Wahoos Drop Playoff Game
September 9, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos gave up four runs in the third inning to the Mississippi Braves and couldn’t recover Thursday.
Mississippi third baseman Carlos Franco hit a three-run homer in the third inning and 6-foot-6 right-hander Patrick Weigel handcuffed the Pensacola hitters throwing seven scoreless innings to give the Braves a 5-0 win Thursday in front of 3,866 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Mississippi tied the Southern League South Division series, 1-1, and now plays the next two games at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday at Trustmark Park. If Game 5 is needed, it will be played at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly expressed confidence in his team, despite the split at home. The Blue Wahoos won both series at Mississippi, going 7-3.
“Obviously, we wanted to win two here,” Kelly said. “It’s a best of three series now. It’s nice to know we can come back for game five.”
Franco lifted a high deep fly ball into Hill-Kelly Dodge Hill in right field with one out in the third inning to score three runs and put Mississippi on top, 5-0. It was his fifth homer this year.
Pensacola seemed jinxed to start the third inning. Braves center fielder Mallex Smith bunted down the first base line and Pensacola pitcher Jackson Stephens fielded and threw to first base hitting Pensacola first baseman Ray Chang right between the eyes.
Then Braves second baseman Levi Hyams hit a ball that deflected off of Stephens’ glove and reached first. Mississippi slugging left fielder Dustin Peterson smacked a hard liner into center field to score Smith to put the Braves up, 2-0. Franco finished the inning off with the fourth straight hit off of Stephens.
Stephens has been inconsistent in his last five starts. He’s allowed 16 runs in his last 21.1 innings pitched, which is a 6.75 ERA. In the second game of the playoffs, he pitched five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out five.
Meanwhile, Pensacola’s Evan Mitchell pitched three scoreless innings of relief and now has thrown 15.2 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, one walk and struck out one. Kyle McMyne retired the Braves in order in the ninth.
Kelly said it has been fun watching Mitchell gain confidence on the mound.
“It’s fun to see,” Kelly said. “He’s got great stuff. He has a 94 mph sinker and what a scout told me was a man hole cover slider.”
But the story Thursday was really 22-year-old Weigel who was making just his fourth start in Double-A. The right-hander pitched a gem throwing seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out eight.
Pensacola was unable to figure out the Braves’ Weigel, who allowed one Blue Wahoos runner to third base and one to second base. Weigel was called up to Mississippi on Aug. 19 from the Low-A Rome Braves where he was 10-4 with a 2.51 ERA.
“Weigel was good,” Kelly said. “He had all four pitches working. He was very impressive. We had a report on him that if you got him into the stretch he was not very good. We just didn’t get him in the stretch too many times.”
In his last start on Sept. 1 against Biloxi, Weigel was sharp, too. He allowed one unearned run on two hits over 8.1 innings, while striking out four.
Mississippi jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Franco hit a leadoff single to left field. He scored easily from second base when Braves right fielder Connor Lien doubled over the head of Pensacola left fielder Phillip Ervin for a 1-0 lead.
Blue Wahoos leadoff hitter Alex Blandino and No. 3 hitter Sebastian Elizalde got five of the Blue Wahoos six hits Thursday. Blandino was 3-4 with a double, while Elizalde had two singles in four at bats.
In the North Division playoff, the Jackson Generals took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series against the Montgomery Biscuits with a 2-1 victory at home.
No Serious Injuries In Wreck Near Molino Park Elementary School
September 8, 2016
There were no serious injuries in a two vehicle rear-end type crash Thursday morning on Highway 97 in front of Molino Park Elementary School. Both drivers refused transport to the hospital; the accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Sunny Weather Continues
September 8, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 67. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 91. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Report Points To Tight Budget Times Ahead In Florida
September 8, 2016
Lawmakers will face a tight budget during next year’s legislative session and will likely need to take action to head off a shortfall in the near future, a new report suggests.
A draft of the state’s “long-range financial outlook,” set to be considered by a legislative commission next week, raises the prospect that “a structural imbalance” is looming.
For the coming budget year, which begins July 1, the outlook projects a surplus of just $7.5 million — a tiny sliver of the state spending plan, which is now roughly $82 billion. The following year, a budget gap of $1.3 billion could open up, followed by $1.8 billion the year after that.
That could force lawmakers to scale back expected spending or, less likely in a Legislature dominated by Republicans, to boost taxes to pay for budget increases in areas like education and health care. The financial outlook, which is prepared by state economists, is not official until approved by the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, which is made up of House and Senate members.
However, there are conclusions in the report that could change the potential shortfalls, in some cases dramatically. For example, the outlook assumes some increases in spending on areas like education and health care, projecting them to be handled the same as they have been in recent budget years.
It includes a three-year average of tax cuts, which have been popular under Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP legislative leaders, and projects similar decisions in the coming session.
And it accounts for lawmakers setting aside $1 billion each year to deal with unexpected changes in the economy or additional needs that could crop up. No major changes are expected to that policy because lowering the state’s reserves substantially could make it more expensive to issue bonds to pay for construction needs.
Still, legislative leaders admit that the forecast will prompt lawmakers to consider changes to state spending when they begin work on the budget in earnest in March.
“I think it shows that we will have difficult choices to make in the upcoming session, and I think it will force us to make decisions between competing priorities,” incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said.
He said lawmakers who oversee different areas of the state budget will have to take a deep look at whether to continue spending on items approved by previous legislatures.
“We can’t simply reaffirm the priorities of yesterday,” Negron said.
Meanwhile, legislative leaders and Scott are expected to push new priorities. Negron has proposed increasing spending on higher education by $1 billion over the next two years, as well as a plan to use bonds and federal money to boost Everglades restoration.
Incoming House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, has not outlined much in the way of new spending, though he has spoken in the past of overhauling state health-care programs in a way that could save money. Through a spokesman, Corcoran — who currently serves as the House budget chief — declined to comment before the outlook was finalized.
Scott generally unveils his budget proposals in the weeks before the annual legislative session.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, said the report didn’t rule out the kind of spending plans proposed by Negron. But doing so would require making offsetting changes elsewhere in the budget.
“I think what that outlook says is that there’s going to have to be some realignment of priorities if additional expenditures of that magnitude are approved,” Lee said.
by The News Service of Florida
Storytime Held Each Week At A Library Branch Near You
September 8, 2016
During Storytime Wednesday at the Molino Branch Library, little readers had a chance to be silly with songs and dancing, two good stories about good manners, played with bubbles and practiced their good manners by sharing bouncy balls.
Storytime — with stories, songs and movement activities designed to build future readers — is held as follows:
Molino Branch
Weekly on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
(No Winter Break)
Century Branch
Weekly on Thursdays at 4 p.m.
(*Winter Break Dec 12 through Jan 17)
Pensacola Library
Weekly on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
(*Winter Break Dec 12 through Jan 17)
Southwest Branch
Weekly on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.
(*Winter Break Dec 12 through Jan 17)
Tryon Branch
Mommy & Me: Weekly on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.
Mommy & Me is a lapsit program for babies and their special someone.
Preschool Story Time: Weekly on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
(*Winter Break Dec 12 through Jan 17)
Westside Branch
Weekly on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m.
(No Winter Break)
Pictured: Wednesday’s Storytime at the Molino Branch Library. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ITT Students Urged To Check Out George Stone Technical Center
September 8, 2016
Escambia County School District’s George Stone Technical Center (GSTC) is encouraging students who were enrolled in programs at ITT to consider GSTC as they ask themselves, “What now?”
“We offer programs that lead to certificates that result in students gaining the skills, and earning certifications needed, to work in the student’s desired field, rather than a traditional degree,” said GSTC Principal T.J. Rollins.
“We urge them to take time to consider their employment goals and to come in with their transcripts and meet with one of our counselors and one of our instructors. After working one-on-one, they can determine which of our programs will help them continue to move forward.”
GSTC, for example, offers four programs for those wishing to work with computers:
- Computer Systems & Information Technology (CSIT)
- Cybersecurity, Applied
- Network Support Services (CISCO)
- Network Systems Administration
“We know some feel like this has set them back months. Again, we might be able to help with that concern as well because we have students starting the beginning of every month, so they probably will not have to wait for a spring semester to get started.” Rollins said.
To find out more about programs available at GSTC, go to their web page at www.GeorgeStoneCenter.com. Their online application can be found there as well as links to learn about the variety of Career-to-a-Year programs offered. ITT students with questions about GSTC should call 850-941-6200, ext. 2129.
Let The Music Play: Escambia Academy, Northview Band Photo Gallery
September 8, 2016
For a photo gallery featuring the Northview and Escambia Academy bands from Friday night, click here (including NHS dance team, NJROTC).
For a previous game action gallery click here.
For a previous cheerleader and mini-cheerleader gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Begins Final Interviews For President On Sunday
September 8, 2016
The final interviews for the University of West Florida’s presidential candidates will start Sunday with Frank Ashley, a vice president for The College Board. Ashley will be the first of four candidates to meet with university leaders, administrators, faculty members, students and community leaders.
The format for each of the candidates will follow a similar pattern, including an hour-and-a-half open forum with faculty, staff and students. There will also be an hour-long interview with the university’s Board of Trustees. And each candidate will attend a social event with university leaders as well as community members and a dinner with trustees and members of the presidential search committee.
Ashley’s interview process will conclude late Monday morning with a meeting with the trustees, followed by a campus tour. Former state Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, will begin his interview process Monday afternoon, concluding with a dinner that evening.
On Tuesday, Martha Saunders, a vice president and provost at the University of West Florida, will be interviewed.
She will be followed on Wednesday by William M. “Mike” Sherman, a vice president and provost at The University of Akron.
On Thursday morning, the presidential search committee will meet and recommend at least three unranked candidates to the Board of Trustees, which later that day will select one of the candidates to succeed Judy Bense, who is stepping down as president at the end of this year.
Gaetz, who has a master’s degree from Troy State University, has the least university academic experience of the candidates, but he has extensive experience in the business world, having help found a hospice company that became a $500 million enterprise. He has academic experience as the former superintendent of schools in nearby Okaloosa County and as a former member of the county’s school board.
Gaetz’s strength is his political background, including serving as Senate president from 2012 to 2014. He has a deep understanding of the budget process for state universities, most recently chairing the Senate budget subcommittee on education spending. He is also a proven fund-raiser, another requirement for a university president.
Saunders has the strongest academic leadership experience, serving previously as president of the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
With a doctorate from Florida State University, Saunders also has deep ties to UWF, where she began teaching in 1984, rising to a professorship and then becoming dean of the College of Arts Sciences in 2000. She left in 2002 to take a vice president post at Columbus State University.
She served two years as president of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and then five years as president of the University of Southern Mississippi. She returned to UWF as the provost in 2013.
With a doctorate from the University of Alabama, Ashley has been with The College Board since 2013, working as a vice president. He has extensive experience at Texas A&M University, where he began teaching in 1986 rising to a professorship and then chancellor in 2007. He also served as the chief of staff at the school.
Sherman has a doctorate from the University of Texas. His longest academic stint was at The Ohio State University, where he began teaching in 1985, becoming a professor in 1993. He moved to The University of Akron, where he has served as chief operating officer and vice president for innovation and economic development.
by The News Service of Florida
Century Board Members Plead Not Guilty To Sunshine Law Violation
September 8, 2016
The first scheduled court hearing for four Century volunteer task force members charged with noncriminal violations of the Florida Government in the Sunshine Law was Wednesday.
The four — Alfonzie Cottrell, Helen Mincy, Sylvia Godwin, and Robert Mitchell — were not present at the arraignment hearing and entered written not guilty pleas through attorney Kim Skievaski. They were charged by the State Attorney’s Office with having a public meeting that was not properly advertised. On July 26, a meeting was advertised to begin at 4:00 p.m. The meeting was actually held at 2:00 p.m., preventing the public from attending.
Skievaski was hired at $300 per hour by the town council to represented that task force members.
Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said the four will be offered pre-trial diversion if they take a Sunshine Law course, or if they resign from the task force and never serve on another body that falls under the Sunshine Law. Otherwise, they will face a judge trial and, if found guilty, a fine of up to $500.
If pre-trail diversion is accepted by any of the defendants, the charge against them will be dismissed if they successful meet the terms set forth.
The next court date for Cottrell, Mincy, Godwin and Mitchell is set for late October.
Pictured top: Volunteer task force members Helen Mincy, Robert Mitchell and Sylvia Godwin during a meeting on Thursday, July 28. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Public Meeting Tonight On Nine Mile Widening From Beulah To Hwy 29
September 8, 2016
The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting this evening work beginning on Nine Mile Road between Beulah Road and Highway 29 in Escambia County. The meeting will be held at Plainview Baptist Church, 1101 West Nine Mile Road, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
“We’ve been working for 20 years to fix the traffic and gridlock in the Beulah community, as well as bring good-paying jobs and growth, and these improvements will ensure our success,” District 1 Commissioner Wilson Robertson said. “The core growth and the traffic going to Navy Federal and the new OLF-8 Park is going to be well accommodated by widening Nine Mile Road to four lanes.”
The $46 million project includes widening Nine Mile Road between Beulah Road and U.S. 29 from two to four travel lanes. Additional improvements include constructing a new bridge over Eleven Mile Creek, new sidewalks and stormwater retention ponds, signalization improvements and drainage enhancements. FDOT representatives will be available to provide information about planned construction work and potential impacts.
Work is scheduled to begin in September and will require nighttime lane closures and speed limit reductions on Nine Mile Road. Weather permitting, the entire corridor is slated for completion in early 2019.