Molino Man Charged With Arson For Burning Foreclosed Home
March 16, 2011
A Molino man has been charged with setting fire to his home that was in foreclosure last fall.
George Thomas Alexander, 49, is facing a felony arson charge in connection with the fire in the 3500 block of Molino Road on October 6, 2010. He was arrested Monday night by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office and released from the Escambia County Jail on $10,000 bond.
According to Lt. Kevin Fiedor with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the unoccupied home was in foreclosure and had no power and no gas. He said the fire appeared to have started in the rear of the home.
“The fire obviously started with human intervention,” Fiedor said. Damage to the brick home was estimated at about $65,000.
The Molino, Cantonment, McDavid, Century, Walnut Hill and Beulah stations of Escambia Fire Rescue worked for hours to fully extinguish the blaze.
For more photos from the blaze, click here.
NorthEsambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Dry, Sunny Weather Through The Weekend
March 16, 2011
Our great weather will continue, with highs climbing each day toward the 80 degree mark.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78.
Florida DOC To Close Three Prisons: Century CI Not On List
March 16, 2011
The Florida Department of Corrections announced plans Tuesday to close three prisons, two boot camp programs and another facility as a way of saving $30 million that agency officials say can be done without releasing any inmates early.
A North Escambia prison — the Century Correctional Institution was not on the planned closure list as the DOC announced plans to close Brevard Correctional Institution near Cocoa, Hendry Correctional Institution in Immokalee and Hillsborough Correctional Institution in Riverview. Also on the block for closure will be the Tallahassee Road Prison, the Lowell Correctional Institution Boot Camp and the Sumter Boot Camp.
Prisons officials also claim they can do it without many layoffs. A statement from the department said “the bulk” of the cost savings would be generated through employee attrition.
Corrections Secretary Edwin Buss said last week that with about 350 jobs a month turning over in the system, not filling them could give the agency almost all the cuts it needs.
Staff at the facilities slated for closure will be offered jobs at other institutions, prisons officials said.
“This plan is the right thing to do because it will save Florida taxpayers millions of dollars,” Buss said in a release. “The facilities to be closed are older and require more resources to operate than newer institutions. Additionally, this initiative will provide the department with an opportunity to consolidate program resources which will allow for seamless delivery of evidence based programs aimed to reduce recidivism.”
The state prison system currently has a surplus of beds, according to prison officials.
An agency statement said the phase out of the facilities would begin immediately with an eye toward completion at the end of June.
While the administration of Gov. Rick Scott has clashed with legislators over the authority to make certain moves without legislative approval, the chairman of the Senate committee that writes the criminal justice budget said Tuesday that Buss is within his authority to close and consolidate prisons without legislative approval.
Fasano, however, is working on a draft criminal justice budget that contemplates far fewer reductions, cutting 85 positions for a savings of just $5.5 million.
Closure of the facility in Brevard County, which has about 350 employees, may be particularly difficult – the area has been hit hard by the slowdown in the space industry and the end of the space shuttle program. Florida Today newspaper in Melbourne reported that prison officials said only 238 of those workers at the Brevard facility would be offered jobs elsewhere, though many of those jobs may be made empty by attrition.
The department said shuttering the facilities would save $30.8 million this year, and $25 million in out years.
The Legislature is looking to cut $3.6 billion from the current year budget to close a gap between revenue and spending. Lawmakers will get an update Friday on how much revenue is expected to be available, which will be the basis for the budget they’ll write this month and next.
David Royse, The News Service Florida contributed to this report.
Ernest Ward To Hold FCAT Chats With Parents
March 16, 2011
Ernest Ward Middle School is inviting parents and guardians to “FCAT Chats” to learn more about how to help their student succeed on the FCAT test.
Parents and guardians will have an opportunity to discuss their student’s FCAT scores and areas that need improvement for better scores this year one-on-one with a teacher.
A dinner of hamburgers/cheeseburgers, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, potato chips, dessert and drinks will be served to participants.
The event will take place 5:30 until 7:00 on Thursday, March 24 at Ernest Ward Middle Schools. Reservations must be made by Monday, March 21 by call the school at (850) 327-4283.
Local Flood Photos Featured In National Weather Service Booklet
March 16, 2011
A new National Weather Service publication about the dangers of weather includes a couple of local area photos.
The “Alabama All Hazards Awareness Book” includes three NorthEscambia.com photos of flooding in downtown Atmore on December 14, 2009, to illustrate the dangers of nighttime flooding. “Be especially cautious at night, when it is harder to recognize flood dangers,” the publication warns.
The publication is an educational publication provided free of charge to citizens throughout the state to enhance natural hazards disaster preparedness, according to Tara Golden of the National Weather Service in Birmingham. The booklet was a joint project of the National Weather Service, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, and the Alabama SKYWARN Foundation.
To view the complete booklet, click here to visit the National Weather Service Forecast Office Birmingham website.
Pictured top: A portion of page from the new “Alabama All Hazards Awareness Book” featuring flooding photos from Atmore. Pictured inset and below: Two of the flood photos used in the booklet; NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Alabama Lawmakers Look To Extend Deer Season
March 16, 2011
Alabama lawmakers are considering a bill that would extend deer season.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn and co-sponsored by Sen. Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill, would extend Alabama’s deer gun season from early November through mid-February.
Senate Bill 124 was introduced March 1 to extend deer season two weeks prior to the opening of regular gun season through the first two weeks after the close of regular gun season and also to allow whitetail deer to be hunted over bait.
The extension into mid-February will allow hunters in the southern part of the state to hunt during the rut (breeding season), according to the grassroots website www.extenddeerseason.com.
Dan Moultrie, chairman of the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board, is not supportive of the plan.
“Once we get the buck-doe ratio down closer to that magic one-to-one, it’ll do two things,” Moultrie said. “One, you’ll have a more intense rut that all our (Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division) management staff has been saying for years. They said let’s not go into February. You get the buck-doe ratio right and you’ll see them in January. Looking at how the herd is improving, it would have been a huge mistake to open a February season.”
‘Make Your Mark’ Tell Local Leaders Your Opinion On Transportation Issues
March 16, 2011
What do you think of transportation in Escambia and surrounding counties? You have a chance to let area leaders know what you think.
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT), in conjunction with the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), is asking all residents to participate in the Transportation Development Plan (TDP) local transit survey for Escambia County.
Residents are encouraged to visit www.TransitSurvey.org to “Make Your Mark” in the community by taking the 2011 bus transit survey online. By participating in the survey, residents can voice their opinion about services and priorities for Escambia County and surrounding counties. The survey component of the study will be available for public input through April 2011.
For North Escambia residents, there is a question that specifically asks for an opinion on the statement “It is a hardship to commute between the Northern part of Escambia County and Pensacola”.
Every five years the TPO, in conjunction with ECAT, conducts a major update of the TDP. This is a requirement of each transit agency receiving state funds from the Florida Department of Transportation. Results from the TDP survey will provide information to the TPO and ECAT on everything from travel patterns to identifying support for local transit services and expanded mobility options.
Debate On Teacher Merit Pay Begins In House
March 16, 2011
The Florida House spent more than three hours Tuesday debating the teacher merit pay bill (SB 736) that ties teacher pay to test scores and eliminates the use of multi-year contracts.
Democrats questioned how school districts could afford to implement these reforms when there is no additional funding for pay increases.
“There are no dollars attached to a merit increase,” said Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach. “So where is the carrot?”
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, said school districts are only required to have an evaluation system tied to test scores in place. It is left up to each school district when to award raises.
The passage of this bill is all but assured because it has the backing of the Republican-dominated House and Senate and the governor. The House is expected to approve the bill on Wednesday after more debate, sending it to Gov. Rick Scott, who is expected to sign it.
Democrats could do little to stop the legislation from advancing Tuesday, instead spending hours on the House floor pointing out what they said were the bill’s flaws and offering amend
Arrest Made In Tate High School Sexual Assault Case
March 15, 2011
A 16-year-old Tate High School student was arrested Tuesday evening after allegedly forcing another student to perform a sex act on him.
Deputies served an arrest warrant on Raymond Eugene Teamer for felony sexual battery and indecent exposure.
For an update to this story, click here.
According to the arrest report, Teamer exposed his genitals to at least four people while attending a class at Tate High School on March 1. He is also accused of grabbing a 14-year-old female by the neck and forcing her head down into his bare crotch.
Teamer is being detained by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice pending review by the court.
An earlier version of this story is below.
An alleged felony sexual battery at Tate High School was not reported by the school’s administration to law enforcement for at least two days, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. But school and school district officials are disputing that claim.
A male athlete allegedly forced a female to perform an intimate sexual act on him in a classroom as other students were in the room, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred March 1 and was reported to the school’s administration no later than March 2, but the incident was not reported to the school resource officer or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office until March 4, according to Deputy Chris Welborn, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
“The school administration knew before March 4 when it was reported to us,” Welborn said. “I’m not trying to say that the school was trying to cover anything up, but they (administrators) were not forthcoming with us.”
Tate High School Principal Rick Shackle said Tuesday afternoon that information was not accurate. He said he was notified of the incident after school hours on March 1, and the school began its investigation on March 2. He said the school’s resource officer was notified on March 2.
“The day we we started our investigation, law enforcement was notified,” Shackle said. “Law enforcement was made aware on March 2.”
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the incident occurred about 11:30 a.m. on March 1 and was reported to David Venittozi, Tate’s dean, on March 2. The report was filed by the school’s resource officer on March 4.
Ross said that, as of late Monday afternoon, he had not seen the Sheriff’s Office report. Both students allegedly involved in the incident have been suspended and may eventually face expulsion, he said, with any further action by the school district dependent on law enforcement and school district investigations.
Ross declined to release any further information about the incident.
Editor’s note: Under Florida law, the identity of a juvenile charged with a felony is public record.
Firefighters Battle Debris, Brush Fire In Cantonment
March 15, 2011
Firefighters from several stations of Escambia Fire Rescue battled a brush and debris fire Tuesday afternoon on Pine Top Lane near Neal Road in Cantonment. The fire consumed a portion of an old shed and several abandoned vehicles. There were no injuries reported.
Pictured above and below: Firefighters battle a fire Tuesday afternoon on Pine Top Lane in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
