Photos: Fall Fishing
September 27, 2011
Residents at Century Care Center kicked off the first full week of fall with a little fishing Monday morning at the Old Mill Pond located at the facility.
Submitted photos by Mae Hildreth for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mims Announces Escambia, Ala., Probate Judge Candidacy
September 27, 2011
Escambia County (Ala.) Probate Judge Emilie Mims officially announced Monday night that she’s seeking office again as a Republican.
Mims has held the office since 2008 when she was appointed by then Gov. Bob Riley to replace the retiring Rachel Agerton. During her tenure as probate judge, Mims has handled over 1,000 cases in probate court and has overseen numerous elections.
“It is a great honor to serve the citizens of Escambia County, Ala., as probate judge,” Mims said. “I am proud of the progress we have made at the probate office and court and look forward to continuing. My background with the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce, working with agencies across the county, had proved to be a great training for this position.”
Prior to becoming probate judge, Mims worked for 17 years as executive director of the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce
The primary for Escambia County, Ala., offices will be March 13, 2012, with a runoff if needed on April 24 and the general election on November 6, 2012.
Jay Names Homecoming Court
September 27, 2011
It’s homecoming week for the Jay High School Royals. Members of the school’s homecoming court are seniors Makayla Paul, Tessa Hendricks, Cara Cassady and Tori Reid. Other members of the JHS Homecoming Court are sophomore Kayla Flowers, junior Sha Kinder and freshman Makenzie Bray.
The Jay homecoming queen will be crowned Thursday morning.
Pictured top: The 2011 Jay High School Homecoming court: (front, L-R) Kayla Flowers, sophomore; Sha Kinder, junior; Makenzie Bray, freshman; (middle L-R) Cara Cassady, senior; Tori Reid, senior; (back, L-R) Makayla Paul, senior; Tessa Hendricks, senior. Submitted photo by Photo by Fischer for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lawsuit Seeks To Block Welfare Recipient Drug Tests
September 27, 2011
A federal judge in Orlando on Monday gave Florida officials 14 days to respond to a lawsuit challenging the state’s ability to drug test applicants for temporary cash assistance.
Following testimony Monday morning, U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven refused to immediately issue an injunction barring the Department of Children and Families from conducting the drug screens for new applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
A lawsuit filed by a University of Central Florida student, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, is asking the federal court to strike down the law passed by Florida lawmakers earlier this year. Attorneys for Luis Lebron contend the blanket screenings are unconstitutional because they amount to suspicionless searches.
Scriven took the motion for an immediate injunction under advisement. She can rule on it before the 14-day extension she granted the state to counter Lebron’s motion for class action status on behalf of other TANF recipients who must now pay for and pass drug tests before receiving cash benefits.
Lebron’s attorneys argued that the state had no reason to suspect that he abused drugs. Lacking any concern over public safety, the state is barred from making such a presumption, they said.
“The governor and the Legislature sent their lawyers into court today to advance a very startling proposition. They argue that some Floridians, namely poor families with children who qualify for temporary public assistance, are not protected by the Constitution of the United States,” said ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon.
The state countered that Lebron was allowed to seek benefits or not and he chose to forgo the federal assistance by not taking a test.
“No one forces an applicant to take the test. The plaintiff was notified of his right to refuse and has exercised that right,” the state wrote in its initial response. “Because any invasion of the plaintiff’s privacy rights is purely consensual, no search within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures has occurred.”
A U.S. Navy veteran, Lebron is a single, custodial father who is scheduled to graduate in December. He was denied benefits when he refused to take the test, which costs between $25 and $45.
Backers of the measure, including Gov. Rick Scott, say private businesses have been requiring such tests for years and government should be no different. A survey released Wednesday by the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association, a trade group for testing companies, found 57 percent of employers conduct drug tests on all job candidates.
Critics argue that recipients are being singled out based on a myth that poor people are more likely to use illegal drugs. They point out that other government programs such as student loans, food stamps and business grants do not require recipients to be screened for drug use.
So far, the state says only 2 percent of recipients have tested positive for illegal drugs, a failure rate that is below that of the general population. A 2009 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that 8.7 percent of Americans age 12 and older reported using illicit drugs.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
Pizza Delivery Driver, 19, Murdered Outside Domino’s
September 26, 2011
Escambia County homicide investigators are working through a number of leads in the Saturday night murder of a 19-year-old pizza delivery driver.
Tyler John Hinkle, a 2010 West Florida High School graduate, was attacked outside the Domino’s Pizza at 27 North Navy Blvd. at around 10:40 p.m. Saturday night. Hinkle (pictured) was able to walk into the restaurant to seek help from co-workers before he collapsed, according to deputies.
“Tyler was stabbed in the chest by an unknown assailant”, said sheriff’s office spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn. “He was transported to Baptist Hospital by ambulance but he succumbed to his injuries, shortly after arriving at the emergency room.”
Investigators say there were no witnesses at the time of the attack and they have not yet identified a suspect. They believe robbery was a motive in the death of Hinkle. Friends said that Hinkle had just returned to the pizza restaurant after making a delivery.
“We are asking anyone with information concerning this case to contact us,” said Welborn.
Anyone who may have information related to this case is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
No Injuries In Molino Wreck
September 26, 2011
There were no injuries in a wreck Monday afternoon on Highway 95A near Molino, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The driver of a of car left the roadway and overturned, with the vehicle coming to rest upside down near Danielle Lane about 12:15 p.m. Submitted photo by Christy Lowery for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Library, Community Center, County Offices Price Tag: $2.95 Million
September 26, 2011
Bids are in on a project to renovate the old Molino School into a community center, museum and library, and to construct a new building to house offices for the tax collector and property appraiser.
At their October 6 meeting, the Escambia County Commission is expected to award the project to low bidder Birkshire Johnstone, LLC for $2,950,000. Each of the seven other bidders on the project submitted bids ranging from a $3.03 million to $3.48 million.
The project’s original plans called for a library, complete with the usual shelves of books, children’s areas and computer terminals. But without funding for daily operations and employee salaries, library plans were first shelved. The county needed thousands more to complete building renovations for a library, including the addition of more structural supports under the building’s 72-year old floor to accommodate thousands of pounds of books.
After $700,000 in local option sales tax (LOST) funds were reprioritized at the request of County Administrator Randy Oliver, an additional $1.8 million was funneled to the project to once again include a library.
Pictured top: A conceptual drawing of the Molino School after renovation. Pictured below: A recent photo of the building. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Meteor? Strange Falling Object Reported Across Gulf Coast
September 26, 2011
People all across the Gulf Coast reported seeing a large, perhaps green object streaking through the skies about 7:20 p.m. Sunday.
So far, there’s no official word on exactly what the object was. NorthEscambia.com and other media outlets received sighting reports from around the area — Atmore, Walnut Hill, Cantonment, Mobile and Pensacola. WKRG TV reports that their meteorologist Johnathan Owens saw the object, which he described on his Facebook page as likely a small piece of an asteroid or a large meteor – and obviously completely burned up in the atmosphere”.
Did you see the object? Did you happen to get a picture? Email news@northescambia.com and let us know.
District Football Standings
September 26, 2011
Four weeks into the high school football season, there have not yet been any district games in District 1-1A, while District 1-6A teams have paired off.
In District 1-1A, week five will also not have any district games. Each team has one non-district loss, except for Jay with three.
In District 1-6A, Pace, Pensacola and Escambia all have one district win, while Pine Forest, Milton and Tate each have one district loss. Washington has not yet played a district game.
All of the teams will be in district action Friday night, with the exception of PHS with an open date.
Pictured: Escambia defeats Tate (top), Northview slams South Walton (inset), and Flomaton beat Jay (bottom of page). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Evers Files Veteran’s Bills
September 26, 2011
During the first week of committee meetings for the 2012 legislative session, local Sen. Greg Evers filed or cosponsored three veterans’ related bills.
Senate Bill 138, or the “T. Patt Maney Veterans’ Treatment Intervention Act,” would provide that veterans found to have committed a criminal offense may have a hearing on that issue before sentencing — when they maintain that the offense resulted from post-traumatic stress disorder or other physical or psychological problem that stemmed from service in combat in the military.
“Through the creation of these ‘veteran’s courts’ it is my sincere hope that we can provide the necessary treatment to the men and women who served our country in wartime,” Ever said of the bill he cosponsored.
Ever also cosponsored Senate Bill 94 would allow priority course registration for veterans who meet eligibility requirements at Florida College System institutions and state universities. It would also encourage independent post-secondary schools to provide priority course registration for veterans.
Evers filed Senate Bill 310 to provide for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross and Air Force Cross license plates, without requiring payment of the license tax, to service men and women who received those awards.