Hard Freeze Warning Issued
January 12, 2011
There is a hard freeze warning in effect for the North Escambia area.
Temperatures tonight are expected to dip to around 20, and tomorrow night will be a bit colder.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 42. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 18. Calm wind.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 50. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 21. Calm wind.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Calm wind.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. East wind around 5 mph.
- M.L.King Day: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64.
- Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 69.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 60.
Meteor Spotted In North Escambia, Across 9 States
January 12, 2011
Residents of North Escambia and nine southern states reported seeing an apparent meteor Tuesday night.
“While I was talking to a friend out in the yard, we saw something big fall from the sky,” Matthew Brook of McDavid emailed NorthEscambia.com shortly after seeing the fireball. “It was bigger than a falling star and when it fell below the tree line, there was a big flash that looked like lighting from the ground. We listened but didn’t hear anything after the flash.”
One resident even stopped by the McDavid Volunteer Fire Department to report the bright streak across the sky, but firefighters were obviously unable to find anything out of the ordinary during their investigation.
The flash of light from the meteor was reported in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas , North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
The Sebastian County (OK) Sheriff’s Office told CBS News affiliate KTHV it was a meteor and likely hit near Poteau Mountain, Oklahoma.
TheWeatherSpace.com reports the meteor was greenish-blue, indicating that contained copper, and that other described it was being like lightning. A photo submitted to TheWeatherSpace.com shows what was believed to be the meteor as it passed over Little Rock, Arkansas.
Security cameras at a home in Ridgeland ,Mississippi picked up the flash of light as the meteor passed overhead. See the video from CNN below.
Pictured top: Internet site TheWeatherSpace.com says this is a photo of the meteor over Little Rock, Arkansas, Tuesday night. Courtesy of TheWeatherSpace.com.
New Molino Library Ready For Bids Next Month
January 12, 2011
The renovation of the old Molino School into a community center, library and museum is moving a bit closer to reality.
The architects, DAG, have completed the design documents and are at the 90 percent stage on the construction documents. Escambia County Facilities Management expects to have the project ready for contractor bids by the end of February.
In May, 2009, commissioners approved the $400,000 purchase of the building from the Escambia County School District. Commissioners have since approved a budget of $2,089,156 from Local Option Sales Tax monies for the renovation project. DAG Architects is being paid $214,580 to design the renovations.
The project includes one section of the 15,600 square foot main building that will be converted into a library with both a children’s and adult area, computers and thousands of linear feet of book shelving. The old auditorium will remain a community auditorium with available seating for 242 people. The rest of the building will include a museum, classrooms and meeting rooms.
First opened in 1939, the Molino School closed in 2003 when the new Molino Park Elementary School consolidated Molino Elementary and Barrineau Park Elementary.
Pictured: A front hallway of the old Molino School. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Schools To Receive iPads, Apple Computers
January 12, 2011
New Apple Ipads and desktop computers are headed to several North Escambia area elementary schools.
Bratt will receive four iPads and nine Apple basic desktop computers. Molino Park Elementary will receive 22 Apple iPads, and there will be 12 Apple basic desktops will be headed to Jim Allen Elementary.
The computers are part of a $426,623.50 purchase of just over 450 Apple computers, iPads and iPods for schools across the county for student instruction use.
Drug Charges Dropped Against Century Woman
January 12, 2011
Charges have been dropped against a Century woman arrested after a search warrant was executed at her mobile home last June.
Cocaine possession and possession of drug paraphernalia charges were dropped against Karen Louise Quinley due to insufficient evidence, according to Escambia County Circuit Court records.
On June 9, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Quinley’s home on West Highway 4 near the Century Care Center. No one was home at the time the warrant was executed. According to an arrest report, deputes found a stem of marijuana in a bedroom, crack cocaine on the kitchen table, a razor blade with cocaine residue, a marijuana cigarette and digital scales during their search.
Could Florida Allow More Casino Gambling?
January 12, 2011
Could more casino gambling be on the way for Florida, even Escambia County?
The panel of lawmakers that helped orchestrate the Legislature’s gaming compact with the Seminole Indian Tribe is now taking bets on whether it can bring in more winnings if non-Indian, Vegas style casinos or online poker are authorized to operate in Florida.
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee is beginning to look at research compiled by its staff that poses a variety of options the Legislature could consider if it wants to expand gaming, including opening the door for huge hotel and casino chains like Las Vegas Sands or Wynn Resorts to enter the Florida market.
Newly inaugurated Gov. Rick Scott has met with representatives of Las Vegas Sands and lobbyists for the group met with lawmakers last spring as the Legislature worked on the gaming compact and looked at other options for the state.
And Senate President Mike Haridopolos told a Tallahassee radio show this week that he was open to an expansion, if a large number of senators were interested in the issue.
Senate Regulated Industries Committee Chairman Dennis Jones is in the process of drafting legislation to allow more gambling options if the committee decides to proceed. He told reporters that inviting Las Vegas style gaming to the state could be appealing because it would allow cities to attract big convention business.
“A lot of people just get tired of going to the Peabody or Gaylord (Palms),” Jones said, referencing two Florida convention hotels. “Other than that, where are you going to go? Really, where you going to go?”
Both representatives of Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts offered their insights to lawmakers should they decide to go ahead with a proposal and assured them that they would likely invest in Florida, which Wynn lobbyist Slater Bayliss said “undoubtedly would create tens of thousands of jobs” through building the property and then operating a casino, restaurant and hotel.
The potential gaming expansion is also backed by at least one representative of the state’s business community, the Associated Industries of Florida.
“We believe that destination resorts in Florida will utilize gaming in the proper manner as an economic engine that creates more than 100,000 jobs, signify international and domestic tourism and also brings world class convention and trade shows to the state of Florida,” AIF President Barney Bishop told the committee.
The state’s gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe may provide some obstacles depending on the timing of any new projects. If the state does approve casino expansion, it could potentially violate a clause in the compact that gives the tribe exclusive rights to operate banked card games such as blackjack. If a Las Vegas-style operation is up and running in Florida before the compact’s banked card authority is up for renegotiation in 2015, the tribe could reduce or cancel its payments to the state.
Jones said he was not worried because it would take any company that does invest in building a huge facility several years to build the operation and ultimately shuffle its first desk of cards.
“It would not even impact the compact until the first card was played,” he said.
Opposition also could come from religious groups, and organizations that work to promote family values. In the past, a number of religious and social groups have opposed expansions of gambling in Florida, though none appeared before Jones’ committee on Tuesday.
The committee could also examine the value of legalizing, and therefore regulating, Internet poker.
Melanie Brenner, the executive director of Poker Voters of America said there are an estimated 900,000 online poker players in Florida already, so if the state chose to legalize it and regulate it, there could be an immediate infusion of cash.
Online poker isn’t an expansion of gaming,” she said. “It is going on already.”
Jones noted that lawmakers have until the first day of the legislative session in March to file bills and that the committee still needed to wait and see what was filed. He also said that it is his policy not to take up bills that are lacking a House companion.
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida
Alleged Gangster Arrested For Escambia Carjacking
January 12, 2011
A 21-year old Escambia County gang member was arrested Monday, accused of carjacking a 19-year-old man and wounding his 19-year-old passenger in a robbery on December 17 of last year.
Members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office gang unit, investigations division and the U.S. Marshals Task Force arrested George Andrew Fountain of Pensacola, on an arrest warrant for aggravated battery, grand theft, armed robbery and carjacking.
At around 2:02 am December 17, deputies responded to a reported carjacking at the intersection of Avondale and Durham Roads.
Christopher Robert Lullo and Malcolm Dacota Wheeler, both of Pensacola told deputies that they were in the area to buy marijuana. According to an offense report, Lullo stated that another friend made a phone call, possibly to the suspect in this case, and made arrangements to purchase the marijuana.
As Lullo and Wheeler attempted to make this purchase near the intersection of Avondale and Durham Roads, Fountain allegedly entered into their vehicle and displayed a handgun. Fountain then demanded money, taking $350 in cash from Wheeler.
According to the report, Wheeler was at first reluctant to cooperate with the suspect. As a result, the suspect struck Wheeler in the face with the handgun, causing an injury to Wheeler’s nose.
Deputies with the Sheriff’s gang unit say Fountain is a member of the Insane Gangster Disciples. The gang is made up of predominantly white males. Although a national gang, most of the members are from the Midwest and Southern states.
Fountain was booked into the Escambia County Jail and held on a $325,500 bond.
Exams, Early Release At Northview This Week
January 12, 2011
The remainder of this week will bring exams and early release days for students at Northview High School.
The exam schedule is as follows, with each day Thursday-Friday an early release day:
- Thursday: 3rd Period Exam 8:45-10:35; 4th Block Exam 10:40-12:30
- Friday: 6th Period Exam 8:45-10:35; 7th Period Exam 10:40-12:30
Make-up exams will be given each day Wednesday-Friday from 1-3 p.m. and Tuesday, January 18 from 9-11 a.m.
For more information, contact the school at (850) 327-6681.
Class Size Penalties To Be Revisited
January 12, 2011
Senate President Mike Haridopolos said this week that lawmakers would likely revisit the issue of class size penalties this spring when the Legislature convenes.
Escambia was among 32 of Florida’s 67 school districts that met the mandate that dictates how many students can be in certain classes at each grade level, while Santa Rosa County was not. But officials in both counties have expressed opposition to the amendment.
Schools that don’t meet class size caps set out in the Constitution are penalized financially, potentially adding up to millions of dollars for individual districts. According to the Department of Education, about 5 percent of Florida classrooms are not in compliance.
However, many schools have said that with declining state appropriations, they cannot meet the class size requirements.
“We’re not going to penalize schools that are just trying to do their best to make ends meet,” Haridopolos said. The Florida School Boards Association has said it would file a lawsuit against the state if the penalties are enforced.
“We have not filed suit though we have the complaint ready,” said association attorney Ron Meyer. “We will not file unless and until the fines are actually imposed and money withheld. If the Legislature fixes the problem, the litigation will not be necessary.”
In 2002, voters passed a constitutional amendment that capped individual classrooms at 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school. The limits have been phased in since the amendment was passed, with the hard numerical caps going into effect this year. The state has struggled to pay for the constitutional mandate, making it, in turn, difficult for schools to meet the requirement.
In November, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have repealed those hard class size caps, allowing class size caps to be calculated at a school-wide average, rather than on a per-classroom basis.
The News Service Florida contributed to this report.
Arrest Made In Double Murder
January 11, 2011
An Escambia County man was arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with an October double homicide.
Jeremy Jenkins, 25, of Pensacola is charged with the October 13, 2010, shooting deaths of De’neisha Kimbrell Lewis and Corleis Dion Robinson. He is behind held without bond on charges of robbery and homicide.
Jenkins was taken into custody without incident at the Oakwood Terrace Apartments, 700 W. Truman Ave. in Pensacola, and was transported to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for questioning prior to being booked into the county jail.
The arrest stemmed from a weapons discharge call at the Royal Crest Apartments, 190 Old Corry Field Rd. in Pensacola. Upon arrival deputies made contact with a private security officer who stated he had heard several shots from the complex. Deputies began walking the complex and found Lewis, 19, and Robinson, 22, lying outside an apartment. Both victims had sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our investigators have worked tirelessly on this case. They developed a suspect by tracking down numerous leads and processing physical evidence which led to the arrest of Jenkins,” said Sheriff’s spokesperson Chris Welborn.