One Injured In Fiery Highway 29 Crash
October 18, 2018
One person was injured in a fiery crash Wednesday night on Highway 29 in Molino.
A vehicle left the roadway about 8:30 p.m. near the Victory Assembly of God and struck a tree before catching fire. The driver was pulled out of the vehicle by a bystander before it became fully involved.
The driver was transported to a Pensacola Hospital by Escambia County EMS.
Highway 29 was shut down by the crash and emergency response.
The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
Pictured top: A vehicle burns alongside Highway 29 Wednesday night following a crash, reader submitted photo. Pictured inset and below: Firefighters extinguish the blaze. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Man Killed While Walking Across I-10
October 18, 2018
A pedestrian was killed on I-10 near the Pine Forest Road exit Wednesday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the pedestrian was walking across the eastbound lanes of I-10 about 8:10 p.m. when he was struck by a semi-truck driven by 37-year old Philip Calhoun of Roanoke, AL.
The pedestrian was pronounced deceased on the scene. His name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
Better Weather, Another Cold Front For The Weekend
October 18, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 71. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77.
General Election Sample Ballots Are In The Mail
October 18, 2018
Sample ballots for the November 6 General Election are being mailed this week to Escambia County voters. The sample ballot includes a ballot image, the voter’s polling location and information on the three ways to vote: early, vote-by-mail, and on Election Day. A sample ballot is also available at EscambiaVotes.com.
Voters have three different ways to cast their ballot:
- By Mail: Voters may vote by mail using a vote-by-mail ballot, which can be requested through the online form at EscambiaVotes.com, or by contacting the Supervisor of Elections by mail, phone (850) 595-3900, e-mail (votebymail@escambiavotes.com), or fax (850) 595-3914. Requests must include the voter’s date of birth and the address, and must be received no later than Wednesday, October 31. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day and may not be returned to a polling location. Vote-by-mail voters may track the status of their ballot at EscambiaVotes.com by clicking Track My Ballot.
- Early Voting: Early voting will be available Monday, October 22 through Saturday, November 3 at nine different locations from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voters will cast paper ballots through our digital scanners. Early voting will be held at the following locations:
- Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor
- Main Library, 239 Spring Street
- Molino Community Center, 6450-A Highway 95A, Molino
- Genealogy Branch Library, 5740 B, 9th Avenue
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
- Mobile Hwy/Pine Forest Rd Early Voting Center, 6675 Pine Forest Road
- Escambia County Extension, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
- Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto Street
- University of West Florida, Building 90, Campus Lane
- At Your Precinct: The third option for voters is to cast a paper ballot at their precinct on Election Day, November 6. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. An ExpressVote ballot marking device is also available at each polling place and early voting site for persons with disabilities.
Florida Dept. Of Corrections Cancels All Weekend Visitations
October 18, 2018
The Florida Department of Corrections has again canceled weekend visitation at all facilities in the state.
The FDC canceled weekend visitation for all facilities statewide for Saturday, October 20, and Sunday, October 21. This cancellation includes all major institutions, work camps, work release centers and annex facilities.
FDC staff across the state are supporting intensive Hurricane Michael recovery efforts.
Normal visitation will resume next weekend, October 27-28.
FHSAA Athletic Directors Endorses New Classification Proposal
October 18, 2018
The Florida High School Athletic Association Athletic Directors Advisory Committee endorsed a new FHSAA classification proposal Wednesday that would reduce the number of classes and change playoffs for sports not including football.
The proposal would not make any changes to the current 1A rural classification (including Northview and Jay).
If approved by the Board, the two-year classification cycle would begin with the 2019-20 school year. The proposed new classification structure would reduce the following sports to six classes plus rural: baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, softball and girls volleyball.
Districts would remain, but schools would not be required to play regular-season district contests. Following the regular season, there would be required district tournaments seeded by MaxPreps rankings.
The regional playoff brackets for Class 2A-7A (1A rural playoff structure remains the same) would feature four regions per class and four districts per region. District champions would automatically qualify for the playoffs, with the top four seeds in each region being seeded by MaxPreps. Following the top four automatic qualifers being seeded, teams 5-8 would receive at-large bids via their MaxPreps rankings. Higher seeds would host.
Click graphic to enlarge.
Justices Reject Challenge To Three Florida Ballot Measures
October 18, 2018
Though one justice wrote that voters should “beware,” the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a challenge to three proposed constitutional amendments on the November ballot — including a measure that seeks to ban offshore oil drilling and vaping in workplaces.
Justices overturned a ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers that would have blocked the constitutional amendments in a case focused on whether the proposals improperly “bundled” unrelated issues into single ballot measures.
The Supreme Court said, in part, the Florida Constitution and a state statute do not bar such bundling when amendments are placed on the ballot by the Constitution Revision Commission, which proposed the three disputed measures. The challenge contended that bundling would violate First Amendment rights because voters could have conflicting opinions about issues in the same ballot measure.
“It is evident that a vote of either yes or no corresponding to the ballot summary of a proposed amendment is a vote to approve or reject the entire constitutional amendment — including all of its subjects,” said the opinion, which was fully shared by Chief Justice Charles Canady and justices Ricky Polston, Jorge Labarga and Alan Lawson. “The fact that each proposed amendment contains multiple independent measures covering different subjects does not prevent compliance with the statute.”
The ruling finalizes that voters in the Nov. 6 election will decide whether to approve 12 proposed constitutional amendments, which were placed on the ballot by the Constitution Revision Commission, the Legislature and through petition drives. The Supreme Court last month rejected one amendment, which dealt with education issues.
The three amendments involved in the bundling case included the measure, Amendment 9, that seeks to ban offshore oil drilling and vaping or use of electronic cigarettes in workplaces. Another measure, Amendment 7, deals with governance of the state-college system and death benefits for survivors of first responders and military members. The third measure, Amendment 11, would remove constitutional language that prohibits “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning property and would revise language to make clear the repeal of criminal statutes does not affect the prosecution of crimes committed before the repeal.
Former Supreme Court Justice Harry Lee Anstead and another plaintiff, Robert J. Barnas, challenged the three amendments by filing what is known as a petition for a “writ of quo warranto” against Secretary of State Ken Detzner, the state’s chief elections officer who assigns measures to the ballot. Such petitions involve questions about whether officials have “improperly exercised a power or right,” according to the Supreme Court ruling.
But justices unanimously ruled that a petition for a writ of quo warranto was not a proper legal basis to challenge the proposed constitutional amendments.
“Appellees (Anstead and Barnas) do not demonstrate or even allege that Secretary Detzner exceeded his authority to assign ballot position to the revisions,” the opinion said. “The petition therefore fails to assert a proper basis for quo warranto relief.”
But questions about whether the proposed constitutional amendments improperly bundled unrelated issues caused a split on the court. While Canady, Polston, Labarga and Lawson rejected the arguments about improper bundling, Justice Barbara Pariente wrote an opinion that took issue with the practice.
“Voters beware! When amending our Florida Constitution, voters should not be forced to vote ‘yes’ on a proposal they disfavor in order to also vote ‘yes’ on a proposal they support because of how the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) has unilaterally decided to bundle multiple, independent and unrelated proposals,” Pariente wrote in an opinion joined by justices R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince. “While I concur in (the overall) result because I agree with my colleagues that petitioners fail to present a proper claim for issuance of a writ of quo warranto, I write separately to emphasize the obvious dangers of logrolling — combining popular and unpopular proposals into a single proposal — even by the CRC.”
The 37-member Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years, has unusual authority to place proposed amendments on the ballot. Largely appointed by Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders, the commission this spring approved eight proposals, though one of them was the education measure blocked last month by the Supreme Court in a separate case.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Fields Of Faith: Community Worship Service Held (With Gallery)
October 18, 2018
The Northview High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) sponsored a student-led worship event “Fields of Faith” Wednesday night in the Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium.
The service included music, a guest speaker and prayer.
Over 200 faithful joined hands in prayer on the football field to end the annual service.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Robert Haskew Middleton, Sr.
October 18, 2018
Robert Haskew Middleton, Sr. 97 of Atmore, AL. passed away October 16, 2018, in Fairhope, AL. He was a retired salesmen, born in Pineapple, AL. on April 16, 1921, to the late James Lambert and Phenie Owens Middleton. A WWII veteran, he served in the Army, and was a member of the American Legion in Atmore with 75 years of service. He was also a member of the First Baptist Church of Atmore.
He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Gladys Middleton, grandson Will Middleton and brother Zolon Middleton.
He is survived by son Bob (Linda) Middleton of Gulf Shores, AL, daughter Pam (Pat Rowan) Middleton of Irvington, NY, grandchildren Jill (Bryan) Arnold and Adam Middleton, and great-grandson Will Middleton.
Services will be Friday, October 19, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. from the First Baptist Church of Atmore with Rev. Arnold Hendrix officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery with full military honors.
Family will receive friends, Thursday evening October 18, 2018, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6-8 p.m.
Jonathan L. Quarrier
October 18, 2018
Jonathan L. Quarrier was born in Mobile, Alabama April 2, 1977. He lived in Monroeville, AL, Albemarle, NC, El Paso, TX, and Pensacola, FL.
In 2010, he married Shannon Ashely Morris of Pensacola
He and Shannon lived in Pensacola and proudly gave birth to a son, Nathan William Quarrier in 2011.
Jonathan was fun-loving and quick-witted, positive characteristic that he passed on to his son.
Jonathan is survived by his wife, Shannon; son, Nathan; parents, Rev. and Mrs. Wayne L. Quarrier of Pensacola; and paternal grandmother, Mrs. C.L. Quarrier of Camden, AL.
A memorial service is scheduled at Olive Baptist Church on Saturday, October 20 at 10 a.m. He will be buried in Old Repton Cemetery in Repton, AL, next to his sister, Jennifer Jo Quarrier, who preceded him in death.