‘Welcome Home’ Block Party Held For Century Tornado Victims
September 30, 2018
A “Welcome Home” block party was held Saturday for victims of the February 2016 EF-3 tornado that ravaged parts of Century.
“God has been very gracious to us. He has been very kind in the way he has taken care of us,” Rev. Janet Lee of Century United Methodist Church said. The church, which lost their 114-year old building to the tornado, hosted the block party. “I know your struggle has not been easy. But I am grateful for the progress we see on Front Street and all around town.
The event on Front Street featured food, music, and — most of all — smiles from neighbors proud to be back home.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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New Law Governing Trespassing On School Buses
September 30, 2018
A new Florida law went into effect Monday that includes it a provision making it illegal to trespass on a school bus just the same as any other school property.
The Escambia County School District and Rep. Frank White worked together to close the loophole in the state law that excluded school buses from the school trespassing statute.
Prior to the 2018 Legislative Session, Superintendent Thomas expressed his concern over the issue of trespassing on school buses. Because Florida statute did not recognize a bus as school property, school officials and law enforcement were unable to penalize people who unlawfully board a school bus the way they can people who trespass on school grounds.
“As representative, my priority is the safety and welfare of the citizens of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties,” said White. “After learning about the bus trespass problem from Superintendent Thomas, I made it a priority to close the loophole in the law that prevented law enforcement from adequately protecting our students and school employees.”
Representative White was able to add language to a 2018 education bill that defines a school bus as “school property,” which makes trespassing on school buses equivalent to trespassing on school grounds—freeing up school districts and law enforcement to take immediate action in trespass incidents on school buses. The law applies to both public and nonpublic schools.
“This is important language, which further enhances the safety of our students while in our care. Whether on a school bus or on school grounds, the safety and security should be the same,” said Superintendent Thomas. “Entering a school bus unlawfully will have the same ramifications as trespassing on school grounds. It will be considered a crime.”
The Escambia County School District pushed unsuccessfully for a such a law in previous legislative sessions.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Pop-up Showers And T-Storms Remain In Our Forecast
September 30, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. East wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 89.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 88.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Tate Lil Aggies Cheer Clinic Held
September 30, 2018
The Tate High School Aggies Cheerleaders held their annual Lil Aggies Cheer Clinic Saturday. The Lil Aggies Cheerleaders will perform with the varsity cheerleaders during the first quarter of Tate’s home game against Escambia on October 12. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vet Tech Students Volunteer At Panhandle Equine Rescue
September 30, 2018
Students from the veterinary technician program at Pensacola State College spent their Saturday morning volunteering at Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment. The did barn chores and interacted with the rescue horses. Courtesy Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Youth Football Scores: NWE Chiefs, Century Blackcats
September 30, 2018
Here are Saturday scores from the NWE Chiefs and the Century Blackcats:
Northwest Escambia Chiefs
Freshman
NWE 20, Baker 7
Sophomores
NWE 32, Baker 0
Juniors
Baker 34, NWE 8
Seniors
NWE 25 Baker 20
Century Blackcats
Mighty Mites (4-7 year olds)
Repton (2-1) 12, Century (1-2) 8
Tiny Mites (8-10 year olds)
Repton (3-0) 20, Century (1-2) 6
Pee Wees (11-13 year olds)
Repton (3-0) 18, Century (0-3) 0
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Florida’s ‘Supreme’ Controversy
September 30, 2018
While the nation was fixated on the drama surrounding Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, Floridians were reminded this week that they have their own Supreme Court controversy in triplicate.
Gov. Rick Scott reasserted his claim in court that he has the power, before he leaves office in January, to appoint replacements for three Florida Supreme Court justices who have reached a mandatory retirement age. Opponents contend the next governor, who takes office on Jan. 8, has that right.
Meanwhile, former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor, told the Florida Chamber of Commerce this week that he intends to appoint the new justices.
“It’s important that we have a governor who understands that we have to appoint solid constitutionalists to our state courts, including our state Supreme Court,” he told the chamber members, who were meeting in Orlando.
“The next governor probably, and I know there’s a little bit of controversy about when these appointments happen, but I’m presuming that I get elected governor and get sworn in, that I will have three appointments to the state Supreme Court,” DeSantis said.
It’s not the first time DeSantis has asserted his right to make the court appointments. It became an issue in his final debate with Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in the Republican gubernatorial primary.
“They’re not your appointments. They’re Gov. Scott’s appointments,” Putnam told him, saying DeSantis was aligning himself with groups like the League of Women Voters of Florida, who is challenging Scott on the court appointments.
For his part, Scott, who expects to get a list of potential court appointees by Nov. 8, has said he will work on the appointments with the winner of the Nov. 6 election.
Reaching an accommodation with DeSantis, who shares a similar conservative philosophy with Scott, seems possible. But if Democrat Andrew Gillum prevails, Floridians can expect the appointment controversy to intensify.
WHO’S GOT THE POWER
Scott’s lawyers on Wednesday argued the governor has the authority to appoint the replacements for justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, who are all leaving the court in early January because they have reached the mandatory retirement age.
The lawsuit, filed by the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause, has asked the Supreme Court to block Scott’s action, through a procedure known as a “writ of quo warranto,” arguing the new governor who takes office on Jan. 8 should have that appointment power.
But in a 33-page response, Scott’s lawyers said he is following the precedent of beginning the appointment process before the vacancies actually occur, noting numerous justices have been appointed using this procedure in order to avoid prolonged vacancies on the court.
“The petitioners’ interpretation of the applicable constitutional provision is contrary to its plain language, the longstanding historical practice of the judicial nominating commissions for the Supreme Court and district courts of appeal, and the clearly articulated public policy underlying Article V of the Florida Constitution: avoiding extended vacancies in judicial office,” the lawyers wrote.
Earlier this month, Scott directed the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission to begin accepting and reviewing applications for the court appointments. The commission has set an Oct. 8 deadline for the applications, followed by a Nov. 8 deadline — two days after the general election — for submitting names of potential justices to the governor.
Scott, a Republican who is running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, said he has the “expectation” that he and the incoming governor could reach an agreement on the appointments.
Underscoring the legal challenge is the fact that the new appointments are likely to reshape the seven-member Supreme Court for years, if not decades. Pariente, Lewis and Quince are part of a liberal bloc, which now holds a slim 4-3 majority, that has thwarted Scott and the Republican-dominated Legislature on numerous occasions since the governor took office in 2011.
SEX AND THE SENATE
In another Florida parallel to the Kavanaugh controversy, where the nominee has been accused of sexually harassing women while in high school or college, a sexual discrimination case involving the Florida Senate advanced this week.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and four high-ranking senators — including President Joe Negron — are among the witnesses being asked to testify in a discrimination case filed by legislative aide Rachel Perrin Rogers, who accuses the Senate of retaliation after she filed a sexual harassment complaint last year against former Sen. Jack Latvala.
Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who held the powerful post of Senate budget chief and was a candidate for governor when Perrin Rogers’ allegations against him first came out, resigned from the Senate shortly before the legislative session began in January. He has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.
Latvala is among the witnesses Tiffany Cruz, a lawyer who represents Perrin Rogers, is asking to appear at a Jan. 14 federal administrative-court hearing in Tampa, according to court documents first reported Wednesday by Politico Florida.
The list of witnesses gives just a glimpse into the allegations made by Perrin Rogers, who filed the discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January.
One of the witnesses is Jean Seawright, who was hired by the Senate to conduct an investigation into Perrin Rogers after the aide filed the complaint against Latvala, according to court documents. Senate Special Master Ronald Swanson, who investigated Perrin Rogers’ allegations against Latvala, is also on the witness list.
Negron, a Stuart Republican who is leaving office after the November elections, “has knowledge that complainant suffered retaliation for making a report of sexual harassment,” Cruz wrote in a four-page list of witnesses submitted Tuesday to U.S. Administrative Law Judge Alexander Fernández.
The Senate president denied anyone punished Perrin Rogers, a high-ranking aide who works for Senate Majority Leader Wilton Simpson, after she complained about Latvala.
“The complaint of sexual harassment in this case was immediately and fully investigated. At all times the Senate has acted appropriately and there has been no retaliation,” Negron said in a text message Wednesday.
But Cruz told The News Service of Florida on Wednesday that “there has been constant retaliation” against Perrin Rogers since she first complained about Latvala last fall. And the retaliation got worse after Swanson’s report was completed and the Senate aide filed her discrimination complaint, Cruz said.
“Instead, what we’ve seen happen here is the Senate has taken almost no action as the employer to protect Rachel when the retaliation was happening, and then subsequent to the investigation, they’ve actively taken steps to treat her differently as a result of her complaint,” she said.
The investigation into Latvala came amid a national spotlight on revelations of sexual harassment lodged against powerful men in Hollywood, business and politics that led to the demise of entertainment-industry titans such as Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose and Les Moonves.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott reasserted his right to appoint three new justices to the Florida Supreme Court before he leaves office in early January.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The message that women are receiving, to me, is you become a pariah for saying something about any type of misconduct that’s happening to you by a man, especially by a man of power. If you say something too late, you get attacked for that. If you say something right away, you get attacked for that. So essentially the message is, be silent, or these are the consequences.” — Tiffany Cruz, a lawyer who is representing legislative aide Rachel Perrin Rogers, who is suing the Florida Senate in a discrimination case.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Judson Scott Caraway
September 30, 2018
Infant Judson Scott Caraway passed away on September 25, 2018, in Brewton, Alabama.
Survivors include his parents, Anthony and Jessica Caraway; paternal grandparents, Tim and Tiwania Caraway; maternal grandparents, Ken and Andrea McCray; parental great grandparents, James and Judy Welch and Harold and Ruby Fretwell.
Graveside services were held Saturday, September 29, 2018, at the Bryars-McGill Cemetery with Rev. Justin Morse, Sister Helen Stewart and Rev. Junior Byrd officiating
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Ascend Cares Unveils New Playground At Escambia Westgate School
September 29, 2018
A new sensory playground and learning garden were dedicated Friday at Escambia West Gate School.
The Ascend Cares Foundation partnered with Escambia Westgate to fund and install the playground and garden.
“This is the largest single Ascend Cares project in the history of the foundation. It is fitting that it relates to two of our focus areas: children and education,” said Rachell Gold, director of the Ascend Cares Foundation. “The purchase and installation of the new playground was funded by foundation donations and our company matching program.”
Employees of Ascend Performance Materials’ Pensacola site worked as volunteers to dismantle the previous playground and prepare the site for the installation of the new sensory playground.
“Our previous playground did not meet the needs of the majority of our students,” said Jobenna Sellers, principal at Escambia Westgate School. “The new sensory playground is now fully accessible and will enhance our students’ functional and social development by providing increased exercise and outdoor activity.”
“I am so proud of the impact this project will have on the students’ lives, their school and their community,” said Sharhonda Owens, senior quality specialist for Ascend’s Pensacola site and the Ascend Cares playground project coordinator. “The playground was designed to meet the needs of every student at Escambia Westgate School. It has wheelchair-accessible swings, a sensory tunnel with cutouts and musical equipment.”
Ascend Cares has partnered with Escambia Westgate for the past six years. The school is dedicated to teaching children with physical and intellectual disabilities from grades K-12.
The previous playground equipment at Escambia Westgate was donated to another school.
Pictured: The dedication of a new playground at Escambia Westgate School Friday. Pictured bottom at the ribbon cutting are: (L-R) Sharhonda Owens, Ascend Performance Material; CEO Phil McDivitt,Ascend Performance Materials; Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, Escambia County School District; Principal Jobenna Sellers, Escambia Westgate School; and Rep. Clay Ingram. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Looking For A Sunny Fall Weather Weekend? This Is Not It
September 29, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. East wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.