Lady Chiefs Fall In Tourney Play
April 29, 2009
The Northview Lady Chiefs lost Tuesday night in the Region 1-3A Quarterfinals.
The Lady Chiefs lost on the road to Bonifay-Holmes County by the score of 10-0 in six innings. The Blue Devils allowed just four Northview hits.
The Northview Lady Chiefs finished their season at 11-12.
The majority of player this year for Northview’s softball team were sophomores: Kara Hardin, Emily Vickrey, Ashley Digmon, Shawna Montgomery, Miranda Burkett, Sarah Killam and Hayley Simpson. Juniors playing for the Lady Chiefs were: Aimee Clarke, Amber McMillan, Candice Greenwell and Kolbi Cobb. The team had just one senior this year, Briana Halteman. The Lady Chiefs were coached by Stephanie Elowsky and Sammy Day.
Carver/Century, Ernest Ward Students To Get Health Letters
April 29, 2009
Parents and guardians of sixth grade students at Ernest Ward Middle and Carver/Century K-8 schools will receive a letter today outlining the need to obtain a Tdap shot before the student can attend seventh grade.
“Students will not be allowed to start the 2009-2010 school year until they have received the shot and submitted their blue card ,” according to Rebekah Fore, RN from Ernest Ward Middle School.
The tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis shots are available from the student’s doctor or free of charge from the Escambia County Health Department. The requirement to have the Tdap shot prior to seventh grade pertains to all students in Florida public schools.
If you have questions about the requirement, call the EWMS clinic at 327-4283 ext. 225
To read the letter from EWMS and see Florida’s immunization requirements, click here (pdf).
Escambia Public Safety Chief Resigns
April 29, 2009
Escambia County’s public safety chief is resigning; his resignation coming just over a month away from the start of hurricane season.
Michael Hardin submitted his 90 day resignation letter to County Administrator Bob McLaughlin. In the letter, Hardin requests to be released from the job prior to the end of the 90 period required by his contract.
Hardin was hired as public safety director last June after the early retirement of Janice Kilgore.
Hardin’s new job will be a deputy supervisor in the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office.
The search for a new public safety director is expected to begin almost immediately.
Updated: Atmore Teacher And Her Husband Arrested For Child Abuse
April 29, 2009
(Updated) An Atmore teacher and her husband have been arrested on child abuse and domestic violence charges.
An Escambia County (Ala.) grand jury indicted Tracy Linam, 37, and Terry Desmond Linam, 44, both of Chapman Road, Atmore. Both were arrested on three counts of aggravated child abuse and three counts of domestic violence. The child abuse charges are felonies; the domestic violence charges are misdemeanors.
Both were released from the Escambia County (Ala.) Jail on $165,000 bond each.
Tracy Linam is a kindergarten teacher at Rachel Patterson Elementary School in Atmore, where she has been placed on administrative leave. Authorities say the children that she allegedly abused were not her students. The children that were physically, not sexually, abused were reportedly Desmond Linam’s from a previous marriage.
The Linam case has been handed over to the Alabama Attorney General for prosecution because the local district attorney had a conflict of interest with the case.
In February, another Escambia County (Ala.) teacher was arrested for giving Lortab to a student at W.S. Neal High School In Brewton. Larry Tindell was also charged with child pornography after authorities found inappropriate images of children while searching his home. Tindell is still in jail.
Pictured above: Escambia County (Ala.) Jail booking photos of Tracy Linam (L) and her husband Terry Desmond Linam.
Consolidation Commission Bill Passes Senate, Headed To Governor
April 28, 2009
The Florida legislature has given final approval to a bill to form a commission to study local government consolidation that would combine Century, Pensacola and Escambia County into one.
The Florida Senate passed the bill sponsored by Rep. Greg Evers 38-0 Monday afternoon, sending the bill to Gov. Charlie Crist for a signature to set into motion the creation of the consolidation study commission by July 1.
Once a consolidation plan is created by the study commission, it is to be submitted to the Escambia County Commission, the City of Pensacola and the Town of Century for action before submission to the Escambia County legislative delegation by January 15, 2010. Once approved by the legislature, the plan would presented to Escambia County voters.
Century, Pensacola and Escambia County will not be required to pay for the commission, under the house bill, but they will be required to provide clerical, technical and legal assistance to the commission.
The commission will include up to 25 members from various groups in the county.
The commission will include:
- Five members appointed by the Escambia County Commission, with one member being appointed from each district
- One member appointed by the Century Town Council, with that member being a resident of Century
- Two members appointed by the Pensacola City Council, both of them being residents of Pensacola
One member will be appointed by each of the following groups:
- NAACP
- Escambia County Taxpayer’s Association
- League of Women Voters of Pensacola Bay Area
- Pensacola Young Professionals
- Pensacola Ministerial Alliance
- Escambia County Farm Bureau
- Home Builders Association of West Florida
The president of the University of West Florida will appoint one member with expertise in local government matters. The sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, clerk of court and supervisor of elections will each appoint one member.
The chief judge of the First Judicial Circuit will appoint two Florida Bar members with legal expertise in local government matters.
One member will be appointed by the Escambia County School Board, and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority will appoint a member.
A special advisory committee on public safety will be appointed under the house bill, consisting of the following or their designee:
- Escambia County Sheriff
- Pensacola Police chief
- Escambia County Community Corrections Bureau
- Escambia County Public Safety Bureau Chief
- Pensacola fire chief
- Escambia County Medical Director
- chairperson of the Escambia County Fire Services Advisory Board
- Police Benevolent Association of the City of Pensacola
- Police Benevolent Association of Escambia County
- Chapter of of the International Association of Firefighters of the City of Pensacola
A special advisory committee on economic development will be appointed, including members appointed by the following groups:
- Pensacola Junior College
- Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
- Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce
- Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board
- Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce
- local chapter of the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce
- Florida’s Great Northwest
- Town of Century Chamber of Commerce
- Walnut Hill Ruritan Club
- Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce
An advisory committee on health care will be appointed by:
- Baptist Health Care
- Sacred Heart Health System
- West Florida Hospital
- Escambia County Health Department
- Escambia County Medical Society
Click here to read the entire bill (pdf format).
Deputies Seek Clues In Death Of Boars; Head Found On Property
April 28, 2009
Authorities are trying to determine who apparently killed four boars valued at about $1,200 near Walnut Hill, leaving the head of one animal behind.
Bill Majszak said he was able to find only two of four purebred European broodstock boars when he visited their pen on Kansas Road near Walnut Hill Sunday afternoon. When he returned Monday morning, he could not located any of the animals, but he did find the cleanly severed head of one animal.
“I think someone shot them,” Majszak told NorthEscambia.com. “I don’t know why, but I would hope it was for the meat.”
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident.
Majszak had just sold the four animals for $1,200 total and was getting ready to transport them to their new owner when he discovered them missing. The person or persons responsible were believed to have climbed over a four foot fence topped by barbed wire to reach the boars.
The animals were about 14 months old and weighed about 300 pounds each. Majszak said there were no holes in the fence surrounding his property, so he knows that the animals did not escape their pen.
Majszak is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the death of the boars. Anyone with information is asked to call Majszak at (850) 261-4527 or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department at 436-9620.
Molino Man Arrested For Exposing Himself Out Of Jail Without Posting Bond
April 28, 2009
The man busted last Wednesday by Escambia deputies for exposing himself to a local woman and her underage daughter is out of jail on his on recognizance.
Circuit Court Judge John Kuder allowed Shawn Bovain Blackshear, 33, to walk out of jail without posting a cash bond after a Monday hearing.
Blackshear (pictured), of the 5900 block of Highway 95A, was charged with two counts indecent exposure after deputies received a complaint from a female resident on Highway 95A near Marge Lane that a black male was exposing his private organs and giving a “free show” late last Wednesday afternoon, according to Lt. Tony Jordon with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.
Roark ordered Blackshear to have no contact with the victim and to “refrain from type of behavior listed in report”.
The victim of last week’s incident decided, Jordan said, to provide deputies with evidence of the crime. She hid in a nearby barn and took several “really good” pictures of the incident, and she provided deputies with the photos. Deputies identified Blackshear from the photos, and an arrest was made. The victim that took the photographs was able to positively identify Blackshear, Jordan said. Her underage daughter, who also witnessed the exposure incident, was not able to make a positive identification. If the underage victim had been able to identify the suspect, he could have faced felony charges.
“He (Blackshear) told us that he was urinating,” Jordan said, “but that is not what the victim told us he was doing.”
Deputies say Blackshear may have exposed himself 20 or more times since June of last year, based upon complaints from the area. Most of the time, the suspect has been wearing a hood or other covering over his head at the time of the incident. In a recent incident, someone matching his description exposed themselves to a postal worker delivering mail in the area.
Blackshear had been held in the the Escambia County Jail on $20,000 bond prior to his release Monday.
FHSAA Board Cuts Number Of High School Games Allowed
April 28, 2009
Most varsity sports in Florida will see a 20 percent reduction in games next year, and junior varsity games will be cut by 40 percent.
Varsity football was the one sport spared by cuts announced Monday by the Florida Highs School Athletic Association, with the schedule the next two years remaining at 10 games per year.
Baseball, basketball, softball and volley ball will be cut from 25 games to 20 allowed per year. At the JV level, those sports will be cut from 25 maximum games per year to just 15. Junior varsity football teams will be allowed to play six games rather than eight, while varsity football teams will remain at 10 games per year.
The maximum number of games in other sports, such as track and field, golf and cross country, were also cut.
The FHSAA says the reductions will be in effect for two years, and the organization intends to restore full athletic schedules after that period.
The Policy was designed to help reduce costs of operating high school athletic departments in these strained economic times. One of the goals was to reduce the number of contests in all sports so that districts would not be faced with total elimination of some sports all together, according to a FHSAA press release.
“We recognize that we have nothing to compare this to. These are unprecedented times. People are losing their jobs as schools are cutting millions and millions of dollars from their budgets. Our job is to look out for all the schools,” said FHSAA Board President Greg Zornes.
The changes were approved by the FHSAA Board by a 9-6 vote. The only representative from the Panhandle on the FHSAA Board, Gulf County School Superintedent Tim Wilder, voted in favor of the reduction.
The chart below shows the changes per sport.
Relay Organizer Offers Thanks
April 28, 2009
The event chair for the Century Relay for Life is offering her thanks to the communities of North Escambia for their participation in the event which has raised almost $21,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Submitted by Paula Jernigan, Event Chair, Century Relay for Life.
“Relay for Life is about a community coming together to take up the fight!” What an amazing community we live in!
From Molino to Flomaton and Brewton, from Milton and Jay to Atmore — we are all one community of survivors, caregivers, and supporters in the fight against cancer. To everyone who participated in Century’s Relay for Life I send my heartfelt thanks.
Steering Committee, I would be lost without your hard work and moral support. Team Captains, without you there would be no Relay. Team members, you are the backbone of the event; the workers who are faithful and strong. So many businesses supported our efforts, donating food and gifts and making monetary contributions. I thank you.
Those members of the community who bought donuts you didn’t need, got cars washed that were already clean, put change in collection cans at stores, bought other people’s “treasures” at yard sales…you are the lifeblood of Relay for Life. Your dollars provide funding for research, services and education in the fight against cancer.
Entertainers, you braved the heat and traveled from afar to keep us going and bring us joy. Thank you. Softball teams braved the heat to “Get in the Game to Defeat Cancer” at Showalter Park during our event and raised $1401.00! HOORAH!
William, your coverage of our event is amazing. Your photos capture the spirit of Relay for Life; the joyous and the poignant. Thank you.
Survivors and caregivers, YOU are our “reason to relay.” You are the reason we were able to raise $20,638.30 to date, with more money still coming in! What a wonderful community we live in!
Paula Jernigan
Event Chair
For complete coverage of this past weekend’s Century Relay for Life, including 150 photographs, click here.
Pictured above: The Survivor’s Brunch at Saturday’s Relay for Life in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview NJROTC Cadets Receive Awards
April 28, 2009
Cadets from the Northview High School NJROTC were recognized recently for their outstanding performance.
Fourteen organizations support the event each year to congratulate the cadets on their exceptional community service, academic achievement and leadership. The cadets are given a certificate, a medal and ribbon, and several organizations give a savings bond to the cadets for their accomplishments.
The event was held at the Pine Forest High School. The event is held annually with Northview, Pine Forest and Washington high school NJROTC units and is hosted by a different school each year.
Click here for a photo gallery from the event.
Shown below are the cadets and the awards they received:
Women of the Sea Services NW FL # 52
c/MCPO Jessica Bloodsworth
AMVETS
c/CPO John Waters
Daughters of the American Revolution
c/ENS Miranda Scott
Military Order of World Wars
c/ENS Clinton Davis
Military Reserve Officers Assoc. ROTC Award
c/PO3 Zachory Byers
Military Order of the Purple Heart
c/MCPO Jessica Bloodsworth
MOAA ROTC Medal
c/PO3 Tyler Garrett
National Sojourners ROTC Award
c/PO3 Tyler Garrett
Navy League Award
1st: c/CPO John Waters
2nd: c/PO3 Ryan Busbee
3rd: c/SA Melissa Moretz
Order of Daedalians JROTC Award
c/LCDR Amanda Sellars
Stephen Decatur Award
Fresh/Soph: c/CPO Katelyn Mann
Junior: c/ENS Clinton Davis
Capt. James Haughton Award
c/LCDR Amanda Sellars
Scottish Rite Award
c/LT Dalton Cummings
Sons of the American Revolution
c/CPO Thomas Walston
Pictured above: Northview NJROTC Cadets at an awards ceremony at Pine Forest High School. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.