Murder Suspect Walks Out Of Escambia Jail As Free Man
September 2, 2016
An Escambia County man charged with murder walked out of the Escambia County Jail Thursday afternoon as a free man.
Jarrod Blackmon was found not guilty for the shooting death of Tabius Huff.
Huff’s body was found outside a convenience store on Jackson Street in June 2014.
Second Grader Wins Ride To School On Fire Truck
September 2, 2016
Second grader Gavin Bramblett and his brother Aiden got the ride of a lifetime from their home to Jim Allen Elementary School Thursday morning — on an Escambia Fire Rescue ladder truck.
Gavin won the ride to school on a fire truck during the West Florida Library’s Summer Reading Club by reading more than 50 hours during the summer.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Laurel Hill Defeats Northview (With Gallery)
September 2, 2016
Laurel Hill earned a 3-0 win over Northview Thursday evening in Bratt in varsity volleyball action.
Varsity 12-25, 17-25, 24-26 Laurel Hill wins
Laurel Hill also defeated Northview in junior varsity action.
JV 22-25, 25-22, 8-15 Laurel Hill wins
The Lady Chiefs are on the road next Tuesday against T.R. Miller, and back home next Thursday as they host Jay.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
Century Chamber Plans October Fall Festival, Vendors Needed
September 2, 2016
The Century Area Chamber of Commerce is planning a Fall & Craft Festival & Car Show for Saturday, October 15 at Showalter Park.
The event will feature craft booths, family fun, food, a car show and entertainment featuring The Horseshoe Halo Band and Michael Peterson.
The chamber is currently seeking vendors, entertainment and sponsors for the event. For a vendor booth application, click here. For sponsorship or other information, call Kim at (850) 256-3208 or email kgodwin@centuryflorida.us.
The festival is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured: A Wednesday lunch meeting of the Century Chamber of Commerce membership. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Federal Judge Questions State On Card Games
September 2, 2016
A federal judge on Thursday appeared skeptical of the state’s defense of how gambling regulators handled controversial “designated player” card games at the heart of a legal challenge by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
During a pre-trial hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle repeatedly questioned J. Carter Andersen, a lawyer representing the state, about the games, also the subject of recent decisions by state administrative law judges in disputes involving cardroom operators.
The popular games have taken off since first introduced at Florida pari-mutuels more than four years ago, but the Seminoles contend that, by allowing the games, the state breached an agreement that granted the tribe the exclusive rights to operate “banked” card games, such as blackjack.
A five-year deal giving the tribe exclusive rights to operate banked games — part of a larger agreement, known as a “compact,” signed in 2010 — expired last summer, prompting the Seminoles’ lawsuit. Under the compact, the tribe is allowed to continue to operate the games for the remainder of the broader 20-year deal, if the state permits anyone else in the state to offer them.
Under Florida law, a “banking game” is defined as one “in which the house is a participant in the game, taking on players, paying winners, and collecting from losers or in which the cardroom establishes a bank against which participants play.”
Pari-mutuel cardrooms are allowed to conduct games in which players compete only against each other.
Years after the designated-player games first popped up at pari-mutuels in Florida, gambling regulators in January filed complaints against more than a dozen cardrooms regarding the games.
The complaints came months after the Seminoles filed their legal challenge accusing the state of breaching the compact.
“It only reversed its position and said that they were unauthorized banked games after the lawsuit which we are currently litigating was filed,” Barry Richard, a lawyer representing the Seminoles, said Thursday.
Richard cited testimony from Department of Business and Professional Regulation Deputy Secretary Jonathan Zachem, who headed the division overseeing gambling in January, when regulators proposed repealing a rule governing the card games.
In his deposition, Zachem said that “where a banker is using their table, their dealer, their facility — meaning the cardrooms — that they are establishing a bank,” Richard said Thursday.
Lawyers for the state insist that gambling regulators do not have the power to authorize card games prohibited by state law.
But Hinkle appeared to reject that argument during Thursday’s telephone hearing, focusing on the part of the law that bars cardrooms from “establishing” a bank.
“Why isn’t that a description of a designated-player game?” the judge asked Andersen.
“Regardless of what the regulator does, it’s the Legislature that determines whether or not the state permits banking games,” Andersen said.
But Hinkle then described a hypothetical situation in which gambling regulators allowed a facility to hold blackjack games.
“And (the cardroom) set it up and they go and they have a blackjack game. And you say, tough on the tribe. That doesn’t give them any right because even though the division formally said you can do this, it turns out it’s against the law, so you can ignore what the division said and tribe, you’re out of luck. That’s the state’s position?” Hinkle asked.
Andersen said that the Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering never “authorized” the games, but approved the cardroom operators’ internal controls laying out conditions for the games, which in some cases required potential designated players to put up $100,000.
Based on a review of the internal controls, it appeared “that the games would be played in accordance with state law,” Andersen said.
“The concept of designated player games in other jurisdictions and in the industry is that they are games similar to Texas Hold ‘Em where the button rotates and the players are playing against each other,” Andersen said. “If certain cardrooms were playing the games in an unauthorized manner, it’s our position that it isn’t something that was authorized.”
“Is it true or not true you never took an action to shut one down until after this lawsuit was filed?” Hinkle persisted.
“When the state learned that these things were a problem, the state took action,” Andersen replied, adding that the tribe only “started complaining about this last year.”
But Hinkle pointed out that the tribe initially objected to the games as long ago as 2012.
The judge also appeared troubled that regulators had signed off on a $100,000 “buy-in,” required by Melbourne Greyhound Park, to serve as the designated player, indicated by a “button” on the card table.
“It seems to me, it’s just common sense. I don’t know that it’s necessarily right, but it seems to me that nobody walked off the street that was going to play this game was going to take the button if you had to be approved in advance and come up with $100,000,” Hinkle said.
Hinkle also told the lawyers that he would not rule on motions for summary judgment but instead intended to hold a trial, slated to start Oct. 3 in Tallahassee.
Thursday’s hearing came less than a week after Administrative Law Judge E. Gary Early ruled against gambling regulators in a challenge filed by multiple cardroom operators.
Early said in a decision Friday that gambling overseers were wrong to do away with a rule governing the card games without replacing the regulations.
Gambling operators maintain that doing away with the rule, adopted in 2014, would put an end to games that bring in at least $87 million a year and are now offered at nearly every cardroom around the state. Regulators proposed doing away with the rule late last year.
In a separate case, Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk sided with the state in a case involving the Jacksonville Kennel Club Inc., also known as bestbet Jacksonville. Van Wyk found that the manner in which the Jacksonville facility was conducting the games violated state law.
by The News Service of Florida
Dollie Nix Maples
September 2, 2016
Dollie Nix (Bit) Maples passed away peacefully Wednesday, August 31, 2016, after a courageous battle with ALS. Dollie dearly loved her family, sister, cousins and extended family and especially her one and only grandson. She worked 45 years as a quality control inspector at Crane Electronics in Ft. Walton Beach, FL from where she recently retired.
She is survived by her children, Tina A. (Michelle) Maples, Felix W. (Tina) Maples; and grandson Corey (Jessica) Maples. She is also survived by her sister, Evelyn Gaffney; her children, Karen Gomez, Kim Burt, Jennifer Gaffney and Perry Gaffney; dearest cousins, Robert and Carolyn Flowers; and many, many beloved cousins and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, George Arnold and Rachel Nix; four brothers and five sisters.
Funeral services were held Saturday, September 3, 2016, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Rev. Dr. Jim Merritt officiating.
Interment was in Beulah Cemetery.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Wahoos Beat Birmingham
September 2, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have won six of its last seven games and are just 1.5 games behind the Mississippi Braves in the race for the second half title in the Southern League South Division.
After beating the Birmingham Barons, 11-8, Thursday at Regions Field there are just four games left in the season for Pensacola to try and overtake the Braves.
Mississippi also won Thursday and is 37-28 in the second half, while Pensacola, which won the first half to qualify for the playoffs, is 36-30.
Both Pensacola and Birmingham slugged 15 hits in Thursday’s game that featured 19 combined runs. Six of the Blue Wahoos nine hitters had multi-hit games.
Blue Wahoos catcher Chad Wallach led the way going 3-5 with two runs scored. DH Brandon Dixon also continued his hot streak going 2-5 with a triple, his first of the year, and a double. He scored twice and drove in a run, his 65th of the season, which leads Pensacola.
The offensive outburst started when Dixon tripled to leadoff the second inning and scored when Pensacola third baseman Taylor Sparks grounded out to shortstop to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0. Pensacola went up, 3-0, when centerfield Jeff Gelalich doubled with two outs to score both Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo and Wallach.
Birmingham shortstop Trey Michalczewski’s doubled to left field in the third inning to drive in right fielder Keenyn Walker to pull the Barons within, 3-1. Birmingham DH Eudy Pina then grounded out to shortstop to allow shortstop Joey DeMichele to make the score, 3-2.
In the fourth inning, Birmingham went ahead, 6-3, when centerfield Hunter Jones singled to right field to drive in third baseman Ryan Leonards to knot the score, 3-3. Birmingham went ahead, 6-3, when left fielder Courtney Hawkins hit a two-out, three-run homer to left field that also brought in Jones and Walker.
In the top of the fifth inning, Zach Vincej lined a single to center field to drive in both second baseman Alex Blandino and left fielder Phillip Ervin to pull Pensacola within, 6-5, of the Barons.
Pensacola finally took the lead for good, 10-6, when it scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning with two outs. Ervin singled to right field to drive in Wallach and tie the game, 6-6. Right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to right field to score Alex Blandino and put Pensacola ahead, 7-6. Dixon then doubled, his 23rd of the season, to left field to score Ervin and put the Blue Wahoos up, 8-6. Vincej singled to right field to score both Elizalde and Dixon for a 10-6 Pensacola lead.
Pensacola added an insurance run when Gelalich hit a line drive to right field for a solo homer, his second of the season, in the seventh inning to put the Blue Wahoos up, 11-6.
Birmingham did get the run back in the bottom of the seventh when right fielder Keon Barnum hit a solo shot to right center field to make it a 11-7 game in Pensacola’s favor.
Hawkins then hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to score Jones for the final run of the game but the Barons still trailed Pensacola, 11-8.
Corrrections Officer In Critical Condition After Being Stabbed By Holman Inmate
September 1, 2016
Alabama Department of Corrections officials report that a correctional officer was stabbed during an assault by an inmate at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore on Thursday.
The stabbing happened at 12:35 p.m. in the facility’s dining hall during the noon meal.
Prison officials report the inmate assaulted and stabbed the officer in retaliation for being denied an extra tray of food. Correctional officers responded to the incident and were able to restrain the inmate and give aid to the injured officer.
The officer was airlifted in critical condition to an area hospital.
Inmate Cleveland Cunningham was detained as a suspect in the stabbing. Cunningham is serving a 20-year sentence on a 2013 first-degree robbery conviction from Baldwin County. Cunningham was segregated from general population without further incident.
No other inmates were involved in the stabbing. The facility was placed on lockdown while ADOC officials investigate the incident.
The ADOC is not releasing the name of the officer pending the ongoing investigation.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
ATV Driver Seriously Injured After Hitting Van
September 1, 2016
One person was injured in the collision of a three-wheel ATV and a van this morning in Canoe, AL, just about two miles north of the state line.
The accident happened about 7:40 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 31 and South Canoe Road. It appeared the adult male driver of the ATV was riding westbound on the shoulder of Highway 31 approaching South Canoe Road when collided with the side of the van. The ATV driver’s view of the approaching van was possibly blocked due to a building on the corner of the intersection.
The ATV driver was transported by Atmore Ambulance to an area hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the van was not injured.
The accident remains under investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
State Offices To Close At Noon Today
September 1, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott has ordered state offices in 51 counties to close at noon today, including those in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, due to Tropical Storm Hermine.
All Escambia and Santa Rosa county offices and schools are open as usual Thursday and Friday. The First Judicial Circuit has announced that courthouses will be open and all matters will be handled as scheduled.
Other than rip currents and high surf at the coast, Hermine is expected to have little impact in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties. Click here for the latest update on the storm.
All Escambia and Santa Rosa county offices and schools are open as usual.