Great Spring Afternoon
March 11, 2010
We are in for a nice spring-like afternoon, with sunny skies and warm temperatures.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Today: Becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind around 5 mph.
- Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. West wind between 5 and 15 mph.
- Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 67. West wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65.
Man Behind That Was Focus Of January Manhunt Now Behind Bars
March 11, 2010
A Century man that was the focus of a January manhunt is now behind bars on charges that he failed to appear in court of multiple drug related charges.
Kevin Lamar Brown, 30, is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond after being arrested late Tuesday afternoon. According to Escambia County Circuit Court records, Brown’s bond was revoked after he did not appear in court on charges of marijuana possession, cocaine possession and other drug offenses.
Brown was the subject of a manhunt in Century on January 4. Escambia County Deputy David Preston responded to an unrelated 911 call in the 9000 block of Old Flomaton Road in Century about 12:20 that afternoon. Shortly after he arrived, Preston saw a man that he believed to be Brown run from the back of the residence.
Deputies set up a perimeter around the area and tracking dogs from the Century Correctional Institution were called to assist in the search. The K-9 unit was able to follow a scent from the back of the residence, but they were unable to location Brown.
Brown has allegedly ran from deputies before. On October 26 of last year, deputies spotted him in the 700 block of West Highway 4 and gave chase on foot. Deputies located Brown and arrested him on Hadley Lane for failure to appear in a narcotics case.
Flomaton, Atmore, Brewton To Celebrate Great Alabama Homecoming
March 11, 2010
Atmore, Flomaton and Brewton will join more than 200 towns and cities that will stage homecoming events and unveil historic markers in 2010 as part of the state’s tourism promotional campaign for 2010 — the “Year of Small Towns and Downtowns”.
Flomaton will celebrate a Homecoming Weekend October 22-24. Events will include a special halftime show at Flomaton High School’s homecoming game on Friday night, October 22. Open houses are planned at the brand new Flomaton Library, the award-winning Turtle Point Science Center, the Flomaton Area Railroad Museum, the Flomaton Fire Department and the Flomaton Chamber of Commerce.
Area churches are being asked to move their homecoming celebrations to the weekend, and the First Baptist Church has already done so, according to Betty Jones, chairperson of the Flomaton 2010 Committee. The weekend will also feature a car show at Flomaton’s Lions Park, a vendors area downtown, music and more.
“We want everyone to come home to celebrate small towns and downtowns with us — the places we grew up and the backbone of the country we call home,” Jones said.
Vendor applications will be available at Flomaton’s Welcome Center for those interesting in selling their wares on October 23.
Atmore will take part in the Year of Small Towns and Downtowns with the annual Williams Station Day on October 23.
During Williams Station Day, Atmore residents and guests will turn back their clocks to 1866 when their community was named Williams Station – just a supply stop along the Mobile & Great Northern railroad. It was a simpler time, when life revolved around the railroads and folks marked time by the sound of the steam engines chugging through town or the whistle of the local lumber mill. We hope you’ll join us in Atmore for this regional festival that promises a fun day of family entertainment.
Williams Station Day is packed with great venues to fit every taste. For the young and young at heart we offer an old fashioned sampling of southern heritage seasoned with the blues, arts and crafts, cane milling and railroad memorabilia.
Williams Station Day will be October 23 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. To learn more, visit www.atmorechamber.com.
Brewton participate in the Great Alabama Homecoming on Saturday, June 19 at Burnt Corn Creek Park with the Alabama Blueberry Festival. There will be original arts and crafts, live entertainment, an antique car show, a motorcycle show and ride, a children’s section, blueberries, blueberry bushes, cookbooks, T-shirts, and a food court with blueberry ice cream. To learn more, call (251) 867-3224 or visit www.AlabamaBlueberryFestival.com.
Statewide, Alabama homecoming events will continue through mid-December. Historic markers written by local historians and provided by the Alabama Tourism Department will be unveiled at the events.
“As someone who grew up in a small town in Alabama, I know there’s something special about them. They have a unique character and charm. But in Alabama, even our bigger cities have a small town feel. As Alabamians, we’re truly fortunate that many of our hometowns really are like Mayberry,” said Alabama Governor Bob Riley, referring to the fictitious small town that was the setting of the “Andy Griffith Show”.
A total of 215 communities, ranging in size from Mooresville, population 54, to Birmingham, population 300,000, have scheduled events as part of the Year of Small Towns and Downtowns.
“It’s going to be a great time to reflect on the importance of our small towns and downtowns, and I believe when it’s all over, people throughout the state will come away with a greater appreciation for the special place we all call home,” Riley said.
The state Tourism Department has posted a list of towns and event dates on its homecoming web site at www.alabamahomecoming.com.
Pictured above: Alabama Governor Bob Riley announces The Great Alabama Homecoming. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Court Ruling: Citizens Have No Right To Speak At Public Meetings
March 11, 2010
Governmental bodies in Florida must open their meetings to the public, but ordinary citizens do not have any right to speak.
That was the ruling Wednesday from the First District Court of Appeal in a suit by a group of Pensacola citizens against Pensacola’s Community Maritime Park Associates. The citizens’ group contended that decisions by the Maritime Park board should be nullified because the public did not have adequate opportunity to make comment at meetings.
“The public has no authority to participate in or to interfere with the decision-making process,” the court’s ruling stated. The court upheld that citizens do have the right under the Sunshine Law to attend public meetings, but there is no right to speak in the law.
“The Sunshine Law requires that meetings be open to the public, the law does not give the public the right to speak at the meetings. Appellants have failed to point to any case construing the phrase “open to the public” to grant the public the right to speak…we are not inclined to broadly construe the phrase as granting such a right,” Judges Kent Wetherell, Judges Philip Padovano and Charles Kahn concurred.
Click here to read the court opinion (pdf).
Jay Elementary Cheerleaders Cheer For Florida Gators
March 11, 2010
The Jay Elementary Cheerleaders recently had the opportunity to cheer for the Florida Gators. The girls attended a Florida Lady Gators basketball game where they were greeted by the Gator cheerleaders and coach.
Members of the Jay Elementary cheerleaders are Sunny Maher, Courtney Walther, Taylor Scott,Danielle Harrington, Madison Edwards, Connor Andrews, Lexie Nash, Hope Miller, Megan Teevan, Rebecca Boutwell, Robin Green, Savannah Seevers, Courtney Walther, Amber Parker, Maci Holt and Launa Burkhead.
Pictured above: The Jay Elementary cheerleaders with the Florida Gator cheerleaders at a recent Lady Gators basketball game. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Driver, Escambia Deputy Collide
March 10, 2010
No one was injured when a Cantonment driver and an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy collided on I-10 this morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Rachel Marchant, 25, of Cantonment, was eastbound in the outside lane of I-10 near Highway 29 when she braked as she approached slower moving traffic. That’s when she lost control and her 2007 Chevrolet rotated into the path of an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office cruiser driven by Deputy Lavada Burroughs, 29, that was traveling in the center lane.
Burroughs was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries following the 6:55 a.m. accident. Marchant was not injured.
Marchant was charged with failure to use due care, according to the FHP.
Flash Flood Watch
March 10, 2010
There is a flash flood watch in effect until through Thursday morning for the North Escambia area.
- Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. Low around 56. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
- Thursday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. West wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. West wind between 5 and 15 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. West wind around 5 mph becoming north.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69.
The Dark Cloud Of A “D”: Northview Works On FCAT Improvement
March 10, 2010
Northview High School is one of four D–rated schools in Escambia County, a stigma that has hung over the school since school grades were released last year. But rather than being a dark cloud, it has been motivation to make sure this week’s FCAT scores are as high as possible.
Northview was a solid C-rated school from 1999 to 2007. Then in the 2007-2008 school year, NHS jumped to a B rating, just a handful of points from being an A school. But for this past school year, Northview dropped all the way to that D.
The school went to work to implement a variety of plans to help students improve their FCAT scores and overall school performance. FCAT efforts were focused on achieving learning gains for ninth and tenth grade students and increase the number of the lowest performing students that achieve success.
“Northview teachers and staff have worked extremely hard to implement each and every initiative, whether school-based decision or district mandate, in order to address areas to improve FCAT scores,” Gayle Weaver, Northview principal, said. “There was a focus on trying to isolate the major factors contributing to the low test scores of some students. Consensus was achieved through believing that low self esteem, frequent absences, and out-of-school suspensions for discipline were some of the major factors contributing to low test scores.”
The primary strategy implemented was the Adviser-Mentoring Program, pairing a faculty member with a students from the lower 30 percent of ninth and tenth grade students, and the implementation of an In-School Suspension (ISS) program.
In the mentoring program, advisers meet with students periodically, review academic and discipline, connect with parents, and monitor any activities associated with the student.
“The team believes that regardless of the lack of data that the adviser-mentoring program has been successful because it has brought faculty and administration into closer contact and understanding with the lower 30 percent of students. The mentors have seen themselves as the ‘Life lines” for these students,” Weaver said.
The absence and discipline issues were addressed with the ISS program. If current trends continue, Weaver said the number of discipline referrals for the year will be down about 50 percent. Out-of-school suspensions were down to just 11 in the first semester; there were 182 for the last school year. And, average daily attendance has held steady at about 94 percent, the principal said.
With the new programs in place, Weaver said she is optimistic that Northview is on track to improve this week’s FCAT scores and the school’s D status.
“Every student comes to us with a fertile mind, much like the unplowed field. The mind can reap wonderful harvests or become the barren field of weeds and poison plants, like nightshade. Teachers try their hardest to cultivate the minds of their students and to sow seeds of wisdom, and much like the farmer in spring planting, teachers have high hopes for a bountiful harvest. Such is ours,” she said.
Century Man Now One Of Escambia’s Most Wanted
March 10, 2010
Deputies are asking for your help in locating a Century man who has been named one of Escambia County’s most wanted.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for Shawn Demarcus Simmons, 30, of Ivey Street, Century, in connection with the February 25 robbery of Devante Aaaron Knight, 18, of Hecker Road, Century. Simmons is wanted for aggravated battery, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and robbery with a firearm. Authorities say he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Simmons has scars on his upper and lower lips, scars on both legs and a tattoo on his left arm. In addition to the area of his home on Ivey Street, Simmons has been seen on Zion and Cottage streets in Century and is known to frequent Brewton. He has been known to use the names David Jones, Sean Simpson and Sean Simmons.
Knight was arrested after he allegedly snatched a purse containing $2,000 in cash from an 85-year old woman in Escambia County, Alabama. The day after the purse snatching, Knight was himself the victim of a robbery where the $2,000 was allegedly stolen by Simmons.
Knight (pictured left) told Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office deputies that he was in the yard of a home in the 100 block of Zion Street talking to Simmons. That’s when Simmons asked to borrow a dollar from Knight, and Knight agreed. Simmons then reportedly walked into a trailer, returned outside and told Knight “Give it up”.
Knight said that he remembered being hit in the head with the gun and hearing gunfire, but he did not think he had been shot. The victim them walked to the nearby Dollar General store on nearby North Century Boulevard. That’s where Knight located his aunt. The aunt transported Knight to his home in the 200 block of East Hecker Road and called 911. Knight was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment of a head injury. He was not shot, according to deputies.
Knight was arrested last week in Escambia County, Florida, and subsequently extradited back to Alabama.
Deputies say Simmons was able to steal the entire $2,000 allegedly taken from the 85-year old woman by Knight.
Anyone with information on Simmons’ whereabouts should call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Callers can receive a reward of up to $1,000 for information. Callers can remain anonymous.
Pictured top: Shawn Demarcus Simmons. Pictured lower: Devante Aaaron Knight. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Search For Flomaton Bank Robbery Suspect Leads To North Escambia Drug Arrest
March 10, 2010
The search for a Flomaton bank robbery suspect led to the arrest of North Escambia man on drug charges late Monday afternoon.
Javis Cain Grimes, 25, of Gilmore Road, Century, was charged with unlawful possession of a listed chemical used to manufacture a controlled substance. He was also issued a citation for driving while his license was knowingly suspended. Grimes was released from the Escambia County Jail on $12,000 bond.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Steve Kay was patrolling Highway 168 near Byrneville looking for an older model silver Chevrolet S10 pickup truck that was reported in the area traveling at a high rate of speed shortly after a bank robbery in Flomaton. Kay met a similar Chevrolet S10 pickup. When he turned around on the truck, he reported that it sped up as it turned off Highway 168 and into a yard at 7710 Jack Smith Road.
The deputy observed the driver go behind a mobile home. Grimes told Kay that he ran because his license was suspended, but he had paid the fines. The deputy asked to search the pickup truck, but Grimes said he would need to call his mother because the pickup belonged to her.
At that point, Escambia County Deputy Todd Day requested the assistance of a K-9 from the Flomaton Police Department. Flomaton K-9 officer Jason Bondurant’s dog indicated on the passenger side of the truck, according to the sheriff’s office incident report.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a long list of items commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, including drain opener, Liquid Fire, valves and tubing, sponges, digital scales, plastic baggies, ammonium nitrate, batteries and a reddish powdery substance that was possibly ephedrine, the report states. The search also revealed glass smoking tubes, plastic straws and a Vicks inhaler tube inside the vehicle. In the back of the truck, deputies found Coleman fuel. Grimes had a metal torch on his person.