Florida Bar Fights Hike In Dues For Legal Aid For The Poor
June 13, 2014
The Florida Bar came out forcefully Thursday against a proposal to increase attorneys’ Bar dues to help pay for legal services for the poor.
As we reported last month, former state Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero and attorneys for the poor were leading an effort to increase Bar dues by up to $100 a year to help fund legal-aid groups. But the Bar said in a press release Thursday that its Board of Governors had voted unanimously to oppose the proposal, which is expected to be filed next week with the Supreme Court.
Bar President Eugene Pettis told the The News Service of florida last month and reiterated in the press release that funding legal-aid services will take a broader strategy than increasing attorneys’ dues.
“It is laudable to see a problem and want to help, but this is a societal issue and a much larger problem than the legal profession can solve alone,” Pettis said in the press release. “It is time we bring the community together to address this problem by employing alternate forms of access, delivery and funding.
” The Board of Governors has “conceptually” approved a $6 million bridge loan to The Florida Bar Foundation, which administers legal-aid efforts, according to the press release. The board is expected to give final approval to that loan July 25. But supporters of increasing Bar dues say the proposal would help fund legal services for low-income people who face problems such as getting health benefits or preventing home foreclosures.
“This could be a major, wonderful thing that the legal profession does for the people of Florida,” Randall Berg, executive director of the Florida Justice Institute, told the News Service last month. “We give lip services to legal services for the poor, but when we’re asked to step forward and help in any meaningful way we oppose it.”
by The News Service of Florida
Murder Victim Identified
June 12, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday morning that the victim in a homicide Tuesday night has been positively identified as 39-year old Angela M. Cook.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of Hayes and “U” streets on a welfare check call. They found 32-year old Matthew N. Warren in roadway. He told deputies that there was a body inside his residence.
Officers found Cook deceased inside his residence. Warren was arrested and charged with murder in the first degree.
The cause of death and a motive have not yet been released as the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office continues their investigation.
Charges To Be Dismissed Against Man For Allegedly Attacking Troopers At Son’s Fatal Wreck
June 12, 2014
A Molino man has entered into an agreement with the state to dismiss charges after being arrested last November on felony charges for attacking first responders and troopers at the scene of a traffic accident that claimed the life of his son.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 34-year old Joiel Wilson Edmonson of Molino lost control of his pickup truck just after 11 p.m. on November 2, 2013, on Molino Road and died as the result of his injuries.
His father, John David Edmonson, Jr. arrived on the scene a short time after the accident. Florida Highway Patrol troopers alleged he refused to follow orders of firefighters to clear the scene, pushed a trooper away, and punched another trooper in the chest before he was tased. He was arrested and charged with battery on an officer, firefighter or EMT, felony aggravated assault on officer, firefighter or EMT, felony resisting an officer with violence and a misdemeanor count of failure to obey police or fire department.
Edmonson entered no plea to the charges against him and accepted a deferred prosecution agreement. If he follows the agreement and is not arrested again, charges against him will be dismissed when he returns to court in 2015. He paid a $100 assessment for costs in the case.
In an unrelated incident on January 25, 2014, John Edmonson was charged with resisting arrest without violence at a Molino bar. Adjudication was withheld in the case, and Edmonson was assessed $350 in fines and costs.
Molino Teen Serves As Florida House Messenger
June 12, 2014
A young man from Molino recently spent a week serving as a messenger in the Florida House of Representatives. Mitchell Singleton, who just completed his freshman year at Northview High School, served as a messenger for Rep. Clay Ingram.
“Mitchell has served as a page in the House of Representatives during previous sessions and really made a name for himself as a hard worker. I couldn’t believe how many people at the Capitol remembered him when he came back this year as a messenger,” Ingram said.
Pages and messengers are students who work one week at the Capitol during the 60-day Regular Session. Each of Florida’s 120 representatives may sponsor one page (ages 12-14) and one messenger (ages 15-18).
Being selected to serve is considered an honor and privilege. Pages and messengers assist the representatives and their staff during the Capitol’s busiest time of year while observing state government in action.
“Mitchell has a bright future ahead of him and I’m glad that he is interested in public service. I usually introduce him to people as the future President of the United States, and he doesn’t shy away from the title,” Ingram continued.
The page and messenger program is a long-standing tradition in the Florida House, with journals making mention of them as far back as 1865. Singleton and each page and messenger will have their name appear in the official Journal of the House as an official record of their time spent serving in state government.
Pictured top. Florida House Messenger Mitchell Singleton (second from left) with other messengers and Gov. Rick Scott. Pictured inset: Singleton’s “selfie” photo with Scott. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Convicted Of Murder
June 12, 2014
An Escambia County man is facing up to life in prison after being convicted Wednesday of murder.
Javontai Yavin Lamario Thames, 19, was convicted of second degree felony murder by an Escambia County jury for the killing of Ledarrious Washington on July 30, 2013, at the Pines at Warrington apartment complex. Washington was shot and killed by Nkosi Chamberlain while Washington and Thames were attempting to rob him.
When he is sentenced by Judge Jan Shackleford on August 21, Thames faces a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Chamberlain is awaiting trial in July.
Northview, Tate Split Summer Baseball Games
June 12, 2014
The Northview Chiefs and Tate Aggies split summer baseball games Wednesday.
The Tate “B” team beat Northview 11-5 in the first game. In the second game, Northview defeated Tate’s “B” team 7-2.
The Tate “B” team will host Auburn (AL) High School on Monday, and the Tate “A” team will also host Auburn on Tuesday. Both games are at 4 p.m.
Public Meeting: Century Looking To Extend Term Of Mayor, Council Members
June 12, 2014
The Century Town Council will vote during a special meeting Friday on whether or not to extend the term of the mayor and two of five council members for an additional year as part of plan to align the town’s election cycles with the rest of the county and state.
With the current election date cycle, the positions of Mayor Freddie McCall, Council President Ann Brooks and member Annie Savage would be on the ballot in 2015 — when there are no other local elections in the county. The town is looking to extend their term expiration dates from January 2016 to January 2017 and put the three seats on the 2016 ballot, coinciding with other local, state, and national elections, including the presidential election.
The Century Town Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance, along with one that sets the 2014 election dates, during a special meeting Friday afternoon at 3:00. The meeting, at Century Town Hall, is open to the public.
Pictured: Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford and Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez review final vote totals in 2011 at the Century Town Hall. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
BayBears Beat Wahoos 5-3
June 12, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (29-37) fell to the Mobile BayBears (40-25), 5-3, in the first game of the series at Hank Aaron Stadium. The BayBears are the first team in the Southern League South Division to hit the 40-win mark in 2014. Pensacola outhit Mobile 10 hits to seven, but failed to win their third straight game.
RHP Daniel Corcino took the loss, lasting 5.0 innings for the Wahoos. Corcino struck out seven batters on the game, which was his second-highest total of the season. LHP Fabian Williamson pitched well in relief. He went 2.0 innings without allowing a hit and struck out three BayBear batters
The Wahoos answered the BayBears early after Mobile took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Ross Perez hit a solo shot to right field in his first at-bat against his former team. Devin Lohman added an RBI sacrifice fly in the inning and Josh Fellhauer nailed a two-out RBI single up the middle to give the Wahoos the lead. Juan Duran smashed the ball all game long; the left fielder ended the day 3-for-4 with three hard hit singles.
RHP Justin Fitzgerald stayed perfect on the year and earned his sixth win for the BayBears. Fitzgerald scattered nine hits over 6.1 innings and gave up 3 R/ER. The right-hander gave up just four hits over his final 4.1 innings of work in the contest. Jake Barrett earned a four-out save for the BayBears, his 11th of the season.
Third baseman Jake Lamb continued his incredible first half with an RBI double in the first inning to give the BayBears a quick 2-0 lead. Lamb provided the big blow in the fourth inning with a bases loaded two-RBI single.
The Wahoos will send RHP Robert Stephenson (3-5, 3.49) to the mound Thursday with just four games remaining in the first half of the season. The BayBears will counter with RHP Mike Lee (3-3, 4.16). First pitch is set for 7:05 from Hank Aaron Stadium.
United Way Disperses Over $170K In Support Of Flood Relief Efforts
June 12, 2014
United Way of Escambia County has disbursed $177,596 to local non-profit partners in support of local efforts to help Northwest Florida recover from the devastating floods that impacted our community April 29 and 30.
The funds were raised online at www.helpNWFLrecover.org, at recent telethon/radio-thons at Cordova and Santa Rosa malls, and from local contributors to flood relief.
A total of $46,876 was donated to the disaster fund through May 20, and was distributed to local United Ways based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) assessment of loss and impact. Any donor restrictions were disbursed to the United Ways based on donor instruction. Using these considerations, local United Ways received monies from the fund as follows: United Way of Escambia received $35,324, United Way of Okaloosa/Walton received $6,430, and United Way of Santa Rosa received $5,122.
United Way of Escambia County’s board of directors supplemented funds by adding $150,000 of their reserve funds. The intent of all funding is to assist local survivors and non-profit organizations who need help recovering from damage sustained. United Way of Escambia County reported that funds received locally have been awarded through an allocation process by which non-profit agencies submitted an application that was reviewed by community investment volunteers.
Recommendations from these volunteer panelists were then reviewed and voted on by United Way’s board of directors. The end result is that $177,596 has been disbursed to meet local needs as follows:
American Red Cross received $16,786 to assist survivors through case management of those adopted from the callers who reached out to United Way 2-1-1 and were determined to have unmet needs after application to FEMA.
AmeriCorps St. Louis received $4,600 to support an extension of their four-member team for a two-week period so they could help coordinate the assistance of field teams assisting survivors in need of mucking and gutting, food, housing, clothing, furniture and other assistance.
ARC Gateway Chapman Group Home received $17,250 to help return their Chapman Group Home to active status so they could continue to provide assistance to special needs residents served at the home.
Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) received $20,714 for materials that they can share with field teams who they recruit to help homeowners with recovery from damage. This will be essential to homeowners who will otherwise go without the support of a paid contractor.
Catholic Charities received $23,750, United Ministries received $15,500, and The Salvation Army received $14,286 to assist with case management of survivors that have called in to 2-1-1 asking for help.
Early Learning Coalition (ELC) received $4,400 to help eight partner childcare centers recover from flood damage. The centers were vetted through an application they made to ELC to determine what would be necessary to return them to capacity for school readiness. This funding will help enable them to continue serving the low-income families supported through the subsidized childcare program.
Learn to Read of Northwest Florida received $1,500 to replace office furniture lost in the flooding. While the owner of the building is replacing sheetrock, carpeting and other building materials that had to be extracted from the building, Learn to Read did not have the funding to replace the furniture or supplies they lost.
Legal Service of North Florida, Inc. received $5,200 to assist with an AmeriCorps case manager who could help them double their response to survivors who needed legal assistance.
Manna Food Bank, Inc. received two grants totaling $46,150 to help them return to service. Initial funding was allocated to purchase steel tables for food sorting and subsequent funding has been awarded to help re-establish critical infrastructure needed to facilitate client interviews, volunteers and staff. Additionally, it is hoped some funding will help mitigate heat in the surviving warehouse where volunteers and staff will be working throughout the year.
St. Vincent de Paul/Alfred Washburn Center received $7,460 to assist in the recovery of the supplies and strengthen capacity to return to full service after severe flooding of the grounds and building damaged appliances, food stores, tarps, tents and sleeping bags. The center supports the area homeless.
“The Arc Gateway is grateful for the help in restoring one of our group homes that was flooded. The money will go a long way towards restoring the lives of the women who lived there,” says Charles Brewer, Executive Director of The Arc Gateway.
While United Way of Escambia County has been grateful that long-time donors have helped the organization support so many partners in this time of need, there are many unmet needs remaining. If you would like to join the recovery effort, United Way is continuing to receive donations through the secure site: www.helpNWFLrecover.org.
Local Students Compete In State History Fair
June 12, 2014
Recently, 44 students represented Escambia County at the State History Fair in Tallahassee.
Escambia County brought home three first place winners, one second place entry, one third place entry, and three special prizes, with an additional eight entries making the run-offs. First and second place winners will compete in the National History Day competition to be held this month in College Park, Maryland.
Escambia County winners were:
EXHIBIT BOARDS:
- Holly Gorton (Pensacola High School) – 1st place Senior Individual Exhibit, “Pullman Porters Pave the Way for Civil Rights.”
- Emily Washler (Tate High School) – 3rd place Senior Individual Exhibit, “Tinker v. Des Moines: Defining Student Rights for Generations to Come.”
- Peter Jutras and Mary Jutras (Pensacola Catholic) – Finalist Senior Group Exhibit, “I Don’t Want to Be a Good Captain: Going Down with the Ship.”
WEBSITES
- Drew Anderson and Sara Fuller (Pensacola Catholic) – 1st place Senior Group Website, “Photography with a Purpose: Lewis Hine and the Fight Against Child Labor.”
- Alexander Pope (Brown Barge) – Finalist Junior Individual Website “Andrew Jackson: Breaking Rights or Following Responsibilities”
- Chis Bougher and Riley Laggan (Creative Learning Academy) – Finalist Junior Group Website, “The United States Public Health Service: Violating African Americans Rights and Freedom.”
- Eric Masterson (Pensacola Catholic) – Finalist Senior Individual Website, “Rights and Responsibilities Protected During the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960’s.”
HISTORICAL PAPERS
- Sara Buchanan (Bellview Middle School) – 1st place Junior Historical Paper, “Gideon V. Wainwright: The Right to Counsel”
- Gorham Partington, (Episcopal Day School) – Finalist Junior Historical Paper, “Evolution in Science Education: Echoes of the Scopes Monkey Trial”
- Kelly Wu (Pensacola High School) – Finalist Senior Historical Paper, “Debate and Balance Between Government Responsibilities and Private Rights: the Dissolution of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey”
- Madison Michelis (Pensacola High School) – Finalist Senior Historical Paper “Evolution vs. Creationism: The 1925 Tennessee Butler Act and the Trial of John Thomas Scopes.”
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCES
- Allyson Shumpert and Logan Reeder (Episcopal Day School) -1st place Junior Group Performance “Reading, Writing and Riots: The Responsibility of the U.S. Government to Provide Public Education for All and Ruby Bridges’ Fight for Well Deserved Rights”
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
- Nicholas Krostag (Tate High School)- Finalist Senior Individual Documentary “The Legacy of Landis: The Rights and Responsibilities of Baseball’s First Commissioner and the Black Sox Edict”
Other Special Awards
Sara Buchanan, (Bellview Middle School) was awarded the Frederick Cubberly Florida History Award for her historical paper, “Gideon V. Wainwright: The Right to Counsel.” The Hispanic Heritage Award went to Georgia Rogers (St. Paul’s Catholic School) for her Junior Performance entry, “Viva La Causa.” Maggie Byrd (West Florida High School) was awarded the Outstanding County Entry for his documentary entitled, “The Rwandan Genocide.”
This competition is the largest state level contest affiliated with the National History Day program, with over 11,000 students and 640 entries. Thirty counties competed in the State History Fair with entries aligned to this year’s theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in History.”