Cheese Toast? Nearly 40,000 Pounds Of Cheese Burns On I-10
August 6, 2010
A semi trailer with 39,600 pounds cheese burned on I-10 Thursday afternoon in Escambia County, shutting the interstate down for hours.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Singh Jaspal of California, was eastbound on I-10 just inside the Florida line just after 2 p.m. when he noticed the brakes of his trailer were on fire. He disconnected the trailer from the semi.
The fire destroyed the trailer and the shredded five-blend cheese, according to the FHP. Fletchers Towing organized the cheesy cleanup and removal of the trailer — a process that closed the interstate for about five hours.
The driver of the truck was not injured.
Not As Hot, But Still A 105+ Heat Index
August 6, 2010
For the first time in about a week, there is not a heat advisory or warning in effect for the North Escambia area. But it will still be hot.
The heat index will climb to about 107 the next couple of days, with a high around 95. There is a 50 percent chance of an afternoon thunderstorm for some heat relief. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 107. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Friday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Saturday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 107. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Saturday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 96. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 95.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
- Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93.
- Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74.
- Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91.
NOAA Revises Hurricane Outlook
August 6, 2010
It looks like the Atlantic Basin remains on track for an active hurricane season, according to an outlook released Thursday by the National Weather Service. The forecast was issued just before the peak of the hurricane season — late August through October.
NOAA’s updated outlook is projecting, with a 70 percent probability, a total of:
- 14 to 20 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
- 8 to 12 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
- 4 to 6 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)
The predictions include the three storms that have already formed this season — Alex, Bonnie and Colin. These ranges are still indicative of an active season, compared to the average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes; however, the upper bounds of the ranges have been lowered from the initial outlook in late May, which reflected the possibility of even more early season activity.
“August heralds the start of the most active phase of the Atlantic hurricane season and with the meteorological factors in place, now is the time for everyone living in hurricane prone areas to be prepared,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
All indications are for considerable activity during the next several months,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “As we’ve seen in past years, storms can come on quickly during the peak months of the season. There remains a high likelihood that the season could be very active, with the potential of being one of the more active on record.
Pictured top: Hurricane Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, hits northeast Mexico on June 30.
Heath Burkett Inks Baseball Scholarship
August 6, 2010
Nothview High School’s Heath Burkett signed a scholarship Thursday afternoon to pitch for Emmanuel College near Atlanta.
Burkett said he chose the Lions over Tennessee Temple University, Greensboro College in North Carolina and Brewton Parker in southeast Georgia. The Emmanuel Lions are in the NAIA and the Southern States Athletic Conference.
During his senior year on the mound for the Chiefs, Burkett had a 2.35 ERA and was 5-1.
Pictured top: Heath Burkett (center) signs a baseball scholarship with Emmanuel College Thursday afternoon as his father, Rodney Burkett (right) and Northview Coach Sid Wheatley (left) looks on. Pictured inset: Burkett on the mound during his senior season with the Northview Chiefs. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Down Home Family Fun: Barrineau Park Music Night
August 6, 2010
There will be lots of good entertainment on stage tonight in Barrineau Park — and it’s free. The monthly Barrineau Park Music Night will be tonight at the Barrineau Park Community Center. The featured local groups tonight are Lock Stock & Barrel and Down Home.
The singing starts at 6:30 p.m. Food and refreshments will also be available beginning at 6 p.m.
The event is family-friendly — no alcohol is permitted on the property, and no smoking is allowed in or near the building.
For more information, call (850) 587-5575.
The Barrineau Park Community Center is located on Barrineau Park School road, about three miles west of Molino.
Pictured: Down Home (above) and Lock Stock & Barrel (below) will perform tonight during the monthly Barrineau Park Music Night. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Security Guard Violently Attacked Near Solutia Park
August 5, 2010
Authorities are investigating an early morning attack on a security guard near Solutia Park.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the 26-year old female security guard employed by Securitus was attacked while making routine rounds at Ascend Performance Materials on Old Chemstrand Road in Cantonment.
The guard told deputies she was checking a bathroom in an outlying building located on the fitness center grounds near Solutia Park. The bathroom should have been locked, but the guard said she was immediately jumped from behind when she opened the unlocked door. The victim said a black male with a white shirt and dreads held a knife to her throat and said he would kill her if she screamed.
The guard told deputies that a struggle followed, and she was struck several times on her head and face with her own 7-inch long steel and plastic security wand. She said her shirt was ripped during the struggle. The guard was apparently knocked unconscious for an unknown length of time during the struggle.
It was not known exactly what time the incident occurred early Wednesday morning. Her last security log entry was 4:06 a.m., and she called for help on her radio at 4:35 a.m.
The guard was transported by ambulance to West Florida Hospital for treatment of wounds to her head and face, as well as what deputies termed “defensive knife wounds” to her arms.
An Escambia County K-9 unit was called to the scene but was unable to locate a suspect.
Deputies have not established any motive for the attack; the investigation into the incident continues.
Convicted Felon Admits To Hidden Sawed Off Shotgun Behind TV
August 5, 2010
A convicted felon is behind bars after admitting to deputies responding to a disturbance at his Cottage Hill home that he had a sawed off shotgun hidden behind a bedroom TV.
Brian Gray Faulkenberry, 39, is being held in the Escambia County Jail on $60,000 bond on three felony counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one felony count of possession of a short barreled shotgun.
Deputies were called to a disturbance between Faulkenberry and a 40-year old female in the 1400 block of Williams Ditch Road early Wednesday morning. When they arrived, Faulkenberry was moving his belongings out of the house and into the driveway.
While moving items of the house, Faulkenberry told deputies that he needed to go back to the master bedroom to retrieve the last of his items. He was escorted to the bedroom by a deputy. Behind the bedroom TV, deputies found a sawed off .20 gauge shotgun, bird shot, a Smith and Wesson .38 special and 17 live rounds of ammunition.
According to Faulkenberry’s arrest report, he has at least five felony convictions on his record, including one for cocaine trafficking.
Area Schools To Hold Orientations; Schedule Pickups
August 5, 2010
New and incoming student orientations, and high school schedule pickups have been scheduled at North Escambia schools.
Orientations will be held as follows:
- Bratt Elementary: Thursday, August 19 from 9-10 a.m. for Pre-K; Friday, August 20 from 8-10 a.m. for K-5
- Jim Allen Elementary: Friday, August 20, 9-10:30 a.m. for all grades
- Molino Park Elementary: Thursday, August 19 from 9:30-10:30 Pre-K; Friday, August 20, 9-9:30 a.m. for K-2 and Firday, August 20, 9:30-10 a.m. for 3-5
- Ernest Ward Middle School: August 19, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. for new and incoming students
- Ransom Middle School: August 19, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. for new and incoming students
- Northview High School: Upperclassman may pick up their schedules on August 17 as follows: seniors, 8:30 a.m., juniors, 10:00 a.m. and sophomores, 1:30 p.m..
Orientation for ninth grade and new students will be Thursday, August 19 at 8:30 a.m. - Tate High School: Orientation for ninth grade and new students will be Thursday, August 19 at 8:30 a.m.
Audit Shows FCAT Results Accurate
August 5, 2010
Independent testing experts back-checking results of the state’s standardized FCAT test say the results this year appear to be accurate and that fluctuations in learning gains reported by some districts “are within historical ranges,” the state’s education commissioner said Wednesday.
Commissioner Eric J. Smith said state education officials were still reviewing the auditors’ reports, but that with the “highly regarded national reputation of these independent testing experts, I can state with utmost confidence that the results are valid and our assessment system is sound.”
The superintendents of the Hillsborough, Duval, Broward, Leon, and Miami-Dade school districts had said the results in their districts showed “anomalies,” decreases in learning that didn’t seem to mesh with previous years’ scores. Concerns were raised specifically about an apparent lack of improvement on the tests taken by the lowest 25 percent of students throughout the state, and in certain lower grades. Local officials noted, for example, that more than 300 fewer elementary schools earned A’s this year compared to last year.
The audits were performed by HumRRo – Human Resources Research Organization – and the Center for Assessment.
“While there may well be some adjustments that could be made in the equating process to reduce normal random variation even further, the simple fact is that very small changes, particularly in gain scores, lead to noticeable changes in school grade scores, especially when aggregated across large numbers of students and schools,” the Center for Assessment report said. “There may be an opportunity to improve on these practices as the next generation of assessments and accountability is phased in in Florida, but for now, what Florida has been doing is based on the current state-of-the-art.”
Schools officials were anxious about the scores in part because results of the FCAT are determining factors in assigning the schools a statewide grade, but also because of a series of questions about the test involving the contractor that administers it.
Results this year were delayed by what the contractor, Pearson Education, said were glitches in its program, that it has since vowed to fix. The state Department of Education is seeking penalties of nearly $12 million for grading delays from Pearson, on top of $3 million the company has already paid in penalties.
Confident in the integrity of the results, Smith said the apparent drop off in learning in some districts must be real – and needs to be addressed.
“With accuracy confirmed we must take a critical look at this year’s results and identify the reasons why our progress has slowed in our elementary grades and why our lowest performing quartile of students experienced difficulty making learning gains,” Smith said in a statement following the audit’s release. “We must also look at the near decade worth of assessment data we have to determine if there are any enhancements needed to our accountability system that would help increase student achievement across all grades.”
Smith also said the audit paves the way for final release of school grades and that they would be out “as soon as possible.” Smith told superintendents on a conference call that he would let them know Thursday morning when they will see the final grades.
By David Royse, The News Service Florida
Escambia County Schools To Adopt A Comprehensive Drug Policy
August 5, 2010
Drug abuse is a significant problem in our community and in our schools, and the devastating effects drugs can inflict upon young people are well documented. I believe that a newly proposed District Drug Eradication policy will have a dramatic, immediate impact in Escambia County Florida– and will help thousands of district children if we enact and deploy it properly.
The Escambia County School Board (ECSB) is now developing such a comprehensive drug policy. In budget meetings held over the last several months, the funding for this undertaking was identified. In an ECSB retreat held this past July, where broad policy and overall district direction was the topic, more on the proposed drug policy was discussed. Staff will be researching all of the issues and working closely with local law enforcement and multiple attorneys to craft a policy that will be both legal and effective.
ECSB will be studying what other districts from around the state and the nation have been able to put in place with respect to drug eradication policy. We won’t be attempting to re-invent the wheel; we will be developing a policy that is tried and tested, built upon best practices, then tailored to fit our needs locally.
Although the draft policy will be brought to the board sometime in August or September for review, the broad areas of focus can be identified at this time:
- Student Safety–the onus of this policy will be on student safety and we will not be undertaking this comprehensive strategy for punitive purposes.
- Drug dogs will be deployed in a more frequent, managed, and measured fashion than in previous years. A defined pattern and schedule will be formulated and Drug Detecting Canines will be in our middle and high schools with enhanced frequency.
- Students will actively participate in formulating the district’s anti-drug slogan and advertising program.
- A more robust “campus crime stoppers” program will be rolled out and cash rewards will be given to those who report on peers involved in illegal activity.
- The inclusion of random drug screening/testing is being contemplated. ECSB cannot legally drug test all students (Like Pensacola Catholic High School does); however, we can and should randomly test those who wish to participate in extracurricular activities and/or drive their personal vehicles on our school campuses. Again, overall student safety is the paramount concern.
- Voluntary testing, self reporting, counseling and progressive discipline for those identified in screening/testing will all be factors and components in our final comprehensive strategy.
I’m very happy to see the district moving in this direction. I have been steadfast in my advocacy of this type of a policy in our schools for the last four years. I know that we cannot control societal factors which are changing rapidly around us–but we can and should do everything we can to control the environment in and around our schools. The goal should be to make our schools drug-free sanctuaries for our students. Having a comprehensive strategy will empower students to more easily “Say No” to drugs–on and off campus.
My plea for a more effective drug policy culminated with a call for action at the May 14th, 2010, School Board Workshop. I know we can’t move mountains overnight, but I also know the status quo was/is not working on this issue. Having my finger to the pulse with my own kids represented at the elementary, middle, and high school levels- I know a more comprehensive drug policy is what our schools need today, and we as a district are on the verge of fulfilling this need.