Ervin Crushes Game Winning Homer For The Wahoos
August 24, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder Phillip Ervin drove in two runs with a key line drive single to center field and a game-winning home run that he crushed high above the 400-foot sign in dead center.
Ervin, a first round draft pick in 2013 by the Cincinnati Reds, certainly looked like the player the Major League club projected him to be Tuesday, going 3-4 with two runs scored in the, 3-2, victory over the Mobile BayBears at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
On a 2-0 pitch, Ervin got all of the ball in the bottom of the eighth inning. The leadoff homer was the first ball hit out the park by Pensacola since Aug. 13.
“That was very impressive,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said, marveling at Ervin’s power. “He’s being patient. When he’s patient like that he gets good hits.”
Ervin, the Reds No. 16 prospect, now has 12 homers and 39 RBIs on the season. He also has 33 stolen bases, making him the first minor leaguer in the organization to have back-to-back double digit home runs and 30-plus steals in a season since Henry Rodriguez did it in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Last season, Ervin knocked 14 homers and 71 RBIs for High-A Daytona Tortugas and Pensacola.
“It’s a great combo,” Kelly said of Ervin’s power and speed. “He’s got great tools. That’s why he was a No. 1 draft choice.”
The Blue Wahoos have now won the first two games of the five-game series over rival Mobile. Combined with the Mississippi Braves, 2-0, loss to the Biloxi Shuckers Tuesday, Pensacola is now 3.5 games behind division leader Mississippi at 30-27. The Braves are 33-23 in the second half.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” Kelly said with 13 games left in the 2016 season. “We’re hitting on all cylinders right now.”
The Blue Wahoos struck in the sixth inning, tying the game, 2-2, when center fielder Jeff Gelalich hit a two out single to score Ervin from third. Ervin had singled to drive in shortstop Alex Blandino earlier in the inning that pulled Pensacola within, 2-1.
Pensacola starter Jackson Stephens pitched out of two bases loaded jams in the first three innings, allowing just one run when he hit Mobile center fielder Evan Marzilli with a pitch that scored left fielder Rudy Flores from third in the second inning.
In the fourth inning, Mobile again put runners at the corners with two outs but Stephens got Mobile first baseman and slugger Kevin Cron to hit a pop foul to first base to end the inning.
Mobile had six runners in scoring position in four straight innings but Stephens was able to get out of the innings unscathed in a gutty performance. Stephens threw 91 pitches in five innings, allowing one unearned run, giving up seven hits, walking two and striking out four.
In all Mobile, was 2-10 with runners in scoring position Tuesday and left 14 runners on base.
“He battled and kept us in the game,” Kelly said. “A couple of those innings could have gotten really ugly. But he pitches with a chip on his shoulder. Nothing’s ever been handed to him. He’s had to earn it. That’s the way you have to be.”
The game stayed, 1-0, Mobile until the sixth inning when BayBears second baseman Jamie Westbrook hit a solo homer just over the left field fence for his third of the year to put his team up, 2-0. It was also the Mobile team’s 99th homer this season, which leads the Southern League.
Missing Woman Located
August 24, 2016
Update: This missing senior has been located.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating 85-year-old Euthra Kervin Ives. She was last seen at 1:30 p.m. leaving the Extended Stay on Bloodworth Lane. Ives suffers from dementia and might be driving a white Lincoln Town car with the Florida tag number Y4PBY. She was last seen wearing a t-shirt, white pants, white tennis shoes and a straw hat with a pink flower. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
Malcolm Corum Major Jr.
August 24, 2016
Mr. Malcolm Corum Major Jr., 73, passed away on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 in Atmore.
Mr. Major was a native of Pensacola, former resident of Bratt, and has resided in Atmore most of his life. Mr. Major was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, retired from Vanity Fair with 30 years of service and worked five years with Masland Carpet. He was of the Baptist faith.
He is preceded in death by his grandmother, Lettie Godwin; and uncle, Talton Godwin.
He is survived by one son, Johnny Major of Phenix City, AL; one daughter, Allison Major (Corey) Hicks of Stapleton, AL; and one stepdaughter, Holly L. Ramer of Atmore, AL.
Funeral services will be Saturday, August 27, 2016, at 11 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, with Rev. Joe Welch officiating.
Burial will follow at the Godwin Cemetery.
Visitation will be Saturday, August. 27, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. until service time at 11 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Wayne Godwin, Jonathan Godwin, Cacey Godwin, Ed Hudson, Steven White and Gary Bailey.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Wednesday Is Final Day To Requst Vote By Mail Ballot
August 23, 2016
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford reminds voters who wish to be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot for the August 30 Primary Election to request their ballot no later than Wednesday, August 24.
Voters can make their request by using the online form at EscambiaVotes.com or by contacting the Supervisor of Elections by mail, phone (850) 595-3900, fax (850) 595-3914, or e-mail (votebymail@escambiavotes.com). Requests must include the voter’s date of birth and address. Voters may track the status of their ballot by clicking Track My Ballot at EscambiaVotes.com.
After Wednesday, a voter may still pick up a vote-by-mail ballot in person from the Elections Office through Monday, August 29.
For further information on vote-by-mail ballots, early voting, or precincts and polling locations, please contact us at (850) 595-3900, soe@escambiavotes.com or visit EscambiaVotes.com.
More Afternoon Thunderstorms
August 23, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 105. Calm wind.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 92. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 93.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Recycling Is Back (With Facility Photo Gallery)
August 23, 2016
ECUA and Escambia County held a held a kick-off ceremony Monday to mark the opening of ECUA’s Interim Materials Recycling Facility, or IMRF, at the Perdido Landfill.
The collaborative effort between ECUA and Escambia County is a state-of-the-art facility that will have the capacity to recycle up to 40,000 tons of materials per year.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“Building this partnership has been instrumental in eliminating our reliance on outside contractors for the processing of this region’s recycling effort,” said Steve Sorrell, executive director of ECUA. “Now, we can focus on what’s really important: keeping recyclable materials out of the landfills and putting them to good use once again.”
Sorrell said the facility is expected to break even or make a profit.
The $10.6 million project was initiated to offer a long-term, regional recycling solution for this community, while at the same time, to assist Escambia County in reaching its state-mandated 75 percent recycling goal. On February 12, ECUA broke ground for the IMRF, which encompasses a 53,460 square-foot fabric building and recycling equipment that is expected to process up to 165 tons of materials per day.
“It means that everyone that wants to recycle can get back to genuine recycling better than ever before,” ECUA District 5 board member Larry Walker said. “The list of recycles will be same as before.”
“It is exciting to see this joint project to support recycling in Escambia County,” Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson stated. “But it is even more rewarding to see the partnership between Escambia County and ECUA making this happen and thereby making our community better.”
The facility will provide a solution to the recycling woes experienced by ECUA over the past few years.
After the flooding, closure and bankruptcy of West Florida Recycling in Pensacola, ECUA entered into a two year agreement with the Infinitus Energy Park (IREP) in Montgomery. Even with transportation costs, ECUA was making a net profit of a few dollars per ton off the deal.
After the center abruptly closed in October 2015, ECUA began transporting recyclable materials to Tarpon Paper Co. in Loxley, AL. ECUA stopped transporting recyclables to Tarpon in December when they implemented a $12.50 per-ton tipping fee.
While the finishing touches are put on the IMRF, all recyclables collected in Escambia County are being dumped in the Perdido Landfill, and the Santa Rosa County Landfill is receiving materials collected in that county. The new facility is expected to be fully operational in September.
“We have encouraged our customers enrolled in the recycling program to continue their positive recycling habits throughout this interruption, and urge those who may have gotten out of the recycling habit to resume the separation of their recyclables,” Nathalie Bowers, ECUA public information officer, said.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
August 23, 2016
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending August 18 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Clark observed a motorhome stopped in the middle of the road on south Fairfield Avenue. As the vehicle began moving, the operator was driving erratically. Officer Clark stopped the vehicle, made contact with the driver and smelled an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. The officer also observed an open beer container on the floor. The operator agreed to submit to field alcohol tasks and performed poorly on all tasks. He was arrested for DUI and transported to the Escambia County Intoxilyzer Room where he declined to provide a breath sample. He was then transported to the Escambia County Jail for booking and processing. The driver was charged with driving under the influence (DUI), refusal to submit to a breath test, and knowingly driving without a valid license.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
No report submitted.This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
Century To Consider Hiring Attorney For Task Force Members Charged With Sunshine Law Violation
August 23, 2016
The Century Town Council has scheduled a special meeting to discuss the legal representation of four volunteer task force members charged last week with noncriminal violations of the Florida Government in the Sunshine Law.
Alfonzie Cottrell, Helen Mincy, Sylvia Godwin, and Robert Mitchell 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.
This case is set for arraignment on September 7. At that hearing, the four will have a chance to enter a plea or move forward with a trial in front of a judge, most likely in one to three weeks after the arraignment. They face a maximum penalty of a $500 fine, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
At 4 p.m. Friday, the town council will hold a special meeting to discuss retaining an attorney to represent the four individuals that were charged. Also at the meeting , the council will discuss the appointment of a Citizens Advisory Task Force to review two proposed grant applications.
The State Attorney’s Office investigation began after a July 27 article on NorthEscambia.com “Century Holds Meeting In Apparent Violation Of State Sunshine Law“. NorthEscambia.com arrived the previous day for the 4 p.m. meeting to find the front doors of the Century Hall locked and the parking lot empty. We later learned that the meeting had been held at 2 p.m. The town provided a public notice on Wednesday, July 27 and re-held the meeting on Thursday, July 28.
A letter from Eddins to Century Mayor Freddie McCall essentially placed blame for the law violation on the Town of Century for not providing the adequate Sunshine Law training,
Pictured top: CATF members Helen Mincy, Robert Mitchell and Sylvia Godwin during a CATF meeting on Thursday, July 28. Alfonzie Cottrell was not present at the July 28 meeting. Pictured inset and below: The Century Town Hall was locked and the parking lot empty at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July, the time of a publicly noticed town task force meeting.
Judge Weighs Third Grade Promotion Policy
August 23, 2016
A state judge is weighing a decision that could shake Florida’s education-accountability system following a marathon hearing Monday in Tallahassee.
After nearly nine hours of testimony and arguments, Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers wrapped up a hearing on state and local policies for allowing students to move to the fourth grade but did not rule on a request that would allow about a dozen students across Florida to advance.
The practical effect of Gievers’ decision, and the appeals that are almost certain to follow, could either validate or shatter the “opt out” movement led by parents who say a state standardized test should not decide whether their children are allowed to move from third grade to fourth grade.
The parents of the students involved in the case told their children to “minimally participate” in the Florida Standards Assessment for third grade by filling in their names, breaking the seals on the tests and then refusing to answer any questions.
Those parents believe state law gives them the right to tell their children not to answer questions on the test. But while the law spells out ways to advance that don’t require passing the assessment, the Florida Department of Education and school districts say that doesn’t give students the opportunity to refuse to take it.
Gievers, who seemed in an earlier hearing to sympathize with the parents, gave no clear indication of how she intended to rule on the request for an injunction.
“You’ve given me a lot to look at, and I plan to do this the right way,” she said.
But the hearing laid bare not only the legal questions at the heart of the case, but the philosophical ones: Is a report card based on a year’s worth of work a better measure of a student’s knowledge, or is an objective test the proper measure? Where is the balance between a parent’s right to control his or her child’s education and the state’s right to determine how to measure learning?
The state cast the lawsuit as one that could undo years’ worth of efforts to end social promotion and make sure that students have mastered reading before going to the fourth grade.
“This is a potential undermining of the entire assessment and accountability system,” said Rocco Testani, an attorney representing the Florida Department of Education.
Those challenging the promotion policy tried to prove that the children deserved to move on without taking the Florida Standards Assessment or one of the alternative tests offered by the state. At times, they even drew on the testimony or words of school district officials and employees.
Rebecca Dooley, who teaches one of the children, testified that the girl’s report card showed she “demonstrated ability at grade level performance for all four marking periods.”
Dooley also indicated the student shouldn’t be forced to repeat material she had already mastered.
“I do not believe it would be in her best interests academically,” Dooley told the court.
Michelle Rhea, the girl’s mother, read from an email by the vice-chairwoman of the Orange County school board that indicated the last-minute rush to put together a portfolio for Rhea’s daughter showed the district had erred.
“The ball got dropped on this one, and the district needs to learn from it and make changes going forward for it not to happen this way again,” wrote Nancy Robbinson, the vice chairwoman.
For its part, the state repeatedly showed that the parents had declined opportunities to have their children take alternative tests. The parents argued that doing so would simply expose their children to the same kind of high-stakes testing that they had tried to avoid by opting out.
State lawyers also tried to highlight how Florida’s retention policy has improved education. Juan Copa, a deputy education commissioner who deals with the accountability system, said Florida’s ranking on national tests and its graduation rate has improved since the state began requiring the tests for advancement to the fourth grade.
Mary Jane Tappen, vice chancellor for K-12 public schools, also testified that there are questions about whether report cards are an accurate and fair measurement of whether students know everything they should.
“The concern is that those decisions are not based on the same scale and consistent from student to student across the state,” she said.
While the hearing Monday was not as emotional as an earlier round of testimony, the lawsuit remains contentious. Even Gievers’ authority to decide the case is in doubt.
Monday’s hearing moved forward despite almost all of the school districts refusing to fully participate. The districts insist that Gievers doesn’t have jurisdiction over their retention polices and have asked for their cases to be heard in their own counties and separate from the suit against the state.
That was one of a barrage of objections covering everything from whether revealing certain information about the students might violate their federal privacy rights to whether Attorney General Pam Bondi should have been formally notified about the case.
Gievers said she would rule on the venue for the case and the request for an injunction as quickly as possible. In the meantime, she swatted away the districts’ objections and pushed ahead, keeping court in session through lunch and into the evening.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Northview Splits Volleyball Matches With Pensacola High
August 23, 2016
The Northview Chiefs opened their volleyball season with a junior varsity win, while the varsity fell to the Pensacola High School Tigers Tuesday afternoon in Pensacola.
The Northview JV beat PHS two games to none 26-24, 25-23.
The Chiefs fell to the Tigers in varsity action 4-25, 8-25, 9-25.
The Northview Chiefs will host West Florida High School on Tuesday and Pensacola Christian on Thursday. Junior varsity games are at 4:30 and varsity games are at 5:30 both days.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.