Man Shot At Park In Century, No Word On Suspect
April 27, 2018
One person was shot at a park in Century Friday afternoon.
The shooting happened at Showalter Park, according to Maj. Andrew Hobbs, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He was shot in the wrist.
The adult male ran across the railroad tracks to the nearby Century town shop on Alger Road for help. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
“The victim is not being forthcoming with information on what happened,” Hobbs said.
Witnesses told deputies that dark color sedan or a dark color SUV were seen nearby may have been involved in the incident.
A K-9 was used to search for any possible suspect or any any evidence related to the shooting.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Three Century Council Seats Up For Election
April 27, 2018
Three seats on the Century Town Council will be up for election this year.
They are: Seat 3, currently held by Ben Boutwell; Seat 4, currently held by Gary Riley; and Seat 5, currently held by Sandra McMurray Jackson.
The qualifying period for the seats is noon June 18 until noon June 22.
If there are only two candidates for a seat, they will be on the ballot in the general election on November 6. If there are three or more candidate for a seat, they will be on the August 28 primary ballot with a runoff in November if no candidate receives one vote more than 50 percent.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
Bratt Resident Reaches Elite 100 Gallon Blood Donor Mark
April 27, 2018
Bratt resident Gary Goodwin joined the 100 Gallon Donor Club Thursday at the OneBlood center on Nine Mile Road.
Goodwin, an Army veteran, kept donating platelets after he moved from Tampa to Bratt, where he and his wife have horses, volunteer with the Escambia Sheriff’s Office Mounted Posse, and rescue abused German Shepard dogs.
At age 19, Goodwin started donating blood only occasionally after he joined the Army in 1972. But in 1998, he began helping cancer patients by donating platelets after a co-worker’s son was diagnosed with leukemia and needed platelet transfusions. He continues to pay it forward, having also received blood transfusions in the past for internal bleeding.
Less than 200 Florida blood donors have reached the 100 gallon milestone, according to OneBlood.
And what about all those blood donor t-shirts? Gary’s wife Lori makes quilts out of them.
Generally, healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. All donors receive a wellness checkup including blood pressure, temperature, iron count, pulse and cholesterol screening, and a gift.
For more information on donating blood, visit oneblood.org.
Pictured: Gary Goodwin of Bratt reached the 100 Gallon Donor Club Thursday. Pictured Gary and his wife Lori with one of her blood donor t-shirt quilts. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Best Of The Class Of 2018 Honored From Escambia High Schools
April 27, 2018
The top of the Class of 2018 from Escambia County’s high schools were recognized Thursday as the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation hosted the 2018 Senior Academic Awards program.
The Senior Academic Awards recognized outstanding academic achievement, represented by the top five students from each school with the highest GPA’s at the end of the first semester senior year and the top student from each of the six academic disciplines. Students from seven Escambia County high schools and the Pensacola High School Baccalaureate Program will receive a personalized medallion and a Congressional certificate. The awards ceremony also recognized nine National Merit Finalists from Escambia County, eight from the Pensacola High School IB Program, and one from Pensacola High School.
Honorees are listed below under a photo from each school, scroll down, click to enlarge.
Escambia High School
TOP FIVE: Georgia Addy, Emmanuel Apusen, Clara Bonnlander, Andrew Gregg, Nicholas Hamblin.
DISCIPLINES: Ashton Floda, Career & Technical; Matthew Arellano, English; Rachael Cox, Foreign Language; Peyton Anglin, Math; Christopher Harden, Science; Jason Banuelos, Social Studies.
Northview High School
TOP FIVE: Triston Long, Hannah Nelson, Sarah Perritt, Destiny McKenna Watson, Tara Windham.
DISCIPLINES: Cody Alan Kite, Career & Technical; Bria Hardy, English; Logan Hall, Foreign Language; Fisher Logan Spence, Math; Logan Calloway, Science; Justin Cole Hassebrock, Social Studies
Pensacola High School
TOP FIVE: Stanley Dorion, Paul Miron, Hannah Marie Mock, Joshua Ryan Wood (National Merit Finalist), Yu Grace Zhu,.
DISCIPLINES: Leigha Holstein, Career & Technical; Katie Allison Shelnut, English; Christina M. Coker, Foreign Language; Uyen Phuong Tong, Math; Davonchae Bryant, Science; Aaliyah Medley, Social Studies.
Pensacola High School International Baccalaureate Program
TOP FIVE: Lauren Hagy, Tamim Kawakibi, Cara Kizilbash, Lucas Liseth (National Merit Finalist), Dina Razek, Brandon Wu.
DISCIPLINES: Zofia Uszok, Career and Technical; Sydney Rush, English; María José Peña, Foreign Language; Michael Hoffman, Math; Bao-Tien Duong, Science; Abagail Walker, Social Studies; Kareem Bataineh, National Merit Finalist; George Hester, National Merit Finalist; Leo Zhang, National Merit Finalist; James Riggins, National Merit Finalist; Brett Winter, National Merit Finalist; James Henderson, National Merit Finalist; LiAna Patterson, National Merit Finalist.
Pine Forest High School
TOP FIVE: Kyla Cheek, LaLina Foust, Angelo Isidro Mayorga, Melissa Schumacher, Jing Wong.
DISCIPLINES: Josiah Robinson, Career & Technical; Halee Nagem, English; Osdi Flores-Cruz, Foreign Language; Caleb Whitworth, Math; Ja’Lynne Whitaker, Science; Caleb White, Social Studies.
Tate High School
TOP FIVE: Ashlyn Adams, Mollie Anderson, Matthew Blalock, Seth Godwin, Rosemary Smyth.
DISCIPLINES: Levi Shaffer, Career & Technical; Kelsey Strength, English; Madisyn Mitchell, Foreign Language; Camryn Daniels, Math; Hannah Huggins, Science; Thomas Young, Social Studies.
Washington High School
TOP FIVE: Abbigail Abbi Andrade, Meghan Doyle, Daniel Duong, Rachel Nguyen, Elizabeth Teets.
DISCIPLINES: TerriLynn Hale, Career & Technical; Grace Sill, English; Tianna Lewis, Foreign Language; Anderson Nguyen, Math; Alexa Jewel Lapid, Science; Chase Rogers, Social Studies.
West Florida High School of Advanced Technology
TOP FIVE: Amy Elizabeth Brown, Brandon Fenters, Aliya Kaufmann, Dhanvi Patel, Justin Schubeck.
DISCIPLINES: Keyshawn Helton, Career & Technical; Dylan Pitts, English; Craig Crosby, Foreign Language; Rebecca Bivins, Math; Jessica Pardue, Science; Alexander Smith, Social Studies.
Photos courtesy Kim Stefansson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Looks Sunny And Warm
April 27, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Light northwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 78. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 51. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.
EREC Annual Meeting Is Saturday
April 27, 2018
Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s 79th Annual Meeting will be held Saturday at Northview High School.
This year’s meeting begins earlier, with voting and activities from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. prior to the business meeting at 10 a.m.
There will be entertainment by Dan Kirkland, a breakfast fundraiser for the Northview FFA, gifts for members and door prizes. There will also be children’s activities.
Tate Lady Aggies Win Fifth Consecutive District Championship
April 27, 2018
The Tate Lady Aggies won their fifth straight straight championship Thursday night, 11-1 over the Pace Patriots.
Hannah Brown earned the win for the Lady Aggies in six innings, allowing just one hit, one run and striking out six.
For Tate: Shelby Ullrich 3-4, R, 2RBI, Belle Wolfenden 2-4; Deazia Nickerson 2-2, RBI, R; Ryleigh Cawby 2-2, 2 RBI, 2R; Sydni Solliday 1-3; Shelby McLean 1-3, R; Amber Decous 1-3, 3RBI.
Up next, Tate will host Milton Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the 1-7A regional quarterfinals.
Jay Royals Top Northview For District 3-1A Championship
April 27, 2018
The Jay Royals defeated the Northview Chiefs Thursday night 8-5 in the 3-1A district championship game in Jay.
The Royals took a 2-0 lead after one inning, adding two more in the second and one in the third. The Chiefs added a run in the fifth, with the Lady Royals answering with two for a 7-1 lead after five. In the sixth, Northview had a four-run streak, but Jay went on to an 8-5 final.
Alyssa Baxley pitched the win for Jay in a complete game, striking out 11. At the plate, Christa Sanders was 3-4, and Haylee Watson, Sarah Barnhill and Alyssa Baxley each had a hit.
For Northview, Tori Herrington was 1-2, Ashley Ragsdale had a double as she went 2-4 and Valen Shelley was 1-4.
Regional play begins next Thursday with Bozeman at Jay at 7:00 and Northview at Wewahitchka.
Photos by Diann Tagert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Track And Field Athletes Qualify For State Finals
April 27, 2018
Several Northview High School track and field athletes qualified for the upcoming 1A state meet May 3-6.
They are:
Brandon Spencer 100 and 200m
Crystal Douglas and Nene Findley 100m
Girls 4×100m Crystal Douglas, Nene Findley, Myisha Syria, Celeste North, Lexi Broadhead
Boys 4×100m Quay Thomas, Joseph Wright, Tim Bush, Jarius Moorer, Brandon Spencer
Boys High Jump Tim Bush
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rally Calls For Restoring Voting Rights For Felons
April 27, 2018
A day after a stinging defeat handed down by an appeals court, ministers and civil rights leaders — including national talk-show host Al Sharpton — rallied Thursday at the state Capitol to rev up support for a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would automatically restore voting rights for most Florida felons.
A march from Bethel Missionary Baptist Church to the steps of the Old Capitol, planned weeks ago, followed a late-night ruling Wednesday from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a bitterly fought challenge to the state’s vote-restoration system.
The appellate court handed Gov. Rick Scott and the other members of the Board of Executive Clemency a decisive victory by blocking a federal judge’s order that would have required the state to overhaul Florida’s process of restoring the right to vote to felons by Thursday.
In a series of rulings, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker found the state’s vote-restoration process violated First Amendment rights and Fourteenth Amendment equal-protection rights of felons. Last month, he gave Scott and the board until Thursday to revamp what the judge called a “fatally flawed” process and rejected a request by Attorney General Pam Bondi to put his order on hold.
But in its 2-1 decision Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based appellate court not only granted the state’s request to put Walker’s decision on hold but also indicated the district judge’s invalidation of the vote-restoration process likely would not stand.
Thursday’s march and rally, featuring Sharpton and civil-rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, were organized around what was expected to be the release of the state’s new vote-restoration process as ordered by Walker.
Instead, the 11th Circuit’s decision stirred up already impassioned supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment as they gathered on the steps of the Old Capitol.
“I think that we are absolutely fired up. I intend to spend a lot of time here, and I know that others with national prominence will. More importantly, local citizens are energized. Many would have felt that there was hope if the appellate court had not ruled. But by ruling on the eve of this rally, they gave us the impetus to really build a movement,” Sharpton told The News Service of Florida and other reporters following the noon rally.
The proposed amendment, backed by the political committee “Floridians for a Fair Democracy” and largely bankrolled by the American Civil Liberties Union, would automatically restore the right to vote for felons who have served their sentences, completed probation and paid restitution. Murderers and sex offenders would not be eligible.
Home to an estimated 1.6 million convicted felons, Florida is one of a handful of states that do not automatically restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. An estimated 600,000 felons could have their voting rights restored if voters approve the measure, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 4.
Although a majority of the convicted felons in Florida who have lost their right to vote are white, blacks are disproportionately represented among the felon population.
So it’s no surprise that felon disenfranchisement sparks intensely emotional responses from African-Americans like those who gathered in downtown Tallahassee under sunny skies Thursday. Many people at the rally began weathering civil-rights storms decades ago.
For some, Florida’s labyrinthine vote-restoration process is viewed as a modern form of lynching and is a vestige of Jim Crow-era laws designed to keep blacks from casting ballots.
And disenfranchisement also prevents felons who’ve completed their sentences from serving on juries, said Crump, a lawyer who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, a black teen whose shooting death in 2012 in Seminole County drew international attention.
Drawing cheers from the crowd of more 150, Crump said he discovered early in his career that in many courthouses, “the only thing black is you, your client and the judge’s robe.”
The “legalization of discrimination is real, and it’s affecting us in ways we cannot even imagine,” he said.
Felons who are unable to vote are effectively shut out of society, the lawyer added.
“They’re like the walking dead. They just ain’t got the death certificate,” he said.
Florida’s current vote-restoration process began early in 2011, shortly after Scott and Bondi took office. The Republican officials played key roles in changing the process to effectively make it harder for felons to get their rights restored.
Scott’s office has adamantly backed the process, saying the governor is standing with crime victims.
Under the process, felons must wait five or seven years after their sentences are complete to apply to have rights restored. After applications are filed, the process can take years to complete.
Since the changes went into effect in 2011, Scott — whose support is required for any type of clemency to be granted — and the board have restored the rights of 3,005 of the more than 30,000 convicted felons who’ve applied, according to the Florida Commission on Offender Review. There’s currently a backlog of 10,085 pending applications, according to the commission.
In contrast, more than 155,000 ex-felons had their right to vote automatically restored during the four years of former Gov. Charlie Crist’s tenure, according to court documents.
Florida will be “ground zero” to “turn around this affront on voting rights” for felons during the 2018 election season, Sharpton predicted.
“We are going to turn on the light in the Sunshine State,” he said. “There is no more critical issue in this land.”
Mark McMillan, a convicted felon who leads the Tallahassee-based Divine Revelations Ministries with his wife, told the News Service he had his rights restored automatically in New York and Texas for his decades-old out-of-state convictions.
But the restoration didn’t apply in Florida, McMillan, 49, learned.
“I moved back here about six years ago, and my rights were gone,” said McMillan, whose community-based outreach includes a focus on felons.
He applied to have his rights restored four years ago but was told by the clemency board that it would be up to 10 years before he would get a hearing.
“I can’t vote, and my charges are from almost 20 years ago,” McMillan said.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida