Escambia EMS Worker Shot
January 29, 2011
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Friday night shooting that left an Escambia County EMS medic wounded.
The incident occurred just after 9 p.m. at 1125 Hayes Street in Pensacola — about a block from the Escambia County Jail. Deputies discovered that the EMT had been shot in the shoulder.
The medic told deputies that he was retrieving an item from a bag located inside the ambulance when someone tapped him on the back. As he turned around, he was shot. One of the responding deputies drove the injured medic to the emergency room at nearby Baptist Hospital.
The incident occurred at an Escambia County EMS staging post where ambulance crews park and wait, ready to respond to their next call. The male EMT was alone in the ambulance at the time of the shooting; the other EMS worker in the crew was inside the substation.
The medic’s identity has not yet been released. He was reported to be in stable condition.
According to the EMT, the suspect was a either a light skinned black male or a white male wearing a lime green jacket. The jacket may have NASCAR type patches sewn onto it. Several dozen law enforcement officers from multiple agencies surrounded the scene and searched for the suspect into the early morning hours Saturday, essentially putting a large area around the county jail on lockdown.
“We wish the very best for the injured medic and our thoughts are with his family, friends and co-workers,” said Sheriff’s spokesperson Deputy Chris Welborn.
Anyone with information concerning the identity of the shooter is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured above and below: An Escambia County EMS medic was shot Friday night at 1125 Hayes Street in Pensacola. Photos courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lap Dance Lands Probation Officer In Prison
January 29, 2011
Former probation officer Barry Lett of Pensacola was sentenced to 21 months in state prison Friday afternoon by Judge Michael Allen.
Earlier this month, Lett entered a guilty plea Monday to one count of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior and one count of battery.
The charges arose from an incident where the defendant compelled the victim to perform a private lap dance in her home in Escambia County, according to the State Attorney’s Office. At the time of the incident, the victim was on probation and being supervised by Lett.
Storybooks Come Alive At Bratt Elementary For Literacy Week
January 29, 2011
Schools across Escambia County participated in “Celebrate Literacy Week” during the past school week.
At Bratt Elementary School Friday, it was much like a library shelf come alive, as students, teachers and staff dressed as their favorite storybook characters. Characters like Curious George, Amelia Bedelia, Harry Potter, Fancy Nancy and Charlie Brown roamed the hallways. The school also held a parade of characters at the end of the day, with more reading favorites from The American Girl series, Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones and The Cat in the Hat (along with, of course, Thing 1 and Thing 2).
For a photo gallery, click here.
The goals of “Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!” were to promote literacy throughout the state by raising awareness of the programs and projects offered by the Department of Education and its partner agencies and organizations, and most of all, to promote the enjoyment of reading for children and adults of all ages.
In addition to Storybook Character day, classes at Bratt Elementary participate in “Buddy Reading” as older students read aloud to younger students. Every morning on closed circuit television a “mystery reader” read a story and students had to make a guess to identify the reader. “Drop Everything and Read” occurred throughout the school each day, and on Tuesday the students joined others across Escambia County to contribute to the Million Minute Marathon by reporting to the state the total minutes they read on that day.
“The Reading Leadership Team at Bratt Elementary would like to thank all participants and parents for helping make reading fun,” said Lee Cassady, Bratt’s reading coach.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from “Celebrate Literacy Week” at Bratt Elementary School. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FHSAA Approves New Rural Division With Northview, Jay; Tate In 1-6A
January 29, 2011
It’s official — the Florida High School Athletic Association’s new Rural Division, the new 1A, has been approved with small schools like Northview and Jay.
Football maintained its eight-class structure, with the lowest two classifications designated and renamed as 2A (Urban) and 1A (Rural). That means classes will now be from 1A to 8A; schools such as Tate would remain in a class 1-4A will actually be in a renamed 1-6A class.
Baseball, basketball, softball and girls volleyball increased to eight classifications, with the lowest two classifications designated as 2A (Urban) and 1A (Rural).
The new Class1A (Rural) includes 36 schools for football, with District 1 comprised of Northview, Jay, Freeport and Baker. In boys basketball, girls basketball, softball and baseball, Northview and Jay will join Baker, Chipley, Freeport and Holmes County (Bonifay) in 2-1A Rural. For girls volleyball, 1-1A will include Northview, Jay, Laurel Hills, Central and Baker.
Class 1-6A, the former 1-4A, will include Tate, Escambia, Milton, Pace, Pensacola, Pine Forest and Washington. For boys basketball, girls basketball, softball, baseball, and volleyball, District 1-6A will be made up of Tate, Escambia, Milton, Navarre, Pace, Pensacola, Pine Forest and Washington
The complete new Florida High School Athletic Association districts for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years are available by clicking the sport name below:
Little League Ball Registration Continues
January 29, 2011
Registration is continuing for Century Little League, Molino Recreation Association at Don Sutton Park and Northwest Escambia Little League at Walnut Hill’s Bradberry Park. Details for all three parks are below.
Century Little League
Century Little League Registration will be Saturday, February 5 and February 12 from 9-11 a.m. at Showalter Park.
Molino Recreation Association will hold registration each Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. through February 19 at Don Sutton Park. The annual draft will be February 19 at 3 p.m.
Registration fees are $50 for the first child, $45 for the second, $40 for the third and free for additional players from the same family. A birth certificate copy is required to be on file for each child.
Registration fees are $50 for the first child, $45 for the second, $40 for the third and free for additional players from the same family. A birth certificate copy is required to be on file for each child.
Click here for complete Molino Ballpark registration information in printable form.
Northwest Escambia Little League registration has been extended. Registration will be held Saturday, February 5 from 9 a.m. until noon and Saturday, February 12 from 9-10 a.m. at Bradberry Park for ages 3-18. Tryouts will be Saturday, February 12 at 10 a.m. Junior and Senior leagues can register until March 19.
A copy of the child’s birth certificate is required for registration.
Registration fees are $40 for the first child, $30 for the second child and free for additional children. The child will be measured for their uniform, and there will be a $20 deposit toward each child’s uniform fee.
For more information on NWE, call (850) 327-4579 or 327-6843 after 5 p.m.
Yard Sale Today To Benefit Ransom Middle Chorus
January 29, 2011
The Ransom Middle School Chorus will hold a huge rummage sale this morning. The sale will take place in the school cafeteria from 7:30 a.m. until noon with a wide variety of items.
Ransom is located at 1000 West Kingsfield Road in Cantonment. All proceeds benefit the Ransom Middle School Chorus.
Florida Weekly Government Roundup
January 29, 2011
As the swordfish in the governor’s kitchen broiled this week, the press corps stewed, and then was left out and got cold.
Tallahassee insiders this week were a twitter about the increasingly icy relationship between the governor’s office and the traditional media – a sideshow that distracted a bit from meatier issues that were being discussed in Florida government this week, from immigration to the role of the courts versus the Legislature, to redistricting, property insurance and a deepening hole in the state budget.
Several of the state’s largest business groups that normally support Republican initiatives asked lawmakers to turn the temperature down a bit on the immigration debate because the state’s economy and culture are indelibly linked to foreign labor, and to the state’s positive image around the world.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida – two of the largest business lobbies in the state – told a Senate panel that foreign-born workers, both legal and illegal, bring more to the table economically than they take away in state expenses for education, criminal justice, health and social service programs.
They also were not ready to bless the federal E-Verify system, an Internet-based program to track immigrant status at the job site. It is flawed and not ready to be relied upon by businesses to accurately determine who to hire, they said, giving lawmakers something to chew on.
Over in the House, the lower chamber’s point man on immigration was trying to take the issue off the high heat as well. Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, who has been fine-tuning an immigration proposal he made several months ago, said this week that he would be willing to look at changes to make the plan less like the Arizona law that has been criticized as unnecessary in a non-border state like Florida.
The House Judiciary Committee talked for two-hours about the subject in its first meeting since new lawmakers were sworn into office in November. Lawmakers remain far from voting on any final product, though.
Also simmering this week was an economic situation in the state no one would want to have a celebratory dinner about. The Senate’s budget chief said that deeper budget cuts may be needed to keep the state’s bond rating pristine, because the recipe for firm financial footing with Wall Street may involve higher reserves.
Senate Ways and Means chair J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said legislators should consider setting aside $2.5 billion in reserves – roughly 10 percent of state tax collections – to avoid the risk of financial analysts downgrading the state’s bond rating.
State government debt climbed to $28.2 billion last year – up almost $2 billion from a year earlier, according to the state’s Division of Bond Finance. That meant while lawmakers were trying to trim close to $3.6 billion from the state budget, the tide of red ink last year forced $2.1 billion to be taken from Florida’s $70 billion spending plan just to cover debt service.
That’s pretty serious stuff, but still, many in the Capitol this week were distracted by talk of a dinner at the Governor’s Mansion. Gov. Rick Scott dined with Reps. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, Chris Dorworth, R-Heathrow, two future speakers of the House, as well as Carlos Lopez Cantera, R-Miami. However, he didn’t let the press in, leaving several reporters outside. A columnist from one organization, Sunshine State News, did get an invite and attended, but it didn’t do much to improve relations with a press corps used to more access.
REDRAWING THE DISTRICTING DEBATE
Gov. Scott may not have had the press over for dinner this week, but he did move to slow down the process for getting federal approval for congressional districts in Florida, a move opponents said was designed to put new constitutional redistricting standards in jeopardy.
It became apparent this week that earlier this month, Scott sent a letter to DOJ withdrawing the request for preclearance of the Florida plan. And the Florida House joined a lawsuit filed against the plan by African-American Congresswoman Corrine Brown, a Democrat, and Hispanic Rep., Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican.
Neither development made supporters of the amendments – mainly outmanned Democrats – happy.
“The governor needs to remember that only 48 percent of Floridians voted for his candidacy,” Democrat Senate Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston, said. “The Fair Districts Amendments 5 and 6 passed with 63 percent of the votes cast.”
A spokesman for Scott, however, denied that there was any intent to try to stall the new standards from being used, and noted that there’s plenty of time.
“Consistent with Gov. Scott’s effort to assess the rules, regulations and contracts of the previous administration, he has withdrawn the letter requesting a DOJ review of Amendments 5 and 6,” Scott spokesman Brian Hughes said Tuesday. “Census data has not been transmitted to the state yet and the Legislature will not undertake redistricting for months, so this withdrawal in no way impedes the process of redrawing Florida’s legislative and congressional districts.”
The House made no bones about its intentions, however.
“The U.S. Constitution delegates authority to the state legislatures to draw congressional districts,” House spokeswoman Katie Betta said. “The House believes its constitutional authority has been impeded by Amendment 6.”
SALT THAT DREAM AWAY
Attorney General Pam Bondi said this week that she had a nightmare that a previously-legal substance had killed someone and she had not done anything to stop it.
So pretty much as soon as she woke up she did something to stop it.
Bondi moved to outlaw Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) after Panhandle sheriffs warned it was being used as a drug. The substance is commonly sold as bath salts. But Bondi said its effects are very uncommon.
“One of the side effects of this drug is it makes you think you see monsters,” Bondi told reporters. “It makes you think you can fly.”
And because “there are a lot of balconies out there,” Bondi said she had to act fast, establishing a 90-day emergency ban to protect spring breakers.
SENATE BFFS
Elsewhere this week, U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio went on a date – to the State of the Union. Florida’s split Senate ticket joined several other bipartisan pairings of lawmakers who decided to forgo tradition for the annual presidential address and sit with someone of the other party. No word on if they dined together – there wasn’t any press coverage, if they did, anyway.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Senate Ways and Means chair J.D. Alexander said Florida should set aside $2.5 billion in reserves to keep a strong debt rating – which would put budget writers in the position of needing to find more than $6 billion to make it balance. Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott’s rift with the capitol press corps escalated into a bit of a food fight.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Where else in the US does the press corps insist on man-to-man coverage at the Governor’s dinner table?” a tweet from Scott Communications Director Brian Burgess.
By Keith Laing
The News Service Florida
the road to the crown: Miss NHS Pageant Is Tonight
January 29, 2011
Today, it’s part six of our multi-part series “the road to the crown” as we follow 25 young ladies at Northview High School in their quest for the crown and the title of “Miss Northview High School” for 2011.
The pageant is tonight at 7:00, and NorthEscambia.com will have the new Miss Northview High School and all the photos here Sunday morning.
To see a photo of each girl and read their biographical information click for part one, part two and part three of our series from this week. For behind the scenes photos from a recent practice, click here.
Pictured top: Participants in this year’s Miss Northview High School 2011 are: (front, L-R) Courtney Weaver, Tiffany Sutton, Ashley Mooney, Caitlyn Brown, Lauren McCall, Morgan Digmon, and Jessica Warner, (middle) Mallory Bell, Allie Bryan, Abby Odom, Mariah Albritton, Lauren Cloud, Brooke Tullis, Brittany Thompson, Ashley Cunningham, and Ariel Holland, (back) Sarah Killam, Rebekah Sepulveda, Lauryn Walker, Megan Ryan, Morgan Smith, Hayley Simpson, Tabitha Steege, Clarissa Ross, and Charleigh McPherson. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Names Teacher Of The Year Finalists, Santa Rosa County Names Winner
January 28, 2011
Finalists for Escambia County Teacher of the Year were named Friday afternoon.
The finalists are:
- Theresa Anderson – Oakcrest Elementary School
- Emily King – Woodham Middle School
- Maribeth Majewski – Brentwood Elementary School
- Emily McMillan – Ferry Pass Elementary School
- Dynita Padgett – Warrington Elementary School
The Teacher of the Year for the School District of Escambia County will be announced at the Golden Apple Awards Dinner, sponsored by the Escambia County Schools Foundation, on Thursday, February 24 at the Naval Aviation Museum.
Also Friday, Santa Rosa County named Annette Smith of S.S. Dixon Intermediate as Teacher of the Year. Other nominees were Kenda Parker of Santa Rosa High and Tammie White of Holley-Navarre Intermediate.
Suspect Charged In Ax-Wielding Home Invasion Of Elderly Woman
January 28, 2011
Multiple charges have been filed against a man in connection with the ax-wielding home invasion of an 85-year old woman Thursday afternoon.
Fred Clay Reed, 42, of Bessemer, Ala., was charged with first degree burglary, first degree robbery and second degree theft of property, according to Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff Grover Smith.
The incident began about 1:30 p.m. on Godwin Road just west of Flomaton. Authorities said Reed broke into the woman’s isolated home and threatened her with the ax while demanding money. After a brief struggle, the elderly woman was able to break free. Reed fled the scene into a nearby wooded area.
The woman was not seriously injured.
K-9 units from the Century Correctional Institution and the Alabama Department of Corrections joined officers from several law enforcement agencies in searching for the suspect. About 3 p.m., a man matching the suspect’s description attempted to force a log truck to stop on Highway 31. When he was unable to get into the log truck, he reportedly ran south from Highway 31. The log truck driver and passing motorist alerted deputies, who quickly apprehended Reed on Old Atmore Road.
Smith said K-9 officers were able to recover the woman’s purse which contained an undisclosed amount of money.
The Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriffs’ Office, Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, Flomaton Police Department, Poarch Creek Police Department, Atmore Police Department and District Attorney’s Office Investigators all took part in the manhunt.
“The Escambia County SO would like to thank the public for their assistance and quick response in the apprehension of this convicted felon,” Sheriff Smith said. “The suspect was a convicted felon, with an extensive past criminal history and had recently been released from prison in 2008.”
Godwin Road is a narrow dirt road about three miles west of Flomaton, not far from the intersection of Old Atmore Road and Highway 31 and just north of Alabama/Florida line.
Pictured top: Officers Fred Clay Reed Thursday afternoon in an Alabama home invasion. Pictured inset: Authorities investigate a Thursday home invasion. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.