Drive By Shooting Suspect Shoots At Deputies
January 9, 2012
An Escambia County man is behind bars, accused of shooting and a house and sheriff’s deputies.
Willie James Brazile, 21, was arrested Sunday night after deputies responded to a prowler call in the 5400 block of Tomlinson Road. While in the area, Deputy Daniel Dreadin observed someone in a silver car fire several shots towards a house. Dreadin gave pursuit, and deputies said someone in the vehicle fired shots at them.
After the vehicle came to a stop, two people fled on foot. A short time later, Brazile was taken into custody and a firearm recovered. Deputies later discovered that the vehicle was stolen.
Brazile, who deputies believed to be the passenger, was charged with four counts of aggravated assault , two counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement officer, use of firearm while committing a felony, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, firing deadly missiles into a dwelling, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and resisting an officer without violence. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $101,000.
The other suspect remained at large Monday morning.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Tate Grad Develops Product That Could Improve AIDS Treatment Worldwide
January 9, 2012
A Tate High School graduate has developed a product that could help make AIDS treatment faster, more effective and cheaper whether it is used in a local doctor’s office or a remote area of Africa. His research and innovation was recognized with the Baxter Young Investigator Award.
The annual Baxter awards are intended to stimulate and reward research applicable to the development of critical care therapies and medical products that save and sustain patients’ lives.
As a Ph.D. candidate at University of Illinois, Nicholas Watkins developed a CD4 counter, which counts a specific type of blood cell, called the Helper T cell. The cell normally fights off disease, but HIV attacks the T cells and uses them to create more viruses. An HIV positive patient will develop AIDS if the T cell count falls too low.
The final prototype of Watkins’s device will be hand held, requiring only one drop of blood from an AIDS patient. The device then counts the number of Helper T cells in the blood, providing a snapshot of the HIV patient’s immune system and determining which type of drugs the patients should receive.
Watkins’ current prototype can provide T cell counts in about 15 minutes or less — allowing a doctor to obtain a count and adjust a drug therapy in a single appointment.
Machines called flow cytometers exist and complete the same task, but these devices are large and expensive. Watkins said these machines are “very efficient,” but, they can cost over $100,000 and require highly skilled technicians to operate them.
When Watkins thought of making his CD4 counter at the University of Illinois, he had sub-Saharan Africa in mind — a long way from his former Cantonment residence.
“We’re trying to make a handheld, portable CD4 counter that can be deployed to regions that don’t have the money we have,” Watkins said. “We’re thinking of areas like sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV/AIDS is prevalent.”
But his device will not benefit solely one region in the world. Watkins said this type of machine would be necessary in any underdeveloped country that has a large portion of its population battling AIDS. He said millions of dollars are sent to these countries to help support the dispersal of medication, but the different medications are only effective when the correct one is given based on an individual’s Helper T cell count.
“Each person’s immune system responds differently,” Watkins said. “You need a highly quantitative test like a CD4 counter to determine which drugs work better. These drugs do work, but the problem is that we’re having trouble figuring out which drugs work for each person.”
Watkins added that his portable CD4 counter can help improve the quality of life for people who do not live in bigger cities, where flow cytometers might be available.
The device is Watkins’s PhD project under the direction of his adviser, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Rashid Bashir, director of the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab. He has been working on the project since 2009.
“It was very challenging but very rewarding knowing this is a very practical application and could be used in the next few years,” Watkins said. “It’s fulfilling to know that this research won’t just be published but will actually be used to help people.”
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rain, Thunderstorms Becoming Likely
January 9, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Tuesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Patchy fog before 9am. High near 71. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
- Tuesday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 50. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
- Wednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. West wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. West wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 24.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 61.
- Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 36.
- M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 56.
New Raceway Convenience Store Under Construction In Cantonment
January 9, 2012
A new RaceWay convenience store is under construction at the intersection of Highway 29 and Muscogee Road in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Shirley Bibb Whittaker
January 9, 2012
Shirley Bibb Whittaker, age 65 of Cantonment, passed away January 7, 2012.
Services will be Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at Plainview Baptist Church. Visitation shall begin at 11 a.m. followed by a memorial service at noon, with the Reverend Bill Flannigan officiating. Mrs. Whittaker will be buried at Good Hope Cemetery in Cullman, AL, at 11 am on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, with a graveside service, also officiated by Reverend Flannigan.
Mrs. Whittaker passed away at her home on Saturday, January 7, 2012, of natural causes.
She is survived by her husband, Lonnie Hurdis Whittaker; one son, Glen Aderhold; three grandchildren, Loryn Amanda Jensen, Dixon Alexander Aderhold, and Steven Garrett Aderhold; three stepsons, Phillip (Melissa) Blondia, Eric Pilto, and Bruce Blondia, and several step-grandchildren. Mrs. Whittaker is also survived by three brothers, Glenn (Carolyn) Bibb, Wayne (Betty) Bibb, Wiley (Donna) Bibb, and by three sisters, Doris (Gene) Arnold, Sue (Burt) Rodgers, and Jo Walton. She was preceded in death by her parents, Tracy and Clezzell Bibb.
Shirley Whittaker worked for the State of Florida, Vocational Rehabilitation Division for 35 years. She was very active in the Plainview Baptist Church Children’s Ministries, AWANA, and various other ministries in her beloved church.
The family requests that contributions to Plainview Baptist Church Children’s Church and AWANA would be made in lieu of flowers.
Locals Run Disney Marathon; Jay’s Dobson Finishes 29th
January 9, 2012
Several North Escambia area residents took part in the annual Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon, including past winner Matt Dobson of Jay.
Dobson, who won the 2004 marathon, finished in 29th place in the 2012 event with a time of 2:49:50. The 42-year old was fourth overall in his division. The top finisher in the race was Costa Fredison of Brazil with a time of 2:19:02.
In the half marathon, Wayne Peacock of Cantonment finished 85th in his division with a time of 2:53:04.
Other North Escambia area runner results were:
Walt Disney World Marathon
13478 Finishers
Matthew Dobson, Jay, 2:49:50 (29th overall, 4 in division)
Dana Stumfall, Cantonment, 5:41:33
Darlene Dickey, Molino, 5:52:21
Wayne Peacock, Cantonment, 6:01:08
Amy Bodie, Cantonment, 6:06:55
Pam Stafford, Cantonment, 6:06:55
Vicki Sue Merry, Cantonment, 6:26:25
Walt Disney World Half Marathon
22421 finishers
D. Garrett Smith, Cantonment, 2:14:48
Pam Stafford, Cantonment, 2:35:41
Mike Bodie, Cantonment, 2:42:09
Sharon Peacock, Cantonment, 2:53:04
Wayne Peacock, Cantonment, 2:53:04 (85th men 65-69)
Vicki Sue Merry, Cantonment, 3:05:33
Wayne Boulanger, Cantonment, 3:20:36
Kathy Boulanger, Cantonment, 3:20:36
Former Walnut Hill Resident Dies In Louisiana ATV Crash
January 9, 2012
A former Walnut Hill resident died Sunday in a Louisiana crash involving a pickup and the ATV on which he was riding.
According to the Louisiana State Police, 36-year old Phillip Burt Victor Jr. of Wisner, LA, died in the crash about 9:30 a.m. in Harrisonburg, LA.
According to troopers, the crash was between a 1999 Ford pickup, driven by 48-year-old David W. Carroll of Grayson, LA, and an ATV driven by 42-year-old William R. McKenzie of Wisner. Troopers said the ATV and the Ford were traveling in opposite directions when they collided on Old Columbia Road near Louisiana Highway 124. Following the crash, the pickup ran over the top of the ATV and overturned. Both vehicles caught on fire.
Victor and McKenzie were both ejected from the ATV and were pronounced dead on the scene. The pickup driver was not injured.
The crash is still under investigation by the Louisiana State Police.
Victor was a 1995 Ernest Ward High School graduate. Funeral arrangements at Petty Funeral Home in Atmore are incomplete.
Lenora Walker Harrelson
January 9, 2012
Mrs. Lenora Walker Harrelson, 52, passed away on Friday, January 6, 2012, at a Baldwin County hospital.
Mrs. Harrelson was a native and resident of Atmore and a former resident of Bratt. She was the second Poarch Creek Indian Princess in 1972 and attended the Baptist church.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Reva Walker; her grandparents, Fred and Lula Walker and Riley and Cora McGhee; and two brothers, David Nellums and Lavar Walker.
She is survived by her husband, Danny Lamar Harrelson of Andalusia; a son, Timothy Bartley of Andalusia; two stepsons, Danny McCorry of Atmore and David McCorry of Milton; a daughter, Heather Bartley Pettie of Andalusia; six grandchildren; a brother, Tony Walker of Atmore; and five sisters, Sharon Peebles of Atmore, Darlene Hitchcock of Bratt, JoAnn Nellums Boutwell of Perdido, AL, Donna Sue Marquett of Apache Junction, AZ, and Carol Jean Mercer of Pensacola.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, January 10 2012, at 3 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. William Rolin officiating..
Burial will follow at the Judson/Creek Indian Cemetery.
Visitation will be Monday, January 9, 2012, between 6-0 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home
Pallbearers will be Donny Hitchcock, Ricky Harrelson, Anthony Peebles, Matthew Walker, Sam Hitchcock and Wesley Woodruff.
Thomas (Thom) James Barrow
January 9, 2012
Thomas (Thom) James Barrow, age 66, of Jay passed away on Saturday, January 7, 2012.
Thom was born in Crestview and had lived in Jay for the past 43 years. His life’s careers have been the U.S. Navy, the Florida Highway Patrol, oil field business, and as a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s deputy.
Thom loved serving our community and has helped many people over the years. He loved animals of any kind and hated to see any of them or anyone mistreated. Thom also loved bird hunting, fishing and the outdoors.
Thom was preceded in death by his father, Fred Barrow; mother, Mazie Chessher Barrow; brother, James Van Barrow; and brother-in-law, Norman Despaux.
Thom is survived by his wife of 32 years, Victoria Davis Barrow; sons Jeffrey Barrow, wife Kathy, and their sons Jason and Jeremy; son, Jamie Barrow, wife Angie, and their children Jamie, Jr.; Dustin; Josh; Katie; Travis; and Lilly; son, Joey Barrow, wife Tina, and their sons Matthew and Josh; son, Jay Barrow and their son Scott; son, Frederick Barrow, wife Jeanna, and their children Kendall, Grant, and Mackenna; daughter, Jennifer Barrow Ashworth, husband Rodney, and their son Garrett and mother of Jeff, Jamie, Joey, and Jennifer; Joan Barrow; brother, Robert Barrow (Margot), Mobile, AL; sister, Margaret Despaux, Crestview; brother, Johnny Barrow (Mary Jane), Crestview; sister, Bobby Tunstall (Bob), Zachary, LA; brother, Bill Barrow (Carol), Kansas City, MO; sister-in-law, Hazel Barrow, Jay; brother-in-law, Buddy Davis (Toni), Crestview; aunt Wiona Barrow; cousin Maxie Barrow; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2012, from 6-8:30 p.m. at Jay Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Jay Funeral Home with son and pastor, Frederick Barrow officiating services.
Pallbearers are grandsons Jason, Jeremy, Jamie Jr., Dustin, Josh, Travis, Matthew, Josh, Scott, Grant, and Garrett.
Honorary Pallbearers are Maxie Barrow, Joe Max Linzy, Jim Spencer, A.J. Davis, Paul Adams, Joe McCurdy, Jabo Jernigan, Cecil Phillips, Donald Cobb, and Shorty Floyd.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to Century Care Center, Jay Hospital, Covenant Hospice, Dr. Lance Raney, and especially Dr. C. David Smith for 32 years of going above and beyond his professional duties.
Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Legislative Session Preview: Health Care Under The Knife Again
January 9, 2012
By now, it’s a familiar scene: As Florida lawmakers deal with a budget shortfall, hospitals, nursing homes and other health providers scramble to fend off — or brace for — funding cuts.
The 2012 legislative session will be no different.
Already, Gov. Rick Scott has proposed deep cuts in Medicaid payments to hospitals, as he tries to free up money to boost spending on public schools. And while it’s too early to know whether lawmakers will go along with Scott’s proposal, they are almost certain to make cuts in health and human-services programs.
Hospitals, nursing homes and numerous other programs say they have been hammered by cuts during the past few years. The debate during the session, which starts Tuesday, will focus on where further cuts will be made — and by how much.
“Nursing homes have been hit with a tsunami of funding cuts to our Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements over the past six months,” Emmett Reed, executive director of the Florida Health Care Association, said this week in a document outlining the nursing-home group’s session priorities. “If we see more cuts this session, many facilities will have to make difficult decisions which could restrict further access to care; our state’s seniors deserve better.”
The budget likely will be the biggest health and human-services issue during the 2012 session. But lawmakers and industry groups also are preparing for debates about other high-profile issues, such as revamping the personal-injury protection auto insurance system and shielding doctors from medical-malpractice lawsuits.
Lawmakers focused heavily last year on approving a plan to overhaul Medicaid and move to a statewide managed-care system. That plan is undergoing a lengthy federal review, so it appears unlikely to play a major role during the 2012 session.
Florida’s budget has faced repeated shortfalls as the struggling economy has limited the amount of tax dollars flowing into the state. The shortfall for the 2012-13 fiscal year could be up to $2 billion, though estimates vary because of issues such as how much money lawmakers decide to put in reserves.
Republican leaders have long complained that growth in the Medicaid program is sucking up dollars that could be used for other priorities such as education. As a result, they have looked each year at ways to trim health and human-services spending, which is dominated by Medicaid.
Scott’s budget proposal, released last month, would make dramatic changes in Medicaid funding for hospitals. The key part of the proposal would seek to end widely varying Medicaid payment rates for hospitals and would cut about $1.8 billion, part of which would be used to help increase school funding.
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, has indicated support for the broad concept of reducing differences in the amounts hospitals get paid to care for Medicaid patients.
“I think everyone would agree, if people are doing similar work in similar circumstances, their reimbursement should be similar,” Haridopolos said recently.
But the extent of the potential hospital cuts has raised concerns from lawmakers ranging from Senate Rules Chairman John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, to Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston. Rich, in part, objected to what she described as “pitting education versus health care.”
Even if lawmakers don’t go along with Scott’s proposal, however, they likely will make cuts in health and human-services spending. During the 2011 session, for example, they chopped Medicaid rates for hospitals and nursing homes to help balance the budget.
Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said he supports the idea of moving money from health programs to education. In the past, he has backed controversial ideas such as trimming money for adult substance-abuse and mental-health services and for the Medically Needy program, which provides care to people with debilitating illnesses who don’t qualify for Medicaid.
While trying to fend off budget cuts, health-industry groups also will closely watch major regulatory and legal issues. For instance, proposals to try to reduce fraud in the so-called “PIP” auto-insurance system could affect a wide range of health providers, including doctors, hospitals and chiropractors.
Also, groups such as the Florida Medical Association and Florida Hospital Association are calling for new limits on medical-malpractice lawsuits.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, filed a bill (HB 1233) this week that likely would make far-reaching changes in the malpractice system. That bill would set up a completely new system for handling medical-injury claims, somewhat akin to the way workers-compensation claims are handled.
Meanwhile, House and Senate members have filed bills that would help shield emergency-room doctors and workers from costly malpractice lawsuits. Those bills would extend a legal protection known as sovereign immunity, which typically is reserved for government agencies, to emergency providers.
If the medical-malpractice bills move forward, they are almost guaranteed to run into fierce opposition from lawyers who represent injured patients. But in documents outlining their priorities for the session, both the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Hospital Association said they backed extending sovereign immunity.
By The News Service of Florida