Juggling Fun At The Library; Summer Reading Program Wraps Up Next Week
July 27, 2018
Juggler extraordinaire Ron Anglin visited West Florida Library branches this week as part of the Summer Reading Program.
The Summer Reading Program ends August 4. Next week, Summer Reading Club Wrap-Up parties will be held as follows:
– Tuesday, July 31, 11 a.m. – Southwest Branch Library at Big Lagoon State Park Amphitheatre
–Tuesday, July 31, 4 p.m. – Tryon Branch Library
– Wednesday, Aug. 1, 11 a.m. – Century Branch Library
– Wednesday, Aug. 1, 4 p.m. – Pensacola Library
– Thursday, Aug. 2, 11 a.m. – Molino Branch Library
Children will play games, receive prizes and celebrate the end of the Summer Reading Program.
Pictured: Juggler Ron Anglin performed Thursday morning at the Molino Branch Library. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Inmate Bites Correctional Officer At Century Prison
July 27, 2018
An inmate bit a correctional officer at Century Correctional Institution last week, the Florida Department of Corrections said Thursday.
Inmate Joseph McLaughlin assaulted the officer at approximately 10:40 p.m. on July 17. McLaughlin bit the officer’s hand. Staff responded and subdued the inmate.
Medical staff examined the officer and noted injuries. Inmate McLaughlin will receive a disciplinary report for this assault, FDOC said.
McLaughlin was serving a one year, eight month and nine day sentence for criminal mischief with property damage in Putnam County.
Funny Money: Man Charged With Ripping Off Iconic Century Resident
July 26, 2018
A Century man has been charged with passing a counterfeit $100 bill to buy a couple of dollars worth of produce from one of Century’s most recognizable residents.
Jake Livingston is an iconic member of the Century community, selling snacks and produce from his trademark “Hazzard County Snacks” John Deere Gator. He is a local fixture at home games as “Northview’s Biggest Fan”. He also raises money for autism awareness and recently had a little library named after him [read more here] at Century Academy.
Now, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says a man has been charged with passing a counterfeit $100 bill to make a purchase from Livingston.
Jermain Lavelle Smith, 32, bought several pieces of produce worth $2 and paid Livingston with the fake $100 bill, according to an arrest report. The ECSO report indicates Livingston provided $98 in change from his own money before he realized the $100 bill was counterfeit.
Deputies later learned Smith was “residing on a picnic table” at McMurray Park on Pond Street in Century, the report states. One deputy entered the park in marked patrol vehicle, but Smith fled on foot toward a foot trail directly behind the park where another deputy was waiting.
Smith is known to be violent and carry weapons, the report states, prompting the deputy to draw his firearm and order Smith to stop. But Smith ran the other way, slipping and falling on wet grass. Smith was not injured and was taken into custody.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Smith had been on the run for at least the past month, staying with friends and family and sleeping in wooded areas or abandoned properties.
Smith was charged with felony forgery and resisting arrest without violence. He will also face extradition on unrelated charges out of Escambia County, AL.
Families Returning To Front Street Years After EF-3 Tornado
July 26, 2018
Life continues to return to normal on Front Street in Century, nearly two and a half years after an EF-3 tornado devastated much of the area.
It was one of the poorest streets in one of the poorest towns in the state — an estimated annual household income as low as $7,000. But it’s a street rich in history, rich in memories and rich in the hearts of the residents.
Neighbors Jessica Campbell and Brenda Mullins had been out of their homes for over a year as their tornado ravaged homes were replaced. Standing in one of six new homes constructed for tornado victims, they reunited in an emotional hug.
State Disaster State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program funding was allocated to Escambia County in 2016 to assist income eligible owner occupants with rehabilitation. In August 2016, Quina Grundhoefer Architects was tasked to create replacement housing plans that would fit with the historic guidelines prescribed by the Town of Century history district as well as meeting approval with the State Historic Preservation Office since the funding is coming from the state.
Recently residents had a chance to see the inside of their new homes.
“We are very appreciative of everyone that had a part in this,” Marialena Godwin said inside her new home with her husband Carl.
For more photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Orientations Set For Escambia County Elementary, Middle School Students
July 26, 2018
Elementary and middle school orientations have been set for Escambia County students. They are as follows:
Elementary School Orientation – Aug.1, 2018
- Pine Meadow Elementary School – 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. for Kindergarten Students
Elementary School Orientations – Aug. 9, 2018 (These events are for all grades unless otherwise noted.)
- Jim Allen Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Bratt Elementary School 8:30 -10:30 a.m.
- Bellview Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Beulah Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Blue Angels Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Brentwood Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Hellen Caro Elementary School 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
- N.B. Cook Elementary 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. for all NEW students K-5. Start with a meeting in the auditorium. Then, 10:00 -11:00 for all students to meet teachers)
- Cordova Park Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Ensley Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Ferry Pass Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Global Learning Academy 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Holm Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Kingsfield Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Lincoln Park Elementary School (1:00 p.m. for Grades K – 5, Pre-K Orientation is Friday, Aug. 10 at 1:00 p.m.)
- R.C. Lipscomb Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Longleaf Elementary School 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
- McArthur Elementary School 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
- Molino Park Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Montclair Elementary School 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. for Pre-K Orientation and then 9:00 -11:00 a.m. for all other grades.
- Montclair Elementary School 8:00 – 9:00 a.m..for Pre-K
- McArthur Elementary School 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
- Myrtle Grove Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Navy Point Elementary School 9:00 -10:00 a.m.
- Oakcrest Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Pine Meadow Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m. for grades 1-5
- Pleasant Grove Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Scenic Heights Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- O.J. Semmes Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- Sherwood Elementary School 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. for Pre-K students and then 9:00 -11:00 a.m. for grades K-5.
- A.K. Suter Elementary School 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
- Warrington Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- C.A. Weis Elementary Community School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
- West Pensacola Elementary School 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
August 10 (Friday)
- 1:00 p.m. Lincoln Park Elementary School (Pre-K Orientation, Grades K-5 is Thursday, Aug. 9 at 1:00 p.m)
Middle School Orientations – August 9, 2018
- Ransom Middle School 1:00 p.m. for all 6th graders and new 7th and 8th graders. Returning students will receive their schedules on the first day of school.
- Bailey Middle School 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
- Bellview Middle School 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
- Beulah Middle School 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
- Brown Barge Middle School 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
- Ernest Ward Middle School 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
- Ferry Pass Middle School 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. for (6th graders and NEW students, in the gym, returning students receive their homeroom assignments via the mail. Schedules will be in Focus after 5:00 p.m. on Aug.
- Warrington Middle School (1:00 -2:00 p.m. for 6th grade and NEW Students, returning students will be notified by mail and call-out)
- Workman Middle School 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
A Few Showers Tonight
July 26, 2018
Here is our official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Five North Escambia Roads To Be Striped
July 26, 2018
The Escambia County Commission has approved $105,197 for pavement markings and associated items on several North Escambia roads.
The roads to be striped for safety purposes are:
Molino Road — $18,132
Melvin Road — $18,662
Dawson Road — $15,950
Lambert Bridge Road Section 1 — $21,276
Lambert Bridge Road Section 2 — $11,895
Dortch Road — $14,282
The work will be done by Coastline Striping.
Pictured: Recent striping on West Highway 4 near Byrneville. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Appeals Court Weighs Restoration Of Felons’ Rights
July 26, 2018
Yraida Guanipa, a Miami consultant, stood outside the federal appeals court Wednesday morning in downtown Atlanta dressed in a bright orange scarf draped over a smart dark gray suit.
Guanipa has a master’s degree and is working on a doctorate, achievements she’s garnered since her release from prison in 2006.
Despite her academic successes and the creation of a business devoted to helping other families deal with the stain of incarceration, the shame and pain of the 11 years Guanipa served behind bars for drug-related charges persists.
That’s because she can’t vote.
Under a Florida process scrutinized Wednesday by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Guanipa is one of hundreds of thousands of felons waiting to have their voting rights restored.
“This is another sentencing that is a timeless sentence,” Guanipa, who was born in Venezuela, told The News Service of Florida. “Every time I talk to somebody about I cannot vote, it feels like I’m still incarcerated. It feels like I’m still doing part of the sentence.”
Guanipa is among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Florida Board of Executive Clemency’s process for restoring the right to vote to felons like her who’ve completed their sentences and paid restitution. Gov. Rick Scott, aided by Attorney General Pam Bondi, initiated the revamped process shortly after taking office in 2011.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs are taking a novel approach to the case. They maintain that Florida’s discretionary process violates the First Amendment, despite a dearth of cases anywhere in the country supporting that argument.
“This is a groundbreaking case. No court in the country before the district court in this case had ever ruled that the First Amendment prohibits arbitrary licensing of the right to vote to felons, the way Florida is engaged in its process right now,” Jon Sherman, an attorney with the Fair Elections Center, which represents the plaintiffs, told reporters after Wednesday’s hearing.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker found that the state’s arbitrary process violates the First Amendment and ordered the clemency board — made up of Scott and the state Cabinet — to come up with a set of “specific, neutral criteria” upon which to base their decisions.
But that victory was short-lived, when a separate three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit in April blocked a Walker order that would have required state officials to quickly overhaul Florida’s process of restoring felons’ rights. That panel decided 2-1 that “binding precedent” gives the governor “broad discretion to grant and deny clemency, even when the applicable regime lacks any standards.”
The April ruling, however, did not end the state’s appeal of Walker’s ruling that the current restoration process is unconstitutional, prompting Wednesday’s hearing.
Florida Solicitor General Amit Agarwal told Wednesday’s panel — comprised of Chief Judge Ed Carnes, Judge Elizabeth Branch and U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles, who serves in Florida’s Southern District and was assigned to the appeals court — the state’s clemency process is not facially unconstitutional.
“No case, state or federal, published or unpublished … has ever held or even implied that clemency decisions or vote-restoration decisions in particular must be made pursuant to specific standards,” Agarwal said.
Allowing Walker’s decision to stick would have far-reaching “practical implications” ranging from state decisions about clemency to presidential pardons, Agarwal argued.
But Gayles seemed bothered that Florida’s system puts it in a small class, joined only by Iowa and Kentucky.
“Would I be correct to say that at least 40 states restore rights automatically” for felons convicted of certain crimes, Gayles said, asking, “How many of the states employ no standards for this important decision?”
“We’re not aware of any state that has clemency processes that are directed by neutral, non-discriminatory standards,” Agarwal said.
But Gayles said that was because most states automatically restore felons’ voting rights after a certain period of time has elapsed and/or certain conditions are met.
And the judge seemed to reject the argument that requiring more specific standards to restore voting rights would infringe on decisions about pardons.
Agarwal conceded “there are legitimate policy concerns” but said those decisions were best left up to “policy-making branches of state government.”
The state requires felons to wait five or seven years to apply for rights restoration — and years after that to complete the process. Since the process when into effect in 2011, the clemency board has restored rights to about 3,000 of the 30,000 felons who’ve applied, compared to more than 155,000 whose rights were restored under former Gov. Charlie Crist and about 70,000 who regained their voting rights under Crist’s predecessor, Jeb Bush.
When asked why a “purely discretionary clemency system” would not violate the Constitution, Agarwal said clemency does not take rights away.
“That problem is caused by the criminal conviction, not by the absence of mercy,” the solicitor general said.
That comment bothered Guanipa, who said she understood the case hinges on a constitutional matter.
“But I just wish the court would be a little more human and see the human part of this. It’s a timeless sentencing, apart from your sentencing,” she ruefully said.
Agarwal urged the panel to side with the state, arguing that “a convicted felon who has lost the right to vote … does not and cannot have the right to vote under the First Amendment.”
But Sherman said the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that “arbitrary” licensing is unconstitutional.
Carnes appeared unconvinced by Sherman’s arguments, repeatedly interrupting the lawyer and pointing out that there was no basis for his First Amendment theory.
“You’re asking us to be the first court of appeal in the country to hold this?” a skeptical Carnes asked.
“Yes, your honor, that is true,” Sherman said.
And Carnes seemed bothered by the implications on presidential pardons.
“The point is, does the president have to have and follow standards. … What’s the difference?” he asked.
Sherman said the right to vote would have to be “handled separately” from other rights being granted in a presidential pardon.
Branch, meanwhile, asked if the plaintiffs, who concede that the Constitution doesn’t require Florida to restore voting rights to felons, weren’t running the risk of forcing the state to do away with the clemency process altogether.
Sherman said the state had promised it would not do away with restoration of voting rights and pointed out that just a small number of felons have had their voting rights restored since the new policy went into effect seven years ago.
“You’re willing to throw the next couple of hundred under the bus?” Carnes demanded.
“That’s not our risk assessment,” Sherman replied.
Pressed by Carnes, Sherman refused to identify the criteria the state should use to develop standards he thought would meet constitutional muster.
That line of questioning prompted Branch to explore whether the plaintiffs were actually seeking automatic voter restoration by creating a checklist so someone “could sit in a dark room and start plugging in” data to determine whose rights would be restored.
Sherman said the district court had already rejected an attempt to have Florida adopt an “automatic” restoration of rights system.
“At the end of the day, there’s still unfettered discretion unless we impose automatic restoration,” Branch persisted.
After the hearing, Sherman told reporters a ruling against the plaintiffs would allow the clemency board to adopt “any manner of arbitrary basis for deciding” whether someone would get their voting rights restored.
“If we’re wrong, then the executive clemency board can restore people based on their eye color, their height, whether they’re attractive or not, whether they deem them intelligent or not, whether they’re fluent in English,” Sherman said. “And you would never learn of that, because they can make that determination in their own minds and never say as much, publicly. That’s the real harm in the system.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Flomaton Man Charged With Attacking Woman, Holding Her Against Her Will
July 26, 2018
A Flomaton man has been charged with attacking a woman and holding her against her will.
Kenneth Allen Polk, 35, is charged with false imprisonment and battery.
The victim told deputies that her ordeal began at the casino in Atmore when Polk became jealous of men that were flirting with her. Once they arrived back at the victim’s Brewton home, Polk began repeatedly hitting her with his fists in her head and face and other parts of her body and choked her until she blacked out, according to an arrest report.
She said Polk ransacked her home into order to find her keys before choking her until she passed out.
The victim woke up to find Polk had driven her to the Pen Air credit union on North Century Boulevard where he forced her to withdraw cash from her account using an ATM, the report states.
A witness told deputies that he saw Polk punch the victim and choke her until she passed out again at Pen Air. He then reportedly drove north toward Flomaton, stopping at a gas station in Century where the victim escaped.
Deputies noted that the woman suffered busted lips, a blood nose, and scratches and bruises all over her body.
Polk remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $30,000.
Wahoos Hold Off Lookouts, Win Second Straight 5-4
July 26, 2018
The Blue Wahoos held off a ninth inning rally by the Lookouts to hold on for a 5-4 win Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Field in Chattanooga.
The game got off to an eventful start when Wahoos manager Jody Davis was ejected during Jose Siri’s at bat to begin the game. Siri was subsequently ejected a couple pitches later after objecting to a called third strike. Pensacola cashed in on TJ Friedl’s one-out double to claim an early 1-0 lead later in the inning.
With a 1-0 lead, the Wahoos opened up a 4-0 advantage with three runs in the second inning. Luis Gonzalez tripled home Gavin LaValley and Narciso Crook to make it 3-0. Gonzalez scored a batter later on a Cassidy Brown single before the next three batters were retired to end the inning. TJ Friedl reached on an error to start the fifth inning and scored when Shed Long singled him home putting the Wahoos up 5-0.
Tony Santillan (W, 3-0) was strong through five scoreless innings but ran into trouble in the sixth. The Lookouts loaded the bases with nobody out before Jaylin Davis doubled home all three runs to cut the Wahoos lead to 5-3. Santillan retired the next two batters before getting lifted for Joel Bender who finished the inning stranding Davis at third.
The Lookouts rallied again in the ninth inning scoring a run and loading the bases with two outs before Carlos Navas (S, 4) struck out Davis to end the game, securing Pensacola’s second straight win, 5-4.
Despite the early offense, Chattanooga’s pitching retired the final 13 Blue Wahoos hitters. Aristides Aquino was held hitless to snap his hit streak at eight games. Santillan earned his third win in four starts going 5.2 inning with three runs allowed on three walks and three strikeouts. Navas allowed just the one ninth inning run over his two innings out of the bullpen to record the save. Paco Rodriguez (L, 3-1) was the opener for the Lookouts and suffered the loss after he was charged with three runs on two hits with two walks over one-plus inning of work. Taylor Poppen shouldered most of the load for Chattanooga with two runs allowed, one earned, over seven innings.
The series continues Thursday when the Wahoos look to lock up another series win, to keep their series unbeaten streak of nine alive.