Hurricane Forecasters Predict Quietest Season In Decades
April 10, 2015
The forecasters at Colorado State University are predicting that 2015 will be one of the quietest hurricane seasons in decades.
They are only predicting seven named storms, the lowest forecast in two decades, and three hurricanes. There are normally 12 named storms and six or seven hurricanes, the group said.
The slow season, according to Colorado State researchers is because an El Niño of at least moderate strength will develop this summer and fall, and the tropical and subtropical Atlantic are also cool.
“Despite the forecast for below average activity, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them. They should prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted,” researchers said.
Emergency Gun Bill Headed To Governor
April 10, 2015
A measure that would allow people without concealed-weapons permits to pocket their legally owned guns during a declared emergency is now headed to the governor.
The House voted 86-26 on Thursday to approve a proposal (SB 290) that would allow people to carry guns without concealed-weapons licenses for 48 hours during mandatory emergency evacuations. The bill would only apply to people who legally own guns.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Scott, who prodded the Florida National Guard to back a similar measure last year, wouldn’t say on Thursday if Scott would sign this year’s proposal.
“If it gets to his desk he’ll review it,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said.
Last year’s proposal died in the Senate, amid concerns by the Florida Sheriffs Association and some Republican and Democratic senators.
But Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, made changes this year to address the concerns of law enforcement, such as adding the 48-hour limit. The timeframe can be extended by the governor during a crisis.
Proponents say the measure allows people to bring their firearms, along with other valuables, when they are forced to leave home because of hurricanes or other disasters.
“The unintended consequence would be for certain having looters to come and take weapons that have been left behind, whether they be valuable heirlooms or standard-issue firearms,” said Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers, the House sponsor of the bill. “If you think for one moment that I want to walk out in an emergency situation and not be able to have some means of protecting myself and my family, you’re sadly mistaken.”
The narrowly tailored bill doesn’t address issues such as what people without licenses must do with their weapons if they evacuate to shelters that prohibit guns or whether people could continue to carry concealed weapons on their return home after an evacuation order is lifted.
Democrats objected to increasing the number of armed people roaming the streets without concealed-weapons permits during a time of crisis. They added that obtaining a concealed-carry permit, which requires firearms training, is readily available.
Tampa Democrat Rep. Ed Narain, a concealed-carry permit holder, expressed concerns about “unintended consequences” he likened to incidents he said have been tied to the state’s “stand your ground” self-defense law.
“Image you’re an African-American father, and husband, who is securing his own family in an evacuation situation,” Narain said. “While driving out of town you see someone in need of help. And you decide you’re going to assist them. But this person, who is in clear distress, sees you coming towards them and they feel threatened. Thinking you could potentially have ill intentions, they decide to fire that weapon that they don’t have a conceal weapons permit for, that they don’t handle very often, and they don’t have any real training on.”
But Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, called arguments against the bill “preposterous” and “ridiculous.”
“The majority of Democratic colleagues want to disarm law-abiding citizens in a time of need,” Artiles declared. “The criminals will always have their weapons…Did the criminal take a safety class? Did the criminal get a license? No, this is to defend your family. This is to defend your property, including the food you prepared. Because if you don’t have a weapon in a time of need, when a police officer or cell tower is not working, guess what, the person with a weapon is going to take your food. And that’s a reality. It’s survival of the fittest when our infrastructure has crumbled.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Northview Chiefs Celebrate Senior Night, Take On Wisconsin Team
April 10, 2015
The Northview High School Lady Chiefs celebrated Senior Night Thursday as they wrapped up their regular season. The Chiefs dropped both games of a double header to visiting Oshkosh North High School from Wisconsin. The Lady Chiefs will travel to Freeport Monday as the district tournament gets underway.
Pictured top: (L-R) Seniors Kendall Cobb, Penny Banda, Coach Ronald Peebles, Kyndall Hall, Courtney Peebles, Addy Lee, Kristen Byrd and Mallory Ryan. Not pictured above is Angel Lathan, who is on the left below, and Ciara Campbell. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Heavy Rain, Maybe A Storm Possible
April 10, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday Night
Showers and thunderstorms likely before 1am, then a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 66. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night
A chance of showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday
A chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 67. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday
Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Tuesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Wednesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Wednesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Thursday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Softball: West Florida Beats PFHS; KY Over Tate
April 10, 2015
West Florida 12, Pine Forest 2
West Florida 11, Pace 6
The West Florida Lady Jaguars beat Pine Forest Thursday night 12-2. Farrah Nicholas pitched the win for WFHS, allowing two runs and striking out five. Haile Bell 1-1; Bre Rogres 1-3; Kayla Miller 1-4; Jibrasha Moore 1-2; Ealon Pyle 1-1; Farrah Nicholas 1-2, 2 RBIs; Emily Loring 1-2; Kristin Gunter 1-4; Lauren Carnley 1-2. Earlier this week, West Florida beat Pace 11-6.’
For more West Florida softball photos, click here.
Male High (KY) 4, Tate 1
Casey McCracking went 1-3 as Tate was handed their fourth loss of the season by a visiting Kentucky team Thursday. Tori Perkins pitched seven for Tate, striking out five. Other Tate hitters were Savannah Rowell 1-3, and Jasmin Gonzalez 1-2. The Lady Aggies will next take on the Milton Panthers.
Jay 11, Flomaton 1
The Jay Lady Royals were led by Harley Tagert Thursday as they pounded Flomaton 11-1. Tagert was 3-for-4 with a homer, double and five RBIs. Other Jay hitters were Michaela Stewart 2-3, 3 runs, RBI; Riana Wolf 2-3, 2 runs; Averi Jackson 2-3, 2 runs, double; Emily Dobson 1-3, 2 RBIs, triple. Jay (18-3) will host Central Friday night.
Pictured: West Florida Jaguars softball action. Photos by Gary Carnley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Deadline Today: Windstorm Upgrade Assistance Applications For Century Residents
April 10, 2015
Today is the deadline for Century residents to apply for assistance to strengthen their homes against hurricanes and other windstorms.
The program will provide funding for the installation of hurricane resistant windows and doors, roof upgrades, installation of hurricane straps or clips, anchor walls or columns to the foundation and other upgrades.
Applicants must meet HUD low and moderate income limits, based on family size and reside within the Century town limits.
To apply, call the Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208 during the application period which ends at 3 p.m. today, April 10. Funding will be provided by the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Tagert Powers Jay Over Flomaton
April 10, 2015
Jay 11, Flomaton 1
The Jay Lady Royals were led by Harley Tagert Thursday as they pounded Flomaton 11-1. Tagert was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, double and five RBIs. Other Jay hitters were Michaela Stewart 2-3, 3 runs, RBI; Riana Wolf 2-3, 2 runs; Averi Jackson 2-3, 2 runs, double; Emily Dobson 1-3, 2 RBIs, triple. Jay (18-3) will host Central Friday night.
Thursday was Senior Night for the Royals as they honored Dana Blackmon and Emily Dobson.
Pictured top: Harley Targert slams a three-run home Thursday for the Jay Royals. Pictured below: Seniors Dana Blackmon and Emily Dobson. Photos by Diann Tagert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Open With Loss To Biloxi
April 10, 2015
Pensacola hosted its second historic season opening game in its four years of existence. This time, it was the Biloxi Shuckers first game in history and the city’s first game since 1908 – nearly 107 years ago.
The Shuckers earned its first Southern League win, 4-0, Thursday against the Blue Wahoos, thanks to shortstop Orlando Arcia’s double that knocked in two runs in the top of the third inning. The Wahoos managed just three hits in the loss.
The Shuckers scored its first runs in the third to go ahead 2-0. That’s when the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect Arcia, who was 3-4 with two doubles and three runs batted in, lined a shot over Blue Wahoos right fielder Kyle Waldrop that drove in both Biloxi’s Adam Weisenburger and Kyle Wren.
The Shuckers added another run in the 6th when Michael Reed smashed a single off Pensacola reliever Chad Rogers down the third base line that scored Arcia for a 3-0 lead. Arcia singled in the 9th inning to score Josh Fellhauer, a former Wahoos player, to put the Shuckers ahead, 4-0.
Blue Wahoos Manager Pat Kelly said he doesn’t envy the Shuckers’ extended road trip.
“That’s a really long time,” Kelly said. “They will either be really close or fighting all the time.”
Biloxi’s road game – Pensacola’s 105th sellout in its history – was the first of 55 scheduled over the next two months for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A affiliate. The team will spend 60 straight nights in a hotel in nine different cities reached by bus.
It’s one of the longest road trips in recent history after the franchise moved from Huntsville, Ala., to Biloxi in the offseason. Its home opener is tentatively scheduled June 6 in downtown Biloxi.
Just how excited were Shuckers fans for the team’s season opener? Interim Mayor Kenny Glavan showed up in a Biloxi jersey and threw out the first pitch with Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward.
“This is a historic day for Biloxi just as it was for Pensacola when they had their first opening day (in 2012),” Glavan said. “We look forward to a great relationship.”
Asked before the game who was going to win, Glavan, a likely mayoral candidate, sounded like a true politician: “It will be really competitive and the best team is going to win,” he said.
The Reds top prospect Robert Stephenson welcomed the Shuckers to Pensacola with five straight fastballs in the 95 mph range. He ended up striking out Wren, Milwaukee’s 19th best prospect.
Stephenson, who had his 80-mph change up working, too, fanned Wren again in the 5th and had seven total in 5.2 innings. He gave up four hits, two walks and three earned runs.
Stephenson said he’s happy with the way his change up looked.
“I was a little bit amped up and that’s when I ran into trouble,” Stephenson said.
He also promised the Blue Wahoos would not pop champagne over the Shuckers first franchise victory.
“I can’t tell you we will be celebrating that,” he said smiling.
The second game of the five-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate Biloxi Shuckers is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Friday. RHP Daniel Wright makes his Double-A debut as he takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Shuckers RHP Tyler Wagner.
Florida House Approves Tax Cut Package
April 10, 2015
The House approved a $690 million tax-cut package Thursday that, in part, would slash taxes on cell-phone and cable-television bills, eliminate sales taxes on college textbooks and provide tax holidays on school supplies and hunting gear.
What the package will look like when the legislative session ends remains unknown, as the Senate has taken a slower approach to tax cuts and is in a budget standoff with the House about health care funding. The House voted 112-3 to approve the package, which is highlighted by Gov. Rick Scott’s call for a 3.6 percentage-point reduction in taxes on cell-phone and pay-TV bills, comprising about $470 million of the package.
“Here’s the questions we have to answer: Do we want people to pay more every month on their cell phone bill and their television bill?” asked House Finance & Tax Chairman Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican who sponsored the bill. “And these aren’t just rich folks, they’re not just folks who live on the water, these are working-class people.”
A number of Democrats said that while the package has good points, they would like to have seen some of the money used for purposes such as helping needy Floridians and boosting school funding. Rep. Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek, who along with Democrats Mark Pafford of West Palm Beach and Joe Geller of Aventura voted against the bill, said the reduction in revenue will force local governments to raise taxes or cut back on services. The bill includes a variety of tax breaks and would offer a sales-tax holiday on July 4 for weapons, ammunition, fishing gear and camping tents. Also, it would provide a tax holiday for three days starting July 31 on clothes and back-to-school supplies and a tax holiday two days after Thanksgiving at small businesses.
Senate Holsters University Gun Proposal
April 10, 2015
The Senate likely will not move forward with a controversial measure that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on the campuses of Florida colleges and universities.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, said Thursday he doesn’t plan to have the proposal (SB 176) go before his committee, which would effectively kill the bill.
“I’ve polled the members of the Senate, and there doesn’t seem to be too much support for that bill,” said Diaz de la Portilla, whose office has been getting calls from Second Amendment advocates about the measure.
The bill, which has cleared two committees, would need to get through the Judiciary and Rules committees to reach the Senate floor. A House version (HB 4005) is ready to go to the House floor after clearing three committees.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said he was unaware of the latest development from the Senate.
“Obviously there is a lot of legislation still before us, and we’ll make those calls as they come along,” Crisafulli said.
The emotionally charged measure, backed by the National Rifle Association, has drawn opposition from the state university system’s Board of Governors, university police chiefs and the 12 public universities. Among the opponents has been Florida State University President John Thrasher, who, until November, was a powerful senator.
NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer isn’t ready to concede defeat, responding in an email that “nothing is dead until sine die.” Sine die is the expression used around the Capitol for the end of the legislative session.
“The people have a right to know where senators stand on the bill,” Hammer said in the email. “Tough votes are part of the process.”
Diaz de la Portilla’s comments Thursday came a day after Florida Carry, a Second Amendment advocacy group, asserted in a blog post that the Miami Republican intended to have the bill appear before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday but was told to scuttle those plans by Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando.
“Clearly caving to the anti-gun Senate Democrats rather than abiding the pro-gun Republican platform,” Florida Carry declared about Gardiner.
The alert continued by saying that “ordering a committee chairperson not to calendar pro-self-defense legislation is a tactic worthy only of Democrat former U.S. Senate President Harry Reid.”
Gardiner spokeswoman Katie Betta said the Florida Carry alert, in “grossly mischaracterizing” Gardiner, incorrectly states that the president makes the final decisions on bills before committees.
“In short, President Gardiner has in no way ‘ordered the bill killed,’ ” Betta said in an email.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida