Alabama Death Row Inmate Found Dead In His Cell
June 15, 2015
Alabama death row inmate John Milton Hardy, 43, was found dead in his cell at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore on Monday.
A corrections officer found Hardy unresponsive in his cell during an early morning security check. Medical officials responded, but were unable to revive Hardy. A corrections doctor pronounced him dead at 3:23 a.m.
Hardy and Ulysses Charles Sneed, 45, were both sentenced to death for the 1993 murder of Clarence Nugene Terry. Hardy and Sneed were convicted of killing Terry by shooting him multiple times during the armed robbery of a convenience store in Decatur where Terry was employed as a clerk.
Hardy’s body was turned over to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy. The cause of death remains under investigation.
Billings Murder Getaway Driver Gonzalez, Sr. Dies In Prison
June 15, 2015
Inmate Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Sr. has died in a Florida prison. He was was convicted in the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings and then sentenced to 17½ years. He was set to serve the remainder of his sentence after an early release for health issues was denied.
In March, the Florida Department of Corrections said Gonzalez, Sr. had a terminal illness and had less than one year to live. He was in a wheelchair and needed assistance to complete ordinary daily activities.
In total, eight people were convicted for planning and participating in the Beulah murders, including Gonzalez, Sr.’s son Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr. An Escambia County Jury convicted Gonzalez, Jr. to two counts of first degree murder and one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm. Gonzalez, Jr. received two death penalties and a life sentence and remains on Florida’s death row.
The special needs children that were at home during the July 9, 2009, murder of their adoptive parents have been adopted by the Billings’ older daughter Ashley Markham.
House, Senate Reach Agreement On Environmental Budget
June 15, 2015
Lawmakers agreed on hundreds of millions of dollars in environmental spending during a meeting Sunday night, but disappointed supporters of a land and water conservation amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters last fall.
The deal struck by Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, and House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, was announced after a 34-hour break in public budget negotiations between the two sides. The Legislature is working to resolve its budget differences by the scheduled Saturday end of a special session — 10 days before Florida has to have a spending plan in place to avoid a government shutdown.
In all, the deal sets aside $81.8 million for Everglades restoration, $55 million to buy land and $47.5 million in funding for restoration of the state’s natural springs. The Senate helped to constrain those numbers by pushing back on House attempts to bond some of the money, which would have allowed the state to spend roughly $10 for every dollar used for bonding.
“Without bonding, we weren’t really able to do anything too robust in any particular area,” Lee told reporters after the meeting.
The largest share of the land-buying money, $20 million, will go toward improvements to the Kissimmee River, while another $17.4 million will go to the state’s Florida Forever land acquisition program. The state will also spend $15 million on protection easements and agreements on private land.
In a new item that emerged Sunday evening, lawmakers also agreed to use $2 million for a project on Howell Creek in Central Florida. That watershed is in the district of Senate Rules Chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs.
“We have a lot of fine leaders along the I-4 corridor in Florida right now,” Lee noted wryly.
The agreement to spend $55 million on land buys came months after 75 percent of voters approved a constitutional amendment devoting a specific share of real-estate taxes to water and land projects. The amendment freed up roughly a quarter of a billion dollars for that purpose, but lawmakers have taken an expansive view of what falls under Amendment 1.
Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon Florida, said Sunday night that lawmakers were “out of touch” with voters who approved the amendment.
“This is the do-nothing legislature for the environment,” he said.
Draper said lawmakers should have spent $100 million to $150 million on land buys alone to comply with the amendment. He didn’t rule out the possibility of a lawsuit arguing that lawmakers weren’t following the Constitution.
“I think there are reasons to think that that’s in the realm of the possible,” Draper said. He noted that there are “probably 4 million angry Floridians right now.”
Lee wouldn’t predict what might happen if the Legislature was sued.
“I’m not a lawyer, but in this world we live in today, I am confident of one thing and one thing only, and that is that there will be litigation,” Lee said.
The only major aspect of the budget yet to be agreed on is the spending plan for public education. That portion of the budget has been tied up in related policy disputes, but Lee said the House and Senate are close to resolution.
“I think we’re there in terms of trying to understand the framework of how to bring that in for a landing, but it has taken awhile,” he said.
Budget negotiators hope to complete their work by Tuesday, which would clear the way for the required 72-hour “cooling off” period to begin early enough for a Friday vote.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Lane Widening, Shoulder Paving Planned For Numerous North Escambia Roads
June 15, 2015
A five-year rural transportation improvement plan, including numerous shoulder widening projects in the North Escambia area, has been presented to the Escambia County Commission.
Mary Beth Washnock of the West Florida Regional Planning Council presented the report on transportation projects in the rural part of Escambia County. The projects are expected to take place in the fiscal year 2014-2018 time period.
Priority projects for 2015 include (some projects may already be underway or complete):
- Lane Widening and Paved Shoulders
- Highway 4A from Highway 4A/State Line Rd to Highway 168
- Highway 182 Molino Rd from Highway 29 to Highway 95A
- Highway 4 from Highway 97 to Highway 99
- Pine Barren Rd from Bogia Rd to Highway 164
- Highway 196 Barrineau Park Rd from Highway 29 to Highway 95A
- Pine Barren Rd from Highway 164 to Highway 4
- Highway 99 from Highway 97 to Highway 4
- Highway 164 from Highway 99 to US 29
- Highway 4A from Highway 29 to Highway 4A
- Highway 4 from Highway 99 to Highway 29
- Highway 4A from Highway 168 to Highway 4
- Highway 97A from Highway 99 west to Highway 97A
- Highway 97A from Highway 97A north to Highway 99A
- Highway 99A from Highway 97 to Highway 97A
- Highway 168 from Highway 99 to Highway 4A
- Highway 99 from Highway 97A to Highway 97
- Paving
- Pineville Road from Highway 97A to Brushy Creek
- Pineville Road from Brushy Creek to Highway 99A
- Pineville Road from Highway 99A to Jakes Road
- Occie Phillips Road from Highway 97A to Brushy Creek
- Multi-Use Trail
- Highway 95A from MPA Boundary to Highway 29
- Park And Ride Lots
- Highway 97 North of Highway 4 (Davisville Comm. Center)
- Highway 29 at Omega Road (ECSO Substation)
Citizens Ready For Hurricane Season
June 15, 2015
Citizens Property Insurance just closed on a $1 billion bond transfer, which the state-backed insurer said Friday completes its financial preparations for the 2015 hurricane season.
“Like our counterparts in the private sector, Citizens continues to strengthen its financial position and ability to serve its customers,” Citizens Chairman Chris Gardner said in a prepared statement. “Florida has been lucky to have had nearly a decade of no storms and we have worked hard to take advantage of that good fortune. Citizens is ready.”
The transaction provides readily available cash for Citizens to cover claims immediately following a catastrophic storm.
Citizens, which has shed about 1 million policies into the private market during the past four years, has benefited from favorable global pricing on reinsurance — insurance for insurers — and a private insurance market that has grown while Florida has avoided being hit by a hurricane since 2005. Citizens enters the six-month Atlantic storm season with a $7.5 billion surplus, the highest in its history, and $3.9 billion in reinsurance coverage.
Hurricane season began last week.
Barrineau Park Historical Society Awards Scholarships
June 15, 2015
The Barrineau Park Historical Society recently awarded scholarships to three deserving members of the Class 0f 2015 during an event at the Barrineau Park Community Center.
Cara Thompson, a Northview High School School graduate, received a $500 Lynda C. Minchew Memorial Scholarship. Thompson plans to major in English and wants to become a writer.
Josey Venable, a West Florida High School graduate, received a $1,000 Barrineau Park Historical Society Scholarship. Venable plans to be come a registered nurse.
Tamara Wise, a West Florida High School graduate, received a $1,000 Steven Jogan Memorial Scholarship from the Barrineau Park Historical Society. Wise plans to pursue a career in nursing.
Graduating seniors who attend Tate or Northview high schools, or reside in those districts, were eligible to apply for these scholarships with a 3.0 average or higher. The applicants were also required to write an essay explaining why a historical society is important to a community.
Pictured: Barrineau Park Historical Society scholarship recipients (L-R) Cara Thompson, Josey Venable and Tamara Wise. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Youth Archery League Aims To Teach Sport
June 15, 2015
The Panhandle Bowhunters and Archery Association has started a youth archery league.
The cost is $5 per week, with meetings every Tuesday through July 7 on the range at 7201 Sparshott Drive (off of Mobile Highway, just west of Klondike Road). Check in begins at 6:00 p.m., with shooting beginning at 6:30. Prizes will be awarded to the most improved archer in middle and high school, and for overall high scores. The awards night, with new bows for the first place winners, will be July 14 at 6:30 p.m.
No experience is necessary; equipment is provided. For more information, call Jeremy Blackmon at (850) 375-7630.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Biscuits Beat Wahoos
June 15, 2015
Juan Perez scored a run and knocked in another on a double to pull the Pensacola Blue Wahoos within, 3-2, in the sixth inning but the Montgomery Biscuits pulled out the victory in the end.
Montgomery won on two, two-run home runs smacked by left fielder Johnny Field, 5-2, in the first and seventh innings at Riverwalk Stadium.
Pensacola scored one in the fourth and one in the sixth. Blue Wahoos catcher Cam Maron singled in shortstop Juan Perez in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 2-1. In the sixth inning, Perez doubled to score third baseman Marquez Smith to bring Pensacola within, 3-2.
Montgomery went ahead, 2-0, when Field hit a two-run homer, his ninth of the year, to left center field in the first inning. Field smacked his second two-run homer of the game in the seventh to put the Biscuits up, 5-2.
On the day, Field, the Tampa Bay Rays No. 28 prospect, went 2-4 and drove in four of the Biscuits five runs in the game. He now has 10 homers on the year.
The Biscuits extended its lead, 3-1, when catcher Justin O’Conner, the Rays No. 1 prospect according to MLB, hit his fifth homer of the season over the left center field wall in the fourth inning.
Montgomery has now won four straight over Pensacola, improving its record to 33-30 in the Southern League North Division. Meanwhile, Pensacola dropped to 23-39 and last place in the South Division.
Pensacola first baseman Ray Chang went 1-3 and is hitting .372 in June. Perez continued his hot-hitting on the road, going 1-2 for a .282 average.
Traffic: Possible Delays For Striping Operation On Hwy 29
June 15, 2015
A striping operation is planned for this week on Highway 29. Motorists may encounter minor delays from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Highway 29 from Ten Mile Road to Muscogee Road. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Turfgrass Expo Is Wednesday In Jay
June 15, 2015
The UF/IFAS West Florida Research & Education Center will host the 21st Annual Annual Gulf Coast Turfgrass Expo and Field Day on June 17.
The event will take place from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the University of Florida, West Florida Research and Education Center, 4253 Experiment Road, Highway 182 in Jay. For more information, contact Robin Vickers at (850) 983-7134 or email rvickers@ufl.edu.
Attendees learn first-hand about cutting edge research aimed at minimizing green industry environmental impact through improved irrigation, fertility, and management practices; developing new and improved turfgrass cultivars that are superior to their predecessors; and improving pest (weed, insect, disease, and nematode) management practices.