Cantonment Woman Charged With Food Stamp, Medicaid Fraud
May 14, 2015
A Cantonment woman is facing two felony charges for allegedly collection public assistance while a household member was employed.
Kathleen A. Leavis, 39, was charged with felony fraud for failing to disclose facts for public aid.
According to an investigator with the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Public Assistance Fraud, Leavis applied for public assistance benefits indicating that no one was employed, when in fact a household member gross $80,350 while benefits were received from August 2010 to December 2012.
The investigator said Leavis received food stamp and medicaid benefits for the employed household member and their mutual children during the time period. The state reported that she received $11,910.46 in wrongful public assistance.
Leavis was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $3,000 bond.
Ribbon Cutting Planned For Improved Carver Park
May 14, 2015
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held next Monday at Carver Park in Cantonment.
Improvements to Carver Park include a renovated community resource center, enlarged parking lot, volleyball court and re-striped basketball court. The park will also soon feature a new pavilion for family and local events. The improvements began in 2014 and were funded to Local Option Sale Tax dollars.
The Escambia County Parks and Recreation Department will host the ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 18 at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street. The event is free and open to the public; food and beverages will be provided.
Pictured: Work earlier this year to prepare a new community resource center at Carver Park in Cantonment. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Former Gov. Askew, From Pensacola, Named To Civil Rights Hall Of Fame
May 14, 2015
Former Gov. Reubin Askew of Pensacola was inducted Wednesday into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
Askew, who died last year, was elected governor in 1970 and served two terms. He was named to the hall of fame in part because of his support for desegregation and his appointments of top black officials.
As governor, Askew supported school and busing desegregation and fought for fairer legislative representation in urban counties. He appointed the first African-American Justice to the State Supreme Court, the first African-American woman to head a state agency, and the first African-American to hold a cabinet level office in Florida. The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University rated him one of the country’s top ten governors of the 20th century
Askew’s widow, Donna Lou, accepted the honor on the late governor’s behalf.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Rules Outlined For Return Of Bear Hunting
May 14, 2015
Rules for the state’s first bear hunt in more than 20 years have been published as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is expected next month to give final approval to the hunt.
The posting of the rules came as the Humane Society has reached out to Gov. Rick Scott to halt the pending hunt because the commission has yet to determine how many bears are in Florida.
“This is very premature,” said Kate MacFall, the Humane Society’s Florida director. “They haven’t even finished the count. They don’t even know about the bear population.”
The society has not heard back from Scott.
The proposed rules were published Tuesday in the Florida Administrative Register and outline how the hunt is expected to occur in four regions of the state starting Oct. 24.
The hunt is considered one way to control the bear population as Florida has seen a growing number of bear and human conflicts.
The wildlife commission on April 15 gave tentative approval to the hunt and is expected to take a final vote the week of June 22 in Sarasota.
The proposed rules were issued after two black bears, both estimated to weigh more than 400 pounds, were killed this month in separate collisions with cars outside Micanopy and Hawthorne, both in Alachua County.
Opponents of the proposed hunt have argued the state should consider relocating problem bears and that people need to be held more responsible for leaving out unsecured food and trash that attracts bears.
“It’s a trash problem,” MacFall said. “The bears are attracted to trash, and that is where the focus should be, large-scale trash management.”
State lawmakers this spring approved a bill (HB 7021) that would in part increase penalties for people charged a fourth time with feeding bears and alligators not in captivity. The charge would be a third-degree felony. Currently, a fourth offense of illegally feeding wildlife within a 10-year period is a first-degree misdemeanor.
The bill has yet to be sent to Scott.
The hunt, meanwhile, is expected to last from two to six days, depending on when quotas are reached in the different regions — the eastern Panhandle, Northeast Florida, east-central Florida and South Florida.
Diane Eggeman, director of the commission’s Division of Hunting and Game Management, said the agency expects to have hunt quota numbers ready for the commission to approve in September.
“We should have the new estimates from the South and Central bear management units sometime this summer,” Eggeman said. “There is a chance that they’ll be ready by the June meeting, but that is unlikely.”
The hunt will target less than 20 percent of the population in the four bear-management areas.
Black bears were placed on the state’s threatened list in 1974, when there were between 300 and 500 across Florida. At the time, hunting black bear was limited to three counties. In 1994, the hunting season was closed statewide.
In moving forward with the plans for the hunt, the state commission has used 2002 numbers, which estimate there are a combined 2,500 black bears in the four regions.
Under the proposed rules, the cost of the hunt would be $100 for Floridians and $300 for non-Floridians. There had been talk by commissioners of lowering the fee for Florida residents to $50, as it is unknown how many will pay to join the hunt.
Each hunter would be limited to one bear, and the kill would have to be registered and tagged within 12 hours.
Also, hunters would be prohibited from killing bears within 100 yards of active game-feeding stations.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Appeals Court Weighs Slot Machines At Poarch Creek’s Gretna Horse Track
May 14, 2015
In a case that could have far-reaching implications, a lawyer argued before an appeals court Wednesday that the state erred in denying a slot-machine license to a controversial North Florida horse track that was the first in the nation to receive a pari-mutuel permit for rodeo-style barrel racing.
Right out of the gate, questions from 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Nikki Ann Clark seemed to indicate support for the position of Gretna Racing lawyer Marc Dunbar, who also owns an interest in the Gadsden County track, which is operated by Poarch Creek Indians of Atmore.
Arguments in the case centered on grammatical analyses of a 2009 law establishing eligibility for slot machines at pari-mutuels, an expansion of a 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment that authorized slot machines at seven existing horse and dog tracks and jai-alai frontons in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The 2009 change allowed a Hialeah track, which wasn’t operating at the time the amendment was approved, to also operate the lucrative one-armed bandits.
The 2009 law also expanded eligibility for slots to include facilities in “any other county … pursuant to a statutory or constitutional authorization after the effective date of this section in the respective county.” The law went into effect July 1, 2010.
Relying in part on an advisory opinion from Attorney General Pam Bondi, Department of Business and Professional Regulation officials, who oversee non-tribal gambling in Florida, last year rejected Gretna Racing’s 2013 application for slot machines.
The Gretna facility was designed and built with the intention of eventually adding slot machines, which commissioners in Gadsden County — one of the poorest counties in the state — heartily endorsed. Voters there overwhelmingly approved a referendum in 2012 that would allow the Gretna track to add slots.
But the regulators and Bondi contended that Gretna needed specific permission from the Legislature — or a constitutional authorization — after the law went into effect in 2010 to be deemed a slots-eligible facility.
Dunbar said the simplest interpretation of the statute meant something else, and Clark interrupted him just moments into his opening remarks.
The statute “seems to allow a pari-mutuel facility, even not located in Broward or Miami-Dade, to (get a permit for) slot machines if there’s a referendum that passes. And then it seems that the county passed a referendum. What am I missing?” Clark asked.
“You’re missing the same thing I’m missing, which apparently is the word ‘enacted,’ which the attorney general has attempted to graft into the statute qualifying the referendum to a referendum that occurred via some statutory or constitutional entitlement that was enacted after the passage of the act,” Dunbar said. “You’ve hit the nail exactly on the head.”
But Jon Glogau, an attorney for the state, argued that the 2009 law established “a contingent approval for all the other counties, saying if you have a referendum and it passes, after we give you specific authority, to be exempt from the prohibitions.”
A decision in the case could open the door to slots at horse and dog tracks in other areas of Florida and could put an end to revenue sharing included in a $1 billion, 20-year deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The Seminoles would no longer have to share profits with the state if pari-mutuels outside Miami-Dade and Broward start operating slot machines.
Voters in five other counties — Brevard, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach and Washington — have given a thumbs-up to slots at local horse or dog tracks. Only tracks in Gadsden and Palm Beach counties, however, have applied for the slot machine licenses thus far.
Appeals-court Judge Scott Makar seemed alone Wednesday in questioning whether the Legislature had the authority to permit slots outside of the South Florida counties named in the 2004 amendment.
“I’m not convinced that there’s any authority to allow for slot machines anywhere other than Miami-Dade and Broward pursuant to referenda in those counties,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve had an opportunity to actually rule upon the issue of the constitutional authority of the Legislature to extend slot machines into any other county than those two.”
It could take the appellate court months to reach a decision.
The case is under consideration amid uncertainty about the future of a deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe. Lawmakers this spring failed to reauthorize or rewrite a deal giving the tribe exclusive rights to hold banked card games, such as blackjack, at five of its seven casinos. The deal is set to expire July 31. The possibility of slots at horse or dog tracks, or jai-alai frontons, throughout the state, could weaken the state’s bargaining position with the tribe.
“This case, if it’s a pressure cooker, maybe it turns the temperature up. If this court rules in our favor tomorrow, it materially changes the negotiating dynamics,” Dunbar said Wednesday
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Molino Crawfish Festival Planned
May 14, 2015
Plans are underway for the Molino Crawfish Festival on Saturday, May 30 from 11 a.m. until.
The event will be held at 6490 Highway 29 in Molino, next to Jimmy’s Grill. The family-oriented event will include games, bounce houses, plenty of crawfish and more. Vendor spaces are still available. Call Van at (850) 232-6473 to reserve a space.
Proceeds benefit the Molino Historical Society and area churches.
Fallen Law Officers Honored
May 14, 2015
Fallen offices were honored across Florida this week.
Fifteen Escambia County deputies have died in the line of duty — the first in 1923 and the most recent, Lt. George Hura, Jr., in 2004. A memorial service honoring them was held Wednesday, with roses placed on a law enforcement memorial (top photo).
Santa Rosa County honored fallen officers on Tuesday (pictured left).
And Secretary Julie Jones and members of the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) leadership team Wednesday honored fallen correctional officers and employees during a wreath laying ceremony at Wakulla Correctional Institution (pictured below). “Each day thousands of brave men and women put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of Florida families,” Secretary Jones said. “Today, and every day, we honor and remember the bravery of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the State of Florida.”
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Beat Suns 5-1
May 14, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (13-20) took advantage of an early lead to put away the Jacksonville Suns (14-18) by a score of 5-1. The victory gives the Wahoos their second consecutive victory and a leg up in the series against Jacksonville, which they now lead 2-1.
Wahoos starter Robert Stephenson (1-4) earned his first victory of the season, throwing 5.0 innings and allowing one unearned run, two hits and four walks. Layne Somsen and Zack Weiss closed out the game with 4.0 scoreless innings. Suns starter Trevor Williams (0-5) is still looking for his first win, as he pitched 4.0 innings and gave up five runs (all earned). Jacksonville’s relievers (Brian Ellington, Greg Nappo and Craig Stem), however, fared much better as they combined to pitch 5.0 perfect innings after Williams’ exit.
The Wahoos were led at the plate by Kyle Waldrop and Ryan Wright. Waldrop had an RBI single and a two-run homer to give him three RBIs on the day, and Wright had a pair of doubles and scored a run.
The Wahoos got off to a hot start as Ryan Wright doubled with one out in the top of the first inning and eventually scored on a Kyle Waldrop single to left. After another single from Seth Mejias-Brean, Kyle Skipworth hit a double to the wall in right-center to score both base runners.
The onslaught continued in the third, beginning with another double from Wright. Waldrop would later hit his fourth home run of the year to left field, giving the Wahoos a commanding 5-0 lead.
The Suns got a run back in the bottom half as outfielder Kenny Wilson walked, advanced to second on a pickoff error, and advanced home on a pair of groundouts.
Pensacola and Jacksonville pitching went on to throw six consecutive scoreless innings to close out the ballgame. In the seventh, a Chadd Krist ground-rule double and an infield single by Wilson allowed the Suns to threaten with runners at the corners, but Layne Somsen was able to get out of the inning unscathed with the Wahoos still leading 5-1. Somsen allowed a pair of runners to reach the corners again in the eighth but, once again, came up big to not allow any damage.
Northview Chiefs Fall In State 1A Semi-Final (With Photo Gallery)
May 14, 2015
Blountstown defeated the Northview Chiefs Wednesday afternoon 7-4 in the Class 1A state semifinal game at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers. The loss spelled the end for the Chiefs first ever trip to the state final four in school history.
The Chiefs took an early 1-0 lead in the first with a monster home run from junior Thomas Moore over the Green Monster, the popular nickname of high left field wall at Jet Blue Park, the spring training ground of the Boston Red Sox. The wall is just over 37 feet high and is about 315 feet from home plate.
In the bottom of the second, the sun was shining as the Chiefs were still up 1-0, but nearby lightning led to a 30 minute game delay.
The Tigers came back in the top of the third with an RBI single and a three-run double for a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the third, Moore slammed a two-run single off the Green Monster to cut Northview’s deficit to 4-3.
In the fourth, a throwing error led to two Blountstown runs, putting Northview down 6-3 headed into the fifth. Chasen Freeman relieved Brett Weeks on the mound in the fifth and allowed only an infield single.
In the bottom of the fifth, Moore hit over the Green Monster again, but it was a foul. If not, it would have been a three-run homer. The Chiefs added one on a sacrifice fly from Aarron McDonald, and the Chiefs were down 6-4 headed into the sixth.
An RBI hit Blountstown up 7-4 in the sixth. The inning’s highlight for the Chiefs was when Chasen Freeman made a barehanded catch to make it three outs for the Tigers.
The seventh was scoreless, as Blountstown won 7-4.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Northview hitters were: Quentin Sampson 2-3; Chasen Freeman 1-4; Thomas Moore 3-4, 3 RBI, HR; and Brett Weeks 2-3.
The Chiefs entered their season with a school record best of 19-3, a district title, a regional title, and the Chiefs first-ever appearance in the state semi-finals.
Pictured top: Thomas Moore slammed a homer over the Green Monster at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, the spring training grounds of the Boston Red Sox, during Wednesday afternoons 1A state semi final game. Pictured inset: Brett Weeks on the mound for the Chiefs. Pictured below: Chasen Freeman pitched relief for Northview. Pictured bottom. Northview fans made the 600 mile road trip to Fort Myers to the support their Chiefs on their historic run. NorthEscambia.com photos by Ramona Preston, click to enlarge.
More photos later on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Former Ernest Ward High Football Coach Killed In Wreck
May 14, 2015
A former Ernest Ward High School football coach was killed in a single vehicle crash Tuesday night on I-10 in Okaloosa County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 56-year old Arthur McMillion of Milton was traveling eastbound on I-10 when he lost control of his 1999 Chevrolet Silverado about 9:24 p.m. Tuesday. The vehicle left the roadway and overturned, ejecting McMillion. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt.
McMillion was a teacher and football coach at the former Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill from 1984 to 1992. He served Ernest Ward as head football coach and athletic director for four seasons, from 1989-1992. He left Ernest Ward to become head football coach at Milton High School, and was currently the dean at Hobbs Middle School in Milton. His educational career spanned over 30 years, with over 20 of those years in Santa Rosa County.