No Injuries When Vehicle Hits House, Pushes Into Young Boy’s Bedroom
April 3, 2010
There were no injuries when a vehicle plowed into a house on Highway 97 early this morning.
The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 4 in Davisville about 5 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol says Curtis Palmer, 36, of Atmore, was westbound on Highway 4 when he ran through the stop sign at the end of Highway 4, went across a yard and crashed into a brick house.
There were no injuries to Palmer or anyone in the house.
Palmer’s 2002 Mercury Mountaineer pushed into the brick wall of a bedroom normally occupied by a 10-year old boy. The boy was not at home at the time of the accident.
“I praise God that he was not in that bedroom,” the boy’s mother said. She was asleep at the time of the crash in a nearby bedroom. “He could have been really hurt.”
This is not the first time the home has been hit by a vehicle, according to the homeowner. He said he has tried for years to get the Florida Department of Transportation to place some sort of barrier along Highway 97 and a flashing caution light at the intersection. He said he has also tried for years to get the Escambia County Road Department to place rumble strips on Highway 4 to warn motorists of the approaching intersection. But so far, he said, neither entity has taken any action.
According to the FHP, Palmer was charged with careless driving. There was about $20,000 in damage to the house, according to a preliminary estimate by the FHP.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the call.
For a photo gallery with more pictures from inside and outside the house, click here. The gallery also contains photos of the damage after the vehicle was removed.
Pictured above: There were no injuries when a vehicle hit a house early Saturday morning in Walnut Hill. Pictured below: The outside wall of the house was pushed in a young boy’s bedroom. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Big Changes For Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship Fund
April 3, 2010
Major changes to a popular scholarship program that pays for the majority of Florida’s students to attend college easily won approval in the Florida Senate this week.
The Senate, by a 34-4 vote, approved changes that include upping the qualifying standards for the scholarship and permanently taking it away from students who can’t keep up their grades.
The reason for tweaking the program, which previously funded 75 percent to 100 percent of tuition for Florida students, is to keep the scholarship afloat. Since its 1997 inception, the scholarship has ballooned in popularity costing $75 million for the first year and $435 million in 2008-2009. To sustain it would cost about $480 million.
Instead, the Senate went with a $376.37 million for 2010-2011.
“We have been struggling every year to keep Bright Futures funded,” said Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, the chair of the Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee.
Under the Senate proposal, students in a first tier of awards would receive $126 per credit hour, while students in the second tier would receive $95 per credit hour. That’s the same amount students received this year because last year, lawmakers realized they could not fund tuition at 100 percent or 75 percent for every qualifying student and set a flat rate for the awards.
But the program needs to have even narrower parameters to survive, Lynn said. The Bright Futures budget is currently being funded by federal stimulus money and will be next year as well, but if the program expands and there is no more stimulus money, Lynn said she doesn’t know where to get the money.
The Senate bill includes raising the SAT requirements from 1270 to 1290 for the top award and 970 to 1050 for the secondary award. It also changes the stakes for students who don’t keep up their grades.Currently, students in the first tier must maintain a 3.0 grade point average, while the second tier students must maintain a 2.75 GPA. If they fail to do that and lose the scholarship, they can eventually apply for reinstatement. However, if SB 1344 is approved, students would not be able to apply for reinstatement.
A change was added to the bill though to allow exceptions such as illness, an emergency or military service to qualify students for scholarship reinstatement.
Lawmakers generally favored the change out of economic necessity, but some also noted that there was a need to make the scholarship need-based rather than merit-based because the highest achieving students would likely qualify for other scholarships. Poor students would have more need for the money, some argued.
Throughout the state university system, about half of the students are on the scholarship. At the University of Florida, about 93 percent of freshmen have a Bright Futures Scholarship while about 76 percent of the overall undergraduate population has one. The legislation does not affect students who are currently on the scholarship.
“It is too easy to get Bright Futures,” said Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate. “It is not a merit based scholarship, it is a scholarship for everybody at this point.”
Part of the bill does require all Bright Futures recipients to fill out the federal student financial aid form (FAFSA) so that the Legislature can start examining the financial means of students who receive the state-funded scholarships.
The bill was opposed by four Democrats, Sens. Dan Gelber, Charlie Justice, Al Lawson and Chris Smith.
Gelber, D-Miami Beach, said he understood the intentions of the legislation but that he could not support some of the provisions such as permanently taking away a scholarship.
“Now is not the time to close the doors of our higher education institutions to anybody,” he said.
The House has not included a similar provision in its budget, but has cut the flat rate for students receiving the awards to $110 per credit hour for the first tier and $83 per credit hour for the second tier. The differences will likely be resolved in conference committees over the next few weeks.
By Kathleen Haughney, News Service Florida, for NorthEscambia.com
Final Slate Of Candidates Set For Escambia, Alabama, Elections
April 3, 2010
The field of candidates is now complete in Escambia County, Alabama, for this year’s elections.
Party primaries will take place June 1, and the general election will be November 2. Voters must register by May 21 to vote in the Escambia County, Alabama, primary election.
Candidates for county offices include:
- Sheriff — Democratic incumbent Grover Smith will face the winner of the Republican primary race between Lloyd Albritton and Heath Jackson. Albritton is a former military criminal investigator; Jackson is a narcotics investigator for the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office.
- County Commission District 1 –
- County Commission District 3 — Republican Buster Crapps, a Flomaton councilman, will face incumbent Democrat Larry White.
- County Commission District 5 — Two Democrats, David Allen Quarker Sr. and Wiley B. Tait will face each other in the primary election. The winner will face Republican Don “Viking” Ellestad in the general election. The incumbent, Richard Hawthorne, did not seek re-election after being indicted on sexual misconduct charges.
- School Board District 4 — The most crowded local race in the county has five candidates — Democrats Stephanie Agerton, A.G. “Bo” Brantley and Joseph Hutchcraft; and Republicans Cindy Jackson and Monica Shockley.
- School Board District 6 — Incumbent District 6 Democrat Cereal Daniel will face Republican challenger Sherry Digmon, publisher of the Atmore News newspaper.
Area state race:
- Senate District 22 – Republicans Danny Joyner and Jeff Peacock; incumbent Democrat Marc Keahey.
- State House District 66 — Incumbent Republican Alan Baker.
- State House District 92 — Republicans Mike Jones, Jr. and Greg White.
Northview FFA Alumni Bluegrass Festival With Marty Raybon Is Today
April 3, 2010
Today is the big day for the Northview FFA Bluegrass Festival featuring Marty Raybon presented by the Northview FFA Alumni Scholarship Fund and NorthEscambia.com. There is one show remaining today at 6 p.m. at the Northview High School Theater.
Tickets will be available at the door.
The Northview Band Boosters will be selling gumbo for $3 per bowl, hot dogs for $1, and chips and drinks for $1 before and during the concert to raise money for an upcoming trip to Orlando for a performance at the Music USA 2010 Festival. It is not necessary to attend the concert in order to purchase the concessions and support the band.
Several political candidates will have tables set up in the lobby before the concerts to meet and greet the public, including Doug Broxson, Dave Murzin, Walter B. Hill and Larry Walker.
Marty Raybon is a man that achieved legendary status in country music — 13 number one singles, 22 songs on the charts, a Grammy Award, and a CMA Vocal Group of the Year trophy.
Marty Raybon is perhaps best known as the former lead singer of the country mega-group Shenandoah from 1985-1996. . He led Shenandoah to 22 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including thirteen number one singles, such as: “The Church on Cumberland Road” (1989), “Sunday in the South” (1989), “Two Dozen Roses” (1989), “Next to You, Next to Me” (1990) and “Butterfly Kisses” (1997). At the top of the charts, Raybon became known for his bluegrass and gospel-influenced semi-traditional country sound.
Raybon offers a full spectrum of vocal entertainment. His talents are unmatched, whether he’s singing country, gospel or his personal favorite, bluegrass. He has become one of country music’s busiest artists, performing over 100 shows per year between the United States and Canada.
He grew up in bluegrass and later earned acclaim in country music, so it should come as no surprise that the latest release from Marty Raybon and his band, Full Circle, bears the mark of both.
“I love bluegrass,” Raybon says with a passion, “and I love to see young people love it. I was younger than a lot of them are when I started playing, and I’d sit in school and try to draw Bill Monroe’s mandolin peghead. That’s how into it I was then–and I still am. When we go out there and see young people at our show, it makes us feel really good, and all we want to do, whether it’s at a show or on this album, is entertain them and let them feel good.”
All proceeds from the Northview FFA Bluegrass Festival will benefit the Northview FFA Alumni Scholarship Fund.
This is an indoor event at Northview High School, 4100 W. Highway 4, Bratt, Florida. For a map, click here.
Free Fishing Weekend In Florida
April 3, 2010
Both residents and nonresidents in Florida can fish in public fresh waters across the state without a license Saturday and Sunday. All other fishing rules apply.
The Florida Legislature and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) designated the first full weekend in April each year to be Florida’s Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend. This year, that falls on Easter weekend.
(Submitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
This is a great opportunity for experienced anglers to share their love of the sport with family and friends. It’s also a great opportunity to join the thousands of anglers who have taken the Anglers’ Legacy Pledge by visiting www.AnglersLegacy.org and entering partner code FLFWC. Anglers’ Legacy is about giving back what you’ve been given, and making a promise to introduce somebody new to fishing. There’s no membership fee and no obligation – it’s just another great way to help spread the fun of one of America’s most popular traditions and share our fishing heritage with others.
The Get Outdoors Florida! coalition (www.GetOutdoorsFlorida.org) encourages everyone, and especially children, to connect with nature by getting outdoors and enjoying active, nature-based recreation. Research conducted in 2009 by the Outdoor Foundation emphasized that recreational fishing is the number-one gateway activity that leads participants to increase their overall involvement in outdoor activities. This is vitally important as numerous diverse and extensive studies, such as those documented by Richard Louv in his best-selling book “Last Child in the Woods,” and expanded upon by the growing Children and Nature Network (www.ChildrenandNature.org), have demonstrated that activities such as fishing can lead to happier, healthier and smarter lifestyles.
So this weekend is your chance to get outdoors and go fishing right here in the “Fishing Capital of the World,” where virtually everyone is within 45 minutes of a freshwater fishing opportunity. No excuses! The weather predictions are looking good, it is just after a full moon and spring stimulates fish to congregate in shallow waters. The fishing should be great. So, Get Outdoors Florida! and burn off some of those chocolate-bunny calories with a free fishing adventure.
Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing to learn about fishing regulations in Florida.
Six Winners Receive Concert Tickets To Today’s Marty Raybon Show
April 3, 2010
Six lucky NorthEscambia.com readers won a pair of tickets each to Saturday’s Northview FFA Alumni Bluegrass Festival Featuring Marty Raybon.
The six winners were:
- Elizabeth Vinson, Atmore
- Tracy Baker, McDavid
- Amy Holland, Bratt
- Katie Simpson, Cantonment
- Karin Green, Cantonment
- Kelly Archer, Jay
Winners have received an email containing their concert tickets. If you are a winner and did not receive that email, contact us at news@northescambia.com from the email address you used to enter the contest.
Tate Aggies Capture Tournament With 11-1 Win Over Gibbs
April 3, 2010
The Tate High School Aggies won the Aggie-Gata National Baseball Classic tournament Friday night with 11-1 win over Gibbs.
The Aggies picked up the win on the mercy rule in five innings with four of nine hits coming in the final period against the Knoxville, Tenn. school.
Brandon Blackwelder was 4-4 for the Aggies, including RBI doubles.
Brewton Man Charged With ‘Sexting’ Jay High Student
April 3, 2010
A Brewton man has been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior on a Jay High School student between the ages of 12 and 16.
Craig Burgh, 31, is free from the Santa Rosa County Jail after posting $20,000 bond. An online chat between Burgh and the female victim was reportedly “sexting” — a term for electronically exchanging sexually explicit messages.
In one of those messages, according to authorities, Burgh admitted to placing his hand in the front waistband of the girl’s pants, but did not admit to any further advances. The victim told authorities that there had been no sexual contact with the 31-year old man.
Burgh admitted to authorities that he had hugged and kissed the victim on more than one occasion.
The complaint resulted after one of the girl’s parents found a chat session between their daughter and Burgh on a MySpace account.
White House Posts Crimson Tide Visit Video
April 3, 2010
Crimson Tide fans can now watch video of the national championship team’s March 8 visit to the White House.
The video was posted Friday to the White House web site.
(If you don’t see the video below, it is because your employer or home firewall is blocking videos.)
Recipe: Tell The Easter Story With Resurrection Cookies
April 3, 2010
As Easter is celebrated by the faithful this weekend, there is a way to share the story of Jesus’ death and Resurrection with the youngest child by making Easter Story or Resurrection Cookies. The cookies should be prepared tonight, the night before Easter.
To make the cookies and tell the story, you will need:
- 1 cup whole pecans
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 3 egg whites
- A pinch of salt
- 1 cup sugar
- A zipper baggie
- A wooden spoon
- Tape
- Bible
Heat your oven to 300 degrees. (Don’t wait until you’re finished with the recipe.)
Place the pecans in the zippered baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers. (Read John 19:1-3)
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar in a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. (Read John 19:28-30)
Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life everlasting. (Read John 10:10-11)
Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers — and also the unsweetness of our sins. (Read Luke 23:27)
Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of Easter is that Jesus died because he loves us and is born again to watch over us from heaven. (Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16)
Beat with a mixer on high for 12 to 15 minutes, or until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity of those who have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus. (Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:13)
Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid to rest. (Read Matthew 27: 57-60)
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Give each child some tape to seal the door. Explain that when Jesus was in the tomb, the world was dark and his tomb had been sealed. (Read Matthew 27:65-66)
Go to bed! Explain that they might feel sad about leaving the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were sad to leave him in the tomb, too. (Read John 16:20-22)
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface, and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter morning, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb was empty! (Read Matthew 28:1-9)