Gulf Oil Spill Task Force Begins Meetings In Pensacola
November 9, 2010
EPA Secretary Lisa Jackson on Monday in Pensacola pushed a federal task force to go beyond its immediate charge to look into ecosystem damage caused by the Gulf oil spill and explore ecological problems in the system that pre-dated the disaster.
Jackson, speaking to members of the Gulf Ecosystem Restoration Task Force at its first meeting, called on the 12-member task force to seek remedies to decades of environmental degradation and population pressures that have occurred on what once was one of the most productive ecosystems in the country.
“We’re taking one step back and saying what does the Gulf region need to be resilient,” Jackson told a group of more than 250 stakeholders who attended the panel’s first hearing. “It’s not just oil. It’s hypoxia and nutrients in our system that are creating dead zones. It’s just the fact that we have so many people who want to live on the Gulf of Mexico.”
Monday’s kick-off of the federal task force’s work in Pensacola was overshadowed by related events unfolding in Washington, where the White House’s oil spill commission found no evidence that the offshore spill following the April 20 explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig happened because BP and its partners cut corners to save money.
The panel agreed with nearly all of the findings of BP’s internal investigation of the accident released this summer. BP’s report assigned much of the blame for the accident to its drilling partners including Halliburton, which provided the cement used to secure the wellhead and blowout protectors, which also malfunctioned.
Critics have accused BP and other companies involved in drilling the well of sacrificing safety for monetary savings in the run up to rig explosion that killed 11 workers and unleashed millions of barrels of oil into Gulf over the summer
Florida participants in the ecosystem task force include state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mimi Drew, a task force member who said the state’s reliance on the Gulf region makes its participation in regional efforts critical.
“The tourism and seafood industries are really the backbone of our economy,” Drew said. “Our goal is to restore consumer confidence in our beaches and our seafood.”
Linda Young, director of the Clean Water Network of Florida, was hopeful yet skeptical that the panel made up of the same agencies that have let the Gulf slip are the ones trying to fix it up.
“I think you have to be optimistic at this point of the game,” Young said. “But let’s just say I remain concerned.”
In addition to Jackson’s call for a broader look at environmental dangers to the Gulf system, officials also said the economic impacts of the spill and other threats also should be part of the task force’s work.
“While not overlooking the environment, I hope this task force will also look at the economic effects of the oil spill,” said David Stewart, chief of staff for Alabama Governor Bob Riley. “There are businesses today that are on the precipice of extinction.”
Southeastern officials also need buy-in from a wider audience, said the executive director of the task force, John Hankinson.
“We need to articulate to the nation why this is the nation’s Gulf,” said Hankinson.
The task force must return a set of recommendations by October, 2011. Until then the panel will hold a series of meetings throughout the region to compile an overall strategy to address the differing needs of all Gulf States.
By Michael Peltier
Jay Cross Country Takes 3rd In District, Headed To Regionals
November 9, 2010
The Lady Royals of Jay High School placed third at the District 1-1A Championships held recently in Tallahassee.
Four of the Royals placed in the top 15 runners. Robin Blackman led the Royals with a time of 21:29, placing seventh overall.
Other Royals in the top 15 were Leely Trevino (12th), Jessica Thornton (13th), and Allison Blair (15th). Jenna Thornton who ran fifth for the Royals set a personal record with a time of 23:19. Of the 12 teams from District 1 the top six teams automatically advanced to the region competition. The overall top fifteen individuals also advance individually. The Royals will run at the regional competition in Gainesville on Friday, November 12.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
It’s Runoff Election Day In Century For Council Seat
November 9, 2010
It’s runoff election day in Century, with just one council seat on the ballot.
Incumbent Henry Hawkins is facing political newcomer Jacke Johnston for Century Town Council Seat 3.
NorthEscambia.com will have election results posted tonight.
Here’s what you need to know to vote in today’s Primary Election in Century:
- Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- The only precinct is located at the Century Town Hall. Only registered voters that reside within the town limits of Century are eligible to vote.
- You must present photo and signature identification. Acceptable forms of identification are: Florida Driver’s License, Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, U.S. Passport, Debit/Credit Card, Military ID, Student ID, Retirement Center ID, Neighborhood Association ID, and Public Assistance ID. If you fail to present proper identification at the polls, you must vote a provisional ballot.
- You are not required to present your voter identification card in order to vote.
- To vote on a paper ballot, completely darken the oval to the left of the your choice.
- There is at least one touchscreen machine available. While primarily intended for persons will disabilities, any voter may choose to vote on the touchscreen. It has an audio ballot feature.
- You may vote if you are still in line at 7:00 p.m.
- You have the right to ask for assistance in voting.
- You can receive up to two replacement ballots if you make a mistake.
- If your registration or identity is questions, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.
- You have the right to written instructions on how to vote, and, upon request, oral instructions by elections officers or any other person.
Pictured top: A voter exits Century Town Hall during last month’s general election. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Meeting Tonight To Discuss New I-10 Exit In Beulah
November 9, 2010
A new exit on I-10 at Beulah Road is under consideration, and the public will have the opportunity to offer their input tonight.
A public meeting to discuss the proposed interchange in the vicinity of the overpass where I-10 and Beulah Road intersect has been scheduled for Tuesday from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Beulah Baptist Church, 5805 Beulah Church Road.
The meeting is being held to allow local officials, affected property owners and the public an opportunity to express their views and comments concerning the proposed interchange in an informal environment. The meeting will be hosted by PBS&J, the engineering firm retained by the county for the feasibility study and project design.
For more information, contact Eugene Harris, Escambia County Project Manager, 595-3434, or Greg Allen, PBS&J Project Manager, at 478-9844.
Warming Weather Trend
November 9, 2010
Our nightly flirt with the freezing mark is over as overnight lows gradually warm over the next week.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 41. Calm wind.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Calm wind.
- Veterans Day: Sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. Calm wind.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
- Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.
- Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
Molino Pharmacy Robbery Suspect Wanted Again
November 8, 2010
The Molino man charged in connection with the September armed robbery of a Molino Pharmacy is once again wanted by police.
According to Escambia County Circuit Court records, Judge Ronald Swanson revoked bond for Joseph Daniel Flowers, 56, and issued a failure to appear warrant for his arrest. He was originally charged with robbery with a firearm, grand theft, possession of a firearm in pharmacy, aggravated battery and wearing a mask while committing a felony.
The grand theft and wearing a mask while committing a felony charges were dropped, while multiple drug possession charges were filed against Flowers.
Flowers was charged with robbing Scott’s Pharmacy on September 20 while wearing a bathrobe, slippers, yellow kitchen gloves and underwear on his head.
Flowers is also facing charges for the alleged battery of his accomplice — Krystal Lynn Collins — with a two liter bottle of Coke. Collins, 24, was also charged in connection with the robbery; deputies believe she was the getaway car driver.
For more about the robbery and Flowers’ arrest, click here. For more about Collins’ arrest for allegedly driving the getaway car, click here. And for more about the battery arrest, click here.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Flowers should call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Election For Century Council Seat Tomorrow
November 8, 2010
Tuesday is runoff election day in Century with an incumbent up against a political newcomer for a town council seat.
Incumbent Henry Hawkins and Jacke Johnston are seeking the Century Town Council’s Seat 3.
During the October primary election for the seat, Hawkins, a Pensacola State College GED instructor and retired Air Force staff sergeant, received 44.55 percent of the vote — shy of the 50 percent needed for a win. Johnston, a teacher at Byrneville Elementary School, received 32.71 percent of the vote, while Robert Lasher, an Edward D. Jones financial adviser, finished third with 22.74 percent.
In October, Sandra McMurray Jackson was elected to the Seat 5 on the council currently held by Sharon Scott, who did not see re-election. Jackson is the owner of Jackson-McMurray Funeral Services in Century. She defeated retired insurance agent Annie Carter Savage by just eight votes — 164 to 156.
Polls will be open at the Century Town Hall from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday for residents of the Town of Century only.
Class Size Issues Persist For Lawmakers
November 8, 2010
When Florida voters defeated a ballot measure that would have tweaked the state’s class size law, they defeated lawmakers’ best hope for fixing the Legislature’s persistent problem in funding a constitutional requirement for schools to cap individual classrooms at a certain size.
With the defeat of the amendment, lawmakers are trying to figure out their next move.
“That’s a question I don’t have an answer to yet,” said Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who is slated to become Florida House Speaker in 2012 and who sponsored the proposed amendment in the House.
In 2002, voters approved a constitutional amendment that capped classroom sizes at 18 students in a classroom in lower grades, 22 in the middle grades and more than the current cap of 25 students in a high school classroom. Educators noted substantial educational gains as the class size caps were phased in, but lawmakers were faced with the growing problem of how to pay for it, particularly as the economy collapsed and state coffers grew thin.
Educators, in need of more funds to hire enough teachers to carry out the class size caps, were faced with a quandary. If their classrooms were at maximum capacity and a new student moved into the district, where would that student go?
The solution lawmakers came up with was a ballot measure – Amendment 8 – that would have allowed schools to continue to calculate class size caps at a school-wide average, rather than on a per-classroom basis, giving principals more flexibility to add students to their classes without violating the constitution.
On Election Night, 55 percent of voters voted in favor of the measure, 5 percent short of the required 60 percent threshold for proposed constitutional amendments.
The state teachers’ union has staunchly defended the original class size provision, arguing that the softening of the law is merely the Legislature backing out of a promise to fund the schools to a point where they can meet the hard caps. The problem of an extra student moving into a district could be fixed statutorily, they argued, but the Legislature has largely rejected that plan.
“I don’t know how they’re going to respond to the class size, whether they’ll try to wiggle out of it again,” said Florida Education Association spokesman Mark Pudlow.
Classroom caps have been phased in since the 2002 passage of the constitutional amendment, but this fall, the hard caps were put into full effect. Schools that are not in compliance with the law could face fines for the violation.
Administrators across the state largely supported the amendment, despite the FEA”s opposition to the proposal. Florida Association of District School Superintendents executive director Bill Montford, who was also elected to the state Senate on Tuesday, said the failure of the amendment means superintendents will have to make a lot of “tough decisions” and that he doesn’t really know whether lawmakers will try to address it or just leave it be.
“It has been the opinion each year, each session, that there is not a statutory fix,” Montford said. “At least that has been the opinion of the Legislature. However, with the defeat of Amendment 8, I’m certain that issue will come up within the legislative session. What do we do now? Do we try to craft a statutory fix and see if it will stand up?”
Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, who sponsored the Senate version of the amendment, said he thinks it would be difficult for the lawmakers to legally make a statutory change “to try to dilute the voters’ decision” and that he, at least, would not be sponsoring another ballot measure on class size.
“I believe that the issue is now settled and the losers will be parents and teachers and taxpayers, but that’s the constitution,” he said.
Weatherford said it was likely that lawmakers would discuss a variety of options on how to address class size obstacles when the Legislature returns to Tallahassee this spring for its regular session. The legislative body could pass a statutory measure, he said, but that doesn’t mean its constitutional.
“At the end of the day, the court will probably decide what these caps really mean,” he said.
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida
Results And Photos: District Cross Country Meets
November 8, 2010
The Northview and Tate cross country teams both placed in district meets this past weekend. The Northview boys finished 12th, while the Northview girls finished eighth in District 1-2A. The Tate boys and girls both placed 16th i n District 1-3A.
Here are results from the District 1-2A cross country meet held this weekend at Marianna and the District 1-3A meet held in Pace.
Boys District 1-2A
- West Florida High
- Catholic
- Panama City Arnold
- Tallahassee-Florida High
- Marianna
- Wakulla
- South Walton
- Tallahassee Godby
- Panama City Bay
- Panama City Rutherford
- Walton
- Northview
- East Gadsden
Northview Boys Results
- Josh Scott 19:34
- Dustin Lewis 20:38
- AJ Lambert 20:45
- Dillian Crutchfield 21:57
- Aaron Rausch 24:34
- Justin King 28:04
Girls District 1-2A
- West Florida High
- Wakulla High
- Tallahassee- Florida High
- South Walton
- Catholic
- Panama City Arnold
- Suwannee
- Northview
- Marianna
- Panama City Bay
- Panama City Rutherford
Northview Girls Results
- Georgia Goetter -21:55
- Sarah Killiam -24:41
- Julia Thorpe 28:00
- Jazzlyn Franklin 28:13
- Misty Doran 28:29
- Madalyn Coon 30:00.09
- Kelsey Taylor 30:00.65
Boys District 1-3A
- Washington
- Tallahassee Leon
- Niceville
- Tallahassee Lincoln
- Fort Walton Beach
- Tallahassee Chiles
- Navarre
- Choctawhatchee
- Pace
- Mosley (Lynn Haven)
- Pine Forest
- Gulf Breeze
- Crestview
- Milton
- Escambia High
- Tate
- Pensacola High
Girls District 1-3A
- Chiles (Tallahassee)
- Fort Walton Beach
- Niceville
- Choctawhatchee
- Pine Forest
- Tallahassee Leon
- Gulf Breeze
- Pace
- Navarre
- Washington
- Milton
- Tallahassee Lincoln
- Panama Mosley
- Pensacola High
- Escambia
- Tate
Submitted photos by Cathy Scott and Natalie Nall for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward FFA Names Officers
November 8, 2010
Officers were recently selected for the Ernest Ward Middle School FFA chapter. Officers are (back, L-R) Allison Woodfin, teasurer; Aden Davis, chaplain; Tiffani Cruce, president; Madison McGhee, photographer; (middle, L-R) Jaylen Parker, vice president; Haylee Weaver, reporter; Addy Lee, parliamentarian; Haley Brown, secretary; Bethany Reynolds, sentinel; and Miranda Vidak, historian. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.