Two Arrested In Cottage Hill Shots Fired, Cutting And Robbery Incident
June 22, 2018
Two people have been charged after a woman was assaulted Thursday afternoon in Cottage Hill.
Deputies received a shots fired call at 5:05 p.m. on Handy Lane off Williams Ditch Road. They found a woman with what appears to have be a non-life threatening knife wound to her calf. The woman was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital.
Jerry Kenneth Taber, 34, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, using or displaying a firearm during a felony, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, child neglect without great bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Due to outstanding warrants, Taber is being held without bond for the U.S. Marshals, according to jail records.
Elizabeth Ashley White, 29, was charged with robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, using or displaying a firearm during a felony, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, battery and petit theft. She was also arrested on outstanding warrants for passing a forged instrument and a probation violation. She remained in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
The victim told deputies that Taber told her to come to his location on Handy Drive to get belongings that she had left at the residence. When the victim arrived with a male friend, Taber snatched her from the driver’s seat of her pickup and dragged her by her hair to the backyard where White stomped on her stomach, according to an arrest report.
In an attempt to fight back, the victim started to kick Taber who then cut her on the back of her leg with a knife, the report states. The friend began to scream. and he was pulled to the backyard and heard a gun that he did not immediately see being fired. The victim then saw White holding a .38 special pistol recognized as belonging to Taber. Taber hit one of the victims in the head with the revolver, deputies said in their report.
White allegedly took the male victim’s cell phone during the incident.
A neighbor told deputies that they heard a gunshot and heard a female scream, “They are trying to kill me me, they stabbed me and want to shoot me.”
Taber and White were apprehended nearby in a vehicle at McKenzie Street and Ezell Drive. A deputy reported that he located a knife in sheath on Taber’s belt, and there was a firearm case in the passenger seat with no firearm. The revolver was then located to the front of the center console of the vehicle. Two baseball size plastic bags of methamphetamine were also recovered from the vehicle, according to the report.
A child was in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop.
Taber was previously convicted of felony armed burglary; White has a felony conviction for burglary.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Online Shopping May Cost More In Florida After Court Sales Tax Ruling
June 22, 2018
A U.S. Supreme Court decision expanding the ability of states to pull in tax dollars from online purchases could have a significant impact in Florida.
In a 5-4 ruling Thursday, the nation’s highest court upheld a South Dakota law that allowed the state to apply its sales tax to major online retailers, even if they had no physical presence in the state. The ruling reversed a 1992 court decision that held online retailers could only be required to collect and remit sales taxes if they had stores or some other “nexus” in states.
Brick-and-mortar retailers in Florida and other states have long complained that allowing some online retailers to evade sales taxes creates a competitive advantage for the remote sellers. Consumers were supposed to voluntarily pay sales taxes on remote purchases, although it rarely happened.
In his majority opinion Thursday, Justice Anthony Kennedy cited the expansion of internet commerce since the court’s 1992 decision, noting national mail-order sales totaled $180 billion at that point, compared to $453.5 billion in online sales in 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“(The prior decision) puts both local businesses and many interstate businesses with physical presence at a competitive disadvantage relative to remote sellers,” Kennedy wrote. “Remote sellers can avoid the regulatory burdens of tax collection and can offer de facto lower prices caused by the widespread failure of consumers to pay the tax on their own.”
In a dissenting opinion citing the court’s prior ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts said federal lawmakers, not the court, should decide whether to tax remote sales.
“Any alteration to those rules with the potential to disrupt the development of such a critical segment of the economy should be undertaken by Congress,” he wrote.
The court decision was praised by Florida business groups.
“For years, online-only retailers have exploited this loophole that allows them not to collect sales tax, which has given them an unfair competitive advantage over brick-and-mortar stores,” said James Miller, a spokesman for the Florida Retail Federation. “This decision finally levels that playing field, and I think that’s all any business owner wants.”
The court decision could also be important in Florida because of the state’s heavy reliance on sales-tax revenue. Expected to generate more than $24 billion for the state government in the current fiscal year, the sales tax is the single largest source of funding for the state.
Dominic Calabro, president of Florida TaxWatch, a business-oriented advocacy group, said the ability to apply the sales tax to more internet sales will keep the state’s tax structure in sync with the evolving economy.
“The taxpayers of Florida really rely heavily on the sales tax. You’ve got to have a modern sales tax, so we don’t have to have any other kind of tax that people don’t want,” Calabro said. “So, by relying on a sales tax, you have to make sure it’s modern and up to date.”
The exact impact of the ruling on Florida’s sales tax collections is unknown but it could be significant.
Last November, the federal Government Accountability Office estimated that states could have collected between $8.5 billion and $13.4 billion in sales taxes in 2017 if they had expanded taxing authority. The estimate represented between 2 and 4 percent of total state and local sales tax collections in 2016, the analysts said.
In testimony before the Florida House Ways & Means Committee in January 2017, analysts gave a rough estimate of $200 million in potential sales tax revenue resulting from applying the tax to more remote sales.
In Florida, the sales tax has been applied to a wider range of internet sales over the last few years. In 2014, Amazon, the largest online retailer, began collecting the tax in Florida after it opened a series of “fulfillment centers” in the state. But the tax is not applied to “third-party” sales through the Amazon network.
And according to the Supreme Court case, some large online retailers do not collect taxes on their remote sales. Wayfair Inc., an online retailer of home goods and furniture that challenged the South Dakota law, had more than $4.7 billion in net revenue in 2017, according to the opinion.
But even with the court’s decision, not all remote sales are likely to be taxed. The South Dakota law only applied the tax to online retailers that had at least $100,000 of annual sales in the state or 200 individual transactions.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger and Tom Urban, The News Service of Florida
Hot And Humid With Scattered Thunderstorms For Our Friday
June 22, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Cantonment Man Arrested For Allegedly Hitting Man With Pipe
June 22, 2018
A Cantonment was arrested after allegedly hitting man in the head with a pipe during an argument, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Jeremiah John Fontaine, 21, was charged with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after the incident at a residence on Blue Angel Parkway.
Fontaine told deputies that he remembered getting into a big argument which led to a physical altercation before he left the scene, according to an arrest report, but he did not mean to kill or harm anyone.
The victim was treated on the scene by Escambia County EMS.
Foutaine was released on a $10,000 bond.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
June 22, 2018
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending June 7 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Jernigan was on water patrol on the Escambia River near the Highway 90 bridge when he saw two men fishing from one of the bridge supports. Both men had been fishing, but only one of them had a valid fishing license. Officer Jernigan noticed a line tied to the back of the piling that had several fish on it, including two redfish under the minimum size limit of 18 inches. One of the men admitted catching both fish and was charged with taking undersized redfish and warned for the bag limit violation.
Officers Long, Clark and Allgood were on patrol in Perdido Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The officers conducted a stop on a subject who was not wearing a seatbelt as he passed the officers. The operator pulled over, and after a brief conversation with the operator, Officer Long saw signs of impairment. Officer Long performed standardized field sobriety tasks on the operator and arrested the operator after performing poorly on the tasks for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He was charged with DUI second offense, refusal to submit to breath test second offense, knowingly driving while license is suspended second offense, attaching a tag not assigned to that vehicle and not wearing a seat belt.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Ramos was on vessel patrol in the Santa Rosa Sound and conducted a boating safety inspection on a pontoon vessel with five adults and three children onboard. During the safety inspection it was discovered that there were only adult personal flotation devices (PFDs) on board and no proper fitting PFDs for the children onboard. The operator stated that the vessel was rented from a nearby livery. Officer Ramos asked the pontoon vessel to return to the livery where he ensured they received the correct sized PFDs for the children. He then identified the person responsible for issuing the safety equipment for the rental and issued the employee a notice to appear citation for not providing the proper safety equipment to the vessel.
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.
ECUA Helps Prep Local 4-H Students Headed To Legislative Program
June 22, 2018
Escambia County 4-H students are scheduled to take part in a mock legislative program next week in Tallahassee. In preparation Larry Walker, ECUA District 5 board member, hosted the students Thursday in the ECUA board room to allow the students to practice their legislative skills in a governmental chamber environment.
The training prepared the students for the upcoming 4-H Legislature and gain an understanding of board proceedings similar to legislative committees that happen in organizations in all forms of government and private corporate enterprise.
The local students have participated in an intensive five-part training program, which was directed by 4-H agents and adult volunteers, who contributed their knowledge of parliamentary procedure, research, debating, the art of persuasion, and formal presentation in committee and chamber sessions.
This year’s 4-H Legislature is set for Monday, June 26 through Friday, June 30.
The civic education event allows students to write bills, act as lobbyists, pass the bills through various committees and debate the potential laws on the Capitol House and/or Senate Floor as acting representatives and senators. This exercise provides the 4-H’ers an opportunity to debate issues and experience the legislative process first-hand.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Career Academies, Name Changes In Escambia – Including Northview, Tate
June 22, 2018
There are changes coming to career and technical academies in Escambia County Schools, including a new academy at Tate High School an update to an academy at Northview High School.
Almost two-thirds of middle and high school students in the Escambia County School District enroll in one of the 51 high school or 16 middle school academies.
“We are constantly looking for ways to update the programs we offer to be sure we are doing our best to stay ahead of the upcoming needs of local employers as well as finding programs that will help our students prepare for their future careers,” said Dr. Michelle Taylor, ECSD’s director of Workforce Education. “To do this, we work in partnership with our local business leaders to form advisory councils. These changes are the results of their input as well as our attention to our students’ career and academic interests.”
Three New Workforce Education Academies
Tate High School will be establishing the J.M. Tate High School Agriscience Academy. Agriculture classes have been offered in the past, but now they will be focused into three streams of instruction – Agritechnology, Technical Agriculture Operations and Horticultural Science. Students will strive to achieve industry certifications such as Agricultural Associate Certification, Agricultural Mechanics Specialist Certification, and/or Agritechnology Specialist Certification. Students in the new academy will still have the chance to participate in the Tate FFA program, along with the students in the existing Tate High Veterinary Science Academy.
Pensacola High School will be starting a Culinary Arts Academy to provide rigorous and relevant instruction in academic and technical instruction including opportunities to develop professional skills in the culinary and hospitality career fields. Skills will be acquired for a range of food service careers including chef, restaurant management, nutritionists, food editor/stylists, sales/marketing, food purchasing or catering director, and many more. Academy students will have the chance to earn Industry Certifications in this field of study, to include National ProStart Certificate and Food Safety Manager.
Booker T. Washington High School will now offer a Media Academy for students interested in careers as television production operators, television broadcast technicians, camera operators, and other professional/para-professional technicians, video recording engineers, and audio recording engineers. Television production skills that will be developed will include script writing, lighting, shooting and directing, electronic news gathering, and field production. Industry certification opportunities will include the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) in Premiere Pro Creative Cloud.
Three ECSD Academies Getting New Names
At Northview High School and Pensacola High School, the Automation and Production Technology Academies will now be branded as Advanced Manufacturing Academies. The course sequence will match the new state curriculum framework and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed for careers in Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Students will gain a foundation of knowledge and experiences in the study of automation technology and its application in the fields of manufacturing, engineering and robotics. Students will also work toward the Industry Certification, Manufacturing Skills Standards Council/Certified Production Technician.
The Booker T. Washington High School Aviation Maintenance Academy is now the Aviation Technology Academy. The new name will better describe the nature of the academy and aligns with local industry needs. Course work starts with a year of Private Pilot Ground School and then moves into three years of Aviation Assembly Technician coursework. Students in the Aviation Technology Academy will have opportunities for work-based learning with local aviation industry partners and will also gain knowledge of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), aviation history and innovations, quality control, aircraft manufacturing processes, and mathematical practices related to the assembly and fabrication of aircraft. They will also gain hands-on experience with aviation tools and materials. The Industry Certification associated with this academy is the Aerospace/Aircraft Assembly (AAA) certification. These high school students will learn foundational aviation maintenance skills that will help prepare them to continue their education at GSTC’s Aviation Maintenance program and earn an Airframe and Powerplant license.
Each of these academies will be affiliated with a Business Advisory Council composed of representatives from businesses and industry leaders who partner with the academies to keep the curriculum current, serve as guest speakers and provide opportunities for work-based learning experiences. Participation in all ECSD career and technical academies include the development of “soft skills” employers in all fields are looking for, such as time management, teamwork, creative problem solving, general employability skills, presentation skills and leadership.
For more information about ECSD Workforce Education options, visit ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/career.
Pictured: Equipment used in the Advanced Manufacturing Academy at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Purrfect: Adopt An Animal Shelter Cat For Just $20 This Month
June 22, 2018
It’s National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month- the purrfect time of the year to adopt a feline friend from the Escambia County Animal Shelter.
To celebrate, the shelter is offering a special reduced adoption fee of $20 for all cats and kittens for the month of June. Adoption fees include altering of the animal (spay or neutering services), microchip and the initial vaccinations, including rabies vaccinations. Escambia County residents will be required to purchase a license at the time of adoption. This is an additional $11 over the adoption fees and is paid separately.
A few of the cats at the shelter include:
– Scarlet (pictured above) a 3-month old medium hair gray tabby that is nothing but cuteness from ears to her fluffy tail. She’s playful and sweet.
– Apple Sauce (pictured inset) a delightful female tabby that is about 3-years old.
– Violet, pictured below, a a silvery-gray package of pure love. This one year-old female is not only gorgeous, but is incredibly sweet. She loves posing for the camera, and she is most happy snuggling in a lap.
The Escambia County Animal Shelter is located at 200 West Fairfield Drive and is open Monday to Friday from noon until 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information, call (850) 595-3075.
Bratt Elementary Collects 53 Pounds Of Pop Tabs For Ronald McDonald House
June 22, 2018
Bratt Elementary School students collected tens of thousands of pop tabs — those little pull tabs off the tops of aluminum drink cans — to benefit the Ronald McDonald House this year.
Between January and the end of May, the school collected 53.6 pounds of pop tabs that were donated Wednesday.
According to the Ronald McDonald House, there are 1,430 tabs per pound — meaning Bratt Elementary’s 53.6 pound donation would contain an estimated 76,000 tabs. Placed end to end, they would stretch over a mile.
The money from recycling the tabs are used by the facility to help pay their water bill.
File photo.
NWE, Century 8U All-Stars Team Up To Advance To State Tournament
June 22, 2018
A combined Northwest Escambia and Century 8U All-Star team placed second in the recent Cal Ripken Baseball District 7 8U tournament. They now advance to the state 8U Tournament next week in Sylacauga, AL. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.