Another Sunny, Cool Day
January 12, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 58. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. Light west wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 30. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. East wind around 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday Night: A slight chance of showers before midnight, then a slight chance of rain after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 51.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 50.
Library Holding $5 Blowout Book Sale
January 12, 2016
The West Florida Public Library will hold a $5 Blowout Book Sale on the last Saturday of the month.
Attendees can pay $5 for a brown paper bag and stuff it will all the books that will fit. There’s no limit to the number of bags that can be purchased.
Contributions will be used to support the West Florida Public Library’s efforts to build community and improve literacy.
The sale will be Saturday, January 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the West Florida Public Library Main Branch at 239 North Spring Street.
Scott Takes His Tax-Cut Pitch To The Senate
January 12, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday dismissed a suggestion that a reduction in property taxes be swapped for part of his proposed $1 billion in mostly business-friendly tax cuts.
Scott, making a rare appearance before the Senate Finance and Tax Committee a day before the start of the 60-day legislative session, defended his proposal — mostly comprised of permanent tax cuts affecting manufacturers, retailers and commercial leases — as a way to further grow the state’s economy.
Scott contends the proposal would help attract more businesses to Florida, which in turn would result in an economy less dependent on tourism and construction.
Sen. Darren Soto, an Orlando Democrat who was one of the few committee members to question Scott, asked if the governor was willing to exchange any part of his tax cut package for a reduction in property taxes. Scott responded that lawmakers should focus this year on his proposal.
“I think these are going to help continue to grow the economy, help get people jobs,” Scott said. “The way to do that is to grow the economy, and the way to grow the economy is to get more companies to want to do business here.”
Scott’s proposal would permanently eliminate income taxes on manufacturing and retail businesses, cut off a tax on manufacturing machinery that is set to return in 2017 and reduce a tax on commercial leases. The request has drawn concern from legislative leaders, as those parts of the package would permanently eliminate more than $1.18 billion in revenue.
State economists have projected that about two-thirds of an estimated $635.4 million surplus for the upcoming 2016-2017 budget year will come from one-time, non-recurring money. They have also predicted that the surplus will drop to $583.7 million the following year and $222.2 million the year after that, due in part to the continuing cost of recent tax cuts supported by Scott and Republican lawmakers.
Scott’s office has countered that money is available for the cuts, putting its own estimate on the surplus at $1.6 billion.
Still, the largest part of the recurring cuts, $770 million, comes from the elimination of the corporate income tax on manufacturers and retailers, which Scott said he eventually wants to spread to all other industries.
“My goal is long term, completely eliminate the corporate income tax,” Scott said.
Scott’s proposal also includes extending a sales-tax exemption on college textbooks and holding separate sales tax “holidays” on hurricane and back-to-school items, which combined would provide a one-time $118.8 million hit.
Just before Scott’s appearance, the Finance and Tax Committee backed a measure (SB 608) that would establish a 15-day sales tax “holiday” on hurricane supplies.
The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee also voted in favor of a proposal (SB 98) that would eliminate the tax on manufacturing equipment.
Scott defended the size and focus of his tax cuts, telling reporters after the meeting that he decided to appear before the Finance and Tax Committee because the proposal is “important to me.”
“We have the opportunity to takes these dollars, give it back to business people, give it back to individuals,” Scott said. “When we do that, we’ll see more jobs.”
Scott made a similar appearance before the House Finance & Tax Committee on Dec. 1.
The tax cuts are one of Scott’s top two priorities for the session along with a request for $250 million in business recruitment incentives.
Scott’s appearance comes after his political committee “Let’s Get to Work” released a 30-second ad called “Small Business” that calls on lawmakers to back the governor’s funding requests.
“Let’s create more manufacturing jobs, more small businesses, attract businesses to move to Florida, start and grow here,” Scott said the in ad, which plays up his own background as a one-time owner of a donut shop.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Local Students Taking Part In All State Chorus, Band and Orchestra This Week
January 12, 2016
Student musicians and educators from 10 Escambia County schools will travel to Tampa this week to participate in the Florida Music Educator’s Association’s All-State Chorus, Band and Orchestra.
Participation in this program was determined by an application and auditions. Elementary students were allowed to submit video auditions while middle and high school students had to audition in person.
Participants include:
Molino Park Elementary School:
Instructor: Katherine Powell – All-State Chorus
Student: Riley Crites – All-State Chorus
N.B. Cook Elementary School:
Instructor: Pam Elliott – All-State Band
Students: Jude Stacks and Gabriel McLendor – All-State Chorus
Jim Bailey Middle School:
Instructors: Christian Stump and Nicole Matson – All-State Band
Students: Brandon Mitra – All-State Chorus, and Mia Torres – All-State Band
Ransom Middle School:
Instructor: Sharon Godwin – All-State Chorus
Student: Bethany White – All-State Chorus, and Liliana Watson – All State Chorus
Brown Barge Middle School:
Instructor: Angela Nass – All-State Band
Student: Grace Kim – All-State Band
Ferry Pass Middle School:
Instructor: Angela Horne – All-State Chorus
Student: Samantha Thompson – All-State Chorus
Tate High School:
Instructor: Mike Philley – All-State Band, and Cathy McConnell – All-State Orchestra
Student: Cody Swilley – All-State Band, and Brianna Snyder – All-State Orchestra
West Florida High School:
Instructor: Pete Krostag – All-State Band
Student: Cheynne Byrd – All-State Band
Pensacola High School:
Instructor: Armond Navarro – All-State Band
Student: Lucy Hu – All-State Band
Washington High School
Instructors: Jamie Broxson – All-State Chorus, and Christina Frierdich – All-State Orchestra
Student: Joshua Fortune- All-State Chorus, and Maximilian Levesque – All-State Chorus
Pictured: Riley Crites, a fourth grade student at Molino Park Elementary, is participating in the Florida Music Educator’s Association’s All-State Elementary Chorus at the FMEA Annual Conference in Tampa. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Moves Forward With Medical Pot Despite Challenges
January 12, 2016
Florida health officials are holding to a deadline next month for the state’s first medical marijuana businesses to seek permission to begin growing non-euphoric cannabis, even with hearings in license challenges stacked up through mid-summer.
Department of Health spokeswoman Mara Gambineri said Monday that five dispensing organizations — selected by a three-member panel last year to grow, process and distribute low-THC marijuana — must submit requests for cultivation authorization by Feb. 7, the first deadline in a process more than a year behind schedule due to previous legal wrangling.
But frustrated lawmakers who were instrumental in passage of a 2014 law that legalized low-THC marijuana for patients with severe muscle spasms or cancer are exploring options to speed up the process of getting the cannabis products on the market.
Senate Regulated Industries Chairman Rob Bradley, whose committee is scheduled to get an update from the Department of Health on Wednesday, said he is “interested in creating an alternative administrative procedural system to deal with challenges” to the licenses already awarded by the agency.
“This has gone on too long,” he said, blaming the losing applicants for dragging out the process.
Thirteen challenges to the licenses have been divided among five administrative law judges, with hearings in the cases slated from March through the end of July, according to documents filed with the Division of Administrative Hearings.
None of the challengers has asked for an injunction to prevent the process from moving forward, and health officials are continuing with next month’s deadline, Gambineri said.
But the agency’s decision to keep the process moving despite the possibility that the licenses could be overturned has created angst for winners and losers in the highly competitive medical marijuana arena in Florida, with millions of dollars in start-up and operational costs at stake.
“This has put many people in a very awkward situation,” Louis Rotundo, a lobbyist who represents the Florida Medical Cannabis Association and has a minor interest in at least two applicants, said. “Millions of dollars are at risk, potentially, with no guarantee that, at the end of this process, you’ll still be the license holder.”
It is unknown whether any of the losing applicants will seek to halt the process before the Feb. 7 deadline, but it is almost certain that none of the five winners will do so, despite the uncertainty. While the low-THC form of cannabis is a relatively limited market, companies with the licenses could have a toehold for more-lucrative sales of medical marijuana if a broad ballot initiative passes in November.
Southwest region winner Alpha Foliage, affiliated with Surterra Therapeutics, applied Monday for authorization to begin growing. In a press release, the company said it plans to have cannabis products on the shelves as early as June.
Privately, some of the lawyers involved in the process are questioning whether the department even has the authority to move forward until the administrative complaints are resolved.
The administrative law judges have scheduled hearings during which they will conduct a “comparative review” of the applications, essentially recreating the process the three-member panel underwent to select one dispensing organization in each of five regions throughout the state. The judges could overturn the decisions made by the department’s selection panel, which in turn would likely spark an appeal, meaning the legal challenges could drag on for months, if not years.
Aside from tweaking laws governing administrative procedures, lawmakers could appoint a special master to oversee the application process, said Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican who pushed for the 2014 law, which passed after heavy lobbying by parents of children with severe forms of epilepsy.
“There are benefits and drawbacks to each of those concepts. What we intend to do is evaluate where we are and how to get out of the morass of the (Division of Administrative Hearings) process that is not an attractive way to resolve these disputes,” Gaetz said Monday.
Changing the administrative procedures while the challenges are ongoing could be politically problematic for lawmakers, who could be perceived as having their fingers on the scales in an effort to tip the outcome in favor of certain applicants.
“I’m less concerned about where my finger is and more concerned about getting medical cannabis to people who need it without just going around and around indefinitely,” Gaetz said.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Basketball: Northview Hosts Baker; Seniors To Be Honored
January 12, 2016
The Northview High School Chiefs will host the Baker Gators tonight on the basketball court, and it’s senior night for the Northview boys.
The junior varsity teams will tip off at 4:30, followed by the girls at 5:45. The varsity boys will celebrate senior night at take on Baker at 7:00.
Miss NHS Pageant Tickets Go On Sale Thursday
January 12, 2016
Tickets will go on sale this week for return of the annual Miss Northview High School pageant.
The public can purchase tickets beginning Thursday morning in the Northview front office. Tickets are $7 in advance only; tickets will be not be sold at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Northview Model United Nations Team and their annual competition in Orlando.
There are 18 contestants in this year’s pageant which takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 23.
Pictured: Miss NHS 2016 contestants (front, L-R) Maddi Weber, Jadlyn Agerton, Miss NHS 2015 Kendal Cobb, Kayla Galvan, Amber Freeman, (middle row) Morgan Myrick, Brittney Ward, Hannah McGahan, Sarah Dutton, Peighton Dortch, Sarah Perritt, Catie Clayton, (back) Alyssa Borelli, Brittanie McLemore, Bailey Spann, Ashtyn Carnley, Moriah McGahan, Brianna Smith and Alayna Brown. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bumbling BP Burglar Botches 2-Hour Burglary (With Video)
January 11, 2016
The search is on for a bumbling BP burglar who spent nearly two hours trying steal an ATM but failed.
About 2:30 Monday morning the burglar can been seen on surveillance video approaching the door of the Davisville BP Station on Highway 97 a few miles south of the state line. He tried to break the front door with screwdriver or similar object. And a brick. And he tried to pry the door open. All of those attempts fail.
He returns nearly about an hour later with a sledgehammer and breaks through the front door glass. He reaches inside to unlock the door, but that didn’t work because a key is needed. He disappears from the camera view, returning several minutes later with a sledgehammer. This time, he manages to pull the sheet of glass out of the door.
The glass crashes into the burglar. He then pulls the sheet of glass around to the side of the store and waits another 10-15 minutes to return to the door. He surveys the glass-less door, and then pulls on the handle. But wait….he forgot removing the glass didn’t actually unlock the door. So he ducks under the door handle and enters the business. He slides a Florida Lottery display out of the way (including perhaps a $1.3 billion playslip if only he had a couple of bucks during store hours), appears to get spooked and ducks out of the door before ducking right back inside.
Then he grabs a PenAir ATM machine, pulls on it only to discover that it’s bolted to the floor. He then fled back outside. In the end, our bumbling burglar botched his break-in but is now a wanted man for burglary, criminal mischief and perhaps other charges.
It’s believed that the burglar was parked around beside or behind the BP, perhaps not even driving off during the extended burglary attempt. He may have been scared off when a newspaper delivery person arrived, or when the alarm sounded after he entered the business.
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Three Teens Charged With Attempted Murder After Fiery Crash On Highway 29
January 11, 2016
Three 16-year old juveniles have now been arrested on multiple felony charges including attempted murder in connection with a fiery two vehicle crash in Molino after a burglary and shots fired incident late last year.
Tracy Deshawn Lett, Jr. of Pensacola, Mariachi Jerrell Chambers of Cantonment and and Vashawn Lamond Brown of Molino were charged as adults with attempted felony murder, grand theft of a vehicle, criminal mischief and armed burglary of a conveyance. Each remains jailed without bond.
About 4:50 a.m. on November 28, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area of Highway 29 and Barth Road for a burglary of a vehicle in progress. In the meantime, the burglary victim told dispatchers that he was following the suspects south on Highway 29, and then he advised the suspects were shooting at him and his vehicle.
When the suspects reached Barth Road in Molino, they veered into oncoming traffic and struck a pickup truck, according to multiple witnesses. The driver of the pickup, Randall Enfinger, and his 15-year old granddaughter, Abbigail Barninger, were critically injured.
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A deputy that arrived on scene a short time later reported finding the suspects’ crumpled vehicle with the engine compartment on fire. He observed the driver, later identified as Chambers, being removed from the driver’s seat by a passerby and Lett trapped with his legs pinned under the dash of the burning vehicle. The deputy and passersby were unable to free him, and the deputy tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher. The deputy and bystanders then used dirt to smother the engine compartment fire and before pulling Lett from the vehicle.
The deputy then reportedly noticed that across the intersection one of the burglary victims was attempting to detain Brown. The deputy handcuffed and detained Brown.
The burglary victim told deputies that he was at his residence in the 500 block of Highway 164 when he heard his dogs barking and walking outside on his porch to see two males breaking into his 2006 Pontiac sedan. He said they ran away after he yelled at them. The burglary victim said his brother heard the suspects get into a vehicle and his brother followed the dark colored vehicle down Highway 29.
The burglary victim’s brother said he got into his pickup truck and followed the suspects down Highway 29. He said he tried to get around in front of them, according to court documents, but they came around his vehicle and shot at him five or six times. His pickup was hit at least three times. After observing the wreck, the victim’s brother said he chased one of the suspects, later identified as Brown, into the tree line and brought him back to the corner of the intersection.
An Escambia County EMS employee told deputies that Brown said he was walking home when he was chased and hit by a truck, dragged into the woods and hit several times. He told the EMS employee that he had found a gun on the side of the road and kept it for personal protection.
An investigation determined that the wrecked vehicle had been stolen earlier from a residence in the 9000 block of Barth Road where it was unlocked with a spare key in the trunk.
A debit or credit card belonging to the vehicle’s owner was recovered from Brown’s pocket, as was an empty magazine for a semi-automatic handgun that was recovered from the area were Brown was stopped, according to an arrest report.
The entire incident was investigated by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the scene but not process the traffic accident or make a report, according to court documents.
Brown and Lett were among five defendants charged in 2014 for their role in an August 2013 burglary at Molino Park Elementary School. Most the stolen items — including computers and iPads– were burned by the suspects. They were placed on juvenile probation under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice through age 19. Each was ordered to undergo counseling, and follow a curfew of 7 p.m. Sunday though Thursday nights and 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. It was not clear if that probation was still in effect at the time of the November 2015 burglary and traffic crash.
Pictured top and inset: Three people were injured when this vehicle crashed and burst into flames on Highway 29 at Barth Road November 8. Pictured below: The vehicle collided with this pickup, in which two people were trapped. Pictured bottom two photos: Bullet holes in a pickup that was reportedly following the car down Highway 29 after an attempted burglar in McDavid. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Suspect In Christmas Day Shooting Arrested
January 11, 2016
A man wanted in connection with a shooting that occurred Christmas Day has been arrested.
Calvin Dudley Thomas Jr., 21, of Pensacola turned himself in late Sunday morning and was charged with attempted murder.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. Christmas near the intersection of F and DeSoto streets. Officers who responded to the area found a 20-year-old male who had been shot multiple times. The man remains hospitalized and has had multiple surgeries.
Last week, police arrested Reaquion Markease Smith, 19, of the 4600 block of Bellview Avenue, Pensacola, and charged him with attempted murder in the case.. In addition, Franklin D. Bates II, 22, of the 2600 block of North L Street, Pensacola, was arrested last Thursday morning in Panama City and charged with attempted murder.