Abortion Bill Stalls In Senate
March 6, 2012
A measure requiring women to wait 24 hours before receiving an abortion stalled in the Florida Senate on Monday, virtually ending the possibility of its passage before lawmakers adjourn later this week.
Without debate, a procedural vote to bring the always emotionally charged issue to the floor by pulling the bill out of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee failed on a 23-16 vote, less than the two-thirds needed in the 40-member chamber. The failure makes the issue unavailable for further debate.
Minutes after the vote, the Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said the issue was settled and would not return.
“Given the mood — the Senate chamber — they felt like with all the pressing issues …that this might take a little bit too much time, though it’s something that I would happen to support, as I showed by my vote today. There are some folks who are in the pro-choice caucus within my Republican caucus who didn’t want to vote for this,” Haridopolos told reporters.
“I think that (procedural) vote expressed where people are at,” Haridopolos added.
“I think it was a pretty definitive vote,” said Senate Rules Committee Chairman John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine.
Last week, the Florida House passed its version of the bill (HB 277), which would make women wait 24 hours after seeing a physician before an abortion could be performed. Patients also would have to be informed that a fetus feels pain at 20 weeks, an assertion that has been prompted debate in the scientific community.
Further, the bill would require doctors who perform the procedure to take yearly ethics course as part of their continuing education.
Over the past few years, Florida lawmakers have passed a series of bills seeking to make it more difficult to get an abortion, though many of their efforts have been challenged in court.
Following lengthy, at times emotional debate, the House last week voted 78-33, largely along party lines, to approve the bill, which also would require new abortion clinics to be owned by doctors and prohibit an abortion if the physician has determined the fetus has reached “viability.”
By The News Service of Florida
Escambia Names New Building Official
March 6, 2012
County Administrator Charles R. “Randy” Oliver has appointed Amru Meah as the new Escambia County Building Official.
Meah was selected after a review of 36 candidates that applied for the position.
“Mr. Meah brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Escambia County and will certainly be an asset and welcome addition to our professionals in the Building Inspections Division,” said Development Services Director Lloyd Kerr.
Meah is currently the President and CEO of Meah Associates LLC in Beverly Hills, Michigan, and was the director of the Building and Safety Engineering Department for the City of Detroit until from January 2002 to August 2009. He worked for the City of Detroit from 1977 to 2009 starting in the Department of Water and Sewage. He is also a member of 10 different professional building and fire protection associations.
Meah’s first day on the job in Escambia County will be March 27.
College Students Spend Their Spring Break Helping Others
March 6, 2012
A group of college students from Philadelphia are spending their spring break doing volunteer work for the Escambia County (Ala.) Habitat for Humanity. The 18 students from Holy Family University are spending their nights at the Brewton YMCA and their days repainting the homes of two elderly widows in Atmore.
The students are working at the Smith home on Peacock Lane in Robinsville and and O’Farrell home on Old Bratt Road.
The students will be working hard but will also get a taste of” Southern hospitality”. Tuesday, they will have a short day of work and then enjoy a picnic , hayride and “History of Atmore” tour hosted by the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce. Thursday evening, they will be treated to a beach theme meal and painting party at the Hourglass in Brewton. Friday, the students plan to enjoy a day at the beach before beginning their trip back home.
The students are participating in Habitat’s national alternative break program, Collegiate Challenge. This is the fifth year Escambia County Habitat has hosted college volunteers through the Collegiate Challenge program.
Escambia Academy Beats Monroe
March 6, 2012
Escambia Academy beat Monroe Academy on Monday 1-0.
Michael Thompson led the charge against Monroe, striking out 12, and allowing just two hits in seven inning. Cole Boatwright was 3-3, with a double in the fourth and a single in second and sixth.
Other hitters from EA’s Cougars were Chance Jackson, Reid Bell, Jarrett Hadley, Austin McGhee, Braxton Chastang and Boatwright.
The Cougars only run came with an RBI single by Bell in the seventh.
ECAT Bus Hits Horse
March 5, 2012
No one was injured when an ECAT bus hit a horse near McDavid Monday afternoon.
The accident happened just before 1 p.m. when the driver of a southbound ECAT bus struck the horse as it darted across the southbound lanes of Highway 29 at Roach Road. The driver and three passengers on the bus were not injured.
The horse did not survive the incident.
The ECAT bus was running its regular route from Century to Molino, Cantonment and Pensacola at the time of the crash. The passengers continued on a replacement bus.
The accident was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the crash.
Pictured above and below: Four people on this ECAT bus were not injured when the bus struck a horse on Highway 29 in McDavid Monday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
No Serious Injuries In Train Versus Vehicle Crash On Quintette Road
March 5, 2012
There were no serious injuries in a train versus vehicle accident Sunday night near Cantonment.
A CSX train and the front end of a Ford F150 collided at the railroad crossing on Quintette Road just before 11 p.m. Reports indicated the impact rotated the truck around and damaged a guardrail. The CSX train continued without stopping; the train engineer was unaware of the collision.
The driver was out of the vehicle and walking around as first responders arrived on scene.
The railroad crossing signal on Quintette Road was reported to be malfunctioning for hours before the crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol website.
The incident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not yet been released.
The Cantonment, Molino and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
Photo: Azaleas In Bloom
March 5, 2012
Unusually warm winter weather has the North Escambia area looking a lot like spring. Azaleas, like this one in Bratt, are beginning to bloom across the area. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Steven McLaurin Hagen
March 5, 2012
Mr. Steven McLaurin Hagen, age 25 of Goodway, AL, passed away suddenly on March 2, 2012.
Mr. Hagen was a native of Pensacola and had spent his life in Flomaton except for the last two years when he made Goodway his home. Mr. Hagen worked as a floor and tile installer, was of the Holiness faith and attended the Goodway Baptist Church. He is preceded in death by his grandfathers, W.H. Van Hoosen, Sr., J.L. Bondurant and James Reed and his grandmother, Exlou Reed.
Mr. Hagen is survived by his wife, Heather L. Hagen of Goodway, AL; his mother, Addie Glenda Hagen of Flomaton; his father, Michael Stevens Coker of Bay Minette; sons, Blake Nathaniel Hagen and D.J. Victor, both of Goodway; daughters, Kymberlee Victor and Emmalee Victor, both of Goodway; brother, Jeffery (Katina) Hagen of Poarch; sister, Heather Coker and grandmother, Dorothy Bondurant of Flomaton.
Visitation will be held on Monday, March 5, 2012, at the Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel from 6 until 9 p.m.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 6, 2012, at 2 p.m. at the Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Robert Knowles and Rev. Ernie Cawby officiating. Interment will follow in Traveler’s Rest Cemetery in Flomaton, AL.
Pallbearers will be Chris Van Hoosen, Jimmy Van Hoosen, Anthony Parker, Aaron Baxter, Patrick Carter and Jason Cofield.
Miller: Remember The Fallen From Our Area
March 5, 2012
Northwest Florida is proud of our strong relationship with the United States Armed Forces. Service men and women train and work at our local bases, their spouses are active in our local community, and their children attend local schools. But often lost in the daily shuffle of life in and around our local military and Coast Guard is the fact that these are the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen who put themselves in harm’s way to defend our freedom. Some defend it with their lives by paying the ultimate sacrifice. Over the past two weeks, our area was reminded of this devastating fact in a series of losses that have shaken the very core of our community.
A total of nine men have been lost and one still missing in a matter of eleven days– all ten of whom were serving their country as part of our United States Armed Services and Coast Guard. Of their dedication to duty, courage of heart, and commitment to our great nation, there can be no doubt.
On February 18, four members of U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command were killed when their U-28 aircraft went down near Camp Lemonnier outside of Djibouti, Africa: Captain Ryan P. Hall of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Captain Nicholas S. Whitlock of Newnan, Georgia; First Lieutenant Justin J. Wilkens of Bend, Oregon; and Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Four men who while stationed at Hurlburt Field became a part of our community. Four men who gave their lives in service to their country.
On February 23, Army Sergeant Joshua A. Born was killed in the Khogyani District of the Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Originally from Niceville, Sergeant Born joined the Army in 2007 after high school. He was on his first deployment to Afghanistan when he and other members of his Company came under fire during local protests, and he was killed in action. Sergeant Born gave his life in service to his country.
On February 25, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John D. Loftis of Paducah, Kentucky became the sixth member of our community to be killed in action in the past two weeks. Prior to his deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan as part of the Afghan Ministry of the Interior, Lt Col Loftis was stationed at the Air Force Special Operations Training Center on Hurlburt Field. He entered the Air Force in 1996 as a Space and Missile Officer and had been awarded the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. Lt Col Loftis gave his life in service to his country.
On February 28, three members of the U.S. Coast Guard were killed and one remains missing after a helicopter crash during a training exercise in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Chief Petty Officer Fernando Jorge of Cypress, California; Lieutenant Commander Dale Taylor of Snow Hill, North Carolina; and Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Cameron of Portland, Oregon died as a result of the crash. Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Knight of Thomasville, Alabama remains missing. These men gave their lives in service to their country.
No words can express how we feel during such a time of loss. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the families of the men we’ve lost and the Coastguardsman who is still missing. May God be with each and every one of you.
As a community we must grieve for the warriors who passed away. We must mourn the fallen and we must pay tribute to their sacrifice. But we must also rally. And I know we will. Because that’s who we are in Northwest Florida. A community that stands behind the United States Armed Forces and proudly proclaims our fathers and mothers, our sisters and brothers, and our sons and daughters as members of a military tradition unlike anywhere else in the world.
We are and will continue to be the greatest country in the history of the world because of men and women like Captain Hall, Captain Whitlock, Lieutenant Wilkens, Senior Airman Scholten, Sergeant Born, Lieutenant Colonel Loftis, Chief Petty Officer Jorge, Lieutenant Commander Taylor, Lieutenant Cameron, and Petty Officer Knight. Men who gave their lives in service to their country. Men who we will never forget.
To those who continue to stand guard and take up the mantle of freedom that has been passed to you by those we’ve lost, thank you for what you do.
May God bless the families of those we’ve lost and those who serve, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Opal Falk
March 5, 2012
Opal Falk, 98, passed away on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, at a Pensacola hospital.
Mrs. Falk was a native and resident of Walnut Hill for most of her life, a homemaker and a member of Walnut Hill Baptist church.
She is survived by on son, Tommy Falk (Beverly) of Nokomis; two daughters, June Sharpless McCann (Roger) of Pensacola and Sharon Poulsen (Jerry) of Walnut Hill; . two brothers, Harold Pierce of Dothan and Burtram Pierce of Andalusia; sisters, Pluma Moore of River Falls, AL, Earnestine Gunter also of River Falls and Lytress Allen from MS; eight grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; and five great-great grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Friday, March 2, 2012 at 2 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Baptist Church with the Rev. Ted Bridges officiating. Burial followed at the Walnut Hill Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Roger McCann Jr., Michael McCann, Sean McCann, Christopher Poulsen and Jerry Poulsen.