Murder Victim Identified; Deputies Seek Woman
October 20, 2011
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has identified a man who was found dead in the middle of a street early Tuesday morning, and they are looking for information about a woman seen with him shortly before his death.
The body of 47-year old Randolph Erroll Elce was found in the middle of Fitzgerald Street south of Jackson Street. Preliminary reports indicate trauma to the head was the cause of
death, according to deputies.
Investigators are now trying to identify and locate a black female (pictured top) that was seen with Elce shortly before his death. Elce was with the unknown female in a local convenience store, deputies said.
Anyone with information on the case can call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
3 Injured In Crash At Cantonment Church
October 20, 2011
Three people receive minor injuries in a two vehicle wreck Wednesday night on Highway 297A in Cantonment. The injured were transported by ambulance to local hospitals following the wreck about 8 p.m. in front of Heritage Baptist Church.
The Florida Highway Patrol says 18-year old Joseph Franklin Collins on Cantonment was northbound on Highway 297A when he crossed over the southbound lane while attempting to turn into the church parking lot. Collins’ 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse was hit near;y head-on by a 1979 Chevrolet Caprice driven by 28-year old Charles Raymond Pugh of Pensacola.
Collins told troopers he did not see the other vehicle before making his turn. He was charged with an improper left turn, according to the FHP.
Collins, Pugh and a passenger in Pugh’s vehicle, 36-year old Herman Jermain Dillard of Pensacola, all received minor injuries.
The Cantonment and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the call.
Pictured: At least two people were injured in this accident Wednesday night in front of Heritage Baptist Church in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Escambia Health Dept. Fees Changing For Some Medical Services, Other Permits
October 20, 2011
The cost is headed up for several services at the Escambia County Health Department, including some health services and permitting for septic tanks.
The fee changes by the Escambia County Health Department are consistent with fees imposed by surrounding counties and will generate additional revenue to offset the loss of discontinued fees and increased operational expenses for the period, according to the county.
The most notable changes in fees for health services are:
- Intestinal parasite test increase from $15 to $18
- HIV test cost will be cut from $26 to $18
- Sports and INS physicals increase from $90 to $111
Several permitting and inspection fees are also changing, including:
- New septic tank fee will increase from $505 to $550.
- Abandonment permit for a septic tank will increase from $90 to $100
- Repair permit fee for septic tanks will increase from $225 to $350
- The permit for a body piercing facility will decrease from $200 to $150.
- Environmental health permits and inspections for pools will increase — for greater than 25,000 gallons from $328 to 418, and for less than 25,000 gallons from $154 to $204.
For a complete fee schedule, click here.
Fall Festivals Today At Century Library, Downtown Flomaton
October 20, 2011
There will be a spooktacular good time at the Century Branch Library this afternoon during the library’s sixth annual Halloween Fall Fest program. Children are encouraged to attend in costume for a fun-filled time with lots of games. There will also be a haunted room, and goodies for everyone in costume. The free program takes place at 4:00 this afternoon at the Century Branch Library, 7991 North Century Boulevard.
It will be a big night in Flomaton tonight, as the town holds its annual Fall Festival and a football pep rally. The Harvest Festival will be from 5:30 until 7:30 with trick-or-treating and plenty of activities. A Flomaton Hurricane pep rally will follow downtown.
Pictured: A Halloween Fall Festival at the Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Cool Days, Cold Nights
October 20, 2011
Cool days and cold nights will continue, with Thursday night’s low expected to bottom out in the upper 30’s.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 35. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 71. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 40. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming north between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 41. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming north between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Florida Files Race To The Top Application
October 20, 2011
Florida on Wednesday filed its nearly 300-page Race to the Top application for a $100 million early learning grant designed to improve its voluntary pre-kindergarten program.
The competitive federal grant, for which dozens of other states will also be vying, would be used to bolster Florida’s voluntary pre-kindergarten program for four-year-olds.
But Gov. Rick Scott said the state would only accept the federal grant if it requires no future expenditures from the state. “To be clear, Florida will only accept these grant dollars if the award comes back with no strings attached,” Scott said in a statement.
Using the grant will be optional, the governor’s office stated. “No child care business in the state of Florida will be forced to participate in this process,” Scott’s office said in a statement. Instead, providers will be eligible for mini-block grants.
A voluntary pre-kindergarten program can be offered by public or private schools, churches and day care centers.
The application says the state says wants to use the $100 million to ensure better professional development, target at-risk children and help implement systems that will better track student progress.
Many of the same principles touted in the K-12 system, such as the emphasis on data and accountability, were used in the Race to the Top early learning application.
Florida previously won $700 million in a Race to the Top grant for K-12 schools that is being used to implement parts of the new teacher merit pay plan that links teacher salaries to student test scores.
Some proponents of early childhood education say the state should more closely examine which VPK providers are best preparing students for kindergarten and stop funding those that consistently under-perform.
The state spent $385 million on voluntary pre-kindergarten this fiscal year for over 165,000 students, which was a reduction from the year before. (The grant application instead notes that VPK funding has gone up over five years by $41 million.)
Florida already has a system for assessing how well-prepared VPK students are for kindergarten, known as the kindergarten readiness test. Student performance on that test is linked back to VPK providers. But David Lawrence, a proponent of early learning programs, said students need to be tested before and after they start a VPK program.
Though not explicitly addressing Lawrence’s suggestion, the application says Florida will build upon its existing assessment programs by using technology and data to understand whether students are equipped for kindergarten.
“The state will reform its assessment and data systems to better monitor children’s progress,” the application said.
The state says it will use the grant to help implement a “comprehensive” system of assessing student progress.
“At the heart of Florida’s work in this area is the goal of ensuring that all assessment information collected on children, and the teachers and the programs that serve them, is accurate and has a clear purpose and use,” the application says.
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Perfect Score: Lady Royals Sweep Cross Country Meet With Tate, Northview, EWMS
October 20, 2011
The Jay High School Lady Royals achieved a perfect score in a recent cross country meet at Simms Middle School in Pace — capturing the top five places in a field of over 70 runners from eight schools, including Northview and Tate. It was the first perfect score for the Lady Royals since the mid-1990’s.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
“When the Lady Royals started the season they assumed it would be a rebuilding year because the Royals had lost three of their top five runners,” said Coach Stan Blackman.
Robin Blackman had led the Royals last season and went on to run at Troy University. Leely Trevino now attends FSU and helped to lead the Royals to state last year where they become Florida’s top public school in class 1A.
“But this season has turned out to be anything but average,” Blackman said.
Top runners for the Lady Royals were:
1st place Jorja Agrait — 21:53
2nd place Allison Blair — 22:12
3Rd place Jessica Thornton — 22:15
4th place Savannah Brown — 23:03
5th place Jenna Thornton — 23:05
9th Place Ally Settle
12th Place Kristen Pike
Northview, Tate, Central, Milton, Pace, and Rocky Bayou also took part in the meet at Simms Middle. Scores and stats were not available Wednesday from host school Pace High School.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured top: The Northview High School and Ernest Ward Middle School boys begin a cross country meet at Simms Middle School in Pace. Pictured inset: Jorja Agrait was the top female runner. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Senate Looks At Limiting Landowner Liability For Hunting, Fishing
October 20, 2011
A Senate committee Wednesday began moving forward with a bill that would limit the legal liability of landowners who allow people to use their property for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing.
Supporters said the bill, which is part of a package of legislative proposals by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, could help encourage more people to enjoy the outdoors.
“One of the things that keeps people from opening up their lands is they’re afraid of being sued,” said Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Gainesville.
But the proposal also faced questions from some lawmakers and the Florida Justice Association, which represents trial lawyers.
Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, questioned whether guests on the land would also have liability protections for damage they might unintentionally cause. “You just can’t have one side give up their rights and not the other side,” she said.
The Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee introduced the bill and will have to bring it up again before voting.
By The News Service of Florida
Minor League Baseball Owners Headed To Pensacola
October 20, 2011
The newest member of Minor League Baseball’s Southern League, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, will host owners and representatives from other Southern League teams at a league meeting this weekend on Pensacola Beach.
The meeting, an off-season gathering of team owners and front office staff, is a yearly conference focusing on the business aspects of the league and the various legal, technical, and financial aspects of the baseball industry. As the Southern League’s newest member, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos volunteered to host the meeting.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos president Bruce Baldwin said the conference would be an opportunity to introduce Pensacola to the rest of the league.
“All of these teams have heard of Pensacola, and know about the Blue Wahoos. As the newest member of the Southern League, we thought it would be a great way to connect with the other teams, and at the same time to show them what a great city Pensacola is, if we hosted the owners’ meeting here. Almost all of these teams are within a day trip to Pensacola,” said Baldwin. “And this meeting gives us a chance to not only show off this great location for baseball, but also build a positive perception of Pensacola around the Southeast,” Baldwin said.
Representatives from Minor League baseball teams across the Southeast will attend the conference, to be held at the Springhill Suites Marriott on Pensacola Beach. Attendees will participate in the conference meetings, dine at local restaurants, and tour the stadium at the Community Maritime Park. Baldwin said he was hopeful that the meetings would give the other team owners and executives a chance to see Pensacola up close.
“My colleagues in baseball are already talking about Pensacola – they know about the Blue Wahoos, they know about the waterfront stadium, and they’re learning about our City. Now they’ll get to see first-hand what a great place this is,” Baldwin continued. “I’m excited for the Blue Wahoos to host this meeting, to show off our new home at the Maritime Park, and to support our local community.”
The Southern League is comprised of ten teams in two divisions, and Pensacola is the latest member of a select group of 90 cities across the country that host major-league baseball affiliates.
Escambia’s Top 20 Wish List Includes Molino Library, Septic Tank Regulations
October 19, 2011
Escambia County is set to approve a list of 2012 Legislative Requests Thursday night — a wish list that includes a half million dollars from the state for the new Molino Library and a policy stance on mandatory septic tank inspections.
Topping Escambia County’s Top 20 requests is support for a Congressional bill to funnel oil spill recovery funds to Escambia and other impacted counties for economic development, environmental damages and lost tourism revenues.
Number two on Escambia’s wish list is a half million dollar state grant for books and furnishings for the new Molino Branch Library (conceptual drawing above). Escambia County has applied for the grant for several years and has been ranked in to top three for the cash before, but for the last several years the Florida Legislature has not appropriated any funding for the state library construction grants.
“It is subject to funding by the Legislature. The resubmission was encouraged by State Division of Libraries who believes the legislature may provide some funding this year,” Escambia County Administrator Randy Oliver said . “This is a great opportunity to make a valuable resource better.”
The Legislative Requests list also includes opposition to regular mandatory septic tank inspections. A requirement that septic tanks be inspected every five years at the owner’s expense technically became state law in July after being approved in the last legislative session. But language was inserted into a budget bill that prohibits the Department of Health from spending a dime on the inspections without the approval of the Legislative Budget Commission — essentially putting the program on hold.
Escambia County’s complete 2012 Legislative Requests list, subject to approval by the county commission, is as follows:
1. Congressional SB 1400 – Support – Oil Spill impacted counties receiving funds to mitigate for Economic Development, Environmental Damages, and Tourism Lost Revenues.
2. Support – Library request for $500,000 allocation for Molino Library.
3. Support – DEP Administrative Hearing Process for Cease-and-desist Orders.
4. Support – Senator Gaetz’s bill, from last year, that allocated $30 Million ($10 per year) to area Economic Development.
5. Support – Amending the law for the Northwest Florida Corridor Authority to include all funding strategies.
6. FS 1013.30 – Oppose – Repealing existing State Statute requiring Universities to fund any and all off-campus infrastructure concurrency improvements (sidewalks, turning lanes, traffic signal, etc.).
7. SB; HB – Oppose – Legislation limiting the discretion of the first appearance judge, requiring written reports and certification of defendants for release and eliminating the presumption of release on on-monetary conditions.
8. Oppose – Any proposal to reallocate Transportation Trust Fund dollars; doing so will reduce Local Roadway and Transit Projects within the FDOT Five (5) Year Work Plan.
9. Support – 2012 Local Projects submittals for the
Transportation Reauthorization Bill (SAFETEA-LU):
• Project: I-10 Beulah Interchange/Beltway PD&E Study
• Project: Construction Funds – Nine Mile Road (US 90 Alt) 2-Lane to 4-Lane Project
• Project: Construction Funds – Creighton/Burgess Road Extension (SR 742) Four Lane Project
10. FS 343.80 – 343-89 – Support – Amending existing State Statute to include clear language to support the Regional Transportation Finance Authority (RTFA) concept providing optional funding strategies beside primarily toll facilities. This approach will reduce the gap between Transportation Funding needs and the existing Funding Revenues. Positive Impact is increasing the number annual roadway capacity projects, stimulating local economies with labor and professional jobs.
11. HB; SB – Support any Legislation offering roadway project priority incentives to any local agency offering a financial partnership with FDOT to improve capacity on state facilities. Positive Impact will encourage local agencies to adopt local tax or other measure to get more roadways funded.
12. HB; SB – Oppose any attempt that requires regular, mandatory inspections of septic tanks and/or the septic tank evaluation program.
13. HB; SB – Support efforts that allow governmental entities to use their public website for legally required advertisements and public notices in lieu of newspaper advertisements.
15. HB; SB – Support legislation which reduces medical expenditures to county detention facilities to 110 percent of the Medicare rate for all inmate medical care.
16. HB; SB – Oppose legislation that would weaken or dismantle Pre-Trial Service Programs resulting in significant jail population increases.
17. Support – Legislation to implement local funding incentives for partnerships on State Roadway Capacity Projects.
18. Support – Requesting that the Dedicated Affordable Housing Funds remain in the State Housing Trust Fund to assure continued funding for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Affordable Housing Programs.
19. SB;HB – Oppose non-homestead associated cap.
20. SB.HB – Oppose Legislative or constitutional restriction on County authority to determine local tax burdens or financial commitments.