Covenant Hospice Looks For More Walnut Hill Area Involvement
February 8, 2008
Covenant Hospice currently serves about 100 patients in north Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, and they want to increase public knowledge and support for the organization’s programs in the Walnut Hill area.
Sally Cary (pictured left), volunteer services manager for Covenant Hospice, told the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Thursday night that she wants to hold several public meetings at the club’s Walnut Hill Community Center. Those meetings will be to educate the public about hospice care and allow members of the Walnut Hill and surrounding communities to become involved with the program.
“We take care of people in life ending situations,” she said. When a doctor decides that a patient is terminally ill, a hospice case manager is brought in. Then a team is assigned to that patient, a team that includes doctors, nurses, home health aides and volunteers.
“Those volunteers are important, and that is where you can become involved with hospice,” Cary told the Ruritan Club members. Volunteers do everything from providing companionship to patients, to running errands to mowing the lawn for the terminally ill.
All services provided by Covenant Hospice are free to the patient and family. They do bill private insurance and various government programs like Medicare. But if the patient has no insurance or government assistance, all Covenant Hospice services are free.
“It does not matter to us if you can pay or not,” Cary said. “We take everyone. There is never a cost to the patient or family.”
Covenant Hospice’s services are not limited to the elderly, but persons of any age facing end of life situations. Their current patients in the area include two children.
The program also provided bereavement specialists to families, not just of the terminally ill, but even to the families of accident victims.
“We are there, and we will always be there to help families through their situation,” Cary said.
Covenant Hospice is also actively involved at the Century Care Center in Century where they hold programs where nursing home residents often make items for hospice patients.
Cary said the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church currently has a project underway to provide lap blankets for hospice patients.
For more information on Covenant Hospice and the group’s services, visit them online at www.covenanthospice.org or call 1-800-541-3072.
Commission Honors Libraries; Disagrees About Hiring County Attorney
February 8, 2008
The Escambia County Commission agreed to honor the county’s library system at their Thursday night meeting, but they disagreed about the hiring of a new county attorney.
The commission approved a proclamation declaring February as “Library Appreciation Month” in Escambia County. The West Florida Library, which serves Escambia County, has five branches. One of those branches opened almost a year ago in Century.
“I’d just like to thank this board for supporting and doing the branch in Century that we’ve done,” District 5 Commissioner Kevin White told the commission. “I want to thank the board for allowing me to be able to do that and help those folks up there.”
In other business, the commissioners disagreed about the hiring of a new county attorney to replace retiring attorney Janet Lander.
Commissioner Gene Valentino made a motion during the add-on section of the meeting that the county hire Assistant County Attorney Allison Perdue as the new county attorney with an annual salary of $139,500. The add-on section of the meeting allows commissioners to add items not on the agenda, items that the public has no prior notice about.
Valentino told the commission that there were three other applicants for the job, but none had certifications as high as Perdue.
The other commissioners all expressed concern not about hiring Perdue, but about hiring her during the add-on portion of the meeting with no prior public notification.
Commission Chairman Mike Whitehead said his only concern was about reading in the newspaper “that we hired an attorney on an add item”.
Valentino withdrew his motion after a lengthy discussion. The hiring of a county attorney will be referred to the county’s personnel department for further review.
Perdue currently serves as deputy county attorney. She joined the Escambia County Attorney’s office in 1999, handling mostly land use, growth management and local goverment law issues.
Pictured above: The Century Branch Library.
Escambia County Schools Pull Beef Possibly From “Downer” Cows; Federal Investigation Underway
February 8, 2008
Escambia County schools have stopped serving beef that was processed by a California Company that allegedly processed “downed cows”.
A video tape made by the Humane Society of the United States allegedly shows workers at the Westland Meat Company in Chino, California, prodding downer cows — those unable to walk— with forklifts, high-pressure water hoses and electric prods to force them to walk to the slaughterhouse. It is illegal in the United States to process a downer cow into the food supply because it could be a sign of a serious illness.
The video by the humane society was taped in the fall but only recently released.
“Had we known at the time the alleged violations occurred, we would have initiated our investigation sooner, and taken appropriate actions at that time,” a news release from U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said. “I am deeply concerned about the allegations made regarding inhumane handling of non-ambulatory disabled cattle in a federally inspected slaughter establishment.”
“Words cannot accurately express how shocked and horrified I was at the depictions contained on the video that was taken by an individual who worked at our facility from October 3 thru November 14, 2007,” Westland Meat President Steve Mendell said in a written statement. That statement goes on to say that Westland has suspended its operations pending the outcome of the federal investigation.
The meat in question that was served or to be served in Escambia County schools was further processed into country fried steak and charbroiled patties for hamburgers by a company called Prairie Foods, according to Escambia School District Food Services Director Glenna Taylor. All beef from Westland Meat has been placed on “hold” and will not be served to students until that hold is released by the USDA.
It is important to note that the meat is on “hold” and a “hold” is not a “recall” where the meat has been determined to be a health risk and must be destroyed.
“‘Hold’ means that the product must be quarantined and clearly marked that it cannot be distributed or used until further notice. It is usually the first step taken by USDA whenever there’s a question about a commodity’s safety/fitness for human consumption, meeting specifications, etc. It allows USDA time to investigate and decide what needs to be done,” Gloria M. Van Treese, Chief of the Bureau of Food Distribution with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.
“There has been absolutely no contamination found in the products,” Taylor told NorthEscambia.com. “But we are certainly following the direction of the USDA and will not serve it.”
“We have absolute faith in our food services department,” Northview High School Principal Gayle Weaver said Thursday afternoon. “In no way would we ever endanger our students.”
Hamburgers were on the menu and served at schools across North Escambia Thursday. Taylor assured NorthEscambia.com that the meat served to students in those burgers was not from Westland Meat and was perfectly safe. Other hamburger meat dishes such as spaghetti served in our schools contain hamburger meat processed by other companies.
NorthEscambia.com will continue to monitor this story and keep you informed.
Cyndi Marlow Express Gratitude To Community Following Tragic Accident
February 8, 2008
Richard Danny Marlow, 40, Drew Marlow, 2, both of Molino, and Joyce McGahan, 70, of Cantonment, died in a tragic January 28 accident in Walnut Hill.
Cyndi Marlow, Danny’s wife and Drew’s mother, has expressed her gratitude to the entire community for their support following the accident. Dozens of NorthEscambia.com readers left words of prayer and encouragement on a Memorial Message Board.
“I just wanted to say thank you to the entire community for the outpouring of love and support that has surrounded my family at our time of tremendous loss,” Cyndi told NorthEscambia.com in an email Thursday.
“We have been overwhelmed by the many acts of kindness we have received. Your kind words and prayers have helped us as we try to make it through each day,” she continued.
“Also, I’d like to say a special thank you to William,” she said. “The blog you wrote about Drew touched my heart. Thank you for those sweet words.”
NorthEscambia.com Publisher William Reynolds wrote a blog entry entitled “Go Home Truck” about the accident and the a few days after the accident. You can read that blog entry by clicking here.
You can read the story about the accident by clicking here.
McLaughlin Named Escambia County’s New Administrator
February 8, 2008
The Escambia County Commission hired former Interim County Administrator Bob McLaughlin as the county’s new administrator Thursday night at an annual salary of $145,000.
The county’s five commissioners spent over six hours interviewing the six top applicants for the position in a public meeting on January 26. The commissioners voted 5-0 to recommend McLaughlin for the post.
Individual commissioners had the opportunity to meet privately with each applicant prior to the public interview process. There were originally 38 candidates. That list was narrowed to seven, with one person dropping out before the interview process.
McLaughlin has been an assistant county administrator since 2002. He went to work for the county in 1996 as deputy public works director after 23 years with the Army Corps of Engineers.
He replaces George Touart who resigned amid allegations that he conducted personal business with companies doing business with the county.
Willie Taylor, a current Assistant County Administrator, was the other local finalist. He has been with Escambia County since 2006.
Other finalists were Betty M. Baker, Administrative Services Director, Alachua County, Florida; Pamela Brangaccio, former County Administrator, Broward County, Florida; Dennis W. Kelly, Deputy City Manager, City of North Miami, Florida; and Charles R. Oliver, City Manager, City of Peoria, Illinois.
Byrneville Elementary Faces Fine Over Half A Student
February 7, 2008
Byrneville Elementary School was one of 31 school across Florida to be fined for failing to meet Florida’s class-size amendment.
The state recommend a $1,963 penalty against the Byrneville charter school for what the principal says amounts to half of a child too many.
Byrneville Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan says her school averaged 22.5 students per class in the fourth and fifth grade when numbers were collected by the state last fall. The state mandates a maximum average of 22 students per class in fourth and fifth grades. The rules also call for a maximum of 18 in kindergarten to third grade classes.
One student has since withdrawn from the fifth grade, leaving the school in compliance at the maximum average of 22 students per class in the fourth and fifth grades.
“Because of that, I’ve had to turn students away,” Wolfe-Sullivan told NorthEscambia.com. “And that is just terrible because we are suppose to be a school of choice. But there’s nothing I can do about this; I feel very helpless.”
“A teacher when you count base pay and benefits like insurance can cost you $40,000 a year,” she said. “I just don’t have that kind of funding for half a student.”
Since 2004, Byrneville has added one teacher per year to keep up with the school’s growth, Wolfe-Sullivan said. She stressed that the school meets or exceeds all other state requirements; the school just had one student too many in a class.
In December, Byrnevile Elementary submitted an appeal letter to the Florida Department of Education. That appeal has since been denied.
“Seeing the situation coming, we addressed the possibility of hiring yet another teacher, but found that adding another salary and fringe benefits for half a student was not financially feasible or fiscally sound for our school,” the letter says.
To read the complete letter, click here.
Pictured above: Byrneville Elementary Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan with her fourth and fifth grade students at lunch Wednesday. NorthEscambia.com photos. Click either photo to enlarge.
Jim Paul Does Not Appear In Court, Next Hearing Date Set
February 7, 2008
School Superintendent Jim Paul’s next court hearing on his Pinellas County DUI charge has been set for March 25. His pre-trial hearing was yesterday, but he was not present. Instead, he relied on his attorney, Frank Russo from St. Petersburg to act on his behalf.
Paul was arrested January 10 near Clearwater, FL, and charged with DUI after his blood alcohol level was tested at 0.128. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08. Deputies said they spotted Paul’s rental car speeding and “weaving dramatically”.
“I didn’t feel in anyway that I was unable to drive,” he told NorthEscambia.com in an exclusive interview on January 11, just one day after his arrest. “But I’m sure everybody says that who’s had drinks and gets behind the wheel of a car.”
“There is no excuse, there’s no rational explanation for what happened. I did something that was against the law. And it was nobody’s fault but my own,” was Paul’s opening statement in his exclusive NorthEscambia.com interview. Click here to hear this comment from Paul in mp3 format.
To hear Paul’s complete exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com, click here.
Escambia Farm Bureau Marks Food Check-Out Week With Food Drive
February 7, 2008
The Escambia County Farm Bureau is celebrating this week as Food Check-Out Week, the week into the new year where the average household will have earned enough to pay for its food for a year.
The Escambia County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is commemorating this event by setting up food donation boxes at Piggly Wiggly in Davisville and at the Farm Bureau offices on Highway 97 in Molino and at the Davisville Piggly Wiggly. All food collected will be donated to the Manna Food Bank.
The average cost of food in America remains affordable overall. According to the most recent information from the Agriculture Department’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service, American families and individuals spend, on average, less than 10 percent of their disposable personal income for food.
Applying that statistic to the calendar year means the average household will have earned enough disposable income — that portion of income available for spending or saving — to pay for its annual food supply in about 37 days or five weeks, according to the Escambia County Farm Bureau.
In recognition of this, Escambia County Farm Bureau is celebrating Feb. 3-9, 2008, as Food Check-Out Week.
Not only is America’s food supply among the world’s safest, it is the most affordable, said Ray Crawford, Farm Bureau Field Staff Director. “The abundant, affordable and safe domestic food supply produced by America’s farmers and ranchers is responsible, at least in part, for our nation’s increasing standard of living.”
“Americans work longer each year to pay for their housing, federal taxes and medical care, compared to food,” Crawford said.
According to the Tax Foundation, Americans work an average of 52 days each year to pay for health and medical care, 62 days to pay for housing/household operation and 77 days to pay federal taxes.
Crawford said the food we enjoy as consumers is a product of our successful food production and distribution system, as well as America’s farmers and ranchers continuing to have access to effective and affordable crop protection tools.
This week should hold meaning for most Americans, he said. “We remain concerned that some Americans cannot afford to buy the food they need, but we are proud of the role Florida farmers play in producing the most affordable food in the world.”
The percent of disposable personal income spent for food has declined over the last 35 years. In 1970, it took Americans 14 more days to earn enough income to pay for their food supply for the year. According to USDA, food is more affordable today due to a widening gap between growth in per-capita incomes and the amount of money spent for food.
This overall decrease is made more notable by trends indicating Americans are buying more expensive convenience foods, as well as more food away from home.
USDA’s latest statistic, compiled for 2006, includes food and non-alcoholic beverages consumed at home and away from home. This includes food purchases at grocery stores and other retail outlets, including food purchases with food stamps and vouchers for the Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) program. The statistic also includes away-from-home meals and snacks purchased by families and individuals, as well as food furnished to employees.
Food Check-Out Day tracks the amount of income needed by Americans to purchase food on an annual basis, Crawford said. “There have been some slight fluctuations over the past few years, but food prices have remained relatively stable over time.”
Red Flag Warning Issued
February 7, 2008
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning in effect from noon today to 6:00 this afternoon for the North Escambia area.
Afternoon relative humidity values are expected to drop below 35 percent for more than four hours this afternoon over the western Florida Panhandle.
A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential.
Blog: We Need You
February 7, 2008
This whole NorthEscambia.com thing has been fun. We’ve been doing this about three months now. Some of you have been here from day one; some of you have just starting visiting the site. No matter how long you’ve been visiting with us, we sure do appreciate each and every time you stop by.
In this blog, I usually make some grand point…or make a grand point with a local politician. But today I thought we’d just chat about the site in general.
We’ve laughed, raised an eyebrow or two and cried together on this site in the past three months. Now it’s time to move forward into phase two of this little project…advertising. More on that in a moment.
Our pages have been looked at over two million times in the past three months. That’s a lot for a North Escambia area that has 18,000 people. We’ve discovered that many people outside the North Escambia area look at this site on a regular basis.
Local politicians visit the site to see what we have covered and read our viewpoints. This site has finally given the “north end” a loud collective voice in local politics, an important factor as this county continues to grow and government tends to forget more and more about the rural areas to their north.
People in the Pensacola metro have turned to our site to learn more about North Escambia stories. Thousands turned to NorthEscambia.com, for instance, when three people died in a tragic auto accident recently in Walnut Hill. We, of course, had photos that the News Journal did not, so many people posted links to our stories and photos. We even provided a photo that the News Journal printed in their paper two days after the accident.
Speaking of that accident…that’s when came together as a family. After we ran the story, we started to get people emailing us with comments about those involved. We decided to put together a Memorial Message Board. You responded in a big way, with hundreds of heartfelt comments being sent in. We all had a good cry together and leaned on each other. That’s what good families do.
Now it’s time to move forward. The family needs you for this next move.
First…we need you to keep reading NorthEscambia.com as often as you can. There are new stories posted pretty much every morning. Sometimes, like when bad weather struck the area Wednesday morning, stories are posted during the day as events unfold.
Second…we need you to keep telling your friends and neighbors in the area about NorthEscambia.com. It’s getting to really rare that we run into someone that has not heard of the site, but there are still just a few people out there that don’t know we exist. Spread the word!
Third…we need your news tips. We don’t always know about everything that’s going on the area. No matter how big or small, tell us what is happening in your church, school or neighborhood.
Fourth…we need you understand that this site is run by just one person. It’s not humanly possible to be all places at all times. We will miss a story, especially if you don’t let us know it is going to happen in advance. Please don’t email “why didn’t you cover this event at my church?”. Instead, let us know about it before it happens. Or even take some pictures and email them to us.
Fifth…let us know how to improve the site. And yes, I know we need sports. That’s why we need someone to help us with sports. If you know that guy or gal that breathes local sports, send ‘em our way. If you go to a local team’s sporting events often, let us know. You can help us. And…don’t forget about little league. We are going to need your help with stats and photos. Let us know how you can help.
Sixth…money. This site has ran for over three months at our expense; there have not been any ads on the site. But the time for that is very near. We’ve have a list of people that have send us emails and let us know that they are ready to go and advertise on the site. If you’d like one of the remaining advertising spots, we need you to let us know quickly before they are all gone. If you don’t have a business, tell a local business you’d like to see them support NorthEscambia.com. And, by all means, when you do see advertising on the site, let those advertisers know just how much you appreciate them supporting us.
Did you notice a theme to all six things? “We need you.” That’s it. We need you to continue to be a part of the NorthEscambia.com family. I need you, and I personally appreciate each one of you. Thanks for being part of the NorthEscambia.com family.
To contact us about any of the things we mentioned, use our contact form.
—William