Officials: Ernest Ward And Northview Will Be Safe Places Today
March 26, 2010
School and law enforcement officials say that the safety of students will be a top priority today at Ernest Ward Middle School and Northview High School following an affray Thursday afternoon. But officials stress that they do not anticipate any problems at either school today.
Seven students were arrested after a fight involving Ernest Ward and Northview students erupted on the Ernest Ward campus Thursday afternoon. There were no weapons involved in the fight, and all of the students involved have been temporarily banned from either campus.
“We will have adequate security and surveillance in place at Northview on Friday,” Principal Gayle Weaver said. “We will not have any problems.”
Ernest Ward Middle School Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry said there will be extra security in place on her campus Friday.
“We will have district personnel and law enforcement in place,” Perry said. “Everything will be more than adequate.”
After morning exams, Ernest Ward students were scheduled to have a Field Day today, the final day of school before Spring Break. But Perry said the Field Day has been canceled due to an abundance of caution. Instead, students will have an indoor “fun day” following 9-week exams, with teachers providing games, movies and other activities in each classroom.
Pictured above: A sheriff’s deputy arrives at Ernest Ward Middle School Thursday afternoon following a fight that send a school bus driver to the hospital. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photo, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Ice Flyers End Regular Season With 5-4 Loss
March 26, 2010
The Ice Flyers had the first two leads in the game, but ultimately lost to the IceGators 5-4 in Pensacola Thursday night. Three straight goals by Louisiana put them ahead 4-2, but Pensacola tied it up in the third period. However, the IceGators came right back to win it with a Dean Moore goal at 17:53 in the third.
Pensacola only needed 27 seconds to score the first goal of the game. Matt Whitehead earned his 12th of the year with the help of Anthony Monte in front of the net. Chris Rebernik also earned an assist on the play.
Almost the entire period went by before Louisiana tied it up. Josh Bonar sent a shot from top-slot to top-shelf at 19:09 to end the first frame tied at one apiece. McBrien and Tozzo earned assists in the process.
Pensacola struck first in the second period, but the 2-1 lead would quickly turn into a 4-2 deficit. Kevin Galan threaded a beautiful centering pass from the near corner to Erik Stoyanovich in front of the net at 2:21, and Stoyo didn’t miss. Mark Hinz also picked up a point on the play. However, it was all Louisiana for the rest of the frame, as former Ice Flyer Trevor Karasiewicz fired a shot from the near point that evaded the netminder and tied the game at 5:52. Bonar also fired a shot from long range at 7:07; it gave him his second goal of the game and the IceGators their first lead. Tobias Karlsson added some cushion at 9:52 with a goal of his own on assists by the Ruberto brothers. The score held up into the intermission, and the Ice Flyers faced an uphill battle in the third period.
Pensacola picked up the two goals they needed to tie it up. At 7:47 Matt Whitehead sent a beautiful pass from the near midboards to Chris Rebernik right in front of the crease. Rebernik’s shot was on the mark, and the Ice Flyers were down by one. A little under four minutes later the passing was emulated when Lorne Misita sent a pass from the exact same spot on the near boards to Dan Buccella on the far post. Buccella tapped it in, gave a quick jump in exhalation, and fist-pumped the roof.
Tie game.
Both teams jockeyed for position with neither squad allowing a goal. At 17:53 though, Dean Moore found his shot and took it. The unassisted play gave the IceGators the game-winner, and Louisiana took the contest 5-4.
With the Mississippi win over Columbus tonight, the Ice Flyers will take on the Huntsville Havoc in the first round of the playoffs in a best of three series. The Ice Flyers will host a game on either April 2 or 3; more information will be added as it becomes available. Visit the Ice Flyers’ website at www.pensacolaiceflyers.com, or call the office at (850) 466-3111.
Pensacola Woman Set On Fire; Deputies Seek Attacker
March 25, 2010
Authorities are looking for clues after someone set fire to a Pensacola woman Wednesday night.
The 19-year old female suffered extensive second and third-degree burns over a large area of her body, according to Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. She was transferred to the burn unit at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile where she is listed in critical condition.
The Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Lepley Road in the Ensley community for a domestic disturbance. They found that the 19-year old had been set on fire and severely burned.
She “was able to provide information that the burns to her were done intentionally and an accelerant was used. Investigators are still actively working the case and are not releasing any suspect information at this time,” according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630.
No Injuries When Driver Hits Pole On Highway 95A
March 25, 2010
There were no injuries in a car versus pole accident on Highway 95A just north of Quintette Road about 1:10 this afternoon. The Ensley and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call. Submitted photo by Kristi Smith for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
We Sure Miss Her: A Father Speaks About His Daughter’s Murder
March 25, 2010
Danny Cain of Cantonment put new flowers on his daughter’s grave Wednesday morning.
“It wasn’t suppose to be this way,” Cain told NorthEscambia.com Wednesday afternoon. She was a rodeo star, a proud Tate graduate, and doing what she loved — working with animals at the office of a Pensacola veterinarian.
That all changed one year ago when the body of Cheryl Renee Cain, 29, of Cantonment, was found in a dumpster at an abandoned gas station at the corner of Burgess Road and Highway 29 on March 25, 2009 — one year ago today.
“It was a senseless deed,” Cain said. “There’s no way to explain it.”
Scott Joseph Thompson, 30, of Pensacola, has been charged with second degree murder for the strangulation death. He remains in the Escambia County Jail awaiting trial.
“I think about it every day; something always reminds me of her” Cain said. “There’s no way to explain it. He took her life.”
“His family can visit him in jail; we weren’t given that option to see our daughter. My tax dollars are paying for him to sit in jail. It’s pretty disgusting when you think about it for a while.”
Cain admits sometimes he thinks that he would like to sit down face to face with Thompson. “I wish I could talk to him and understand why.”
The support of friends, family and church have been important for the Cain family. A memorial in front of the gas station where Cheryl’s body was discovered has also provide a bit of solace. Hundreds of stuffed animals and handwritten notes have been left behind by the community. But nothing, Cain said, replaces the empty void created by the murder.
“We sure miss her. I wish we could have her back.”
Thompson has been held without bond since his arrest on June 9. When he was arrested on the second degree murder charges, he was already in the Escambia County Jail for violating probation on 2007 narcotics charges, according to court records, waiting for a bed to become available in a drug treatment facility.
DNA evidence from the dumpster and in Cain’s car were used to charge Thompson with second degree murder, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. Thompson’s DNA was reportedly found in Cain’s vehicle, which was located after the murder at a Pensacola motel.
Cain’s wallet was found under Thompson’s bed, authorities said.
Thompson’s jury trial has been tentatively scheduled to begin May 10.
Pictured top: Cheryl Cain and her dog Bandit. Pictured bottom inset: Cain’s body was discovered in this Pensacola dumpster. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bottom photo courtesy WEAR.
Senate Passes Bill To Link Teacher Salaries To Student Peformance
March 25, 2010
A controversial bill that would link teachers’ salaries to student performance has passed the Florida Senate.
The legislation would base salary increases on student performance and put all teachers on annual contract. New teachers in the state would remain on probation for five years.
It would align the state’s standards to its Race to the Top application, for a piece of the $4.35 billion competitive grant the U.S. Department of Education is offering to states. Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, offered a late filed amendment that would allow school boards to consider advanced degrees as one part of a teacher’s ability to receive a pay raise. Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, who initially did not want to include recognition of advanced degrees, supported the measure.
Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton argued on behalf of the bill. “Why do we tolerate incompetent people taking the most precious thing we’ve got, the most valuable thing we’ve got, and allow them in the classroom?” he asked. Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, an opponent of the measure, said the bill was taking a “sledge hammer to the teaching profession.”
After lengthy debate, the Senate passed the bill 21-17. Four Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats in opposition to the measure.
The bill would force the Department of Education to implement some method to gauge whether students made learning gains over the school year.
“This legislation, I believe, over the years will allow our students to receive the best education,” Thrasher said. While the bill would require the
Jennifer Barnhill, a teacher at Pace Secondary School in Tallahassee, told a Senate committee last week that she feared the measure would jeopardize the salaries of teachers like her — whose classrooms include children with special needs. She said she has students who have Asperger syndrome, two who are rival gang members and three who are fathers. One student, she said, is now parenting his younger brother, because their father is in jail.
“He has no parent. He is the parent and I am his parent. No test can ever measure that,” she said.
Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith, a proponent of the so-called merit pay plan, said that “America is going in this direction” on merit pay for teachers.
“For the first time we’re actually talking about connecting issues of student achievement to evaluation,” he said.
Smith acknowledged that the department still really didn’t know how all teachers would be evaluated. He said staff has been consulting with leading researchers on the issue, but there is no template because Florida would be the first state to initiate this type of system.
Before the bill could become law, it must be passed by the Florida House.
Man Sentenced For DUI Wreck That Left 300 Without Power
March 25, 2010
A Cantonment man has been found guilty on DUI charges, and he’ll have to pay thousands to Gulf Power following an October wreck that left about 300 homes and business in Cantonment in the dark.
Joseph Paul Mathis, 28, was sentenced to 12 months probation, 50 hours of community service and his driver’s license will be suspended for a year.
He was also ordered to pay $10,774.53 to Gulf Power Company for damage to power company property in the 3:38 a.m. accident on October 21, 2009.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Mathis was westbound on McKenzie Road when he accelerated rapidly, lost control and fishtailed, leaving over 300 feet of acceleration and skid marks. He then hit about 90 feet of chain link fence at a home in the 2100 block of Eastman Lane while his 1997 Ford Crown Victoria was rotating clockwise. His car then struck and broke a utility pole, and continued another 45 feet across Eastman Lane were he hit the railroad crossing signal on the east side of the railroad tracks. After the Crown Vic came to a stop, it caught fire.
Mathis and his passenger, John W. Casey, 29, of Cantonment, exited the vehicle with only minor injuries, according to the FHP.
The power outage caused by the downed pole left 289 Gulf Power customers without power, some as long as eight hours.
In addition to the restitution to Gulf Power, the court may rule at a later date to order additional amounts be paid to CSX Railroad, Casey and private property owners that suffered damage in the wreck.
The End Of Saturday Mail Delivery
March 25, 2010
On Wednesday, the U.S. Postal Service took the first step toward eliminating Saturday mail delivery.
U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors approved management’s request to move forward with its five-day delivery proposal and to file a request for an advisory opinion with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on March 30.
Revenue from First-Class Mail – the Postal Service’s longtime bread-and-butter product — continues to decline as the use of electronic message delivery increases, according to the postal service. The Postal Service has identified the elimination of Saturday delivery as a primary method of cutting costs.
Email and other electronic media, along with the recession, are significant contributors to a continuing decline in mail volume, which in fiscal year 2009 plummeted by 25.6 billion pieces — nearly 13 percent of total volume — resulting in a Postal Service revenue drop of nearly $7 billion. The trends underlying these declines will only continue.
Current global economic conditions have put the largest users of the mail under severe financial stress. In the past, they spent millions of dollars on mailings and now many have drastically cut back on their use of mail.
Saturday is the lowest mail volume day in the country, with more than a third of U.S. businesses closed.
Students Headed To Washington On EREC Youth Tour
March 25, 2010
Allie Bryan from Northview High School and Leely Trevino from Jay High School have been named winners in the Escambia River Electric Cooperative 2010 Youth Tour to Washington contest.
Students from the EREC service area interviewed with a panel of judges in this competition for a chance to win the opportunity to visit Washington.
Judges from PowerSouth Energy Cooperative in Andalusia, Alabama, and Southern Pine Electric Cooperative in Brewton, Alabama, scored contestants in their interviews based on their knowledge of Escambia River Electric Cooperative and the history of rural electrification. Personal attributes of each candidate such as character, academic ability, personality and leadership abilities were also considered.
Bryan and Trevino were chosen to represent EREC on the Washington Youth Tour. While in Washington, the teens will have the opportunity to see the sights, learn about our nation’s capitol, rural electrification and make new friends from across the country.
“EREC is very proud to have these two outstanding students represent them on the Washington Youth Tour this year. Congratulations to each of them on achieving this honor,” said Sabrina Owens, EREC spokesperson.
Pictured top: Allie Bryan (left) from Northview High School and Leely Trevino from Jay High School will represent EREC on the Washington Youth Tour. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Northview Softball Players Sign With Bishop State
March 25, 2010
Two Northview High School seniors signed softball letters of intent Wednesday afternoon with Bishop State Community College in Mobile.
Amber McMillan and Aimee Clarke will play next year for the Bishop State Wildcats.
Clarke is batting .306 this year with 22 run scored so far. She will play second base for the Wildcats. McMillan has a .346 batting average, and has scored 15 runs this year for the Chiefs. She will play first base for Bishop State. Both will receive Bishop State scholarships.
“We are excited to get these young ladies,” Bishop State Head Coach Angelo Archible said. “They will be instrumental is help the team succeed as we work toward our goal of a championship.”
Pictured above: Amber McMillan (left) and Aimee Clarke sign letters of intent with Bishop State Community College in Mobile Wednesday afternoon at Northview High School. Also pictured are (standing L-R) Northview Softball Coach Sammy Day, Donna McMillan, Kimberly Clarke and Bishop State Coach Angelo Archible. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.