Molino Man Charged With Child Cruelty Over Spanking
January 7, 2012
A Molino man is facing a felony child abuse charge after allegedly spanking his girlfriend’s child too hard.
Mason Jacob Stanley, 21, is charged with cruelty toward a child without great harm. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on $10,000 bond.
A Department of Children and Families investigator told deputies that workers at the Kids Place Learning Center on Pensacola Boulevard had become alarmed at the amount of black and blue marks and the severity of them on the child’s buttocks.
Stanley, the boyfriend of the child’s mother, babysat the child the day prior to the injuries being reported, according to an arrest report. He allegedly spanked the child when he soiled his underwear.
Stanley told deputies that he did spank the child one time after discovering the soiled underwear. He told deputies that he saw red marks on the child’s buttocks “but thought that it was a rash and not a result of him spanking him,” the arrest report states.
The child was taken to the Gulf Coast Kids House for treatment. Stanley is not the child’s father, according to the arrest report.
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Grand Jury Finishes Billboard Tree Cutting, Evers Probe
January 7, 2012
A Tallahassee grand jury looking into how a Panhandle billboard company got permits to cut down 2,094 state-owned trees without paying the usual fees has finished its investigation.
The jury’s findings, however, will remain sealed for now until people involved in the investigation are informed of what the jury found.
The investigation involves how Bill Salter Advertising escaped fees when it got the contract to remove the trees, and was able to avoid other requirements. Part of the investigation included emails to Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, then a House member, in which the Bill Salter asked for help on the issue. Evers in turn lobbied then-Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Kopelousos on behalf of the company.
Work Continues On East Pond Street In Century
January 7, 2012
Work will continue next week on East Pond Street in Century, but one lane of traffic will remain open.
The road was scheduled to be closed last week, but a lane of traffic remained open as the town worked on a drainage improvement project between Jefferson Avenue west to Ramar Street near Highway 29.
Century Mayor Freddie McCall said it will be over a week before the equipment is in place to do the work that will completely close East Pond Street.
Ernie Lee Magaha Prefiles For 15th Term
January 7, 2012
Ernie Lee Magaha prefiled Friday to run for a 15th term as Escambia County Clerk of the Court. The 82-year old Magaha, a Republican, was elected to his first term in 1956 and has won ever election since.
Pam Childers, the City of Pensacola’s financial services manager has also prefiled for clerk’s position. The certified public accountant will also run as a Republican.
Girls Weightlifting: Jay Over Northview
January 7, 2012
Jay High School defeated Northview High School in a girl’s weightlifting meet in Jay.
Jay’s Royals finished with 37 points, while Northview’s Chiefs had 32 points.
Weight category winners, including scores with combined bench press and jerk weights, were as follows:
101
- Kasie Braun, Northview, 120
110
- Lakelynn Parker , Northview, 155
129
- Ashlynn Geck , Jay, 175
- Shelby Edwards , Jay, 165
- Tierra Floyd , Northview, 160
139
- Misty Doran , Northview, 210
- Matti Holt , Jay, 140
- Kim Gunn , Jay, 145
154
- Liza Eddings , Jay, 180
- Holley Fugatt , Jay, 180
- Brittany Thompson, Northview, 155
169
- Keyth Grice, Northview, 150
- Sunny Gilmore , Jay, 150
183
- Alisha Grice 145
- Sydney Lowery , Jay, 145
199
- McKenzie Nassar , Northview, 190
- Kaylen Blair, Jay, 160
Unlimited
- Brianna Hawthorne, Jay, 225
- Cheyenne Mack , Jay, 160
Increasing Rain Chances
January 7, 2012
Here is your official weekend weather forecast for the North Escambia area:
- Tonight: Isolated showers. Patchy dense fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Sunday: Scattered showers, mainly after noon. Patchy dense fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 74. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Sunday Night: Scattered showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Monday: Scattered showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 74. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Monday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 72. Southeast wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- Tuesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. South wind around 10 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. West wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. West wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 60.
Legislative Session Preview: Scott’s Higher Ed Proposals Likely To Wait
January 7, 2012
Despite the attention paid to Gov. Rick Scott’s ideas about reshaping Florida’s higher education system, it looks like a major overhaul of colleges and universities will wait until the 2013 session.
Legislators aren’t ruling out the possibility of addressing at least some of Scott’s ideas this year, but leaders such as House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and even Scott himself seem to be downplaying any expectations of a major shift. Already, lawmakers will have to tackle the once-a-decade redistricting process and balancing the budget in the face of a nearly $2 billion shortfall.
Add in an explosive debate about casino gambling in South Florida and the heavily-lobbied discussion of personal injury protection insurance, and the odds of also addressing a revamp of higher education that has drawn the ire of some college and university presidents are long.
“Because of redistricting, and the fact that we have a big budget deficit, I think everything is always a little bit harder because of that,” Scott said in a recent interview. “But I think we need to start the process of having a good dialogue.”
Cannon also tacked closely to that line when talking with reporters last month, saying he would prefer to leave the heavy lifting for when Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, take over their respective chambers.
“I don’t think we’re going to try and make any major policy reforms,” Cannon said. “This is more the type of thing that I want to honor the governor’s beginning that conversation, maybe make a few thoughtful steps in that direction, and then pass that along to incoming Speaker Weatherford and incoming President Gaetz for them to carry over into the next couple of years.”
Current Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, has also sounded cautious about the plan, noting Gaetz’s interest in the issue and would support moving now “if he thinks we’re ready to move forward.” Frank Brogan, chancellor of the state university system, has also called for a go-slow approach.
Scott shook the higher education community over the summer when he began pushing for colleges and universities to focus on science and technology degrees — often questioning the need for more anthropology or journalism majors — and considering a controversial reform plan from Texas, where Scott’s political idol Rick Perry is governor.
Perry’s proposals, which mirror conservative reform efforts in elementary and secondary schools, include merit pay for professors, tenure form and a greater emphasis on measuring whether professors are turning out students that meet certain goals. Other proposals in Texas have included abandoning the traditional accreditation system, a freeze on tuition and a $10,000 bachelor’s degree.
While those sweeping changes might not be in the offing for Florida schools this year, Scott and others are laying the groundwork for change.
Cannon said, for instance, that he would be interested in taking up a plan to introduce a vision for the state’s system, echoing some of the flaws highlighted by a recent report from the Higher Education Coordinating Council.
“Right now, we don’t have an effective system,” Cannon said. “We have sort of a discordant, competing group of fiefdoms and that’s not healthy for our state.”
House Education Committee Chairman Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, said his panel will begin meetings with university presidents on Jan. 13 to begin getting their input on a variety of reform proposals floating around the Capitol.
“Then, we’ll see where we go from there,” Proctor said.
Scott, meanwhile, is proposing that policy makers begin sifting through the information universities provided him in response to an October letter asking for information, including data showing how well graduates did in the workforce.
“Probably the logical thing to do is to put together a working group to review that,” Scott said, “and work with our universities to come up with something where the public feels that they’re getting their return on the dollars that we invest in higher ed and in individuals creating jobs.”
By The News Service of Florida
Customer Stabs Nine Mile Road Restaurant Owner
January 6, 2012
A Nine Mile Road restaurant owner was stabbed in the neck Thursday afternoon after confronting a Cantonment man that left without paying for his meal.
Victim Shou Chen, owner of King Buffet, said that 19-year old Connor James Stenson ate a meal and left without paying his $16.95 food and drink bill. Chen followed him to the parking lot and confronted him. That’s when Stenson pulled out a knife, according to an arrest report, and stabbed Chen in the neck, leaving him with a non-life threatening laceration about four inches long.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Stenson on the scene and charged with aggravated battery and petit theft. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $16,000.
Multiple Wrecks Close Highway 113
January 6, 2012
Multiple wrecks shut down Highway 113 north of Flomaton Fridaymorning, with at least five people injured. The wrecks were attributed to extremely thick fog and smoke from a controlled burn creating near zero visibility in some locations.
The first accidents were reported about 5 a.m. Multiple fire departments and ambulances from Escambia County, Fla., Atmore and Brewton responded to the scene, which stretched over several miles.
The wrecks were between the Pineview crossroads and I-65. Both north and southbound lanes were closed for almost six hours while emergency officials worked to clear the accidents and waited for the fog and smoke to clear.
Pictured: A traffic cam look the Highway 29 and Highway 31 intersection in Flomaton at 7:50 this morning shows the fog has lifted in Flomaton. ALDOT photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Portion Of $50 Million Gulf Restoration Funds Now Available For North Escambia Area
January 6, 2012
Details have been released on exactly how a portion of a $50 million Gulf Coast restoration initiative will be funneled into the North Escambia area to improve water quality in the Escambia River and the Gulf of Mexico.
The $50 million will 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 both 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.)
“This locally-led effort to improve the health of the Gulf Coast region will benefit Florida citizens by producing cleaner water, more abundant wildlife, and healthier fisheries,” said Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Carlos Suarez.
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
- Installing heavy-use area protection pads
The $50 million Gulf Coast restoration initiative was announced by the Obama administration.
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.
Pictured: This map shows the areas eligible for a portion of $50 million in Gulf Coast restoration funding, click to enlarge.