Back To School Sales Tax Holiday Continues
August 15, 2015
Florida’s 2015 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will continue until midnight Sunday.
No Florida sales tax will be collected on sales of clothing, footwear, and certain accessories with a selling price of $100 or less per item, on certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item, and on the first $750 of the sales price for computers and certain computer-related accessories when purchased for noncommercial home or personal use.
To view a complete list of exempted items for this year’s Tax-Free Holiday, click here.
Increasing Rain Chances
August 15, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
August 15, 2015
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending August 13 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Cushing was on enhanced patrol in the Perdido Wildlife Management Area when he noticed a vehicle parked near a closed gate. He observed a plastic bow case laying across the front seat. Officer Cushing concealed his vehicle and waited for someone to return. Approximately an hour later, two male subjects returned to the vehicle from the management area. Both were wearing camouflage, one was carrying a compound bow and the other had a crossbow. Officer Cushing made contact with the subjects. They stated that they were hog hunting and scouting for the upcoming archery season. Officer Cushing explained to them that they could not hunt hog at this time. It was also discovered that they had placed a tree stand and other hunting equipment in the management area. Neither men had a quota permit or management area permit. Officer Cushing escorted the men back to the stand and had it removed. Both subjects were cited for hunting during a closed season and were issued several other warnings.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Hutchinson was patrolling along the Escambia River when he checked a fisherman returning to the dock. Upon checking him, he discovered five undersized bass. He charged the man with possession of undersized black bass.
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.
Gulf Coast Baptist Celebrates Move Into New Auditorium
August 15, 2015
The Gulf Coast Baptist Church will celebrate their new auditorium with an open house on Sunday.
Through financial gifts, missionary from Continental Baptist Missions in Michigan, local construction companies and a grant from the Lasko Foundation, the church will move into the new auditorium debt-free.
Everyone is welcome to attend a special service and the open house at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Gulf Coast Baptist Church at 1499 Chemstrand Road.
Economists Add $462 MIllion To State’s Bottom Line
August 15, 2015
State economists gave Gov. Rick Scott a little more money to work with when he crafts a proposed budget for next year, as Florida continues to recover from the devastating recession that started in 2007.
A state panel that forecasts how much tax revenue the state will take in from its major income sources tacked on a relatively modest $462.3 million between now and June 30, 2017. The new numbers mean that, overall, lawmakers and Scott will be able to divvy up about $2.2 billion more in the 2016-17 budget year that starts July 1 than they did in the current year.
But at least some of the extra money is likely to be eaten up by increasing enrollment in the state’s public schools, changes to health-care spending and the like. Amy Baker, the Legislature’s chief economist, said there will be some money for lawmakers to use after taking care of those needs.
A more official estimate of the surplus the state can expect after taking care of its “critical needs” will be released next month.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, welcomed the new estimate in a statement released by his office.
“I’m pleased to see the revised forecast project an increase in revenue because it means Florida’s economy is growing,” Crisafulli said. “The projected increase in state revenue shows the House’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and creating a stronger climate for job creation is working.”
Baker said the new numbers reflected an economy that is continuing to recover after the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Currently, economists expect the state’s economy to return to normal by the end of the 2016-17 budget year.
At the same time, forecasters are keeping an eye on models that want to continue the current growth rates, which could be deceptive because Floridians are simply getting back to the habits they had before the crisis began.
“You have to constrain it by knowing that as things return to normal, you won’t have those big hikes in the growth rates,” Baker said. “It’s going to stabilize around where it used to be in a normal time. … We wouldn’t expect to see those very, very extra strong growth rates we saw coming out of the recession.”
One sector that continues to lag, Baker said, is construction, which was hammered by the downturn and the foreclosure crisis that followed.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Updated: Alabama Police Find Missing Teen
August 15, 2015
UPDATE: Flomaton Police said Saturday morning that this missing teen has been found and is safe.
The Flomaton Police Department is attempting to locate a missing teen.
Toby Matthew Jernigan, 16, was last seen between 11 p.m. Monday, August 10 and 6 a.m. Tuesday, August 11. He is described as being 6 feet tall and weighing 130 pounds.
Police said he may be with a male named “Scott” who is about 48-year old, and Scott may be driving a white Nissan or Toyota car.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Toby Matthew Jernigan is asked contact the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811 or their local law enforcement agency.
Four Games, Four Homers For Winker As The Wahoos Beat Biloxi
August 15, 2015
Pensacola left fielder Jesse Winker wasted no time in crushing his fourth homer in four games when he hit a deep fly ball to left field against Biloxi in the first inning.
Winker now has 12 homers and 44 RBIs, which leads the Blue Wahoos.
Winker’s dinger was the only run Pensacola needed as it pulled out a 1-0 victory over Biloxi Friday at MGM Park.
The win ended a two game slide and improved Pensacola’s record to 27-21 and a half game behind Mobile in second place in the second half of the South Division in the Southern League. Biloxi, the South’s first half winner, dropped to 23-24 and is in fourth place in the second half.
Last month, Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth hit five homers in five games. The Southern League record is six home runs in six games.
Winker, the top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization according to MLB Pipeline, finished the game 1-2 with a walk. He is hitting .311 in the second half with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. In August, he’s hitting .392 (20-51) and has a .455 on-base percentage.
Pensacola only other hit besides Winker’s was catcher Yovan Gonzalez’s double in his first at bat in the second inning. He went 1-3 and has now hit in six straight games. During his streak, Gonzalez is batting (10-19) with three doubles, two homers and four RBIs. He’s raised his average from .177 to .238.
In the eighth inning, Pensacola closer Zack Weiss came in relief of starter Tim Adleman after he allowed a double to left fielder Nathan Orf with one out. Adleman blanked the Shuckers for 7.1 innings, limiting them to five hits, one walk and striking out five. Adleman, who held Biloxi’s top five batters in the lineup to one hit in 20 at bats, improved to 7-8 and now owns a Southern League-leading 2.27 ERA.
Weiss retired the last five batters he faced, striking out two and is a top the Southern League in saves at 18.
Century Health And Rehab Center Celebrates National Hippies Day
August 15, 2015
The residents of Century Health and Rehabilitation Center tie-dyed t-shirts to celebrate Saturday’s National Hippies Day. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vehicle Fire In Bogia
August 14, 2015
Fire destroyed a vehicle in Bogia this afternoon. The blaze was reported about 2 p.m. on West Bogia Road, near the Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church. There were no injuries reported. The car was a total loss. The fire is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Reader submitted photos by Tanner Levins and others, click to enlarge.
Why Were No Northern Schools In Escambia County Picked For Free Meals??
August 14, 2015
An announcement that all students at 30 Escambia County schools will receive free meals this upcoming school year sparked a lot of public debate and messages to North Escambia asking why there were no school in the northern part of the county included.
According to Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, the federal funds went to the schools where the most students already qualified for free or reduced meals. He said that is how the federal dollars are allocated. A formula set by the federal government was used that multiplied the percent of free and reduced lunches by a set multiplier. That resulted in the top 30 schools being compared based upon a score of 87 to 145 percent. All of the northern schools in the county did not score as high due to fewer students already receiving free or reduced meals.
The school rankings are printed below, with those selected to take part in the program highlighted in yellow. All of the schools in the northern end of the county had fewer students receiving free and reduced lunches than those selected.
The school district’s meal program, Thomas said, does not have enough money to fund free meals for all students at the remaining schools. The meals at the schools scoring highest are being paid for by federal funds.
Click here for the original story.
