Pelicans Top Grand Prairie 6-3
August 13, 2009
In a game that took two hours and ten minutes to get started due to rain, the Pelicans rewarded their faithful by defeating the Grand Prairie Air Hogs 6-3. Wednesday’s game was originally scheduled for 6:35 p.m.; when Hunter Davis rolled up a double play to end the ball game, the clock displayed 11:59 p.m. Randy Beam pitched solidly, earning his ninth win of the year, and Davis picked up save number twenty on Wednesday night.
The Pelicans scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the third. Lou Palmisano led off and reached on an error by the shortstop, advancing to second when Kevin Reynolds had a bunt single. Leandro walked to load the bases, and Antoin Gray hit a two RBI double that plated Palmisano and Reynolds. Marshall McDougall followed with a base hit to score Leandro, and Rodriguez succeeded him with a single to bring Gray in.
The Air Hogs acquired their only earned run on Pelicans’ starter Randy Beam in the top of the fourth when Javier Brito hit his tenth homer of the year, a solo bomb to left. The Pelicans recovered the run in the bottom of the inning when Reynolds reached first on his second bunt single, moved to third on two walks, and scored on a wild pitch.
Grand Prairie did notch two more runs in the top of the fifth, as J.B. Tucker singled, Incaviglia doubled, and with two out both scored on a throwing error by the shortstop.
Randy Beam pitched through the end of the sixth inning, yielding five hits, walking no one, and striking out six. Bubba Nelson pitched a one-hit seventh inning with a strikeout and Ron Hill pitched a shutout eighth with two punch-outs. Hunter Davis picked up his twentieth save of the year by allowing only one batter to reach first via walk.
Kevin Reynolds and Marcos Rodriguez both went 2-4, with Rodriguez driving in a run and Reynolds scoring twice. Antoin Gray had the two RBI single, scoring once himself. Fresh Pelicans Marshall McDougall and Lee Huggins went 1-3 each, with McDougall driving in a run, and Huggins stealing his first professional base and scoring as well.
The Pelicans have a travel day Thursday before playing the Diablos in El Paso on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Central Time, and can be heard on NewsRadio 1620 and online via SportsJuice.com.
Area Marine Killed In Afghanistan
August 13, 2009
An area Marine on his first deployment has been killed in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Bruce “Bubba” Ferrell Jr., 21, of Perdido, Ala., was killed Sunday night by an improvised explosive device.
He joined the Marine Corps in November 2007, and was promoted to rank of lance corporal. His unit deployed to Afghanistan in May of this year as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Ferrell was a gradate of Baldwin County High School where he was an honor student and a member of the JROTC program.
Ferrell was a member of Fox Company, a rifle unit of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment of the Marine Corps. His tour of duty was scheduled to be just seven months.
He was recently engaged to be married.
Funeral service will be announced after his body is returned to the United States.
Former Carver/Century Principal Now Coordinator For Millions In School District Stimulus Dollars
August 13, 2009
Former Carver/Century K-8 Principal Jeff Garthwaite has a new job — coordinating millions of federal stimulus dollars that are flowing into the Escambia County School District.
His official title is “stimulus programs coordinator” in the school district’s Title I department. As of Wednesday, he had been on the job just eight days, with the school board slated to officially approve his position at their meeting Tuesday night.
Over $10 million in federal stimulus money has already been awarded to Escambia County’s schools; now Garthwaite’s job will be to make sure that money is spent under federal and district guidelines.
“I’m here to make sure that the money is used in ways that get the best value for the district and the students,” he said. “We have goals and, as coordinator, I will work to make sure the goals are met.”
Most of the federal stimulus dollars will be used for Title I, special education and alternative education programs that might not otherwise be funded.
“A big aspect of the job will be the accountability for the dollars,” Garthwaite said. “I’m here to look at what the schools are doing.”
One program funded by the stimulus money will be three teachers on special assignment for parent and community involvement at schools in the district that have been part of closure and consolidation — including Bratt and Ernest Ward as they accept students from the closed Carver/Century.
The teacher on special assignment in North Escambia will have an office at Ernest Ward Middle School but also work with Bratt Elementary to assist faculty, staff, teachers and parents to make sure the consolidation of Carver/Century K-8 into the two schools goes as smoothly as possible for everyone involved.
Garthwaite said he missed Carver/Century, and he is still haunted by just one point. That one point caused the school to be ranked an “F” school by the Florida Department of Education during its final year. A point system is used determine the school grade, and Carver/Century’s score was 394. At 395, the school would have been a “D” during its final year.
“That still really bothers me,” he said. “The writing test, for instance, is so subjective. One person reads it and give a test a two, and a second person gives it a 3. The student gets a 2.5 as their grade. If one student had made a half point higher on any FCAT test, we would have that one point and we would have been a D school — so much better than finishing with the F.”
“I am going to miss the students and the staff,” Garthwaite said. “Carver/Century was a great place, and they were great people.”
Pictured top: Jeff Garthwaite hugs a student goodbye on the last day of school last May at Carver/Century K-8 School. Pictured inset: Garthwaite addresses the audience at the school’s final eighth grade graduation. NorthEsambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Arraignments Set For Jay Teachers Accused Relationships With Students
August 13, 2009
A first court appearance has been scheduled for the two Jay High School teachers accused of having inappropriate relationships with underage students.
Ashley Elenea Burkett, 31, and April Burford Watson, 33, both of Jay, are scheduled to be arraigned August 26 before Santa Rosa County Judge Gary L. Bergosh.
Both women were released on $50,000 bond each after being booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail August 6 on three counts each of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a second degree felony. Both were released on GPS monitors.
“The investigation was initiated on July 28, 2009 after an anonymous letter was sent to the Santa Rosa County School District alleging sexual relationships between two Jay High School teachers and male juveniles,” Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Sgt. Scott Haines said. The letter was turned over the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office for investigation.
“Interviews were conducted with the alleged victims in the case. Two victims alleged that they were involved in sexual activity with Watson at her residence and the residence of Burkett between the months of July and October 2007. One other victim alleged that he was involved in sexual activity with Burkett at her residence and the residence of Watson between the months of July and October 2007,” Haines said. “Both of the suspects were questioned by investigators and they both admitted to the unlawful sexual activity.”
For more about the case, click here for an August 6 NorthEscambia.com story.
Green Named New Coordinator For Learn To Read Of Century
August 13, 2009
Patsy Green of Bluff Springs has been hired as the new volunteer coordinator for Learn to Read of Century.
Green, a retired educator, has served as a volunteer for the past few years at Learn To Read, teaching adults reading skills.
“It’s a very good program,” she said. “We are all aware that some folks come through school and can’t read. I’m so happy that this program gives people the opportunity to learn to read.”
Learn to Read of Northwest Florida is a non-profit adult literacy program in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties that provides free one-on-one tutoring in basic reading and writing, GED preparation and English as a second language.
As a Learn to Read volunteer, Green has spent the past couple of years teaching a man in his early 30’s to read. Green said he is now getting a job after improving his reading skills.
“Reading was a big confidence boost that contributed to him getting the job,” she said.
She takes pride in another of her student’s accomplishments.
“Learning to read allows him to read his Bible,” she said. “He was excited that he was able to read two pages of his Bible Monday night at his Bible study.”
Green is a native of the Century area. She was, in fact, born in the former hospital building that now houses Learn to Read of Century. She is graduate of Century High School, Pensacola Junior College and the University of Florida. She taught at Century Middle School, Century Elementary and Carver/Century K-8 School for a total of 30 years, interrupted only by a one year leave to attend Auburn University for a M.Ed. in specific learning disabilities and a five year period to be home with her sons.
After her retirement from Carver/Century, she has, in addition to tutoring for Learn to Read, privately tutored a math student; substituted at Carver/Century, Byrneville Elementary and Westgate School; volunteered at Carver/Century; and served as leader of TOPS #125 of McDavid.
Patsy Green and her husband David reside in Bluff Springs. Sons Marcus and John now live and work in Pensacola. She is a member of Grace Baptist Church in McDavid where she serves as youth leader, serves as assistant youth director for the Baptist Missionary Association of Northwest Florida and is coordinator of the L.J. Stewart Baptist Camp.
For more information on Learn to Read of Century, call (850) 256-0880.
School Boss: Kindergarten Students To Be Held To Higher Standard
August 13, 2009
Kindergarten is going to be different this year in Escambia County. There will still be plenty of crayons, nap time, recess, and Dr. Seuss, but there will also be focus goals and benchmarks for students and teachers alike.
Kindergarten teachers were back at work Wednesday, three days before other grade level instructors, to learn about Superintendent Malcom Thomas’ curriculum goal that says within three years 90-percent of all second grade students will read on grade level.
“That means we start this year in kindergarten with clearly identifiable goals,” Thomas told NorthEscambia.com Wednesday night. This year’s kindergarten students will be those second graders in 2012-2013 — three years from now.
“If you can’t read, it is going to be hard on you in every subject area at every grade level,” Thomas said.
The first major grade level indicator currently does not occur until the FCAT in third grade. But Thomas plans to change that, teaching teachers how to recognize and determine if a student is performing at grade level beginning at different points during kindergarten.
Thomas said he expects the kindergarten retention rate to increase.
“There was no accountability until the third grade FCAT,” he said. “And we are really handicapped at that point if a child has missed the basics of learning to read.”
The accountability, Thomas added, will extend to teachers as well. Kindergarten teachers attended a workshop Wednesday to learn more about the accountability plan.
The accountability plan will extend next year to the first grade, and to the second grade the following year, as this year’s kindergarten students progress.
Most schools, Thomas said, will give parents an opportunity to meet with their child’s kindergarten teacher to have the curriculum goals explained.
At Molino Park Elementary School, those meetings will take place today and Friday.
Sheriff Spells Out Disagreement With Tax Watch Report
August 13, 2009
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office released a response to a 2009 Special Tax Watch Center for Local Government Studies Reported that indentified potential cost reducts for the ECSO between $12.3 and $27.3 million in comparison with peer counties in Florida.
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. “But their data is flawed.”
“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.”
Major points in the sheriff’s office response to the Tax Watch report include:
- The Taxwatch Report, in comparing Escambia and Leon counties, claims that the ECSO does not provide services to City of Pensacola residents, while the Leon County Sheriff’s Office does serve the City of Tallahassee. This is an inaccuracy, as the ECSO does provide services within the city. The response breaks down those services.
- To make a more accurate assessment of the ECSO, the response was broadened to include eight counties for the purpose of comparison, rather than just two. It also provides further research into to extenuating circumstances and irregularities that would make comparisons inaccurate.
- While the Taxwatch report used only two points of comparison, the ECSO response addressed 22 different standards of comparison.
Click here to read the entire Tax Watch report (pdf format).
Jay Hospital Foundation Awards Scholarships
August 13, 2009
The Jay Hospital Employee Foundation has awarded three college-bound students with $1,000 scholarships to help with their school expenses.
The 2009 recipients are Christi McNaughton, Jay High School; Tia Shallow, Pace High School; and Adam Fuqua, W.S. Neal High School.
The foundation offers scholarships each year to students in high schools located in the Jay Hospital service area including Jay, Northview, Flomaton, Central, W.S. Neal, Flomaton, Century, Milton and Pace.
Grades, class rank, ACT scores and volunteer hours are considered in the selection process. To ensure fairness, students’ names are not included on the selection roster.
The Jay Hospital Employee Foundation also provides assistance to employees in need, contributes to disaster recovery and supports local charitable organizations including the American Cancer Society.
Pictured: Jay Hospital Employee Foundation scholarship winners Christi McNaughton, Jay High School; Adam Fuqua, W.S. Neal High School; and Tia Shallow, Pace High School. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flood Advisory Issued
August 12, 2009
The National Weather Service in Mobile has issued an
* Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory for…
northwestern Escambia County in northwest Florida…
southwestern Escambia County in south central Alabama…
* until 815 PM CDT
* at 622 PM CDT a storm spotter reported water on Highway 31 in
Atmore. National Weather Service radar estimated between 4 and 5
inches of rain fell from Atmore to wabeek this afternoon. Rain has
let up in the area but and additional half inch of rain is
possible…therefore runoff will continue to keep water in low
places on area roads for a few more hours.
Radar indicates the heaviest rain fell along and just south of
Highway 31 from Atmore to wabeek
Precautionary/preparedness actions…
Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause elevated levels on
small creeks and streams…and ponding of water on country roads and
farmland along the banks of creeks and streams.
Do not drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the
roadway. The water depth may be too great to allow your car to cross
safely. Move to higher ground.
Storms Cause Problems In Atmore
August 12, 2009
Afternoon storms caused flooding and other storm-related problems in Atmore.
A large portion of the city was without power about 5 pm, and street flooding was problem.
Authorities said that portions of Main Street were flooded, including the intersection of Main and Ridgely streets where several vehicles were stalled by high water.
Trees were reported down, including at Jacks Springs and Sunset roads.
By 6 pm, power had been restored to most areas, and most road flooding had receeded.