Fire Destroys Cotton Picker
November 19, 2018
Fire destroyed a cotton picker in field on Highway 178 south of Jay Saturday. There were no injuries reported. Photos by April McCullough for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Caldwell Concedes Ag Commissioner Race To Fried
November 19, 2018
Republican Matt Caldwell pointed to a need for political “sanity” and a “peaceful transfer of power” Monday as he conceded the race for Florida agriculture commissioner to Fort Lauderdale lawyer Nikki Fried, the only Democrat to winstatewide this year.
Caldwell, a real-estate appraiser from North Fort Myers who has served the past eight years in the Florida House, said in a statement that he still had questions about how ballots were handled in Palm Beach and Broward counties, where he had filed a lawsuit. But he didn’t want to use “legal loopholes to win an election.”
“All I have ever expected since Election Day is a full and fair accounting of all legal votes cast, and then respecting the will of the voters,” Caldwell said. “Unfortunately, as a result of the abject failures in Broward and Palm Beach, it has become clear that we may never gain an understanding of what transpired in the hours and days after polls closed, despite the exhaustive efforts of my legal team to get to the truth. To continue this legal challenge would likely require millions of dollars and months to complete without providing any more clarity.”
A short time after Caldwell’s announcement, Fried tweeted that she received a phone call from Caldwell and “he could not have been more gracious.”
“I want to congratulate him on a close race and thank him for his willingness to step into the arena. And to everyone who supported him, I will be your voice in Tallahassee too,” Fried tweeted.
The state Elections Canvassing Commission will meet Tuesday to certify the results of the Nov. 6 elections.
A manual recount completed Sunday raised Fried’s lead over Caldwell to 6,753 votes out of more than 8 million cast in the race for a seat on the state Cabinet. The manual recount added 1,446 votes to Fried’s total from an earlier machine recount, according to results posted on the state Division of Elections website.
Caldwell’s campaign Sunday continued to explore how heavily Democratic Broward and Palm Beach counties handled the recount. The Republican’s attorneys contended in the earlier lawsuit that about 17,000 vote-by-mail ballots were collected and counted in Broward County after polls closed at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.
Caldwell also attacked Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes for “staggering incompetence” after her office was unable to provide the results of a machine recount to the state by a Thursday deadline.
Snipes, appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2003 and re-elected four times, submitted her resignation — effective Jan. 4 — to Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday.
Caldwell’s concession Monday came a short time after the Republican Party of Palm Beach County called for volunteers to help with a recount expected to be conducted locally Tuesday and Wednesday.
Caldwell, who noted the need for a “peaceful transfer of power” by alluding to how Richard Nixon accepted the results of a “fraud” filled 1960 election won by President John F. Kennedy, said he was no longer challenging the results.
In a separate letter thanking supporters, Caldwell said the current “unhealthy” state of politics weighed in his decision.
“That hit home this last week when the FBI informed me that I was among the group of individuals that the recently captured pipe bomber had researched prior to his arrest,” Caldwell wrote. “Even our own governor-elect was a near target of the baseball field shootings. There is no place for political violence in a democratically elected republic. Our remedy is the ballot box and it should remain there. Embracing this fact can only make us stronger. The sooner we return to peaceful sanity, the better.”
In addition to his letter to supporters, Caldwell submitted a letter to Secretary of State Ken Detzner that calls for reform of the election process and outlined “mistakes, errors and failures” in Palm Beach and Broward counties.
Among his proposals: changes to how votes are delivered, sorted and counted; basic training for supervisors of elections and their staffs; extended time periods for machine and manual recounts; and a process for canvassing boards to request extensions to complete counting.
Caldwell declared victory on election night, as ballots counted several hours after the polls closed had him up by more than 40,000 votes. But over the next several days, as more ballots were tabulated, particularly in South Florida, Fried pulled ahead.
Fried, who has also worked as a medical marijuana lobbyist, first claimed victory after unofficial returns were posted on Nov. 10. But state law required machine and manual recounts because of the slim margins between the candidates.
Fried has set up a transition team headed by Congressman Darren Soto of Orlando and former Congressman Patrick Murphy.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Mostly Sunny Today, Chance Of Rain Late Tonight
November 19, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight.
Tuesday: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 64. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
Brenda Darlene Garrett
November 19, 2018
Brenda Darlene Garrett, age 60, of Pensacola, passed away on Wednesday, November 14, 2018. She was born to the late James Shepley and Carolyn Walker on October 9, 1958.
Brenda graduated from Tate High School in 1976. Family and friends were Brenda’s passion and delight. She was raised by Ted Walker and grew up with her best friends who were also her five sisters, Pamela Atiabi, Grace Simpson, Larren Truitt, Karen Shepley and Lesley Cardenas.
Brenda had two children, sons, D.J and Scotti Garrett, who she loved dearly.
Brenda loved the simple things in life. She enjoyed baking, fishing, her little dog Minnie who she took everywhere and being a Granny to her five grandchildren, Makayla, Kayci, Kennedy, Alli Byrd and Levi. Brenda also had many nieces and nephews who knew her best as “Aunt B”.
Pallbearers will be Paul Otto, Carl Simpson, Derek Simpson, Josh Simpson, Richard Blocker and Devin Blocker.
A funeral service celebrating her life was held on Sunday, November 18, 2018, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Bro. Jason Lee officiating.
Interment was at Cottage Hill Community Cemetery.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North has been entrusted with arrangements.
One Injured In Crash Near Ransom Middle School
November 18, 2018
One person was injured in a single vehicle wreck Sunday morning near Ransom Middle School.
The driver of a Toyota Tundra lost control, ran off West Kingsfield Road, struck a utility pole and ran into a wooded area. He was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Ensley and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Sunny Day, Clear Cool Night
November 18, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Calm wind.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thanksgiving Day: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 62.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
Pictured: Sunset Saturday evening in Davisville. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
From Shelter To Service: Escambia County Working Dogs
November 18, 2018
Each Saturday morning, Escambia County Animal Control Supervisor Kevin Monfreda and his 3-year-old bloodhound, Bo, visit campuses and parks along the Gulf Coast. The two aren’t stopping in for a game of fetch or a jog — they’re rigorously perfecting Bo’s skills as a scent trailing dog.
The pair has been working together since July 2015, when Monfreda adopted Bo from the Escambia County Animal Shelter after Animal Control officers removed the 7-month-old puppy from an animal cruelty situation.
“He was so cute, and we just really bonded,” Monfreda said.
After two years of training and miles of scent tracking across various terrain, Monfreda and Bo are now certified by the North American Police Working Dog Association as a scent trailing team.
“When we first started training, we’d do short runaway sessions, where the handler gets the dog excited, then drops an article of clothing and runs away out of sight, creating a scent trail,” Monfreda said. “The trails are marked with scent flags at first, and then as the dog gets older and more experienced, you take away the flags and continue adding more turns while lengthening the trail, so they have to look hard for the scent.”
The pair are now part of KLAASKids, a nationally recognized volunteer search and rescue organization that provides search managers, planners, field searchers and K-9s to search for missing and trafficked children. Monfreda and Bo have participated in three active searches for missing children.
In addition to the weekly Saturday training sessions with other teams in the area, Monfreda and Bo attend regional seminars and training events. The two will attend their next seminar on Saturday, Nov. 10 in Sarasota, Florida, which will focus specifically on urban scent trailing.
“He really likes the urban seminars– it makes him think,” Monfreda said. “He enjoys the challenge. He’s a laid-back dog, but he really likes to work.”
Another county working dog who got her start at the Escambia County Animal Shelter is 5-year-old German Shepherd mix, Britt.
Britt was picked up as stray by Animal Control officers in 2015 and was taken to the Escambia County Animal Shelter and made available for adoption. She was adopted shortly after she was placed at the shelter, but was quickly returned.
Officer Robert Oliver and Sgt. Boswell of the Escambia County Road Prison were visiting the animal shelter to check on an inmate performing work duties when they noticed Britt in her kennel.
“She seemed attentive and trainable, so we took her out of the kennel and went over to an exercise pen and believe it or not, she already knew verbal commands and had a very high toy drive,” Oliver said. “She just loved to play ball, and that’s actually what we use to start training our narcotics dogs.”
Oliver noted that dogs with an extremely high toy drive make great narcotics tracking dogs because of their relentless desire to find an object or toy.
After seeing Britt’s toy drive and trainability, Oliver decided to pull her from the shelter to work as a narcotics dog for the Escambia County Road Prison. Oliver enrolled Britt in a training course with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and she successfully completed 240 training hours and received her certification from the United States Police Canine Association.
Britt now works directly alongside Oliver and searches areas where inmates live and work, including lockers, vehicles and various jail buildings.
“She comes to work with me every day and while the inmates are working on the roads, she’ll do a housing area search,” Oliver said.
The Road Prison also has four call beagles and one call bloodhound that make up the rest of the tracking team.
In 2016, Britt competed in the Southern States Manhunt Field Trial and placed fourth in the narcotics search. She returned in 2017 to compete in the same search and came in second place against 17 other dogs.
“She was the only dog who placed in the competition that came from a shelter,” Oliver said. “She’s a sweetheart and a hard worker.”
Britt currently has 20 documented narcotics finds for Escambia County, and has found marijuana, methamphetamine, spice and prescription pills.
“She’s a great working dog a and real asset to our team,” Oliver added.
The two are preparing for Britt’s next Southern States Manhunt Trail competition in 2019.
John Robinson, Animal Services manager, said his staff is always looking for dogs that come into the shelter that might make great tracking or search and rescue dogs.
“Escambia County Animal Services is really proud to see dogs that come from our shelter helping people and also representing shelter dogs in a positive light,” Robinson said. “Great dogs and cats can come from any animal shelter and be great additions to families, and sometimes they can even become productive members of a team.”
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Flomaton Storage Shed
November 18, 2018
Fire destroyed a storage shed on Wolf Log Road in Flomaton Saturday. The cause of the fire was not immediately know. There were no injuries, and two nearby homes escaped damage. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECUA Board Elects Officers
November 18, 2018
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority board has elected officers for 2018-2019.
District 2 representative Lois Benson was reelected to serve as board chairman. District 3’s Elvin McCorvey was elected vice-chair.
Vicki Campbell of District 1 was elected chair of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, and Larry Walker, District 5, was elected vice-chairman of the committee.
Deborah Benn, Chuck Kimball, Catherine Booker, Kevin Hammer, Pueschel Schneier, Randy Ponson and Louise Ritz, were appointed to serve as members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee.
Four Tate Aggies Sign To Play College Ball
November 18, 2018
Four Tate High School seniors signed college ball scholarships recently
Three Aggies signed to play baseball — Trey Lafleur to the University of Mississippi, Mason Land to Mississippi State University, and Hunter McLean to Meridian Community College.
Tate’s Kasey Scott signed to play volleyball at Pensacola State College.
Pictured top: Four Tate seniors signed to play college ball. Names are below each photo below. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Above: Trey Lafleur to the University of Mississippi.
Above: Trey Lafleur to the University of Mississippi.
Above: Mason Land to Mississippi State University.
Above: Mason Land to Mississippi State University.
Above: Hunter McLean to Meridian Community College.
Above: Hunter McLean to Meridian Community College.
Above: Kasey Scott to Pensacola State College.