Property Tax Increase Could Be On The Way
September 8, 2009
A week from today, the Escambia County School Board is looking at a millage rate increase that would be the second highest in Florida.
The school board is looking at a millage rate of 7.86, an increase of 0.14. That means a 14 cent increase per $1,000 taxable value — $14 on a $100,000 home.
The millage rate increase will generate an extra $2.1 million toward a $595,778,138.30 budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 for the county’s school system. The board has until September 15 to finalize the budget and can make adjustments until that time.
The board has acknowledged that with declining property values, most people will actually see a decrease in their school taxes even if the millage rate were increased. In fact, the district expects the higher millage will generate $1.5 million less than the lower millage rate on higher property values last year. But those that have seen increase in their property values will face a higher tax burden.
An unofficial vote on the proposal was taken July 30, with board member Jeff Bergosh voting against the increase.
“With historic levels of unemployment, business failures, home foreclosures, personal bankruptcies, and general overall economic malaise in the local area, I just feel strongly that we should do everything in our power to keep the tax rate steady for our struggling local taxpayers,” Bergosh wrote on his blog Monday. “If the value of the tax roll shrinks, then the taxpayers ought to be able to see a corresponding reduction in the tax bill.”
The Escambia County School Board will hold their final vote on the tax increase on September 15.
Hundreds Take Part In Event To Benefit Molino Cancer Patient
September 8, 2009
Dozens of motorcyclists took part in a 75-mile Labor Day ride from Atmore Monday.
The ride was to benefit cancer patient Sonja Luker of Molino. Organizers said 48 bikers took part in the event, which also featured live music and several family-fun activities.
For a complete photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: Chris and Sonja Luker at a benefit motorcycle ride Monday morning at the Alabama Wing House in Atmore. Pictured inset and below: Dozen of bikers took part in the benefit ride for Sonja Luker. NorthEscambia.com photoss, click to enlarge.
Celebration: Pensacola Pelicans Win South Division with 7-6 Triumph
September 8, 2009
After six lead changes, the Pensacola Pelicans topped the Fort Worth Cats 7-6 Saturday night to clinch the South Division of the American Association of Independent Baseball. For the first time since 2002, the Pelicans will compete for the championship. The Pelicans matched every attack that the Cats threw their way, with Hunter Davis earning his twenty-third save in the ninth inning.
Against Pelicans’ starter Aaron Jackson, Fort Worth took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Cameron Blair hit a solo home run. Pensacola earned the run right back in the bottom frame, however, when Kevin Reynolds doubled and scored on a Marshall McDougall base hit.
Pensacola took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Marcos Rodriguez grazed the plate. After a leadoff single by Rodriguez, Dallas Christison dropped a sacrifice bunt down, and Lou Palmisano knocked Rodriguez in with a single. The score would hold until the fifth inning, when both teams picked up three runs aided by errors.
Isa Garcia walked with one out in the top of the fifth inning. After a groundout to the second baseman, Brian Fryer hit a routine groundball to the shortstop. The throw to first went wide however, and Fryer reached on the error by the shortstop. Cameron Blair took advantage of the situation by driving in Garcia with a base knock. After Ron Hill replaced Aaron Jackson as the Pelicans’ pitcher, Pat O’Sullivan recorded his first hit of the playoffs, a single that scored both Fryer and Blair; 4-2 Cats.
Francisco Leandro walked to start the Pelicans’ fifth inning. After stealing second base, Leandro moved to third on a single by Antoin Gray. Chase Burch connected for a hit to drive in Leandro and cut the Cats’ lead to one. After Gary Lee replaced Cats’ starter Lee Gwaltney, Rodriguez walked. Dallas Christison batted next and popped the ball up halfway down the first base line. The Cats’ catcher was under the ball standing about a foot into fair territory when the ball caromed of his chest protector and fell into foul ground. The fair ball allowed Christison to reach on the error, and Gray and Burch scored to put the Pelicans ahead 5-4.
Fort Worth’s O’Sullivan reached on a fielder’s choice in the top of the seventh and scored when John Allen hit a homer to left. Heading into the seventh-inning stretch the Cats led 6-5.
Pensacola retrieved the runs in the bottom of the inning when new pitcher Scott Vander Weg walked Burch and Rodriguez. Christison plated Burch with a base hit to tie the game, and the Cats brought in Ryan Trytten to pitch. Lou Palmisano collected his second hit of the night and drove in Rodriguez in the process, giving the Pelicans a 7-6 advantage. The score would hold as Francisco Butto shut down the Cats in the eighth and Hunter Davis kept them off the board in the ninth.
Jackson pitched 4.2 innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks, notching a strikeout. Ron Hill pitched for six outs, yielding two runs (earned) on five hits and a walk, picking up two strikeouts. Francisco Butto earned the win for his scoreless inning and a third, blanking the Cats and striking out one. Hunter Davis earned the save, allowing a one-out hit, but then inducing a game-winning double play.
Gray, McDougall, Burch, and Palmisano all had two hits, with Burch slamming a double and Palmisano driving in two runs. Every Pelican had at least one hit except for Leandro, who walked, stole a base, and scored.
With the win, Pensacola won the best-of-five South Division Championship Series 3-1. The Pelicans will play in the Championship Series for the first time since 2002. First-year field manager Talmadge Nunnari was on the roster of that 2002 Pelicans team as a ballplayer. The Wichita Wingnuts and Lincoln Saltdogs will play the deciding game five on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. to determine the North Division winner. Pensacola will face that team starting Tuesday in a best-of-five championship series. Fans can hear all the action on NewsRadio 1620, or online via SportsJuice.com. Game three (and four and five, if necessary) will be played in Pensacola. Tickets are available online at www.pensacolapelicans.com, via phone at (850) 934-8444, or in person at the Pelicans Box Office, located on the campus of the University of West Florida.
Northview Football: Watch Video, Listen To Game, See All The Photos
September 8, 2009
NorthEscambia.com is the official media of Northview High School football, and we had complete coverage over the long holiday weekend.
- To listen to the entire game, click here.
- To watch high definition video highlights, click here.
- For complete game coverage, click here.
- For a photo gallery from Friday night, click here.
Chance Of Rain For Tuesday and Wednesday In North Escambia
September 8, 2009
There is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms for your North Escambia Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here is your official forecast for the week:
- Tuesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph becoming south. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Tuesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Wednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Wednesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Thursday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 88. North wind around 5 mph becoming south. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Thursday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Friday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Fred Almost A Hurricane
September 8, 2009
(Updated 11 a.m.) Tropical Storm Fred has almost reached hurricane strength, with winds increasing to 65 mph.
Tropical Storm Fred was located near latitude 11.9 north, longitude 28.6 west or about 345 miles south of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands.
Freds moving toward the west near 14 mph. A turn toward the west-northwest and a slight decrease in forward speed is forecast during the next day or two.
Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast over the next couple of days.
Computer models are currently predicting that the storm will turn northward into the Atlantic and never become a threat to land.
Alton Edward Godwin, Sr.
September 7, 2009
Mr. Alton Edward Godwin, Sr., 83, passed away Monday, September 7, 2009 in Atmore, AL.
Alton was a native of Benhaden, FL, and a resident of Atmore, AL since 1972. He was a veteran of WWII, retired from the Fountain Correctional Center after 20 years of service and attended the Holiness Church.
Survivors include: his Wife, Irene Godwin of Atmore, AL; three Sons, Butch Godwin of GA, Alton Edward “Hawk Eye” and Mary Virginia Godwin, Jr. of Atmore, AL, and Thomas Philip and Cynthia Godwin of Mobile, AL; four Daughters, Glenda Diane Kennington of Milton, FL, Hattie Elizabeth and David Montechella of St. Louis, MO, Katherine Lynn and Larry McDuffie of Atmore, AL, and Jacquelyn Louise and Joe Andrews of Crestview, FL; 20 Grandchildren; 17 Great-Grandchildren; and a Brother, Orastus Emauel Godwin of Texas.
Funeral services will be held Friday, September 11, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Ray Ward officiating.
Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Thursday September 10, 2009 between 6:00 and 9:00 P.M. at the Petty Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be his Grandsons, Chad Godwin, Tony Embley, Buddy Johnson, Thomas Godwin, Adam Hadley and Robert Rigby.
Honorary pallbearers will be Eric McDuffie and Benjamin Godwin.
Read Obama’s Speech To Students
September 7, 2009
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning. Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book.
Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.
And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country? Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too.
So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
Gwendolyn Lane Hopkins
September 7, 2009
Mrs. Gwendolyn Lane Hopkins, 59, passed away Saturday, September 5, 2009 at a Pensacola hospital.
Gwendolyn was a native and resident of Pensacola, FL for most of her life, and a resident of McDavid, FL for the past 2 years. A school bus driver, known as snuggles, to her special needs students of the Advocate of Children, she touched many of their lives as well as many parents. She was a history buff of Pensacola and attended the Hill Baptist Church. Preceded in death by a Son, Randal Nathan Hopkins.
Survivors include: her Husband, John Hopkins of McDavid, FL; 2 Daughters Diana Maning of Pensacola, FL, and Lory Gipson of Miami, FL; 5 Grandchildren; 1 Great-Grandchild; a Brother, Robert C. Rand of Oregon; a Sister, Tina R. Collins of Pensacola, FL; and 2 Best Friends, Roland “Skip” Selbo of Pensacola, FL, and Iris Haveard of Pensacola, FL.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Pastor Josh Pope officiating.
Burial will follow at Crary Memorial Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Tuesday September 8, 2009 between 6:00 and 9:00 P.M. at the Petty Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Did Your Child Hear Obama’s Message In School?
September 7, 2009
When President Obama addressed the nation’s schoolchildren Tuesday, most students in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were not listening — at least not yet.
Obama’s back to school address encouraged students to study hard and do their best in school. The U.S. Department of Education released teacher lesson plans to go along with the speech. That lesson plan originally called for students to write a paper about how they can “help the president”, but that part was removed after considerable public outcry — especially from Republicans — that the White House was trying to indoctrinate students into supporting his policies.
“It will not been shown in real time,” Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said of the speech. “Teachers can view it and determine if they want to use it later as part of their curriculum.”
The biggest reason the president’s speech was not viewed live in Escambia Schools, Thomas said, was not politics but logistics and timing. Streaming the live video to all the county’s schools over the Internet at the same time would have been a technical problem. At at 11 a.m Tuesday when the speech aired, thousands of students in the county were at lunch or in classes like P.E. and math where the speech was not a relevant part of the curriculum.
“We are not going to let this external event come in and interrupt our schools,” he said.
School district officials in Santa Rosa County have cited the same reasons for not showing the speech live.
“I don’t think the president ever intended that we stop everything we are doing to show it,” Thomas said. “But teachers can decide to use it as a resource depending on student age and abilities and the content of the speech.”
“The content of the speech is not time sensitive,” he said, “so does it really matter if we show it live or at a later date?”
Some parents threatened to keep their children home from school Tuesday so they will not see the speech, a step that Thomas said was not necessary. In fact, parents that do not want their children to see the speech at a future date can send a note to school, he said. “Parents can express their concerns to their child’s principal or teachers.”
Click here for the Department of Education’s K-6 lesson plan, and click here for the 7-12 grade lesson plan. Click here to read the entire speech.
To view the entire speech, click here.