Escambia Man Killed In Motorcycle Crash
July 7, 2017
An Escambia County man was killed in a single vehicle traffic accident Thursday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 25-year old Keith Smith was eastbound on Marcus Pointe Boulevard near Enterprise Lane about 9 p.m. when he failed to properly negotiate a curve. His Suzuki motorcycle struck a concrete curb before continuing into the median and hitting a concrete utility pole.
Smith was wearing a helmet, according to the FHP.
Rainfall Pattern Continues
July 7, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Southwest wind around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Fire Heavily Damages Century Home
July 7, 2017
Fire heavily damaged a home in Century Thursday night.
Neighbors reported seeing flames from the roof of the home in the 800 block of Freedom Road just before 8 p.m. Heavy smoke was showing when the first firefighters arrived on scene moments later.
The 2,200 square foot wood-frame home suffered extensive fire damage in the attic, with smoke and water damage throughout. It was not immediately known if someone was at home when the fire broke out.
There were no reported injuries. Firefighters were forced to battle not only the fire, but the heat and humidity took as that took a toll on their abilities.
The Century, McDavid and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Jay Fire Department, the Flomaton Fire Department, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Former LSU Band Director Named Director Of Tate’s Showband Of The South
July 7, 2017
Roy King has been named the new band director of the Tate High School Showband of the South. King served for 18-years at Louisiana State University, most recently as director of LSU’s Tiger Marching Band.
King has also worked as a high school band director in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and, most recently at Pine Forest High School in Pensacola.
King is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Percussive Arts Society, National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, and Phi Beta Mu. He holds honorary memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha fraternities. King received the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Wind Conducting degrees from LSU.
Multiple Arrests Made In Escambia Sheriff’s Office Prostitution Sting
July 7, 2017
Sixteen people have been charged in a prostitution sting by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The ECSO first rounded up seven “Johns” during phase one of the sting, followed the second phase of the sting that led to the arrest of nine women.
The men that were arrested face sex offense charges, while the women have been charged with prostitution. The following were arrested:
- Frederick Denard Barnett, 36
- Brian Joseph Bass, 47
- Matthew Wade Bryant, 34
- Nakilia Monica Monique Burrell, 19
- Donna Fain Bush, 52
- Patricia Kennedy Dickinson, 52
- Holly Nicole Ferrer, 32
- John Robert Gazoo, 61
- Robert Gene Hendrickson, 50
- Marya Priscilla Howard, 39
- Ashley Alene Lucas, 41
- Marlequin Antrice Moody, 29
- Ramon Alan Sampson, 36
- Mary Helen Sullivan, 29
- David Matthew Thomas, 42
- Keisha Shandale Ward, 31
A warrant for Susan Melissa McNabb, 39, is outstanding on a prostitution charge.
Join The ‘Air Potato Patrol’ To Battle Invasive Plant
July 7, 2017
In Florida, air potato is a state-wide problem, but the battle against the invasive plant starts in greenbelts and back yards, according to scientists with the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Experts are calling on the public to join the Air Potato Patrol, a citizen science project that trains residents to identify and report air potato vines in Florida and the Southeast.
“If someone has air potato vines on their property, we want to get status updates on these plants — for example, are they growing and expanding or are they dying back?” said William Lester, a horticulture agent with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
“We also want to know if people see air potato leaf beetles on the vines. That’s because the beetle eats only this plant, and we want to know how many are out there seasonally, and how successfully they’ve been able to control the vine,” he said.
Air potato is a vining plant named for potato-like tubers called bulbils. The plant grows aggressively and can quickly overtake and kill other vegetation. The plant is currently found in 60 of the 67 counties in Florida, as well as in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
Air potato leaf beetles, which are native to parts of Africa and Asia, eat only air potato leaves and can decrease the density of air potato in an area by 25 to 70 percent, according to a UF/IFAS Extension publication. From 2012 to 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released air potato leaf beetles at more than 2,000 locations in Florida.
About a year ago, Lester started getting calls from locals concerned that they weren’t seeing as many air potato beetles as they used to. Lester suspected that winter weather had hit the beetles harder than usual, leading to the decline in numbers.
Those calls showed that everyday people were a valuable source of intelligence in the ground fight against air potato.
In response, Lester contacted Chris Kerr, who leads the air potato beetle rearing program at the FDACS Division of Plant Industry facility in Gainesville As the two discussed how they could get the public more involved in air potato control, the Air Potato Patrol was born.
Lester and Kerr collaborated on the videos and training materials that teach citizen scientists how to identify air potato and report on plant growth and beetle activity. Videos and more information on how to participate are available at airpotatobeetle.com.
“Anyone who wants to learn more about controlling this invasive plant, and has access to air potato on their property or a friends’, is welcomed to participate,” Lester said. “The data collected will be used to help better understand the timing and seasonal distribution for both air potato plants and beetles.”
Residents with air potato vines on their properties can request beetles online.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Safety Tips For Blue Angels Weekend
July 7, 2017
With the Blue Angels ready to take to the skies for the Pensacola Beach Air Show, be sure to follow these tips from Escambia County for a safe, fun weekend in the sun:
Traffic
- Leave early. Traffic will be heavy, and parking is limited on Pensacola Beach.
- Get in the fast lane to the beach with SunPass® and the reduced-price Pensacola Beach Annual Pass. Watch this video for everything you need to know about SunPass, or visit MyEscambia.com/PensacolaBeachPass.
- If parking is full in the core areas, take advantage of the free Pensacola Beach trolleys offered by the Santa Rosa Island Authority. East and west parking lots will be serviced by trolleys and will take beach goers to and from Casino Beach. For a map of trolley stops and a live trolley tracker, click here.
- Remember that access into and exiting the Casino Beach parking lot along Via De Luna Drive and Fort Pickens Road has been modified. The parking lot now functions in a circular configuration, with one way in and one way out. The only entrance into the parking lot is along Via De Luna Drive next to Sidelines Sports Bar & Restaurant and across the street from Flounder’s Chowder House. The only exit from the parking lot is along Fort Pickens Road near the public restrooms/Public Safety Building.
Water Safety
- Be sure to wear and reapply sunscreen often and drink plenty of water. Remember that alcohol, sun and swimming do not mix.
- Swim in lifeguarded areas, and be sure to follow all lifeguard instructions. Swimmers will not be allowed in the Gulf during the airshow.
- Check before you go and follow the posted beach condition flag warnings. Watch our lifeguards explain the flag system on Pensacola Beach. Beach conditions can be checked at PensacolaBeachLifeguards.com and on the Pensacola Beach Lifeguards Facebook page.
- Know how to escape from a rip current. Watch our rip current video and learn how to break the grip of the rip, which can pull even the strongest swimmer out to sea.
Beach Rules
- Remember to “leave no trace” and keep Pensacola Beach sea turtle-friendly. Properly dispose of trash, fill in any holes in the sand and remove belongings from the beach at the end of the day. This includes not leaving any personal property unattended on the sandy gulf beach from sunset until sunrise like umbrellas, tents, beach toys and chairs. To view the Leave No Trace ordinance, click here.
- Follow all Pensacola Beach rules, including:
- Glass containers are not allowed on the beach.
- The west side of the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier is an alcohol free zone.
- Open containers are not allowed off the boardwalk or outside any establishment.
- No alcohol can be consumed in any parking lot on Santa Rosa Island.
- Dogs other than service animals are not permitted on the any of the beaches except in designated dog parks. To view complete rules and boundaries for Pensacola Beach dog parks, click here.
Trial Lawyer Morgan Challenges Medical Marijuana Smoking Ban
July 7, 2017
Saying Floridians knew what they were voting on in November, Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan on Thursday followed through on threats to sue the state over a smoking ban included in a new law carrying out a constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
Morgan, who largely bankrolled the medical-marijuana ballot initiative, had repeatedly threatened to launch a legal challenge over smoking, which he maintains was permitted in the amendment supported by more than 71 percent of Florida voters last fall.
Even so, lawmakers banned smoking of marijuana — but allowed patients to vaporize, or “vape,” pot products — in a bill approved during a special session last month. Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill, which went into effect last week.
“The people of Florida knew exactly what they were voting on, when they voted. When they were voting on it, the vast majority, if not 100 percent, knew that smoke was included. The fact that we are here today is really unnecessary, but here we go,” Morgan told reporters Thursday morning outside the Leon County Courthouse.
In the lawsuit filed in Leon County circuit court, Morgan accused a number of state officials, including Department of Health Secretary Celeste Philip, of “deprivation of rights and privileges” by prohibiting patients eligible for the treatment from smoking marijuana products.
Morgan said he intends to add as plaintiffs to the lawsuit patients who smoke marijuana as a treatment for their illnesses. Some patients insist that smoking marijuana, rather than ingesting pot by other methods, alone provides relief for their conditions.
In defending the ban on smoking pot products, legislative leaders maintained that, as is the case of cigarettes, smoking marijuana is bad for patients’ health, and that medicinal dosages can’t be controlled when the product is smoked.
But Morgan, in the lawsuit, argued there is no research indicating that smoking marijuana contributes to lung illnesses.
“In fact, marijuana was shown to increase lung capacity,” Morgan argued.
By banning smoking, Florida lawmakers put themselves in the place of doctors, who, under the amendment, are responsible for deciding patients’ course of treatment, Morgan maintained in the lawsuit.
The constitutional amendment bans smoking of marijuana in public places — language Morgan insists permits smoking on private property.
The sharp-tongued Morgan, who regularly uses expletives when speaking with reporters, said the interpretation of the law “is as clear … as it would be to any first-grader.”
He compared the language in the amendment to rules regarding the use of hotel swimming pools, where signs that prohibit pool use at certain times mean that swimming is permitted during the hours in which the activity isn’t banned.
But House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues, an Estero Republican who sponsored the legislation and insisted on the smoking ban, defended lawmakers’ actions, saying he was certain courts would uphold the law.
Rodrigues said other states that permit smoking of medical marijuana made it clear in the proposals that went before voters.
“If you look at those other states, their constitutional amendments declared that it could be smoked and that it could be self-grown. If that’s what John Morgan wanted for Florida, he should have declared it in the amendment,” Rodrigues told The News Service of Florida on Thursday.
Florida law-enforcement officials, including sheriffs and police chiefs, encouraged the ban on smoking, saying an outright ban on “whole flower,” or what is more commonly known as “bud,” would make it easier to identify people who are breaking the law.
The issue is also rooted in a debate about whether smoking opens the door for recreational marijuana users, something Morgan rejected Thursday.
He accused Florida lawmakers of laying the groundwork for a recreational marijuana initiative in the near future. He said such an initiative would be pushed by advocates unhappy with the way the medical marijuana amendment was implemented, as has happened in some other states.
“They (the Legislature) have kicked the door wide open for recreational use of marijuana,” Morgan said. “They thought that this was their way of stopping people from backdooring the recreational use of marijuana. All they did, in the process, was to hurt the patients who need it the most.”
But Rodrigues said he “absolutely” disagreed with Morgan’s assessment.
States that have authorized recreational marijuana have three things in common, according to Rodrigues: smoking, self-growth and a large gray market for marijuana.
“We have implemented a system that does none of those things,” he said.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Harold L. Pickens
July 7, 2017
Harold L. Pickens, 89, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, July 6, 2017 due to cancer. He was born in Castleberry, AL, and later moved to Cantonment, FlL.
He retired from Monsanto Textile Plant where he worked as a machinist. Harold served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War and part of the Berlin Air Lift. He was a member of Allen Memorial United Methodist Church. He was active in the Allen Memorial Food Pantry, Men’s Club, Golden Rockers and ran the annual pumpkin patch.
Harold was a loving husband, wonderful dad and a great PawPaw.
He is preceded in death by his parents. Roy and Beatrice Adams Pickens. He is survived by his loving wife, Evelyn Dean Pickens of 63 years; daughters, Donna Pennington, Dianne Pickens and Dana Huggins (Carl); son, Andy Martin (Karen); grandchildren, Jennifer Owens, Noah Huggins, Josiah Huggins, Meghan Powell, Andrew Martin, Katrine Owens, Amber Rhoden, Candace Huggins and Brandi Lee; seven great-grandchildren and a sister, Naomi Holland.
Visitation will be Monday, July 10, 2017, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral service will be Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at the funeral home at 10:00 with Reverend George McClure officiating. Interment will follow at Pensacola Memorial Gardens.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with the funeral arrangements.
Florida To Provide Limited Voter Information To Panel
July 7, 2017
With Democrats and some Republicans increasing calls this week to fully reject a federal commission’s request for voter information, Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced Thursday that the state will only provide publicly available data.
“Driver’s license information and Social Security numbers are not, and cannot be provided,” Detzner wrote to Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is vice chairman of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. “We will also not release any information that is exempt or confidential under Florida law, including certain information regarding law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, and victims of stalking and domestic violence.”
Information such as voters’ names, addresses, dates of birth, party affiliations and voting histories is already available under Florida’s public-records law and will be provided to the commission.
Detzner added that a state voter database doesn’t include information about people’s felony convictions, another part of the request.
Florida joined at least 44 other states and the District of Columbia in refusing to provide certain information to the commission, which was created to look into election fraud.
State Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, said he wasn’t surprised by Detzner’s decision, as “the law kind of stopped them.” But Braynon said he remains wary about the overall motive of the commission, which he believes may be directed toward future “voter suppression.”
“What are they really trying to do here? What is the end game?” Braynon asked.
The request has become highly controversial in Florida and throughout the country.
Most other states had quickly responded to the federal commission’s June 28 request, while officials in Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott has close ties with President Donald Trump, gave little indication about how they would respond.
Given an opening, Democrats pounced through letters and comments on social media.
The Florida Democratic Party, Democratic lawmakers and the three Democratic candidates for governor — Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former Congresswoman Gwen Graham and Winter Park businessman Chris King — all voiced opposition to the commission and its perceived intent.
The initial backlash from other state governments, including governments run by Republicans and Democrats, drew a Twitter rebuke from Trump.
“Numerous states are refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?” Trump tweeted on Saturday.
Detzner and county elections supervisors have had to respond to media questions for months about Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2016 general election.
In his letter to Kobach, Detzner noted the importance of preserving the democratic process and the state’s responsibility in ensuring an accurate and fair election.
“In fact, in 2016, we are proud that Florida had record turnout and a smooth, secure election which reflected the will of the people of Florida,” Detzner said.