One On One With Sen. John McCain: Mitt Romney And North Escamiba
January 28, 2012
In 2008, Arizona Sen. John McCain was the Republican presidential nominee, edging out Mitt Romney to face off against Democrat Barack Obama. Now, McCain’s on the campaign trail singing Romney’s praises.
Friday afternoon, McCain took the time for a one-on-one phone interview with NorthEscambia.com.
“Mitt Romney has the experience in the public and private sector to be the next president and lead this country,” McCain said. “With a win in the Florida primary, he will have the wind at his back and the momentum needed to win.”
McCain said Romney is the best chance that Republicans have of beating Obama. And once in the White House, “he knows how to work with Democrats across the aisle,” the Arizona senator said, to accomplish the Romney agenda.
As for a Romney running mate — McCain said he’s looking toward Florida’s own Marco Rubio because “he’s top tier and has the experience”.
McCain said a Romney administration would be a good thing for areas like North Escambia. There is an answer, he said, to the financial ills like unemployment and business failures in North Escambia.
“We need to give businesses large and small the kind of certainty about the future that they need to invest and light a fire in your communities,” he said. “But that’s not happening now. They never know when the next regulation is coming down from Washington.”
“It’s the same with the smalls cities and towns; there’s too much regulation,” McCain said.
McCain said he feels a special bond with Escambia County where he and other McCain family members attended flight training in Pensacola.
“National security and defense spending is very important,” McCain said, turning back from reminiscing about Escambia County to the campaign at hand. “And Mitt Romney understands that national security is important in this community.”
Sunny Weekend Forecast
January 28, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming southeast between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 56.
- Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 71.
- Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 52.
- Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 67.
Early Voting Ends Today
January 28, 2012
Saturday is the last day for early voting in advance of the January 31 Presidential Primary Election, according to Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford. Times for early voting are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Voters may choose any one of the four early voting locations:
- Supervisor of Elections Main Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor
- Supervisor of Elections Annex, 292 Muscogee Road, Cantonment
- Tryon Branch Library, 1200 Langley Avenue
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
On Election Day, Tuesday, January 31, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Voters must present a valid photo and signature ID and must vote at their home precinct on Election Day.
Century Correctional Inmate Convicted Of Murdering Another CCI Inmate
January 28, 2012
A Century Correctional Institution inmate was found guilty Friday of the 2010 murder of another inmate at the facility.
An Escambia County jury convicted John Scaife after a two-day trial of manslaughter and battery upon a prison detainee.
On December 22, 2010, Scaife engaged in a brief verbal argument with fellow Century Correctional Institution inmate Donald Bart. Scaife then struck Bart once in the face, causing Bart to fall backwards and hit his head on the concrete floor. Three days later, Bart became unresponsive and subsequently died on December 26 due to bleeding within his brain and swelling of his brain. It was determined that Donald Bart had several nasal fractures as well as a fracture to the lower rear portion of his skull, and that these injuries were all a result of Scaife’s actions on December 22, according to testimony.
Scaife faces a sentence of up to 40 years in state prison as a habitual felony offender when he is sentenced by Judge Joel Boles on March 15.
Scaife was serving a 12 year sentence from Polk County for a 2001 conviction on charges of burglary, grand theft auto and fleeing/eluding law enforcement. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, he has been in and out of prison since 1979 for a list of offenses that include burglary, robbery, aggravated battery, sexual battery and petty theft.
Bart was sentenced in 2009 in St. Lucie County to eight years for arson, torturing animals and burglary, and a five year sentence for a 2008 St. Lucie County conviction on marijuana charges.
Cantonment Company Cuts The Ribbon On Expansion, 15 New Jobs
January 28, 2012
A Cantonment based manufacturing company held a ribbon cutting Friday for a new facility that will mean 15 new higher-wage jobs.
Custom Control Solutions is adding a second location at 9165 Roe Street.
“CCS made their mark on the industrial world with their premier solutions at a lower price,” said Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll at the ribbon cutting event. “Custom Control Solutions has had a 40% annual growth rate in advance manufacturing process, and this kind of growth will continue to succeed.”
Headquartered at 1520 Power Boulevard in Cantonment, CCS designs and builds analyzer systems, industrial control systems, instrument cabinets and system integration services. One of the company’s largest and most competitive markets is “building industrial equipment buildings.
Currently, CCS outsources the fabrication of these buildings, but through this project – a $520,000 community investment — the company plans to construct them at its new facility in Pensacola.
“The growth of Custom Control Solutions is directly related to the professionalism of the team members and solutions that we constantly provide to our current, previous and future customers,” said Glen Miller, vice president of production for Custom Control Solutions.
The company’s headquarters will remain in Cantonment. CCS presently has 20 employees, but the expansion will create 15 jobs with annual salaries averaging $39,616.
Pictured top: The ribbon is cut Friday morning as Cantonment-based Custom Control Solutions expands into a new location in Pensacola. Pictured inset: Florida Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll speaks at the ribbon cutting. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mike Whitehead Running For Escambia Tax Collector
January 28, 2012
Former Escambia County Commissioner Mike Whitehead prefiled Friday to run for Escambia County Tax Collector.
Whitehead will run as a Republican for the seat that has been held by Democrat Janet Holley since 1998.
“I look forward to working to improve access and efficiency in this department,” he said.
Whitehead was elected three times to the Escambia County Commission — 1992, 1996 and 2004. He ran unsuccessfully for county commission in 1988 and 2008, and had an unsuccessful bid for Clerk of the Court in 2000.
the road to the crown: Behind The Scenes Photos
January 28, 2012
Today, it’s part five of our multi-part series “the road to the crown” as we follow 24 young ladies at Northview High School in their quest for the crown and the title of “Miss Northview High School” for 2012.
Today we take you behind the scenes of a recent practice with a sneak peak at some of the pageant dresses. The pageant is Saturday night at 7:00, and NorthEscambia.com will have the new Miss Northview High School and all the photos here Sunday morning.
For a behind the scenes photo gallery, click here.
For previous installments from the series:
- Road To The Crown: Miss Northview High 2012 Contestants
- the road to the crown: Meet The Girls (Part One)
- the road to the crown: Meet The Girls (Part Two)
- the road to the crown: Meet The Girls (Part Three)
Deadline For Businesses To Apply For SBA Disaster Loans Is Jan. 30
January 28, 2012
There is still time to apply for U.S. Small Business Administration working capital loans for small businesses in the North Escambia area that were impacted by severe storms, tornadoes, high winds and flooding that occurred from April 15 to May 31, 2011.
“Businesses that suffered economic losses as a result of the disaster and want to apply for low-interest loans from the SBA are urged to do so before the Jan. 30 deadline,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA Field Operations Center East.
Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) up to $2 million are available at 4 percent for small businesses and 3 percent for private nonprofit organizations of all sizes, with terms up to 30 years. The loans are intended to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other expenses that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. To be considered for this assistance, disaster victims need to apply by the deadline.
Among the qualified counties for the loans are Santa Rosa and Escambia counties in Florida, and Escambia County, Alabama.
To obtain disaster loan information and application forms, call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for deaf and hard-of hearing) or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan application forms can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov .
Those affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from the SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ .
The deadline for economic injury applications is January 30, 2012.
Florida House Releases $69.2 Billion Budget Proposal
January 28, 2012
House budget builders on Friday released their $69.2 billion spending blueprint that includes more than $1 billion in additional funding for K-12 education and more than $2.5 billion in reserves.
The proposal will become grist for talks both in the House and with negotiators across the hall in the Senate as lawmakers enter the fourth week of the session.
The Senate spending plan, however, may not be finalized for a couple weeks as budget leaders review spending allocations — particularly in the health and human services sectors — for potential cuts as they attempt to fill a budget gap that could reach $2 billion.
“As Florida’s economy begins to stabilize, it is incumbent upon state government to continue controlling costs without increasing the tax burden placed on Floridians,” Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said in a statement. “Passing a balanced budget on time and without raising taxes will send a positive message to Florida’s businesses community and help to instill the confidence in our economy that will lead to further increases in private sector job creation.”
The House plan includes general revenue funds totaling $24.3 billion, state trust funds totaling $20.4 billion and federal funds totaling $24.5 billion. The budget increases PreK-12 education funding by over $1 billion and includes more than $2.46 billion in reserves.
In education, the proposed budget calls for Pre-K-12 funding of $12.7 billion, a $1.1 billion, or 9.5 percent increase from the current fiscal year. The budget translates into a per student funding increase of 2.27 percent to $6,366 per student.
Higher education fares worse. The House proposal calls for cutting the $5.9 billion higher education budget by $246.1 million, a drop of 6 percent.
The House health and human services budget, released earlier in the week, would cut hospital Medicaid rates by $291 million next year and trim a series of benefits for low-income Floridians.
But the $29.8 billion proposal also would take steps such as increasing funding for child-protection investigators, stabilizing the finances of the deficit-plagued Agency for Persons with Disabilities and shielding from cuts the Medically Needy program for people with debilitating illnesses.
A key issue in the negotiations likely will be hospital Medicaid rates, which were cut by $510 million to help balance the current fiscal year’s budget. The House proposal rejects a plan by Gov. Rick Scott to overhaul — and more deeply slash — hospital funding, but it still calls for a 7 percent rate reduction.
The Senate has yet to release its spending proposal, but Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, chairman of the health and human services budget subcommittee, has said he doesn’t want to cut hospital rates as he tries to trim hundreds of millions in HHS funding.
“I have heard concerns expressed over hospital rate reductions in the House budget and look forward to seeing how the Senate will reduce $850 million in health care without adversely affecting the delivery of hospital services,” House budget chairwoman Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, said earlier this week..
Among a handful of other highlights, the House also proposed to boost funding for economic development initiatives. The proposal calls for $205.2 million, a 4.2 percent increase over last year.
For the courts, there is a $584.6 million, or 12.25 percent, reduction in total spending compared to 2011-12.
By The News Service of Florida
Missing Autistic Cantonment Teen Found Safe
January 27, 2012
A missing autistic teen from Cantonment was located safe and in good condition Friday afternoon.
Calvin James Burkhart, 16, was located at the Pensacola airport. Authorities are not sure how he got from his Cantonment home to the airport or why he was there.
The Sheriff’s Office along with Escambia Search and Rescue began their search after Burkhart was last seen Thursday morning.
Deputies were called out to the 700 block of Mohegan Circle near International Paper Thursday when Burkhart failed to return home from school. Burkhart’s parents also received a call from the school Thursday advising them that Burkhart was absent from school.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators, the ECSO Air Unit, Escambia Search and Rescue, and Brad Dennis from Klaas Kids all searched for Burkhart.
Sheriff’s investigators also contacted A Child Is Missing Program which called every home in a five mile radius to notify them to be on the lookout for Burkhart.
Investigators also issued fliers and passed them out as they combed the area for Burkhart.