Two Qualify For Distict 5 Escambia Soil & Water Board
March 8, 2010
Two candidates have prefiled to run for the District 5 seat on the Escambia Soil & Water Conservation District.
Dan Cain of Molino has met the petition requirement to be placed on the ballot, and Dillon Powell of Cantonment has prefiled.
Cain currently serves in the Escambia Soil & Water Conservation District seat after being appointed to fill a vacancy in May, 2009.
This is not Powell’s first run for the post; he ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2008.
Helping Haiti: What You Can Do; Photo Gallery From Haiti
March 8, 2010
Today we have the final installment of a three-part series “North Escambia: Helping Haiti”. We are taking you to Haiti through the eyes of two area men that just returned from a disaster relief mission. We will hear about their work in Haiti in their own words, and we’ll see the country through their eyes via their photographs. We will also look at how you can be a part of the effort to provide relief in the earthquake ravaged country.
Today, we’ll look at some of the ways you can help Haiti.
Haiti is still in a country in need, and there are many ways you can help. From a text on your cell phone, to a bucket of food, we’ve listed many of the ways to help below.
If you missed the first two installments of this series over the weekend, you can read them be clicking the links below.
- Haiti through the eyes of Drayton Smith, First Baptist Church of Cantonment
- Haiti through the eyes of Sonny Smith, Hillcrest Baptist Church
Also, we have gallery of photos taken by Drayton Smith in Haiti. Click here for the photo gallery.
Now, here are some ways you can help Haiti:
- Buckets of Hope The First Baptist Church of Bratt and the First Baptist Church of Cantonment are collecting food items in the “Buckets of Hope” program. Complete buckets and other donations are due in Bratt by March 14 and in Cantonment by March 15. Click here for more info.
- Health Kits Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino is collecting supply donations to assemble “health kits” for Haiti. Click here for more info.
- American Red Cross, 800-733-2767
- Clinton Foundation, 501-748-0471
Text “HAITI” to 20222 to donate $10 - Compassion International www.compassion.com
- Florida Baptist Convention www.flbaptist.org
- Bethany Christian Services – www.bethany.org/donate
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Action Against Hunger, 877-777-1420
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Agape Flights, 941-584-8078
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Airline Ambassadors International, 866-264-3586
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American Refugee Committee, 800-875-7060
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Beyond Borders, 866-424-8403
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Catholic Relief Services, 800-736-3467
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Childcare Worldwide, 800-553-2328
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Concern Worldwide, 212-557-8000
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Doctors Without Borders, 888-392-0392
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Habitat for Humanity, 1-800-422-4828
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Lions Club International Foundation, 630-203-3836
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Mennonite Central Committee, 888-563-4676
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Mercy Corps, 888-256-1900
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Samaritan’s Purse, 828-262-1980
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UNICEF, 800-367-5437
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United Methodist Committee on Relief, 800-554-8583
Former Dentist Office Employee Sentenced To Prison For Insurance Fraud
March 7, 2010
A former office manager for an Atmore dentist has been sentenced to four months in prison plus four months of home confinement by a federal judge.
Toni McMurphy, 55, pleaded guilty to health care fraud and mail fraud in federal court. Friday, McMurphy was sentenced by Judge Kristi K. DuBose to four months in prison. She will be allowed to voluntarily surrender at a future date after being notified by the U.S. Marshals.
Her prison term will be followed by four months of home confinement under the supervision of the Bureau of Prisons during which time she will be subject to electronic monitoring or another location verification system.
McMurphy was not fined, but will face a restitution hearing in May to determine if she will be required to pay restitution to her victims.
At her Friday’s sentencing hearing, several people spoke on McMurphy’s behalf, including Atmore Mayor Howard Shell.
In her plea agreement, McMurphy admitted that while working for Buckley and Buckley Family Dentistry between January 1, 2006, and November, 2008, she bilked about $45,000 from insurance companies by filing false claims for services never performed or by upgrading lower cost procedures to higher cost procedures.
“The insurance carriers would then send reimbursement checks to Buckley Family Dentistry to pay for the fraudulent claims,” McMurphy stated in her plea agreement. “I would then misapply said fraudulent proceeds, thereby allowing me to apply proceeds to different patients and to withdraw cash from Buckley Family Dentistry.”
The mail fraud charge stemmed from an incident in June, 2008, when McMurphy admitted that she filed a false claim with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama asking for reimbursement on behalf of a patient claiming that the dentist had extracted two of her teeth. Blue Cross and Blue Shield then mailed a payment for the services never performed to an Atmore post office box.
McMurphy faced up to 20 years in prison, three years probation and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
This story has been updated to reflect the sentence is four months in prison *plus* four months home confinement.
Deputies Continue To Seek Armed Robbery Suspect
March 7, 2010
The suspect in the Thursday night armed robbery of a Century convenience store remains at large.
Moyes State Line Food Mart on North Century Boulevard was robbed at gunpoint about 7 p.m. Thursday. The suspect was described as a black male, about six feet tall wearing a black hoodie jacket with a scarf over his mouth. A man believed to be the suspect later knocked the door of a nearby residence. That resident described the man as having lips that were light in color and appeared to have been burned or scarred.
A two and a half hour manhunt involving officers and K-9 units from multiple agencies failed to locate the suspect.
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Pictured top: Deputies on scene of an armed robbery Thursday night in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview FFA Participates In District Competition
March 7, 2010
Northview High School recently participated in the FFA District Competition at the Jay Community Center.
Micah Byars placed first in Exemplary Public Speaking, and Heather Kite placed second in Prepared Public Speaking.
Other participants included:
- AG Mechanics: Micah Byars, Wes Chancery, and Allie Vidak
- AG Business Management: Allie Vidak, Stephanie Solari, Lydia Weaver, and Heather Kite
Pictured top: (L-R) Heather Kite, Lydia Weaver, Allie Vidak, Stephanie Solari, Micah Byars and Wes Chancery. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Baptist Pastor Killed In Nine Mile Road Motorcyle Crash
March 7, 2010
A Milton man died in a crash Saturday morning on Nine Mile Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Gary E. Laird, 52, of Milton, was killed when his Harley Davidson motorcycle was hit by a 1985 Lincoln driven by Pamela Denise Knight, 38, of Pensacola.
Laird was the pastor of the Avalon Baptist Church in Milton.
According to the FHP, Knight was eastbound on Nine Mile Road near the ballpark when she attempted to turn across traffic onto Hummingbird Boulevard and struck Laird’s motorcycle. Both vehicles had a green light.
Laird was wearing full leather protective gear and helmet. He was pronounced dead on the scene by Escambia County EMS.
Charges against Knight are pending the completion of the investigation, according the the FHP. Troopers said she voluntarily submitted a blood sample for analysis, and that impairment is not suspected.
Helping Haiti Part II: Local Disaster Relief Team Visits Ravaged Country
March 7, 2010
Today we have the second installment of a three-part series “North Escambia: Helping Haiti”. We are taking you to Haiti through the eyes of two area men that just returned from a disaster relief mission. We will hear about their work in Haiti in their own words, and we’ll see the country through their eyes via their photographs. We will also look at how you can be a part of the effort to provide relief in the earthquake ravaged country.
Today, in his own words, Drayton Smith from the First Baptist Church of Cantonment describes his recent Pensacola Disaster Relief team visit to Haiti. Monday morning, we will learn how you can do you part to help Haiti. The photographs that accompany this article were taken by Smith in Haiti.
On February 8th I received a call from Florida Disaster Relief wanting a group of four to travel to Haiti for building inspection and Chaplaincy. They wanted us to leave on the 12th. I could not leave that soon so we left on the 17th. At that time no flights were able to go into Port-Au-Prince so we flew into the Dominican Republic. On the 18th we traveled to Haiti by bus. A trip that was about 200 miles would take all day. The roads are inferior to say the least. We left around 4 a.m., as the sun peaks over the mountain range we can see the banana plantations along with the sugar cane fields.
As we approach the border things become very chaotic. It is very crowded and large trucks with supplies are blocking the road way. Our driver goes in to take care of all the paperwork and we are on our way again. The roads continue to be very crowded for quite some time. Check points are set up all along the way. As we get closer to Port au Prince congestion gets worse. We see many military vehicles from all over the world. The streets are filled with people. Some selling fruits and vegetables, others begging for money. All along the edge of the roads we see tents and temporary shelters made from scrap lumber, tin, tarpaulins bearing names like USAID, RED CROSS, and other symbols and emblems. We approach our destination where we will be calling home for the next week. It seems to be in tact. Running off of batteries during the day and a generator to charge the batteries at night. Across the alley we see a home that has collapsed and hear of a 2 year that has lost their life from the falling roof. This hits home with me, I have a two year old.
As we get up on our first day we visit with local pastors who welcome us with open arms and somewhat of a smile. We inspect several homes and churches that day. We find out that everyone is petrified to return back into their homes, even if they are safe to go in. “What if it happens again?” That seems to be the question everyone asked. As we pray for those and try to minister to them, we struggle to find the words to say, “its going to be okay.” Its hard because we do not know when and if another quake will happen. Everyone knows someone who lost someone.
As the week progresses we meet several new friends from all over the US. They all have come as part of the SBC Disaster Relief. Some are doctors, nurses, pharmacist, others are building inspectors and Chaplains. Each having left their families, jobs and homes to minister to those in need. Over and over I recall the scripture Matthew 22:34-40 “love the Lord and love your neighbor as yourself” (paraphrased). That is what we are doing, Haiti is our neighbor.
During the week we spend time with parents who have lost children, children who lost parents. We met one lady whose daughter had been kidnapped for seven days before the authorities were able to catch the criminals that took her. We continue to hear the stories of people losing everything. One lady shares of her daughter in nursing school where 300 nurses perished wqhen the roof collapsed. We see where a small hole has been dug out when a 26 year old boy lost his life. I hear from the parent of a nine and three year old who lost their lives. That’s the hard part for me, what to say to these parents.
There is no equipment at all, men are removing rubble and tearing down buildings with make-shift tools and bare hands. Carrying rocks and busting down walls. It is taking hours and days to do what we could do in just a few minutes in the states with our technology and heavy equipment.
All we can offer is hope, 1 Peter 5:7 states “cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” And Philippians 4:19 “My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” What can your offer was our question, Jesus was the answer.
While we were there we heard chanting from the voodoo and heard the loud speakers of the Satanist wanting the churches torn down. We kept our eyes on Jesus and shared Him when we could. That was the best comfort for them. (2 Corinthians 1:3-11)
During the nights when the aftershock and tremors would wake us up I would remember the scriptures in Psalm 18 and Isaiah 24 where it speaks of the earth shaking. My mindset was to go and help and be a blessing to the people of Haiti, the blessing was for me. I thank God for how He opened my eyes and provided and protected me.
Photos by Drayton Smith, First Baptist Church of Cantonment, for NorthEscambia..com, click to enlarge.
Fish And Wildlife Offering Free Hunter Safety Course
March 7, 2010
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering a free hunter safety course in Escambia County.
The course will be at the W.J. Woodham Middle School, 150 E. Burgess Road, in Pensacola. Instruction will be from 6 to 9 p.m. March 9, 11, 16 and 18. The range portion of the class will be March 20.
An adult must accompany children who are under age 16 at all times. Students should bring a pencil and paper with them to take notes.
The state requires successful completion of a hunter safety course before anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, can purchase a Florida hunting license. The FWC course satisfies hunter safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.
People interested in attending this course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at (850) 265-3676.
New Study: About 4 In 10 Escambia Students Are Overweight Or Obese
March 6, 2010
An annual survey just released shows that 37 percent of 11,790 Escambia County’s students are either overweight or obese.
The State of Florida requires the Escambia County Health Department to compile weight and body mass index (BMI) numbers for first, third, sixth and ninth grade students in each county.
BMI is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight and is used to screen for health problems resulting from an unhealthy body weight. The BMI for 18 percent of Escambia County students came in as “overweight”, while another 19 percent were labeled as “obese”. About two percent of students in the grades survey are actually underweight.
The numbers showed that almost 20 percent of sixth grade students in the county were overweight, while almost 24 percent of the sixth graders were obese — the highest percentages of any grade level in the study.
“While I think we’re seeing an impact of the efforts in our schools, we still have a long way to go,” said Escambia County Health Department Director Dr. John Lanza. “Making generational changes, as we are trying to do, can take 10-20 years or more. And yet, everyone can do their part to help Escambia change its culture about nutrition and physical activity. We need a county where good nutrition and regular physical activity are accepted as a normal part of our daily lives. With 37 percent of our students overweight or obese, every parent, grandparent, neighbor, and community leader needs to be a role model for good nutrition and regular physical activity.”
UniteEscambia’s Health Solutions Team is spearheading a community-wide commitment to increase physical activity and nutrition, with goals to reduce rates of children who are overweight or obese from 30% to 20% by 2020. The group is also working to increase by 14% the number of adults and children who are physically active and eat nutritious food by 2010.
UniteEscambia’s Health Solutions Team is chaired by former President and CEO of Health First Network Robin Herr and is made up of community organizations and businesses who impact or are interested in Pensacola and Escambia’s approach to healthy living.
The chart below show a more detailed look at the health survey results for each grade level.
Rep. Murzin: Time To Fess Up And Be Honest About Consolidation
March 6, 2010
The following opinion piece was submitted by Rep. Dave Murzin concerning governmental consolidation in Escambia County.
One of the biggest problems with government today is that people do not trust their elected officials. This is trust from Washington, D.C. to Tallahassee down to our city councils and school boards statewide.
The consolidation plan as presented to the Legislative Delegation creates multiple questions about the reasons behind the consolidation efforts and raises both legal and constitutional concerns.
I think we should be honest and open about the motives surrounding the need for consolidation of the City of Pensacola, the City of Century and Escambia County. Is the need to consolidate services in order to save money, avoid duplication of service, and be beneficial to taxpayers? Are there alternative actions that do not require legislative action, but can achieve the same results? Governmental functions such as energy services, law enforcement, fire protection, building inspections and water, sewer and garbage can all be combined without the Legislatures involvement.
Options are included in Florida Statutes for cooperation between local governments that do not require a vote from the Florida Legislature. One of those options is called the Florida Interlocal Cooperation Act of 1969. The Act provides city and county commissions the ability to enter into binding or nonbinding agreements and put a referendum before the voters for consideration. The people of Pensacola and Escambia County don’t need us in Tallahassee telling them what is best in their neighborhoods. The taxpayers should be the ones to decide these questions- the people who are affected most by these decisions. Let the city and county government officials enter into Interlocal Agreements and then let the citizens cast their vote on whether they want to consolidate.
But if the motivation for the most recent consolidation efforts is not honestly for consolidation of government services, and I am afraid that if that is the case, then we need to have a frank and open discussion about them.
If the proposal was a way to shift a City of Pensacola tax burden or pension liability from 54,000 people to 300,000 people, then we should talk about that issue and why these debts exist. If the plan was a way to pay for a specific project in one area at the expense of others, then let’s debate the merits.
If we need to have a discussion about annexation by one entity because of the financial liabilities, giving 54,000 people access to 300,000 checkbooks does nothing to solve the problem.
It is time to fess up and be honest about what is trying to be accomplished.
We live in a Republic, where citizens are elected to do the best job we can with all the resources available.
The people of Florida do not vote on every issue that is being discussed in a state of 18 million people. The Legislature gathers information, debates the merits of any plan and votes. Proposed constitutional changes are handled the same way. The referendum shall be held after the approval of the consolidation plan by the Legislature, at the next general election.