Escambia Graduation Rate Up Significantly
January 6, 2016
The graduation rate in Escambia County is up significantly, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
The Escambia County School District’s graduation rate for the 2014-15 school year was 72.7 percent, up 6.6 percent from the year and a huge 15 percent from a 57.7 percentage rate in 2010-11.
“This was the single largest increase in the graduation rate in any year in the past 10 years,” Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said.
During the 2009-2010 school year, Escambia’s schools became very focused on data, Thomas said, and students began to become more focused on a careers and academics, thanks in part to career academies that now number 63 spread throughout every middle and high school in the district.
“Students have come to realize that that high school diploma is that ticket to the next phase in life,” he said.
Every high school in the Escambia School District showed a higher graduation rate from 2013-14 to 2014-15, except a slight decrease at West Florida High School.
Following West Florida at 92.5 percent, the highest graduation rates in the county last year were Washington at 83.9 percent, Tate at 80.2 percent, and Northview at 78.9 percent — all three of which have improved graduation rates by 10 percent or more since 2009-2010.
“I think our better days are still ahead of us,” Thomas said. The district had hired graduation coaches that work with students to develop a plan to make sure they are able to graduate within four years.
Florida’s statewide graduation rate climbed to 77.8 percent, an increase of 7.2% since the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.7 percentage points over last year.
Pictured: Class of 2015 Tate High School Valedictorian Hannah Phillips. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Sunny Today, Rain Thursday
January 6, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 61. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. East wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. North wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. East wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Sunday: A 10 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
Night Work On Nine Mile Road
January 6, 2016
The eastbound, right turn lane on Nine Mile Road to Holsberry Lane in Escambia County will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6 and Thursday, Jan. 7 as crews mill and resurface access at Zaxby’s. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone.
Construction activities are weather dependent and may be re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
$500 Million Powerball Fever: Players Hope Store Will Be Lucky Again
January 6, 2016
The Powerball lottery grand prize climbed to $500 million on Wednesday after rolling over 17 times without a winner.
At the locally-owned State Line Gift Shop on Highway 97 in Davisville, Powerball players were making their plans for retirement, travel and all sorts of big dream purchases with their winnings. They were hoping the store would prove to be lucky again — Alice Dawson of Monroeville purchased a winning $80 million Powerball Quick Pick at the store back in April.
While busy late Tuesday afternoon, the wait time at the State Line Gift Shop was relatively short with three clerks running terminals and quickly moving the lines along.
Jackpot prizes are paid in 30 annual installments or as a one-time, lump-sum payment. The winner of tonight’s drawing could take a lump sum payment estimated at $306 million.
The winning numbers will be drawn at about 9:59 tonight, with the cutoff time for ticket sales at 9 p.m.
Bill Would Shield Personal Hunting, Fishing License Info
January 6, 2016
Raising concerns about identity theft, Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, is seeking a public-records exemption for information that people submit to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission when applying for such things as hunting and fishing licenses. Hays’ proposal (SB 1364), filed Tuesday, will be considered during the legislative session that starts next week.
It would shield from disclosure information such as names, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers.
The exemption would apply to information submitted for such things as hunting licenses, fishing licenses, hunter-safety certifications and boating-safety certifications.
“Under current law, personal information that applicants must provide to the commission in order to apply for such licenses, permits, or certifications is a public record available for any purpose,” the bill says. “Such information can be obtained and used to perpetrate identity theft and other invasive contacts.
The public availability of this personal information needlessly increases the risk of identity theft and invasive contacts with those applying to the commission for such licenses, permits, or certifications.”
by The News Service of Florida
Armed Suspects Flee High School
January 6, 2016
Pensacola Police are searching for two males who walked onto a high school campus and then fled the area on foot, but not before one of the males threw two handguns into a car.
The incident occurred just after 3 p.m. at Washington High School, 6000 College Parkway, as students were boarding buses to leave for the day. Pensacola Police Lt. Kevin Christman said a bus driver alerted a school employee after seeing the males at the school.
Christman said Officer Garland McKenzie, who had been alerted to the suspects being on campus, saw one of the males leave the school. That male fled the area and stopped at a vehicle in a nearby restaurant parking lot where he threw the handguns into a car. He then continued running from the area. The second suspect also fled the area.
Workman Middle and Holm Elementary schools went on lockdowns during the search by police, and the buses loaded with students at Washington High School left the area.
One of the suspects was a black male approximately six feet tall, thin build with medium dark complexion. He was wearing a cammo hoodie jacket and may have had dreads. A description of the second suspect is not available at this time.
Anyone having information on the incident is asked to contact the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435–1900.
Major Landline Phone Change Coming To Walnut Hill, Bratt, Molino
January 6, 2016
Frontier Communications landline users in Walnut Hill, Bratt and Molino will soon be required to use a new dialing method.
The new dialing procedure will require Molino and Walnut Hill callers to dial all local calls using 10 digits ( the area code plus the regular telephone number). Currently, these numbers are dialed using seven digits.
For example, when calling Northview High School, customers in the 327 and 587 phone exchanges now dial 327-6681, but with the change on February 1 will dial (850) 327-6681.
Beginning February 1 customers in Molino and Walnut Hill can start using the new 10-digit dialing procedure whenever they place a call from the 850 area code. However, during a two-month transitional phase, dialing just seven digits will continue to successfully complete customers’ calls.
As of April 1, the new 10-digit dialing procedure will be required. After this date, any calls placed without using the new 10-digit dialing procedure will not be completed, and a recording will instruct customers to hang up and dial again.
Frontier reminds customers to reprogram all services and automatic dialing equipment that are set to dial a seven-digit number to include the area code after February 1. Examples include life-safety systems or medical devices, PBXs, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, alarm and security systems/gates, speed dialers, mobile phone contact lists, call-forwarding settings and voicemail services.
Customers should also check their websites, business stationery, advertising materials, personal and business checks, contact information and personal/pet identification tags to ensure that the area code is included.
The change is due to the addition of a new telephone exchange number in McCullough, AL, and Pensacola that is owned by Cingular Wireless.
Police Search For Two Convenience Store Armed Robbery Suspects
January 6, 2016
The Atmore Police Department is looking for two masked men that robbed a local convenience store.
About 7:53 p.m. Monday, Atmore police responded to a robbery at the Diamond Oil Station on Howard Street.
When officers arrived, the store clerk advised two men entered the store wearing masks covering their faces. One of the suspects stood in front of the counter and brandished a handgun, while other suspect ran behind the counter and grabbed close to $1,700.00 in cash, according to Police Chief Chuck Brooks. The suspects then fled the store on foot.
The clerk was not injured during the robbery.
Police created a perimeter around the store. A K-9 team from the Alabama Department of Corrections assisted with the unsuccessful suspect search.
Anyone with information on the armed robbery is asked to call the Atmore Police Department at (251) 368-9141.
Pictured: This surveillance image shows two armed robbery suspects entering an Atmore convenience store Monday night. Image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Opponents Once Against Target Florida’s ‘Docs Vs. Glocks’ Law
January 6, 2016
Pointing to free-speech issues, physicians and medical groups this week asked a full federal appeals to take up a challenge to a 2011 Florida law that restricts doctors from asking questions and recording information about patients’ gun ownership.
Plaintiffs in a long-running legal battle about what has become known as the “docs v. glocks” law filed a petition Monday seeking a rehearing before the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The move came three weeks after a divided panel of the court upheld the law — the third such panel ruling.
The petition argued that last month’s 2-1 ruling would violate the First Amendment rights of physicians and pose a “grave threat” to public health and safety.
“That some patients find inquiries about gun ownership ‘intrusive’ or believe that gun ownership is a ’sensitive’ topic does not give the state license to shut down entirely those inquiries, which are at the very heart of many doctors’ everyday conversations with patients,” the document said. “Indeed, the majority’s rationale could apply equally to other standard features of doctor-patient counseling and inquiry: the risks associated with smoking, certain sexual activity, drugs and alcohol.”
But the Dec. 14 panel ruling said lawmakers passed the measure after complaints about health-care providers asking unwelcome questions about patients’ gun ownership and harassing patients. It said the law “codifies the commonsense conclusion that good medical care does not require inquiry or record-keeping regarding firearms when unnecessary to a patient’s care.”
“The act seeks to protect patient privacy by restricting irrelevant inquiry and record-keeping by physicians on the sensitive issue of firearm ownership and by prohibiting harassment and discrimination on the basis of firearm ownership,” said the ruling, written by Judge Gerald Tjoflat and joined by Judge L. Scott Coogler. “The act does not prevent physicians from speaking with patients about firearms generally. Nor does it prohibit specific inquiry or record-keeping about a patient’s firearm-ownership status when the physician determines in good faith, based on the circumstances of that patient’s case, that such information is relevant to the patient’s medical care or safety, or the safety of others.”
Judge Charles Wilson, who was in the minority in earlier rulings that upheld the law, dissented again, writing that after considering arguments, “I continue to believe that it does not survive First Amendment scrutiny.”
The 81-page majority ruling was the third time the court has upheld the law. The same panel also ruled on the issue in July and then revised its reasoning in last month’s decision.
In the Legislature, the law was backed by Second Amendment advocates such as the National Rifle Association but faced heavy opposition from physicians. It includes a series of restrictions on doctors and other health providers. As an example, it seeks to prevent physicians from entering information about gun ownership into medical records if the physicians know the information is not “relevant” to patients’ medical care or safety or to the safety of other people.
Among the plaintiffs in the challenge are individual doctors and three physician groups.Pointing to free-speech issues, physicians and medical groups this week asked a full federal appeals court to take up a challenge to a 2011 Florida law that restricts doctors from asking questions and recording information about patients’ gun ownership.
Plaintiffs in a long-running legal battle about what has become known as the “docs v. glocks” law filed a petition Monday seeking a rehearing before the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The move came three weeks after a divided panel of the court upheld the law — the third such panel ruling.
The petition argued that last month’s 2-1 ruling would violate the First Amendment rights of physicians and pose a “grave threat” to public health and safety.
“That some patients find inquiries about gun ownership ‘intrusive’ or believe that gun ownership is a ’sensitive’ topic does not give the state license to shut down entirely those inquiries, which are at the very heart of many doctors’ everyday conversations with patients,” the document said. “Indeed, the majority’s rationale could apply equally to other standard features of doctor-patient counseling and inquiry: the risks associated with smoking, certain sexual activity, drugs and alcohol.”
But the Dec. 14 panel ruling said lawmakers passed the measure after complaints about health-care providers asking unwelcome questions about patients’ gun ownership and harassing patients. It said the law “codifies the commonsense conclusion that good medical care does not require inquiry or record-keeping regarding firearms when unnecessary to a patient’s care.”
“The act seeks to protect patient privacy by restricting irrelevant inquiry and record-keeping by physicians on the sensitive issue of firearm ownership and by prohibiting harassment and discrimination on the basis of firearm ownership,” said the ruling, written by Judge Gerald Tjoflat and joined by Judge L. Scott Coogler. “The act does not prevent physicians from speaking with patients about firearms generally. Nor does it prohibit specific inquiry or record-keeping about a patient’s firearm-ownership status when the physician determines in good faith, based on the circumstances of that patient’s case, that such information is relevant to the patient’s medical care or safety, or the safety of others.”
Judge Charles Wilson, who was in the minority in earlier rulings that upheld the law, dissented again, writing that after considering arguments, “I continue to believe that it does not survive First Amendment scrutiny.”
The 81-page majority ruling was the third time the court has upheld the law. The same panel also ruled on the issue in July and then revised its reasoning in last month’s decision.
In the Legislature, the law was backed by Second Amendment advocates such as the National Rifle Association but faced heavy opposition from physicians. It includes a series of restrictions on doctors and other health providers. As an example, it seeks to prevent physicians from entering information about gun ownership into medical records if the physicians know the information is not “relevant” to patients’ medical care or safety or to the safety of other people.
Among the plaintiffs in the challenge are individual doctors and three physician groups.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Sheriff’s Office Seeks Missing Woman
January 6, 2016
Update: This individual has been found safe.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing woman. Stefanie Bowen was last seen at the Walgreens at the corner of Brent Lane and Pensacola Boulevard on December 23. She was reported missing by family on December 30.Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to cal the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.