Thanksgiving Week Forecast
November 20, 2011
We’ll start the week unseasonably warm, but a cold front will bring cooler temperatures by Thanksgiving.
Here is your official NorthEscambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Patchy dense fog in the late evening and overnight. Lows in the upper 50s. Southeast winds around 5 mph.
- Monday: Mostly cloudy in the morning becoming mostly sunny. Patchy dense fog in the morning. Highs around 80. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning…then chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 80. South winds 5 to 10 mph becoming 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the lower 60s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph becoming west 5 to 10mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 71. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 45. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind around 5 mph becoming southeast.
- Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 44.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
- Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71.
Get Your Turkey Fried For A Donation
November 20, 2011
Want a fried turkey but afraid to try it yourself? Volunteers from the Miracle League of Pensacola will fry your turkey for you on Wednesday, saving you the time and trouble while benefiting the charity.
Take your turkey — thawed and all of the inside packaging/giblets removed — to the Miracle League Park at 555 East Nine Mile Road from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Wednesday. For a monetary donation to Miracle League, the volunteers will fry your turkey to perfection.
While walk-ups are welcome, appointments are encouraged. Call (850) 476-1650 to schedule your time.
Molino Man Enters Plea, Faces Sentencing For Meth Lab
November 20, 2011
A Molino man will be sentenced early next year after entering a plea related to a meth lab found in a home.
Sheldon Dewayne Flowers, 29, entered a no contest plea to trafficking amphetamines 14-28 grams. Last week, Judge Jan Shackleford set Flower’s sentencing for January 2012.
Flowers was originally arrested in February 2011 and charged with trafficking methamphetamine more than 200 grams, possession of methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a listed chemical.
The arrest came after Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit discovered a meth laboratory inside a home at 484 Molino Road. According to their report, deputies found methamphetamine, numerous items used in the manufacture of meth and a stolen Rug Doctor cleaning machine.
Deputies also said they discovered a Mason jar containing enough methamphetamine liquid to produce well over 200 grams of meth, along with a large “one pot” meth lab.
Stephanie Flowers, 28, of Molino Road, Molino, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with the meth lab discovery. Charges against her were later dropped.
Pictured above: A meth lab was located at a home in the 200 block on Molino Road in February 2012. Pictured below: Alleged liquid meth was found in the Mason jar below. Investigators transferred the liquid into the smaller plastic bottle for evidence. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Complete Playoff Bracket: Northview’s Road To Orlando
November 20, 2011
The Northview Chiefs are looking at a road to Orlando in the 2011 Class 1A football state championship series that will have the Chiefs at home in Bratt the next two weeks, with another win Friday night.
After a Northview 67-14 defeat of Wewahitchka, Northview will host Freeport at Friday night in Bratt. Freeport defeated Vernon 32-18 last Friday night in the regional semifinals. It will be a rematch of an October 21 Senior Night game in Bratt (pictured) in which Northview beat Freeport 35-21.
The regional final game between Northview and Freeport will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Northview’s stadium in Bratt. Admission is $8 with no passes.
The winner of the Northview vs. Freeport game will take on the winner of Friday night’s Holmes County vs. Chipley game in the state semifinals on Friday, December 2. If Northview beats Freeport, the game will be played at home in Bratt. Northview did not play Holmes County during the regular season and lost to Chipley 34-27.
Here’s a look at the complete Class 1A playoff bracket from the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA):
Farm-City Week Recognizes Importance Of Local Agriculture
November 20, 2011
Residents of northwest Florida will have an opportunity to get closer to their food this Thanksgiving.
That’s because the week of Thanksgiving is National Farm-City Week. Local communities across America will be celebrating and spreading agricultural awareness through this annual movement, which focuses on connecting rural and urban dwellers.
The movement is sponsored by the National Farm-City council, which has been dedicated to organizing the event since 1955.
In recent years local events for Farm-City Week have been coordinated by a community partnership located in Santa Rosa County.
“We got involved back in 2010 to raise awareness about the value of agriculture to our local region,” University of Florida’s West Florida Research and Education Center Director and Professor Dr. Jeff Mullahey states.
This will be the second year that the center has partnered with community organizations like the Bay Area Food Bank to sponsor a food distribution event that provides Thanksgiving dinner to resource-limited families in the area. The Bay Area Food Bank manages the pre-qualification process for families hoping to benefit from the event, while the center organizes food donations and harvest. The Santa Rosa County Extension Service will provide recipes and instructions on how to prepare the locally grown produce. , which will take place the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.
“Some of the food is locally grown, which is really nice,” Mullahey continues. This year local produce will be provided by Barnhill Farms and Steve’s Farm.
Mullahey states that the main goal for the Farm-City Week is to “create more awareness about the importance and value of agriculture in northwest Florida, and to promote the benefits of agriculture as more than a source of food and fiber.”
While the healthcare and military industries may be the most visible in our regional economy, agriculture remains a top player. According to a 2008 study conducted by the University of Florida agriculture and natural resources directly provided 44,249 jobs to the northwest Florida region (consisting Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties). For perspective, compare that number to the estimated population of 51,923 within Pensacola city limits.
The study goes on to state that for every $1 million of revenue created by agriculture and natural resources, the industry creates 13.72 jobs. In 2008 the industry created over $357 million in revenue, roughly a quarter of which was paid out as labor income.
Part of the Farm-City movement is to encourage local communities to spend locally, by getting to know local farmers and purchasing local produce. By buying local produce, consumers can ensure that more money stays in the area. Buying locally also reduces the overall cost of food and production, which increases with every mile the food travels from producer to consumer. Shipping and processing are two unseen costs that raise the price of imported produce, while local produce either cuts down or cuts out these costs.
Consumers are also encouraged to educate themselves about where their food comes from and how it is produced by local farmers in NW Florida. Locally grown food is sold at farmers markets, roadside stands, retail markets, and on-line.
Agriculture creates jobs, adds money to the local economy and provides environmental benefits, like green space, that improve the quality of life in northwest Florida.
“Not to mention,” Mullahey adds, “agriculture feeds us three times a day and provides clothes for our family.”
Pictured top: Wheat is one of the crops produced in North Escambia. Pictured inset: Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Jay Lady Royals Place In State Cross Country Meet
November 20, 2011
The Jay High School Lady Royals placed 19th overall in the Class 1A Cross Country meet Saturday in Dade City. They finished as the highest ranked public school in the competition.
Freshman Micah Kemp, the only Jay Royal boy in the competition, placed 68th overall in the state with a time of 18:07.46.
Individual results for the Lady Royals were as follows:
- 66th — Jessica Thornton 21:38.81
- 88th — Allison Blair 22:15.84
- 112th — Jorja Agrait 22:45.92
- 116th — Savannah Brown 22:56.01
- 124th — Jenna Thornton 23:10.62
- 143th — Alexandria Settle 23:42.77
- 165th — Shelby Thomas 25:34.92
Pictured top: Jay Lady Royals Cross County Coach Stan Blackman, Shelby Thomas, Savannah Brown, Jenna Thornton, Jorja Agrait, Jessica Thornton ,Ally Settle, Kristen Pike, Allison Blair, Boys Cross Country Coach Teresa Hendricks. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Let’s Get To Work On The Session
November 20, 2011
The occasional chill in the air — what passes for a chill in Tallahassee — sent signals that 2011 was drawing to an end. But with an early session slated for 2012 to deal with redistricting, lawmakers were beginning to lay the groundwork for the major proposals of the coming year.
Except, it seemed, for the redistricting debate that prompted the early starting gun.
While the Senate Reapportionment Committee put the finishing touches on its instructions for drawing up a proposed committee bill, the House panel tasked with the once-a-decade redrawing of Florida’s political boundaries hit the pause button. A committee meeting and three sub-committee get-togethers were all canceled, prompting yelps from Democrats that they weren’t getting the full story on the delays.
But even without a slate of redistricting meetings, there were plenty of political hot potatoes to deal with, from destination resorts to insurance reform to a pair of contentious claims bills.
GAMBLING BOOM OR BUST?
The lobbying war over the future of gambling in Florida heated up during the week, with some parts of the business community going all-in to support bringing massive luxury casinos to South Florida. Associated Industries of Florida put its cards on the table, saying it would make the approval of a destination resorts bill its highest priority in the 2012 session.
Among the other groups pushing lawmakers to adopt the proposal were the Latin Builders Association and the Florida United Business Association, with all of the supporters saying that the state could hit a jackpot worth tens of thousands of jobs.
Others business groups say the bill was nothing but bad luck. The Florida Chamber of Commerce has lined up with Disney and the Florida Retail Federation to say the proposal isn’t worth it.
But even after the first committee meeting on the proposal, it wasn’t clear where the chips might fall. The meeting of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee featured a lobbyist saying “bulls**t” and a panoply of concerns from all sides.
The bill could lead to expansions of gambling in the rest of the state, some opponents noted, though gambling interests said no other part of the state would support the $2 billion minimum investments required by the bill.
“There would be opportunity for this across the state of Florida if the bill was structured differently,” said Alan Feldman, senior vice president of MGM Resorts. “At $2 billion, this is a South Florida bill.”
But even some gambling lobbyists were skittish about having too many players at the table. Andy Abboud, vice president of government relations for Las Vegas Sands, told lawmakers to be careful about “market saturation.” And pari-mutuel racetracks were worried about the competition.
The only thing guaranteed was a roll of the dice. Senate President Mike Haridopolos told reporters Wednesday “we will have a vote on some type of destination resorts bill on the floor up or down. This is not me pushing members to vote yes or no.”
PIP SQUAWKING
Also debuting this week: An assault on fraud that Gov. Rick Scott and others say is costing motorists almost $1 billion a year in higher car-insurance premiums. Scott kicked off the drive to change things, holding a press conference with Cabinet members, law enforcement officers and industry lobbyists and blaming staged crashes, bogus clinics and unnecessary medical procedures for raising the cost of personal injury protection insurance.
“It’s a $900 million tax on consumers,” Scott told reporters and lobbyists representing physicians, hospitals, plaintiff’s attorneys, providers and insurance companies. “.. Crashes are down but costs are up. That makes absolutely no sense. It’s happening because our current laws are being taken advantage of.”
The next day, House and Senate members began gauging proposals that would make a number of changes to rules surrounding the $10,000 benefit created in the 1970s to encourage injured motorists to seek medical attention and stay out of court.
A House proposal would limit rates and the number of chiropractic or massage treatments within a 12-month period for accident victims, cap attorneys fees for legal cases and ban benefits to recipients who submit fraudulent or exaggerated claims. Insurance companies would also face new regulations.
The Senate also began looking at efforts to craft a solution at a midweek hearing. Likely areas would include placing restrictions or bans on attorney referral services, a move supported by Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, hinted other likely areas to be addressed include requiring clinics to be headed by physicians, and some limitations on the number of procedures allowed during the course of treatment.
But supporters of the crackdown saw a potential speed bump in the fierce debate ahead.
“It’s going to be a war,” said House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee Chairman Bryan Nelson, R-Apopka. “It’s not a bill that everybody is going to say yes, yes, yes…. the chiropractors won’t like it, the docs maybe won’t like it, the trial attorneys won’t like it.”
CLAIMING VICTORIES?
Two claims bills that are priorities of Senate President Mike Haridopolos also got started along the legislative path, but one of them still threatened to turn into a lobbyist food-fight.
The Senate Rules Committee voted 9-1 to move forward with SB 4, which calls for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to pay $15.575 million to Eric Brody, who suffered debilitating injuries in a 1998 car accident with a sheriff’s deputy.
A lobbyist for the sheriff’s office insurer said the bill is part of “scheme” by Brody’s attorneys to bring what is known as a bad-faith lawsuit against his client despite the insurer’s willingness to pay $8.5 million to Brody to settle the dispute but has been rebuffed.
But Lance Block, an attorney for Brody, said $8.5 million would not cover the costs to care for the Broward County man, who suffered brain damage and was in a coma for six months after the accident.
Rules Chairman John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, implored the two sides to try to reach an agreement to end the dispute.
“This case cries out to be resolved,” Thrasher said. “Eric Brody needs to be helped.”
Haridopolos has made a priority of passing claims bills to provide money to Brody and William Dillon, who spent 27 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted in a 1981 murder in Brevard County. The bills could pass the Senate during the first week of the 2012 legislative session.
Haridopolos highlighted the bills when they died in the chaotic denouement of last year’s legislative session, and has repeatedly vowed to push them through this year. He renewed a promise on the Dillon Tuesday. This year, Haridopolos said he sees no reason not to make it known to the House that it is a priority for him to pass the bill.
“The House is very well aware of this bill,” Haridopolos said, saying he didn’t think the house “will want to play games anymore,” and urged them to “do the right thing.”
LEAVING THE TAJ MAHAL
But at least one Capitol saga seemed to be inching toward a conclusion. Embattled First District Court of Appeal Judge and noted vinegar-lover Paul Hawkes said he would resign Jan. 4, ending one chapter of the embarrassing saga over the court’s lavish new headquarters and short-circuiting an inquiry into Hawkes’ role in the controversy.
Hawkes’ resignation letter to Scott never mentioned the looming Judicial Qualifications Commission hearing set to begin Jan. 30, but the case has drawn attention for the sharply critical legal briefings filed by both sides, which had included quotes from former Gov. Jeb Bush, Alice in Wonderland and Shakespeare to highlight their points.
The crux of the dispute, though, was Hawkes role in the construction of his court’s lavish new building on the outskirts of Tallahassee and what Special Counsel Wallace Pope characterized as Hawkes’ browbeating and demeaning style of leadership.
But there were also fears that shutting down the JQC hearings could keep Floridians in the dark about how the proposal for a new home for the court morphed into the palatial “Taj Mahal” courthouse.
“The taxpayers, the citizens of Florida, will never get many questions answered, unfortunately,” said Sen. Mike Fasano, a New Port Richey Republican who was one of Hawkes’ most vocal critics.
Along those lines, House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders called for an investigation into how Florida lawmakers funded the $50 million structure.
“I am concerned that as we enter a legislative session where budget cuts will be considered that could cause great harm to needy infants and senior citizens, it remains unclear how this lavish facility got approved for funding,” Saunders, D-Key West, wrote in a letter to House Appropriations Committee chairwoman Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The debate over a controversial proposal to bring luxury casinos to Florida — expected to be one of the most heavily-lobbied measures in the 2012 legislative session — begins in earnest.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I had three points I was going to make and I thought, ‘Oh boy. I hope I remember the three.’” –Gov. Rick Scott, to The Palm Beach Post, talking about his interview with the paper’s editorial board. Scott was referring to a gaffe by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Scott’s political hero, during a recent presidential debate.
By Brandon Larrabee
The News Service of Florida
Featured Recipe: Two Hour Turkey Streamlines Thanksgiving
November 20, 2011
Today’s featured recipe, from columnist Janet Tharpe, is a Two-Hour Turkey that quickly roasts the turkey in the oven at a high heat.
Joyce Ann Komorowski
November 20, 2011
Joyce Ann Komorowski, 61, passed away peacefully on November 14, 2011, at the Joyce Goldenberg Hospice Residence. She was born in Clanton, AL, and resided in Molino. Joyce was a very caring and loving person.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Stephen “Butch” Komorowski.
We would like to thank the nurses and staff of Joyce Goldenberg Hospice Residence for the wonderful and thoughtful care they gave her. Trahan Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. We will always love you.
Football Playoff Roundup
November 19, 2011
Final playoff football scores from around the area Friday night:
Northview 67, Wewahitchka 14 [Read more, photo galleries...]
Freeport 32 Vernon 18
Northview hosts Freeport next week
Tallahassee Godby 58, West Florida 17 [Read more...]
Elba 33, Flomaton 23
PHS 27, Choctaw 22
Wakulla 33, Gulf Breeze 17
Pace 42, Niceville 41 (3OT)