Student Info Compromised In Large Data Breach
October 11, 2012
An identity theft case at Northwest Florida State College is growing in scope.
Personal identifying information about students from around Florida who were eligible for Bright Futures scholarships several years ago – including social security numbers in some cases – has been either stolen or accidentally released, state officials said Wednesday. The 200,000 records from 2005-2007 were part of an “information security breach” reported by Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.
The Department of Education said Wednesday that the breach also involved more than 3,000 employee records from the school, some of which contained confidential financial records and about 76,000 student records from the college.
Several agencies were investigating and trying to determine the extent of the breach and who may have gotten access to the information.
“While some of the contact information is dated, we will be trying to reach every student whose records may have been captured,” said Florida College System Chancellor Randy Hanna.
By The News Service of Florida
Dennis Len Vickery
October 11, 2012
Dennis Len Vickery, 55 of Poarch, passed away Tuesday October 09, 2012, at his residence. He was a carpenter born in Atmore on March 05, 1955 to the late William W. and Larncile McGhee Vickery.
Survivors include four brothers, William L. (Leslie) Vickery, Ernest (Evelyn) Vickery, both of Poarch, Arnold (Jeannie) Vickery of Dadeville, AL, and Bruce Glen Vickery of Poarch; one sister, Connie F. Vickery of Poarch; nieces and nephews, Randal, Jennifer, Ashley, Ariel, Dawn, Justin, Victoria and many other relatives and friends.
Services will be Friday, October 12, 2012, at 3 p.m. from the Atmore Memorial Chapel with Rev. Leo Luker, Jr officiating.
Interment will follow in New Home Cemetery.
Active pallbearers are Danny Jackson, Jimmy Campbell, David McGhee, Chris Blackburn, Ronnie Rolin and Paul Pearson.
Honorary Pallbearers are Don Wayne Rolin, Elvis Presley and Hubert “Bubba” Rolin.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home and Atmore Memorial Chapel are in charge of all arrangements.
Green Thumb Festival Planned
October 11, 2012
The 14th Annual Green Thumb Festival will be held this Saturday at the Escambia County Extension Service.
Escambia County Master Gardeners will be on hand with lots of expert advice, plants for sale and educational programs. Children can create a bug jar, birdseed hand prints to feed garden birds and plant a seed to take home.
Participants can learn how to build a raised bed for growing fall and winter vegetables, how to build a compost bin from recycled wooden pallets, and how to make a living herb wreath.
The program will take place Saturday, October 13, from 8 a.m. until noon at 3740 Stefani Road. For more information, call (850) 475-5230.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Woman Dies Following Century Traffic Crash
October 10, 2012
One person had died as the result of a two vehicle wreck this morning in Century.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 50-year old Sara R. Daw of Flomaton was southbound on Highway 29 at Hudson Hill Road when she stopped for a school bus that stopped in the northbound lanes to pick up children. James A. Richburg, 52,of Brewton was southbound in a 2008 GMC Sierra pickup on Highway 29 when he failed to stop and rear-ended Daw’s 2001 Chevrolet pickup.
Daw was transported by Escambia County EMS to Jay Hospital where she was later pronounced deceased. Richburg received only minor injuries.
Charges against Richburg are pending a traffic homicide investigation, according to the FHP.
The Century, McDavid and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the crash, along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Pictured top and inset: The driver of this white pickup died as a result of injuries received in a traffic crash Wednesday morning in Century. Pictured below: The driver of this pickup rear-ended another the white pickup. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
City Fires Back At County Plan To Withhold Library Funding For Rural Branches
October 10, 2012
The City of Pensacola is firing back as the war of words continues between the city and Escambia County over funding for the library system jointly operated by the entities.
After Escambia County cut their contribution to the library system by 5-percent on October 1, the West Florida Library Systems responded by cutting hours at all branches but most drastically at the Century and soon to be open Molino Branch. The county cut all departments and agencies unilaterally by 5-percent, except for the Sheriff’s Office.
County Administrator Randy Oliver said the county will withhold a portion of their funding for the library system in order to hire the city’s library employees to fully staff libraries in the county, reducing the appropriation by the amount necessary to provided staffing to all library branches in the unincorporated areas at the same level as the branch in the city with the greatest operating hours.
“My plan is if the city does not achieve equity in branch hours of operation, the county will hire their library staff part time to fill in the additional hours and deduct the cost from the appropriation,” Oliver said. The Main Library’s hours were cut from 65 to 50 hours per week, while Century and Molino were cut from 40 hours to 24 weekly.
In a letter Tuesday to Oliver, Pensacola City Administrator Bill Reynolds said he found it troubling that some are attempting to make the library funding and reduced hours a “city issue”.
Reynolds claimed that under the joint agreement to operated the library system, Escambia County has actually failed to pay $1,229,663 for library services since 2008.
“We recognize that we must address the hours in which the system is open. This would not be necessary if the county had funded per the agreement, and such actions are solely the
responsibility of the county. Although all facilities Will be affected by the reduced hours, it is hard to explain to ciy residents that their hours should be cut at all, since the city has already inserted an additional $349,700 of their tax dollars to keep services to all users of the system at an acceptable level,” Reynolds wrote.
Reynolds said that Oliver’s plan to adjust library funding to maintain service hours at the rural branches “can only be taken as contemplation by the County to somehow further disrupt the system”.
“The need of your citizens can best be addressed – and in an ultimately cheaper manner – by ensuring that the county properly funds the system per the agreement,” Reynolds wrote in his letter to Oliver. Yet more unilateral deviations from this agreement can only cause more disruption to the citizens of the county, and that is in no one’s best interest.”
Pictured: North Escambia residents rally in support of the Century Branch Library in April after budget problems threatened to close the location. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Human Remains Found At UWF Identified As Missing Man
October 10, 2012
Human bones found last week on a University of West Florida nature trail have been identified as the remains of an Escambia County man missing for over a year.
UWF said the Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the recovered bones are those of William “Billy” Shores. Shores’ vehicle was found abandoned on the UWF main campus in February of 2011. He was not affiliated with the university.
Shores was last seen alive on February 18, 2011, by his mother, Jeanette Shores. She said both were driving and waved as they passed each other.
His 2007 Pontiac Vibe was found by a citizen parked near the Edward Ball Nature Trail at UWF on February 24, 2011. K-9 units from Escambia Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office unsuccessfully searched the area for Shores.
The bones were discovered last week about 25 feet off the nature trail’s boardwalk in an area heavily covered in thick underbrush.
Escambia Woman Pleads In Mentally Disabled Daughter Abuse Case
October 10, 2012
An Escambia County woman has pleaded no contest to charges that she abused her mentally disabled daughter.
DeeAnne Hale, 58, entered a plea of no contest to three counts of felony abuse of a disabled adult, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
On April 12, law enforcement discovered that the woman had been forced to wear a signboard that read “I am a liar and a theif” (sic) around her neck. She was forced to repeatedly walk the perimeter of a backyard pool allegedly as punishment for “stealing” candy from food the family claimed was for the homeless.
The sign was made of two pieces of wet plywood, approximately 3-foot squared, being held around her neck with two heavy metal chains. Deputies asked the girl to kneel down and were able to remove the signs, which were estimated to weigh about 40 pounds. Due to the weight of the signs the chain had slightly embedded into the victim’s neck, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman had also suffered a lacerated scalp which had been stitched closed with a common sewing needle and thread. Further investigation into the woman’s treatment revealed that during the previous 12 months, she had been forced to stay outside 24 hours a day for days on in and deprived of adequate shelter, food and medical attention, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
DeeAnne Hale’s husband, Rondal Hale, was previously convicted of four counts of aggravated abuse of a disabled adult and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Judge Michael Allen scheduled DeeAnne Hale to be sentenced on November 8. Co-defendant Clinton Michael Carr pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated
abuse of a disabled adult and battery; he will also be sentenced on November 8.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Remains Found Cemented In Georgia May Be Former PNJ Reporter
October 10, 2012
Authorities from two states are working to determine if remains found buried in cement behind a Georgia home are those of a former Pensacola News Journal reporter.
Sean Dugas, 30, of Pensacola had not been heard from since August 27 when he talked to a friend by phone.
While investigating the missing person case, the Pensacola Police Department developed leads which led to them to contact police in Winder, Ga., on Monday. Police in Winder then discovered the body encased in concrete and buried in a backyard of a Winder home.
Pensacola Police said Tuesday that they believe there is a connection between the body and the disappearance of Dugas. They are awaiting positive identification of the remains.
Twins from Pensacola, Christopher and William Cormier, 31, have both been charged by Georgia authorities with concealing a death. Both are being held in different jails in Georgia.
On August 27, Dugas and a female friend planned to go lunch , but when she arrived at his house to pick him up, he wasn’t home, said Capt. David Alexander of the Pensacola Police Department. A man who lived at the house told the woman Dugas was scheduled to return at 3 p.m. Alexander said the woman left a note on Dugas’ door asking him to contact her, but he did not.
Alexander said the female friend continued trying unsuccessfully to contact Dugas over the next few days. When she returned to the house September 7 to check on him, the house was empty except for a television. Alexander said the woman asked neighbors if they knew what had happened to him and they said a U-haul truck was there on September 3 and they saw at least one man removing items from the house.
Alexander said neighbors asked him about Dugas, and the man said he’d been beaten and was going to live with him.
Meanwhile, the female friend continued trying to reach Dugas, and when she could not, she contacted police on September 13. Alexander said Dugas’ name was then entered into the National Crime Information Center’s computer database as a missing/endangered person.
Brewton Elects New Mayor; Council Members Elected In Atmore, Brewton
October 10, 2012
Run-off elections were held Tuesday in Escambia County, Ala., with Brewton electing a new mayor and councilman, and Atmore electing two new council members.
Atmore elected two new members to the city council. Susan Smith was elected to the council seat formerly held by John Garrard who did not run for re-election. Chris Harrison was elected to the seat that was held by Jim Staff who ran a successful campaign for mayor.
Complete but unofficial results were as follows:
Atmore Council District 4
- Susan Smith – 226
- Larry Houck – 165
Atmore Council District 5
- Chris Harrison – 119
- Michael Arnold – 65
Brewton elected a new mayor in Tuesday’s run-off election with Yank Lovelace defeating Frank Nalty. For the city council Seat 3, Bill Littles came out on top over Butch McKenzie.
Brewton Mayor
- Yank Lovelace – 925
- Frank Nalty – 762
Brewton Council District 3
- Bill Littles – 169
- Butch McKenzie – 100
Council On Aging To Host Support Group
October 10, 2012
Council on Aging of West Florida will host a Century Caregiver Support Group meeting on Thursday, October 18 at 6 p.m.
The support group is designed to reduce stress, increase coping skills, provide strategies for effective management of care giving tasks and enable caregivers to provide high quality care in the home. The programs are sponsored by Council on Aging of West Florida, the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging.
There is no cost and the public is invited. Reservations are not required. The meeting will be held at Century Care Center located at 6020 Industrial Blvd. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month at the same time and location. County residency is not required to attend.
For more information, call 432-1475.