Monday Is Deadline For Tornado Recovery Federal Disaster Loans
June 5, 2016
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Monday is the deadline to businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters to submit low-interest disaster loan applications for the physical damages caused by the severe storms and tornadoes in Century and Ferry Pass last February.
Low-interest disaster loans are available in Escambia County, FL, and the adjacent counties of Santa Rosa in Florida; Baldwin and Escambia in Alabama.
Businesses of any size and nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and private, nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.
Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.
Interest rates are as low as 4 percent for businesses, 2.625 percent for nonprofit organizations, and 1.813 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may now include a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Disaster loan information and applications may also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is June 6, 2016. The deadline to return economic injury applications is January 9, 2017.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
June 5, 2016
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- U.S. 29 – Intermittent and alternating lane closures continue within the town of Century and north beginning at Champion Drive.
- Interstate 10 (I-10)/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements – Alternating lane closures near U.S. 29 (exits 10A and 10B) Sunday, June 5 through Thursday, June 9 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., as crews perform barrier wall and striping work. In addition, the east and westbound U.S. 29 ramps will be closed during this time as crews place barrier wall. Traffic destined for I-10 eastbound will be detoured south to make a U-turn at Diamond Dairy Road. Traffic destined for I-10 westbound will be detoured north to make a U-turn at Broad Street.
- I-10 Widening – Intermittent and alternating lane closures near U.S. 90 (Scenic Highway/exit 17), from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the week of June 6 as crews perform striping work.
- Nine Mile Road / State Road (S.R.) 10- Lane closure between Pine Forest Rod and U.S. 29 at Ashland Avenue from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, June 5 through Thursday, June 9 as crews construct an eastbound, right turn lane at Milestone Apartments.
- I-110- Minor delays between the Maxwell Street ramp and the I-10 overpass from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, June 12 through Thursday, June 16. A slow moving vehicle will be used to place reflective pavement markers along the roadway.
Santa Rosa County:
- I-10 Widening – Alternating lane closures, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, June 5 through Thursday, June 9 as crews continue widening work. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange for bridge work.
- I-10 Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Rest Area –Resurfacing entry/exit ramps of rest areas in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties continues through Friday, June 17. Lane closures will be in effect 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Only one rest area in each county will be closed during paving operations. Variable message boards and the I-10 Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) will be used to alert drivers of the temporary closure.
- S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard)- Intermittent lane closures and slow moving operations from U.S. 98 to the toll bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. continuing through Thursday, June 30 as crews perform striping operations. There will be no work performed Friday through Sunday.
- S.R. 87 and S.R. 89 from S.R. 4 to the Alabama line – Intermittent and alternating lane closures and slow moving operations from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. continuing through Friday, July 15 as crews perform striping operations.
- U.S. 98 – Crews will perform striping operations and install raised pavement markers (RPMs) from the Pensacola Bay Bridge to Central Parkway (approximately nine miles) Sunday through Thursday nights through Thursday, June 30. Motorists may encounter minor traffic delays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- S.R. 399 over U.S. 98 – Overnight repairs to the S.R. 399 southbound overpass over U.S. 98 will be in place from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. throughout the project. U.S. 98 will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Shoreline Drive to just east of S.R. 399 to allow westbound U.S. 98 traffic to be diverted to eastbound U.S. 98. Westbound U.S. 98 access to S.R. 399 will be closed. An on-site detour will direct traffic to turn left on Daniel Street, left on Shoreline Drive and then right on eastbound U.S. 98 to access S.R. 399 via the at grade on ramp.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling in a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
Escambia Man Facing Up To Life For Molesting Child
June 5, 2016
An Escambia County man is facing up to life in prison after being convicted of molesting a child.
An Escambia County Jury convicted 32-year old James Anthony Stevenson of two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, one count of lewd or lascivious Conduct, and one count of lewd or lascivious exhibition.
The case involved sexual abuse by Stevenson on a young boy, according to prosecutors. The child disclosed the abuse to his mother in January 2015.
Circuit Court Judge J. Scott Duncan scheduled sentencing for June 28. Stevenson faces up to life in prison and a minimum mandatory of 25 years state prison. Stevenson is already a designated as a sexual predator for committing an attempted sexual battery on a child in 2002.
Ernest Ward Middle Presents 6th Grade Awards
June 5, 2016
Ernest Ward Middle School recently presented the following awards:
ERNEST WARD MIDDLE SCHOOL 6TH GRADE AWARDS
A Honor Roll
Mackenzie Sims
Anna Adams
Jaden Lewis
John Bashore
Jason Gurganus
Hunter Borelli
Kileigh Lundy
Shelby Cotita
Mia Starns
Grayson James
Ethan Kilburn
A/B Honor Roll
Ashton Ray
James Loftis
Kailyn Watson
Makayla Ramsey
Shelby Rice
Gracie Godwin
Sarah Hetrick
Taylor Levins
Torka Mills
Kenzy McLaney
Clayton Kittrell
Kaitlin Gafford
Michayla Kent
Steven O’Leary
Jace Gifford
Trevor Wood
Madelyn McAnally
Kinzey Powell
Adeniza Fennell
Lakyn Bodiford
Rebekah Stilwell
Bailey Stuckey
Payton Gilchrist
Xavier Carter
Science Fair Winners
Anna Adams
Shelby Rice
Mia Starns
Paige Gibbs
Jonathan Gibbs
Louis Crabtree
Gracie Godwin
Kara Hawkins
Noah Harigel
Highest GPA
Anna Adams
Language Arts (Roley)
Highest Academic Average, Anna Adams
Most Improved, Haiden Seals
Reading (Lowery)
Highest Academic Average, Ethan Kilburn
Most Improved, Sarius Davis
Math (Hendricks, McCall)
Highest Academic Average, Mia Starns
Most Improved, Braxton Peebles
Science (Butler)
Highest Academic Average, Anna Adams
Most Improved, Dathan Church
History (Martin/Chavers)
Highest Academic Average, Anna Adams
Most Improved, Michael Mabire
PE (McCall/Greenwell)
Most Outstanding, John Bashore
Most Outstanding, Kaitlin Gafford
Manufacturing (Sellers)
Most Outstanding, Jacob Daw
Business I (McMorris)
Most Outstanding, Hunter Borelli
Most Outstanding, Lindsey Kimmons
Band/Chorus (McAllister)
Most Outstanding Band, Xavier Carter
Most Outstanding Chorus, Shelby Cotita
Jim Allen, Molino Park Students Raise $4k For Clean Water In Africa
June 5, 2016
Jim Allen Elementary School Enrichment classes in grades K-5 and Molino Park Elementary School Enrichment classes in grades K-2 presented a $4,082.42 donation to the non-profit Maji:Hope.
Maji:Hope works to be bring clean water to rural villages in Africa. Students sold candy bars, bracelets, shirts, and devised individual fundraising projects to donate to this worthy cause. The idea came about after students studied Africa in their enrichment classes and learned of the water crisis and its negative affects.
Working together, students learned that anyone can make a difference.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vacation Bible School Scheduled at Many Area Churches
June 5, 2016
Vacation Bible School is a summertime tradition for many area children. Here is a list of upcoming VBS events in the North Escambia area. To add a VBS to this list, email news@northescambia.com.
Oak Grove Baptist Church VBS
Oak Grove Baptist Church will hold their VBS June 6-10 from 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Dinner will be provided. The church is located at 2600 North Highway 99 in Oak Grove.
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church VBS
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church will hold VBS “Ocean Commotion”, June 6-10 from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. each evening. Light supper will be served. A The church is located at 140 Bogia Road in McDavid.
First Baptist Church of Cantonment VBS
The First Baptist Church of Cantonment will hold their VBS, June 6-10 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. for ages four years through fourth grade. There will be a VBX class for 5th-8th grades. This class must be preregistered. The church is located at 118 Morris Avenue in Cantoment. For more information call (850) 968-9135.
Plainview Baptist Church VBS
Plainview Baptist Church will hold their VBS, June 6-10 from 9 a.m. until noon. The theme is ‘Submerged: Finding Truth Below the Surface’. The church is located at 1101 West Nine Mile Road in Pensacola. For more information call (850) 476-3845.
Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church VBS
Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church will hold VBS “Ocean Commotion”, June 6-10 from 6:15 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. for ages three through 12. Transportation provided. Call Alex at (850) 206-6188 for questions or registration. The church is located at 2550 W 9 Mile Rd in Pensacola.
Oakfield Union Missionary Baptist Church VBS
Oakfield Union Missionary Baptist Church will hold their VBS, The Ultimate Climb: Hiking Up to Meet God, June 13-17, 2016, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Ages four years to adults. The church is located at 459 Hancock Lane in Pensacola. For more information call (850) 476-9127.
First Baptist Church Cottage Hill VBS
First Baptist Church Cottage Hill will hold VBS “Ocean Commotion”, June 13-17 from 6 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. The church is located at 230 Williams Ditch Rd in Cantonment.
New Faith Missionary Baptist Church VBS
New Faith Missionary Baptist Church will hold VBS June 20-24, from 5:45 p.m. until 8 p.m. The church is located at 223 Massachusetts Avenue in Pensacola. For more information call (850) 469-0205.
Highland Baptist Church VBS
Highland Baptist Church will hold VBS ‘Cave Quest’, June 20-24, from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. for ages three through 5th grade. Family night will be June 26. Registration forms available at the church office or request an online registration form at hbcubs2016@gmail.com. The church is located at 6240 County Hwy 95A in Molino.
Charity Chapel VBS
Charity Chapel will hold their VBS June 27-July 1, from 9 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Register online at www.charitychapel.org. The church is located at 5820 Montgomery Avenue in Pensacola. For more information call (850) 944-5520.
Poplar Dell Baptist Church VBS
Poplar Dell Baptist Church will hold VBS July 11 – 15, 2016, from 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. The theme will be Submerged with Motto being Jesus Sees, Jesus Knows, and Jesus Saves. The church is located at 2631 Highway 4A, Century.
Aldersgate United Methodist Church VBS
Aldersgate United Methodist Church will host Surf Shack VBS from July 18-22nd ; 5:30-8:30pm. All children from 3 yr old through rising 5th graders are welcome to join us. Online registration is located at www.aumcmolino.org. For more information contact Sandra at (850) 587-2489 or the church office at (850) 587-5294.
Pine Forest Assembly of God VBS
Pine Forest Assembly of God will hold VBS Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23, from 5:30 until 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 24 at 10:30 a.m. The church is located at 3125 Pine Forest Rd in Cantonment. For more information call (850) 476-1378.
Milton Soldier Among Those Killed In Fort Hood Flood Waters
June 5, 2016
A Santa Rosa County man was one of nine soldiers killed by flood waters at Fort Hood.
Pfc. Brandon Banner of Milton was among those killed when flood waters washed away their tactical vehicle Thursday in a rain-swollen creek.
Banner, 22, entered active-duty military service in March 2014 as a motor transport operator and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, since July 2014.
Banner’s awards and decorations include National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Marksmanship Qualification Badge-Sharpshooter with Carbine.
Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, Spc. Christine Faith Armstrong, Pfc. Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, Pvt. Isaac Lee Deleon, Pvt. Eddy Raelaurin Gates, Pvt. Tysheena Lynette James, and Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey were also killed in the accident. The name of one fatality has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
The circumstances of the accident are unknown at this time, pending an investigation by a team from the Army Combat Readiness Center, Fort Rucker, AL. Photos of the deceased were not yet available.
Register For Science In The Summer Programs At Your Local Library
June 5, 2016
This summer, the Pensacola MESS Hall is presenting GSK Science in the Summer at West Florida Public Libraries, a free science education program.
This year, students will learn about electricity and magnetism through exciting, hands-on activities and experiments like building an electrical circuit and observing the affects of magnets on different materials.
Programs begin the week of June 6. Participants attend a one hour workshop each week for four weeks. Preregistration is required.
Students in grades 2-6 are eligible to participate in the series of four, one-hour lessons, presented at the same time each week. Participants must be able to attend all four sessions. The program is free for participants. Preregistration is recommended since space is limited. Registration will be online. You can register from work, or home, or come into any of our libraries to use public computers.
Pre-Registration Required – Click here to register online!
Programs begin the week of June 6 and continue through July 1.
Tuesdays:
- 10:30 a.m. Pensacola Main Library
- 3 p.m. Molino Branch Library
- 6 p.m. Century Branch Library
Wednesdays:
- 10:30 a.m. Tryon Branch Library
Thursdays:
- 10 a.m. Southwest Branch Library
- 3:30 p.m. Pensacola Library
No Injuries In Highway 29 Rollover
June 5, 2016
There were no injuries in a single vehicle rollover crash about 4:45 a.m. Sunday morning on Highway 29 near Hazzard Lane. The driver of the vehicle refused medical treatment at the scene. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the wreck. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Shall We Play A Game?
June 5, 2016
The game’s the thing, or at least it was this week in Florida politics. A judge grappled with the future of high-stakes card games, while a state panel tried to map out a plan for a controversial sport.
The judge in question was dealing with how pari-mutuel facilities are running popular card games. The state panel was the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, facing new pressure to allow another round of bear hunting in Florida.
There were also less recreational issues at play, such as a challenge to a new abortion law by Planned Parenthood. No one on either side was likely to term that battle a game.
HARASSMENT OR CONSTITUTIONAL?
On an otherwise largely slow news week, the biggest story might have been Planned Parenthood’s decision to file a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging a major new Florida abortion law. The group accused the Legislature of seeking to “punish, harass, and stigmatize the state’s abortion providers for their and their patients’ exercise of constitutional rights.”
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, seeks a ruling that three parts of the law are unconstitutional and an injunction against those parts of the law, which Gov. Rick Scott signed March 25.
The complaint, in part, targets a section of the law that seeks to prevent state agencies, local governments and Medicaid managed-care plans from contracting with organizations that own, operate or are affiliated with clinics that perform elective abortions.
While government agencies are already barred from funding elective abortions, Planned Parenthood argues that the new law would prevent clinics from receiving money to provide other health services for women, such as tests for cervical cancer, pregnancy testing and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. The complaint also challenges part of the law requiring the state Agency for Health Care Administration to inspect at least 50 percent of abortion-clinic patient records each year.
The organization contends the requirement violates equal-protection rights because it unjustifiably treats abortion clinics different from other types of health-care facilities.
The complaint also challenges a section of the law that changes the state’s definition of trimesters of pregnancy. That change in definition came after a controversy last year in which the Scott administration alleged that some clinics were performing second-trimester abortions without proper licenses — an allegation refuted by the clinics, which said the administration tried to use a new definition of trimesters.
The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the law largely along party lines in March, with Republicans saying they had taken steps to make sure the measure would meet legal tests — like the ones now coming from Planned Parenthood.
“Our intent is to put forward a piece of legislation that is constitutionally sound,” Rep. Colleen Burton, a Lakeland Republican who sponsored the bill, said during the session.
The lawsuit filed Thursday is not the only one focused on the politically volatile issue. The Florida Supreme Court is considering a challenge to a 2015 law that would require women to wait 24 hours before having abortions.
CAN THE STATE BEAR ANOTHER HUNT?
Gun-rights groups who defend the right to bear arms were putting some extra emphasis this week on the “bear,” pushing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to once again allow hunters to open fire on Yogi and his friends.
National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer, a past president of the organization who also serves as executive director of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida, penned a letter to the commission that also called for steps such as increasing the number of days to hunt. She painted the issue as essentially a matter of self defense.
“Bears continue to terrorize homeowners and prevent families from allowing children to play outside in some areas,” Hammer wrote. “And while FWC (the commission) is working to educate people about securing trash and is trying to move dangerous bears out of residential areas, those programs are helpful but cannot succeed without hunts to reduce the population.”
Commissioners, who approved a controversial bear hunt last year but have not made a decision about another round, are expected to receive a staff recommendation before a meeting later this month in the Franklin County community of Eastpoint.
The October 2015 hunt — the first in the state in more than two decades — was scheduled for seven days, but ended after two days as hunters killed 304 bears. The state agency had put a 320-bear quota on the hunt and later acknowledged it “underestimated the hunter success for the first day.”
The bears, of course, have no voice in the matter. But they do have advocates.
Kate MacFall, Florida state director for The Humane Society, said while hunt opponents push for non-lethal means to reduce human-bear conflicts and see opposition growing against another hunt, they believe commissioners have already decided.
“It’s trophy hunting, which we certainly don’t support,” MacFall said. “Floridians love bears. Their (the bears’) subpopulations are already fragmented. They’re already having a tough time with habitat destruction, huge developments, so many people moving to Florida … there are so many challenges that these bears already face.”
Local government officials from Seminole, Miami-Dade and Volusia counties have also voiced opposition to a repeat of the 2015 hunt.
Commission staff members have been holding a series of webinars that recap the 2015 hunt, offer the latest estimates on the numbers of bears in Florida, summarize efforts to reduce incidents involving humans and bears, and take public input.
Harry Dutton, leader of the commission’s hunting and game management division, said last week that “for a possible future hunt” officials are looking at the length and time of year for the hunt and limiting the number of permits — a step that wasn’t taken last year. Also, they are looking at how check stations are monitored, rules for hunting on wildlife management areas, the prohibition on baiting bears, the use of dogs to track bears and the minimum size of bears that could be killed.
The agency estimates, based on recent surveys, 4,220 bears are in the state, up from 2,640 in 2002. The population growth has been called robust as the estimated bear count was as low as 300 to 500 in the 1970s, when bears were put on the state’s list of threatened species. Bears were removed from the list in 2012.
BANKING ON A RULING
Meanwhile, lawyers for state regulators and those for a Jacksonville pari-mutuel showed their hands in front of an administrative law judge this week.
While the case is technically limited to Jacksonville Kennel Club, Inc., it could have wide-ranging implications for pari-mutuels throughout the state. Most of those establishments are hosting “designated-player” card games — also known as “player-banked” card games. The games have eclipsed other poker games like Texas Hold ‘Em among Florida gamblers.
Regulators first authorized the designated-player games, in which a player serves as the “bank,” more than four years ago, but in December filed complaints against seven pari-mutuels over the games.
“If the petitioner (the department) allowed something that should not have been allowed, shame on us,” Department of Business and Professional Regulation lawyer William Hall told Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk during closing arguments Wednesday. “But … are these games legal, or are they not?”
Hall said that the way the games are being conducted — not the games themselves — violates state gambling law, which prohibits pari-mutuels from acting as the “bank.” 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.
At the Jacksonville facility, also known as bestbet Jacksonville, designated players who work for third-party companies sit in front of trays of chips but do not actually play the games. Dealers, who work for the cardroom, dole out the chips to the other players at the table. Hall said the Jacksonville facility has essentially established a “bank,” even if it does not directly operate it.
But John Lockwood, who represents the Jacksonville facility, argued that the law is open to interpretation.
“Nowhere does it say you cannot play designated player games. Nowhere does it say you cannot play player-banked games. This is simply an interpretation of the phrase ‘or in which the cardroom establishes a bank against which participants play,’ ” he said.
The outcome could be costly for the facilities. Jacksonville Kennel Club President Jamie Shelton testified Wednesday that the games, launched in September, bring in about $1 million a month. The company invested about $350,000 in setting up the designated-player games, and 85 employees would lose their jobs — paying between $45,000 and $60,000 a year — if they went away, Shelton said.
Lockwood accused regulators of abruptly changing their view of the games after Gov. Rick Scott and the Seminole Tribe signed a proposed $3 billion gambling deal in December. The deal was never approved by the Legislature and never went into effect. The designated-player games are also an issue in a lawsuit between the tribe and the state over banked card games. A five-year deal giving the tribe exclusive rights to operate the banked games expired last summer, prompting that lawsuit.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging a new abortion law approved by the Legislature this spring.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “If a mannequin was sitting in the designated player’s seat, or you just put a Coke can there, the games would play no differently than if a living, breathing, human being was sitting there. They’d play the exact same way. Literally, all the designated player does is sit next to the chips.”— Department of Business and Professional Regulation lawyer William Hall, during a hearing on controversial card games offered at many pari-mutuels.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida