Want To Read Rick Scott’s Email? Now You can
May 4, 2012
Email communications with the governor and his top office staff will be available on line as part of an effort Gov. Rick Scott said Thursday will fulfill a promise made on this first day to hold himself and his leadership team accountable.
Dubbed Project Sunburst, the web-based service will make public emails from Scott and 11 of his top staff available to the public, many within 24 hours. The governor said plans to expand the program to include agencies under his control.
“I invite Floridians to view my emails, as well as those of my leadership team, to learn more about how we are working to make Florida the best state for businesses to grow and expand and create jobs.”
Emails are available with search capabilities on the governor’s website at www.flgov.com/sunburst through Microsoft Outlook Web Access. Individuals can access the Sunburst system by using the user name and password “sunburst”. The governor’s office said it will continue to comply with regular public record requests.
Jim Allen Sock Hops Raises Money For Relay For Life
May 4, 2012
Jim Allen Elementary School students recently held a Relay for Life Sock Hop to raise money for the Relay of Life of Greater Escambia at Tate High School. The Jim Allen students were able to enjoy wearing crazy socks and dancing to raise $426 for the American Cancer Society. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Friday And Saturday Events: Rodeo, Relay, Sawmill Day, Mayfest, May Day, Music Night, Yard Sales
May 4, 2012
Several big events are going on Friday and Saturday in the North Escambia area, including:
Tate FFA Rodeo (Fri-Sat)
The 21st Annual Tate FFA Alumni Foundation Rodeo will be held Friday and Saturday nights.
The rodeo will be held at the Escambia County Equestrian Center at 7750 Mobile Highway in Beulah on May 4 and 5 at 7:30 nightly. Advance tickets are available at Hill Kelly Dodge and Farm and Nursery Mart. Advanced tickets are $8 for adults, $3 for children. At the gates, tickets will be $10 for adults and $5 for children.
A free hands-on rodeo will be held for special needs persons Saturday morning, May 5 beginning with breakfast at 7:00 followed by safe rodeo events about 8:00. There will be bull (barrel) riding, barrel racing (stick horses), calf roping (hay bales with cow head), photos with rodeo queens, a petting zoo, wagon rides, beanie bag toss and more.
2012 Relay for Life of Greater Escambia — Tate High School (Fri-Sat)
The 2012 Relay for Life of Greater Escambia will begin with an opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday at Tate High School. The “Thunder Lap” will be at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Survivor Lap at 6:40 p.m. The Luminaria Ceremony will be at 9 p.m. The Relay will continue until noon Saturday.
Century — Sawmill Day (Sat)
The second annual Sawmill Day and Car Show will take place Saturday at the Historical Park at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Fourth Street in Century. Continuous entertainment, car show, Old 100 logging and sawmill steam locomotive restoration in progress, inside yard sale, Turtle Point petting zoo, food and refreshments. For more info, click here.
Flomaton — May Day (Sat)
Saturday will be May Day in Flomaton. Events begin with 5K run at 8 a.m. on Martin Luther King Drive, followed by food, entertainment, games, water slides for the children, BBQ rib cook-off and more.
Flomaton – Benefit Yard Sale (Sat)
A benefit yard sale and bake sale will be held May 5 at Flomaton First Baptist Church from 8 a.m. until for the medical bills of Blaze Johnson (son of Chris “Squeaky” and Katherine Johnson). For info or to donate yard sale items, contact Renee Merchant at (850) 791-4106. There is also a benefit account under the name “Baby Blaze Fan Club” at Region’s Bank.
Atmore – Mayfest (Sat)
The annual Mayfest in Atmore will take place from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday at Tom Byrne Park on Lindberg Avenue. Arts and crafts vendors, food, live entertainment and more. Free admission.
Regional Electronic, Household Hazardous Waste Roundup (Sat)
Electronics, household hazardous waste (HHW) and other items not accepted into the regular garbage stream will be accepted at the Regional Roundup on Saturday, May 5, from 8 a.m. until noon at Carver Middle School, 150 East Pond Street in Century. Businesses and residents of Escambia County, Florida, can dispose of all types of clean, dry, recyclable electronics including computers, monitors and terminals, keyboards, mice, printers, TVs, copiers, gaming systems, remotes, fax machines, VCRs, stereo systems, cell phones and telephones. Electronics that have been gutted will not be accepted.
Barrineau Park Music Night (Fri)
Barrineau Park Bluegrass/Country/Gospel Music Night, Friday, May 4. Doors and food open at 6 p.m. with one free drink and dessert for all moms. The Wayfarers at 6:30 p.m. and Down Home at 7:30 p.m. Free family event (donations accepted).
NHS Girls Track: Can You Spare A Dollar?
May 4, 2012
It’s a simple fundraiser underway by the Northview High School girl’s track team team — it’s a No Calorie and No Dust collecting fundraiser. The team is having a dollar drive — skipping asking people to buy expensive items to raise money. Instead, they are opting to ask Chiefs fans to just donate a buck.
During the first week of the event, the team raised $75. They are still asking friends, family and alumni to donate, and there’s special interest on from just how far away a donation might be sent.
Donations can be made to:
Northview High School
Girl’s Track
4100 West Hwy 4
Century, Fl 32535
The money collected with used to enhance the girl’s track program at Northview such as a camp and new equipment.
Pictured: This display on a wall at Northview High promotes a girls track team fundraiser. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
PIP Sponsors Say Governor Will Sign Bill Despite Glitch
May 4, 2012
Two key lawmakers behind Florida’s no-fault insurance reform package said Thursday they expect the governor to sign the new law Friday despite a potential glitch that could delay payments to some health providers.
House sponsor Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton , and his Senate counterpart Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said they’ve been assured that potential loopholes in portions of HB 119 will be plugged by agency rulemaking, or if that doesn’t work, an executive order during a six-month window that has been highlighted as a potential problem.
“I think the legislative intent is clear.” Negron said.
Lawmakers earlier this year passed the measure to make changes to personal injury protection insurance, a $10,000 medical benefit that critics say is rife with fraud, overutilization and litigation.
During the back and forth between chambers, authors overlooked the fact that a potential six month gap in coverage exists. While the new payment requirements kick in Jan. 1, other portions of the bill become effective six months earlier.
The gap raised red flags among some providers, who worried that insurers following the letter of the law would not have to make payments for a long list of health services.
State insurance regulators say they have been in contact with carriers over what they consider an obvious oversight and have been assured that insurers will continue to pay claims during that window.
Jack McDermott, spokesman for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, said the agency expects few if any glitches in payments to providers.
Just in case, the Agency for Health Care Administration, which licenses health providers, is drafting language to clarify that payments to qualified providers will continue to flow.
“The purpose of the bill was not to create a six month gap,” McDermott said. “AHCA has publicly said they are going to issue rules to clear this up. We’ve encouraged insurers privately that PIP providers should be paid.”
The no-fault coverage, known as PIP, has come under fire from insurance industry representatives who say that staged crashes and skyrocketing use of non-emergency medical treatment have caused premiums for the coverage to rise dramatically.
PIP reform became a legislative priority for Gov. Rick Scott, who applauded lawmakers for coming together during the session’s final days to hammer out a compromise.
The law’s major provisions kick in Jan. 1, 2013 and include a detailed framework for which medical providers are eligible for reimbursement under PIP coverage. The list included physicians, hospitals, and chiropractors.
Other provisions of the law however, kick in six months earlier, leaving the potential that insurers would not be required to reimburse providers during that period. Sponsors, however, say such a potential is not expected to keep Scott from signing the bill Friday.
“If it comes to that I think there will be an agency rule to make it clear what we’re doing,” Boyd said. “But I don’t think it is going to come to that.”
By The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Split Double Header With Generals
May 4, 2012
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos split their double header with the Jackson Generals on Thursday evening in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,038 at Pensacola’s multi-use stadium, with Generals winning the first contest 3-1, while the Blue Wahoos answered with a 1-0 victory in the second game. The capacity crowd was the eighth in 12 home dates for the Blue Wahoos in their inaugural season.
It was quiet in the first contest until the fourth inning, when Jackson plated single tallies in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames. DH Joe Dunigan brought home the opening score with an RBI single, while run-scoring singles from RF Johermyn Chavez and SS Nick Franklin in the fifth and sixth frames, respectively.
The Blue Wahoos loaded the bases in the fourth and plated a run courtesy of an RBI infield single by 3B Henry Rodriguez but were stopped short from there in their comeback attempt. Rodriguez (2-3, 1 RBI) recorded the lone multi-hit effort for the Blue Wahoos, while Jackson 3B Francisco Martinez (2-3, 2 R, 1 2B) was the only Generals batter to collect two hits.
Jackson LHP James Paxton (5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO) earned the win in the first game after yielding the unearned run on just three hits in 5.1 frames, while closer Stephen Pryor (1.2 IP, 4 SO) notched his seventh save of the year, fanning four of the five batters he faced. RHP Pedro Villarreal (6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 SO) suffered the loss for Pensacola after allowing three earned runs on six hits in six innings.
Both teams were held scoreless in the second half of the twin bill until the sixth, when the Blue Wahoos broke the 0-0 draw. Rodriguez led off the frame by reaching on a fielding error and then took second and third on groundouts, before being plated on a clutch two-out run-scoring single to right by 2B Brodie Greene.
Pensacola RHP Daniel Corcino (6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 SO) got the better of Jackson starter Taijuan Walker in the pitcher’s duel, earning the win after giving up just three hits in six shutout innings. Walker (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) suffered the tough loss after allowing just the lone unearned run on five hits in 5.2 innings, while Blue Wahoos closer Donnie Joseph (1.0 IP, 2 SO) notched his fifth save of the season.
Rodriguez recorded at least one hit in each contest to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. The infielder is now tied with OF Ryan LaMarre for the longest such streak by a Blue Wahoos player this year.
The Blue Wahoos and Generals will meet again Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 pm at the bayfront stadium. Pensacola RHP Tim Crabbe is expected to take the hill, while Jackson is slated to counter with RHP Brandon Maurer.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: Henry Rodriguez tallied three hits as Pensacola split their twin bill with Jackson Thursday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
For The Love Of Baby Blaze
May 3, 2012
Baby Blaze Johnson will be eight weeks old Friday — just days before he faces his third open heart surgery. It’s a surgery that is not without tremendous risk, but without it, he will likely die.
His story began early March, born six weeks early to Katherine Johnson, an RN at Sacred Heart Hospital, a Chris “Squeaky” Johnson, a videographer for WEAR TV 3.
“He was the cutest little thing,” Chris said, his voice rising into the squeaky tone that earned his nickname. “He had big fingers and toes.”
The couple knew their first child, due to his premature birth, would spend a few weeks at Sacred Heart Hospital’s NICU, receiving oxygen as his lungs matured. It was mountain that knew they could climb.
But by the time Blaze was five days old, the nurses at Sacred Heart knew that something just wasn’t right. And his oxygen levels began to plummet; his heart fell into a dangerous rhythm.
“They were about to shock him; they were about to shock our baby,” Chris said. He understood the gravity of the situation, and Katherine, an RN in Sacred Heart’s emergency room, was more than aware where they stood at that moment.
Doctors ordered an ultrasound. The results were frightening.
“My heart fell into my chest,” Chris said. “Everything was suppose to be fine. All the ultrasounds before he was born said he was healthy. This wasn’t suppose to be happening. We were OK with the breathing problems, and then were suppose to take him home and we would be fine. There are no words to describe it.”
The couple was forced to choose which of a handful of major children’s hospitals in the south would see Blaze. They choose Emory in Atlanta because Katherine had relatives that lived not to far away. Blaze and Katherine were quickly flown to Atlanta; Chris drove behind them.
Heart abnormalities had thrown a major curve ball into the lives of the young family, as their youngest was in real jeopardy.
Surgeries were performed; there were some successes, some failures. And this week the couple was faced with the decision on a risky surgery that could certainly mean life or death for their baby.
“We were given three choices: do nothing and he would die; stents that he would outgrow; or another surgery,” Chris said. Doctors will, on Friday, perform the surgery if all goes as planned.
Essentially, Blaze is without one of his heart chambers. Doctors will work to create a “well” in tissue that will replace the chamber. It’s a rarely done procedure, not something from a medical textbook.
“Please keep praying that God keeps this little boy in his hands, heal him and be with the doctors as they make their decision and assist God in this very difficult surgery,” Katherine wrote on the Baby Blaze Fan Club page on Facebook.
As he describes Blaze’s condition, Chris speaks with little emotion, sounding almost distant from the past seven weeks have been something of nonstop blur.
“I’m the father. I have to stay strong for Blaze and for Katherine. It’s my duty. You do what you have to do for your children.”
“But it does bother me,” he said, “I’ve shed many tears, but I must remain strong for my family.”
The Johnsons are not in their battle alone. Communities across the area have rallied behind them; over 1,100 people have joined the Facebook fan club for Blaze.
“The words of others on the Facebook page, the calls, the text messages, the prayers from people that don’t even know us that tell us how his story has touched them — it’s all given us strength,” he said. “But it’s also brought us closer to God and His strength.”
Chris’ father — Henry Franklin Johnson, a former chief of the Flomaton Fire Department — died of cancer in 2000. The name “Blaze” is a tribute to him, and a tribute to Katherine’s father Henry Page, who was also a volunteer fireman. Shortly after the death of Chris’ father, his brother died.
“God was preparing me for this with Blaze,” Chris said, emotion returning to his voice. “You can’t tell me there’s no God. I could not see it then when my father and brother died. But you can’t tell me God does not have a purpose. He was preparing me, making me strong for Blaze.”
For now, it’s about the little milestones in Blaze’s life. The tiniest baby steps of sorts. The couple realized a major milestone Wednesday as they were able to hold their baby Blaze for the first time in about seven weeks.
“Oh how I wish I could just make him whole,” Chris said. “I just want to hold him and know that he’s OK. It’s in God’s hands and God’s time.”
A benefit yard sale and bake sale will be held this Saturday at Flomaton First Baptist Church from 8 a.m. until for the Johnson’s expenses for baby Blaze. For information or to donate yard sale items, contact Renee Merchant at (850) 791-4106. There is also a benefit account under the name “Baby Blaze Fan Club” at Region’s Bank.
To join the Baby Blaze Fanclub on Facebook, click here.
Pictured top: Mom Katherine Johnson holds her son Blaze Wednesday for the first time in seven weeks. Pictured additional photos: Baby Blaze Johnson. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Slight Rain Chance Tonight
May 3, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.
- Friday Night: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. West wind around 5 mph.
- Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West wind around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. West wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
- Wednesday Night: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Pictured top: A rainy morning in Byrneville, looking toward the Highway 4 and Byrneville Road intersection. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Photos: Jim Allen Presents ‘To Bee Or Not To Bee’
May 3, 2012
Jim Allen Elementary School was “abuzz” recently as second graders presented the musical “To Bee or Not to Bee”.
In the musical, the Wanna Bees were helped by the Queen Bee to decide which kind of bees they wanted to be — Spelling Bees, Quilting Bees, Drones, Busy Bees or Honey Bees.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Businesses, Consumer Groups Fight Gulf Power Rate Case For North Escambia Plant
May 3, 2012
Lawyers for business groups and consumers are urging the state Public Service Commission to reject Gulf Power Company’s attempt to reopen a recently decided base-rate case. The utility wants to be able to collect about $2 million from customers for costs related to buying land in North Escambia for a potential nuclear power plant.
In February, the PSC rejected the idea, but Gulf Power filed a request for reconsideration April 18.
Last week, the state Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers, and lawyers for two business groups and federal agencies fired back in a document, saying the Pensacola-based utility’s request is a “thinly disguised, legally impermissible effort to have the commission reweigh the evidence of the case.”
But in its request, Gulf Power said the PSC had made a mistake in rejecting the costs and raised the possibility that it will sell the land if the decision stands. ”
The value of the North Escambia site to Gulf and its customers stems from its location in the western portion of Gulf’s service area and its status as the sole site in Northwest Florida suitable for nuclear generation,” the request said.
Gulf has not decided to build a nuclear plant on the site near McDavid but says it wants to keep open the option.
The $2 million, just a fraction of the costs of the land acquisitions, would pay interest on finance agreements and fund environmental assessments on the North Escambia property.
Gulf Power has not said what type of power plant it wants to construct in North Escambia, but PSC filings indicate that it could be natural gas, coal or nuclear. However, nuclear was repeatedly cited in the latest PSC filings.
“This small price is extraordinarily reasonable when compared to the potential benefits of nuclear power if it is pursued, or the lost opportunity if the nuclear option is foreclosed by the action taken by this commission in this case,” documents state.
At last report, Gulf Power had purchased 2,700 acres for about $13 million in the McDavid area.
Pictured top: One of many houses that now sit abandoned near McDavid where Gulf Power has purchased thousands of acres for a possible nuclear power plant. One of many Gulf Power “Posted” signs that line the roads in the area of the potential plant. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.