Job Fair In Pensacola: 1,900 Openings At Ingalls Shipbuilding
November 5, 2012
Workforce Escarosa will hold a job fair Thursday in Pensacola to assist Huntington Ingalls Industries with the current recruitment and hiring of over 1,900 positions for their Pascagoula, jobsite.
Position openings include; welders, pipefitters, shipfitters, hydraulic and sheetmetal mechanics, mobile crane operators and helpers. Positions range between $13.68 and $23.10 per hour.
Individuals with correlating experience and credentials may apply in-person on Thursday, November 8, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Workforce Escarosa Pensacola One-Stop Center located at 3670 North L Street. Applicants should bring a resume, related credentials or certifications, and a valid driver’s license. Prior military should also bring a copy of their DD214. Representatives from Huntington Ingalls Industries will be on-site and may choose to conduct interviews with selected applicants during the hiring event.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) designs, builds and maintains nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard while also providing after-market services for military ships around the globe. HII employs over 38,000 individuals throughout the U.S. with primary business divisions in Virginia and Mississippi. Daily van pools from Pensacola to Pascagoula are available for those who do not wish to relocate.
Additional information and job descriptions are available on the Employ Florida Marketplace, www.employflorida.com, under job order 9720937.
William Shoemo
November 5, 2012
William Shoemo, age 73 of Cantonment, heard the call to glory on Thursday, November 1, 2012, as he planned, while in the tender loving care of his niece, Stephanie Stephens and his entrusted friend and caregiver, Willie Swails.
William was born on July 21, 1939, in Cottage Hill to Andrew and Lillie Ree Shoemo, Sr., who have preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his siblings Andrew Shoemo, Jr., Abe Shoemo, David Bryant, Bertha Mae Shoemo-Dennis, Nathaniel Shoemo, aka Adbul Raheem, and his sister-in-law, Shirley Temple Shoemo.
His legacy lives on in his loving and devoted children, Kenneth (Natasha) Shoemo, Tonya Shoemo, and Terry (Barbara) Hamilton; eight grandchildren, Tarranicka, Deontae, Ashley, Kenya, Michael, Jerome, Adrienne, and Andrea; five brothers, Bernie (Eleanor) Shoemo, Kenneth (Betty) Shoemo, Myles (Erma) Bryant, Carl (Pat) Bryant, Charles (Carol) Bryant; four sisters, Barbara Dukes, Lula Farrow, Maxine (David) Davis, and Joyce Tumblin; two sisters-in-law, Juanita Shoemo and Mary Ann Shoemo; a special friend until death, Ms. Burnestein Williams. He leaves his precious and crazy memories with many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Cantonment with Elder Myles Bryant officiating. Interment will follow in Williams Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service on Wednesday.
Faith Chapel North Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Down To The Wire For Florida Women’s Vote
November 5, 2012
There’s a difference between how women and men decide who to vote for – but it’s not really clear just how big the difference is. Women favored Barack Obama by double digits earlier in the campaign, but Mitt Romney has erased that lead since shortly after the first presidential debate, in early October.
Now, in the dash to the finish line, the race has tightened in Florida yet again, and women may well tip the balance.
The key to winning the state is suburban women who voted for Obama in 2008 but went Republican in 2010, suggests political scientist Susan MacManus of the University of South Florida.
“That group is really the big question mark, and if they swing towards Romney, he will probably win Florida,” said MacManus. “And if they can be brought back in by the Obama campaign, then he may have a good shot at the state.”
Obama’s time in Florida has been cut short by Hurricane Sandy’s assault on the East Coast, but on Friday the president was represented by arguably his best surrogate – former President Bill Clinton, who barnstormed five cities statewide. Romney’s backers have also been heavily active in Florida in recent weeks – with polls showing him slightly ahead of Obama in the nation’s biggest swing state.
While the Obama campaign has tried to suggest that Republicans are out of touch with values many women care about, women who back Romney have said that Obama is out of step with broader American values.
“We know the difference between taking care of the poor and the needy the way we’ve been taught in the Bible and the consequences of socialist programs,” said Beatriz Macia, president of the Tallahassee Tea Party at a “Women for Romney” rally last month at the Capitol.
Women vote differently from men, said MacManus. They have less tolerance for negative campaigning, and they tend to be late deciders. But in Florida’s 2008 presidential election, women out-voted men by 597,000, the largest gap among battleground states – so the candidates have courted them.
Although both sides say the economy is the main thing for all voters this year – including women – they disagree on how much so-called “women’s issues” are at play. Many Democrats say issues like abortion and access to contraception are driving women to their side. Republicans say those concerns are dwarfed by the economy for most women.
Retiring state senator Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, said Democrats made a mistake by focusing more on abortion and contraception than pocketbook issues.
“I think the Democrats naturally do have a better position with women,” Dockery said. “But they have not stated that in the proper way in this campaign season, and that’s why you’ve seen the gap close.”
Congresswoman Kathy Castor, a Tampa Democrat, agrees that most women are focused on the economy, but pointed out that the first bill Obama signed as president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was about how the economy effects women, and which Romney’s running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, voted against.
While Republicans argue that women suffer more in the economic downturn than men – and that Obama should be held to account for that – Democrats argue that it’s because they still aren’t paid the same wages for the same work.
Castor also noted that the election season has seen some provocative comments on violence against women, reproductive issues and access to contraception. She pointed to her House colleague, GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri, who said women don’t get pregnant from “legitimate rape.”
And Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, a tea party favorite, became the center of a national firestorm when he said it was “God’s will” if a woman gets pregnant from having been raped.
“The Republican Congress and now Mitt Romney’s Republican platform take a hard right turn and say when it comes to women’s health and reproductive choice, women don’t have a say – and they have to carry pregnancies to term even in the case of rape and incest,” Castor said.
“I have a lot of moderate Republican friends who think that is too extreme.”
Not Carlie Rogers, a Republican state committeewoman from Brevard.
“I’ve met people whose mothers were raped,” Rogers said. “And when you see them, you know that (to give birth) was the right decision for that mother. So I think you shouldn’t make an exception. It’s not the child’s fault.”
Former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who narrowly lost to Gov. Rick Scott in 2010, is campaigning for Democrats statewide. She said she’s “very upset” to hear women quoted as dismissing the idea that birth control should be a campaign issue.
“Well, that is not so,” said Sink. “Women have to be very, very concerned when you have candidates out there saying things like, ‘Oh, Planned Parenthood? We’ll just get rid of that.”
Betty Castor, the first woman to serve in the Florida Cabinet (and the mother of Kathy Castor), said she thinks women are losing ground on issues they fought for decades ago.
“I think we’re going backwards,” she said. “It is a big fight. And of course, choice has always been a divisive issue – and it’s still a divisive issue. But I never thought that the issue of contraception would become front and center.”
MacManus said Obama’s ability to make up the gender gap depends on his campaign’s get-out-the-vote efforts.
“Much has been touted of their organizational superiority, the hundred-plus offices to less than 50 for Romney,” she said. “But late deciders in Florida tend to be young people and women. And consequently, Obama has still got a shot at the women’s vote.”
By Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Veterans Day Programs This Week At Northview, Ernest Ward
November 5, 2012
Veterans Day program are scheduled this week at Northview High and Ernest Ward Middle schools.
Northview High
Northview High School will hold its annual Veterans Day program on Wednesday, November 7 in the school theater. Identical programs will be held at 9:35 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The guest speaker will be Captain Carl Mock, United States Navy, retired. Captain Mock is the former commanding officer of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) located at NAS Pensacola. He served 38 years before retiring in June 2005. All veterans, their families and community members are invited to attend.
Ernest Ward Middle
Ernest Ward Middle School will hold its annual Veterans Day program at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, November 8 in the school gym. The public is invited, and a special invitation is extended to veterans in the community. The event will feature guest speaker Albert Hunninghake from Walnut Hill, patriotic music and presentations. Refreshments to follow.
Pictured top: A flag ceremony during the annual Veterans Day Program last year at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Richard Billy Williams
November 5, 2012
Richard Billy Williams, born January 17, 1936, in New Orleans, to the late Willie and Lucille (Campbell) Williams, died on November 3, 2012, after a long battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was a long time resident of the Dixonville Community. Richard retired from Chemstrand. He was a member of the Berrydale Baptist Church, the Dixonville Fire Department, the Red Lodge Masonic Lodge #97, The Scottish Rite, the Hadji Shrine Temple and Jay #208 Order of the Eastern Star. Richard was a “die hard” NASCAR fan, he loved to travel and sit around and “shoot” the breeze with family and friends. Richard had a “soft spot” for the needs of others, especially children. His “mailbox” money went to help many good causes.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 57 years Sabra; brothers, Julius, Kenneth, Frank and Leslie.
He is survived by his son, Rick; granddaughter, Ashley (Joshua) Stringer; great-granddaughter, Sophia Stringer, and great-grandson, Calleb Stringer of Groten, CN; sister, Maxine of California; sister-in-law, Amanda (Kevin) Thorne of Tennessee, and many caring family members and friends.
A special thank you to Heath Owens, Kevin Borders, Gary Nelson, Aubry Phillips, and Arnold Stowers.
A Masonic and Eastern Star service will be held on November 7, 2012, at 11 a.m. at Jay Funeral Home.
Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Vote 2012: A Look At The Florida Constitutional Amendments
November 4, 2012
Here is a synopsis of the proposed constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot in Florida. The amendments must receive at least 60 percent of the vote to pass.
There is no Amendment 7.
AMENDMENT 1, HEALTH CARE SERVICES
THE AMENDMENT: This amendment is aimed at prohibiting the government from directly or indirectly compelling employers to buy or provide health care coverage for their employees. It also makes clear in the constitution that people may pay health care providers directly for care – and don’t have to have insurance, and can’t be forced to pay a penalty or tax for paying out of pocket for health care.
CONTEXT: Opponents say the proposal would have no effect at nullifying its intended target, the federal health care individual mandate, because of the supremacy of federal law over state law. Backers say it would prevent future attempts to put similar health care requirements on residents.
AMENDMENT 2: HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FOR VETERANS
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would provide an additional homestead exemption to wounded veterans who were not residents of the state when they entered military service. The proposal would exempt from taxation a property’s value between $50,000 and $75,000.
CONTEXT: Florida law already provides an additional homestead exemption to military personnel disabled while in combat. The amendment simply expands the exemption to disabled veterans who may have been residents of other states when the disability occurred but who now reside in Florida.
AMENDMENT 3: REVENUE LIMITATION
THE AMENDMENT: Proposed Amendment 3 would replace the existing state revenue cap, which is based on personal income growth in Florida with a new one based on inflation and population changes. If the state were to collect more in taxes than the formula allows, it would have to be put into a reserve fund, and not spent, and at some point would have to be used for reducing local property taxes for schools or returned to taxpayers. The cap could be raised only with a super majority vote in the Legislature.
CONTEXT: The state has never actually hit the current cap.
AMENDMENT 4: PROPERTY TAX RESTRICTIONS
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would reduce the cap on tax assessment increases from 10 percent to 5 percent a year on commercial property. The plan also would provide an additional, temporary property tax break for first-time homebuyers and prevents tax assessments from going up when the market value of the property goes down.
CONTEXT: Backers say the amendment will continue efforts to rein in the increase in property taxes by expanding protections now afforded to homeowners. Opponents, including the Florida Association of Counties, say the measure will further hamstring cash-strapped local governments, which rely on property tax revenue for the bulk of their funding.
AMENDMENT 5: RULES FOR STATE COURTS
THE AMENDMENT: Proposed Amendment 5 would require Senate confirmation for state Supreme Court justices appointed by the governor make it easier for lawmakers to influence court procedural rules, allowing them to change them with a simple majority vote, rather than a super majority. The proposal also would give lawmakers more access to confidential files involving judges accused of misconduct.
CONTEXT: Many lawyers and judges who oppose the amendment say lawmakers are trying to assert more control over a judiciary that many Republican legislators think has surpassed its own authority too often.
AMENDMENT 6: ABORTION RIGHTS AND FUNDING
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal exempts abortion-related matters from protection under Florida’s Constitutional privacy clause, saying that the state constitution can provide only as much protection as the U.S. Constitution when it comes to abortion. The proposal also prohibits the use of state taxpayer funds to pay for abortions or insurance that covers abortions except in the case of rape, incest and when the health of the mother is in danger.
CONTEXT: Efforts by the state Legislature in recent years to place further restrictions on abortions have been overturned by the courts, which cite the Florida Constitution’s privacy clause. It was used, in particular, to nullify the state laws that required notice of parents before a minor gets an abortion, and consent of parents in the same situation. The constitution was subsequently changed to allow for parental notice – and those who oppose abortion rights say this would allow a new parental consent law. Supporters say the state should not provide protections beyond those afforded women under the U.S. Constitution, which contains no privacy clause. Critics say the proposal would affect more than abortion and strip away privacy clause protections for other issues surrounding women’s health and could be used as a precedent to whittle away other rights now protected under the state constitution’s privacy clause.
AMENDMENT 8: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
THE AMENDMENT: If the amendment is approved, the government would be barred from denying funding to organizations or institutions based on “religious identity or belief.” The proposal also deletes the current constitutional ban on using state money “directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination, or in aid of any sectarian institution.”
CONTEXT: The amendment arises out of fears by backers of faith-based institutions, including prison ministries at the center of a court fight, that the current wording of the constitution could prevent state money from going to those groups. The issue is also embedded in the debate over school vouchers. While Florida’s main voucher program was rejected by the courts for other reasons, some backers of private religious schools fear students who attend them could be denied support because it could be deemed in aid of a sectarian institution.
AMENDMENT 9: TAX RELIEF FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES OF MILITARY/RESPONDERS
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would provide additional property tax exemptions for the surviving spouse of a military veteran who died from service connected causes or while on active duty. The exemption, which could equal the entire assessed value, would also extend such benefits to surviving spouses of first responders such as firefighters, paramedics, corrections and law enforcement officer.
CONTEXT: The proposal – one of several aimed at recognizing the contributions made and risks taken by military personnel and first responders – had no public opposition. State economists said the proposal’s financial impact would be minimal, but it would reduce local tax collections.
AMENDMENT 10: RAISING TANGIBLE TAX EXEMPTION
THE AMENDMENT: Amendment 10, if approved, would increase the exemption on tangible personal property from $25,000 to $50,000.
CONTEXT: The proposal has the backing of small business groups, which say the tax is an unnecessary burden on small business owners. State economists say the proposal, if enacted would reduce local tax collections by at least $21 million a year beginning in2013.
AMENDMENT 11: ADDITIONAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION: LOW-INCOME SENIORS
THE AMENDMENT: The amendment would authorize the Legislature to allow counties and cities to grant an additional homestead tax exemption equal to the assessed value of homestead property if the property has a just value less than $250,000 to an owner who has kept a permanent residency at the property for at least 25 years, is at least 65 years-old and has a low household income, as defined by law.
CONTEXT: This measure would allow lawmakers to grant a new tax break to certain low-income seniors.
AMENDMENT 12: SUS BOARD OF GOVERNOR’S STUDENT MEMBER
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would change the way the student member of the State University System’s Board of Governors is chosen. The new student member would be the chairperson of the Council of Student Body Presidents and not the president of the Florida Student Association. The proposal also requires that all universities be part of the council of student body presidents.
CONTEXT: Backers say the current system discriminates against state universities that are not part of the Florida Student Association.
Written by The News Service of Florida
Escambia Voter Turnout Already Near 40%, Over 42,000 Vote Early
November 4, 2012
Almost 40 percent of Escambia County voters have already cast their ballots in advance of election day.
Saturday was the final day of early voting with a record setting 6,745 ballots cast for a total of 42,832 during an eight day period. With early votes and absentee ballots received to date, Escambia County is already at almost 40 percent voter turnout.
The busiest early voting site was the Tryon Library with 15,748 votes cast, followed by Cantonment with 8,574.
Work Week Weather: Turning Cooler
November 4, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly cloudy early in the evening then clearing. Lows in the upper 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
- Monday: Mostly sunny in the morning becoming mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 70s. Northeast winds around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
- Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Rain showers likely and slight chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s. South winds around 5 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
- Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming around 5 mph after midnight.
- Wednesday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s.
- Thursday: Sunny. Highs around 70.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s.
- Friday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s.
- Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of rain showers. Lows in the lower 50s. Chance of showers 20 percent.
- Veterans Day: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain showers. Highs in the mid 70s. Chance of showers 20 percent.
Local Family, Army Sergeant And Working Dog Reunited
November 4, 2012
There was a special reunion Saturday at the Pensacola airport between a local family, an Army sergeant father, and a former Army service dog from half a world away.
Vazul is a six-year old German Shepherd who has served his life in the U.S. Army. He has served his country well, serving in Iraq at least twice and earning several honors as an explosives detection dog.
In 2008, Vazul was introduced to Sgt. Robert Neese of Cantonment at the Fort Polk Military Working Dog Section. Sgt. Neese and Vazul served a one year deployment together as a military working dog team in Iraq in 2009. In 2011, Sgt. Neese received a permanent change of duty station to Vicenza, Italy. He had to say goodbye to Vazul…..at least for the time being. The Neese family made it known that Vazul would have a home with them if he never needed one.
Vazul took a turn for the worse in June of 2012. He was diagnosed with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis and was given a life span of about three more years. His military working dog career was over, and he was placed for adoption.
Dr. Michael D. Ratcliff of the Fort Polk Veterinary clinic remembered the bond that Vazul shared with the Neese family and informed Sgt. Neese’s wife Leighann of Vazul’s situation.
Leighann quickly agreed to the adoption, and Vazul had a new home.
“He is so special to us, and is a part of our family,” Leighann Neese said.
Saturday morning, Sgt. Neese arrived home for leave from Italy and was reunited with his former partner at the Pensacola International Airport.
Sgt. Neese and his family have selected an experienced military working dog surgeon in Italy, and they are raising funds to get Vazul the spinal surgery he needs to prolong his life and greatly improve his quality of health and living.
Donations can be made to the Paypal account leighann_neese@yahoo.com. Checks can be mailed to: Attention: Leighann Neese,For Vazul, P.O. Box 31, Cantonment, FL 32533.
Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Photos: Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show At NAS Pensacola
November 4, 2012
Tens of thousands attend the Blue Angels annual homecoming show Friday and Saturday at NAS Pensacola’s Sherman Field.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Perry Doggrell and Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
