Super Sunny Weekend
March 5, 2016
Here is your official NorthEscambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 39. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Light and variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75.
Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
Lawmakers Turn Down Florida DOC Prison Staffing Request
March 5, 2016
A deal on the state’s public-safety budget that lawmakers reached late Friday would not give the Department of Corrections the 734 additional positions that the agency says are necessary to make Florida’s prisons more secure.
The new jobs were part of an effort by the department to have corrections officers work eight-hour shifts instead of 12-hour shifts. The department has been reeling from a series of reports about issues such as contraband smuggling and abuse of inmates.
Corrections Secretary Julie Jones, who took over the troubled agency last year, requested the positions after three separate audits blamed prison problems, including contraband such as cell phones, on inadequate and overworked staff.
The agency recently launched a lobbying effort, including distributing “734″ stickers, to try to convince the Legislature to approve the staffing levels. Earlier this week, on Twitter, Jones tried to stress the urgency of the situation.
“This is an officer and inmate safety issue,” she tweeted at a reporter. “The Department doesn’t just want 734 … we need it.”
But Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, a Brandon Republican leading the budget negotiations, said legislative staff members believe the agency has enough to do in handling the fallout of a health-care contracting issue.
“Our staff felt that the department pretty much had its hands full dealing with the health-care issues that it needed to deal with and that this was probably more than they could swallow at the current time,” Lee said.
He also noted that the agency already has a large number of open positions that could be filled.
In addition to finishing work on the criminal and civil justice portion of the budget, which also covers the courts system, Lee and House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran struck an agreement on funding for transportation and economic development.
A $6 million film-incentive program that the Senate wanted was dropped from the final deal. Lawmakers also agreed to a provision allowing law-enforcement officers to be assigned to protect Cabinet members.
“We’ve all been aware that the attorney general’s had some serious issues over these last few years but in looking at it and looking at the reform, it was for all the Cabinet officers,” said Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes. “If they need it and the circumstances necessitate it, then obviously we want to make sure that that’s taken care of.”
He said lawmakers would look for ways during the last week of the legislative session to make the provision a permanent part of state law; the budget language would expire after a year.
Lee and Corcoran are still working on the spending plan for education, as well as some administrative portions of the budget. The talks have to be completed by Tuesday for the legislative session to end on Friday, as scheduled, because lawmakers are required to have 72 hours to review the budget before voting on it.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Tate Shuts Out Pine Forest; Northview Dominates PCA
March 5, 2016
Tate 10, Pine Forest 0
The Tate Aggies shut out Pine Forest 10-0 Friday night in Cantonment.
Madison Lockman pitched a one-hitter and had seven strikeouts on the way to the win. He also allowed no earned runs and had no walks.
The Aggies scored a couple of runs in both the third and fourth innings before winning on the run-rule with six runs in the sixth.
Leading hitters for the Tate Aggies were Reid Halfacre 3-5, 2 RBIs, run; Hunter NeSmith 3-4, RBI, run; Logan Blackmon 2-4, RBI; Logan McGuffey 1-3, RBI, run.
Northview 14, PCA 1
The Northview Chiefs defeated Pensacola Christian Academy by a score of 14-1 in 5 innings.
Zach Payne picked up the win, moving his record to 1-0 on the season. He pitched 5 complete innings, giving up 1 run on 1 hit, he walked 1 batter and struck out 10.
Leading hitters for the Chiefs were Alston Wiggins (2-2, 3 RBI, 2B, 1 run), Josh Neese (2-2, 2 2B, 2 runs), Thomas Moore (1-3, 3 RBI, 2B, 1 run), Roman Manning (1-2, 1 RBI, 2 runs), Quentin Sampson (1-2, 1 RBI, 3 runs), Seth Killam (1-3), Zach Holland (1-1, 1 run).
Also scoring runs for the Chiefs were Luke Ward (1 run), Devin Stabler (1 run), Zach Payne (1 run), and Roquan Wiggins (1 run).
The Chiefs improve to 4-1 and host Central on Monday night, March 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Northview 17, PCA 0 (JV)
The Northview JV team defeated PCA JV 17-0 in 5 innings on Friday.
Jackson Moore was the winning pitcher, throwing 5 innings, giving up 0 runs on 1 hit while striking out 3 batters.
Leading hitters for the Chiefs were Heath Sheldt (3-3, 3 runs), John Chivington (1-1, 2B, 3 runs), Wesley Hardin (2-2, 2B), Jackson Moore (2-3), Andrew Sharpless (1-3), Sam Stott (1-3), Alex McMinn (1-2), and Trevor Singleton (1-2).
The JV Chiefs improved to 6-1 and play Tate on Tuesday night, March 8.
New Trial Ordered In Murder Of Escambia County Man Set On Fire
March 5, 2016
Pointing to questions about mental competency, an appeals court Friday ordered a new trial for a man convicted in the 2011 murder in Escambia County of a victim who was beaten and set on fire.
Sergio Dupree Moorer was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in the slaying of John D. Hall.
But a three-judge panel of the strict First District Court of Appeal ruled Friday that a circuit judge erred by not holding a competency hearing for Moorer. The ruling said two experts evaluated Moorer and came to different conclusions about whether he was competent to stand trial.
“In light of the conflicting reports, during a May 6, 2013, status conference, defense counsel and the state agreed it would be necessary for the trial court to set a date to hold a competency hearing; yet, no competency hearing was ever held,” said Friday’s ruling, written by Judge Ronald Swanson and joined by judges Joseph Lewis and Thomas Winokur. “Instead, 15 months later, in August 2014, appellant (Moorer) went to trial and was found guilty by a jury of the … crimes.”
Hall was found on August 21, 2011, in a wooded area near the Marcus Pointe apartment complex. Last seen alive the day before, Hall had been beaten and burned beyond recognition.
Hall’s vehicle was located four days later by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in the Oakstead Mobile Home Park on Massachusetts Avenue. Moorer was inside the vehicle and fled on foot as deputies arrived. After a short foot chase, he was taken into custody.
Florida Gambling Proposals Are Dead
March 5, 2016
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, acknowledged Friday that high-profile gambling proposals, including a potential agreement with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, are dead for this year’s legislative session.
Crisafulli addressed the issue after the House did not take up a wide-ranging gambling bill during a floor session. Along with the agreement with the tribe, lawmakers had been considering proposals such as allowing slot machines at more pari-mutuel facilities.
The demise of the gambling proposals was not a surprise, as Senate leaders said Tuesday that their version of the bill was all but doomed. Crisafulli pointed to the issue stalling in the Senate.
“Without a willing partner to pass that legislation, it was not going to get done,” Crisafulli said.
Also appearing unlikely to pass this year is a proposal stemming from a national debate about whether online fantasy sports are an illegal form of gambling. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, on Friday sought to move forward with a proposal that would make clear fantasy sports are not considered gambling in Florida. Gaetz sought to attach the proposal to a bill (HB 1187) that deals with professional regulations. But after a lengthy debate — and facing opposition from some lawmakers, including the sponsor of the bill — Gaetz withdrew his proposed amendment.
The legislative session ends next Friday.
by The News Service of Florida
Kitchen Fire Damages Century Apartment
March 4, 2016
Quick action by residents with fire extinguishers and Escambia Fire Rescue kept a kitchen fire from spreading at Century apartment complex Friday morning.
The fire, which reportedly began with a pot of grease on a stove, was quickly extinguished before it spreading beyond the kitchen in the 300 building of the Century Woods Apartments on West Highway 4.
There were no injuries reported.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Disaster Relief Distribution In Century
March 4, 2016
The Century Church of Christ at 430 East Highway 4 will be providing disaster relief for tornado victims through the weekend.
Distribution times will be Saturday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.
If you know anyone in need please call (850) 256-2588 or stop by during distribution hours. Items on hand include food boxes, infant boxes, personal hygiene boxes (anything needed in a bathroom), cleaning buckets, and more. Future support is planned as the needs of the families change.
Molino Man Facing Weapons, Drug Charges
March 4, 2016
A Molino man is facing numerous weapons and drug charges after deputies spotted him speeding on Molino Road.
Clifford McFann, Jr., was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, possession of cocaine, introduction of a controlled substance into a detention facility, tampering with evidence, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer without violence and driving while license suspended.
Deputies observed a vehicle traveling on Molino Road at a high rate of speed. They later located the vehicle parked in a driveway at Brickyard Road and Blake Street, occupied by McFann and a female. McFann got out of the vehicle and refused to follow orders from deputies and began to resist. Deputies then “assisted” McFann to the ground as he continued to struggle, according to an arrest report.
A search of McFann’s vehicle revealed 13 loose rounds of .32 caliber bullets in his left front pocket, and a 32 caliber revolver with five live rounds and one spent casing. The gun was listed as stolen out of Mobile, AL, in 1979.
McFann, a convicted felon, was placed under arrest and transported to the Escambia County Jail. As he was being removed from the patrol vehicle at the jail, the deputy reported that his lips and pants were covered with a blue powdery substance that later tested positive for cocaine. According to the arrest report, McFann had several plastic baggies full of cocaine in his mouth that he had attempted to chew up. He was transported to Baptist Hospital for evaluation.
McFann was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $47,500 bond.
Early Voting Begins Saturday In Escambia County
March 4, 2016
Early voting begins Saturday in Escambia County for the March 15 Presidential Primary. Early voting will be available at seven locations:
- Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95A North
- Escambia County Extension Service, 3740 Stefani Road
- Genealogy Branch Library, 5740 N. 9th Avenue
- Main Library, 239 N. Spring Street
- 5 Flags Speedway, 7451 Pine Forest Road
- Supervisor of Elections Main Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor,
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
Early voting will be offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 5, through Saturday, March 12. Early voters cast paper ballots through digital scanners, and may choose any one of the seven sites.
Another option for voters is to cast an absentee ballot, which can be requested through the online form at EscambiaVotes.com, or by email at absentee@escambiavotes.com, phone at (850) 595-3900, mail, or fax to (850) 595-3914. Requests must include the voter’s date of birth and address, and must be received no later than Wednesday, March 9. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day and may not be returned to a polling location. Absentee voters may track the status of their ballot at EscambiaVotes.com.
The third option for voters is to cast a ballot at their precinct on Election Day, March 15. Polls will be open from 7a.m. until 7 p.m. An AutoMARK ballot marking device is also available at each polling place and early voting site to assist persons with disabilities.
Florida is a closed primary state. Only registered Republicans and Democrats are eligible for this election. All eligible voters in Escambia County will be mailed a sample ballot. In addition, voters can verify their registration status, view their sample ballot and find their polling place by visiting EscambiaVotes.com. Voters are reminded to bring their photo and signature ID with them to the polls, and are encouraged to visit EscambiaVotes.com for complete voting information or contact the Elections Office by phone or e-mail with any questions.
Cantonment Fish Fry Today
March 4, 2016
The Cantonment Improvement Committee is holding a fish fry fundraiser today beginning at 10 a.m.
The cooks will be set up on Washington Street in the Carver Park area (near Callaway Street. The cost is $7 per plate that includes fish, baked beans, potato salad and cake. Pre-orders are being accepted at (850) 454-4022. Proceeds benefit the community improvement efforts of the CIC.