Scott Wants State To Sue For Access To VA Hospitals
May 29, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott, who has increased efforts to appeal to military voters as he seeks re-election, wants to sue the federal government for blocking state inspectors from Veterans Administration hospitals.
The state Agency for Health Care Administration, at Scott’s urging, said Wednesday it will file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeking to allow state inspectors access to Florida-based VA hospitals so they can determine if the health care needs of veterans are being met.
While no legal action has been taken, AHCA spokeswoman Shelisha Coleman said in an email that “the agency will take the necessary actions to hold the VA accountable.”
Mary Kay Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the federal agency, said it would be “inappropriate for us to speculate” on the specifics of Florida’s litigation until it is filed.
State inspectors have been trying for more than a month to gain access to the federal facilities to conduct a review of allegations of inappropriate scheduling and treatment that have been reported at VA facilities nationwide.
The governor’s request follows his call May 21 for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign as investigations are ongoing into the treatment of veterans, and the potential cover-up of delayed care, at 26 health clinics nationwide, including the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville.
“To date, Secretary Shinseki has refused to step down, our inspectors continue to be turned away, and none of the information we’ve asked for has been provided,” Scott said in a prepared statement Wednesday. “Transparency and accountability are critical to supporting our veterans, and this suit will fight the federal VA’s continued practice of stonewalling our inspectors.”
Calls for Shinseki to resign were heightened Wednesday after the federal agency’s Office of Inspector General released a preliminary report indicating that delayed medical care, along with efforts to hide records, was “systemic” throughout the veterans’ health system.
According to AHCA, state staff members were denied access to Malcom Randall on May 19. Also, between April 3 and April 14 they were blocked from access to medical clinics in Gainesville, Lake City, Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg and West Palm Beach.
A spokesman for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist said Scott has failed to help an estimated 41,000 veterans in Florida by declining to expand access to health care through the federal Affordable Care Act.
“It’s unfortunate that Rick Scott may be attempting to inject politics (through calling for a lawsuit against the VA) into a tragic situation,” Crist spokesman Kevin Cate said Wednesday.
Crist accused Scott of using the VA issue as a “political tool” last week.
The Republican Party of Florida has responded that Crist is the one “exploiting” the issue, noting that the former governor included a link to his political campaign and a fundraising page when tweeting his own message that Shinseki should resign.
The state currently is home to 1.5 million veterans, with nearly a third from the Vietnam era and 231,000 having served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, according to the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Scott, who served in the Navy, turned his attention to the veterans’ hospital issue on April 1, a day after signing the “Florida GI Bill,” a wide-ranging measure modeled after the federal World War II-era program.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Drop Second Straight In Extras To Braves
May 29, 2014
For the second straight night, the Mississippi Braves came from behind late in a game against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and won in walk-off fashion in extra innings. Blue Wahoos second baseman, Brodie Greene, committed a costly throwing error on an attempted double play which allowed former Wahoo Matt Kennelly to score with two outs handing the Braves the 5-4 win 13 innings.
Pensacola moved in front, 3-2, with a three-run sixth inning, but the Braves quickly responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to even the score. Pensacola reclaimed the lead in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center field. It wasn’t until the ninth, that the Braves tied the game with an RBI double from, Tuesday night’s hero, Mycal Jones. It stayed that way until Mississippi took advantage of the Blue Wahoos miscues in the 13th inning for the 5-4 win.
The Blue Wahoos bullpen was tremendous allowing just 2R/1ER between three relievers over 7.2 innings. Drew Hayes, Justin Freeman and Tim Adleman combined to strike out seven Braves hitters and allowed just four hits. Adleman retired the first nine hitters he faced before allowing a leadoff single to Kennelly to begin the 13th. He suffered the loss despite allowing just the one hit in 3.2 innings.
Jon Moscot went 5.0 innings in the start for the Wahoos. He allowed 3R/ER on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts in the no-decision. Braves starter J.R. Graham was tough to solve for Pensacola. He went 5.1 innings and allowed just 2R/ER on only two hits with six strikeouts. He also took a no-decision. Ryne Harper earned the win with a scoreless inning out of the Braves bullpen. It was the second straight night he had pitched for Mississippi.
Offensively, Greene led the way. He finished 3-for-4 with double and two runs scored. He had Pensacola’s only multi-hit game.
Pensacola will look to rebound on Thursday night. RHP Mikey O’Brien (2-2, 4.58) will get the nod for the Blue Wahoos against Braves RHP Jason Hursh (3-4, 4.18). First pitch is set for 7 p.m. from Trustmark Park.
by Tommy Thrall
Comer E. Wilson
May 29, 2014
Mr. Comer E. Wilson, was born December 13, 1937, and passed away on Wednesday, May 28, 2014, in Pensacola.
Mr. Wilson was a native of Castleberry and a resident of Century for over 39 years. He was an employee with the Town of Century. His parents, Alton and Levonia Hammond Wilson; brothers, Alton Wilson, Jr. and Nollon Wilson; and sisters, Juanita Driskell and Nadine McCaw, precede him in death.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Emmie Belle Wilson of Century; daughter, Glenda Bagwell of Century; grandson, Bryan Griffis; granddaughter, Jessica Griffis; and three great-grandchildren all of Brewton; two brothers, Charles Wilson of Century and Willie Wilson of Century; six sisters, Sylvia Godwin of Century, Shirley White of Century, Faye McGill of Pensacola, Willene Bryan of Byrneville, Lois Aboud of Plano, TX and JoAnn Driskell of San Antonio, TX.
Funeral services will be Saturday, May 31, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Robert Barrow officiating.
Burial will follow at the Cooper Cemetery.
Visitation will be Friday, May 30, 2014, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Alton White, Rodney White, Scott Godwin, Will Wilson, Jeremiah Wilson, Kevin Bryan, Carl Godwin, Jr. and Randy Coker.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Teen Hit By Van On North Century Boulevard
May 28, 2014
A teenager was seriously injured when he was struck by a vehicle on North Century Boulevard in Century Tuesday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 16-year old Eric Carthon of Century was walking in the paved middle lane of North Century Boulevard about 9 p.m. when he was struck by a Ford Windstar van. The driver of the van, 19-year old Ciara Sparta of Flomaton, told authorities she was moving into the center lane to make a left turn on Highway 4A and did not see the teen.
Carthon was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
The Florida Highway Patrol said charges are pending in the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Flash Flood Watch In Effect
May 28, 2014
There is a flash flood watch in effect.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight Showers and thunderstorms likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Thursday Showers and thunderstorms likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy, with a high near 85. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Thursday Night A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Friday Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Friday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Saturday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Saturday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Sunday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.
- Sunday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.
- Monday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
- Monday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.
- Tuesday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
Ernest Ward Names May Students Of The Month
May 28, 2014
Ernest Ward Middle School has named students of the month for May. They (L-R) Susannah Amerson, seventh grade; Tara Windham, eighth grade; and Karlee Criswell, sixth grade. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Gets Life For Burlgary, Battery, Child Abuse
May 28, 2014
An Escambia County man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday.
Jesse Akeem Johnson was convicted of burglary of a dwelling with battery, child abuse, battery and petit theft by an Escambia County jury.
On November 19, 2012, the Johnson broke into the victim’s home by shattering the front window. Johnson immediately began punching and kicking the victim. The victim broke loose at one point and ran into the bedroom where her five children had been watching a movie at the time the defendant shattered the window. The victim attempted to barricade herself and her children inside that room but the defendant forced his way through the door and continued to beat the victim in front of her children. When the oldest child attempted to pull the him off of the victim, Johnson grabbed the child by the hair and shoved the child into a wall.
At that time, the victim helped her younger child out of the window in order to run next door to seek help. Johnson spotted the child outside and followed the child to the neighbors. Once at the neighbor’s residence, Johnson punched the neighbor several times until he fell to the ground, and then fled the scene.
Expect Delays On Highway 29 In North Escambia
May 28, 2014
Drivers can expect minor delays on Highway 29 in North Escambia through Friday. From 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day, crews will perform routine maintenance work along Highway 29 from Neal Road in Molino to the Alabama state line in Century.
FDOT said motorists are reminded to travel with care through the work zone and to watch for construction equipment and workers entering and exiting the roadway.
All planned activities are weather dependent and may be re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Florida’s Use Of IQ Rule In Death Cases
May 28, 2014
Siding with a Death Row inmate convicted of killing a pregnant woman in 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida’s use of a “rigid” IQ score in determining whether defendants should be shielded from execution because they are intellectually disabled.
The court, in a 5-4 decision, said Florida’s use of an IQ score of 70 “creates an unacceptable risk that persons with intellectual disability will be executed, and thus is unconstitutional.” In 2002, the court found that executing people who are intellectually disabled, or in the common terminology at the time, mentally retarded, violates the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment
Attorneys for Freddie Lee Hall, on Death Row for the February 1978 murder of 21-year-old Karol Hurst after she left a Leesburg grocery store, presented evidence in state courts that he had an IQ score of 71. The Florida Supreme Court, however, said Florida’s legal threshold for considering an inmate intellectually disabled was a score of 70.
Writing for the majority in Tuesday’s U.S. Supreme Court opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy said using the 70 IQ score as a cutoff prevents courts from considering other types of potentially important evidence in determining whether a person is intellectually disabled. That evidence can include such issues as social adaptation, medical history, behavioral records, school reports and family circumstances.
“Intellectual disability is a condition, not a number,” wrote Kennedy, who was joined in the majority by justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. “Courts must recognize, as does the medical community, that the IQ test is imprecise. This is not to say that an IQ test score is unhelpful. It is of considerable significance, as the medical community recognizes. But in using these scores to assess a defendant’s eligibility for the death penalty, a state must afford these test scores the same studied skepticism that those who design and use the tests do, and understand that an IQ test score represents a range rather than a fixed number. A state that ignores the inherent imprecision of these tests risks executing a person who suffers from intellectual disability.”
But Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a dissent that the 2002 case, known as Atkins v. Virginia, relied on states to determine how best to identify defendants with intellectual disabilities. The dissent also took issue with parts of the majority opinion about looking at a person’s adaptive behavior in making such determinations.
“No consensus exists among states or medical practitioners about what facts are most critical in analyzing that factor, and its measurement relies largely on subjective judgments,” wrote Alito, who was joined in the minority by Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. “Florida’s approach avoids the disparities that reliance on such a factor tends to produce. It thus promotes consistency in the application of the death penalty and confidence that it is not being administered haphazardly.”
Tuesday’s decision sends Hall’s case back to Florida courts for further consideration. Hall, now 68, is being held at Union Correctional Institution.
Hall was sent to Death Row in the murder of Hurst, whose body was found in a wooded area of Sumter County. Hall and another man, Mack Ruffin, accosted Hurst after she left a Leesburg grocery store. The woman, who was pregnant, was beaten, shot and sexually assaulted, according to court records.
After leaving the scene of the Hurst murder, the men went to a Hernando County convenience store, where a clerk became suspicious and called police. Hall and Ruffin were arrested a short time later and were also charged with shooting to death sheriff’s Deputy Lonnie Coburn outside the store, the court records say.
The Hall case has bounced through the courts for more than three decades, with his IQ a heavily debated issue. The state attorney general’s office argued in a brief last year that the U.S. Supreme Court should not take up the case, in part pointing to findings by the Florida Supreme Court that evidence during a 2009 hearing indicated Hall had an IQ higher than 70.
“Not only did the Florida Supreme Court hold that Hall has not produced an IQ score falling in the range of mental retardation, the true facts are that Hall has scored as high as 80 on intelligence testing, and such a score is well outside any possible diagnosis of mental retardation,” Senior Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Nunnelley wrote in a July brief. “This court (the U.S. Supreme Court) has long recognized that its jurisdiction does not lie to review decisions from state courts that rest on adequate and independent state law grounds, which this most certainly is.”
But Kennedy’s majority opinion Tuesday took issue with the state’s use of what he described as the “rigid” 70 IQ score.
“Florida’s rule disregards established medical practice in two interrelated ways,” Kennedy wrote. “It takes an IQ score as final and conclusive evidence of a defendant’s intellectual capacity, when experts in the field would consider other evidence. It also relies on a purportedly scientific measurement of the defendant’s abilities, his IQ score, while refusing to recognize that the score is, on its own terms, imprecise.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Molino Man Sentenced On Drug And Traffic Charges
May 28, 2014
A Molino man has been sentenced to just under a year in jail on a variety of drug and traffic charges.
Charles Anthony Carpenter, 57, was sentenced to 11 months and 15 days after being convicted of possession of controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, petit theft, committing theft and resisting recovery of property, brawling, operating a motor vehicle while driver’s license revoked as a habitual traffic offender and attached registration license plate not assigned.
Carpenter was sentenced by Judge Terry Terrell.