Leonard Charles “Chuck” Chase
February 5, 2016
Leonard Charles “Chuck” Chase, 94, passed away peacefully in Pensacola, on Saturday, January 30, 2016. He was a wonderful husband, loving father, and an amazing grandfather and great-grandfather.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 67 years, Jeanne A. Chase; parents, Zodie and Geneva Chase; six brothers, Lester, Edney, Elby, Robert, Zodie Jr., and Walter, and two sisters, Lois and Eula Mae.
Those left to cherish his memory are his two daughters, Carole Draughan and husband Randy of Pensacola and Sue Casper and husband Gary of Coden, Alabama; grandson, Mike Casper (Sheilah); granddaughters, Jennifer Morris (Kevin), Michelle Cartwright (Scott), Jodie Dyer and Mandy Russell (Steven); great-grandchildren, Matthew Casper, Michael Casper, Savannah Cartwright, Trent Dyer, Zachary Morris, Sierra Casper, Cameron Casper, Lindsey Morris, Jacob Morris, Taylor Dyer and Olivia Russell. He is also survived by his brother, Jesse Chase.
Chuck was a decorated World War II veteran having served in the United States Army, member of the 101st Airborne Division, paratrooper. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge. He was the president of the Illinois Amalgamated Transit Union. He was a past Commander for the American Legion Post #340, and was also a member of the VFW Post #706, the Moose Lodge #557 Chapter 898 in Pensacola. He enjoyed spending time with his family and was very proud of them all. He will be remembered the most for his love of family, sharing stories about his life and his ability to fix and repair anything.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at Faith Chapel North with burial services at Barrancas National Cemetery on Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Pallbearers were Randy Draughan, Gary Casper, Mike Casper, Trent Dyer, Zachary Morris and Jacob Morris.
Honorary pallbearers were Matthew Casper and Michael Casper.
Daddy, Grandpa and Chuck will be greatly missed and we are fortunate to have had him with us for so long. We know that he is now with his beautiful bride, Jeanne.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Deborah Elizabeth McKenzie Archer
February 5, 2016
Deborah Elizabeth McKenzie Archer was born November 3, 1952, and passed away January 20, 2016. Deborah was preceded in death by her father, William H. ‘Bill’ McKenzie; stepfather, Henry Jackson Jr.; grandparents, AB and Annie Ruth McKenzie and JW and Clare Booth and special person in her life and family friend, Eunice Enfinger.
Deborah is survived by her mother, Peggy Booth Jackson; loving husband of 34 years, Lloyd Franklin ‘Frankie’ Archer; her “greatest accomplishment”, her son, Michael David Archer and future daughter-in-law, DeAndra Thomas. She is also survived by her brother, Michael (Mike “Red”) (Rose); and her sister, Lydia Smith (Doug). Michael blessed Deborah with two grandchildren, Layne and Chance. Deborah’s former daughter-in-law and Layne and Chance’s mother, Brandy Tyner, was a very special person in her life and became Deborah’s best friend and her and Frankie’s “adopted” daughter. Deborah is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Also left behind to grieve their loss are her fur babies, many cats because they knew where to go to get the best care and her river buddy, her Jack Russell, ‘Jack ‘.
Deborah was a lifetime member of Gonzalez United Methodist Church. She graduated from JM Tate High School, Class of 1970. Deborah worked for St Regis Paper Co. for five years and then finished her working career as a scalehouse operator for APAC Asphalt Co.
In 2004, Deborah unfortunately met cancer. After a very courageous battle, her strong will won out and she beat that disease for 12 years! She showed all of us how to put your mind to something and fight your way through. She had to do this not only with cancer but after also surviving a devastating car accident in 2008. In late 2015, cancer called again and she fought it with everything she had left.
Deborah had many interests but above all was her love for Frankie and Michael and being Grandma Deb to Layne and Chance. Next would have to be her love for the beach. There was no where she would rather be than lying on the sand or relaxing in the water. Water was her life. She would take Jack to the river every day just to be close to the water. If you knew her you probably saw her there. Her fur babies were her life as well. Cats, cats, and more cats. Never too many. If Frankie didn’t like cats when they met, he sure learned how to like them, quickly!
The family would like to thank Dr. Tan and the oncology groups at Sacred Heart Hospital, The Woodlands and West Florida Hospital. We would also like to extend a special thank you to a very dear friend to Frankie and Deborah, Gary Criswell. Our love for Deborah will remain everlasting. She will be forever missed and remembered by many.
A memorial service was held in Deborah’s honor on February 4, 2016, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Charles Hubbert Caraway
February 5, 2016
Mr. Charles Hubbert Caraway, 89, passed away on Thursday, February 4, 2016, in Stockton.
Mr. Caraway was a native of Atmore and a resident of Stockton for the past 30 years. Mr. Caraway was retired from the shipyard in Mobile. He is preceded in death by his brother, Author Caraway; and a daughter, Elsie Hart.
Survivors include his wife, Debra Jean Caraway of Stockton; four daughters, Irma Day of Rabun, Marie Mosley of Stockton, Diann Bryars of Perdido and Marilyn Day of Rabun; one brother, Jimmy Caraway of Atmore; three sisters, Eloise Copeland and Louise Williams both of Atmore and Mary Hamby of Ovett, MS; a number of grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, February 7, 2016, at 2 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Ray Harville officiating.
Visitation will be held Saturday, February 6, 2016, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Alice Marie Conwell
February 5, 2016
Alice Marie Conwell, 90, of Walnut Hill, passed away Thursday, February 4, 2016, in Pensacola. She was a homemaker. She was born in Orlando on November 26, 1925, to the late Troy and Mallie Martin Davis.
She is survived by cousins and many friends.
Graveside services will be Monday, February 8, 2016, in Walnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery with Bro. Dave Taylor officiating.
Interment will follow in Walnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
U.S. Marshals Confirm Modern Day Bonnie And Clyde As Piggly Wiggly Robbery Suspects
February 4, 2016
CLICK HERE for the latest update to this story.
UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: U.S Marshals have confirmed that a modern day Bonnie and Clyde are suspects in yesterday’s robbery of the Piggly Wiggly in it Davisville.
UPDATE 2:30 p.m.: The FBI has confirmed that Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Nicole Harper were last seen around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday crossing over from Florida into Alabama driving a black Ford F-150 with a broken window. This sighting confirmed by federal authorities was about five minutes after the robbery of the Piggly Wiggly in Davisville. There has been no official confirmation from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that the couple are suspects in the Piggly Wiggly robbery.
UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Blake Fitzgerald is a suspect in Wednesday’s armed robbery of the Alvin Island’s store in Destin. The business at 1000 U.S. Highway 98 was robbed at gunpoint shortly after noon. The man was accompanied by a white female who left the store just prior to the holdup.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A couple wanted in connection with a crime spree in Alabama and Georgia may have been responsible for the armed robbery of the Piggly Wiggly on Highway 97 in Davisville, FL, Wednesday afternoon.
Employees said a white male walked into the store about 4:40 p.m., pulled back his shirt to show a gun and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. He reportedly fled along with a female in a black Ford F-150 pickup truck with a busted-out window. They were chased briefly by a store employee north on Highway 97 across the state line into Atmore. There were no injuries reported.
According to store employees, the couple was clearly Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Nicole Harper, both age 31 of Joplin, MO. Employees said deputies showed them photographs of the couple from a law enforcement bulletin, and it was a certain match.
As of late Thursday morning, a spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said they have not confirmed the identities of any suspects in the robbery, and their investigation is continuing.
Fitzgerald and Harper are wanted for an armed robbery and kidnapping at a gas station about 30 miles outside Macon, GA, about 11 p.m. Monday. They were last seen southbound on I-75 in a stolen silver 2010 Ford Edge.
They are also wanted for robbing and abducting a hotel clerk in Tuscaloosa, attempting to rob a McDonald’s manager across from a Birmingham mall, and kidnapping woman and stealing her SUV in Vestavia Hills, AL. outside of Birmingham. The kidnapped woman was released unharmed by the couple outside of an emergency room.
The hotel clerk in Tuscaloosa told authorities that the couple said they were headed to Florida, possibly Panama City, to get married, according to published reports.
The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force is offering a total of $10,000 for the couple’s capture on charges from Alabama and Georgia.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Fitzgerald or Harper should call their local law enforcement agency immediately. They are armed and dangerous and should not be confronted by anyone but law enforcement, according to the FBI.
Pictured above and below: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office on the scene of an armed robbery of the Davisville Piggly Wiggly Wednesday. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos. Pictured inset and bottom: Employees believe Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Nicole Harper, a couple wanted for crimes in Alabama and Georgia, were responsible for the holdup.
Getting Out Of A Tight Space: Confined Space Rescue Training
February 4, 2016
Escambia County Fire Rescue first responders learned about getting out of a tight spot — a really tight spot – during training held at Ascend Performance Materials in Cantonment.
Members of Escambia County Fire Rescue’s Special Operations team from Brent’s Station 3 and “Ladder 12″ from the Osceola Fire Station worked their way through the training, which included successfully getting into, and out of, a pipe that was barely shoulder-width. The training included setting up the necessary rope and rigging to enter the confined space, with am emphasis on safety.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Look At Revamping Prison Vocational Programs
February 4, 2016
A House panel Wednesday approved a proposal that would make a major change in programs that provide job training to prison inmates.
The bill (HB 1229), filed by House Judiciary Chairman Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville, would take the programs away from the non-profit Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises, Inc., and put them under the Department of Corrections.
The non-profit, commonly known as PRIDE, was created in the 1980s to manage the programs, which sell goods and services produced by inmates.
McBurney told the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee that he has received complaints from other lawmakers about PRIDE, which a House staff analysis said “has drawn mixed reviews for generating significant profits while failing to increase the number of inmates participating” in work programs.
“It’s time to do a change,” McBurney said. “The Department of Corrections could do it better.”
But Wilbur Brewton, a lobbyist for PRIDE, cited statistics about inmates who move into jobs when they are released from prison and said PRIDE does not rely on state funding. “It now costs the state zero to take care of this issue,” Brewton said. The Criminal Justice Subcommittee approved the bill, which still would need to clear two more House committees.
A Senate version (SB 1606), filed by Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, has not been heard in committees.
by The News Service of Florida
Flood Warning For Escambia River
February 4, 2016
A flood warning for the Escambia River at Century has been extended until Sunday morning.
The river is expected to rise above flood stage of 17 feet Friday evening and continue to rise near 17.1 feet by early Saturday morning. The river will fall below flood stage by Sunday morning. At 17 feet, considerable flooding of lowlands will occur.
Pictured: The Escambia River floods the road approaching Fischer’s Landing. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Cooler Weather Returns
February 4, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 55. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 58. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. West wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 52.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 49.
Nurseries Seek To Block Pot Production
February 4, 2016
In the latest twist in a nearly two-year struggle to offer limited types of medical-marijuana in Florida, three nurseries filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to at least temporarily block competitors from starting to produce the cannabis.
The lawsuit, filed in Leon County circuit court, stems from a November decision by the Florida Department of Health to award highly prized licenses to five “dispensing organizations” in different regions of the state. The dispensing organizations would grow, process and distribute non-euphoric types of marijuana approved by the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott in 2014.
But the selection of the dispensing organizations drew a series of legal challenges in the state Division of Administrative Hearings. Amid the pending challenges, the Department of Health and the chosen dispensing organizations told lawmakers last month they planned to move forward with starting production.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday by San Felasco Nurseries Inc., 3 Boys Farm Company and McCrory’s Sunny Hill Nursery, LLC, seeks an injunction to prevent the process from moving forward until the administrative challenges are resolved. Along with the Department of Health, the lawsuit names as defendants Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, LLC, which was awarded a license in the Northeast part of the state; Alpha Foliage, Inc., which was awarded a license in Southwest Florida; and Knox Nursery, LLC, which was awarded a license in Central Florida.
The plaintiffs contend that Chestnut Hill, Alpha Foliage and Knox Nursery should not be able to operate as dispensing organizations while the administrative challenges remain unresolved. Also the lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the department from moving forward with the process.
“To allow the prospective awardees to proceed with the cultivation and dispensing of a controlled substance prior to the resolution of the pending administrative challenges would defeat the intent and purpose of the APA (the Administrative Procedures Act, which governs administrative challenges) and potentially deny plaintiffs their administrative and due process rights,” the lawsuit said. “Moreover, organizations whose qualifications have not been finally determined, and whose representations on applications have in some instances been challenged, will be allowed to begin growing and dispensing a controlled substance, even though subsequent proceedings may lead to a determination they do not meet qualifications and they are not eligible for or entitled to serving as dispensing organizations.”
Lawmakers approved the limited types of marijuana in 2014 after high-profile lobbying by parents of children with severe forms of epilepsy. The approved substances, which are low in euphoria-causing THC, are different than other types of marijuana that get users high.
Lawmakers in recent months have grown increasingly frustrated with delays in getting the substances to patients who qualify. The process was delayed by other legal challenges before the licenses were awarded.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday came less than a week after Chestnut Hill filed a lawsuit in Leon County circuit court asking a judge to allow the process to move forward during the administrative challenges. In a prepared statement issued when the lawsuit was filed, Chestnut Hill attorney John Lockwood said it was seeking a declaration that would “eliminate the doubt and uncertainty that has been created by the losing applicants.”
“Chestnut Hill has done their due diligence and has aptly won the approval to cultivate and dispense medical marijuana in Northeast Florida,” Lockwood said. “There is no precedent or legal reason to stop this process from moving forward, and Chestnut Hill is more than ready and able to deliver this medicine in a timely manner and in accordance with the award.”
In a news release Tuesday, Jim McKee, an attorney for San Felasco Nurseries, said the new lawsuit would not prevent patients from getting the low-THC marijuana because Costa Farms, which was selected for a license in the Southeast region, does not face any pending challenges.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida