Kimberly Wall Lofton
August 8, 2014
Kim was born on October 17, 1973, in Mobile, where she has currently resided throughout her life. She was a member of the First Baptist Church there. Kim was the proud mother of two children, in which her world revolved around. She was also a loving wife, daughter, sister and friend to all who knew her. She was a humble hearted person who would help anyone in need. She was most definitely one of a kind and left an impact on those who came in contact with her throughout her life.
Kim was preceded in death by her father, Rex Wall and two grandmothers, Mary B. Dannelley and Eunice Stacey.
She is survived by her mother, Rose Mary B. Wall of Frisco City; husband, Thomas David “Bo” Lofton of Eight Mile, AL; two children, Ty Lofton and Jessie Lofton of Mobile; three step-children, Eric (Maria), Trent (Kelly) and Dalton all of Mobile; two grandchildren, Lane and Landon Lofton of Mobile; two brothers, Vincent and wife, Billie Joe Wall of Mississippi and Brian and wife, Bridgette Wall of Mobile; two grandfathers, James Dannelley of Atmore and Ferrell Bowen of Bay Minette; six nieces, one nephew, three great-nieces, one great-nephew and a host of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral services will be Saturday, August 9, 2014, at 2 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Bo Currie officiating.
Burial will follow at the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Saturday, August 9, 2014, from 1 p.m. until service time at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Walter Johnston, Bubba Johnston, Jason Weaver, Billy Wayne Nichols, J.P. Cannon and Adam Echoels.
Honorary pallbearers will be Glen Norton, Jason Collins, Mike Capps, Rusty Lilley, Donnie Lilley, Terry Bowen, Blake Bowen and Jeff Wall.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
First Remains Identified From Dozier Boys School In Marianna
August 8, 2014
University of South Florida researchers on Thursday announced they had identified the first set of remains exhumed from 55 unmarked graves at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a now-closed Panhandle reform school in Marianna.
The remains of George Owen Smith, who went to Dozier at age 14 in 1940 and was never seen by his family again, were matched with DNA collected from his sister, Ovell Krell of Polk County.
Smith’s remains, which were found wrapped only in a burial shroud, will be returned to his family.
“We may never know the full circumstances of what happened to Owen or why his case was handled the way it was,” Erin Kimmerle, a USF anthropologist who is one of the leaders of the excavation, said in a statement. “But we do know that he now will be buried under his own name and beside family members who longed for answers.”
Smith’s mother, Frances, wrote to Dozier superintendent Millard Davidson in December 1940, asking about her son, according to the university. She received a letter saying no one knew where he was. In January 1941, the family was told Smith had been found dead under a house after escaping from the school. Family members traveled to Marianna to claim his body, but when they arrived, they were led to a freshly covered grave with no marker.
Krell said her mother never accepted that her son was dead and spent the rest of her life waiting for him to come home.
“So that brings closure to one family,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who helped get U.S. Department of Justice funding for the DNA research. “But think about all the other families that still don’t know.”
University researchers began digging for remains last year at the site of the former reform school, which operated for decades in the Jackson County community of Marianna. Questions have arisen about whether boys who reportedly died of pneumonia and other natural causes were killed at the school.
Nelson told reporters in Tallahassee that the family members of Dozier boys had flown in from all over the country to give DNA samples to the researchers.
“This dirty little secret has been covered up for a better part of a century,” Nelson said. “It’s finally coming out.”
The state hopes to sell the 1,400-acre Dozier site eventually, a move that has been put on hold by the investigation. In September, Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet gave the research team a one-year window to search the school’s 1,400 acres for more unaccounted-for bodies.
State Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater will work with the researchers to develop reburial plans if and when more bodies are identified. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam released statements of support following Thursday’s announcement.
“The University of South Florida has made great progress in answering a number of questions about the dark history of the Dozier School for Boys,” Putnam said. “In order to bring resolution to the community and the families, the USF researchers should quickly and thoroughly complete the work that they have begun. The victims’ families and the people of Florida deserve to have the best answers that science can provide.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: A trench dug in the search for human remains at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. Pictured below: Mapping the graves. Pictured inset: The remains of George Owen Smith have been positively identified. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
School Orientations Scheduled
August 8, 2014
School orientations are scheduled in Escambia County, with school beginning Monday, August 18.
Orientations will be held as follows:
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Orientation, Meet And Greets, August 14-15
- Bratt – August 14 – K-5, 8:30 – 10:30; Pre-K, 9:30-11 a.m.
- Byrneville — August 15, 9-11 a.m.
- Jim Allen – August 14, K-5 9-10:30 a.m.
- Lipscomb – August 14, K – 8:30-9:30; grades 1-5, 9:30-11 a.m.
- McArthur – August 14, 8:30-10 a.m.
- Pine Meadow – August 14, 9-11 a.m.
- Molino Park - August 14, Pre-K 9-10:00; K-5, 10-11 a.m.
For Escambia County elementary schools not listed, click here.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Orientations, August 14
- Bailey – 6th grade 10 a.m.; 7-8th 1:00 p.m.
- Bellview Middle – 9 – 11 a.m.
- Brown-Barge – 9 – 11 a.m.
- Ernest Ward – 10-11 a.m.
- Ferry Pass – 10 – 11 a.m.
- Ransom – 1-3 p.m.
- Warrington - 10: a.m.
- Workman – 1:00 – 2:30
- Woodham Middle – 6th grade 1 p.m.; 7-8th 1-2 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOLS
Ninth Grade/New Student Orientation
- Northview
- 8/13/14 9:00 a.m. — noon 10th-12th grade schedule pickup
- 8/14/14 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. 9th grade/new student orientation
- Tate
- 8/14/14 1:00 p.m. 12th grade schedule pickup
- 8/14/14 2:00 p.m. 10th-11th grade schedule pickup
- West Florida
- 8/09/14 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.9th grade orientation
- 8/14/14 10:00 a.m. 11th grade schedule pickup
- 8/14/14 1:30 p.m. 10th grade schedule pickup
- 8/14/14 6:00 p.m. Senior/parent(s) information meeting
- Pine Forest
- 8/09/14 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 9th grade/new student orientation
- 8/14/14 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 9th grade/new student schedule pickup
- 8/14/14 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 10th-12th grade schedule pickup
- Pensacola
- 8/14/14 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 9th grade orientation
- 8/14/14 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 10th-12th grade schedule pickup
- Washington
- 8/14/14 9:00 a.m. — noon New student orientation
- 8/13/14 8:00 a.m. – noon 12th grade schedule pickup
- 8/14/14 8:00 a.m. – noon 11th grade schedule pickup
- 8/15/14 8:00 a.m. – noon 10th grade schedule pickup
- Escambia
- 8/14/14 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 10th- 12th grade schedule pickup
Note that some high schools have already held some orientation events.
Deputies, Marshals Nab Wanted Fugitive In Drive-Thru Line
August 7, 2014
Escambia County Deputies and the U.S. Marshals’ Task Force apprehended James Jonathan Mitchell, 50, on Thursday. He was wanted on revoked bond.
After receiving numerous tips from the community, Mitchell was located in the drive-thru line at a Highway 98 restaurant and arrested. Mitchell was initially arrested on May 20, 2014, on numerous charges stemming from a narcotics investigation pertaining to the sale and distribution of black tar heroin in Escambia County.
Black tar heroin is a potent form of heroin, mainly produced in Mexico and smuggled into the United States.
Special Session Opened Today To Redraw Congressional Districts
August 7, 2014
In what could be a fast-moving process, Florida lawmakers today started a special session to redraw congressional districts.
The unusual session stems from a ruling last month by Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis that a congressional map approved in 2012 violated requirements of the state Constitution. The House and Senate met briefly Thursday and were later expected to hold a joint committee meeting to hear presentations from attorneys and to take public input.
House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said a revised map would be released Thursday and that members could propose amendments Friday during a committee meeting. The full House and Senate are scheduled to meet Monday.
“We could be here for part or all of next week, but we will be here as long as it takes to get it right,” Weatherford said.
Meanwhile, groups that challenged the 2012 map issued a lengthy letter calling on the Legislature to offer an “open, transparent, and apolitical process that it promised, but did not provide, during the initial reapportionment effort.”
by The News Service of Florida
Bus Driver Charged With Sexual Assault On Mentally Challenged Woman
August 7, 2014
An Escambia County man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after an investigation determined he intimidated a mentally challenged woman to have sex with him.
Jeremy L. Hubert, 28, address unavailable, was charged with two counts of sexual assault on a person with special needs and one count of attempted sexual assault on a person with special needs.
Pensacola Police Detective Amy Parsons determined Hubert, who drives a bus for ARC of Escambia County, demanded sex from a 29-year-old mentally challenged client on the bus. The woman said she cooperated with Hubert, who is seven feet tall and weighs 400 pounds, because she was afraid of him.
The investigation has been on-going since the incident was reported in April.
Hubert was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $300,000.
NBA Star Reggie Evans Shares Message Of Hope With Century CI Inmates
August 7, 2014
The odds may have been stacked against Reggie Evans. But the power forward for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings has always been known for his rebounding — both on and off the court.
Evans grew up in the Pensacola Village projects. Drugs are often a way of life in Pensacola Village, and Evans fell into the trap as a dealer. He ended up in the Escambia County Jail, not behind bars, but visiting a cousin. That was his wake up call, and basketball became his escape.
“I’ve been around it (jail),” he said. “I feel like I can relate to prisoners because I’ve had friends and family members in jail.”
Recently, Evans spoke to about 300 inmates inside Century Correctional Institution.
“I told them to never give up, no matter their situation,” Evans told NorthEscambia.com after his prison visit to Century. “No matter where you are in life, even in prison, you are in a position to have an impact on yourself, on others.”
“Y’all have influence, and you need to make that a positive thing,” he said.
Pictured top and inset: NBA star Reggie Evans of the Sacramento Kings speaks to about 300 inmates at Century Correctional Institution. Pictured below: Lt. Jeremiah Mccabe, Rentry Coordinator Sgt. Jack Coppenger, Reggie Evans, Asst. Warden Jonathan Hutchins, Thomas Brame, Mrs. Joi Evans (Reggie’s wife) and Warden John Sloan in the Century CI chapel. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Kindergarten Registration Underway
August 7, 2014
Kindergarten registration is open for Escambia County students. New kindergarten students enrolling in the Escambia County School District may register at the school which servestheir residential area during the regular school year.
To find your child’s school, visit the Escambia County School District’s and click on the “Find Your School” link.
Students who will be five -years old on or before September 1, 2014, are eligible to register for kindergarten for the 2014-2015 school year.
At the time of registration, parents/guardians need to bring the following documents:
- Child’s birth certificate
- Child’s social security card
- Proof of residence, such as an electric bill or rent receipt (please note that telephone and cable bills are not acceptable)
- Immunization Record (also known as the Florida Blue Card, which is provided by the Health Department or family physician)
- Physical form completed by family physician (must be presented to the school by the first day)
Chemical Tanker Driver Gets Jail Time For Hwy 29 DUI
August 7, 2014
The driver of a chemical tanker truck was recently sentenced to jail after being arrested for DUI near Century.
In January, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said a citizen’s tip about 5:30 Tuesday morning about a trucker driving erratically led to deputies stopping the northbound tanker truck full of maleic anhydride on Highway 29 near Tedder Road.
The driver, 35-year old Alex Victorovich Kozlov of Milton exhibited odd behavior and an odor of alcohol was detected by deputies, the Sheriff’s Office said. He failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage.
“A half empty bottle of vodka was recovered from the cab of the truck which indicated the suspect was still consuming alcohol at time of stop,” Sena Maddison, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, said following the arrest.
Kozlov was sentenced by Judge Darlene Dickey to nine months in the county jail, 50 hours of community service, and DUI school. In addition, his driver’s license was suspended for 12 months, an ignition interlock was ordered for his vehicle, and he was ordered to pay $1,606 in fines and costs.
Maleic anhydride is the acid anhydride of maleic acid and is used primarily in the formation of unsaturated polyester resins for use in boats, autos, trucks, buildings, piping, and electrical goods. It is also used to make pesticides and other organic compounds, according to the EPA. Acute inhalation exposure of humans to maleic anhydride has been observed to cause irritation of the respiratory tract, burning in the larynx, reflex cough, lacrimation, headaches, eye irritation, and corneal burns.
Open House Planned For Master Gardener Program And Training
August 7, 2014
Escambia County Extension will offer informational sessions for community members who are interested in the 2014-15 Master Gardener training classes.
The sessions will be held on Wednesday, August 13 at either 9:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Each session will be about 30 minutes.
Horticulture Agent Beth Bolles and veteran master gardeners will talk about the training classes and master gardener projects. Call (850) 475-5230 or email bbolles@ufl.edu. Applications for the Master Gardener program will be available at the informational sessions.