Donna Mae Messer
August 20, 2016
Ms. Donna Mae Messer, age 53, of Atmore, passed away Wednesday August 17, 2016, in Atmore. She was a homemaker. She was born in Atmore to the late George M. and Juanita Presley Messer. She was of the Baptist faith.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Lem Messer.
Ms. Messer is survived by four brothers, John R. (Peggy) James of Atmore, Raymond Lee Messer, Michael Wayne (Kathy) Messer, Glen Thomas (Vickie) Messer all of Rome, AL, and many nieces, nephews and friends.
Memorial Services were held Friday, August 19, 2016, at 11 a.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel.
The family received friends Friday, August 19, 2016, from 10 a.m. until service at 11 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
Fred Lee Presley
August 20, 2016
Mr. Fred Lee Presley, age 82, passed away Thursday, August 18, 2016. He was born to Johnnie A. and Emma Eddins Presley. He was a Chemical Operator and retired from Reichold Chemical Company after serving an estimated 40 years. He also owned Presley Mobile Home Park in Atmore and spent many years in property management purchasing and leasing farm land and houses in Florida and Alabama. His hobbies included farming, fishing and working on things that were broken. He was a Christian and a strong man of faith and fervent prayer.
He was preceded in death by his father and mother; step-mother, Cleo Presley; step-sister, Linda Cody; three brothers, James “Snooks” Presley, J.D. Presley and Preston McGhee; a brother-in-law, Drew Stewart and three nephews, Danny Presley, Michael Presley and Terry Lassitter.
Mr. Presley is survived by two sisters, Mildred Presley Stewart of Perdido AL, Joyce (Woody) Presley Lassitter of Maysville, NC; three daughters. (Daddy’s girls), Anita Carol Presley, Judy Marie Presley-Penton of Pensacola and ReGina Gayle Presley-Bryan (Robert) of Pace; four grandchildren, Brian David Malone, Taylor Matthew Edwards, Christina Presley Bryan, David Presley Bryan; seven great-grandchildren, Garrett Malone, Mariah Nicole Edwards, Taylee Sue Edwards, Avery Isles Edwards, Jordan Malone, Micheal Malone and Caleb Malone, along with a host of close nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 25, 2016, at 2 p.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home with his daughter, Rev. Regina Presley Bryan officiating. Interment will follow in Presley Family Cemetery.
The family will receive friends Thursday, August 25, 2016, from 1 p.m. until service time at 2 p.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
Sue King Johnson
August 20, 2016
Sue King Johnson, age 80, of Pensacola, passed away Saturday night, August 20, 2016. She was born June 7, 1936 in Allentown, Florida and grew up in Bagdad and Milton, Florida. She was a graduate of Milton High School.
Sue was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Downtown Pensacola where she attended Sunday School and enjoyed singing in the choir. She was an avid reader and a dedicated Florida State football fan. She enjoyed cooking and hosting large family gatherings during the holidays.
Sue was a former Eastern Star, a member of the Lions Club and served as past president of the Tallahassee Leon Power Squadron. She was a retired credit union manager and on the board of the Florida Credit Union Guaranty Corporation. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, “Nana Sue” to many, and community volunteer. She was an active member of the Krewe of Marionettes and the Pensacola Rotary Club.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Laylor and Martin Luther King, and her brother, William King.
She is survived by her husband, Tom Johnson; her sister, Martha (John) Graham; her brother, Martin (Dianne) King, Jr.; daughter, Pam Motley; two sons, Rodger (Tammie) Lowery and Randy Lowery; ten grandchildren, Sara (Damien) Cordle, Stephanie and Ryan (Devan) Hacker, Michael (Stephanie), Keegan, Casey and Brennan Lowery, Jonas, Aaron and Dakota Lowery; seven great-grandchildren, Jason and Brayden Hale, Michael Jr., Avrin, Destiny and William Lowery, Bella Hacker, and numerous stepchildren, step-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 25, at 10:00 AM with the memorial service to follow at 11:00 AM. Services will be held at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North,1000 South Hwy 29, Cantonment with Reverend Joey Rogers officiating.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital SICU and for the prayers of our family and friends.
Paul Edward Ashcraft
August 20, 2016
Paul Edward Ashcraft, 76 of Coolidge, passed away August 20, 2016, at his residence. He was born April 24, 1940, in Pensacola. He was the son of the late Jay and Edna Dulaney Ashcraft.
He was married to Joyce Ann Knotts Ashcraft, who preceded him in death. Mr. Ashcraft was a veteran of the United States Air Force and was retired from AT&T after 35 years of service. He was a very caring and giving father who was always there when you needed him and was big jokester.
He is survived by his son, Jeff Ashcraft and wife Emerald of Coolidge; grandchildren, Liberty Ashcraft, Ian Ashcraft and Ethan Ashcraft; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Howard Ashcraft.
Fairly Quiet Friday, Just Scattered Showers
August 19, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. West wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. West wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
Extension Service To Hold Irrigation And Crop Management Field Day
August 19, 2016
Escambia County Extension Services will host an Irrigation and Crop Management Field Day on Tuesday, Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sam and Scott Walker’s Farm located at the intersection of Highway 99 and Melvin Road in Oak Grove.
Topics for the Field Day include:
- Interpretation of Soil Moisture Sensor Data
- Showcasing On-Farm Soil Moisture Sensors
- Mobile Irrigation Lab Demonstrations
- Irrigation Best Management Practices
- PeanutFARM Irrigation and Harvest decision support
- Sesame (SesameFARM)
- Electronic Scanning of Peanuts for Maturity Determination
To register for lunch, contact Libbie Johnson at (850) 475-5230, Kimberly Wilkins at (251) 937-7176 or John Atkins at (850) 675-3107
Citizens Pitches Rate Hike As Water Claims Rise
August 19, 2016
State-backed Citizens Property Insurance urged regulators Thursday to back a request for an average 6.8 percent rate hike to cover a surge in water-damage claims.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, which held a two-hour hearing on the proposal, is expected to rule in early September.
Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier said after the hearing that regulators will take their time “vetting the issue.”
“There are indications in the filing that the spike in water claims is going to cause, in order to be able to make sure that reserves are sufficient to pay for that, you need to collect more premium dollars,” Altmaier said. “So, that’s what the increased indication would seem to suggest.”
The requested change, if approved, would go into effect Feb. 1.
For customers, changes would vary by policy and location.
For example, rates would go up an average of 6.3 percent for inland homeowners who have multi-peril policies, which include coverage for water damage, according to Citizens. Multi-peril policies for coastal homeowners would see an average increase of 8.6 percent.
Wind-only policies for personal-lines customers also would go up an average of 8.3 percent, under the proposal.
Officials from Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, requested that a rate hike on wind-storm policies in their county be delayed for up to three years.
Key West resident Joe Walsh, representing the group Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe County, read regulators a list of Keys residents who said they may have to move out of the county due to rising premiums.
“We have some significant community challenges to having an affordable place to live,” Walsh said. “When on top of that we add multiple years of 7-, 8-, 9 percent wind-storm rate increases, then we create a massive problem trying to retain the backbone of the community, the people that work for a living … the teachers, the cooks in restaurants, firefighters, police officers, the people who coach sports teams. These are the people that are most significantly impacted by the rate increase before you and the rate increases over the past dozen years.”
Altmaier called it “troubling” if anyone has to consider moving because of insurance rates.
Citizens President & CEO Barry Gilway said after the hearing that the regulators were “very, very fair” in their questioning.
The driving factor for the requested hike remains an increase in water-damage claims — initially concentrated in Southeast Florida but now appearing statewide — and a related, politically charged issue known as “assignment of benefits.”
When homeowners need repairs for problems such as water damage, they sometimes sign over benefits to contractors, who ultimately pursue payments from insurance companies.
Citizens and other insurers have lobbied in the Legislature for restrictions on assignment of benefits, contending the practice leads to fraud and litigation. But plaintiffs’ attorneys and contractors argue, in part, the practice helps homeowners hire contractors quickly to repair damage and also can help force insurers to properly pay claims.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers and contractors — none appeared at Thursday’s hearing — also contend assignment of benefits can help prevent consumers from having to fend for themselves in insurance disputes.
Earlier this year, the Office of Insurance Regulation reported the state had seen a 46 percent increase in water-damage claims and a 28 percent increase in costs since 2010.
Unable to get legislation passed, Citizens has made a number of policy changes intended to rein in the water-damage claims.
Since July 1, policyholders need to get company approval for emergency measures that exceed $3,000 or 1 percent of what is known as the “Coverage A” limit, which reflects the cost to rebuild a policyholder’s home.
To receive coverage for permanent repairs, the loss must be inspected by Citizens or the work approved by the company. But if the company does not conduct an inspection or approve the work within 72 hours after a claim is made, the customer would be able to start permanent repairs.
Insurance Consumer Advocate Sha’Ron James said after the hearing on Thursday she awaits responses from Citizens as she continues to review the proposal.
“The questions relate to clarification on some reinsurance issues, clarifications on their water-loss trends,” James said.
The Office of Insurance Regulation will continue to take public comments through Sept. 1.
A year ago, Citizens got rate increases for 2016 after regulators made a few tweaks — dropping a wind-only policy average from 9 percent to 8.3 percent and increasing residential multi-peril accounts from 1.3 percent to 1.8 percent — that spread the additional costs to policyholders in coastal areas.
Citizens, which has reduced its policy count by more than 70 percent since 2012, had 490,862 policies as of July 31.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Judge Blocks Florida Abortion Law
August 19, 2016
A federal judge Thursday issued a permanent injunction against a new Florida abortion law that would have led to increased inspections of clinic records and prevented abortion providers from receiving public money for other health services.
The ruling made permanent a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued June 30.
Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit after the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott approved the controversial law early this year. Hinkle blocked part of the law that would have required state health officials to inspect half of all abortion patients’ records. He also ruled against perhaps the law’s most-controversial provision, which sought to prevent public funds from going to abortion providers.
Clinics already cannot receive tax dollars to pay for abortions, but the new law also would have cut off funding that providers receive to offer other women’s health services.
“The defendants must not terminate any grant, contract, or other funding device based on the enjoined provisions and must not fail to renew any grant, contract, or other funding device that, but for the enjoined provisions, would have been renewed or would be renewed,” Hinkle wrote Thursday.
Lawyers for the state argued that the ban on using public funds for other services was permissible because it did not impose an “undue burden” on a women’s right to an abortion. After Hinkle issued the preliminary injunction in June, Senate bill sponsor Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, called his ruling “a clear infringement on both the Legislature’s constitutional authority to appropriate taxpayer dollars, and our responsibility to properly regulate medical facilities.”
But Planned Parenthood argued that the law, in part, would prevent women from getting needed health services, such as cancer screenings and tests for sexually transmitted diseases.
In a statement released Thursday evening, Barbara A. Zdravecky, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, called Hinkle’s ruling a “victory” for people who rely on Planned Parenthood for services. “For many people, Planned Parenthood is the only place they can turn to,” she said in the statement. “We may be the only place they can go in their community, or the only place that offers the screening or birth control method they need.”
by The News Service of Florida
Tate Showband Car Wash Saturday In Five Locations
August 19, 2016
- Aaron’s on Hwy. 29
- Advanced Auto Parts on Hwy. 29
- Auto Zone on Pensacola Blvd.
- Pizza Hut on 9 Mile Rd.
- Tractor Supply on 9 Mile Rd.
Day Of Prayer Set For Local Law Enforcement
August 19, 2016
Church members from throughout the community are planning to meet outside the Pensacola Police Department Saturday and pray for law enforcement personnel.
The non-denominational event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and last for approximately one hour at police headquarters, 711 N. Hayne St.
Organizers are hoping enough people will attend the event that they will be hold hands while standing around the outside of the building. People can stay as long as they like to pray not only for local law enforcement personnel but also for others nationwide.
In addition, organizers are hoping people unable to attend the event will set aside a few minutes during the day to pray for law enforcement personnel. And, as another way of showing support, people are encouraged to pray for an officer if they see one in public either by approaching the officer and asking if they can pray for them, or by saying a private prayer.