Cantonment Area Clean Up: Free Debris Pick Up Monday
April 19, 2015
Escambia County will hold a Cantonment Community Amnesty Day Monday — residents are encouraged to clean up and place debris by the roadside for free pickup.
Items should be on the road right-of-way by 6 a.m. Monday morning. Debris should be separated as follows:
- Hazardous Materials
- Old Appliances
- Tires
- Yard and Construction Debris
- Furniture and miscellaneous items
Absolutely no household garbage will be picked up.
This is a one time, free event only for those that live in the area identified by the map below (with the exception of Bibbs Road, a private road).
Grocery Prices Up In ‘Spring Picnic’ Survey
April 19, 2015
Higher retail prices for several foods, including sirloin tip roast, ground chuck, deli ham and orange juice, resulted in a slight increase in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Spring Picnic Marketbasket survey.
The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $53.87, up $.60 or about 1 percent compared to a survey conducted a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, eight increased and eight decreased in average price.
“Several meat items increased in price, accounting for much of the modest increase in the marketbasket,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. “The 1 percent increase shown by our survey tracks closely with the Agriculture Department’s forecast of 2 percent to 3 percent food inflation for 2015,” he said.
Items showing retail price increases from a year ago included:
- sirloin tip roast, up 14 percent to $5.71 per pound
- ground chuck, up 12 percent to $4.61 per pound
- orange juice, up 7 percent to $3.47 per half-gallon
- toasted oat cereal, up 7 percent to $3.12 for a 9-ounce box
- deli ham, up 6 percent to $5.53 per pound
- eggs, up 4 percent to $2.05 per dozen
- shredded cheddar cheese, up 3 percent to $4.59 per pound
- potatoes, up 2 percent to $2.74 for a 5-pound bag
These items showed modest retail price decreases compared to a year ago:
- flour, down 9 percent to $2.52 for a 5-pound bag
- bacon, down 8 percent to $4.44 per pound
- apples, down 8 percent to $1.47 per pound
- chicken breast, down 7 percent to $3.28 per pound
- whole milk, down 6 percent to $3.45 per gallon
- vegetable oil, down 6 percent to $2.67 for a 32-ounce bottle
- bagged salad, down 5 percent to $2.47 per pound
- white bread, down 3 percent to $1.75 per 20-ounce loaf
Price checks of alternative milk and egg choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.24; 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.47; and one dozen “cage-free” eggs, $3.57.
The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks closely with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.
“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 16 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Anderson said.
Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $53.87 marketbasket would be $8.62.
.
Tate To Present Precussion Only Spring Recital
April 19, 2015
Percussion students at Tate High School will present a Spring Recital Monday at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria.
The concert will feature four talented soloists in addition to the three concert percussion ensembles that all earned Superior ratings at the recent district competition.
This is a free concert that is open to the public. It’s the first “percussion only” concert held at Tate, and the school hopes that will become an annual event.
Participating in the program will be:
- Stephen Cleary
- Morgan Ghiorso
- Alex Hatley
- Mason Humphries
- Bryan LeDuc
- Patrick McHaney
- Crosby Mowry
- Colin Smith
- Will Talley
- Landon Benson
- Nikki Grant
- Tristan Hacker
- Ethan Jensen
- Kathryn Skipper
- Ben Wagner
- Hunter Welch
- Peyton Benson
- Caleb Colon
- Aaron Gavin
- Maurice Hendricks
- Kyle Irps
- Paxton Metcalf
- Honya Richbourg
- Kaitlin Sainata
- Danae Smith
- Ryan Tanton
Smith Completes Parris Island Training
April 19, 2015
PFC Cody Dewayne Smith graduated recently after 13 weeks of Marine Corp training at Parris Island, SC. Smith served as a squad leader during his training. He was awarded as an expert in rifle markmanship and was promoted to private first class. Smith is the son of Rex and Theresa Smith of Jay.
Smokies Top Blue Wahoos
April 19, 2015
After splitting a doubleheader on Friday night, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped its Saturday night game against the Tennessee Smokies 7-1. Smokies’ pitcher Felix Pena pitched a gem giving up one run through six innings of work to clinch the series between the two teams. The series finale is Sunday at 1:05 p.m. CT.
LHP Wandy Peralta had a strong start with one hit in two innings until he gave up three runs to the Smokies on three hits in the third. After giving up a fourth run in the fifth inning, RHP Jacob Johnson came into the game in only his second relief appearance of the year.
The only run for the Blue Wahoos came in the top of the fourth. LF Sean Buckley started the inning with a double to left field and proceeded to score off of a single from 1B Kyle Waldrop. In the first inning, RF Jesse Winker hit a single to extend his on-base streak to six games.
Johnson gave up a three-run homer to Willson Contreras in the sixth inning as the Wahoos’ bats were unable to come to life with only one hit in the final four innings of the game. Smokies’ Fernando Cruz gained the save with three innings of work.
RHP Chad Rogers came into the game in the eighth and threw a hitless inning with two strikeouts while RHP Drew Hayes closed the game giving up only one hit.
The Blue Wahoos return to Pensacola Saturday, April 25th against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: The Week The Legislature Stood Still
April 19, 2015
It was The Week the Legislature Stood Still.
Lawmakers acknowledged this week they almost certainly won’t get the budget done on time — by the scheduled May 1 conclusion of the legislative session — because of a health-care funding issue that state officials have known about for the past year. A quick round of finger-pointing ensued in an unusual four-way conflict that involved Gov. Rick Scott, the House, the Senate and the federal government, but that did little to solve the problem.
The two main parties to the squabble are the House and the Senate, which stand $4.2 billion apart, thanks largely to differences in how they handle the Low Income Pool, or LIP, program and the Senate’s proposal to use $2.8 billion in Medicaid expansion funds to help lower-income Floridians purchase private insurance. And as increasingly caustic remarks flew between the two Republican-controlled chambers, it was clear that the Era of Good Feelings (real or imagined) of the last two years was over.
Democrats worked to conceal any glee they might have over those developments by speaking of their disappointment.
“Apparently, we’ve got a train wreck, and those two locomotives are about ready to hit,” said House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach.
And as the collision approached, the chambers slogged through schedules that had minimal impact. Dozens of bills were approved by the House, but few drew much attention. Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee endured a daylong meeting Thursday that was notable for how little true controversy was attracted by the legislation on the agenda.
Lawmakers weren’t quite adrift, but knowing that they wouldn’t complete the one constitutional requirement for the annual legislative session — and won’t have the bargaining power that the budget provides to reach agreement on other legislation — gave the events an air of going through the motions.
GIVING ME LIP
The discussions surrounding LIP, which provides money to hospitals and other health providers that serve large numbers of poor and uninsured patients, were already tense when a high-ranking official at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent a letter Tuesday that set off a wave of recriminations. The letter suggested that continued funding for LIP, set to expire June 30, was tied to the state’s decision on Medicaid expansion.
CMS official Vikki Wachino wrote that “the state’s expansion status is an important consideration in our approach regarding extending the LIP beyond June.”
“We believe that the future of the LIP, sufficient provider rates, and Medicaid expansion are linked in considering a solution for Florida’s low income citizens, safety net providers and taxpayers,” Wachino wrote.
Any remaining comity between the two chambers disappeared. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, responded to the letter by issuing a statement lambasting the federal government and the Senate.
“It is unthinkable that (the federal government) would leave our state on the hook for over a billion dollars simply because they want a specific policy outcome,” Crisafulli said. “We believe the Florida Senate has provided inaccurate and false hope to Washington, D.C., and has muddled negotiations. Let me be clear — the discussions about LIP and Medicaid expansion must be separate.”
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, wrote a memo to senators predicting stark consequences — including the possibility of closed cancer centers or dialysis units — if the state didn’t get LIP or a health-care expansion done.
“The bottom line is: more than ever, today’s correspondence from CMS highlights the link between LIP and expansion and the need to consider a comprehensive Florida solution,” Gardiner wrote. “Time is of the essence. The Senate remains open to meeting at any time to discuss our free-market approach to expansion or any alternative the House or governor would like to propose.”
The next day, the head of the state agency that deals with Medicaid went before the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee for a confirmation hearing. Despite what ended up being an 8-1 vote in her favor, it was not smooth sailing for Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek.
Senators were skeptical of the contention that the agency was unaware that LIP funding and Medicaid expansion were tied together until the CMS letter arrived. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, pointed to media reports that a letter sent to CMS by the state’s congressional delegation dated Tuesday — and asking that LIP and expansion be considered separately — was largely written on an AHCA computer well before.
“But yet weeks ago, a letter was crafted within the agency, and you asked members of the United States Congress to sign it, and if you didn’t have any understanding or prior notice that coverage expansion and LIP were linked, why go to all the trouble of getting a letter and circulating it around Congress?” Gaetz asked.
“We had heard — and there’s a lot of information that seems to go around through the grapevine — that they were considering that there might be a linkage,” she said after the meeting. “We wanted to make sure that they would support LIP regardless of what happened with expansion.”
Scott’s administration responded Thursday by saying the governor would file a lawsuit trying to force the feds to pay up.
Scott’s lawsuit would rely on a potentially novel interpretation of the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the federal Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. In that case, NFIB v. Sebelius, the court ruled that the federal government couldn’t coerce states into expanding Medicaid by requiring any state that didn’t do so to give up all of its Medicaid funding.
The governor’s legal action would argue that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is doing the same thing by linking LIP and Medicaid expansion.
“Our citizens already pay federal taxes that go into the federal LIP program,” Scott said in a statement announcing the action. “Now, President Obama has decided that the state must take on a larger Medicaid program, forcing our taxpayers to pay even more to government, before they get their own federal tax dollars back. This is outrageous, and specifically what the Supreme Court warned against.”
Even lawmakers who supported the governor’s suit conceded it won’t free up the money on time to fix the budget mess. And some questioned the wisdom of the move.
“That’s the governor’s prerogative, that’s the job of the executive, but I just don’t understand how that would help any negotiations,” said Sen. Rene Garcia, a Hialeah Republican who oversees health-care funding. “If you are trying to negotiate a deal on LIP with CMS, I just don’t understand why you would sue the federal government in the middle of negotiations.”
THE OTHER FEDERAL NEWS
Maybe negotiations with the federal government will go more smoothly if one of the state’s favorite sons — former Gov. Jeb Bush or U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio — manages to capture the Republican presidential nomination and the White House. This week, Rubio announced what pretty much everyone already knew: He’s running.
“Before us now is the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America,” Rubio said. “But we can’t do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past. We must change the decisions we are making by changing the people who are making them.”
It was a none-too-subtle shot at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and perhaps Bush, both of whom have been around longer than the 43-year-old Rubio and both of whom share last names with former presidents.
The announcement, which Rubio has said will keep him from seeking a second term in the Senate, set of a frenzy of activity among the state’s politicos. The top contender for Rubio’s seat, state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, had taken his name out of the running over the weekend. Congressmen and state lawmakers like Gaetz were among those considering runs for the GOP Senate nomination.
Leading Democrats have already begun uniting behind Congressman Patrick Murphy, a moderate, but Congressman Alan Grayson, a liberal firebrand, is looking likely to make a run as well.
GLASS HALF FULL
There was some actual activity on policy around the state Capitol.
Scott signed a wide-ranging bill aimed at rolling back the number of tests given to public school students, one of the highest-profile measures of the session, following up on weeks of legislative wrangling and his own campaign promise to review the level of testing in schools.
“I agree with many teachers and parents who say we have too many tests, and while this legislation is a great step forward, we will keep working to make sure Florida students are not over tested,” Scott said in a statement issued by his office.
The legislation (HB 7069) puts a hold on the use of student test data for school grades, teacher evaluations and student promotion to fourth grade until the new Florida Standards Assessments can be independently validated. It also scraps a law requiring school districts to come up with end-of-course tests in classes where the state doesn’t administer such exams; caps the amount of time students can spend on state and school district tests at 45 hours a year; and reduces the portion of a teacher’s evaluation tied to student performance from the current 50 percent to one-third.
The Senate approved a bill that would restore a popular adoption-subsidies program — while repealing a 38-year-old law that banned gay adoption. The measure (HB 7013), passed on a 27-11 vote. Its main purpose was to provide cash incentives to state workers who adopt children in Florida’s foster-care system, especially children with special needs.
But the bill the Senate passed Tuesday also included an unanticipated and controversial provision added by the House last month: a formal end to the gay-adoption ban.
Sen. Tom Lee, a Brandon Republican who voted against the bill, took issue with the House move to add the repeal to the incentives bill.
“This is a valid issue,” Lee said of the debate about the ban. “It should stand alone,” adding that it shouldn’t “hijack a piece of legislation that was supposed to be a feel-good moment for this Legislature and divide senators.”
Gaetz agreed that the term “hijacked” was a fair description. However, he said, “If I thought for one minute that I was imperiling the welfare or the upbringing or the life of any child with anything in this bill, I’d lead the floor fight against it. But there is no evidence anywhere, by anybody, that anything in this bill will do anything other than give children a chance for their dreams to come true.”
The dreams of lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters were more modest than those of children. It was a dream of a session that wraps up before June.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The budget process was left in a shambles amid a deepening conflict between Gov. Rick Scott, the House, the Senate and the federal government about what to do with health-care funding.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Throw Dinah the bone. Please put your paw on the green button.”—A flyer being distributed by Lisa Miller, a lobbyist, who is trying to get the Legislature to add animals to a research component included in a Senate medical-marijuana proposal (SB 7066). Miller believes marijuana could help her dog, Dinah.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Hazel Gilmore Bolen
April 19, 2015
Mrs. Hazel Gilmore Bolen, age 94 of Byrneville, passed away on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at her home.
Mrs. Bolen was a native of Bluff Springs, FL and a lifetime member of the Byrneville community where she was a homemaker and a member of Byrneville United Methodist Church. Mrs. Bolen was preceded in death by her husbands, Alfred Levins, Dick Gay and Curnis Bolen; grandchildren, Joey Levins, David Alfred Levins, Sherry Louise Levins; sisters, Edna Forte and Lottie Pugh; brothers, Harold Gilmore, Chester Gilmore and Dewey Gilmore.
She is survived by her sons, Wilbur Levins of Century, Joseph Wayne (Brenda) Levins of Lawrenceville, GA; brother, Alton Gilmore of Missouri; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, at Byrneville United Methodist Church beginning with visitation at 10 a.m. until a 12 p.m. service time with Rev. Hawkins officiating.
Interment will be in Byrneville United Methodist Cemetery in Byrneville.
Pallbearers will be Mrs. Bolen’s grandchildren and honorary pallbearers will be the Ladies of Byrneville United Methodist Church.
Please share your memories and condolences with the family at www.flomatonfh.com.
Flomaton Funeral Home Directing.
Willie Frank Hall
April 19, 2015
Willie Frank Hall 75, of McCullough, passed away Friday, April 17, 2015, at his residence. He was retired from the Army National Guard with 22 years of service. He was a prison guard at Fountain Prison with 34 years of service. He was born on January 30, 1940, in Lottie, AL to the late Frank and Jimme Lee Green Hall.
He is preceded in death by his siblings, Carl Hall, Paul Hall, Hugh Hall, Charles Hall, Guy Hall, Fonzie Hall and Thera McGhee.
Survivors include his wife, Brenda N. Hall of McCullough; one son, William Allen Hall of McCullough; three daughters, Vicky (Don) Williams of McCullough, Lisa (Ricky) Ward of Excel, and Michelle (Claude) Turberville of Saraland; one brother, Jack (Martha) Hall of Atmore; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be Tuesday, April 21, 2015, at 2 p.m. from the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Richard Daniels officiating.
Interment will follow in McCullough Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Terrell Thomas, Cody Hall, Albert Williams, Bo Ward, Troy McNeil and Bob Hadley.
Honorary pallbearers will be Jack Hall, Jesse Ward, Johnny Gibbs, and Justin Garrett.
Family will receive friends, Monday, April 20, 2015, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Scott: Area Gained 5,500 Jobs During Past Year
April 18, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that the Pensacola metro area experienced positive annual job growth over the year, with 5,500 new jobs added as of March 2015.
The metro area’s unemployment rate declined by 1.1 percentage point over the year, from 6.4 percent in March 2014 to 5.3 percent in March 2015. Florida businesses have added more than 841,000 private-sector jobs since December 2010. according to Scott’s office.
“Job creators across Florida are continuing to create opportunities for families to live their dreams, and this is clearly evident in Pensacola. The additional of 5,500 new jobs over the year in the area is great news for families, and we look forward to continuing to build on this economic success until Florida becomes the top destination for jobs,” Scott said.
The industries with the largest job gains in the Pensacola metro area over the year were leisure and hospitality with 1,300 new jobs, trade, transportation, and utilities with 1,200 new jobs, and education and health services with 1,000 new jobs. The Pensacola metro area had the second fastest annual job growth rate compared to all metro areas in financial activities at 5.8 percent in March 2015. The Pensacola metro area had 5,535 online job openings in March 2015 and 983 openings for high wage, high skill science technology engineering math (STEM) occupations over the year.
Escambia County’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.9 percent in February to 5.7 percent in March. There were 7,827 people reported unemployed during the period. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 6.7 percent.
Santa Rosa County unemployment decreased, from 4.9 to 4.7 percent from February to March. Santa Rosa County had a total of 3,431 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 5.8 percent.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
April 18, 2015
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending April 16 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officers Hoomes and Pettey were watching fishermen in a popular redfish spot when they observed a man catch a large fish. When the man landed it, he held it up by the gills and they could see that it was a large redfish. The fisherman put it in a cooler. When the officers checked them, they observed 5 redfish in the cooler. All of them were well over the maximum size limit. Two of the men admitted to catching the fish and were charged with taking oversized redfish and the bag limit violation.
Lieutenants Hahr and Lambert were patrolling in the Perdido River WMA when they overheard three people talking about hiding their “bad stuff.” After a short while, they observed one of the subjects smoking marijuana and give the pipe to the other to hide again. A short time later, they all gathered up and began to smoke something else. When they approached the group, the officers observed a meth pipe in their possession. Their conversation and subsequent admissions indicated that they were all smoking meth as the officer approached. Several items of paraphernalia were also located, as well as bags containing methamphetamine, spice, cannabis, Xanex, and one unidentified pill. They were all charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia. One subject was also charged with another count of possession of controlled substances for the pills.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officers Barnard and Manning were patrolling around the Garcon Point Bridge and observed one boat fishing there. Upon checking their catch, they found three oversized redfish. One man admitted to measuring all of the fish and was charged with harvesting oversized redfish.
Officers Manning and Livesay were about to go on water patrol at the Santa Rosa Yacht club, when a citizen flagged them down and reported that a sail boat was flipped over not far from the yacht club. At this time there was a severe thunder storm in the area with high winds. Officer Livesay and Manning responded to the overturned sail boat and found three subjects struggling to swim. Officer Manning and Livesay were able to safely pull the individuals out of the water.
Officers Jones and Land were patrolling on the Eglin Reservation and Wildlife Management Area. They were targeting early entry and hunting in closed areas during the current spring gobbler turkey season. While working along the boundary of a unit listed as closed, the officers observed two trucks driving out of the closed area. The two hunters were detained and issued notices to appear in county court. Eglin Range Patrol Officers responded and suspended the hunter’s Eglin permits.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week;however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.