Cantonment Man Convicted Of Drug Trafficking, Possession
February 25, 2014
Another North Escambia resident has been convicted in connection with last year’s Operation Blister Pack 2.
William Bradley Edmonson, age 26 of Booth Avenue, Cantonment, was sentenced to a minimum mandatory seven years in state prison by Judge Terry Terrell for amphetamine trafficking and possession of a listed chemical. He was also ordered to pay $106, 618 in costs and and fines.
Operation Blister Pack 2 targeted nearly 80 individuals on methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine related charges. Many of those arrested were involved with drug groups dubbed “The Village Group”, centered around “The Village” area of Forrest Street and Lakeview Avenue in Cantonment; and “The Ayers Group”, a group centered around Ayers Street in Molino, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
DOE Releases Teacher Data
February 25, 2014
The Florida Department of Education released reams of data Monday on how well teachers did in increasing student learning — but both the agency and the state’s largest teachers union cautioned parents against reading too much into the numbers.
The dizzying array of spreadsheets made public under court order included results for schools, districts and individual teachers. As a result, some of the documents were dauntingly lengthy — in one case, a spreadsheet including results for the state’s math teachers contains 133,580 rows of results.
Compounding the difficulty parents might have sifting through the data: the complicated mathematical formula that the department uses to calculate scores under the “value added” model, which spits out a number for each teacher.
A positive number means that student achievement grew more than would be expected when certain social and demographic factors are taken into account; a negative number means that student learning didn’t do as well as it would be expected to do.
Those numbers are later combined with other elements, such as a principal’s observation of a teacher, to come up with an evaluation for each teacher.
The Department of Education and the Florida Education Association fought to keep the data from being released, but lost a court battle to The Florida Times-Union in November.
“In addition, because these data are intended to be used in conjunction with other information about classroom practice to form a complete evaluation, looking at this information in isolation can lead to misunderstandings about an individual teacher’s overall performance,” Kathy Hebda, chief of staff at the Department of Education, told reporters in a conference call Monday.
The “value added” model was created as part of a performance-pay bill that passed the Legislature in 2011. The FEA, which waged a ferocious fight against the performance-pay measure, maintains that the formula is so flawed and complicated that it is essentially useless.
“Assessments of teachers, like assessments of students, must be valid, transparent and multi-faceted,” FEA President Andy Ford said in a statement Monday. “These VAM calculations are none of these. … They cannot measure the value of an individual teacher”
In November, a unanimous three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal sided with the Times-Union and overturned a Leon County circuit court ruling sealing the records.
The appeals court rejected arguments by the state and a teachers union that the documents should be exempt under a part of state law that shields teacher evaluations from public view until the end of the following school year.
“Had the Legislature wanted any matter material to a teacher’s evaluation to be exempt from disclosure, the Legislature would have exempted personnel files as a whole,” Judge William Van Nortwick wrote for the court. “To the contrary, personnel files of public school teachers are generally subject to disclosure.”
by The News Service of Florida
Northview NJROTC Cadets Shine At FAMU Drill Competition
February 25, 2014
The Northview High School NJROTC excelled during a drill competition last Saturday at FAMU in Tallahassee.
Northview’s NJROTC placed sixth of 16 teams overall. They won first in Color Guard, fifth in Personnel Inspection and Armed Exhibition drill. Elijah Harbison was in the top four cadets in individual drill competition out of over 200 cadets.
Pictured top: Northview NJROTC cadets pose for a candid photo Saturday with their trophies at FAMU. Pictured inset and below: Cadets competed in the drill meeting Tallahassee on Saturday. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Homeless Can Get State ID Cards Today At Waterfront Mission
February 25, 2014
Today, the Florida Department of Highway Safety’s mobile unit will be at the Waterfront Rescue Mission located at 348 West Herman Street in Pensacola. The Department of Highway Safety will be issuing “on the spot” Florida ID Cards to the homeless or those in need.
Any individual in need of an identification card is encouraged to come to the Mission between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.. Individuals will need to bring their birth certificate and social security card with them to obtain the ID.
Molino Woman’s Border Collie Named Top Dog At National Show
February 25, 2014
Molino resident Victory Hulett was recently honored at the “Purina Pro Plan Show Dogs of the Year” awards banquet held in New York City in conjunction with the Westminster Kennel Club.
Hulett was awarded the 2013 Top Dog of the Year, an award given to honor the top obedience dog for the year 2013. She and her canine partner, OTCH Companion’s He Reigns
in Victory UDX9 OGM (called just “Reign”) earned the highest number of OTCH points during the various 2013 national obedience competitions.
Reign is owned and handled by Hulett and co-owned by Renea Windley. Reign was also the number one herding dog at the AKC 2013 National Championship and second runner-up, All Breed.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Injured In Highway 97 Crash
February 25, 2014
One person suffered minor injuries in a single vehicle accident late Monday night in Walnut Hill.
The driver of a Chevrolet Avalanche told first responders that his wheel struck something on or near a bridge on Highway 97 near Wiggins Lake Road. He lost control, ran off the roadway and overturned into a concrete culvert about 11:55 p.m.
The 61-year old male driver was transported by Atmore Ambulance to West Florida Hospital.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Public Workshop Tonight On Nine Mile Road Widening Project
February 25, 2014
The Florida Department of Transportation will host a public workshop this evening concerning the reevaluation of a study for widening Nine Mile Road from two to four lanes beginning at U.S. 90/Mobile Highway to Pine Forest Road.
The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Plainview Baptist Church, 1101 West Nine Mile Road, Pensacola. There will be no formal presentation. Maps, drawings and other study information will be on display and FDOT representatives will be available to answer questions.
West Florida Students To Research Gulf Oil Patties
February 25, 2014
West Florida High School’s Marine Science students have been given an opportunity to engage in hands-on research that is as meaningful as it is fun thanks to a new initiative called Project Gulf Oil Observations (GOO). The research consortium Deep Sea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Deep-C) developed Project GOO which trains teachers and students to be effective citizen scientists and puts their new-found knowledge to use during visits to Gulf beaches in search of oil patties.
After months of collaboration and training in the classroom, WFHS students will get a chance to apply their skills in the field this Fridaywith a trip to Perdido Key. Amelia Vaughn and Danielle Groenen, members of the Deep-C consortium, along with Dr. Chris Reddy and assistant Catherine Carmichael from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, will participate with Shawn Walker’s WFHS Marine Science honors students. The goal is to apply scientific protocols in the retrieval of tar-patties that have washed up on the beach.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to engage my students in the process of science, the relevancy of Project GOO, and the collaboration with such highly regarded educators and scientists,” shared Shawn Walker, Marine Science Instructor at West Florida High School.
“Talk about compounding interest. Put together scientists and teachers who are passionate about their work with students who are eager to help with ongoing research and watch as excitement fuels student engagement, sparks career interest, and feeds enthusiasm the of all. And as a side bonus, research is conducted more efficiently in both time and cost. That’s a pretty good return on investment.”
“I cannot think of better vehicles to engage students than getting their hands dirty and learning how the world, in particular the ocean, works,” said Dr. Christopher Reddy, a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) marine chemist and scientist with Deep-C.
Pictured top: Educator Amelia Vaughan oversees the students in Shawn Walker’s class as they test out one of their oil clean-up methods. Pictured inset: High school teacher Shawn Walker and Chris Reddy of WHOI are deep in discussion about sample analysis. Pictured below: Catherine Carmichael, a research associate at WHOI, shows teacher Shawn Walker that taking detailed notes is essential when collecting data. Courtesy photos by Danielle Groenen for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Chiefs Split Softball Games With Holmes County In Bonifay
February 25, 2014
The junior varsity Northview Chiefs improved to 4-0 with a 11-3 win Monday afternoon over Holmes County in Bonifay. The varsity Lady Chiefs lost to Holmes County 5-3.
The varsity Chiefs will host Catholic at 5:00 Tuesday before taking part in the TR Miller Tournment February 28-March 1. The varsity and JV Chiefs will travel to Jay on March 4.
Pictured: the JV Northview Chiefs beat Holmes County Monday in Bonifay. Photo by Karen Ging for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bennie Mason
February 25, 2014
Mr. Bennie Mason, 69, passed away on Monday, February 24, 2014, in Huxford.
Mr. Mason was a native and lifelong resident of Huxford. Mr. Mason was a US Army Veteran where he served in Germany. He loved to farm and he attended the Huxford Baptist Church. An infant daughter; his brother, Glenn Mason; and sister, Mary Sue Walker precede him in death.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sandra P. Mason of Huxford; two sons, Josh (Sirissa) Mason of Mobile and Judd Mason of Huxford; one brother, Jerry Mason of Atmore; and three grandchildren, Mikey Mason, Kari Mason and Jarren Mason.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, February 26, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Jimmy Dukes and Rev. Roger Grandstaff officiating.
Burial will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Glen Dreadin, Joe Coker, Charles Steadham, Johnny Mac Steadham, Tony Wooten and Ricky Herraro.
Honorary pallbearer will be Henry Wiggins.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.