Century, Escambia Commission Schedule Budget Workshops
July 8, 2015
The Town of Century has been holding budget workshops for the past few weeks, and the Escambia County Commission will begin their budget workshops this next week.
The Century Town Council will hold a special budget workshop this Thursday afternoon. If needed, there is one additional budget workshop scheduled for Thursday, July 16. All meetings will be held at 1:30 p.m. on the listed dates in the council chambers at the Century Town Hall at 7995 North Century Boulevard.
The Escambia County Commission Committee of the Whole will hold special budget workshops on Tuesday, July 14, at 1 p.m. (a time change from an original 9 a.m.), and Wednesday, July 15 at 1 p.m. The BOCC will be held in the Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, Board Chambers, Room 100, 221 Palafox Place in Pensacola.
All budget workshops are open to the public.
Poarch Creek Indians Establish $1 Million Scholarship Fund
July 8, 2015
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians has approved the creation of a $1 million scholarship fund to benefit high school graduates in Alabama and parts of the Florida Panhandle.
On Tuesday, PCI made an initial $250,000 contribution to The Community Foundation of South Alabama to establish The Poarch Creek Indian Community Scholarship Fund and committed an additional $750,000 for 2016. This Fund will award two scholarships annually to one male and one female residing in Alabama or select Florida counties — Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington and Gadsden.
Scholarship recipients will be selected and awarded by The Community Foundation of South Alabama on an annual basis. As an endowed fund, all contributions will be pooled with the Foundation’s assets and invested, causing the fund to grow over time. As the fund grows, the amount of the award will fluctuate. In the first year, the selected students are expected to receive up to $6,000 each.
“We are so proud to make this contribution, and to partner with The Community Foundation of South Alabama. Education is the catalyst that can help individuals attain their career goals, and we are honored to help them reach for these goals that may have otherwise been unattainable,” said Stephanie A. Bryan, Tribal Chair/CEO, Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
“The Poarch tribe is once again supporting the community of southwest Alabama in a way that will give back to younger generations alive today and yet to come,” said Rebecca Byrne, President and CEO of The Community Foundation of South Alabama. “Through this gift, the tribe recognizes and enables education as the most important way people can lift themselves up and in so doing lift up the whole community.”
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is no stranger to philanthropy, providing funding for a wide variety of community services and projects in the region. The Foundation is thrilled for the opportunity to partner with such a unique entity to advance the quality of life for all in our region both now and in the future, the group said in a press release.
Scholarships will be awarded beginning in 2016.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Florida Teacher Evaluation Law
July 8, 2015
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a controversial Florida law tying teacher evaluations to student performance.
It did not violate constitutional rights for the state or a school district to base part of a teacher’s evaluation on tests that the teacher’s students took in other subjects, or even on tests taken by children not taught by that teacher, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said. Essentially, the judges ruled that the state’s approach to boosting student performance was not entirely unreasonable.
“While the (formula) may not be the best method — or may even be a poor one — for achieving this goal, it is still rational to think that the challenged evaluation procedures would advance the government’s stated purpose,” wrote Judge Jill Pryor in the court’s opinion. The appeal came after U.S. District Judge Mark Walker threw out parts of the case in two rulings last year.
In 2013, the state passed a law aimed at making sure classroom teachers are only assessed based on the students they teach, but the appeals court said that didn’t make the lawsuit moot because the new law could still allow districts to approve similar polices.
“We’re disappointed that the court did not agree that Florida’s flawed evaluation system violated these teachers’ constitutional rights,” Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, said in a prepared statement. Ford said the FEA, which joined with the National Education Association, local unions and seven teachers to challenge the law, was still deciding what to do next.
by The News Service of Florida
Escambia Man Gets Eight Years On Meth Charges
July 8, 2015
An Escambia County man was sentenced to state prison on drug charges.
David Gerald Fields was sentenced to eight years in state prison after a Santa Rosa County jury found him guilty of manufacture of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a listed chemical. The 37-year old Pensacola man was arrested on November 17, 2014, by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department who responded to a report of a meth lab on West Lake Road in Milton.
As deputies arrived, four individuals, including Fields, ran from the residence and were detained. Inside the residence officers discovered numerous items consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine, including various chemicals that are used to produce the drug.
Circuit Judge John Simon sentenced Fields following the jury’s verdict to eight years in the state prison followed by five years of probation. Assistant State Attorney Zach Brost prosecuted the case.
Down And Dirty: Teachers Learn About Soil
July 8, 2015
The University of Florida IFAS Soil Science Department offered a one-day, Teach the Teacher International Year of Soil Workshop for educators Tuesday at the West Florida Research and Education Center in Jay.
Teachers were able to learn about soils and how to relate the information back to their students. The workshop covered topics including Soils and Civilizations, What is a Soil, Water Retention and Movement in Soil, Soil is Living, and Soil Protects the Environment.
Pictured top: Andrew Williams, NRCS soil scientist, shares how to classify soils and making soil surveys. Pictured inset: Trent Mathews, Santa Rosa NRCS DC, explains soil layers in a pit. Pictured below: Teachers learn about soil during the Teach the Teacher International Year of Soil Workshop for educators Tuesday at the West Florida Research and Education Center in Jay. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Food Options Now Open At The Pensacola Airport
July 8, 2015
Next time you head to the Pensacola Airport, there will be several new food choices on the menu.
Pensacola International Airport and OHM Concessions Group day held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to celebrate the grand opening of the airport’s renovated and expanded food and beverage concession areas.
The new concessions include a post-security Pensacola Beach House bar and restaurant, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Freshens and Chick-Fil-A, all operated by OHM Concessions Group. Attendees got a chance to sample delicious items from each restaurant, including Baklava French Toast bites, Pot Pie Fritter mini’s, and brownie bites. Guests were also able to meet some of OHM’s 63 local employees that greet and welcome passengers traveling through the Pensacola airport every day.
Pictured: A ribbon cutting was held Tuesday for new food concessions available at the Pensacola airport. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jill Christine Sayler
July 8, 2015
Ms. Jill Christine Sayler, age 41 of Nashville, TN passed away at her home on Monday, July 6, 2015.
Ms. Sayler had been a resident of Nashville for six months coming from Flomaton. She was a graduate of Flomaton High School, Troy University and was a member of the National Symphony Chorus. She was of the Baptist faith and was a member of Brentwood Baptist Church in Tennessee.
She is survived by her father, Greg (Geta) Sayler of Fairhope; her mother, Diane Sayler of Flomaton; sister, Gina (Keith) Nall of Flomaton; brothers, Kent (Marisa) Saylor of Buena Park, CA and Mark Saylor of Fairhope; niece and nephews, Braden Nall, Emory Nall, Wes Saylor.
Service arrangements are incomplete at this time.
Flomaton Funeral Home Directing.
Mobile Beats Wahoos
July 8, 2015
Pensacola and Mobile remained scoreless until the BayBears broke out with six runs in the fifth inning Tuesday and went on to defeat the Blue Wahoos, 9-4, at Hank Aaron Stadium.
Both teams remained scoreless the first four innings. In fact, Pensacola starter Daniel Wright had given up just three singles, walked two and benefitted from two double plays. Meanwhile, Mobile righty A.J. Schugel gave up just two hits to the Blue Wahoos to that point.
But in the bottom of the fifth inning, Gabriel Guerrero, who hit a walk-off two-run homer Monday, hit his 16th double of the year to left field and would score on a fielder’s choice by Schugel to put Mobile up, 1-0. Second baseman Kevin Medrano would then double to center field for Mobile to drive in Rudy Flores and Schugel for a 3-0 BayBears’ lead.
Mobile shortstop Jack Reinheimer would then single on a soft line drive to left field to score Medrano to put the BayBears up, 4-0. Wright would be replaced by reliever Jimmy Moran, who would make a throwing error on center fielder Socrates Brito hit, allowing Reinheimer to score. Finally, left fielder Zach Borenstein would hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in Brito and put the BayBears ahead, 6-0.
Schugel improved to 4-2 this season for Mobile working seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, a walk and he struck out seven.
Borenstein has owned the Blue Wahoos pitchers, batting .325 with four homers and 16 RBIs in three series. He hit a two-run homer Tuesday off of Pensacola reliever Ben Klimesh—his seventh of the year—in the seventh inning to put Mobile ahead, 9-2.
Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth, who was 1-3, also hit a solo home run in the seventh off of Schugel to cut Mobile’s lead to 7-2. Skipworth now has three homers and eight RBIs on the year and is hitting .290 since coming off the disabled list June 26.
Duran continues to hit well in his seven games back with Pensacola after recovering from an injury. He’s hitting .316 after going 1-4 and knocking in a run Tuesday.
Century Expects $603K Grant For Drainage Improvements
July 7, 2015
The Town of Century expects to be awarded a $603,250 grant for drainage system improvements.
Community Development Block Grant Emergency Set-Aside assistance funds were made available following the April 2014 flooding event in Escambia County. As the only small municipality in Escambia County, Century is the only eligible grant applicant, according to Robin Phillips, town consultant, because the City of Pensacola exceeds grant limits.
The town is proposing several drainage improvements with the grant funds, all of which may not be possible within the funding limits:
- Replacement and extension of the existing drainage culverts at the intersection of Zion and Jackson streets to correct a flooding problem.
- Replace the culvert across George Avenue, about 200 feet west of the intersection of West Pond Street and George Avenue.
- Construction of an outfall from the back of the town-owned building leased to Century Pharmacy, connected to an existing drainage ditch.
- Construction of about 350 feet of curb with flumes along Hilltop Road from Red Lane west to Hilltop and Alger road intersection.
- Construction of about 300 feet or curb with flumes along Jefferson Avenue from Barnwell Lane northeast.
In addition, a Citizens Advisory Task Force recommended the possible addition of drainage improvements along Jefferson Avenue, just east of Harley Lane. This project can replace one of the other five projects or be added as an alternate.
The grant timetable calls for a letter of intent to be submitted by July 9, with construction to begin in December or January.
Pictured top: (L-R) Mayor Freddie McCall and council members Gary Riley, Ann Brooks, Sandra McMurray Jackson and Ben Boutwell listen to counsultant Robin Phillips (standing) during Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Three Men Charged With Raping Autistic Teen
July 7, 2015
Three people have been charged with the alleged rape of an autistic juvenile.
Roderick Dewayne Billings, 42, Jorge Gonzalez-Zuazua, 36 and Allen Joel Weeden, were each charged with unlawful sexual activity against a juvenile. “The victim suffers from autism which affects her mentally and renders her unable to make clear and concise decisions for herself,” according to a press release from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
All three were booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
The alleged incident occurred sometime between the months of October 2014 and April 2015, the ECSO said.