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Limits Sought On Initial Painkiller Prescriptions

Amid a debate about putting restrictions on physicians, the House has approved a bill that would place a five-day limit on initial prescriptions for pain medication.

House members voted 93-22 on Wednesday to pass the bill (HB 557), sponsored by Rep. Nicholas Duran, D-Miami. The bill, which also includes changes related to the state’s prescription-drug monitoring program, would limit initial prescriptions of opiods to five-day supplies.

But it drew debate from Rep. Julio Gonzalez, a Venice Republican who is an orthopedic surgeon. Gonzalez said he opposes the bill because it is “offensive to being a physician.”

He said the bill would regulate physicians who are acting in good faith and keep them from providing care that patients need.

But supporter Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, called the opposition “misguided” because of widespread problems with opioid overdoses. Duran said physicians would be able to write lengthier prescriptions after the initial five-day supplies.

Driver Hits Concrete Signal Pole

No serious injuries were reported when a driver collided with a concrete signal pole this afternoon on Pensacola Boulevard in front of the Ensley Station of Escambia Fire Rescue.  The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com reader-submittted photos by Patti Roberts, click to enlarge.

Century Pedestrian Accident Leads To Discussion Of New Library Crosswalk

A vehicle versus pedestrian accident March 29 on North Century Boulevard has prompted the Town of Century, and likely Escambia County, to reach out and request a new pedestrian crosswalk from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Michael Terry Gulley was in the roadway near the entrance to the Century Town Hall and the Century Branch Library when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Ashley Marie Taylor. Taylor  told the FHP that Gulley suddenly appeared in front of her vehicle; she was unsure if he was crossing or standing in the roadway. Gulley was transported by ambulance in serious condition to a Sacred Heart Hospital.

Gulley was not cited for the crash, but was at fault for being in the roadway, according to the FHP.  Taylor was cited for not having insurance.

While the library and town hall were closed at the time of the accident, the crash has led to discussion to improve safety for those walking to the locations.

Gulley’s family approached the Century Town Council asking for a pedestrian crosswalk in the area of the town hall and adjacent library for safety reasons. Mayor  Henry Hawkins said he will approach the FDOT to explore a pedestrian crossing.

Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry said he plans to request a from letter from the commission to FDOT supporting a crosswalk to allow pedestrians safer access to the library.

The only marked crosswalk on North Century Boulevard in the town of Century is at the intersection of East Highway 4.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

FWC Law Enforcement Report

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending March 30 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

No report received.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Jones encountered an oysterman returning to a boat ramp on the shore of East Bay near the community of Holley. There were oysters on the cull board of the boat and a routine inspection of the catch was conducted. He found that more than 10% of the oysters were less than the 3‑inch minimum size limit allowed by state law. A citation was issued to the oysterman with a mandatory court appearance.

While off duty, Officer Hutchinson received a call late at night from a Santa Rosa County deputy about a large group of people riding ATVs at Keyser’s Landing in the Escambia River WMA. He went on duty and headed to the landing and met the deputy who was speaking with a group of teenagers who were riding ATVs. Several of the teenagers told the officers that a man and his girlfriend were in a truck spinning out and tearing up the campsites at Keyser’s Landing. The officers then saw a truck coming towards them from the landing. The teens identified the truck as being the one that was destroying the campsites. Officer Hutchinson encountered the man driving the truck and recognized him as a person about whom several complaints have been reported. The subject was under the age of 21 and was in possession of alcoholic beverages. While conducting his investigation, fresh tire ruts in the middle of a campsite and dirt thrown from the ruts onto a nearby picnic table were observed. The subject admitted to spinning out in the campsite and was issued a notice to appear for destruction of state lands by a motor vehicle and possession of alcohol by a person under 21. The group riding the ATVs were warned for operating ATVs on a public roadway.

This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.

NorthEscambia.com photo.

Jim Allen Kindergarten Students Explore The Grocery Store

Kindergarten students from Jim Allen Elementary School, like all county kindergartners, learn about their community and community helpers.

This week they are traveling to the Publix grocery store located at  9 Mile Road and Pine Forest Road to meet some community helpers, to learn about the different features in a grocery store, get a “back stage” tour, and to meet Larry the Lobster.

The first group to make the trip were the classes of JoLyn Jackson and Michelle Helton with Teaching Assistant Kim Moorehead.

“We thought a field trip to Publix would be something fun and that it would be interesting for our students to come someplace they might visit every day and get to see the ins and outs of it,” explained JoLyn Jackson, a kindergarten teacher at Jim Allen Elementary.

“We are hoping that now, back in the classroom, we will be able to talk about the different community helpers that we have seen. We saw truck drivers, the people who work with fresh seafood, people who work with the fresh fruit, someone who bakes bread for the deli, all the way to the people who work at the checkout. They saw that there are a lot of people there helping us,” added Jackson.

Students saw a demonstration of how the bakers create roses for cake decorations, how to use a heavy duty tool to cut open pineapples, and they had a chance to taste some grapes. They traveled through the back hall to see the storage area for pallets of food items that will be placed on shelves later. They got to shiver a little in the freezer where the ice cream is kept. They learned that Publix is dedicated to recycling, whether it involves cardboard or the left over scraps of animal products that the butcher trims away before packaging the meat for the display cases.

Six year-old Abby Rose explained that they came to Publix to “look at food and to buy stuff.” Though she explained that they really pretended to buy stuff. “Miss Charlotte,” a member of the store’s customer service staff, made arrangements to allow each of the students got to take a turn scanning the “purchases,” then take a turn as the bagger, and a turn as the customer.

Justine Sherry was the guide for  Jackson’s class. She made a point of telling the students that Publix hires teenagers as young as 14. One young man was overheard planning to work there and stating that he plans to be cashier of the year someday.

Escambia County Expanded Concealed Weapon License Services Coming Soon

Escambia County Tax Collector Scott Lunsford has announced that residents renewing their concealed weapon license soon will be able to receive their renewed card the same day upon successful submission of their application. The first step in this process is the installation of new printers on Tuesday, April 11. Because of the installation of the new equipment, no concealed weapon license applications will be accepted from noon to 4:30 p.m. on that date.

“As an expansion of our partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, we are installing the equipment necessary to print cards for those citizens renewing their concealed weapon license,” Lunsford said. “We are excited to be able to offer this additional service to our customers in the coming weeks once the final system updates are complete.”

While renewal licenses will be printed in the office, new applications still will be submitted to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for final approval. The statutory turnaround time for this process is within 90 days.

Currently, only our Warrington office, 4051 Barrancas Avenue, Suite A, provides concealed weapon licensing services. A

Good Job: The Best Of Career Academies Honored

The 2017 Escambia and Santa Rosa Career Academy Awards were presented Wednesday.

“The Escambia County Workforce Education Department appreciates the commitment and hard work of all career academy teachers and we are excited to take a moment to celebrate the successes of our career academies together with Santa Rosa County, our partners and our contacts in economic development,” said Dr. Michelle Taylor, ECSD’s Director of Workforce Education.

Construction Industry Partner of the Year

Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, Steve Barroga

Culinary Industry Partner of the Year

All About Food, Steve House

Education Industry Partner of the Year

Creative School Age Child Care, Pam McFee

Healthcare Industry Partner of the Year

Baptist Health Care, Tyler Buczynsk and Courtney Dreadin

I. T. Industry Partner of the Year

University of West Florida , Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga

Middle School Career Academy Student of the Year

ECSD – Ginnel Morales, Bellview Middle School, Information Technology Academy

SRSD – Roxy Toner, Microsoft I.T. Academy, King Middle School

Middle School Career Academy Teacher of the Year

ECSD – Leonard (Ray) Sellers, Fabrication & Engineering Academy, Ernest Ward Middle School

SRSD – Kim Kayser, Microsoft I.T. Academy, Woodlawn Beach Middle School

Middle School Career Academy of the Year

ECSD – Culinary Arts Academy, Ernest Ward Middle School

SRSD – ICT Essentials Academy, Woodlawn Beach Middle School

High School Career Academy Student of the Year

ECSD – Noah Barham, Engineering Academy, Escambia High School

SRSD – Terry Johnson, Culinary Arts Academy, Milton High School

High School Career Academy Teacher of the Year

ECSD – Carla Ross, Marketing & Entrepreneurship Academy, Washington High School

SRSD – Diane Folse, Academy of Multimedia Design & Technology, Gulf Breeze High School

High School Career Academy of the Year

ECSD – Culinary Arts Academy, Pine Forest High School

SRSD – Commercial Graphic Arts Academy, Jay High School

Career Academy Student Intern of the Year

ECSD – Trennon Dunn, Web Design Services Academy, Washington High School

SRSD – Crystal “Hope” Miller, Pharmacy Tech Academy, Locklin Tech

High School Career Academy Scholar of the Year

ECSD  – Ethan Sutley, Game, Simulation & Animation Academy, Tate High School

SRSD – Christia Victoriano, Digital Design academy, Pace High School

Pictured top: From Ernest Ward Middle School….Middle School Academy Teacher of the Year Ray  Sellers and Jessica Hendrix-Hall from the Culinary Art Program of the Year. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

International Paper To Hold $100K Grant Application Info Meeting

International Paper (IP) Pensacola Mill will award $100,000 in foundation grants in 2017 and is hosting a one-hour meeting Friday, April 21 at 10:30 a.m., to review the application process with interested non-profit organizations, schools and state and local government entities. The meeting will take place at the mill’s Employee Development Center, located at 375 Muscogee Rd. in Cantonment and will focus on eligibility, criteria and restrictions. Grant committee members will be available for questions.

The deadline for all 2017 grant applications is Saturday, July 1, 2017. Grants are awarded by the International Paper Foundation, which makes sustainable investments to address critical needs in the communities where International Paper employees live and work.

Signature Causes are:

• Education – Priority given to literacy programs from birth through 3rd grade.

• Hunger – Community programs that provide access to food for those in need or provide solutions to alleviate hunger.

• Health & Wellness – Programs that promote basic health and human needs.

• Disaster Relief – Programs that reduce suffering or saves lives as a result of a natural disaster.

For more information about the Foundation, visit ipgiving.com. To reserve your seat at the workshop, contact Janice Cooper Holmes, communications manager, by email at janice.holmes@ipaper.com or call 850-968-4203. Reservations to attend the meeting are required as space is limited. However, attendance is not mandatory to apply.

Century Correctional Institution Inmate Assaults Officer

Last Saturday, an inmate assaulted a correctional officer at Century Correctional Institution, according to information recently released by the Florida Department of Corrections.

Inmate Antoine Tibbs  assaulted the officer at approximately 5:15 a.m. Tibbs charged at the officer and struck the officer in the face, according to the FDOC. Staff responded appropriately, and the inmate was subdued.

Medical staff examined the officer and noted minor injuries. Tibbs will receive a disciplinary report for the assault.

Tibbs was sentenced October 22, 2015 to two years and six month on an Escambia County possession of a controlled substance charge.

Escambia County 4-H Livestock Show Results

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