Slight Rain Chances, Warm And Sunny
May 17, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s. North winds around 5 mph.
- Friday: A Mostly sunny. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 90. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the lower 60s. East winds around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s. Southeast winds around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. East wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. East wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Century Correctional Sergeant Named Statewide Employee Of Year
May 17, 2012
A Century Correctional Institution employee has been selected as the Florida Department of Correction’s statewide Institutions Employee of the Year.
Sgt. Charles Gilliard has been employed at Century Correctional Institution for over 19 years. During his employment he has been a Work Squad officer, Work Squad sergeant, Classification officer and training officer. He has also served on special squads such as the Shotgun Squad, Baton Squad, and team leader for the Crisis Negotiation Team.
When the Department of Corrections increased focus on reentry for offenders about five years ago, Gilliard picked up the initiative and run with it, according to the DOC.
Since then he has served as Century CI’s Reentry Coordinator and the driving force for the success of the program. When the responsibilities and requirements of the reentry program began to take away from his duties as a classification officer he took a demotion back to correctional officer sergeant to better assist the agency while not losing any ground in his reentry efforts.
During this time he has developed relationships with numerous outside agencies that have helped facilitate reentry programs for Century CI, including the University of West Florida, Lakeview Center, Department of Children and Families, Community Drug & Alcohol Counsel, Escambia County School District, Escambia Human Relations Commission, Pathways for Change, and others who have contributed to Century’s reentry program success.
Gilliard has also developed relationships that helped to establish the availability of the “Operation FreshStart.” reentry assistance center for the Florida Department of Corrections where inmates being released into Escambia County can go for assistance.
With there being no formal budget established at the institutional level for reentry, Gilliard’s accomplishments are more than noteworthy, according to the DOC.
He has also worked with several community Task Force committees to help them understand departmental procedures so their agencies will be better equipped to assist inmates upon release, and better able to help them reintegrate into family and community.
As a result of Gilliard’s efforts, Century was the first corrections institution in the state to be recognized with the Secretary’s Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in reentry, and the first institution to be awarded the FCCD award for reentry.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Spring Football: Northview Tonight; Tate, Flomaton, Jay Friday PM
May 17, 2012
The Northview Spring Game will be tonight at 7:00 as the Chiefs host the Jaguars of West Florida High School. General admission is $6.
Tate High School will hold a Crimson and Gray intersqaud game at home Friday at 6:30 p.m. Tate will travel to Washington High for Spring Game on May 28 at 7 p.m.
The annual Jay High Blue and White game will be at 6 p.m. Friday.
The Flomaton Hurricanes will play Georgiana in a Spring Game Friday night at 7:00. Admission is $5.
Recognize This Backpack Or Jewelry? Sheriff’s Office Looking For Owner
May 17, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying the owner of property they believe was stolen from the North Escambia area.
Investigators recovered the items — a “Cowboys” backpack and jewelry — during a recent investigation, according to Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.
“We are attempting to identify the owner of the property so we can find where it was taken from,” Baxter said.
Anyone that recognizes any of the items pictured is asked to contact Investigator Zack Ward at (850) 436-9653 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the owner of these items believed to have been stolen from the North Escambia area. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mamie L. Morris
May 17, 2012
Mamie L. Morris – our precious and loving mother/grandmother passed into her eternal resting place on May 14, 2012.
Mrs. Morris was born on January 31, 1918. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband (Corbon), daughter (Yvonnia) and grandson (Ricky).
She is survived by two sons, Raymond Morris, Harold (Barbara) Morris; daughter Gladys (Steve) Rowell all of Munson; eightwonderful grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Thursday, May 17, at Jay Funeral Home with Bro. Duke Barrow officiating. Burial will follow at Valley Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Jay Funeral Home. Active pallbearers will be Kenneth Baxley, Stewart Baxley, Phil Cohron, Allen Qualls, Westel Cabaniss, and Gary Cabaniss
Honorary pallbearers will be Malcolm Reed, James Crain and James Simmons.
The family would like to think the front hall nurses, therapists and staff at Santa Rosa Health and Rehab and Santa Rosa Medical Center for the excellent care they provided for our precious mother.
Tate Senior Awarded Full Alabama Scholarship, Joining Million Dollar Band
May 17, 2012
Tate High School senior Matthew Warren has received a full academic scholarship to the University of Alabama where he will march in the Million Dollar Band.
Warren was a section leader in the Tate Showband of the South where he played the trombone. He will continue to play the trombone for UA’s band.
He is currently attending night classes at Pensacola State College to complete elective courses. He has been accepted into the Honors Program at the University of Alabama where he will work toward a Masters degree in aeronautical engineering.
Citizen’s Insurance Committee To Review Dramatic Rate Hikes
May 17, 2012
New coastal homeowners seeking coverage from the state-backed insurance pool would see premiums double in some regions under a scenario to be reviewed Thursday by a key regulatory committee.
Members of Citizens Property Insurance Corp’s actuarial and underwriting committee will review a proposal that would raise premiums for new Citizens customers by nearly 30 percent statewide in an effort to depopulate the state-backed property insurer that now handles nearly 1.4 million policies.
Coastal homeowners who seek Citizens coverage after Jan. 1 would see premiums averaging 41.7 percent higher than those imposed on similar properties in 2010. The rates would add roughly $100 million in new premiums.
No vote will be taken Thursday, but the committee was asked to review the proposal that would allow Citizens to exceed a 10-percent cap on premium increases now in effect. Citizens’ legal advisors say the 10-percent cap on premium increases does not apply to new policies, an opinion not shared by others, including state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.
The actuary committee has already recommended non-capped rates for new policies, but the board postponed action on the proposal last month after an outcry from critics led by Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey.
Board members asked Citizens’ staff to examine what rates could look like under an uncapped scenario. They asked the insurer to meet with legislative leaders and look at the impact of making such a dramatic change. It could take up any new proposal at its June 7 meeting.
“The subcommittee has already recommended to the full board that they go forward with this uncapped rate issue,” said Christine Ashburn, Citizens director of legislative and external affairs, “…This is just staff providing the subcommittee an update of where we are working on those items.”
While the statewide increase would be about 30 percent, some areas would be hit much harder. New Citizens policyholders in Santa Rosa County, for example, would see an 82 percent increase under the scenario presented to the committee. New coastal customers in Escambia county would see premiums more than double at the end of 2010.
Citizens has been tasked with depopulating the state run pool, which has become the largest property insurer in the state. Toward that end, lawmakers and state officials have been trying to raise Citizens’ rates to make them more actuarially sound and more closely mirror what private insurers would charge.
“This is just another ridiculous idea from Tallahassee to shrink Citizens,” Fasano said “It’s ridiculous because people have nowhere else to go.”
At the full board meeting last month, Fasano argued that allowing such dramatic increases would hamper economic recovery along Florida’s coast, home to about 80 percent of the state’s population. Any rate hike approved by the Citizens’ board would have to be approved by state insurance regulators before going into effect.
“If the Office of Insurance Regulation were to approve these rates, it would be devastating to the housing market here in Florida,” Fasano said.
By The News Service of Florida
Democrats Outregistered GOP Again In April
May 17, 2012
The state Democratic Party said Wednesday that it continues to lead in voter registration, releasing state Division of Elections data showing the Democrats out-registered Republicans in April by 10 percentage points.
New voters have been registering with the Democratic Party more than the Republican Party for a few months in Florida.
State data – the reporting of which by the state elections office lags that by the parties – showed Democrats registered 5,459 more voters in April than did the Republican Party. Democrats have a 4 percent overall registration advantage over Republicans in Florida.
By The News Service of Florida
Summer Camp Offered At Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
May 17, 2012
The Francis M. Weston Audubon Society, in conjunction with the Escambia County School System, will be hosting the “Environmental Encounters Summer Camp 2012” at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center.
Two one-week sessions geared toward incoming third, fourth and fifth grade students will be offered on June 4-8, and June 11-15. Through hands-on scientific investigations and experiments, campers will learn about different environments and the challenges which they face. The cost is $130 per week and includes five days packed full of fun and educational science activities. Participants provide their own transportation and sack lunch each day.
For a camp brochure, click here. For a registration form, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from a previous camp at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Tourism Up In First Quarter
May 17, 2012
Nearly 23.5 million visitors came to Florida during the first three months of 2012, a 2.9-percent increase from the same period a year ago, according to figures released Wednesday by VISIT FLORIDA – the state’s tourism marketing corporation.
Meanwhile, direct travel-related employment in Florida also rose 1.9 percent, adding 19,200 jobs since May 2011 and representing the largest employment total since first quarter 2008.