Evers Bill Would Prevent Local Governments From Regulating Guns
March 7, 2011
Florida Sen. Greg Evers has introduced a bill that would restrict any local government control over guns.
Evers, who represents the North Escambia area, had introduced a bill this session that would allow people over 21 with a concealed weapons permit to openly carry guns on college campus. Evers recently told a group of students at the University of West Florida that the open carry law would make colleges safer, with gun owners able to use their weapons to protect themselves and others. Another bill would prevent doctors from asking a patient if he or she owns a gun.
Evers’ latest bill would allow only the state and federal government to regulate guns, superseding any local gun control laws.
Emma Lee Reynolds
March 7, 2011
Emma Lee Reynolds, 87, formerly of Walnut Hill and a resident of Blount County, AL, died Friday March 4, 2011, at Oneonta, AL, at the Golden Living Center She was born in Walnut Hill on November 20, 1923, to the late Dovie B. and Lillie Williams Phillips.
Mrs. Reynolds was a member of Grove Hill Baptist Church in Alabama, where she taught children’s Sunday School, was a WMU leader and cooked for the weekly church meal. She was known for a green thumb for growing flowers.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Hunter Thomas Reynolds; two brothers, Willard Phillips and Clarence Phillips; and one sister, Merlene D. Sowell.
She is survived by two sons: Larry Reynolds and wife, Frances of Jackson, MS, Marvin Reynolds and wife, Jeannie of Somerset, KY; three daughters, Pam Middlebrook and husband, James of Tuscaloosa, Marilyn Calvert and husband, Roger of Remlap, AL, Dr. Loretta Reynolds and husband, Dr. Eddie Broadhead of Berea, KY; two brothers, Lindy Phillips of Davisville and D.L. Phillips of North Carolina; two sisters, Jean Soloman of Davisville, and Ethel Wilcox of Loxley; 10 grandchildren, Jan, Blake, Donna Larry ,Jr. Debbie, Melissa, David, Emily, Matthew and Christen; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Services were Sunday March 6, 2011 at 2 p.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Loretta Reynolds officiating. Interment followed in McCullough Cemetery. Family received friends, Sunday March 6, 2011 at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
1 Hr. prior to service time.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, INC in charge of all arrangements. Atmore, Al.
Ernest Ward Middle School Names Students Of The Month
March 7, 2011
Ernest Ward Middle School Students of the Month for February have been named. They are Abigail Gudell, Annie Bobo and Thomas Moore.
Pictured: EWMS Students of the Month for February are Abigail Gudell, (left) Annie Bobo and Thomas Moore. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Soil And Water Conservation District Goes Online
March 7, 2011
Have you ever wondered what the Escambia County Soil and Water Conservation District is, and exactly what they do? Now you can find out with the click of a mouse.
The ESWCD has created a blog to keep citizens informed about their activities — escambiaswcd.blogspot.com. The site contains and will be updated with information about the District, board minutes and activities.
The ESWCD is “A Special District covering Escambia County, Florida established to provide for control and prevention of soil erosion and for furthering the conservation, development and utilization of soil and water resources, and the disposal of water, to preserve natural resources, control floods, assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors, preserve wildlife, protect the tax base and public lands, and protect and promote the health, safety and general welfare of the people”.
To visit the Escambia County Soil and Water Conservation District blog, click here.
Bessie R. Couch
March 7, 2011
Bessie R. Couch, 81 of Robertsdale died Saturday March 5, 2011, at Robertsdale Health Care Center. She was a retired seamstrees from Vanity Fair Mills. She was born in Atmore on April 5, 1929. to the late Pearlie H. and Mary E. Jernigan Turberville.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Eugene Carpenter; four brothers, John Ed Turberville, James Turberville, Vernon Turberville, and Paul Turberville; and one sister, Alice Vaughn.
She is survived by a daughter, Patsy Carpenter of Robertsdale; three brothers, William Turberville of Dublin, Ga., Clinton Turberville and Cecil Turberville both of Mobile; three sisters, Louise Gibson of Robertsdale, Margaret Lingerfelt of Pensacola, Helen Williams of Robertsdale; three grandchildren, Rachael Miller of Prattville, Candace Gray of Millbrook, Hillary Emmons of Jay five great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be Tuesday March 8, 2011, at 11 a.m. from The Springhill Primative Baptist Church with Bro. Charles Ellis and Bro. Bobby Willis officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Wayne Dugger, Timothy Baggett, Gary Baggett, Michael Baggett, Justen Turberville and Gregory Turberville.
Family will receive friends Tuesday March 8, 2011, at the church one hour prior to service time.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc in charge of all arrangements.
Top Honors For Twirler
March 7, 2011
Colbi Kendall of Flomaton placed first in two categories this weekend in the Alabama State Baton Twirling Championship in Clanton.
Competing against girls from across the state, Kendall placed first in the 1 and 2 Baton categories in the 10-12 year old age category. Her instructor is Melissa Majors of the Santa Rosa and Escambia Twirlers.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘Patients’ Right To Know’ Issue Back In Florida
March 7, 2011
Six years after Florida voters approved the “Patients’ Right to Know” amendment, hospitals are still challenging its implementation. On Tuesday, that battle goes to the state Supreme Court.
The amendment gives patients — and, by extension, their lawyers — greater access to internal hospital records about foul-ups that might have caused injuries or deaths.
In the case to be argued before the court, patient Lynda See sued West Florida Hospital in Pensacola after allegedly suffering a severed bile duct and liver damage during 2003 surgeries. She asked for hospital incident reports related to her surgeries and sought credentialing information about the doctors involved.
In part, the hospital argues that “Amendment 7,” as it is often called because of its position on the 2004 ballot, violates the U.S. Constitution. They say it conflicts with a federal law that relies on internal medical-staff meetings – so-called “peer reviews” — to weed out incompetent doctors.
This dispute has been going on ever since the amendment’s passage by more than 80 percent of Florida voters. The Florida Supreme court has consistently ruled in favor of access to records.
In March 2008, the court threw out an after-the-fact legislative attempt to shut off some of that access. Recently, the court refused to hear an appeal filed by Shands teaching hospital.
“These issues affect the legal rights of all health-care providers and facilities in Florida, as well as the rights of all individuals who may claim entitlement to access records under Amendment 7,” Shands argued in trying to get the court to consider the appeal.
Bill Bell, general counsel for the Florida Hospital Association, said Amendment 7 is vague, which has caused questions about how it should work.
Lincoln Connolly, an attorney for former Shands patient Michael Baldwin, said he routinely has to fight with hospitals to get records under the amendment. He said hospitals are trying to avoid having to turn over the information.
“The health-care industry’s trying to get the courts to take a very restrictive view of what falls within Amendment 7,” said Connolly, whose client alleges he suffered injuries to his larynx and throat during a 2003 procedure at Shands.
A group backed by trial lawyers put the amendment on the 2004 ballot, after a fierce legislative fight in 2003 about restricting medical-malpractice lawsuits. Two other medical-malpractice amendments — one pushed by trial lawyers, one by doctors — also passed in 2004 but have had little effect.
The “right to know” amendment, however, has continued to generate controversy, as lawyers seek information that can be used to bolster malpractice cases.
A key question is the types of records hospitals must disclose. In the West Florida case, that has even led to a dispute about whether the hospital has to turn over blank application forms that are used when doctors seek medical-staff privileges.
West Florida also raises a bigger-picture argument about whether Amendment 7 violates the so-called Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That clause generally says federal laws trump state laws when they are in conflict.
The hospital said in court briefs that confidentiality is an “indispensable component of effective and reliable peer review” — an internal process that hospitals use to investigate incidents and the performances of doctors.
West Florida contends that a loss of confidentiality under Amendment 7 undermines a federal health law. That law requires hospitals to report information to a national data bank, in an effort to prevent bad doctors from moving state to state.
But See’s attorneys dismiss such arguments, saying Congress made clear that it was not interfering with state laws about disclosing peer-review information. The 1st District Court of Appeal sided with See’s position in a 2009 ruling.
“In enacting the (law), Congress did not provide for confidentiality of peer-review records or communications,” the appeals court wrote.
Alzheimer’s Support Group To Meet Wednesday
March 7, 2011
Alzheimer’s Family Services provides monthly support groups for family members or friends coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
A support group meeting will take place Wednesday, March 9 at 10:00 a.m. at Century United Methodist Church at 530 Church Street. The support group is free but registration is required to attend, and respite care is available in most locations.
Support Groups are a means for caregivers and others interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s disease to exchange ideas, gather information and discuss their concerns with others who are dealing or have dealt with the same issues. To register for this support group or for additional information, call (850) 478-7790 or visit www.AlzFamServ.org.
Alzheimer’s Family Services is a not-for-profit organization serving individuals and families in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties in Florida as well as Escambia County in Alabama. Our mission is to provide education and emotional support through a variety of services including: memory screens, support groups, tracking devices for wandering patients, respite, and counseling. AFS is an affiliate of Covenant Hospice.
SWAT Stand-Off Ends With Arrest Of Escambia County Man
March 6, 2011
An Escambia County man was arrested by a SWAT team after barricading himself in his residence in an attempt to avoid arrest.
At around 9:57 a.m. Escambia County deputies attempted to make contact with 32-year-old Don Hawkins Longfellow at 407 Lenox Parkway. He refused to comply with the requests of the deputies and barricaded himself in his residence.
Longfellow was wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on charges of grand theft auto and petit theft. He also was also wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery and resisting arrest stemming from a Pensacola Police Department case.
“He was holding a female hostage and we had reason to believe that he was armed,” said Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn. “Our SWAT team was activated and the situation was resolved shortly after they arrived.”
The Sheriff’s Office did not identify the female hostage due to an on-going investigation.
At around 11:30 a.m. members of the SWAT team had Longfellow in custody and he was transported to the county jail.
Residential Recycling: Over Half Of ECUA Customers Go Green
March 6, 2011
Two years after voluntary residential recycling was made available by the Emerald Coast Utility Authority, over half of their customers are taking part.
The ECUA recycling program debuted on January 5, 2009, as part of the regular residential sanitation program. Now just over two years later, 53 percent of ECUA’s 73,000 customers have chosen to use the program.
“The recycling service continues to evolve with tremendous success. Over 39,000 customers are currently participating in the program,” according to Randy Rudd, ECUA’s director of sanitation services. “We are currently collecting 170 tons of recyclable materials, per week, which is the average weekly tonnage for the year-to-date on all ECUA routes.”
During the week of January 4 through January 10 of this year the ECUA collected a two-year program record of 196 tons of recyclable materials. ECUA is currently delivering an average of about 50 new cans per week to customers who have requested to join the recycling program.
For a complete list of items accepted for recycling by ECUA, click here. For more information on taking part in the recycling program, contact ECUA customer service at (850) 476-0480 or visit www.ecua.org.