Slow Down: Alabama And Florida Troopers Start Major Blitz Monday
July 26, 2009
Beginning Monday, the Florida Highway Patrol will team with the Alabama Department of Public Safety and the Georgia State Patrol for a joint initiative to reduce traffic fatalities while increasing safety.
During the week of July 27 through July 31, the FHP will increase patrols on the roads throughout this region as a part of the multi-state safety campaign called “Take Back Our Highways”. The campaign includes Alabama and her border states of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, and will result in an increased number of law enforcement officers on the road.
“The goal of this effort is to save lives by targeting aggressive and dangerous drivers throughout the region,” Director of FHP, Col. John Czernis said. “If you are breaking any of our traffic laws, you can expect to meet a state trooper.”
During the week-long enforcement period, FHP will use all available personnel, including members of its Aviation Section, Contraband Interdiction teams and Special Programs, as well as Auxiliary and Reserve troopers to focus on aggressive drivers, impaired drivers, speeders, and drivers who fail to buckle up.
“Every time you get behind the wheel, you have a responsibility that must be taken seriously. All drivers and passengers should buckle up, pay attention to speed limits and avoid distractions to drive safely,” adds Chief Grady Carrick, Commander of the Northern Region. “This multi-state campaign yields results, and we are proud to join Alabama and her border states in this partnership.”
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles provides highway safety and security through excellence in service, education and enforcement. The Department is leading the way to a safer Florida through the efficient and professional execution of its core mission: the issuance of driver licenses, vehicle tags and titles and operation of the Florida Highway Patrol. To learn more about DHSMV and the services offered, visit www.flhsmv.gov.
Big Chill: Molino Church Builds Igloo With 700+ Plastic Jugs
July 26, 2009
Volunteers at a Molino church used over 700 plastic jugs to construct an igloo this week.
The igloo will be used in Aldersgate United Methodist Church’s Camp Edge August 3-7 from 5:30 to 8:30 each evening.
The igloo is held together with nothing but “lots of hot glue”, Sandra Greenwell, VBS organizer, said. For more info on the Camp Edge VBS, click here.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
School Board Approves $635K For Jim Allen Play Area
July 26, 2009
A new covered play area and multipurpose room are on the way for Jim Allen Elementary School.
The Escambia County School Board has approved $635,000 for the facility to be constructed by Omnicon Construction of Destin. The next lowest bidder on the project was R.D. Ward Construction Co. at $638,000. The highest bid received on the project was from Jack Moore & Company at $740,000.
Interested In Seniors’ Activities In Walnut Hill? Or A North Escambia Crafting Group?
July 26, 2009
Local people are looking for others interested in seniors’ activities in Walnut Hill or a North Escambia crafting group.
If you are interested in forming a seniors’ activity group to meet at the Walnut Hill Community Center, call Billy Ward at (850) 327-4318.
If you are interested in joining a North Escambia crafting group, call Leslie at (850) 565-7128 or email lesliek1066@yahoo.com.
Pelicans Win Sixth In A Row
July 26, 2009
Dane DeValk was the best he’s been in Pensacola’s 6-0 win, keeping the Explorers scoreless in a complete game. With the win, Pensacola has claimed victory in their last six straight games.
Pensacola wasted no time jumping out to a healthy lead. In the top of the second, Marcos Rodriguez started off with a single and advanced to second when Lou Palmisano walked. Kevin Reynolds followed with a RBI single that scored Rodriguez from second, and Palmisano moved up to third. Dallas Christison batted next and lifted a fly ball to right field. The sacrifice fly scored Palmisano and the Pels led by two. Another run scored when Adam Darby hit a groundball that the second baseman booted into right field. Reynolds scored on the play and Darby reached first on the error. Antoin Gray followed with a single that pushed Darby to second, and Darby scored when Francisco Leandro picked up his second hit of the night to give the Pelicans’ a 4-0 advantage.
Adam Deleo replaced Lou Palmisano at catcher in the bottom of the second, and Dane DeValk continued to rack up strikeouts. DeValk had five when the Pelicans came to bat in the top of the seventh and added two more runs to the scoreboard. Leandro led off with his third hit of the night, and advanced to second when Burch knocked a base hit. Marcos Rodriguez grounded out to first base unassisted, but as the first baseman tried to complete the double play by throwing to second, the throw went wide. Burch advanced to third on the play, and Leandro came in to score. Adam Deleo followed by lifting a sacrifice fly that brought Burch home and the Pelicans were up by six.
Dane DeValk finished the evening by striking out eight batters and allowing just four hits and a walk. Only one Explorer ventured as far as third base on the night, as Dane DeValk improved to 4-2 on the year.
The Pelicans will look for the sweep on Sunday, as Pensacola throws Adam Brandenburg against the Explorer’s Steve Spurgeon. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and can be heard on NewsRadio 1620, or online via SportsJuice.com.
Stallworth Not Collecting Air Force Salary While In Brewton Jail
July 25, 2009
The Air Force is not paying Billings murder suspect Staff Sergent Donnie Stallworth while he sits in jail in Alabama awaiting extradition back to Florida.
Stallworth would receive about $2,670 per month at his rank, but he is not receiving his pay or allowances while he’s behind bars at the Escambia County (Ala.) Detention Center.
The Air Force says that when members are arrested, pay and allowance cease until they are proven innocent. Additionally, a serious conviction subjects Air Force members to discharge.
Stallworth turned himself in at the county jail in Brewton. So far, he has not agreed to a voluntary extradition back to Florida. Escambia (Fla.) officials are now working to prepare an extradition warrant to be sent to Alabama Gov. Bob Riley to have Stallworth sent back to Florida.
At the time of the murders, Stallworth was assigned to the 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Hurlburt Field. The 1999 T.R. Miller High School graduate is a Brewton native. His family still resides in the Brewton area.
Tax Watch Issues Report; Sheriff Disagrees With Findings
July 25, 2009
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department needs to cut $12.3 to $27.3 million from its annual budget, ambulance service in the county might be better if in the private sector, and there needs to be better reporting of how Local Option Sales Tax dollars are expended. Those were some of the major recommendation in a report issued Friday by the group Florida TaxWatch.
But Escambia Sheriff David Morgan is not in agreement with the findings about his office in the $100,000 study funded by the Escambia County Taxpayers Association.
The Tax Watch report compares Escambia County to “peer” counties Leon and Marion and finds that Escambia spent $315.48 per resident to serve 258,527 people in fiscal year 2008. That compares to $269.74 per person to serve 272,535 people on Marion County and $222.41 per person to serve 272,896 people in Leon County.
“We would certainly sit with TaxWatch and listen to their recommendations,” Morgan told NorthEscambia.com Friday. “But their data is flawed.”
The total population served figures for Leon and Marion county were derived by subtracting the number of citizens service by a municipality police department from the total county population. But Morgan says the math was incorrect, and it did not include all of the smaller municipalities in the two peer counties.
Regardless, he says the state standard is 1.7 officers per person, and he operates his department at 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents. Marion and Leon counties are operating at 1.00 and 1.63 deputies per 1,000 persons, respectively.
The TaxWatch report says that Morgan should be able to cut $12.3 to $27.3 million from his budget.
“Unless you are willing to take reduced police protection, we can’t cut more than we have,” he said. Morgan has trimmed about $4 million off the $81.5 million department budget for the next fiscal year — without cutting jobs. “We can’t take a work order when someone calls the sheriff’s department. We are going to answer every call while we spend tax dollars in a wise and prudent manner.”
“Florida TaxWatch commends the Sheriff for his first attempts at identifying ways to reduce the Sheriff’s Office budget and recommends that he continue to explore cost reduction opportunities to further lighten the tax burden on the citizens of Escambia County,” the report released Friday states.
In addition, Morgan said the crime rate in Escambia is higher than the peer counties. The crime rate for areas covered by the Marion County Sheriff’s Department is 55 percent of that the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department service area, and Leon County is only 46 percent.
“Our crime rate is almost double the other two counties, and that justifies more deputies on the street,” he said. “We are not going to sacrifice the safety of the citizens in Escambia County.”
The TaxWatch report also finds that consolidation of some services between Escambia County and the City of Pensacola would be prudent, including purchasing, human resources, vehicle maintenance and technology.
The report also found:
- Several million dollars per year in Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds were expended on vehicles, equipment, and certain operating expenses, which raises concern from a public policy standpoint. Additionally, the expenditure and loan of all LOST funds may not have been adequately described nor explicitly shared with Escambia taxpayers.
- The Pensacola Civic Center has lost money each year of operation since FY 2004 at a cost of nearly $10 million to the taxpayers of Escambia County. The operating deficit has been between 26 and 41 percent for each of the last five years.
The report makes a number of specific recommendations, including:
- Information about the LOST funds should be offered in more detail in order to avoid misleading the public or further eroding public trust, and a Citizen Advisory Board should be created to advise the Board of County Commissioners on issues related to the promotion of proper and effective use of LOST funds.
- To achieve a quality workforce and the best value for taxpayers, the Board should develop a more strategic and publicly accountable approach to managing salary and benefits costs.
- Due to the potential for significant cost savings through increased collaboration between Escambia County and other local government entities, the County should develop a strategic approach to achieve these savings through leveraging organizational strengths and purchasing power, and eliminating duplication of effort among government entities
- The County could achieve a potential cost savings of $1.8 million to $5.35 million per year with the implementation and usage of a better benchmark for facility space usage and utilization.
- The formation of a Citizens Advisory Board for the Pensacola Civic Center would provide proper oversight and encourage additional ways to reduce the level of public funding necessary to support ongoing operations. The lack of a meaningful financial incentive built into the facilities management contract should also be analyzed.
- There potential cost savings through outsourcing the County ambulance operations or through the possible merger of ambulance and fire services should be explored.
- The County should establish a “hotline” where instances of fraud, waste, and abuse of County resources can be reported to further identify cost savings and inefficiency. Additionally, as in the previous report, this report recommends that the County create an independent audit function to assist County management in finding ways to reduce costs and foster greater public trust.
- The County should consider all potential opportunities to reduce the county’s social security tax costs, including offering a 401(a) FICA Alternative Plan.
- While the County currently has a broad-based program to recognize exemplary government employees, Florida TaxWatch recommends the program enlist a more targeted focus that fosters a culture of cost savings.
- Florida TaxWatch recommends that the County sell or lease unnecessary or underutilized County assets, renegotiate contracts, and reevaluate equipment and technology expenditures
Click here to read the entire report (pdf format).
More Persons Of Interest In Billings Case
July 25, 2009
Friday afternoon, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department interviewed another person of interest in the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings.
Sheriff David Morgan declined to name the person investigators were interviewing, saying that many of the persons of interest that have been interviewed in the case turned out not to be remotely suspect.
“Many of them have timelines or alibis that rule them out,” the sheriff said. Friday, the department added more people to their list of people they want to talk with concerning the case, he said.
Morgan said he still believes there is a suspect that was tasked with disabling the security system at the Billings’ home in Beulah, and he expects more arrests to come in the case.
Chemstrand Road Closure
July 25, 2009
Current plans call for New Chemstrand Road north of Kingsfield Road to be closed beginning Wednesday of next week for up to four months.
As part of the 25 miles of transmission main being installed to redirect wastewater flow from the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant to the new Central Water Reclamation Facility (CWRF), one of ECUA’s contractors , Morgan Contracting, Inc., will begin pipeline construction on New Chemstrand Road Wednesday.
The area affected will be New Chemstrand Road, from Kingsfield Road north to Old Chemstrand Road, in front of Ascend Products (Solutia). During this time, the immediate section of the road where construction is occurring will be closed to through traffic. The current construction schedule is estimated to last approximately four months, but weather or unforeseen construction conflicts could cause project delays, according to ECUA.
“ECUA recognizes the inconvenience this may cause to some residents and businesses in the immediate area. It will make every effort to minimize the impact to those who travel Chemstrand Road and appreciates the public’s understanding during this phase of construction on a project so vitally import to our area,” ECUA said in a press release.
Two Months Later: FDLE Investigation Into Atmore Police Shooting Continues
July 24, 2009
The investigation is continuing into the death of an Atmore man shot by Atmore Police near Walnut Hill two months ago.
Danny Ray Williams, 33, died May 25 from wounds he received when he was shot by Atmore Police early Sunday morning, May 24 in Walnut Hill. Atmore Police said Williams was seen leaving the scene of a shots fired call in Atmore when they gave chase. That chase came to an end on Highway 97 just south of Kansas Road when officers fired on Williams’ car after they say he attempted to run over them.
“It is still an ongoing investigation,” Mike Morrison, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, told NorthEscambia.com Thursday afternoon.
Morrison said he expects the investigation to take a few more weeks, with the final FDLE report set to be turned over to the State Attorney’s Office for review.
Williams was shot by Atmore police officers following a high speed chase that started in Atmore and ended in Walnut Hill just south of Kansas Road about 1:45 a.m. on May 24.
Atmore Public Safety Directory Glen Carlee said the chase began after a reported shots fired incident near Ashley Street and Jones Street, a location about three miles driving distance from the Florida line. Officers say they spotted the Nissan Altima driven by Williams leaving the area of the shots fired call. That’s when the chase began that eventually crossed the state line into Florida. Carlee said Williams apparently tried to hit an Atmore Police Department cruiser head-on.
Once he stopped and officers approached the car with weapons drawn, Carlee says Williams accelerated toward an officer in an attempt to hit him. That prompted at least two officers to fire at Williams. Florida authorities told NorthEscambia.com at the scene that Williams had been shot at least once in the head.
For a complete gallery of exclusive photos from the scene that you will see only on NorthEscambia.com, click here.
For a statement on the shooting released May 25 by the Atmore Police Department, click here.
For NorthEscambia.com’s original story on the shooting, click here.
Pictured above and below: The scene of a shooting involving an Atmore Police Department officer early May 24 in Walnut Hill. Pictured middle: Crime scene investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement work to recover evidence inside the car. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.