Escambia Ala. Hires New Assistant Principals, Retired Northview Coach
July 30, 2010
Assistant principals were hired and a former Northview teacher and coach was hired to replace a new assistant principal during a special meeting Thursday afternoon of the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education.
Sarah Watkins was hired as a new assistant principal at Escambia County High School. The former teacher joins new ECHS Principal Zickeyous Byrd, the former principal at Escambia County Middle School.
Jason Petro was named the new assistant principal at Escambia County Middle School.
Lorenzo Jones (pictured) was hired as a history teacher at Escambia County Middle School to replace Forrest Dale Jones, who moved into an assistant principal position at Escambia County High School. Jones retired following the last school year from Northview High School where he taught history and served as a football and basketball coach.
Suspected Murderer Jailed
July 30, 2010
A suspect in Escambia County’s 13th murder of the year is behind bars.
Jermain Cook, 24, is facing murder and grand theft charges in connection with the early Sunday morning murder at the Mayfair Motel on Mobile Highway. The victim has been identified by Escambia County Sheriff’s Department investigators as 44-year old Son Tu.
“Tu was found unresponsive in one of the motel rooms with obvious trauma,” according Melissa Aiken Rawson, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. Further details about Tu’s death have not been released.
Cook is currently in the Santa Rosa County Jail on unrelated traffic offenses. He will face extradition back to Escambia County.
Back To School Savings: Sales Tax Holidays In Alabama And Florida
July 30, 2010
Both Alabama and Florida have upcoming school sales tax holidays with back to school tax savings on school supplies and clothing.
Alabama — August 6-8
Alabama’s sales tax holiday will be August 6-8. However, Escambia County, Atmore and Brewton will not be participating. In Atmore and Brewton, shoppers will save the state’s four percent tax, but still pay the county and city tax rate. Flomaton will participate, with back to school purchases in Flomaton exempt from the state and city tax, but not the one percent county tax.
For complete details on exempt items in Alabama,click here (pdf).
Florida — August 13-15
In Florida, the school sales tax holiday will be the following weekend, August 13-15. It will be the first school sales tax holiday in the Sunshine State since 2007.
In general, Florida’s sales tax holiday will apply to “the sale of books, clothing, wallets, or bags, including handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags, but excluding briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags, having a sales price of $50 or less, or on sales of certain school supplies having a sales price of $10 or less for the period beginning 12:01 a.m., August 13, 2010, and ending at midnight, August 15, 2010,” according to the Florida Department of Revenue.
For complete details on exempt items in Florida, click here (pdf).
Florida defines books as “a set of printed sheets bound together and published in a volume.” Newspapers, magazines, other periodicals and audio books are not books and will be taxable during the holiday.
Clothing is defined as any article of wearing apparel, including all footwear (except skis, swim fins, roller blades and skates) intended to be worn on or about the body. Clothing does not include watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, handkerchiefs or sporting equipment.
School supplies include pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, protractors, compasses and calculators.
The state also has a rule about where purchases can be made or, more importantly, where they can’t be made.
For example, eligible items are not exempt from sales tax if purchased at a theme park or entertainment complex. So, a T-shirt with a cartoon character on the front purchased at Disney World would be taxable, although a similar T-shirt purchased at a department store would be exempt.
Eligible items also lose their tax-exempt status if purchased at a public lodging establishment, aka a hotel, motel, resort, beach cottage, or airport.
County Driver Charged After Being Trapped Nearly Two Hours In 9 Mile Crash
July 29, 2010
An Escambia County Road Department work truck driver has been charged following a wreck on Nine Mile Road in which he was trapped for nearly two hours Thursday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Robert J. Harvey, 59, of Pensacola, was eastbound on Nine Mile Road at 2:05 p.m. when he attempted to stop for a red light at Guidy Lane, near Hillcrest Baptist Church. The trailer on Harvey’s truck jackknifed, pulling the 1998 Ford truck into a traffic signal pole. A bobcat on the trailer broke loose and came to rest in a nearby ditch.
Harvey was seriously injured in the crash, according to the FHP. Firefighters worked until about 3:45 to free him from the cab of the truck. He was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital.
The Florida Highway Patrol charged Harvey with careless driving.
For more pictures from the scene, click here.
Pictured above and below: An Escambia County employee was trapped for nearly two hours Thursday afternoon in a crash at Nine Mile Road at Guidy Lane near Hillcrest Baptist Church. Pictured inset: Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan directs traffic. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Six People Involved In McDavid Crash, One Injured
July 29, 2010
One person was injured in a two vehicle crash in McDavid Thursday afternoon.
The driver of a pickup truck apparently pulled from the median into the path of an SUV about 1:45. The pickup driver received minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital by ambulance. There were no passengers in the truck. Five people in the SUV were uninjured.
The accident happened near the Highway 29 and Highway 164 intersection at the McDavid Mini Mart. The store’s band new sign was also damaged in the crash.
The accident is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Atmore Ambulance and the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
Pictured top: Five people in this SUV escaped injured in a Thursday afternoon crash at the McDavid Mini Mart on Highway 29 near Highway 164. Pictured below: The driver of this pickup truck received minor injuries. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century’s Showalter Named Baltimore Orioles Manager
July 29, 2010
After lengthy negotiations, former Century resident Buck Showalter has been named the new manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
“Buck Showalter’s proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles and we are thrilled to add a two-time Manager of the Year to our organization,” president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said in a press release.
“We believe Buck’s extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future.”
Showalter, 54,will officially introduced as the Baltimore Oriole’s manager on Monday, and his first game will be Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels.
“Buck Showalter’s proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles and we are thrilled to add a two-time Manager of the Year to our organization,” president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said in a press release. “We believe Buck’s extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future.”
The Orioles dismissed Dave Trebley as their manager back on June 4.
Showalter, who now lives in Dallas, had three different managerial stints in the majors with 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 his family.
Man Indicted For Pregnant Woman’s Murder; Could Face Charges For Baby
July 29, 2010
An Escambia Count Grand Jury has indicted the man accused of the the stabbing death of a pregnant mother and her unborn child July 5 in Cantonment.
On Wednesday, the Grand Jury returned a first degree premeditated murder indictment against Phillip Arnold for the murder of Angela Castella Brown, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins. He faced Judge Ron Swanson in an arraignment hearing on Thursday.
Arnold, 65, of 349 South Chipper Road, fatally stabbed Brown in the chest, according to the State Attorney’s Office. Brown was about six months pregnant at the time. Doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver the baby, which died about seven hours later, prosecutors said. The State Attorney’s Office is continuing to consult with the medical examiner’s office to determine whether any additional charges will be filed.
Arnold and Brown were neighbors, and that was their only known connection, according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched to the stabbing at a mobile home at 349 South Chipper Road about 8:35 p.m only July 5. When they arrived, witnesses told deputies that Arnold fled into a nearby wooded area. As deputies were arriving in the area, EMS personnel advised they had seen a black male running down the railroad tracks on South Chipper Road.
Witnesses at the scene reported observing a black male known to them as Arnold running from the scene moments before they discovered the victim, according to the Sheriff’s Office. K-9 officers attempting to track Arnold discovered a knife that was believed to be the murder weapon. As deputies were surrounding the area to search for Arnold, he called sheriff’s dispatchers about 9:10 p.m. Arnold said he was at a home at 2473 Stacey Road and that he wanted to turn himself in. He was taken into custody without incident.
Brown was the mother of seven other children.
Scott Won’t Seek Re-election To Century Council
July 29, 2010
Century Town Council member Sharon Scott has announced that she does not plan to seek re-election. Scott currently holds Seat 5 on the council, one of three seats up for election this year.
“I love Century and everything about Century,” she said Wednesday night, “but it was just not for me to run again.”
As of the close of business Wednesday, one candidate and prefiled for the seat. Click here for the story. The deadline for candidates to qualify for Century’s primary election is noon Friday.
Pictured: Century Council member Sharon Scott listens to a speaker at a recent Century Town Council meeting. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Savage Prefiles For Century Council Seat
July 29, 2010
Annie Carter Savage prefiled Wednesday for Century Town Council Seat 5 currently held by Sharon Scott.
In order to actually qualify to be on the primary ballot October 5, Savage must file two additional forms and pay her qualifying fee by noon Friday, according to the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office. Savage said those tasks would be complete on Thursday.
“I’ve been here 47 years in this town, and I’ve seen so much negative and bad,” Savage said Wednesday about her decision to seek a post on the town council. “I’ve got something good for Century, and it was time for me to share.”
Council seats three, four and five are on the ballot in Century this year — the positions are currently held by Henry Hawkins, Gary Riley and Scott. This is the official qualifying week for Century’s elections. Hawkins has already qualified.
Scott has announced that she will not seek re-election. Click here for that story.
Pictured: Longtime Century resident Annie Savage addresses the Escambia County School Board in January, 2009. Savage was speaking in favor of keep Carver/Century K-8 School open. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Forfeited: $68K Lottery Ticket Goes Unclaimed
July 29, 2010
A $68,663.34 lottery prize for a winning ticket sold near Jay has been forfeited.
No one claimed the Fantasy Five prize ticket by the 180 day deadline, meaning the prize money returned to the state. Florida law requires that 80 percent of unclaimed prize funds from expired tickets be transferred directly to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The remaining 20 percent is returned to the prize pool from which future prizes are awarded or used for special prize promotions.
The Fantasy 5 ticket was sold January 25 at McDonald’s State Line Lotto on Highway 87 at the Alabama/Florida line. The prize winner had 180 days to claim the prize, and that time period expired at midnight Saturday.
The winning numbers were 2-13-19-24-28.