Digging For Bodies To Begin At Dozier School
August 27, 2013
Excavation of long-buried human remains from unmarked graves at the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna will begin Saturday.
The weekend work outside the Boot Hill section of the closed Panhandle reform school is expected to be the first in a number of digs to occur over the next year, University of South Florida spokeswoman Lara Wade-Martinez said Monday in an email.
“USF has one year to complete the work at Dozier, which includes finding the location of any additional burials, the excavation of all human remains, DNA testing and analysis, and the re-internment of remains,” Wade-Martinez said.
The work at the Boot Hill section of the one-time 1,400-acre school is to last through Sept. 3.
As questions have arisen about whether boys who reportedly died of pneumonia and other natural causes were killed at the school, the efforts of USF researchers have faced opposition from some longtime Jackson County residents who have expressed concerns about what effect exhuming bodies will have on the local economy and the image of the community.
But Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, said that for the families of those who died at Dozier the state must admit what happened, “no matter how dark and how grim it may be.”
“In order to move forward you have to correct some of the past misgiving and missteps that the state has done under previous administrations,” Williams said.
The Legislature put $190,000 into the state budget to fund the research, determine the causes of death, identify remains, locate potential family members and cover the costs for any re-internment.
The university researchers led by Erin Kimmerle and Christian Wells have a one-year window to search the grounds for reportedly unaccounted-for bodies of boys who died between 1900 and 1952.
“We are now giving these young men an opportunity to go home,” Williams said. “Unfortunately they did not have the opportunity to go home reformed like when they were sent in.”
Researchers using ground-penetrating radar have identified potential graves on what is considered the “colored” cemetery within the site and believe there should also be a “white” cemetery on the grounds.
A temporary restraining order, issued in October 2012 by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper, has delayed the state’s intention to sell the Dozier property.
Cooper’s order allows the research work to proceed until the body of Thomas Varnadoe is exhumed.
Varnadoe died a month after arriving at the school in the 1930s. He was 13. A family member from central Florida has sought to move the remains to a family graveyard.
The public will not be able to watch the research work this weekend.
“In an effort to be respectful to the families, to maintain safety, and to allow the excavation work to be conducted unhindered, this will be a closed research site,” Wade-Martinez said.
The final approval for the dig came Aug. 6 from Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet — Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
In May, Jackson County Circuit Judge William L. Wright had denied a request by Bondi’s office to clear the way for exhuming remains.
by Jim Turner and Tom Urban, The News Service of Florida
Better, Drier Weather Continues
August 27, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 92. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. West wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Saturday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Sunday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Sunday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Labor Day: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Residents Talk Roads, Bridges At Barry Town Hall Meeting
August 27, 2013
Road and bridges were on the minds of of the small group that attended a town hall meeting Monday evening in Century with Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry.
Regi Burkett, local resident and Century’s fire chief, pointed out numerous safety problems with several roads in the area, including Highway 4A, Highway 164 and Highway 99. The roads, Burkett said, are too narrow, the speed limits are too high and little or no striping makes driving on them difficult at night or in the rain.
Barry and county Public Works chief Wes Moreno said they could get a paint truck up to the area in the new few days to improve striping on the roadways. The other issues, such as widening the roads, will take much more time.
Pictured top: Escambia County Public Works Director Wes Moreno listens to District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry speak during a town hall meeting Monday evening in Century. Pictured inset: Regi Burkett expressed his concerns over several roads in the area. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Kicks Off Middle School Football Season Tonight
August 27, 2013
The Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles will kick off their 2013 football season tonight on the road against Excel, Ala.
The full season schedule for the Eagles is:
First Responders Investigate Irritating Odor In Walnut Hill
August 27, 2013
First responders spent over two hours searching for the cause of an irritating odor Monday night in the Walnut Hill area.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office first responded to the area of Arthur Brown Road and Corley Road, at the railroad tracks, about 9:30 p.m.
Residents reported a smell similar to, but different from, leaking natural gas. Some said the strong odor was irritating to their nose and throat. Firefighters were able to smell the odor in several locations around Arthur Brown Road, Juniper Street, Cypress Street, Kansas Road and Smith Lane — but they were unable to pinpoint an exact source.
While the Genesis Rail Services Walnut Hill Station, a train-to-pipeline crude oil transfer station is located in the area, it was not believed to be associated with the smell. The wind was blowing toward the facility, not away from it, in the areas where residents reported the smell, firefighters said.
Pictured: The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS set up a staging area Monday night at Escambia Grain on Arthur Brown Road as they searched for the source of an irritating odor mostly west of the location. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sheriff, Molino Residents Praise Neighborhood Watch Effectiveness
August 27, 2013
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan praised the effectiveness of neighborhood watch groups Monday night during a meeting of the Molino Mid-County Neighborhood Watch,.
“We can’t be everywhere all the time; you are our eyes and ears,” Morgan told the group. “Especially in the rural areas…everybody knows their neighbors.”
Sarah Jenness, president of the two-year old Molino neighborhood watch group agreed. “It’s very effective and it works,” she said.
The number of neighborhood watch groups in Escambia County is up to 114.
For more information on a joining or starting a neighborhood watch in your community, call David Craig at (850) 436-9620. The Molino Mid-County Neighborhood Watch group meets on the fourth Monday night of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Molino Community Complex.
Pictured top: Molino Mid-County Neighborhood Watch President Sarah Jenness (background) listens to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan speak Monday night in Molino. Pictured below: Molino Mid-County Neighborhood Watch members. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Scott Opens Education Summit
August 27, 2013
Educators, business leaders and advocates gathered Monday in Clearwater for a three-day education summit called by Gov. Rick Scott — but the first day in some ways served to highlight differences between those involved in public schools as the system enters a critical period.
In an early example of the disagreements that could affect the meeting, Joanne McCall, vice president of the Florida Education Association, highlighted teacher concerns with the state’s accountability system, now under siege from several sources.
“I’ve been all over this state as school begins … and they’re frustrated,” she said. “They don’t feel the system has value, and they don’t trust the system.”
But Keith Calloway, with the Professional Educators Network of Florida, said teachers were not uniformly opposed to the state’s system of assessing teachers.
“There are many of us teachers out there right now that like the evaluations,” he said.
The summit comes as Florida faces several ongoing controversies in its accountability system. The State Board of Education recently approved a one-year extension of a policy that prevented each school from dropping more than a letter grade on its state report card after superintendents complained of a likely implosion in scores.
Despite the move, 107 elementary schools, or slightly more than 4 percent, received “F” grades on the report card. In 2012, 40 schools got F grades, amounting to just more than 1.5 percent.
That marked the highest number of schools to get an F at least since the program started including learning gains as part of the report card in 2002.
Meanwhile, legislative leaders have pushed the Department of Education to abandon its plan to use an exam developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, a consortium aimed at coming up with tests that will measure students’ achievements under common core. Common core, in turn, is a set of standards agreed to by the overwhelming majority of states.
And the Florida Education Association has filed a lawsuit against a state law tying teacher pay more closely to student performance, arguing that all teachers were not treated fairly by the law.
Meanwhile, the resignation of former Education Commissioner Tony Bennett, after questions about his involvement in school grading policies in Indiana, left Florida looking for its third new education commissioner since Scott took office.
Even efforts to come up with a set of “guiding principles” for the summit caused waves when one of the principles said PARCC “will require an excessive amount of testing time, will be too expensive, and has been marked by overreaches from the federal government into education policy.”
The principle was changed after a lengthy debate when several members objected that it seemed like the decision on the test had already been made.
“I think it’s premature on the first afternoon to have a full discussion of PARCC and other things as one of our guiding principles,” said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association.
Participants at the summit are set to discuss the state’s education standards and tests on Tuesday, followed by conversations about school grades and teacher evaluations on Wednesday.
by The News Service of Florida
Northview Lady Chiefs Get District Volleyball Win
August 27, 2013
The Northview Lady Chiefs picked up a district win Monday as their regular season opened against Holmes County.
Northview beat Holmes County 25-12, 25-15, 25-5. Kyndall Hall had seven aces, four kills and three assists for the Chiefs, while Lily Townson had four aces, one kill and 16 assists. Lana Clayton added two aces, four kills and one block.
The Lady Chiefs will host Catholic on Tuesday, with the JV playing at 5:00 and the varsity following at 6:00.
Wahoos Beat Barons 6-2
August 27, 2013
Josh Smith shut down a potent Birmingham attack with seven two-hit innings while the offense battered 10 hits in a 6-2 win over the Barons on Monday night in front of the 30th sellout crowd of the year at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Pensacola’s victory combined with a Jacksonville triumph pushed the Blue Wahoos to just three games out of first place with six games remaining.
Smith (W 10-9) battled his command throughout his outing, walking five, but he countered that with five strikeouts to increase his Southern League leading total to 135 on the year. The lone run he gave up came on a Dan Black solo homer leading off the second. With the victory, Smith became the first Blue Wahoos pitcher to record 10 wins in a single season.
Pensacola’s offense quickly responded in support of Smith with a pair of runs in three separate frames. Travis Mattair tied the game at one in the second on an RBI double and came around to score on an RBI groundout from Brandon Short. In the fifth inning, the Wahoos strung together three two-out hits, culminating in a two-run double from Yorman Rodriguez to make it 4-1. Rodriguez had a huge night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, run scored and two RBI.
In the seventh inning, Mike Costanzo gave Pensacola some extra breathing room with a two-run, two-out homer off Dan Remenowsky to push the Wahoos in front 6-1. Costanzo was 2-for-4 with his fourth homer of the year, two runs scored and two RBI. Devin Lohman scored on the round tripper and posted a solid line as well, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Spencer Arroyo (L 8-7) got the start for the Barons and allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings.
Having already assured a series victory, the Wahoos will look to make it nine wins in their last 11 times out in the 2013 home finale on Tuesday night. Reds top pitching prospect Robert Stephenson (0-1, 1.64) will go for Pensacola opposite Birmingham’s Chris Bassitt (4-2, 2.11). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
NWE Eagles Soar In Preseason Action
August 27, 2013
The Northwest Escambia Eagles had a mostly winning day Saturday in preseason youth football jamborees at W.S. Neal in East Brewton.
The NWE Freshmen (ages 4-6) lost 13-7 to Poarch and Beat Baker 27-0. Kaden Dove, Zyonne Wesley, Liam Hatcher and Jackson Simmons all scored. The team had about 170 yards rushing against Baker, and Wesley contributed a 35-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
The NWE Sophomores (ages 7-8) beat host W.S. Neal 16-0. Kaden Odom scores two touchdowns and Nolin Godwin scored a couple of two-point conversions. In their second scrimmage of the day, the NWE’s 7-8 year olds beaet Baker 6-0. Kaden Odom scored the only touchdown for NWE, and the two-point conversion was stopped short.
The Northwest Escambia Juniors (ages 9-10) beat Poarch 16-0. The Eagles defense held Poarch to negative yardage, with NWE touchdowns fromJayden Jackson and Jaheem Durant. Jackson and Durant each scored a two point conversion. The Juniors also beat Baker 16-0. Jackson stripped the ball from Baker and returned it for an Eagles touchdown. Jaheem Durant and Jaden Cunningham also added a TD. Jaden Cunningham completed a pass to Dariontae Richardson for a two-point conversion and Michael Merchant added a two-point conversion on a quarterback sneak.
The Eagles Seniors (ages 11-12) lost to W.S. Neal 6-0. Trent Kite had a touchdown called back against Neal. And the NWE Seniors beat Baker 22-0 with one touchdown from Kite and two TD’s from Seth Killam. Killam was 2-3 on extra point kicks.
During the preseason events at W.S. Neal, each team played two 20 minutes games with running clocks.
NWE will travel to Baker High Saturday, with the Freshmen getting the action started at 2 p.m., followed by the Sophomores at 3:30, Juniors and 5:00 and the Seniors at 7:00.
Pictured top: Michael Merchant (#15) scores for the Juniors. Pictured below: Kaden Dove adds a touchdown for the NWE Freshmen. Pictured inset: The NWE Seniors celebrate their victory over Baker. Pictured bottom: The NWE Sophomore cheerleaders. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
