Obama Comforts Survivors Of Orlando Massacre
June 17, 2016
President Barack Obama spent Thursday afternoon in Orlando, comforting the family members of victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub massacre.
“Their grief is beyond description,” Obama said after he and Vice President Joe Biden spent two hours at the Amway Center, meeting privately with people who lost loved ones in Sunday’s attack. “These families could be our families. In fact, they are our family. … And today the vice president and I told them, on behalf of the American people, that our hearts are broken, too.”
Obama arrived in Orlando at 12:45 pm, accompanied on Air Force One by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla. Biden had arrived shortly before on Air Force Two with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. They were greeted on the tarmac by Gov. Rick Scott, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs before traveling in a motorcade to the Amway Center.
After meeting with the families, Obama and Biden went to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, where they placed bouquets of 49 white roses — one for each of the people who died in the attack — at a makeshift memorial there.
After several moments of silence, Obama moved to a podium and spoke to reporters, praising the first responders and medical personnel who responded to the attack. The shooter, St. Lucie County resident Omar Mateen, was killed by police.
Obama quoted one of the doctors as saying, “After the worst of humanity reared its evil head, the best of humanity came roaring back.”
The president called for unity across party lines “to stop killers who want to terrorize us.” He vowed to be “relentless” against terrorist groups like ISIL and al-Qaida.
“We are going to destroy them,” he said. “We are going to disrupt their networks and their financing and the flow of fighters in and out of war theaters. We’re going to disrupt their propaganda that poisons so many minds around the world.”
However, he noted, the last two terrorist attacks in the United States, in Orlando and San Bernardino, were “homegrown.”
“It’s going to take more than just our military, more than just our intelligence teams,” he said. “If you have lone wolf attacks like this, hatched in the minds of disturbed persons, we’re going to have to take different kinds of steps to prevent these kinds of things from happening.”
He noted that the Pulse attack was done by “a single killer with a powerful assault rifle,” saying that while the motives may have been different than in other mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., or Aurora, Colo., “the instruments of death are similar.”
The president said he was pleased that the U.S. Senate had agreed to consider gun control measures. .
“Today, once again, as has been true too many times before, I held and hugged grieving family members and parents, and they asked, ‘Why does this keep happening?’ ” he said. “And they pleaded that we do more to stop the carnage. They don’t care about the politics — and neither do I.”
Those who defend easy access to assault weapons, he said, “should meet these families and explain why that makes sense.”
Jay-Fidelis All-Stars Win 8U District Tournament
June 17, 2016
The Jay-Fidelis Rookie League All-Star Team recently won the AL District 7 Cal Ripken 8U District Tournament at Tom Byrne Park in Atmore. The team will represent the district at the 2016 Alabama 8U Cal Ripken State Tournament in Athens, AL, from June 24-28.
The team is accepting donations to offset travel and tournament expenses. Click here to donate.
Pictured: (front, L-R) Carson Baxley, Nicholas Baxley, Nathan Strickling, Brady Godwin, Rowdy Fretwell, Judson Marcantel, Cooper Willis, Mason Mathis, Mason Jordan, Ethan Pipkin, Jacob Knowles, Clay Norris, Ryan Wells, and Reece Partrick, (back) Stewart Baxley, Assistant Coach; Brandon Godwin, Head Coach; Brent Jordan, Assistant Coach; Brandon Pipkin, Assistant Coach. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Split Doubleheader With Mobile
June 17, 2016
In an all-important doubleheader against the Mobile BayBears, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos split the games to take a half game lead in the Southern League South Division over the Biloxi Shuckers.
In a must-win game, Pensacola pinch hitter Jeff Gelalich hit a soft line drive to the opposite field in left to give the Blue Wahoos a walk-off win, 3-2, with two outs in the seventh inning.
It was Pensacola’s fourth walk-off hit in its last seven games.
Then in the second game, Mobile returned the favor when Mobile right fielder Gabriel Guerrero led off with a single to center and then first baseman Kevin Cron singled to right field, allowing Guerrero to reach third base. Mobile third baseman Cody Regis delivered a deep sacrifice fly ball to right center to score Guerrero for a 3-2 lead.
The split puts Pensacola at 38-29 a half game up on the Biloxi Shuckers, who dropped to 37-29 with a 3-1, loss to the last place Jacksonville Suns.
In the first game, Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth launched an opposite field homer to left field, his third in 35 at bats this season, to start the sixth inning and tie the game, 2-2, in the sixth inning.
Pensacola starting pitcher Amir Garrett reached 5.2 innings before being yanked after throwing 98 pitches. The southpaw reached his pitch limit after throwing 10 pitches to third baseman Travis Denker before walking him.
Garrett allowed three hits and three walks and gave up two earned runs to Mobile, while striking out eight.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said the victory was critical.
“To be up a half game in the win column in this division is huge,” Kelly said. “It is very important.”
Pensacola left fielder Tony Renda said he’s confident in his Blue Wahoos teammates to win the first half and make the playoffs for the second time in the team’s five-year history.
“In my eyes we are clearly the best,” said Renda, who was 3-7 with a run scored and his 24th double of the year. “I have all the faith in the world that we will finish strong.”
In the second game, Pensacola shortstop Calten Daal smashed a standup triple to the right center gap that drove in Renda, who hit a hard liner to left field, and pulled the Blue Wahoos within, 2-1. Elizalde then lifted a deep fly ball to left field to score Daal and tie the game, 2-2. Mobile then pulled out the victory in the eighth.
Mobile scored first when left fielder Steward Ijames hit a solo blast into the Hill-Kelly Dodge hill in right field.
Mobile went ahead, 2-0, in the top of the fourth inning when Pensacola starting pitcher Barrett Astin intentionally walked BayBears shortstop Ildemaro Vargas to pitch to right-hander Billy Buckner, who was hitless this year. But Astin walked him on five pitches to score Mobile’s Cron.
Mobile’s Buckner retired the last 12 batters in a row before coming out at the end of the fourth inning for reliever Luis Ramirez, who retired two more, before hitting Pensacola third baseman Eric Jagielo.
The Blue Angels Are Back
June 16, 2016
The Blue Angels announced Thursday morning that they have started training flights in preparation to resume the team’s Pensacola practice and air show season schedules.
The team flew its first training flight about 9:30 this morning in a “Big V” formation, with five aircraft, over downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Beach this morning.
The formation few over Perdido Key towards Pensacola Beach, then over Palafox St. in downtown Pensacola before returning to Forrest Sherman Field on Naval Air Station Pensacola.
Pictured: The Blue Angels back in the skies Thursday morning. Bottom photo reader submitted by Douglas Berry for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Hit And Run Driver Identified, Facing Arrest
June 16, 2016
Thanks to public tips, the Florida Highway Patrol has identified the driver of a Dodge Ram involved in a May 31 hit and run crash in Cantonment.
According to the FHP, the Dodge Ram was traveling northbound on Wegner Avenue approaching Mintz Lane when the driver failed to stop at a yield sign and struck a Toyota Avalon driven by 71-year old Elizabeth Harris of Cantonment.
The Toyota left the roadway and struck a concrete table and landscaping at 302 Wegner Avenue, while the driver of the Dodge Ram fled the scene northbound on Wegner Avenue. Harris and her six-year old passenger suffered minor injuries.
Wednesday night, the FHP said the Dodge Ram was located on Well Line Road and identified as the the vehicle involved in the crash. The driver of the Dodge was identified as 25-year old Colby Chase Myrick of Cantonment. The FHP said Myrick has an arrest warrant pending judicial review for leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, driving while license revoked habitual, reckless driving with injuries, driving while license expired more than six months and tampering with evidence.
Myrick was also cited for failure to report a crash and failure to provide insurance in a crash.
Myrick’s 1996 Dodge ram was identified by a piece of the front grill left behind at the crash scene with a chrome skull with two guns mounted to the front.
Vehicle photo by Penny DeVries for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Heat Advisory Issued
June 16, 2016
A heat advisory is in effect for Thursday and Friday afternoons.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
This Afternoon: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. West wind around 5 mph.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. West wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Heat index values as high as 107. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. East wind around 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 89. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 91.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 72.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Escambia Man Charged In 2015 Fatal Crash
June 16, 2016
A man who drove his truck into a home on East Mallory Street last year and killed a woman who was sitting in the living room has been arrested.
John Dye, 31, was charged with vehicular homicide by the Pensacola Police Department, and his bond was set at $100,000.
The incident occurred around 6:40 p.m. May 3, 2015. Sgt. Danny Lawrence said Donna Sue Alexander, 52, of Pensacola was sitting in her living room in the 1600 block of East Mallory Street when a Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck driven by Dye crashed into the house. Lawrence said Alexander died at the scene.
Lawrence said Dye was northbound on 17th Avenue when the truck left the road, struck the house and entered the living room. The investigation determined Dye was intoxicated from inhaling Endust for Electronics Multi-Purpose Duster. A chemical in the duster may cause loss of consciousness, loss of control, grogginess, and an overall dazed appearance, according to police.
Lawrence said the investigation determined the duster can, which was recovered from Dye’s vehicle, revealed his DNA on the nozzle in addition to his fingerprints on the can.
Shots Fired During Robbery Of Nine Mile Road Raceway
June 16, 2016
Shots were fired during the armed robbery of a Raceway gas station on Nine Mile Road Wednesday night.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said two armed men entered the store at Nine Mile Road and Fowler Avenue about 8:20 p.m. and held up the clerk. Deputies said two shots were fired during the robbery, but there were no injuries.
The men fled the scene in a U-Haul truck. Further details have not yet been released.
Anyone with information on the robbery should call call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: Surveillance video from inside the store. Pictured bottom: Deputies arrive on scene of an armed robbery at a Raceway on Nine Mile Road Wednesday night. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview’s FFA Named One Of Florida’s Finest
June 16, 2016
The Northview High School FFA was named one of Florida’s Finest FFA chapters and recognized on stage Wednesday at the 88th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo in Orlando.
The selection of Florida’s Finest FFA Chapters is based upon the completion of the National Chapter Award program application. These chapters have excelled in the areas of student, chapter and community development and have worked hard to fulfill the mission of the FFA. Northview’s FFA chapter will represent Florida at the national level in the National Chapter Award Program in Louisville, KY.
The Northview FFA Chapter and members are expected to receive additional awards and honors as the convention continues this week.
Pictured in Orlando Wednesday are Northview FFA members Emma Fennell, Kaitlyn Kleinatland, Haylee Weaver, Zack Steele, Mitchell Singleton, Cody Kite, Bethany Reynolds, Brandon Korinchak and Courtney Weekley. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gun Measures Expected To Return In 2017 Session
June 16, 2016
The mass shootings in an Orlando nightclub this week have fueled the already-polarizing issues of gun rights and gun control, with the debate expected to return on multiple fronts during Florida’s 2017 legislative session.
Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday called for a special session to halt gun sales to people on federal watch lists and to impose new requirements for becoming a security guard. Republican legislative leaders say a special session isn’t needed.
Instead, lawmakers next spring are expected to revisit measures that failed during the 2016 session, such as proposals to allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry handguns in most public places and to be able to bring their side arms onto university and college campuses.
Lawmakers could also consider eliminating “gun-free zones,” which are places, including nightclubs, where people with concealed-weapons licenses are not allowed to tote weapons.
“Time and time again we’ve seen that gun-free zones don’t protect anybody but the terrorist,” said state Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican who has played a leading role in supporting gun-rights legislation. “There is nothing you can do if you’re on the inside, and you have no firearm in which to engage a shooter, but hide behind a desk or hide behind wherever and wait until the police arrive. And I don’t believe that should be the public policy of the state of Florida.”
Such proposals in the past would have exempted courthouses and businesses, such as Disney World, where people have to go through security checkpoints.
“You know that no one is walking in with a gun because there is security and a metal detector,” said Steube, who is running for the Senate this year.
Under a proposal rolled out Wednesday by a group of Central Florida Democrats, a special session would be held to consider legislation that would prohibit anyone on a federal watch list or no-fly list — due to suspicion of terrorist ties or activities — from purchasing firearms in Florida. Those no longer on the list would be able to buy guns, but after a more “extensive background check” by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, called the proposal a tactical measure to prevent future tragedies.
Soto was joined at a press conference outside the Orange County Courthouse by Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, and Reps. John Cortes of Kissimmee and Randolph Bracy of Orlando.
Thompson, who along with Soto is running for Congress and will not be part of the Legislature in 2017, said the state needs to tighten policies on who can obtain guns.
“We’ve got to look at our background check to make sure people cannot buy guns at gun shows without a background checks, that they cannot buy guns from private individuals without a background check,” Thompson said. “We’ve got to look at our rules here in the state of Florida as to who can be licensed as a security guard.”
Thompson also said the state and federal government need to review how much firepower people need for self-protection.
“I don’t think there is anyone here who opposes a person’s right to defend themselves,” Thompson said. “But what do you need for self-defense? Do you need a bazooka? Do you need a flame thrower? Do you need a rocket launcher? Do you need an assault-style weapon? It is those kinds of things we want to examine in the special session.”
Cortes said only law enforcement should have assault rifles similar to the one used Sunday in the attack at the Orlando nightclub Pulse. St. Lucie County resident Omar Mateen, 29, killed 49 people and wounded dozens of others before he was shot dead by police.
Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said he “is not aware of any specific proposed legislation that would necessitate a special session.”
Marion Hammer, the longtime Tallahassee lobbyist for the National Rifle Association and the Unified Sportsmen of Florida, said in an email that the special session request by “these ultraliberal, gun hating Democrats” is “political grandstanding.”
“They are attempting to exploit a tragedy for political gain,” Hammer said in the email.
The request for the special session came as U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Orlando, filed federal legislation Wednesday that would allow the FBI to enter the names of people who are or have been investigated for possible ties to terrorism into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, which gun-shop owners use to run background checks on prospective gun buyers.
The bill wouldn’t bar people from buying guns but would flag them for the FBI when background checks are conducted.
“We’re not saying: don’t sell guns to someone just because they were investigated,” Nelson said in a prepared statement. “But having a system in place that alerts the FBI if someone they once investigated is suddenly trying to purchase multiple assault weapons is just common sense.”
The gunman in Orlando, who reportedly had no criminal history and cleared background checks to become a security guard, had been on a terrorism watch list in 2013 and 2014. However, FBI Director James Comey told reporters Monday that “once an investigation is closed, there is then no notification of any sort that is triggered by that person then attempting to purchase a firearm when the cases were closed as inconclusive.”
The NRA released a statement Wednesday that maintained its opposition to barring “law-abiding” people from buying guns.
“Anyone on a terror watch list who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing,” Chris W. Cox, the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action executive director, said in a release. “If an investigation uncovers evidence of terrorist activity or involvement, the government should be allowed to immediately go to court, block the sale, and arrest the terrorist. At the same time, due process protections should be put in place that allow law-abiding Americans who are wrongly put on a watch list to be removed.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida