Tate Comes Back To Tame The Wildcats
October 12, 2013
by Darryl Singleton
It was homecoming night for Washington High School and they were looking to upset the favored Tate Aggies as part of their festivities. But Tate easily spoiled those plans by beating Washington 43-10.
The first offensive series was not what Tate planned with quarterback Sawyer Smith throwing a interception, and the Wildcats capitalized on the turnover. The Wildcats continued to drive the field with long passes but had to settle for a field goal.
It would be almost all Tate Aggies from then on.
Smith made up for the early mistake by leading the offense down the field and then scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run for a score of 7-3 Tate. Tate’s Marquis Cass intercepted a tipped Washington pass on the Wildcat’s 25yard line. Later Jalen Cunningham ran the ball in from the 11-yard line. Tate went for yep and Jessie Fernandez ran it in to make the score 15-3 Tate with 1:01 remaining in the 1st quarter.
The second quarter was just underway when the Aggies’ Brian Davis scored on a 4-yard run to make the score 22-3 Tate. Tate had everything going for them and then Tate’s Jesse Fernandez intercepted Washington’s pass and ran it all the way to Washington’s 1yard line. Jalen Cunningham ran the ball in for another Tate touchdown. Dylan Mancuso’s extra point kick made the score 29-3 at the half.
In the third, Tate’s Smith threw a pass to receiver Stephen Pederson and he sprinted down the sideline and raced past all of the Wildcat’s defenders for a 50-yard Aggie touchdown. Tate increased their lead to 36-3. Washington did score one more time on a busted defensive play that left a Wildcat receiver uncovered for a 55-yard touchdown pass play. Tate would score late in the fourth on a 10-yard touchdown run by Smith to make the final score Tate 43, Washington 10.
Tate coach Ronnie Douglas said he was “real pleased all week with the team’s preparation for the game. They have all worked really hard all week”. He said that running back Tia Samuel was “banged up and he was glad that they didn’t have to use him, but he was there if we need him. We are going to need him next week against Crestview”.
Tate plays their last district game next Friday night at 7:00 as they travel to Crestview. The winner of that game clinches a playoff spot.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Graceville Tigers Down The Jay Royals
October 12, 2013
The Graceville Tigers handed the Jay Royals their third straight loss Friday night, 44-14.
The Tiger were up 37-0 in the third quarter before Jay’s play of the night from Braden Cross. After a Graceville score, Cross fielded the ensuing kickoff at the five-yard line, returning it 95-yard for a Royals touchdown, 37-7.
But Graceville answered with a quick scoring drive, 44-7.
The Royals got into the double digits with a touchdown from quarterback Tate Upton, 44-14.
Upton was negative 26 yards on the ground against Graceville and complete 3-of-12 passes for just 39 yards. Cross had 134 yards on 17 carries for the Royals.
The Graceville Tigers are under the leadership of first year head coach and athletic director Ty Wise. Last year, Wise left the Northview Chiefs as offensive coordinator, having led a Chiefs offense that accumulated over 1,000 points during the his last two seasons and a Class 1A state championship win this past season.
The Jay Royals (3-3, 0-1) will be back in district action next Friday night as they travel to Baker to take on the Gators (6-0, 1-0).
Pictured: The Jay Royals traveled to Graceville Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos by Michele Gibbs, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Dems Look To Chip Away At GOP
October 12, 2013
Even as Republicans continue to flex their fund-raising muscles and hammer away at President Barack Obama ahead of the 2014 midterm elections, there are a few scant rays of hope poking through the clouds for Florida Democrats.
Sure, the GOP is seen as the favorite to hold onto its majority in the U.S. House — but the decision by Congressman C.W. Bill Young to step aside gives the Democrats a chance for a pickup. And, yes, the Republican majority in the Legislature is also firmly entrenched — but a western Pasco County House seat gives the Democrats a chance to get one step closer to the day that majority ends.
That said, the Republican Party and its elected officials showed this week that they still have the edge in one very important aspect of the political game: Money. As campaign-finance reports came flooding in during the week, the biggest reports still belonged to those with an “R” behind their names.
So even with complications cropping up for Gov. Rick Scott’s past and present legislative priorities, the GOP still seems to have the upper hand.
THE EXPECTED SURPRISE
Guessing when Young would finally call it quits had become something of a parlor game among the state’s political elite. Young, currently in the middle of his 22nd term, is the longest-serving member of Congress from Florida and is 82 years “young.”
Whoever had Oct. 9, 2013, in the pool should collect their prize. That’s when Young told the Tampa Bay Times that he won’t seek re-election in 2014. Young, currently recovering from a back injury, told the Times there were a variety of factors that contributed to his decision to step aside.
“I don’t know that I would pick out one thing,” he said. “It’s a lot of things. My family, my job, my rehabilitation from my back.”
Young, who was once the Senate minority leader in Florida because he was the sole Republican in the upper chamber, had become seen as something of a moderate after the GOP drifted right. Now, Republicans face the task of trying to keep a district that has progressively become a bit more purple in recent years.
The GOP still holds a slight registration edge over Democrats, but independents make up nearly a quarter of voters in the Pinellas County district, and national handicappers have marked it as the only true toss-up among the open seats so far this year.
“It will be harder in that district than probably any other district in Florida to elect a Republican where there has been a long-time Republican in place. It will be a difficult run for whoever tries,” said Tom Slade, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida who helped Young early in his political career.
Young was considered unbeatable in part because of an ability to relentlessly bring home the bacon in his district.
“Everybody there has gone to schools in some Bill Young something or other,” said Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist.
It’s not yet clear who will get the next chance to have the schools in that district named after them. The only declared Democrat in the race so far is Jessica Ehrlich, who challenged Young last time around but could find the field more crowded now that Young is out.
Two lawmakers floated as possible successors essentially ruled themselves out.
Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, took a shot at Congress’s low approval numbers in a Facebook post suggesting he would take a pass. “And besides who wants to be in a job that is rated less favorably that a cockroach?!” he quipped.
For different reasons, Sen. Jeff Brandes also quashed talk of a congressional run. Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, has three children under the age of five, including one who is little more than two weeks old.
“I’ve seen the kind of life that this demands,” Brandes said. “I’m not saying I’m ruling it out forever.”
As long as the next representative doesn’t serve for 22 terms, of course — that’s basically forever in politics.
Meanwhile, a special election was set for another Tampa Bay-area seat, this one in Pasco County. Republican Bill Gunter, a pastor, entered the race as a favorite, but Democrat Amanda Murphy, a financial adviser, claims the endorsement former GOP Rep. Mike Fasano. That election is Tuesday.
REPUBLICAN$ $TILL TOP$ IN CA$H
Lest Democrats get too giddy about their chances for success in Florida, fund-raising reports this week brought a sharp reminder of the political realities in the state. The Republican Party of Florida raked in $5.1 million between July 1 and Sept. 30. The Florida Democratic Party’s haul? $1.44 million.
And that wasn’t all. The three Republicans on the Cabinet — Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam — combined to raise around $1 million in the last three months.
Republican lawmakers also enjoyed big quarters. Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquiso, R-Fort Myers, pulled down $208,462 over the quarter. House Majority Leader Steve Crisafulli, a Merritt Island Republican slated to become speaker after the 2014 elections, raised $155,183.
And while Scott has yet to formally declare for re-election and has not set up a campaign account yet, the “Let’s Get to Work” political committee that is closely aligned with the governor pulled in $4.4 million. Scott, who depended largely on his private fortune to bankroll his 2010 campaign, looks like he’ll have a lot more help this time around.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR SCOTT
But Scott also needs a little help pushing through and implementing the agenda he’s expected to run on in 2014. And even last year’s items are proving to be a little bit tricky.
A survey presented to lawmakers Wednesday showed that only about 19 percent of Florida school districts have reached agreements with local unions clearing the way for them to dole out Scott’s much-touted teacher pay raises. The $480 million will still make its way to teachers’ pockets — eventually.
“While we were trying to respect the collective bargaining process, it is disappointing that not every teacher has gotten their pay raise,” Scott spokeswoman Melissa Sellers said. “We expect districts to do everything they can to get pay raises done as soon as possible.”
This year, the governor has focused his attention on securing $500 million in cuts to the state’s taxes and fees. A key House Republican in that effort indicated that he was working with that number in mind — but that lawmakers could settle on a different figure.
“I appreciate what the governor put out there,” said House Finance and Tax Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne. “I think he’s got a good round number. But we could see a tax break bigger than that, or, depending on what’s available when the final numbers come out, it may very well be smaller.”
Those final numbers were the size of the state surplus — which could be affected by the federal shutdown and the threat of a potentially catastrophic government default. Scott has hammered Obama for being unable to come to an agreement on those issues with congressional Republicans, part of an emerging political strategy by the governor to blast Obama.
Scott did it again Wednesday, saying Obama needs to delay pending rate increases confronting Florida homeowners who are subsidized through the National Flood Insurance Program.
“The president signed the bill. He can have an impact by stopping this,” Scott said when asked about the possibility of the state getting in the flood-insurance business.
Scott and the Cabinet escalated the fight Thursday, saying Florida would file a friend-of-the-court brief in support of a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Insurance aimed at delaying rate increases in the federal law, known as the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act.
“We’re going to have families lose their homes because their insurance rates are going to go up because the president signed a bill that didn’t make any sense,” Scott said.
In the lawsuit, the Mississippi insurance department contends that the rates shouldn’t go up until FEMA provides Congress with a required affordability study on the increases.
Addressing a U.S. Senate Banking subcommittee Sept.18, FEMA Director Craig Fugate acknowledged that the study may take about two years, but added that Congress would have to fix the law.
“I need help. I have not found a way to delay…without some additional legislative support,” Fugate, a former Florida emergency-management director, told the subcommittee members. “There is no provision for affordability in this law.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: Congressman C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla., announced his retirement, capping off a career in Florida politics that lasted more than five decades.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “This is not beauty pageant economics. [If] you’re at the top of the list, you’re at the top of the list. … We’re never going to beat Alaska in their ability to have a unique tax structure of benefit to them.”–Bill Herrle, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business/Florida, on a study by the Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation ranking Florida’s business tax climate as fifth-based in the nation.
William L. Averitte
October 12, 2013
William was born January 30, 1929, in the Vander community near Fayetteville, NC. He loved his family and childhood, saying he grew up in the best time in history, despite being born the year the Great Depression began. He served in the Army and met his wife Mary Ann at a Lawrence Welk dance while stationed in Wisconsin. He attended North Carolina State University on a GI bill, where he studied industrial engineering and then went to work for Westinghouse in Raleigh, NC. He retired as a senior engineer from the Pensacola Westinghouse plant.
Bill enjoyed many hobbies, including woodworking, fishing, gardening, bowling, hunting and golf. In his younger years, he played several sports and later he enjoyed coaching the winning Westinghouse basketball team. He was an avid reader, averaging five books a week until his death, as well as a Civil War history buff and an engaging conversationalist and story teller. He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Milton, where he served in many capacities. He appreciated his many friends, including his Wednesday morning breakfast buddies, who met for 20-plus years.
Preceding him in death are his wife, Mary Ann and his sons, Bryce (on whose birthday he passed) and Brent; grandson, Chad Averitte and brother, Clayton Averitte.
He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Allison and Alex McCrory of Cantonment; granddaughter, Kendall McCrory of Tallahassee and grandsons, Troy Averitte of Navarre and Stephen McCrory of Boston. Also surviving him are his sister, Louise Hanlon of Cocoa Beach and brother, Robert Averitte of Greensboro, NC.
Funeral services were held Saturday, October 12, 2013, at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel with Reverend Frank Beall officiating.
Entombment was at Bayview Memorial Park with military honors.
Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel is entrusted with arrangements.
Kim Sims
October 12, 2013
Mrs. Kim Sims, 41, passed away Friday, October 11, 2013, in Bratt.
Mrs. Sims was a native of Century, a former longtime resident of McDavid, and had resided in Bratt for the past 2 years. She was a school bus driver for Escambia County Florida Board of Education for 14 years and employee of Brewton Stockyard. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and aunt.
Survivors include her father and mother, James and Tiny Waters of Flomaton; husband Greg Sims of Bratt; two sons, Dak Sims of Bratt and Jeremy Sims of Gainesville; one daughter, Haley Sims of Bratt; one brother, Jamie Waters of Flomaton; one sister, Ashley Waters of Flomaton; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, October 15, 2013, at 11 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Dervin Spears officiating.
Burial will follow at the Godwin Cemetery.
Visitation will be Monday, October 14, 2013, from 6:00 p.m. until funeral time at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Wayne Sims, Wes Sims, Josh Sims, Greg Therrell, Nathan Therrell and Sammy Portwood.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
County To Enforce ‘No Trucks’ On 95A; Seek Red Light At 29 & 97
October 11, 2013
Escambia County will crack down and enforce “no truck” zones on Crabtree Church Road and the northernmost portion of Highway 95A in Molino. And, in a related move, the county will petition the Florida Department of Transportation to install a red light at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97.
The “No Truck” signs have been in place on both roadways for years, but the county commission never voted to make the truck prohibition official.
On a motion from District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry, the Escambia County Commission voted in a committee meeting Thursday afternoon to make the no truck zones official on the length of Crabtree Church Road from Highway 97 to Sunshine Hill Road, and on Highway 95A from Highway 97 north to Highway 29. Once the vote is ratified in a regular commission meeting, the no truck provision will be in place and legally enforceable, Assistant County Administrator Larry Newsom said.
Numerous trucks, despite the “No Truck” signs, use the northern section of Highway 95A to avoid turning from Highway 29 to Highway 97 in order to reach Highway 95A, Newsom said. With the high average vehicle speed through the 29 and 97 intersection, it’s difficult for loaded semi trucks to make the turn, he said, and trucks in the Highway 29 southbound turn lane can make it difficult to see other southbound traffic for drivers headed north.
Newsom said county officials will arrange a meeting with DOT officials to make the red light request for the Highway 29 and Highway 97 intersection based upon the truck problem and the number of other crashes and injuries that have occurred there.
Except for a few home-based businesses, there are no commercial locations on the northern stretch of Highway 95A. It’s a quiet residential area. Just over two dozen residents recently presented the commission with a petition asking that the posted “No Truck” signs be enforced.
The residents also expressed concern over an exemption issued to one local truck company that allowed their trucks to use the northern part of Highway 95A despite the no truck ban.
On November 4, 2009, Newsom, in the position of division manager for the county’s traffic operations, issued a letter to Kay Campbell granting an exemption to C&C Hauling and American Concrete Supply.
That exemption, Newsom said, will no longer apply to the company once the commission ratifies the no truck prohibition.
Pictured: The driver of dump truck operated by a Milton company ignores a “No Truck” sign on Highway 95A in Molino Thursday afternoon. Pictured inset: The Florida Highway Patrol attributed this August 2012 crash at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 to a visibility issue caused by a semi truck in the southbound turn lane from Highway 29 to Highway 97. Pictured below: Truck drivers, like this one Thursday afternoon, use Highway 95A as a means to avoid the Highway 29 and Highway 97 intersection. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Warm Weekend Forecast
October 11, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Friday Night: Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 57. West wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. East wind around 5 mph.
- Columbus Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. East wind around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. East wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.
- Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.
Molino Man Held With Bond Set At $1.6 Million For Sexual Abuse Of Juvenile
October 11, 2013
A 61-year old Molino man has been charged with sexually abusing a teenage family member.
Eddie Williams, a resident of Blake Street, was charged with three counts of sexual assault by a custodian with a victim age 12-18, two different counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with a victim age 12-16, and incest. He remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $1.6 million.
During an interview with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the victim said Williams first withheld certain unspecified items from the victim while soliciting her for sex. She eventually had sex with him three to four times.
William admitted in an interview Tuesday with investigators that he had sexual intercourse with the underage victim, according to an arrest report.
Cool Pics: Hummingbird Moth
October 11, 2013
Sheila Bryan first thought hummingbirds were visiting the goldenrods blooming in her backyard, but with a closer look discovered she was actually looking at hummingbird moths. The moth has a hovering behavior and an audible humming noise which makes it look remarkably like a hummingbird while it is feeding on flowers. Submitted photos by Sheila Bryan for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Knights Chess Club Hosts Gulf Coast Classic Chess Tournament
October 11, 2013
Escambia County’s only nationally ranked chess club is hosting a Classic & Scholastic Chess Tournament at Ransom Middle School on Saturday, October 19.
The Scholastic tournament is open to all students and schools including public, private, military, and home schools. The Open Section of the tournament is open to all adults who play chess. Entry fees are $40 for the open section and $20 for the scholastic section.
Because the tournament is sanctioned by the United States Chess Federation (USCF), all participants must be USCF members. The tournament is being directed by Caesar Lawrence of Caesar Chess and the Alabama Chess Federation.
The event will take place Saturday, October 19 from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Snacks and beverages will be available for sale.