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Court Rules Against Tiny Town In Mega Landfill Fight; Public Hearing Thursday

A public hearing on the proposed Conecuh Woods mega-landfill will go on as planned Thursday after a court ruling Tuesday against the tiny town of Repton, Alabama.

Repton, which sits adjacent to the proposed 5,100 acre landfill, filed suit this week against Conecuh Woods LLC and the Conecuh County (Ala.) Commission in an attempt to stop a permit from being issued for landfill. A judge denied the injunction sought by lawyers for the town of 280 residents.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has issued an executive order providing for a moratorium on new landfills in the state, but Thursday’s public hearing will go on as planned.

The public hearing for the Conecuh County Commission to consider approval for Conecuh Woods is set for next  9:00 Thursday morning at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen. The commission has until April 2 to make a decision on the proposal — if the governor’s moratorium does not stop the process.

Numerous counties and cities in the area have passed resolutions against the landfill forwarded to Conecuh commissioners and Alabama’s governor — including Escambia counties in Alabama and Florida, Baldwin County, Century, Atmore and Flomaton.

The Town of Century, which sits directly downstream from the proposed landfill, expressed concerns over potential water quality issues in the Escambia River as a result of the landfill.

Century Mayor Freddie McCall is encouraging as many area residents as possible to attend Thursday’s public hearing in Evergreen.

“Numbers count trying to influence the county commission up there,” McCall said. While he will not be able  to personally attend the hearing due to previously scheduled medical tests, Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez will officially represent the town at the hearing.

Reid State is located just off of I-65 at Exit #96, the northernmost Evergreen exit.

Willard Everett Welch

Mr. Willard Everett Welch, age 80, passed away Tuesday, March 8, 2011, at the Century Care Center.

Mr. Welch was born in Escambia County, AL and spent his lifetime in Flomaton where he was involved in many local activities. He was a member of the Flomaton Quarterback Club for 40 years, was a Master Mason in Lodge #278 in Ensley, FL, president of the McCall Water Board and chairman of the board of Monsanto Credit Union. Mr. Welch was founder and president of the Franklin Hunting Club and vice president of the Alabama Dog Hunters Association.

Mr. Welch was of the Holiness faith and was preceded in death by his wife, Mrs. Katherine T. Welch and a sister, Earnie Forte.

He is survived by a son, Johnny W. (Monica) Lambeth of East Brewton, AL; a sister, Mary Frances Godwin of Century, FL; a grandson, Jerry W. (Sandra) Lambeth of Flomaton, AL.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, March 11, 2011, at 10 a.m. from the chapel of Flomaton Funeral Home with Rev. Ronnie Fore officiating. Interment will follow in Pleasant Home Cemetery.

Visitation will be held at Flomaton Funeral Home on Thursday from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Pallbearers will be Tommy Lambeth, Danny Ray Lambeth, Matt Lambeth, Mitch Lambeth, Tony Yuhasz.

Honorary pallbearers are Robert Holt, Billy Byrd, James Roley, Gerald Cofield, Gerald McArthur, and Frank Meriman.

State Of The State: Scott Tries To Sell Lawmakers On Jobs Agenda

Just like the cold calls he says he makes to businesses that he wants to move to Florida, Gov. Rick Scott gave lawmakers in his first State of the State speech a sales pitch for a government-cutting agenda he promises will create jobs.

In his first true public overture to legislators, Scott on Tuesday evening urged lawmakers to join him in “making job recruitment a daily task.

“I want to encourage each of you to become a ‘Jobs Ambassador’ and direct new prospects to me, so we can work together to recruit potential job creators.”

Scott asked a Legislature that’s been skeptical so far to help him with his budget, assistance that the outsider governor has seemed up to now unconvinced he would need.

But Scott was firm, too, telling legislators that they would be wrong if they didn’t go along with his proposals, which he predicted insiders and “special interests” will try to thwart, and urged lawmakers not to blink in the face of criticism.

“My ‘jobs’ budget has plenty of critics,” Scott said. “Some critics are accustomed to big government and will fight to protect special interests, and there are others who agree on our policy but say that our agenda is too bold – that we need to trim the sails of our imagination and settle for small improvements.

“They’re wrong,” Scott said.

“I did not fight to become the 45th Governor of the greatest state in the nation to settle for a status quo that does not promote the enormous potential of our people,” Scott continued. “And I am completely committed to this mission. It is achievable.”

Scott made no new policy proposals that he hasn’t already rolled out, saying that focusing the state’s economic development and recruitment efforts would be the main thrust of his effort to lower the unemployment rate, along with cutting taxes and reducing regulations.

Even fellow Republicans in the Legislature have been cool to Scott, who has given little indication in his two months in office that he wants to share power with lawmakers.

But GOP legislative leaders have said this week they’re generally in agreement with Scott’s agenda.

“I think what is so important…is that his message in the campaign is his message as governor,” Senate President Mike Haridopolos said after the speech. “That is the kind of leadership that we need where you are focused on the job at hand. Too often people hear one thing at campaign time and something different as they govern. He is matching up his campaign theme with his legislative theme and I think he will be very effective.”

While mentioning the word “job” or “jobs” 31 times in the 27-minute speech, Scott did hit a couple of other themes in his speech, the traditional opener of the annual legislative session.

He acknowledged that school budgets will have to shrink, blaming “the exhaustion of one-time federal handouts,” but said there must still be commitment to make schools better.

He restated his support for teacher merit pay, saying that Florida should “end the practice of guaranteeing educators a job for life regardless of their importance.”

He also called for competition in schools, by expanding charter schools and vouchers for private education.

Scott also renewed calls for lowering unemployment taxes, making it harder to win lawsuits against businesses, and cutting costs in the Medicaid program that provides medical care for the poor and those in nursing homes, though without any new specifics.

But most of the speech focused on his effort to grow the number of jobs in the state. He said businesses were looking at the Capitol before deciding whether to make Florida home.

He pointed into the audience to recognize Dean Minardi, CEO of Bing Energy, who said when the company decided to move its headquarters to Tallahassee from California that while he had been talking to Tallahassee officials since before Scott was elected, the new governor’s proposal to eliminate corporate income tax was a clincher in the decision.

Companies “can locate anywhere,” said Scott. “They will be deciding whether to invest in Florida, based, in part, on our ability to work together to remove the obstacles to business success.”

Democratic critics mostly said Scott’s narrow focus on making the state friendly to businesses missed a larger picture in making the state the kind of place where people want to live.

“Gov. Scott has proposed a 10 percent cut in public school funding and major cuts to our colleges and universities,” said House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders of Key West. “Will businesses want to come to a state that does not properly fund the schools their employees’ children will attend or the colleges from which they will hire their employees?”

Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich of Weston said the recession was caused by largely deregulated “Wall Street insiders.”

“That’s the same kind of hands-off policy Gov. Scott is now seeking for corporations,” said Rich. “…Rather than make meaningful investments to turn around our economy and reduce our budget gap by getting people back to work, the Republican solutions pit health care against education: our seniors in nursing homes against elementary school students, our desperately ill against teachers, our transplant patients against school books and classrooms.”

Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott listens to applause during his first State of the State address Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. Photo by Colin Hackley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

By David Royse and Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida

Students Take Part In History Fair

Over 265 students took part in the Escambia County Florida History Fair competition, with several North Escambia area students placing.

These students Competed in a variety of categories including exhibits, web sites, performances, documentaries and historical papers. Each of these students advanced from their school level competitions.

North Escambia area students placing included: Abbie Johnson, Harmoni Till and Brittney Ward (Ernest Ward Middle), third place Junior Division, Historical Performance; Danielle Suggs and Penny Banda (Ernest Ward Middle), Junior Division, Historical Web Sites; Nick Krostag (Ransom Middle), first place, Historical Web Sites; Asia Cravens and Maya Crosby (Tate High) second place, Senior Group Division, Historical Exhibits.

The complete awards list included:

Historical Performance Awards:

Elementary Individual Division- 1^st Bryce Harvey (NB Cook Elementary), 2^nd Katie Shelnut (McArthur Elementary)

Elementary Group Division- 1^st Delaney Pallas, Elizabeth Teets, Sarah Thomas, and Samantha Mumma (NB Cook Elementary); 2^nd Nevada Wood, Will McDavid, Joshua Sourdif, and Sidney Nelson (NB Cook Elementary); 3^rd Ginna Burton and Hallie Stephenson (NB Cook Elementary)

Junior Division- 1^st Kael Madison(Woodham Middle); 2^nd Blakeley Baker (St. Paul Catholic); 3^rd Abbie Johnson, Harmoni Till and Brittney Ward (Ernest Ward Middle)

Senior Individual Division- 1^st Amanda Patton (Pensacola High School); 2^nd Kourtney Jones (Pensacola High School)

Senior Group Division- 1^st Anthony Miller, Tyler Bryant, and Anthony Dickup (West Florida Technical High School); 2^nd Jackie Oliveros, Mary Videau, Jerry Bustamante and Allie Hybart (Booker T. Washington High School); 3^rd place Ellery Jones, Linda Wong, Clarissa, Gina Nguyen and Marlon Simmons (Pensacola High School)

Historical Web Site Awards:

Junior Websites- 1^st Nick Krostag (Ransom Middle); three way tie for third place: 3^rd Dylan Harris and Clayton Sallions (Bellview Middle); 3^rd Danielle Suggs and Penny Banda (Ernest Ward Middle); 3^rd place Austin Rothfeder and Michael Bearman (Creative Learning)

Senior Individual Website Division- 1^st Robert Mines (West Florida Technical High School); 2^nd Matthew Posner (Booker T. Washington High School)

Senior Group Website Division- 1^st Jeffrey Grosso, Jr. and Justin Wilson (West Florida Technical High School); 2^nd Taylor Martinez, Keimon Lewis, Colton Flanigam and Amanda Bibb (Booker T. Washington High School)

Historical Paper Awards:

Junior Division- 1^st Brianna Leatherwood (Bellview Middle); 2^nd Dante Navarro (Creative Learning); 3^rd Elena Mayhugh (Bellview Middle)

Senior Division- 1^st Caroline Fleischbauer (Pensacola High School); 2^nd Ethan Landrum (Pensacola High School); 3^rd Daphne Green (West Florida Technical High School)

Historical Documentary Awards:

Junior Documentary Division: 1^st Maggie Byrd (Bellview Middle)

Senior Individual Division: 1^st Rebecca Farr(Catholic High School); 2^nd Aron Byrd (Pensacola High School); 3^rd Greg Florian (Catholic High School)

Senior Group Division- 1^st Dilani Patel, Jenny Clements and Andrea Dalilva (West Florida Technical High School); 2^nd William Bond and Alex Anderson (Booker T. Washington High School); 3^rd Kallie Erickson and Andrea Vargas (Catholic High School)

Historical Exhibit Awards:

Elementary Individual Division: 1^stKennedy Roy (Lipscomb Elementary); 2^nd Alexander Pope (Lipscomb Elementary); 3^rd Sarah Puchner (Blue Angel Elementary)

Elementary Group Division: 1^st Bryant Johnecheck and Alex Young (McArthur Elementary); 2^nd Lucas Liseth and Prescott Moore (Lipscomb Elementary); 3^rd Ryan Greene and Jonathan Suveges (McArthur Elementary)

Junior Individual Division: 1^st Mary Jutras (Pensacola Christian); 2^nd Joanna Deng (Bellview Middle); 3^rd Kate Manning (St. Paul’s)

Junior Group Division: 1^st Randolph Gibson and Matthew Alliss (St. Paul’s); 2^nd Greer Coffey, Madison Mougey and Emma Hamrick (St. Paul’s); 3^rd Skylar Peck, Jordan Riddle, and Elizabeth Shin (Bellview Middle)

Senior Individual Division: 1^st Nick Gupta (Pensacola High School); 2^nd Jalen Benson (Pensacola High School); 3^rd Peter Jutras (Catholic High School).

Senior Group Division- 1^st Jacob Sullivan and Daniel Dziadon (Catholic High School); 2^nd Asia Cravens and Maya Crosby (Tate High School); 3^rd Grace Synder and Katrina Ramos (Pensacola High School).

Let The Good Times Roll — Century Care Celebrates Mardi Gras

Residents at the Century Care Center celebrated Mardi Gras Tuesday in grand style with both a parade and a party.

The parade, held Tuesday morning, featured lots of throws, including Mardi Gras beads and other trinkets. Residents in Mardi Gras costumes paraded and rolled through the hallways in their wheelchairs to the delight of other residents watching the parade.

For more photos, click here.

Pictured: Mardi Gras fun Tuesday at the Century Care Center. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Stadium Lights To Be Moved From Old Century High To Century Park

Youth football at the Anthony Pleasant Sports Complex has always been a race to beat sunset with no lighting at the Century field.

But now the Escambia County School District will allow the town to remove and utilize the stadium lights currently located at the former Century High School stadium.

Mayor Freddie McCall believes the town will be able to remove the lights from the old high school stadium and move them to the Anthony Pleasant field for $6,000 to $8,000 — he is still working on getting an exact cost.

If the town purchased new lights for the field, it would cost an estimated $70,000, McCall said.

Pictured: The football field at the Anthony Pleasant Sports Complex in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Panel Passes Doctor Don’t Ask Gun Bill

Doctors would be barred from asking most of their patients if they own guns under a measure that passed in a House panel on Tuesday after it was amended in response to doctors’ concerns – though not enough to win over the medical establishment. The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Rep. Greg Evers, who represents the North Escambia area.

By a 9-6 vote, the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee approved a National Rifle Association-backed bill sponsored by Rep. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford. The proposal would bar physicians, nurses and other medical personnel in non-emergency settings from asking patients if there are guns in the home, a query backers say oversteps a physician’s authority and infringes on Second Amendment gun rights.

Vehemently opposed by the Florida Medical Association, the Florida Pediatric Society and other medical groups, the bill that originally banned any questions about gun ownership was amended Tuesday to allow medical providers in certain cases to ask about guns, an effort to address concerns of committee members who normally side with the doctors.

“This bill is about taking politics, pure politics, out of the examining room,” Marion Hammer, a lobbyist for the NRA and other gun righs groups, told the committee before the vote.

The bill is being sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Greg Evers, R-Crestview. A constituent in Evers’ district complained when a physician refused to treat her after she wouldn’t say if the family had guns in the home. Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said constituents in his district also complained of being dropped by their physician when they declined to answer a question about whether they owned a gun.

Such altercations, however, should not be used as a justification to establish such a prohibition in Florida law, said Rep. Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, who voted against the measure and said it will cost lives.

“If this is major problem, we would have heard about it in our communities,” Thurston said. “For me it’s a no brainer. … This bill creates a situation where the doctor is unable to ask a question.”

The amended version of the bill would now allow physicians to ask patients about gun ownership if they believe the the patient or another person is in imminent danger. The question could also be asked during a medical emergency. In those cases, practitioners would be allowed to enter the information into the medical record.

The bill is also now less punitive than the original version, which made it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5 million fine.

Physicians groups vowed to fight the bill vigorously as it move forward, saying Florida already has a tough time recruiting doctors.

“It really makes Florida out to be a laughingstock and the FMA will work hard to make sure that this bad public policy does not become law,” FMA executive vice president Timothy Stapleton said in a statement after the vote. “Frankly, it is disrespectful and insulting to the good doctors of our state who want nothing more than to help their patients.”

Pictured: Marion Hammer, lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, speaks for the bill to prevent physicians from asking patients if they own guns during the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee meeting Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. Photo by Colin Hackley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Story by Michael Peltier
The News Service Florida

Sam Magnasco, Jr.

Sam Magnasco, Jr., 92, passed away at Covenant Hospice Inpatient and Palliative Care Center on Sunday, March 6, 2011 due to complications from a broken hip.

A native of Pensacola, he was a veteran of WWII, where he was injured in Germany and received the Purple Heart. He graduated from “the school of hard knocks”, having started working and providing for himself at a very early age. He did what was necessary to survive but learned that hard work has its advantages.

He was married at an early age to his wife, Edith Pate, and celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary before her death in April of 2005. He worked various jobs, the last of which was as a Postman before going into the Army. He was injured in the Army and sent back to the States to recover.

After returning from the war, he worked at Faircloth Grocery and Pate’s Gulf Service Station. He opened his own business, Sam’s Gulf Service Station, in 1960 in East Pensacola Heights and retired in 1981. He loved his work and the people with whom he came in contact and often said he wished he could still work. He and Edith moved to Cantonment, FL and had what they called the “Funny Farm”, where he planted anything that would grow. He loved to see things mature and enjoyed harvesting what he raised.

They moved back to town in 1990 due to health issues. During this time in the country, he worked at Resthaven Gardens Cemetery as a groundskeeper. He was always helping people, even during times of sorrow.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ida Bell Etheridge and Sam Magnasco, Sr.; sisters, Ethleen Waldrop and Hazel Waldrop; uncle Tomy Magnasco and brothers, Tommy, Vincent and Carlo Magnasco. He is survived by a daughter, Mary Ann Moseley (Ronnie), a son, Anthony Ray (Tony) Magnasco; grandchildren, Michael T. Willett (Valarie), Melinda L. Weems (Bruce), and Samuel Carlo (Sammy) Magnasco, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and other relatives, all of whom he loved.

Sam was a member of Heights Baptist Church in East Pensacola Heights. He loved his Lord, his church and his church family and spent many happy hours reminiscing about the individuals and families he had known throughout the years. The family will receive friends on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel from 5-7 p.m.

The Funeral service will be at 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 11, 2011 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Brian Nott and Rev. Fred Martin officiating. Burial will follow at Bayview Memorial Park. P

allbearers will be deacons from Heights Baptist Church. Honorary pallbearers will be friends. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Heights Baptist Church (General Fund), 600 Pickens Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32503 or Covenant Hospice, 5041 N. 12th Ave., Pensacola, FL 32504. HARPER-MORRIS MEMORIAL CHAPEL is in charge of arrangements.

Margaret Elaine Resso

Mrs. Margaret Elaine Resso, age 66, passed away Tuesday, March 8, 2011, in a Pensacola hospital.

Mrs. Resso was born in Flomaton and had returned to the Flomaton area a number of years ago, coming from Baton Rouge, LA. She was a homemaker and was a member of Flomaton First United Methodist Church.

She is survived by a son, William (Deena) Martin, Jr. of Perrysville, IN; two daughters, Terri (Mark) Clark of Perrysville, IN, and Melanie (Andrew) Hillis of Indianapolis, IN; two brothers, Donald (Carolyn) Jordan of Flomaton, Clarence Jordan of Phoenix, AZ; a sister, Charlotte (Charles) McDonald of Atmore; and eight grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, March 10, 2011, at 2 p.m. from the chapel of Flomaton Funeral Home with Rev. Patricia Bruner, and Rev. Doug Hogg officiating. Interment will follow in Flomaton Cemetery.

Visitation will be held at Flomaton Funeral Home on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until service time at 2 p.m.

Pallbearers will be Gary Davis, Kevin Jordan, Mark McDonald, Joe Brantley and Bill Harris.

Letha McGhee

Our Loving Mother, Letha McGhee, 77 of Atmore, AL passed away Monday, March 7, 2011. Mrs. McGhee was a homemaker most of her life.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Joe F. McGhee Sr.; son, Joe F. McGhee Jr.

She is survived by two sons, Frederick (Carol) and Kenneth (Linda) and a special nephew, Eddie Wayne; eight daughters, Linda, Patricia, Sandra, Sybil, Veronica, Tonya (Dave), Rhonda (Jason) and Chassidy; three brothers, Thomas, Fields and Edward, all of Atmore. She was blessed with 30 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 10 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Atmore Apostolic Church, 5784 Hwy 31, Atmore, AL.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, March 11, 2011 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home. Reverend Steve Ward and Brother Pylant will be officiating. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Jeffrey Wessel, Wade Steverson, Thomas McGhee, Nick McGhee, Kenny McGhee, Cameron Wessel, Christopher Knorr and Blaine Flynn. Honorary pallbearers will be grandsons and great-grandsons.

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