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Local Unemployment Rate Increasing

The latest job numbers released  Monday show the unemployment level increasing in the three-county North Escambia area

Escambia County’s seasonably adjusted unemployment rate increased from 5.0 percent in December to 5.3 percent in January.  There were 7,410 people reported unemployed  during the period. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 6.3 percent.

Santa Rosa County unemployment increased from 4.4 percent to 4.7 percent from December to January.. Santa Rosa County had a total of  3,476 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 5.2  percent.

In Escambia County, Alabama, unemployment increased from 6.8 percent in December to 7.3 percent in December. That represented 1,044 people unemployed in the county during the month. One year ago, the unemployment rate in Escambia County, Alabama, was 7.2 percent.

Florida’s vunemployment rate was 5 percent in January, down from a revised 5.1 percent in December. Both the December and November rates were initially announced at 5 percent before being adjusted to 5.1 percent. The January jobless rate represents 492,000 Floridians being out of work from a labor force of 9.76 million. The state’s unemployment mark, which a year ago was at 5.7 percent, sits just behind the national mark of 4.9 percent.

Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 6.2 percent in January, was down from December’s rate of 6.3 percent and was above the year-ago rate of 6.0 percent.

The jobless numbers released by Florida and Alabama do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

Emergency Teams Regain Control Of Holman Prison After Stabbings

The Alabama Department of Corrections sent three Correctional Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to the William C. Holman Correctional Facility on Monday in response to an inmate-on-inmate stabbing.’

For more information from Gov. Robert Bentley’s visit to the prison Tuesday morning, click here.

Officials report the assault happened at approximately 8:30 a.m. in a prison dormitory when an inmate assaulted another inmate with a makeshift weapon. Corrections officers responded to the incident and removed the victim from the dormitory. The inmate’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.

When officers tried to apprehend the suspect in the stabbing, they were met with resistance. Prisoners became aggressive and barricaded themselves inside the dorm. Officers secured all sections of the prison to prevent the inmates inside the dorm from entering other parts of the facility. Approximately 70 inmates were the dorm at this time of the incident. Inmates had attempted to gain control of the same dormitory on Friday, with the prison regaining control the following morning.

In response to Monday’s disturbance, the CERT entered and regained control of the dorm at approximately 2:45 p.m. The inmates responsible for Mondaday’s disturbance were detained and moved to segregation. The dormitory is again secured and the prison remains on lockdown. No additional injuries to officers or inmates were reported.

The lockdown limits the movement of inmates inside the prison, and officials have temporarily cancelled visitation. A CERT team will remain at the prison to assist corrections officers in maintaining order at the prison.

The corrections officer who was stabbed Friday night is recovering from his injuries. Warden Carter Davenport, who was also stabbed, reported to the prison on Sunday. The inmates who were involved in the weekend stabbings, and other inmates who took part in the disturbance, were being detained away from the prison’s general population

After the weekend disturbance ended, the CERT Teams searched the prison’s housing units and found 30 cellphones, makeshift knives and other contraband. It is not known at this time what prompted the disturbance. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is expected to visit Holman Monday to meet with prison officials and tour the facility to get the latest information on the two disturbances in the past three days that have left three people with stab wounds.

Pictured top: Holman Prison in Atmore Picture below: Visitors to Holman Prison in Atmore were stopped at a guard gate along Highway 21 on Monday as the facility remained under lockdown. NorthEscambia.com photos.

Northview JV Beats Central

The Northview junior varsity baseball team defeated Central 9-3 on Monday night to improve to 9-1 on the season.

Both teams exchanged one run in the first inning and the Chiefs added one run in the second and third innings to take a 3-1 lead after three innings. The Chiefs then scored four runs in the fourth to go ahead 7-1. The Jaguars answered with one run in the bottom of the fourth. The Chiefs added two more insurance runs in the fifth to lead 9-2 after five innings. The Jaguars added one more run in the sixth inning.

Leading hitters for the Chiefs were MJ Jones (2-4, 2 R), Wesley Hardin (1-1, 2 RBI), Jason Fischer (1-1, R), Andrew Sharpless (1-1), Cade Allen (1-2, 3 R), John Chivington (1-3, 2 SB, R), Jackson Moore (1-4, 2B), and Heath Sheldt (1-4). Trevor Singleton and Sam Stott also added a run each for the Chiefs.

Trevor Singleton earned the win on the mound, throwing five innings and striking out six batters. Cade Allen threw one inning.

The Chiefs return to action Tuesday night at home against Baker, with JV playing at 4:00 and varsity at 6:00.

Pictured: The JV Northview Chiefs beat Central Monday night 9-3. Photos by Charity Sheldt for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Deputies Seek West Florida High Vandals

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the public’s help in identifying two people who vandalized West Florida High School sometime last Thursday. One suspect is seen on video placing a track hurdle outside a door to the school.  Deputies found other track hurdles that had been placed around the property, including the roof. While on school grounds the duo also spray painted graffiti on buildings and sidewalks. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at  (850) 436-9630 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.

Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Merrell Smith

Mrs. Merrell Smith, 83, passed away on Monday, March 14, 2016, in Atmore.

Mrs. Smith was a native of Perdido and a resident of Atmore for the past 30 years. She was of the Holiness Faith. She is preceded in death by her husband, James Wesley Smith and a son, Billy Dewayne Smith.

Survivors include her two daughters, Betty Jean Singleton and Judy Blackburn both of Atmore; three brothers, Curtis Chavers, Leon Chavers and Ray Chavers all of Davisville; two sisters, Foncie Chavers of Nokomis, AL and Lois Castleberry of Andalusia, AL; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 16, 2016, at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Steve Breceda officiating.

Burial was at the Canoe Freewill Baptist Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Kyle McGhee, Don Helton, DeWitt Roley, Johnny Hadley, Robert McCullough, Tony Stewart and Kyle McGhee.

Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.

Another Stabbing Reported At Holman Prison

For an update to this story, click here.

[Update 11:35 a.m.]An inmate on inmate stabbing took place this morning at Holman Prison in Atmore.

Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton said the assault happened at approximately 8:30 a.m. in a prison dormitory when an inmate assaulted another inmate with a makeshift weapon.   Corrections officers responded to the incident and removed the victim from the dormitory.  The inmate’s injuries are not life-threatening.

When officers tried to apprehend the suspect in the stabbing, they were met with resistance.  Prisoners became aggressive and barricaded themselves inside the dorm.  Officers have secured all sections of the prison to prevent the inmates inside the dorm from entering other parts of the facility.   Approximately 70 inmates are in the dorm at this time.   No officers, or other inmates have been injured.

The Alabama Department of Corrections has sent a Correctional Emergency Response Team to the prison in response to the situation.  The prison is locked-down and there is no imminent danger to prison staff, corrections officers, or inmates in secured areas of the facility.

More details will be posted as they become available.

The corrections officer who was stabbed Friday night is recovering from his injuries.   Warden Carter Davenport, who was also stabbed, reported to the prison on Sunday.  The inmates who were involved in the weekend stabbings, and other inmates who took part in the disturbance, were being detained away from the prison’s general population

After the weekend disturbance ended, the CERT Teams searched the prison’s housing units and found 30 cellphones, makeshift knives and other contraband. It is not known at this time what prompted the disturbance.  An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause.

Pictured above and below: Inmate cell phone photos from inside Holman Prison during a weekend riot.

Big Issues Met Different Fates During 2016 Session

A couple sailed through quickly. Others bumped along until finally passing. Still others flamed out before getting votes.

Throughout the 60-day legislative session that ended Friday night, big issues confronted the House, Senate and Gov. Rick Scott. Here is what happened — or didn’t — in 10 key areas.

BUDGET: The House and Senate signed off Friday on an $82.3 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The budget, which is about $3 billion more than Gov. Rick Scott proposed, drew nearly unanimous bipartisan support. Among other things, the budget will increase per-student spending on public schools by 1 percent, moving it to a record amount, and includes money for Everglades restoration. During the closing days of the session, speculation focused on whether Scott would veto large parts of the budget — or possibly even the whole spending plan. While widespread vetoes remain a possibility, Scott described the plan Friday night as a “good budget.”

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Scott suffered a defeat when lawmakers did not go along with his high-profile request to set aside $250 million for incentives to attract businesses to Florida. Scott spent months trying to build support for the money, traveling the state and enlisting support from local officials and business leaders. But many lawmakers expressed skepticism about the proposal, and House and Senate leaders decided to leave it out of the budget. That decision fanned much of the speculation about Scott’s possible budget vetoes.

EDUCATION: During the closing hours of the session, lawmakers approved a wide-ranging education bill that drew praise from supporters of school choice. The bill, in part, would allow parents to transfer their children to any public school in the state that isn’t at capacity. Also, it would give charter schools that serve lower-income students or children with disabilities a bigger slice of state construction funding. One of the biggest education debates of the session focused on the “Best and Brightest” program, which provides bonuses to teachers. The program has faced criticism because it partly ties the bonuses to teachers’ scores on college-admissions tests. Best and Brightest was included in the new budget, despite protests about whether it will improve student achievement and whether it is fair. Supporters say the program can help attract high-performing college students into the teaching profession.

GAMBLING: The Scott administration and the Seminole Tribe of Florida late last year reached agreement on a plan that called for the tribe to pay $3 billion to the state over seven years in exchange for being able to offer roulette and craps at Seminole casinos. But the agreement, known as a “compact,” required legislative approval and, as often happens with gambling issues in Tallahassee, set off a feeding frenzy. The House and Senate put together broad proposals that dealt with issues such as allowing slot machines at pari-mutuel facilities outside South Florida. The proposals ultimately died without getting votes in the full House or Senate.

GUNS: The National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates typically hold a huge amount of influence in the Republican-controlled Legislature. But two major gun bills died this year after supporters could not steer them through the Senate. One of the bills would have allowed people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on college and university campuses. The other bill would have allowed people with the licenses to openly carry firearms. Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, did not take up either bill in his committee, effectively blocking them from advancing.

HEALTH CARE: After the issues percolated throughout the legislative session, lawmakers Friday approved proposals to change some health-care regulations and to offer more information to patients about the prices of medical services. House Republican leaders have made regulatory changes a priority, arguing that such moves would help increase competition and choices in the health-care system. The proposals approved Friday, for example, include allowing advanced registered nurse practitioners to prescribe controlled substances — a long-debated issue. During the final week, lawmakers also approved allowing terminally ill patients to have access to medical marijuana.

JUSTICE SYSTEM: Lawmakers and Scott rushed to approve a new death-penalty sentencing law after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in January that Florida’s sentencing system was unconstitutional. Scott signed a bill that seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling, which essentially said Florida has given too much power to judges, instead of juries, in sentencing defendants to death. Also during the session, the Legislature approved a bill aimed at ending years of court battles with counties about how juvenile-detention costs should be divided. The bill came after an appeals court ruling that could have put the state on the hook for more than $100 million in back payments to counties.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, made a top priority of helping people with developmental disabilities — or, as he describes them, “unique abilities.” As a result, the Senate and House started the session by quickly approving a package of bills designed to provide more job and educational opportunities to people with disabilities. But Gardiner, whose son has Down syndrome, also got a victory in the final two hours of the session. The Senate took up a bill and stuck on an amendment that would require insurance plans to cover such services as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy for people with Down syndrome. The amended bill quickly passed the Senate and then was approved by the House.

TAX CUTS: Scott tried to drill home a message for months: Lawmakers needed to approve $1 billion in tax cuts and $250 million in economic-incentive money to help bolster job growth and business recruitment. But lawmakers did not go along with the incentive money and approved far fewer tax cuts than Scott wanted. A package approved Friday includes $129.1 million in tax cuts, including the permanent elimination of sales taxes on manufacturing equipment. Also, it includes holding a three-day tax “holiday” in August for back-to-school shoppers. Lawmakers, however, also spent state money to help hold down local property taxes that otherwise would be needed to fund public schools.

WATER: With heavy support from House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, lawmakers started the session by quickly passing a wide-ranging bill to set new water policies for the state. The plan, in part, includes establishing water-flow levels for natural springs and setting guidelines for the Central Florida Water Initiative. Also, it addresses establishing management plans for farming around Lake Okeechobee and nearby waterways. Lawmakers then ended the session by passing another high-profile water initiative known as “Legacy Florida.” That initiative, in part pushed by incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, calls for spending more than $250 million a year on Everglades restoration, springs and Lake Apopka.

by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida

USDA Accepting Tornado Recovery Applications In Century Wednesday

Mostly Sunny, 80 Today

Here is your official NorthEscambia area forecast:
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight.

Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 68.

Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70.

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.

Holman Prison Remains On Lockdown Following Uprising

Officials with the Alabama Department of Corrections report that the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore is still locked-down after prisoners assaulted and stabbed a correctional officer and the prison warden during a disturbance that began at 9:15 p.m. Friday and was brought to an end early Saturday morning.

Three Correctional Emergency Response Teams and corrections officers were able to bring the situation under control after an estimated 100 inmates started a fire inside the facility and tried to gain control of one of the prison’s dormitories.  After the disturbance ended, the CERT Teams searched the prison’s housing units and found 30 cellphones, makeshift knives and other contraband.

It is not known at this time what prompted the disturbance.  An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause.

The corrections officer who was stabbed is recovering from his injuries.   Warden Carter Davenport, who was also stabbed, reported to the prison on Sunday.

The inmates who were involved in the stabbings, and other inmates who took part in the disturbance, are being detained away from the prison’s general population.

Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said the quick response to the disturbance by the warden, corrections officers and the department’s operations team helped prevent a volatile situation from escalating to something more serious.

“I want to credit Warden Davenport, members of his staff, and the corrections officers who were able to bring the situation under control without very serious consequences,” said Dunn.  “I also want to thank other law enforcement agencies that responded to the incident and assisted the department at a critical time.”

Corrections officials say that there is limited movement inside the prison and inmates are being cooperative and orderly.  Corrections officials have temporally cancelled visitation and the prison will remain on lockdown for the next few days until an investigation into the incident is complete.

For an earlier story with more photo and a video, click here.

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