with the homicide, but investigators have spoken to several potential witnesses.
Investigators are asking anyone that may have been present or know anything about this case to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
The murder was the tenth of the year in Escambia County. There have been three additional homicides this year in Pensacola.
Atmore Man Arrested on Multiple Florida Warrants
July 12, 2010
An Atmore man was booked into the Escambia County Jail on a long list of charges stemming from a domestic-violence related incident on Diego Circle in Pensacola.
Adrian Tucker, 33, of Broad Street, Atmore, is being held without bond. He is charged with three counts of contempt of court, two counts of felony battery, aggravated battery, two counts of criminal mischief property damage, two counts of burglary, one probation violation, three counts of larceny two counts of contempt of court and one court of obstructing justice.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the charges stem from domestic incidents between Tucker and his girlfriend at her residents on Diego Circle.
States Look At Oil Spill Laws, But Florida’s Future Murky
July 12, 2010
Florida lawmakers are set to arrive in Tallahassee later this month to address issues related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that has sent oil toward Florida beaches, but lawmakers in other states have already beaten them to the punch.
Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey and South Carolina have all introduced bills relating to oil spill clean up plans, recovery for damages and moratoria on offshore drilling. But really, it’s anyone’s best guest what will happen when the Florida House and Senate return to Tallahassee July 20.
Gov. Charlie Crist Thursday suddenly announced a special session set for later this month where lawmakers would be asked to consider a constitutional ban on offshore oil drilling. They would look at that issue, and only that, said Crist. But some Republican legislators aren’t particularly thrilled about the session.
The general message from lawmakers thus far has been that there’s no need to look at a Constitutional amendment because Florida already bans offshore oil drilling in state waters. If there’s going to be a session, many said, it needs to include other issues.
“If the governor is really committed to recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, as his press office said, he had better have a host of substantial proposals for us to consider while he spends the taxpayers’ money calling a four-day special session in Tallahassee,” said Senate President-Designate Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne.
Senate President and candidate for chief financial officer Jeff Atwater said last month that he would favor a special session to examine the economic impact of the spill as many Panhandle businesses were struggling, particularly in the badly damaged tourism and seafood industries. A committee appointed by Atwater is slated to meet Monday in Pensacola to discuss those issues.
Atwater released a memo in response to the governor’s announcement saying he wanted the committee to work on a number of issues including the enhancement of the claims process, economic recovery zones, suspension of impediments to local crisis response, tax mitigation and future litigation.
“Unfortunately, while the governor’s call for a special session does not address the substantive concerns of the citizens of the Gulf (region), it does afford us the opportunity to carefully develop and effectuate the kind of meaningful and long lasting reforms that the situation and the people affected deserve,” Atwater said. “Given the costs and disruption of a special session, legislative action should be based on solid data and empirical analysis, rather than political contrivance. Thus, I believe it is important for us to consider including additional, ameliorative measures into our agenda, and go beyond the simple expedient of merely confirming what is already in law.”
House Speaker Larry Cretul released a memo to members simply saying he was out on the coast examining the impact of the spill and would consider Crist’s proposal when he returned to Tallahassee.
In fact, about the only positive response to the session came from Democrats, several of whom praised the governor for calling it, though they too want more issues added to the call.
Crist also slapped down opposition to his plan when he announced the special session.
“I know it’s barred statutorily, l but I also know that just last year they tried to change that statute and drill holes three miles off the coast of Florida,” Crist said.
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida
Thousands Attend Free Jimmy Buffett Concert
July 12, 2010
Tens of thousands of people — including many from the North Escambia area — packed the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Sunday night for a free Jimmy Buffett concert as thousands watched on national television.
Organizers gave away 35,000 free tickets for the show, which was televised nationally on CMT. Buffet’s free concert was to demonstrate his support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill.
“It’s all BP’s fault,” Buffett sang as he changed the lyrics in his “Margaritaville”.
Do you have photos from the concert? Submit them to news@northescambia.com
Pictured top and below: Jimmy Buffett performs Sunday evening in Gulf Shores, Ala. Photos courtesy CMT. Pictured inset : Northview High School student Lauren Cloud and Trent Sweeney from Jay at Sunday’s Jimmy Buffett concert. Pictured bottom of the page: The crowds arriving for Sunday’s concert. Submitted photos by Lauren Cloud for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
