Woman Injured In Early Morning Molino Accident
February 15, 2014
One person was injured in an early morning ATV or 4-wheeler type accident early Saturday morning in Molino.
A 27-year old female was transported to an area hospital by ambulance following the accident about 12:15 a.m. on Jahaza Road near Cedartown Road in Molino. Her injuries were not considered life threatening.
Details on the accident have not yet been released, but preliminary information indicated she was thrown from an ATV, 4-wheeler or possibly even a go-kart. A male on the vehicle fled the scene following the accident.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office were also dispatched to the scene.
Police Seize $150K Spice Lab
February 15, 2014
A routine traffic stop has led to the arrest of two Escambia County residents, recovery of 16 guns, and the discovery of a spice lab.
Timothy C. Edgar, 23, was charged with possession of a weapon/ammunition by a convicted felon and destroying/tampering with evidence. The second suspect – Dante T. Williams, 24 – was charged with resisting without violence.
Just after 11 p.m. Wednesday, Officer Brittany Austin was on routine patrol when she stopped a Toyota Camry driven by Edgar near the intersection of Pace Boulevard and DeSoto Street for not having a license tag attached. Williams was a passenger in the car. Edgar and Williams got out of the car and consented for officers to search them and the vehicle. A live round of ammunition was found in Williams’ right jacket pocket.
While K-9 Officer David Rogers was searching the vehicle, Williams fled the scene on foot but was taken into custody in the area of Hayden Court and Lloyd Street after he voluntarily came out of hiding.
Meanwhile, Edgar stayed with the vehicle while officers pursued Williams. A bystander told police he saw him take something from the passenger side of the car and throw it over a fence. Edgar then sat down in the driver’s seat until Austin arrived back at the vehicle. Escambia Sheriff’s K-9 Deputy Jason Land and K-9 Edo responded to the area to search for the item Edgar threw over the fence and found two loaded firearms.
On Thursday officers served a search warrant at a residence. In addition to seizing guns, a bulletproof vest and stolen laptop computers, officers discovered a spice manufacturing operation, said Sgt. Marvin Miller. Approximately 100 pounds of spice with an estimated street value of about $150,000 were recovered. Spice is synthetic marijuana and it is illegal to sell or possess, Miller said.
An investigation is underway to determine how long the spice manufacture/sales had been occurring. Additional arrests are pending. Officers also are continuing to examine evidence they believe was stolen in burglaries.
Escambia Man Convicted On Two Counts Of Attempted Murder
February 15, 2014
An Escambia County man has been convicted on two counts of attempted murder.
Timothy Jerome Lowe, 29, was convicted by an Escambia County Jury of attempted second degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.
Circuit Judge Ross Goodman scheduled sentencing for March 25. Lowe faces a minimum mandatory 25 years to life in prison.
On December 16, 2012, Lowe shot at Melvin Coley in the parking lot of the Travel Inn on Cervantes Street in a dispute over narcotics. Two police officers were in the area and heard the shots. When those officers responded to the scene, Lowe turned his gun on them. The officers fired at Lowe, striking him one time in the leg. The officers were not harmed. After
a short foot pursuit, Lowe was apprehended.
Miss NHS Pageant Tonight
February 15, 2014
The Miss NHW 2014 pageant is tonight at Northview High School at 7:00. Tickets, $10 each, will be available at the door while seats remain.
Pictured: Miss NHS 2014 contestants (front, L-R) Kylie Brock, Brianna Smith, Julie Hester, Morgan Digmon, Danielle Scott, Olivia Neal, Alyssa Borelli, (back) Chloe Leonard, Jessica Amerson, Madison Arrington, Kendal Cobb, Anna Fischer, Morgan Ward and Tiffani Pritchett. Pictured below: Individual contestant photos. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Pension, Red-Light, Marijuana Proposals Fly
February 15, 2014
Lawmakers seemed to be drawing closer this week to giving a green light to a limited form of medical marijuana, while some of them complained that red-light cameras were spreading across the state like weeds.
With the Legislature going through its next-to-last week of committee meetings before the annual session opens March 4, time is running short for lawmakers to float trial balloons or major legislation, whether on red lights or a marijuana extract that doesn’t get users high. At the same time, a bill emerged in the Senate that could drive the likely fiery debate over public employee pensions.
Divisions exist on all those issues, of course. Lawmakers are trying to separate the medical cannabis bill they’re pushing from a broader measure being sought by Orlando attorney John Morgan and his “army of angels.” Efforts to slam the brakes on the proliferation of red-light cameras have long been contentious. And public employees’ unions can still be expected to fight the pension changes, even if a strategic difference from last year’s bill will make the measure more palatable in the Senate.
The legislative session has essentially begun, but the end on some of the high-profile issues of the session is still unclear.
A ‘BALANCE’ APPROACH TO PENSIONS
Overhauling the pension plan for future public employees might have been one of House Speaker Will Weatherford’s top priorities last year, but it was the Senate that moved first on the issue this year, now that the revamp is part of the joint House-Senate agenda.
Senate Community Affairs Chairman Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, this week introduced a bill (SPB 7046) that would close the Florida Retirement System to most new public employees, instead shifting them either to the state’s existing 401(k)-style investment plan or a new “cash balance plan.” Law-enforcement officers and firefighters would still be allowed to join the traditional pension plan.
The exclusion of those “special risk” employees appeared to be an effort to defuse the most controversial part of changes to the pension plan after an effort to force all new employees into the investment plans was torpedoed last year by renegade Senate Republicans.
“The proposed committee bills relating to Florida’s retirement system are a common-sense approach to ensure that we are able to fully deliver on the benefits that we’ve promised our hard-working state employees for years to come,” Simpson said.
Under Simpson’s bill, employees would have de facto accounts set up and would be guaranteed a return of at least 2 percent a year on the money in their accounts. If the plan’s investments made more than 2 percent, then three-quarters of the extra money would go to employees.
House leaders said they were still trying to decide between the cash balance idea and a hybrid plan that would essentially split an employee’s account into two, with part of it being invested in the traditional pension system and the other portion going into the investment plan.
Some critics zeroed in on the difference between special-risk employees and the rest of the state, questioning why only police officers and firefighters should get to stay in the traditional pension plan.
“If it’s good for one set of employees, it should be good for all sets of employees,” said Florida Education Association Vice President Joanne McCall.
In an interview with The News Service of Florida, Weatherford had a ready answer.
“I would say there’s a reason we call them ’special risk,’ ” he said. “They have a special job. They put their lives in danger.”
RED LIGHT FOR RED-LIGHT CAMERAS?
Almost since they were approved by the Legislature with the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act of 2010, red-light cameras have faced a vocal group of critics looking to roll back or get rid of the robotic intersection overlords. And a report out this week from the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability is fueling the drive to scrap the cameras.
According to the OPPAGA report, there were fewer fatalities but more crashes at electronically monitored intersections, and fines issued due to the technology cost motorists nearly $119 million last year.
The study recommends that local governments demonstrate a safety need at each intersection where cameras may be installed, that local communities should be required to follow standards on the length of yellow lights, and that revenue local governments generate from the cameras be restricted to public and traffic safety uses. But foes of the cameras want to go even further.
“I think we should go all in for full repeal,” Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said during a press conference at the Capitol to highlight the study. “I think this data clearly shows that this program is not working as the Legislature intended, that we’re not seeing a reduction in accidents, (and) that we’re seeing a clear, dramatic increase in revenues that are being generated from this.”
But camera opponents have some other ideas — just in case a repeal doesn’t happen. Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, who has filed a measure (HB 4009) to repeal the 2010 law, said if legislators are unwilling to support repeal, they should enact the series of recommendations included in the legislative study.
“I still firmly believe that this program should be repealed, but if we cannot repeal it I’m willing to modify it significantly,” Artiles said.
Artiles also proposes that the amount local governments can fine be reduced from $158 to $83.
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, local governments were not at all convinced by the report. The Florida League of Cities quickly questioned whether the study was fair. Lobbyist Casey Cook maintained that the cameras do improve safety and called the study “biased and inconsistent.”
“The report’s conclusion is not surprising given that it was requested by a legislator who sponsored a bill to repeal Florida’s red-light safety camera law,” the release said.
Those opposed to the red-light cameras have one powerful ally: Weatherford, who made clear Wednesday he wants to overhaul the state’s red-light camera law. Weatherford described the report as “scathing.”
Weatherford said he would support passing a bill to repeal the cameras, though he acknowledged that likely will not happen.
‘SOME POT’
When E.B. White wrote the book “Charlotte’s Web,” which was published in 1952, he probably didn’t think a work about a spider putting messages like “Some Pig” in her web to save a porky friend would later be applied to a form of medicinal marijuana.
But “Charlotte’s Web” is more than a book and animated movie; it’s now a marijuana extract that supporters say can help children with a form of epilepsy. And three Republican senators filed a bill Wednesday that would allow the product to be used.
Filed by Sens. Rob Bradley of Fleming Island, Aaron Bean of Fernandina Beach and Brandes, the measure (SB 1030) centers on the extract, which has a relatively small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol — the psychoactive component in marijuana. Supporters say the low level of THC in Charlotte’s Web means users do not get high.
“Charlotte’s Web helps patients improve their quality of life and offers hope to parents desperate to provide relief to their children,” Bradley said in a prepared statement. “While many Floridians have significant concerns about medical marijuana being misused, SB 1030 offers a new opportunity for Floridians who have not found relief with current medications.”
Also apparently on board with the new push: Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, whose son is behind a similar House bill (HB 843). Gaetz’s son, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, is one of the leading supporters of legalizing Charlotte’s Web.
“As a father myself, I am unwilling to require these parents to be criminals in order to get treatment for their children,” the elder Gaetz wrote in a release posted on the Senate website and addressed “Dear Neighbor” to people in his Panhandle district. “As the father of Representative Matt Gaetz, I am proud of my son for his political courage in fighting for these families as they fight for their children’s lives.”
Legislative leaders, though, have taken pains to separate the issue of Charlotte’s Web from a wider constitutional amendment that would legalize prescription pot. That measure, backed by People United for Medical Marijuana, is set to go before voters in November.
Reports filed Monday showed that the group had burned through about $4.6 million by the end of January, with Morgan footing most of the bill.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Legislative wrangling began over the pension overhaul that could be one of the more hotly-contested bills of the session. Senate leaders put forward a “cash balance plan,” while House leaders said they were still deciding which way to go with their bill.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Ninety percent of the time it feels like our agenda is your agenda, maybe more than that.”–House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, to members of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
Cool 34 Tonight, Sunny Sunday
February 15, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 34. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 44. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Washington’s Birthday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 70. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. South wind 5 to 15 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. South wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 74.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75.
Large Control Burn Today In Beulah
February 14, 2014
A 146-acre control burn is planned for today along the Perdido River in the Beulah area. The fire near the end of Frank Reeder Road and Smallwood Drive, is expected to create a visible smoke plume for the most of the day.
The burn is expected to begin by about 9:30 a.m.
New 108 Acre Home For Escambia County 4-H On The Horizon
February 14, 2014
After months of disagreement between involved parties, Escambia County 4-H may finally have a new home on the horizon.
Contracts transferable to Escambia County 4-H have been signed on two parcels totaling about 108 acres off South Highway 99 and Chalker Road near Barrineau Park.
In 2012, the children and teens on the 4-H County Council voted to sell their 240 acre Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal Credit Union. Navy Federal paid $3.6 million for the property next to the credit union’s campus in Beulah, and the Escambia County Commission agreed to construct a new 4-H Center on Stefani Road with $1.5 million in local option sales tax (LOST) funds.
$2 million of the sale proceeds were placed in an endowment fund for 4-H, and $1.6 million was reserved for 4-H to use under the guidance of UF/IFAS for a property including livestock facilities.
But after reviewing the findings of a task force, University of Florida/IFAS Extension Dean Nick Place recommended 4-H keep the $1.6 million and use the Cottage Hill State Forest, Escambia County Equestrian Center and private lands for outdoor activities and livestock education. The Escambia County Commission in July refused to accept the plan, with some commissioners saying that land deal was in no way equitable to the former 240 acres at Langley Bell.
And in January, the commission put the brakes on approval of a $1.65 million 4-H facilty to be located at the Escambia County Extension Office on Stefani Road.
As the impasse continued between Place and the commission — including very public letters chastising each other — Place reached out to Lamar Christenberry, retired Escambia County IFAS director, as in intermediary.
Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry researched local available properties on the internet and found the two properties which he toured with Christenberry and 4-H supporters Brett Ward and Jimmy Cunningham, who is also president of Escambia County Farm Bureau.
“The utility of what 4-H has now at Langley Bell can easily be recreated on the new property,” Barry said.
One parcel is 79.5 acres in the 5600 block of Chalker Road and currently belongs to Scott and Denise MacMurray of Pensacola. The property includes about 20 wooded acres, a pond and a 5722 square foot barn. The property was listed at $425,000 with a $390,000 offer accepted on behalf of 4-H.
The second property, located at South Highway 99 and Chalker Road, is about 28.7 acres and allows the main property to have road frontage on South Highway 99. An offer of $5,000 per acre was accepted.
The land deals will be handled by Beck Properties with a fee approximated at $9,750. Beck will make a $10,000 donation to 4-H when the deals are closed to negate their fee, Barry said.
A few residential lots border east side of the proposed 4-H site along Chalker Road, while the north side is bordered by a 50 acre improved agricultural lot. The southern and western sides of the site are surrounded by hundreds of acres of timber belonging to La Floresta Perdida, Inc.
“It’s the perfect place where live stock won’t bother the neighbors,” Barry said.
Barry said that by the time the Escambia Commission meets again on February 18, he expects a letter of support for the project to have been approved by Escambia County 4-H, and he expects Place and IFAS to express their support for the land purchase.
After the land deal is approved by the Escambia County Commission, which acts at trustee for the 4-H Foundation, commissioners are expected to consider moving forward with the 4-H Center on Stefani Road. The 4-H Center will be used indoor classroom type activities, while the 198 acres will be used for outdoor activities and livestock education.
Pictured top and bottom: An existing 5,722 square foot barn on one of two parcels that may soon be home to Escambia County 4-H. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Pictured inset: Two parcels will provide 4-H about 108 acres near Barrineau Park. NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
ECAT Reports Ridership Up
February 14, 2014
Escambia County Area Transit announced Thursday that ridership was up during the final quarter of last year. ECAT provided 403,612 rides in the fourth quarter of 2013, up four percent from the same period in 2012.
“I could not be more pleased with these numbers,” said Lisa Bacot, Executive Director of the Florida Transportation Association. “The fourth quarter numbers show us that providing public transportation is important. ECAT is meeting the needs of its community by giving residents personal mobility and connects people with their jobs and schools.”
In 2013, ECAT provided a total of 1,529,769 rides to residents and visitors alike, marking another year that ridership of the system has increased.
“ECAT provides a valuable and needed service for this area,” said Tonya Ellis, director of Marketing and Community Relations. “We work to provide our community with excellent, dependable service. I am looking forward to 2014 and all that it will bring for our passengers. We have several exciting changes coming this year that are designed to enhance our customers’ experience.”
Valentine’s Day: Love On The Line
February 14, 2014
On Valentine’s Day, an 82-person Gulf Power storm team was hard at work in north Georgia to restore power after a winter storm.
Ice storms, hurricanes or just afternoon thunderstorms, linemen and other power company employees are there to restore our electricity as fast as possible. But working in Georgia means the 82 men and women were away from their someone special for Valentine’s Day.
Special thanks to Gulf Power employee Tabbatha McGhee for helping with this story and photographs.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.