Blue Wahoos Split Twin Bill With Mobile
June 16, 2012
The Blue Wahoos split their double header against the BayBears, with Mobile winning the resumption of last night’s suspended game 4-1, while Pensacola defeated the BayBears 3-2 in the second game, in front of sellout crowds of 5,038 on Friday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The Fish have now won six of their last seven contests and own a 33-34 record this year, while Mobile moved their 2012 mark to 39-29. Their victory, combined with a Montgomery Biscuit loss to the Huntsville Stars tonight clinched a first half title in the South Division of the Southern League. The two capacity crowds now raises Pensacola’s total to 21 sellout crowds this year, with the Blue Wahoos continuing to lead the league in attendance.
After both clubs combined for four home runs last night, including three straight from Mobile RF Marc Krauss, C Ed Easley and 1B Yazy Arbelo, as well as a solo shot by 1B Joel Guzman before inclement weather suspended the game, the BayBears plated an additional insurance run in the ninth after the game resumed Friday night. Easley began the ninth with a single and advanced to third on a base knock, before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center by SS Wladimir Sutil.
Mobile reliever Bryan Woodall (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB) earned the win after giving up just two hits in 2.1 scoreless innings of work, while Blue Wahoos starter Tony Cingrani (5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 1-1 after yielding three earned runs on four hits while fanning six in five frames. BayBears closer Evan Marshall (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO) pitched a shutout final frame to notch his 14th save of the year.
Arbelo (3-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) led all batters with three hits for the BayBears, while Easley (2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) tallied a multi-hit effort. 2B Brodie Greene (2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB) was the lone Pensacola batter to record two hits in the first contest.
The Blue Wahoos struck first in the second half of the twin bill, scoring two in the second. Following a leadoff double by 1B Joel Guzman, 3B David Vidal was hit by a pitch, with both moving an additional thanks to a sacrifice bunt, before Guzman was sent in with a sacrifice fly by C Mark Fleury. Vidal would subsequently score on an RBI single by starting pitcher J.C. Sulbaran with the first of his two hits in the game.
The advantage grew to 3-0 in the following frame after 2B Brodie Greene doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch before he was brought home on another Blue Wahoos sacrifice fly, this one to right off the bat of Vidal.
Mobile did not go down quietly however, scoring two runs in the sixth. RF Marc Krauss drew a free pass, while 3B Matt Davidson singled and Arbelo was plunked to load the bases for LF Dan Kavzrowski, who drove home Krauss and Davidson with a single to left. The BayBears threatened for more, but the Fish were able to induce an inning-ending double play to hold on to their lead.
Sulbaran (5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO) earned the win to improve to 5-4 this year after allowing just two runs, one of which was earned, on three hits in 5.1 frames, while reliever Curtis Partch (1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SO) notched his second save after firing the final 1.2 innings. Mobile starter Brett Lorin (4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB) suffered the loss after giving up three runs on six hits in 4.2 frames.
Guzman (2-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB) collected a pair of base hits in the second contest to lead Pensacola, while Davidson (2-3, 1 R) tallied two base knocks for the BayBears as the only players to record a multi-hit contest.
The Blue Wahoos and BayBears will square off again Saturday night at the bayfront stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 pm. Pensacola is expected to give the ball to RHP Daniel Corcino, while LHP David Holmberg is slated to get the nod for Mobile.
By Andrew Green
Florida Inmates Spend More Time Behind Bars Than Other States
June 16, 2012
Criminal justice experts say they weren’t surprised by last week’s study showing that the time Florida prisoners spend behind bars has grown more than in any other state – a 166 percent increase in the average sentence between 1990 and 2009.
Former Department of Corrections Secretary James McDonough ascribed the findings of the report, “Time Served: The High Cost, Low Return of Longer Prison Terms” by the Pew Center on the States to changes in Florida statutes during the mid-to-late 1990’s.
He cited 1995’s “Truth in Sentencing” law, requiring inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences, and two 1999 laws: “Three Strikes,” by which a third felony conviction requires a minimum sentence of 25 years to life if someone is injured or killed, and “10-20-Life,” which established mandatory minimum sentences for crimes involving firearms.
“Politics in Florida has been such that public officials are afraid to appear, quote, ‘weak on crime,’” McDonough said. “And the way that’s defined is, ‘Don’t lighten up on the sentencing in any way whatsoever.’”
He said the state’s prison terms jumped so much, so fast because in 1990, Florida inmates were serving just 30 percent of their sentences.
“We had prison overcrowding at that time, so we came up with a parole policy and a probation policy that really let a lot of inmates out much, much too early,” McDonough said. “So the pendulum had swung one way. And then throughout the 90’s and the last ten years, we saw the pendulum swing … the other way.
“So you came up with a series of laws and policies that brought us up to this incredible increase in length of stay.”
The state’s position is that such laws have reduced crime immensely.
“Tough-on-crime initiatives have successfully reversed the lenient and disastrous criminal-justice policies of the early 1990s in Florida that caused so much suffering,” notes the DOC web site. “Thanks to the dedication of our state’s law enforcement officers, correctional officers and state prosecutors who enforce tough laws like 10-20-LIFE, Florida’s ‘Index Crime’ rate was the lowest in 34 years and the violent crime rate is the lowest in a quarter century.”
Crime has been dropping for decades, but Florida’s inmate population has risen by a factor of five over 30 years, during which time the general population has barely doubled. As of June 30, 1990, Florida prisons housed 42,733 offenders; by June 30, 2011, the figure was 102,319.
During the period examined by the study, Florida sentences for violent crimes increased from 2.1 years to 5 years, or 137 percent, while drug-related sentences rose 194 percent, from an average of 0.8 years to 2.3 years.
The 166 percent increase in the average prison sentence cost Florida taxpayers $1.4 billion in 2009, according to Pew.
Meanwhile, most states have embraced the concept of “smart justice,” said prison chaplain Allison DeFoor, a former judge and sheriff. “Smart justice” is a compendium of performance measures, accountability and transparency designed to keep inmates from returning to prison after their release.
Fully one-third of Florida offenders return to prison within five years, DeFoor said. “That’s not an efficient system…We talk about recidivism like it’s an intellectual concept. Well, every new [act of] recidivism is somebody’s grandmother’s house got broken into or their car got jacked.”
Florida’s “smart justice” proponents have tried, for instance, to reduce sentences for non-violent offenders. Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, repeatedly sponsored a measure that would have ended mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders, who would remain in custody during the rehabilitation portion of their sentences. She said many addicts have mental health issues that cause them to self-medicate, and that with treatment, they can become taxpayers instead of inmates.
But while the Senate passed Bogdanoff’s bill 40-0 and the House 112-4, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed the measure, saying it would be an injustice to victims.
“Justice to victims of crime is not served when a criminal is permitted to be released early from a sentence imposed by the courts,” he wrote in his veto message. “This bill would permit criminals to be released after serving 50 percent of their sentences, thus creating an unwarranted exception to the rule that inmates serve 85 percent of their imposed sentences.”
As to the Pew study, DOC spokeswoman Ann Howard said the agency wasn’t involved in the research, “so we will refrain from comment out of respect and etiquette to the researchers.”
“The department’s only role is to execute the court orders, added DOC spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff. “The judges apply the sentences according to Florida statutes, which are passed by the Legislature.”
Pew examined nonviolent offenders released in 2004, concluding that 14 percent of all offenders released in Florida could have served shorter sentences with no threat to public safety.
DeFoor said the most important thing about the study is that it measures the evidence. “It’s ultimately got to be about accountability,” he said. “We need to be driven by the data, not by emotional reactions on either side.”
By The News Service of Florida
Escambia County’s $9.6 Million Budget Dilemma Solved
June 15, 2012
The Escambia County Commission received good news this morning — what was a $9.6 million budget deficit has been cut dramatically without any tax increase.
The current deficit, according to County Administrator Randy Oliver, is down to $410,382. After planned retirement buyouts, that deficit drops to $264,855. The improved budget was based in part on an estimated $2.4 million increase in ad valorem tax collections and on cost reductions across the board.
The commission decided Thursday to eliminate four positions to make up the $264,000. But before the employees get their pink slips, the county will ask the Escambia County Health Facilities Authority for the $264,000 to offset the funding of Escambia County Community Clinics.
The county faced a budget crisis after a state mandate that the county pay for 10 years of Medicaid bills, about $6 million. The library systems was one of the first potential targets to save cash, but branch libraries were spared after public outcry.
“Escambia County anticipated a $3.4 million deficit. However, when the State of Florida passed down the unfunded $6.1 million Medicaid mandate to local government, we were faced with closing a $9.6 million dollar shortfall,” Oliver said. “Actions proposed by the staff – and approved by the Board of County Commissioners – has addressed this deficit in a prudent manner and resulted in a balanced budget without using general fund reserves.”
The library systems was one of the first potential targets to save cash, but branch libraries were spared after public outcry. Library funding does take a 5-percent cut under the proposed budget, but there is a stipulation that all libraries in the unincorporated areas of the county must continue to operate in the same manner as the other branch libraries, including hours of operation. That stipulation includes the Molino Branch which will open later this year.
Pictured: Escambia County Administrator Randy Oliver addresses the Escambia County Commission Thursday morning. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
More Rain Possible Today
June 15, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Friday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming east. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Saturday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. East wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. East wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Tuesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Wednesday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Wednesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Thursday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Transit Shuttle Service Proposed Between Jay And Century, Pace, Milton
June 15, 2012
A public transit shuttle service could one day run between Century and Jay, and between Jay and Pace/Milton two days per week.
It’s an idea explored Thursday by the Santa Rosa County Commission, with a vote to work with the town councils in both Jay and Century on the “Jay Public Transportation Shuttle Service.”
The Northwest Florida Rural Health Network wants the service to fill an identified need for transportation between Century and Jay, and the needs of citizens to travel to Pace and Milton. The service, as proposed, would run between Century and Jay three days per week and between Pace/Milton two days per week.
The operating cost is estimated to be $6,000 per month, with the Rural Health Network offering to pay $3,000 per month for six months and the other $3,000 coming from a grant. One or two vehicles would be needed at a 10-percent local cost match of $7,800 or $15,600. Eighty percent of the vehicle cost would be paid for by a Florida Department of Transporation grant, and 10 percent would come from the state.
Santa Rosa County staff will now move forward in requesting Jay and Century share the required 10 percent local match to purchase the vehicles. Santa Rosa County will also apply for the FDOT grant. If the grant is awarded, the vehicle could be purchased after July 1, 2013.
The public transportation program would be open to anyone, not just the economically or otherwise disadvantaged.
Blue Wahoos, BayBears Rained Out
June 15, 2012
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ contest with the Mobile BayBears on Wednesday evening was suspended due to inclement weather in the bottom of the fifth inning with the BayBears leading 3-1. The game will be finished as part of a doubleheader Friday evening, starting with a nine-inning conclusion of Wednesday night’s game, beginning at 6:00 pm, followed by a seven-inning contest approximately 30 minutes after the first game. Gates will be open at 4:30 pm.
Tickets for Thursday’s game can be exchanged at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos Box Office for future Blue Wahoos home game tickets of equal or lesser value, subject to availability. Each ticket must be exchanged at least 24 hours in advance of the desired game and exchanges must be made in person and cannot be processed via telephone, e-mail or facsimile.
The pitching matchups for tomorrow’s contests have not been announced.
UWF Approves Tuition Hike, Purchase Of Country Club
June 15, 2012
The University of West Florida has approved a tuition hike, and the university is moving forward with plans to purchase a nearby country club.
Thursday, UWF’s Board of Trustees approved a 15 percent increase per credit hour. If the tuition increase is approved at the state level, undergraduates will pay $28 more per credit hour while grad students will see a credit hour increase of $51.
The increase, according to the university, is to help offset a $12 million cut in state funding.
The UWF Board of Trustees also voted Thursday morning gave the go ahead to their property development company Business Enterprises, Inc., to purchase the Scenic Hills Country Club for $2.2 million. Business Enterprises, Inc. will make the final purchase decision in the coming weeks.
The purchase will not use any taxpayer dollars. It’s expected to generate additional income for UWF to stabilize the university’s future.
Free: Hurricane Preparedness Open House At Escambia Extension
June 15, 2012
A free hurricane preparedness open house will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon at the Escambia County Extension Windstorm Damage Mitigation Building at 3740 Stefani Road
in Cantonment.
The event will provide information about how to protect your family, pets, home and landscape from hurricane damage.
There will be tours of the Windstorm Damage Mitigation Demonstration Building, product vendors, and presentations from UF/Escambia County Extension agents and staff from Rebuild Northwest Florida.
For more information contact Carrie Stevenson at ctsteven@ufl.edu or (850) 475-5230.
Deputies Seek Armed Robbery Suspects
June 15, 2012
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects in the armed robbery of a Reddy Food Mart at 5500 Highway 87 North on June 10.
One suspect entered the store wearing a hoodie-style sweatshirt and mask, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk ducked down behind the counter, and the suspect fled the store. Sheriff’s investigators believe a second man seen outside the store during the robbery is also a suspect acting as a lookout.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to contact Detective Scott Jones at (850) 981-1242 or Santa Rosa County Crime Stoppers at (850) 437-STOP.
Photos courtesy the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Republican Congressman: This Country Is In Trouble
June 15, 2012
Congressman Joe Bonner, R-Ala., says there is a dark cloud hanging across America and Congress must be bold in making changes to bail the country out of its current economic condition.
“Our country is in trouble,” Bonner said at a town hall meeting Thursday morning in Atmore. “There’s just a dark cloud that’s seemingly going across the country.”
He said he doesn’t expect Congress to make any sweeping changes before this year’s elections as the deficit continues to multiply.
But the current Congress must, he said, deal with several important issues before year’s end. One is the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts that if not extended will amount to a $500 billion tax increase. Other items that must be extended, Bonner said, are provisions for Medicare reimbursements for doctors, payroll tax cuts and a cap on the federal debt limit. The National Flood Insurance Program is also set to expire, Bonner said.
And end to the flood insurance program will force banks to call in mortgage loans of homes located in expanded flood zones that would no longer have flood insurance, Atmore banker Bob Jones said.
During Thursday’s town hall meeting, Jones also told Bonner that he worries about the potential end to a federal crop insurance program. “We can’t finance it (crops) unless there is a crop insurance program,” he said.
Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff Grover Smith (pictured left) expresses his concerns to the congressman about immigration laws and mandates to curb drugs from Mexico.
“We need to get together on immigration and get the burden off local law enforcement,” the sheriff said. “We are not equipped; we are not funded.”
“I believe immigration is not something we have to turn to the states to do,” Bonner said. “The federal government has failed the American people.”
Alabama Rep. Alan Baker, also in attendance at Thursday’s Atmore town hall meeting, said he felt the state was forced to implement tough immigration laws. “We felt like the federal government had not done their jobs,” Baker said. “It was out of frustration.”
In the coming months, Bonner said Congress “has got to have the courage to take on social security and medicare.”
“For the future of this country, we’ve got to turn this ship around,” he said.
Pictured above and below: Congressman Joe Bonner, R-Ala., addresses a small crowd during a town hall meeting Thursday morning in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
