Airman Dove Graduates From Military Basic Training
November 19, 2017
U.S. Air Force Airman William T. Dove graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, TX.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Dove is the son of Ronald Dove of Century and Kelly B. Dove of Brewton, and husband of Taylor D. Dove of Flomaton.
He is a 2013 graduate of Flomaton High School.
Winds Of Change: Colder Weather Arrives
November 19, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 35. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 60. North wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 60. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 43.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 65.
Florida Baptist Children’s Homes Honored By DCF
November 19, 2017
Florida Baptist Children’s Homes was nominated for the 2017 Champions of Hope Award that is awarded annually by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF).
The award recognizes organizations that go above and beyond to improve the lives of at-risk youth and children. The nomination was announced at a special Champions of Hope Luncheon on Tuesday at the 2017 Florida Faith Symposium at the Rosen Centre in Orlando.
Last year, Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, The Porch Light and Orphan’s Heart impacted 171,273 children and individuals through its services, which include but are not limited to its Brave Moms program, Compassion Ministries program, foster care, residential care and sex trafficking prevention and awareness.
“What an honor it is to be nominated for a prestigious award that embodies what we are diligently striving toward each day,” said Dr. Jerry Haag, president of Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, The Porch Light and Orphan’s Heart. “This recognition is a testament to our supporters, partners and incredible staff who selflessly commit themselves to helping change the lives of children.”
Locally, the Florida Baptist Children’s Home is located on Chemstrand Road in Cantonment.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Another One Bites The Dust
November 19, 2017
There were reminders this week that governors come and go, but the rituals of the Capitol remain.
Gov. Rick Scott outlined his eighth and final state budget proposal Tuesday in Jacksonville, though it didn’t seem that long ago that he was a newly elected political novice advancing his first budget, with steep spending cuts, in 2011 in Eustis.
Scott learned a quick lesson in his first year as his $65.9 billion “austerity” budget morphed into a $69.4 billion budget passed by the Legislature. It underscored a given when it comes to state spending: a governor proposes, the Legislature disposes.
Of course, governors get the last shot with their veto pens, which Scott has used with some regularity — and could again after lawmakers pass a budget during the 2018 session.
In 2019, it will be a new governor and new set of legislative leaders repeating the annual budget ritual.
But that doesn’t mean old governors are forgotten, as evidenced by former Gov. Jeb Bush’s visit to the Capitol this week.
In an event hosted by House leaders, Bush seemed to wax nostalgic about his efforts to shake up the education establishment during his two terms in office, with proposals ranging from vouchers to school grades to the expansion of charter schools.
Ever the policy wonk, Bush lamented the lack of bold initiatives on the national scene, while praising Florida lawmakers for their recent “schools of hope” legislation and urging them to aggressively continue reform efforts.
“If you’re not moving forward, inertia sets in and ultimately you begin to atrophy,” he said.
SCOTT’S FISCAL FINALE
There wasn’t much drama when Scott rolled out his $87.4 billion spending plan for the 2018-19 fiscal year at a Jacksonville hardware store.
In a technique he has honed as a two-term governor, Scott had already telegraphed the major elements of his budget in a series of prior press conferences across the state.
His final plan follows the pattern of his recent budget proposals, with an emphasis on tax cuts, higher school funding and environmental spending and some targeted pay raises for state law enforcement officers. It also includes spending related to the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, including beach-restoration funding and affordable-housing projects for the Florida Keys.
But Scott’s ambitious proposal to boost per-student funding by $200 in the kindergarten through 12th-grade school system may already be in jeopardy. He is at odds with House leaders over using the growth in local property tax revenue to help pay for public schools.
House leaders consider growth in local school property taxes, projected at about $450 million next year, to be a tax increase and will push for a reduction in the tax rate to offset the growth.
Scott and Senate leaders say because the property tax rate is not changed, the growth in revenue is not a tax increase and the money should be used. If the increased property tax revenue is not used, it will be a much more difficult task to boost education spending in the new budget.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
The accounts of sexual impropriety in Tallahassee continued this week, with the resignation Friday of Florida Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Bittel after acknowledging inappropriate behavior toward female employees.
His resignation came after Politico Florida reported that six women anonymously complained about Bittel’s behavior, calling it “creepy” and “demeaning.” The women said Bittel, who took over the party post less than a year ago, did not physically harass them but said they were uncomfortable in an atmosphere where Bittel kept breast-shaped stress balls in his office. Bittel apologized.
Meanwhile, the sexual-harassment investigation of Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, continued.
Latvala is facing an investigation over complaints from unidentified women, first reported by Politico, who said he groped them or made unwelcome remarks about their bodies. Latvala has denied the allegations.
Latvala also faces a sexual harassment complaint filed by a Senate employee with the Senate Rules Committee.
DRUG-RELATED DEATHS RISE
A new report from Florida medical examiners showed dramatic increases in all types of drug-related deaths.
Deaths from the synthetic opioid fentanyl rose 97 percent to 1,390 in 2016. Opioid-related deaths rose 35 percent in 2016 to 5,725. Oxycodone-caused deaths increased 28 percent.
The total number of drug-related deaths in Florida jumped 22 percent from 2015 to 2016.
“Clearly, those are shocking numbers and we have got to do something about it,” Senate Health Policy Chairwoman Dana Young, R-Tampa, said.
Lawmakers and Scott are expected to respond to the crisis during the 2018 legislative session, which begins in January.
As part of his new budget, Scott wants to spend $53 million, more than half of which comes from federal funds, on the issue.
His plan would earmark $4 million to help mentally ill patients and drug addicts get housing. It would set aside $15 million in enhancements to the substance-abuse treatment system, which would include 53 additional residential treatment beds, emergency room treatment and follow-up, and targeted outreach for pregnant women with substance-abuse disorders.
His proposal also would spend $5 million on Naloxone, an overdose-reversal drug, and provide $1.2 million on upgrades to the state prescription-drug monitoring program, which keeps track of prescriptions for controlled substances.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott proposed an $87.4 billion budget plan for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. It marks the last spending plan from the two-term Republican governor, who leaves office in January 2019 because of term limits.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Imagine if we had a plane crashing in the state every month. We would do everything we could to stop that. That’s about the amount of people who are dying every month due to opioid addiction.” — state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, after a new report showed 5,725 opioid-related deaths in Florida in 2016.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Escambia County Unemployment Drops
November 19, 2017
Friday, Governor Rick Scott announced that the Escambia County area added 2,800 new private-sector jobs in the last year. The area’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.3 percent, down 1.5 percentage points from a year ago. Statewide, Florida businesses created 127,400 new jobs in October and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent, the lowest rate since February 2007. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created 1,448,300 new private-sector jobs.
Governor Scott said, “The decline in the local unemployment rate partnered with the thousands of new jobs has helped families in the Pensacola area find the opportunities they need to succeed. I am proud to announce that Florida’s unemployment rate has also reached a more than 10-year low of 3.6 percent, and we will continue to fight every day to make our state the top destination for job creation.”
The industries with the highest growth over the year in Pensacola were professional and business services with 1,500 new jobs and leisure and hospitality with 1,100 new jobs. The Escambia County area had 4,757 job openings in October, including 1,411 openings for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations.
In the last year, 216,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 2.2 percent. This rate is more than four times the national labor force growth rate of only 0.5 percent. In October, 23,082 Floridians were placed in jobs by CareerSource Escarosa and the state’s other 23 local workforce boards.
Escambia Academy Wins AISA State Championship
November 18, 2017
The Escambia Academy Cougars are the AISA 2A state champions after a 30-20 win Friday afternoon over top-ranked Autauga Academy at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy.
The Cougars were first on the board with a 1-yard keeper from quarterback Jabe Dawe, capping a 7-run drive that included a 52-yard run from Patrick McGhee to the three. With a missed point after, the EA Cougars were up 6-0. Dawe found senior Neikel Robinson with a 50-yard pass to expand the Cougars’ lead to 12-0.
Escambia Academy’s MJ Jones sacked an Autauga General forcing a fumble that was recovered by EA’s Jason Davis who returned 27-yards for a touchdown and an 18-0 lead. Late in the first quarter, Autauga cut their deficit to 18-7, a score that held headed into halftime.
Late in the third quarter, Dawe found Fred Flavors with a 66-yard pass and Escambia Academy was up 24-7.
Friday’s championship is the second ever for Escambia Academy; the Cougars brought home the state championship in 2014. The Cougars lost to Autauga 28-21 in the state game last year.
Escambia Academy is located in Canoe, AL, about two miles north of the Alabama/Florida line. Students from both states attend the school.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com by Jason Robbins/WEAR 3 and Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge.
92 Become New American Citizens
November 18, 2017
There were 92 new Americans that took the Oath of Allegiance Friday at the National Museum of Naval Aviation on Naval Air Station Pensacola, and several students from Northview High School were witness to the event.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida held the Naturalization Ceremony with Senior United States District Judge Roger Vinson, Senior United States District Judge Lacey A. Collier and Jennifer Frydrychowicz, Escambia County Judge for the First Judicial Circuit.
The Northview High School NJROTC participated by leading the Pledge of Allegiance for the new American citizens. Seniors from an American Government class at Northview were also able to attend.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos by Sandy Brown for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO Locates Missing 18-Year Old
November 18, 2017
UPDATE — This missing person has been located.
The Escambia C4ounty Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing teen who may been in need of medical attention.
Brittany Ann Stevens, 18, was reported missing Tuesday, according to information released Friday afternoon by the ECSO. She last seen about 5 p.m. November 14 getting into a tan or copper colored car with an unknown male. She was carrying bags believed to be full of her personal possessions.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 911.
Firefighters, Cops Shop For Toys For Tots (With Gallery)
November 18, 2017
Toys for Tots invited the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Escambia Fire Rescue, Pensacola Police Department and the Pensacola Fire Department to help them shop for Christmas toys for local children.
Toys for Tots had raised over $25,000 dollars from events and donations — and that was spent in just an hour by officers and firefighters.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Branch Library Hosts Thanksgiving Program
November 18, 2017
The Century Branch Library recently held a Thanksgiving program. The event included a story, Magic Color Scratch ornaments and treats to eat. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
