Rep. Bradley Byrne Urges Support For Trump, GOP Ticket
October 19, 2016
U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne said Tuesday that he plans to support the entire Republican ticket on November 8, Donald Trump included.
The Alabama Republican was quick to issue a news release October 8 that said Trump was “not fit” to be president, and called for him to step aside and allow vice presidential candidate Mike Pence to lead the Republican ticket. The statement was issued hours after the release of an 11-year old video in which Trump is heard bragging in vulgar terms about grabbing women and unwanted advances.
“I think there was a way for Mike Pence to win the election,” Byrne said during a town hall meeting in Flomaton Tuesday afternoon. “What he (Trump) said was strongly offensive, and as someone of principal, I was going to say something.”
“But I will vote the complete Republican ticket top to bottom, and I encourage others to do the same.”
Byrne said Trump still remains the obvious choice over Democrat Hillary Clinton, and he had a warning for those that might choose to vote for an independent candidate.
“There are two people running at the top and not voting for one of them is throwing away your vote,” he said. “Neither of them is perfect.”
Pictured: U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) speaks during a town hall meeting in Flomaton Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fire Department Thanks School District For Training Assistance
October 19, 2016
An Escambia Fire Rescue representative offered a public thanks to the Escambia County School Board for an agreement that allowed firefighters to have extra hands-on training.
The Escambia County School District purchased the former Coastal Airport on Nine Mile Road in Beulah to construct a new Beulah Middle School. The school board allowed the Beulah Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, along with firefighters from across the county, to use the buildings on the property for training purposes.
Tuesday night, Lt. Justin Dukes of the Beulah Station of Escambia Fire Rescue thanked Superintendent Malcolm Thomas the board for supporting their training. Dukes also present a plaque to Thomas.
A groundbreaking is planned at the site at 9 a.m. on October 28 for the new Beulah Middle School.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Just A Couple More Warm Days
October 19, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Areas of fog after 4am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 48. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 48. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
ECSO: Cantonment Man Robs Convenience Store, Chokes K-9, Fights With Deputies
October 18, 2016
A Cantonment man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly robbing a Mobile Highway convenience store, fighting with deputies and choking a K-9.
Napoleon Bonaport Grandison, age 44 of Webb Street, was charged with aggravated assault, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, robbery with a firearm, two counts of resisting an officer with violence and giving a false name to law enforcement. He remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $296,000.
Grandison allegedly entered the Circle K at 5050 Mobile Highway early Sunday morning and robbed the clerk of $92 after placing his hand under his shirt as if he had a weapon.
Deputies caught up with Grandison a short distance away. He allegedly pushed two deputies off of him as they attempted to detain him. He is also accused of kick and striking a third deputy and physically placing his arm around the neck of and choking Escambia County K-9 Alek. The K-9’s handler reported that he heard and saw his dog choking.
Deputies were able to recover $84 of the missing funds. Grandison was treated and released from Baptist Hospital before being taken into custody.
Pictured: Napoleon Bonaport Grandison’s Escambia County Jail booking photo.
Warm Pattern Continues, Cooler By The Weekend
October 18, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Areas of fog after 4am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Areas of fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Areas of fog after 4am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind.
Thursday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 48. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 47. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Judge Rules Against State On Ballot Signatures
October 18, 2016
In a blistering decision little more than three weeks before Election Day, a federal judge has ruled that a Florida law that could lead to the rejection of thousands of vote-by-mail ballots is unconstitutional.
The 30-page ruling Sunday by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker focused on situations in which voters’ signatures submitted with mail-in ballots do not appear to match signatures on file with county supervisors of elections. Under a 2004 law, such mail-in ballots are rejected.
But siding with the Florida Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee in a lawsuit filed against Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Walker issued a preliminary injunction ordering a process that would allow voters to resolve questions about such “mismatched signature ballots” — and have the ballots counted.
Walker called the state law “indefensible” and said it threatened to disenfranchise voters.
“During this election cycle, millions of voters across the state will march happily to their mailbox and attempt to exercise their fundamental right to vote by mailing their vote-by-mail ballot,” Walker wrote. “After the election, thousands of those same voters — through no fault of their own and without any notice or opportunity to cure — will learn that their vote was not counted. If disenfranchising thousands of eligible voters does not amount to a severe burden on the right to vote, then this court is at a loss as to what does.”
A key part of Walker’s ruling was that state law has allowed voters a process to fix — or, in legal parlance, “cure” — vote-by-mail ballots that do not include signatures. But it has not allowed a similar process for when signatures do not appear to match.
“It is illogical, irrational, and patently bizarre for the state of Florida to withhold the opportunity to cure from mismatched-signature voters while providing that same opportunity to no-signature voters,” Walker wrote. “And in doing so, the state of Florida has categorically disenfranchised thousands of voters arguably for no reason other than they have poor handwriting or their handwriting has changed over time.”
The ruling came as Democrats and Republicans try to round up every possible vote before the Nov. 8 general election, as Florida plays a critical role in the presidential race. It also came just days after Walker ordered that Florida’s voter-registration deadline be extended a week because of interruptions caused by Hurricane Matthew.
In a document filed Saturday, an attorney for Detzner argued that the vote-by-mail lawsuit should be dismissed. In part, the document said county election canvassing boards — not Detzner — are responsible for carrying out the law dealing with mismatched signatures. As a result, it argued that Detzner should be shielded from the lawsuit under the legal concept known as sovereign immunity.
“In sum, the secretary of state is not ‘responsible’ for carrying out the comparison mandated by the challenged statute,” the document said. “That responsibility is given to county officials and boards. Nor has the secretary attempted to carry out or second guess a comparison of signatures. Nor does the secretary have the power to simply issue orders to the independently elected supervisors of election or canvassing boards to take specific action with respect to the comparison of signatures. The alleged injury complained of would not be inflicted by the secretary, but by these local officials.”
But Walker rejected that argument, writing it is, “at best, disingenuous” for Detzner to contend he could not direct local elections officials to comply with a court order on the signature issue.
Walker also rejected the possibility that the law could be needed to prevent voter fraud.
“Indeed, this court is not being asked to order that any specific vote be counted, let alone those that are fraudulent,” he wrote. “Rather, this court is simply being asked to require that mismatched-signature voters have the same opportunity to cure as no-signature voters. In fact, letting mismatched-signature voters cure their vote by proving their identity further prevents voter fraud — it allows supervisors of elections to confirm the identity of that voter before their vote is counted.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Florida Lottery Sales Break Records
October 18, 2016
The Florida Lottery announced a record-breaking first quarter with ticket sales exceeding $1.44 billion. That broke the previous first quarter record of $1.35 billion, set last year, by $97 million. The Lottery’s first quarter contribution to the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) is expected to reach $388 million, a 10.23% increase over the same period last year.
“To begin a new fiscal year with such promising sales is a tremendous accomplishment for the Florida Lottery,” said Secretary Tom Delacenserie. “Record sales mean great things for Lottery players and retailers, but most importantly for our state’s education system. Because of our hardworking sales team and Lottery staff, as well as our loyal players and retailers, I know this is only the beginning of what the Lottery will achieve this year.”
Strong scratch-Off sales of more than $957 million, along with the multi-state Powerball ,with sales exceeding $115 million, helped account for the majority of the Lottery’s new first quarter record gains. Powerball reached its fifth largest jackpot ever at $478 million in July. Sales from this jackpot contributed more than $38.5 million to education in Florida.
State Grant Funding $25K Update To Century’s Land Development Code
October 18, 2016
The Town of Century has hired a firm to update their aging Land Development Code, thanks to a state grant.
The town received a $25,000 Division of Community Development’s Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to update their LDC, which was adopted on April 29, 1991.
Monday night, the Century Town Council awarded a contract for the work to Peggy Fowler and Associates, which submitted the only proposal.
The public with have an opportunity to weigh in on any changes to Century’s LDC, as the process calls for at least three public workshops and a public hearing before the town council.
Escambia Woman Faces 30 Years After High Speed Chase
October 18, 2016
An Escambia County woman faces a minimum of 30 years in state prison after a high speed chase during which she crashed into a deputy.
Charmaine Brown was convicted of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer with lights and siren activated at high speed, grand theft auto, grand theft of a firearm, criminal mischief and resisting an officer without violence.
On July 30, 2015, Brown was at the home of an elderly gentleman. She was caught by the victim rummaging through his personal belongings. The victim confronted Brown with a firearm, a struggle ensued and the gun was discharged. The victim was unharmed and Brown fled with the gun and in the victim’s car with another individual. Law enforcement arriving on the scene, saw the car leave at high speed. Officers pursued, believing that the elderly gentleman may have been kidnapped.
During the pursuit, Brown nearly struck an occupied law enforcement officer’s vehicle that was blocking traffic. The chase began in the area of the Barrancas Bridge and terminated in Perdido after the defendant crashed into another law enforcement officer’s occupied vehicle. During the course of the chase, Brown drove erratically and at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Charmaine Brown was taken into custody without incident.
Judge Gary Bergosh scheduled Brown’s sentencing for November 8p.m. Brown qualifies a prison releasee reoffender and faces a mandatory minimum of 30 years in state prison.
Teens: Pizza And Walking Dead Books At The Molino Library
October 18, 2016
A “Pizza and Books” program will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Molino Branch Library.
Teens 13-17 are invited to join this book club designed to focus on their favorite reads. This month, participants will discuss the “Walking Dead” novels and play zombie-themed games. And the library will provide the free pizza.
The Molino Branch Library is located at 6450-A Highway 95A in the Molino Community Complex.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.