Cantonment Man Charged With DUI, Stealing Copper Wire
March 1, 2012
A Cantonment man charged with DUI was also arrested for his alleged role in stealing items including copper wiring from a home on 10 Mile Road.
Brandon Lee Cobb, age 22 of Cantonment, was charged with burglary of a structure, grand theft and dealing in stolen property from a home that had previously burned on Bison Road. Cobb allegedly participated in removing copper wiring from the home along with stealing a chainsaw, power drill, socket sets and other items.
Cobb’s arrest came after a traffic stop at the Whataburger in Cantonment. Cobb was stopped after a deputy observed him traveling in excess of 70 mph on the two-lane North Palafox parallel to Highway 29. According to an arrest report, Cobb ran off the road and nearly hit a pedestrian. Following the traffic stop, Cobb reportedly tried to flee from deputies during a DUI test but was quickly apprehended after a brief foot chase. He was charged with driving under the influence and resisting an officer without violence.
Cobb was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
State Changes School Grading Methods
March 1, 2012
The state Board of Education has approved a series of changes to Florida’s process for grading schools. The changes come after the federal government allowed the state to break free from the No Child Left Behind school accountability law.
The exemption means that Florida can use its own school accountability system, its A-through-F school grades, to rate the state’s public education system. But the waiver comes with strings attached, a requirement that children who are learning English and students with disabilities be included in the grading.
The Florida Association of District School Superintendents was one of several groups opposed to the new system that would include students not previously factored in, particularly the newest learners of English.
“While we agree with the need to include students with disabilities and more (English-language learners) in the performance components for reading and math, we are concerned that the proposed rule is contrary to research-based evidence that demonstrates one year is insufficient for a child to acquire native language proficiency,” the association wrote to Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson.
While approving the inclusion of new English speakers, they won’t be counted for their first year under the plan approved Tuesday. And, under an amendment to the rule by Board member Gary Chartrand, the state Department of Education will convene a task force to come up with recommendations on how to include students with disabilities into the accountability system.
The number of foreign children who may struggle in English will obviously affect some school districts more than others, raising the possibility of inequality in the measurement system.
Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the Board of Education that in his school district alone, there are more than 63,000 students whose first language isn’t English.
“You would need to put 30-40 Districts together in the state of Florida to come up with that number comparable to Miami-Dade,” Carvalho said. ‘We know we have students in their second year of language instruction who only achieve a 1-2 in FCAT Reading. But they’re learning. You know how we know that? Because in math, they are getting three’s, four’s and five’s.”
Carvalho, who also speaks several languages, said it would be hard for him to pass the state’s test.
“The issue is reading proficiency. If I were asked to sit for an exam given entirely in Spanish and expected to perform as well as a native Spanish speaker, I would fail the exam. I speak it beautifully, but I would fail the exam.”
The panel also backed down from another rule change that would have granted automatic “F” grades to schools with fewer than 25-percent of students reading on grade level. That proposal was softened to say that says schools with a grade of “D” or higher must have at least a quarter of their students’ scoring at or above a Level 3 on FCAT reading test. Schools that don’t meet the 25-percent threshold could see their grade drop down a letter. The change also affects the lowest 25-percent of student performers.
That too, won’t account against schools in the first year.
The Board of Education also voted to remove high school science from the list of things calculated in a school’s grade. Science is being removed because the state eliminated its 11th grade Science FCAT test-and its replacement-the Biology end-course exam, hasn’t been fully implemented yet.
By The News Service of Florida
Today Is Deadline For Landowners To Apply For Share Of $50 Million In Gulf Restoration Funds
March 1, 2012
Today is the final chance for landowners and producers in the area to apply for a share of $50 million in funding from a Gulf Coast restoration effort.
The $50 million will be spent over three years in conservation assistance to farmers and ranchers in priority areas along seven major rivers in five states that drain into the Gulf.
In Escambia counties in both Florida and Alabama, funds will be focused on the Canoe Creek watershed and the Sandy Hollow-Pine Barren Creek watershed in the Escambia River basin. Also, in North Escambia, funds will provide conservation assistance in the Little Pine Barren Creek Watershed in the Escambia River Basin. (Click map to enlarge.)
Financial assistance is available to help producers apply sustainable agricultural and wildlife habitat management systems that will focus on reducing soil erosion, improving water quality, and improving wildlife habitat on cropland, pastureland, and forestland.
Practices may include:
- Installing grade control structures to stabilize eroding gullies
- Implementing precision agriculture to reduce chemical application overlap and protect sensitive environmental areas
- Increasing adoption of residue and tillage management, cover crops, and conservation crop rotations to reduce sheet and rill erosion and improve soil organic matter, which will result in cleaner runoff and improved water quality
- Planting grass and trees to stabilize eroding areas
- Installing cross-fences and watering facilities to facilitate grazing distribution
- Controlling cattle access to streams to improve water quality and stream bank stability
- Planting and managing native plant species to improve wildlife habitat and to assist with restoration of a multitude of declining species
- Promoting energy conservation by eliminating the need for annual mechanical removal of sediment from split ditches
- Implementing grazing management
For information on how to apply for the funding, contact the NRCS Molino Service Center at (850) 587-5345 or the Brewton NRCS Service Center at (251) 867-3185. Application cutoff date for GoMI 2012 funds is March 1, 2012.
Spelling Counts: Can You Spot What’s Wrong With This Sign?
March 1, 2012
The sign over the entrance at the county-owned Byrneville Community Center was recently repainted — with a spelling error. Can you spot what’s wrong with the sign in these photos?
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Drug Felon Assistance Restrictions Set For Final Votes
March 1, 2012
A measure preventing convicted drug felons from collecting Temporary Assistance to Needy Family help and food stamps unless they complete drug treatment was given preliminary approval late Wednesday.
Sponsored by Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness, the bill allows applicants to designate someone else to collect the assistance. The House then gave preliminary approval to another measure that would prevent the out-of-state use of debit cards for TANF and food stamps.
Deputies, U.S. Marshals Bust Robbery Suspect
March 1, 2012
A manhunt by deputies and U.S. Marshals ended with the capture of a taxi robbery suspect in Escambia County Wednesday.
Phillip Earl Crenshaw Jr., 20, was arrested in the 6800 block of Tiki Lane on multiple robbery charges and one count each of petit theft and grand theft.
Crenshaw was also the suspect in an early morning robbery Wendesday and was charged with that crime in addition to burglary unarmed of an occupied structure, false imprisonment, and resisting arrest without violence after he entered an occupied apartment trying to flee authorities, holding the occupants inside the apartment.
Crenshaw is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Shooting Under Investigation
February 29, 2012
A Wednesday night shooting in Escambia County is under investigation.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators are on scene of an afternoon shooting. Investigators responded to the 100 block of East Texar Drive here they found an adult male who had sustained a non-life threatening injury, according to a Sheriff’s spokesperson.
The victim was transported to a local hospital.
Investigators are asking for help in identifying a white Chevy Camaro with a black spoiler and aftermarket wheels and exhaust system. If you have any information about this vehicle or the shooting, call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP (7869) or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
One Injured In North Highway 99 Rollover Crash
February 29, 2012
A North Escambia man was injured in a single vehicle rollover accident early Wednesday morning near Bratt following a reported domestic disturbance.
Thomas Benjamin Davis, 32, was transported to Atmore Community Hospital by Escambia County EMS following the crash on North Highway 99 about a mile south of Breastworks Road. He was later transported by ambulance to a Pensacola hospital as a trauma alert.
The accident was discovered by a passerby about 2:40 a.m., but it was not immediately clear what time the accident happened.
Davis had reportedly been involved in a possible domestic disturbance less than a half mile away. He lost control of his Chevrolet Colorado, ran off the road and overturned. Davis was found outside the pickup; authorities believe he may have been ejected.
Following the crash, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Atmore Ambulance responded to the possible domestic disturbance where a female refused treatment.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to both incidents.
Pictured: One person was injured following this wreck early Wednesday morning on North Highway 99. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Flomaton, Century Chambers Name Citizens, Students and Businesses Of The Year
February 29, 2012
Citizen, business and students of the year were named Tuesday night at the Flomaton and Century Joint Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet.
For photos of the winners, scroll down the page.
The Century Chamber of Commerce named:
Student of the Year – Caleb Leonard, Northview High
Business of the Year – Fresenius Medical Care
Citizen of the Year — Eddie Bondurant
The Flomaton Chamber of Commerce named:
Student of the Year – Jessica Pendleton, Flomaton High
Business of the Year — Wedgeworth Roofing
Citizen of the Year — Ronnie & Kelli Hammond
The Citizens of the Year are both deeply involved in their respective communities — volunteering often in their communities.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Leslie Gonzalez and Heather Leonard contributed to this report and photos.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Leslie Gonzalez and Heather Leonard, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Gets 10 Years For Traffic Accident Manslaughter
February 29, 2012
A 21-year old Cantonment man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison in connection with a 2010 drug-related traffic homicide.
Phillip Michael Chevalier pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter for the May 2010 death of Billy Beck III in a traffic crash on Chemstrand Road.
Beck, 23, was on Chemstrand Road just before midnight on May 6, 2010, when he was struck by at least three vehicles. Chevalier, identified by the Florida Highway Patrol as the driver of the first vehicle to strike Beck, fled the scene. Beck’s family maintained that foul play may have been involved in the crash; however there were few leads or witnesses, according to the FHP.
Witnesses told the FHP that Chevalier pulled off to the side of Chemstrand Road where Beck was standing. Chevealier pulled off after Beck handed him a bag of marijuana. Beck reached into the truck and tried to get the marijuana back, according to a witness’s affidavit. Chevalier continued to drive north on Chemstrand Road with Beck hanging on to the truck. He eventually fell off the vehicle and was hit by the vehicles.
In February 2011, Florida Highway Patrol investigators developed additional evidence that led to arrest warrants being issued for Chevalier for felony murder and leaving the scene of accident with death. Chevalier was arrested by U.S. Marshals in St. Johns County, Fla.
The drivers of the second and third vehicles to hit Beck were not charged.