Merry Christmas! The Story Of The Greatest Gift Of All
December 25, 2008
It’s the greatest story we have ever reported here on NorthEscambia.com, and it is the greatest story that we will ever report. It’s a story that happened over 2,000 years ago today, but it is also a story that impacts each of our lives each and every day here in North Escambia.
Our lead story today is one that was first delivered by an angelic choir. It was the news that changed the world…a Savior had been born in a little town called Bethlehem. It was a humble scene. A little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
It was the world’s first ever Christmas gift on that very first Christmas morning, the gift of a Savior so that we might all have eternal life.
It’s good news for all of us on this Christmas. Good news that Emmanuel, the Lord Jesus, was born. It’s story that was reported by Luke in the New Testament. It’s reprinted below for you to read, and for you to share the Good News with someone you care about this Christmas.
From our NorthEscambia.com family to you and yours, Merry Christmas!
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Blog And Photo Gallery: Winterfest Is Just Plain Cool And Our Local North Escambia “Hero Girl” Was Too
December 13, 2008
Pensacola Winterfest is just plan cool; there’s probably not a better way to put it.
The NorthEscambia.com family loaded up and headed to downtown Pensacola Friday night, eager to take in the sights and sounds of Winterfest and Ernest Ward Middle School’s Angel Mitchell in her “starring” role as the girl in The Polar Express.
For a complete photo gallery from Friday night’s Pensacola Winterfest performance, click here.
There are several Winterfest tour options available. We took the “Performance Tour”. On an old fashioned trolley, we rode the decked out streets of downtown Pensacola to take in 15 performances and scenes that brought back lots of childhood memories and lots of warm fuzzy feelings.
The tour begins at the T.T. Wentworth museum, complete with snow blowing off the building and a round of “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” with Rudolph himself on the trolley, complete with blinking nose. Then it’s aboard the trolley and around the corner to the Pensacola Historical Museum for some old fashioned carolers. Then there’s a bit of a history lesson about early Christmas in Pensacola and a stop at Pensacola’s very own orange tree.
A block or two away, it was snowing on the street corner as Frosty the Snowman boarded the trolley much to the delight of the young and young at heart on the trip.
The next stop was the highlight of the trip, both in our opinion and of those that visted Winterfest last year. The trolley stops at a railroad crossing as The Polar Express steams its way along, complete with the “hero girl” and “hero boy”. They board the trolley for a song along with the conducter, and, in a scene straight from that wonderful holiday movie, the boy hands out Santa’s bells to everyone.
The “here girl” is portrayed by Angel Mitchell, a student at Ernest Ward Middle School. She sings a delightful song and does North Escambia proud.
The next stop is Seville Quarter, where Elvis boards the bus to sing “Blue Christmas”. (Even though it is in Seville Quarter, everything is family friendly.) The Cat In The Hat boards the trolley for some furry fun, followed by that green Dr. Sueus character The Grinch as the tour stops by Whoville.
Angels board the trolley next for a few moving verses of “Silent Night” as you sit before a living nativity scene. Kudos to Winterfest for including the nativity scene. Then, in front of the Escambia County Courthouse, a snowy scene from the movie “White Christmas” is acted out as the movie cameras roll. The tour ends with the big red guy himself, Santa Claus, in Plaza Ferdinand.
Our overall impression? Wow! It was like being in the middle of an NBC holiday special. The actors, the scenery and props, the entire production was top notch. It was magical time for both the very young and the very old at heart. It was one of the best Christmas fun things we’ve ever done with our kids; we made some good memories that we’ll be talking about for a long time. The kids were excited to text their friends that they had seen Rudolph, Santa, Frosty and Elvis.
There are several Winterfest tour options, ranging from the performance tour like we described above, to a walking tour. Whatever you choose, it would be well worth a little time out of your busy Christmas schedule to check out the magic of Pensacola Winterfest.
NorthEscambia.com has been giving way tickets to Winterfest all week, and have more to give away. Click here for more information and to register to win.
For more information on Winterfest, visit www.pensacolawinterfest.org.
Pictured above: Ernest Ward Middle School student Angel Mitchell portrays the “hero girl” from the movie The Polar Express at Pensacola Winterfest Friday night. Pictured below: The Grinch hops on board the trolley at a stop in “Whoville”. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Blog: Merry Christmas Shopping List For Local Officials
November 21, 2008
The Pensacola Independent News published a list this week of holiday gift ideas for local public officials and community leaders, and we thought it was worth sharing.
Here’s a little sample of their gift list:
David Morgan, Escambia County Sheriff-elect
Batman Utility Belt: From your predecessor, you will inherit a mobile command unit, two helicopters, a marine patrol boat and a half dozen really cool Segways. What’s missing is an even cooler utility belt filled with gadgets. We don’t think Ron McNesby will give you his.
Mike Whitehead, former Escambia County Commissioner
Wisconsin hunting license: We encourage you to bring along your buddies, George and Ronnie. They have extra time on their hands, too.
Jim Paul, former Escambia Superintendent of Schools
Winnebago: It’s time to hit road and enjoy life. Write often.
I think you get the idea. We thought we’d add our own for a few North Escambia folks that did not rank the Independent News Christmas list:
Kevin White
A truckload of hot asphalt. Paving dirt roads in North Escambia equal votes. It’s simple math. In the words of former District 5 Commissioner Wilson Robertson: “You have to go out for four years so they can forget some things, then come back and get re-elected,” Robertson joked, “cause you can’t pave every dirt road.”
Larry Walker
A really big tow truck. Allied Waste never could get a trash truck down some of North Escambia’s dirt roads. When ECUA takes over our trash service in January, Larry’s going to need AAA. Unless, of course, Santa is good to Kevin White with those truckloads of hot asphalt.
Bill Slayton
There are a couple of stadiums around here without names. Tate has already named their stadium after former school board member Pete Gindl. We doubt Santa’s going to bring the stadium this year, but we put it on the list anyway. Do a good job, and Northview’s stadium might just have your name on it one day. Mess up, and, well, the Chiefs do have a habit of scalping people.
Freddie McCall
A jumbo, Sam’s Club size bottle of Tylenol, a copy of Bing Crosby’s “Peace On Earth”. Why not? We’ll even recommend that you spring for the Bing Crosby duet of the song with David Bowie. There’s a good video of it (click here) on YouTube. Sometimes he needs the Tylenol, and a little “Peace On Earth” would make a good theme for town council meetings. Oh, let’s not forget five crisp new copies of Robert’s Rules Of Order for his friends.
Click here to read the complete “Naughty or Nice?” Christmas list from our friends at the Pensacola Independent News.
Blog: Why We Did Not Cover Obama. Or McCain
November 16, 2008
“Why didn’t you cover Obama winning?” It’s a question, that frankly, I’m tired of hearing. It wasn’t local, plain and simple. Our email has been hit hard with that question for the past 12 days, and I’ve even had someone literally get up in my face with the question.
The answer is simple…it was not local news that Obama won. If McCain had won, we would not have had any coverage either. I will point out that we did have live election coverage on election night, and we did post a story with county numbers from all the races, including president.
“But you cover Jeff Miller, and he’s a U.S. senator” I’ve heard that one too this week. Sure, we cover Jeff Miller, our representative. Mr. Miller may be a federal official, but he does local things and appears locally in North Escambia. He reads this website for a feel of what is happening in his part of the district. He stands here in Escambia County and does things. He’ll return my call, and he’s likely to return your call if you have a real issue.
President-elect Obama and McCain are not likely to return my call, nor is it likely that they are like to return the call of NorthEscambia.com readers. They don’t set foot in Escambia County and do local things. If either candidate had visited this county, or even Escambia, Alabama, or Santa Rosa, we would have covered it here on NorthEscambia.com. Then it would have been a local story.
When Sarah Palin visited Escambia County, we had coverage. Click here to read that story from October 11. When Michelle Obama visited Escambia County, we had coverage. Click here to read that story from October 22.
We are a local news outlet; we are the most read news source in North Escambia. It’s an honor that we’ve earned from our readers by covering local news. From local schools to local government, we cover local things. Look at the top of every page on this site notice what it says at the top of the page: “Local News for Molino, Bratt, McDavid, Century & Walnut Hill”. Those are the larger of the many communities in North Escambia. We off course cover things in Bogia, Barrineau Park, Oak Grove, Davisville, Gandyville and a long list of other communities in North Escambia too. We just could not fit all the community names at the top of the page.
Obama did nothing locally. McCain did nothing locally. As soon as one of them makes an appearance in this county or returns my call, we’ll cover it. Until then, they are not local news.
Archive: Election Day Live Blog
November 4, 2008
This is an archive of our live Election Day blog from Tuesday, November 4. We posted the following entries, some live from polling places across North Escambia:
(7:02: p.m.) The polls have closed in North Escambia with no major problems reported. We will begin a story with live election results just after 8:00 tonight. Join NorthEscambia.com for the fastest and most complete Escambia County results.
(6:30 p.m.) Lines are reported to be short at precincts in North Escambia. Polls are open until 7:00. We’ll have live results beginning just after 8:00 tonight.
(5:30 p.m.) I just voted in Walnut Hill, voter number 621 for the day. No real line or waiting, about five minutes total. Remember, polls are open until 7:00 tonight. If you are in line at 7:00, don’t get out of line. You will get to vote.
But from what we are observing around North Escambia, wait times at all precincts is minimal.
(4:55) Now we are posting live from the First Baptist Church of Bratt. There are some people here, but it is not that busy right now. Voters tell us there is very little wait to vote.
There are comments posted from readers below with updates from Walnut Hill and McDavid.
(4:35 p.m.) We are posting live from outside the Oak Grove precinct. There are about a dozen voters here now, a fairly heavy turnout for this small precinct
(4:05 p.m.) We are live at the largest precinct in North Escambia, the Molino precinct at the Barrineau Park Community Center. There is a steady stream of voters going in and out. We are told turnout has been heavy here today.
Sign wavers are out supporting Larry Scapecchi and Kevin White (pictured above).
More updates coming all afternoon, and live election results tonight.
(3:25 p.m.) The lines Century are much shorter now than this morning. There was a huge problem with parking early.
One person waved McCain signs during the day, and Jim Barnett stoped by to campaign for the District 5 commission seat.
(3:01 p.m.) Posting live from outside the Walnut Hill precinct. Very few voters here right now. It is no line, no waiting
A couple of Larry Scapecchi for sheriff supporters are here with a large campaign sign in their pickup. It’s quiet for them; one is in a chair in the back of the truck enjoying the afternoon.
(2:39 p.m.) Still smooth sailing at polling places around North Escambia. No reports of problems. If you are sitting at home and still have not voted, get out and do it now. Lines will get a lot longer when people get off work later this afternoon.
(2:09 p.m) In the second grade at Bratt Elementary…it’s John McCain. Second graders at Bratt voted today after learning about the election process (see 11:01 a.m. post below), my second grade reports. In a fifth grade class at Bratt that also voted, it was McCain 16, Obama 4.
Make sure you join us tonight…we’ll have live election results posted as they become available. Many people that followed our coverage in the primaries reported that we beat the TV stations by many minutes in reporting results.
(1:33 p.m.) Still a steady turnout reported at the polls across North Escambia. A few problems reported in Pensacola with optical scanners that did not work. Did you have any problems voting? Let us know at news@northescambia.com
(12:03 p.m.) The lunch rush is on at area polling places. With most of our North Escambia polling places being rural, we don’t experience the rush to the polling place at lunch to vote that many of the polling places in the cities experience. But it does usually get busier at lunch.
More live updates all day. Tell us about your voting experience. Use the comment form below, or email news@northescambia.com.
(11:40 a.m.) This just in…the brown pelican was the winner of the election today at Byrneville Elementary School as the school voted on Florida’s new state bird. You can read about Byrneville’s voting and see photos by clicking here.
Our guess: Besides the big brown bird , the kids were the real winners as they learned all about voting.
(11:01 a.m.) It’s a basic lesson with lifelong importance at several area schools this morning as students vote. Some are voting for Obama and McCain, others like Byrneville Elementary School are voting for the new Florida state bird. (Fourth grade supported the Osprey, and the fifth grade rallied behind the Brown Pelican.)
My second grader has been asking questions all week about Obama and McCain, and she’s been watching the news to learn more about each candidate. She does not like the political ads because the candidates talk badly about each other. She can even spout off how many electoral votes Alabama, Florida and even California has. I bet must of us don’t know that.
I’m not sure how she’ll vote today. I’ve not shared with her how I plan to vote, and I have tried to provide her just fair facts about both candidates. I’ll let you know who wins her second grade class at Bratt Elementary after she gets home today. Stay tuned.
More live updates coming all day on this blog…
(10:15 a.m.) With carefully planned timing, Barack Obama and Joe Biden casts their votes on national TV earlier today. Obama and his wife Michelle took a long time with ballots, but they were lengthy in their local precincts with a long list of local races. As soon as Obama was done was voting on national TV, Joe Biden popped out of his armored vehicle to cast his vote. Lots more TV time for the Democrats. But the Republicans were equally as smart to get as much free TV time as possible, with Sarah Palin and John McCain voting at nearly the same time. Sidenote: It was 17 degrees i4 Wasilla, Alaska, where Palin voted, and it was 68 in Arizona when McCain voted.
(9:00 a.m.) Turnout is still heavy at North Escambia polling places. Get out and vote.
(8:02 a.m.) The first hour of voting was a busy one across North Escambia. Lines snaked out of some precincts as voters waited to make themselves inside to cast their vote. That’s an unusual sight in North Escambia, and one that is certainly evidence of the high voter turnout expected today.
(7:03 a.m.) The polls are now open in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. They will be open until 7:00 tonight.
Blog: Prayer In School And The ACLU
August 28, 2008
The ACLU filed suit Wednesday in federal court over prayer in Santa Rosa County Schools. The group has requested records concerning graduation and baccalaureate services at schools in Escambia County. You can read that story here.
The debate on prayer in school has raged on for years, and I suppose it will continue for some time to come. The courts have upheld a moment of silence in our public schools; the Escambia School District calls it a “moment of quiet reflection” in the Student’s Rights And Responsibilities Handbook (you did read that cover to cover when your child brought it home last week, right?).
I won’t get started on prayer in school per se. I’ll save that for another blog. But I will point out a few things in the ACLU lawsuit…
The ACLU complains that baccalaureate services were religious. Duh. That’s what a baccalaureate service is. The tradition started at Oxford University in 1432, according to the Wikipedia. Legally, the whole separation of church and state thing prevents the school from becoming overly involved in the service. At our Northview High School, the graduating seniors vote for the pastor or speaker they wish to have at their service.
If a student or parent does not like a pastor or a Christian message at a baccalaureate service, they have every right not to attend.
If a student or parent does not like a prayer at a graduation service, they have every right not to attend. The diploma is just as good picked up in the school office the following day as it is picked up at a graduation service.
If a student or parent does not like a school holding school events at a church building, they have every right not to attend.
The ACLU says it pushes for rights for the citizens of this country. They should understand that students have the right not to take part in events like baccalaureate and perhaps exercise their right to sit out those events..
If my child, or your child, or your grandchild wants to pray at school the ACLU wants them to be told no. Your child has fewer rights than Muslim prisoners of war.
Let’s jump to Camp Delta, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There are arrows painted across floors, pointing to the Muslim holy city of Mecca. There’s a call to prayer that sounds in this federal detention facility, so that prisoners can pray to Allah.
Those prisoners have more religious rights than our children.
Our children get a “moment of quiet reflection” each morning at our North Escambia Schools. The ACLU does not want them to offer a prayer at school, at school events or at graduation as they begin a new phase of their lives.
Terrorists. Threats to our national security. Murderers. The worst of the worst in federal custody at a detention camp gets organized prayer time, and they get the direction to face painted on the floor of their prison cell.
(See the arrows for yourself by clicking here. Notice when you get there that you are on the US Department of Defense Official website.)
If we can have arrows pointing toward Mecca in a federal prison, why can’t a teacher at our local elementary school hang a cross on her wall?
The American Civil Liberties Union. That’s why.
I leave you with this little story that was emailed to me last week:
After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching
prospect said, “Let me see if I’ve got this right: You want me to go
into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior,
observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor
their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. You
want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and
sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem
and personal pride.You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship,
sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a
checkbook, and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for
lice, recognize signs of antisocial be behavior, and make sure that
they all pass the state exams.You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of
their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents by
letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a
bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that
qualifies me for food stamps.You want me to do all this, and then you tell me……………..I CAN’T PRAY?
LIVE BLOG: Election Day
August 26, 2008
(This is an archive of a live election blog from August 26.)
This live election blog will be updated as NorthEscambia.com provides complete election coverage. We are now providing live election results under the “LIVE ELECTION RESULTS” story in the left column of the site. Click here for the results story.
(10:45 p.m). This is the last post on my live election blog. It’s been a long day. I’ve spent the last hour on the phone with the candidates, both winners and losers. Find out what they had to say, and who ate the most pie, Wednesday morning on NorthEscambia.com. Thanks for joining us tonight. We really appreciate you turned to us for your election coverage.
(9:50) There will be a new sheriff in town. And a new school board member in District 5. And Mike Whitehead is headed home. And…there’s a lot more. See our results story from the front page. I’m on the phone now with the winners and losers…check NorthEscambia.com in the morning for complete reactions from the candidate. If you enjoyed our coverage tonight, tell a friend. I know there are lot of new people here tonight from several blogs in Pensacola. For those of you that don’t know NorthEscambia.com, this is how we do things…fast and fair. Come back and see us again. And thanks for reading NorthEscambia.com!
(9:30) 84 of 90 precincts in now. Morgan is still ahead of McNesby for sheriff. Incumbent Gindl is in third place in District 5 School Board race. A few more precincts to go, and we’ll know if there will be some new faces in Escambia County government. It’s close one for the Democratic nod for District 5 Commission. Right now, just 14 votes separate front runner Jim Barnett front John Hartman. Stay tuned.
(9:20) Still awaiting the Escambia Supervisor of Elections Office to issue the latest county. We are still here, and still live. The next update should big one.
(9:10 p.m.) To North Escambia’s north, Atmore Mayor Howard Shell has won his fifth term as mayor of that city. Shell, by the way, grew up in Walnut Hill where his family operated a small grocery store along Highway 97. So he’s a hometown North Escambia boy.
(8:57 p.m.) Could Sheriff Ron McNesby be on the way out of office? With 66 of 90 precincts reporting, he has just 42.6% of the vote compared to David Morgans 57.4%. Of course, this could change quickly as precincts favorable to McNesby are counted. More live updates coming soon.
(8:30 p.m.) 53 of 90 precinct reporting. Kevin White leads the Republican District 5 commission race. John Hartman and Jim Barnett and neck and neck. That will be an interesting race. School board…incumbent Pete Gindl is in third place behind Bill Slayton and Tom Harrell. The night is young. Check back for more live results.
(8:22 p.m.) New election results posted, 36 of 90 precincts reporting in the county. I’ve improved from text to a graph for each race, making it easier to read. It load just a little slow on a dialup connection, but I believe it will be OK if you’ll just give it 5-10 seconds to load.
(Updated 8:00 p.m.) We are now providing live election results under the “LIVE ELECTION RESULTS” story in the left column. As the night goes along, we’ll start to break out some of the District 5 races into a separate story, and offer a little commentary. Keep check back tonight.
(Updated 7:00 p.m.) The polls close at 7:00 in North Escambia. Turnout has been reported to be very low across the area, ranging from 10 to 15 percent. There are just 792 registered voters at the Byrneville Community Center precinct, but several candidates spared no expense on making sure the precinct had plenty of signs out front. (Pictured above, submitted photo by Heather Leonard). We’ll begin our live election coverage here on NorthEscambia.com about 8:00 when results begin to come in.
(Updated 6:00 p.m.) I finally made it by my precinct in Walnut Hill to vote. The turnout here is low. Only about 13 percent of the 1,340 registered voters in the precinct have voted. Polls close in one hour.
(4.40 p.m.) Voter turnout is still light around North Escambia, with the polling places we visited in the Bratt and Oak Grove nearly empty this afternoon. The “voter rush” ordinarily starts about 4:30, but that’s not the reported case around the area. At the precinct located at Oak Grove Baptist Church (pictured bottom) dozens of political signs lined the highway. But catching our attention was this sign for “Your Best Choice…Jesus Christ”.
(3:30 p.m.) Traffic on the roads around North Escambia increases in the afternoon as moms, dads and others pick children up from school. Many of those people are stopping by to vote on their way home, increasing voter turnout. The flow of voters as North Escambia precincts should only increase as the hour gets later as people get off work and head back to their homes here in North Escambia. Oh…and the sun in still out. You can’t use the weather as an excuse not to vote.
(1:30 p.m.) A quick lunch…the number of voters increased during the lunch hour at many precincts in District 5. That’s a usual occurrence on election day as people vote during their lunch break or when they are back with their spouse around lunch. Voter turnout around the area is still being reported as low to moderate. Surprising, considering that we are voting on a commissioner, school board member and sheriff. Those offices usually bring people out to the polls. As for the accident mentioned below on Highway 29, the roadway is once again open.
(11:55 a.m.) If the area of Highway 29 and 9½ mile is on your way to vote in the southern part of District 5, or just in your plans during the noon hour, head another direction. There’s a major accident in that area that has traffic blocked.
(11:50 a.m.) Don’t forget that if you voted at the fire department in Cantonment or Molino in the past, you are headed to a different polling place today. The Molino precinct has moved from the Molino Volunteer Fire Department to the Barrineau Park Community Center. The folks that did vote at the Cantonment Volunteer Fire Department should not head to the Quintette Community Center on Quintette Lane. This has caused a little confusion this morning, but no major problems reported.
(10:55 a.m.) Slow, but a go. That’s a word from precincts around North Escambia. Many precincts are reporting a low voter turn out this morning. Most of the time, it’s no line, no real waiting. That is expected to change later this afternoon as people get off work, so you are encouraged to vote now if you can. The weather has been great too…no rain in the area this morning.
(9:30 a.m.) Looks like the weather might be a little better today. The National Weather Service just canceled the flash flood watch that was in effect for today. Fay’s leftovers are finally moving away from our area. The sun’s out, and things are looking, well, a little brighter. There’s still a chance of rain today, but most of it should be this afternoon. Get out and vote now if you want to avoid the rain.
(8:40 a.m.) A little excitement at the Walnut Hill precinct with the fire department, ambulance, sheriff’s department and LifeFlight….Authorities landed LifeFlight near the Walnut Hill Community Center (a.k.a. Ruritan Club) this morning as people voted inside. The helicopter was transporting someone from a nearby home that was suffering from a medical condition.
(7:05 a.m.) The polls are now open in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. They will be open until 7:00 tonight.
Blog: White Versus Whitehead
June 6, 2008
Mike Whitehead stepped down as chairman of the Escambia County Commission Thursday night, perhaps staying just one step ahead of Commissioner Kevin White. White had prepped a handwritten statement as prelude to a motion to remove White as chair at the end of the meeting.
But Whitehead had perhaps seen the writing on the wall and resigned as chairman at the beginning of the meeting. White told me Thursday night after the meeting that he had told only his wife and mother of his plans, and he was sure that neither of them had told anyone.
White used the words “arrogance” and “arrogant” repeatedly to describe Whitehead’s attitude toward the commission and toward the citizens of this county. And he blasted Whitehead for attending a campaign fund-raiser on Whitehead’s behalf hosted by a contractor that is currently involved in a lawsuit with the county .The county attorney had even told commissioners to steer clear of the contractor or anyone else suing the county and to run everything dealing with them through her office. Whitehead chose not to do so, and has yet to admit he made a mistake or even apologize.
It is an election year for both White and Whitehead. It took political guts for White to plan to remove Whitehead. For that, we applaud him. He could have made the motion to remove Whitehead, and it could have failed. Talk about egg on your face, especially in an election year.
I do want to make it very clear that NorthEscambia.com does not plan to endorse candidates in local races that directly affect District 5 this year. We just believe White deserves credit were credit is due.
But since Whitehead’s District 1 is not in NorthEscambia.com’s coverage area (it’s primarily the western part of Pensacola), let’s talk about that race.
You have Whitehead as the incumbent in that district.
Let’s look at some of his accomplishments so far this year, besides raising campaign money from the contractor suing the county.
The Myrtle Grove Volunteer Fire Department recently celebrated its 55th anniversary of dedicated service to that community. They invited Whitehead to be their guest speaker. After all, the Myrtle Grove VFD is in Whitehead’s district. He declined, telling the fire department that he would be out of town. But he was not out of town. In fact, he admitted to the Pensacola press that he was playing golf instead.
He said it was just a misunderstanding with his schedule; he thought the fire department event was Friday. But he admits he was not out of town Friday either. “I don’t think anybody was that upset about not having another speaker there,” he told the Pensacola News Journal. “I’m not that worried about it.”
Whitehead skipped the fire department event. One of his opponents in this year’s election, Wilson Robertson, attended the VFD event.
That was not the last time the golf course has cast a bad light over Whitehead.
The Sons of Italy held a golf tournament a month ago at Marcus Point Golf Club. According to the Pensacola Independent News, lots of people ponied up 75 bucks to play and more money to sponsor holes and put up their signs. Whitehead, the Independent News says, paid to play. But then he put up campaign signs and refused to pay the sponsor fee. (You can read more, and see pictures by clicking here.)
Wilson Robertson was at the golf tournament too. He paid to place his signs, as did new Commission Chairman Gene Valentino.
The Escambia County Farm Tour recently loaded up agriculture and political leaders in Pensacola and headed north to the North Escambia area. The purpose of the tour was to introduce the “south end” to the life and agriculture in our “north end”. Commissioners Valentino, White and Grover Robinson were on the tour. Wilson Robertson was also on the tour.
Whitehead? We are not sure where he was. Was he at the golf course again? We are not sure. But we do know he was not on the farm tour in North Escambia.
We stopped in at a recent meeting of the Escambia County Dirt Road Paving Committee. While their members are not the faces you see on the evening news every night, they are charged with the important task of deciding which dirt roads in the county will be paved next. Paving dirts roads is a big deal to a lot of people in North Escambia. White was at the meeting. To our surprise, Wilson Robertson was at the meeting.
It’s our understanding that there are no unpaved dirt roads in District 1 where Robertson is running against Whitehead. But he told us he was there because he still cares about District 5 where he used to serve, and he cares about the county as a whole. Imagine that…the potential to have a former District 5 North Escambia commissioner serving on the commission in another district. Two commissioners in Escambia County that understand the “north end”. That certainly seems as if it would create a better advantage for North Escambia in county government that we have not had in some time.
If you have friends or relatives in Escambia’s District 1, you might pass along a link to NorthEscambia.com.
We must add that Democrat Stephen M. Davidson is also in that race. I must admit, I don’t know much about Mr. Davidson, so not much about him will we say.
As for Mr. Whitehead, we predict that he might just have a lot more time on the golf course after November.
Comments? Let me know what you think at news@northescambia.com
Blog: NorthEscambia.com Readers Can Rent Movies For Free
May 19, 2008
One of the pleasures of living in North Escambia is our isolation from the hustle and bustle of the city. But when it comes time to rent a movie, it means a drive to the video store in a nearby place. With gas at $3.80 plus per gallon, it at least can double the cost of the movie to drive to the video store to get the movie then drive back to return it on time.
But we found a way you can rent the movies you want to see for FREE for a couple of weeks. The link is near the bottom of this story.
We have experimented with the two major online rent by mail companies…Blockbuster and Netflix. Both services have pretty much any movie you can think of, even obscure movies that your friends have never heard about. When we tried both services, we found that movies arrived in our mailbox usually in just one day.
We did find Netflix to be a little faster, and they had the new releases we wanted to see at our door the day of the release! The mailman was good to us on Tuesdays!
So how does this online rental thing work? It’s easy. You sign up for a free trial to make sure it is going to work for you, whether it be Blockbuster or Netflix. Then you pay a monthly fee, currently from $4.99 to $16.99 per month for Netflix, for UNLIMITED video rentals, up to a certain number at a time in your hands. You mail them back for free (no stamps or postage needed). Then within a day or two, new movies show up in your mailbox. There are never any late fees, and you can cancel anytime. No contracts, no strings, no small print.
Why are we telling you this…for a few good reasons. One…gas is expensive for trips to the video store. Two…we got tired of the nearest rental store to us being out of their two copies of the movie we wanted to see for weeks. Three…we tried both services and found that they both worked well. Four…if you will try the Netflix FREE two week trial, NorthEscambia.com will make a little commission.
NorthEscambia.com has arranged for our readers to try Netflix, with unlimited three at a time rentals, for FREE for two weeks. If you watch your movies and send them right back, you could probably watch 15 or more movies for free during the two weeks.
So here’s the bottom line deal…you can try Netflix for FREE for two weeks, and you’ll be supporting what we do here at NorthEscambia.com at the same time. You can cancel at the end of the two weeks and pay nothing and be under no obligation. We think, however, that you’ll probably want to stick around longer than two weeks. (Just to be clear…we don’t make anymore money if you do keep using Netflix, but we think you’ll like it!)
It’s our little gift to you…you get to try renting Netflix movies for FREE for two weeks, and you help NorthEscambia.com at the same time.
To try Netflix for free for two months, click on the Netflix ad on the front page of NorthEscambia.com; the ad is in the right column above the weather. Or you can click the below:
Netflix – Only $4.99 a month! No Late Fees. Try it for Free!
NorthEscambia.com only receives the commission if you click the ad on the front page or the link above.
Thanks for reading my blog. I’ve been scolded by plenty of you…I’ll start writing a blog more often. Promise. Thanks again for reading NorthEscambia.com each and every day!
—William
Blog: Our Take On Northview Students And MySpace
April 7, 2008
Sunday afternoon, I was reviewing my calendar for the week. On Monday morning, I was scheduled to attend one of two CyberSafety presentations from the Florida Attorney General’s Office at Northview High School. I googled for information about the attorney general’s CyberSafety program. I read a line that made me stop; it slammed me like the proverbial ton of bricks.
As many as one in five Florida youth will be solicited for sex online.
While we live in wonderful little communities in North Escambia, the MySpace pages and other online activities of our youth extend to the world. So while the potential here is perhaps not as great as some places in Florida, the potential for the unthinkable is real.
If you have not read our story about Northview student MySpace pages, stop reading here and click here to read the article first. If you have read the article, read on…
Why did we single out Northview High School? Simple. MySpace restricts users to age 14 or older, and students that age would be in high school. The only high school in the NorthEscambia.com coverage area is Northview. Our findings are not a Northview problem; in fact, I would venture to guess what we found would have been MUCH worse at any other public high school in this county. I want to stress that the bad examples we pointed out in our story were not typical of most Northview MySpace pages.
How popular is MySpace among Northview teens? I would venture to guess there are not very many without a MySpace. Almost every Northview teen MySpace page we viewed on Sunday had been updated within the last 48 hours. Many of the students were listed as “online” while we were viewing their pages.
I want to make a point to the parents (I’ll get to students below). I am in no way whatsoever saying you should run to your child and say “delete your MySpace”. I’m not going to tell you how to raise your child, but I feel strongly that’s not the answer. That would be like saying “some kids drink and drive, so you are never to drive a car again”. You can’t ignore it to make it go away. MySpace and online social networking is just as much a part of life now as hanging out at the burger place and cruising parking lots was when you were in high school. Repeat after me: Having a MySpace in itself is NOT evil. Doing the wrong thing with it is evil, but there’s nothing wrong with having a MySpace page.
I want to stress that most of the Northview student MySpace pages we found were not accessible to the public. Unless your student lets someone in, they don’t see what’s there. Many of the ones we found that were open to the public were not a problem. In fact, some were inspiring, and few were downright spiritual…discussing Jesus or youth meetings at church. I’d be downright proud as a parent of many them to know they had the freedom online to do and say what they want, but they chose the right things to do and say.
I personally know several of the Northview students who’s MySpace pages I saw. Or I know their parents. And knowing everything I know about them, there was nothing on their pages that would have clued anyone into anything they should not know.
Should you look for your child’s MySpace page? If it is a publicly accessible page, yes. If the rest of the world can see it, you should join in. If it is a private page? That’s where I’m not getting in your business. But I will say this…many Northview students have their parents in their “friends”, because they are just that — friends. But if not, should you demand to see it? Honestly, you as a parent will have to decide. I will explain to you that are not familiar with MySpace, that reading your child’s private MySpace would be very much like listening to each and every one of their phone conversations. Is that something you would do? It becomes a level of trust between you and your child.
And I know that many, many Northview students read NorthEscambia.com. Many copy NorthEscambia.com photos and videos for their MySpace pages. We appreciate all of you, and we are glad you like the site. I hope U and NorthEscambia.com can be like BFF. NALOPKT I think MySpace is KEWL and I wish it was around B4 I got out of school. I understand P911, PIR and POS. I know you are saying OMG and LOL, but that is TMI 4 ME.
But here’s the 411 (oops, sorry moms and dads, here’s the deal)…when your MySpace page has your name, your phone number and lots of ways to figure out were you are going to be when, along with your “I am a QT” pix (I mean picture), that IMHO is DUMB. k?
Let’s just be 100 percent honest and adult about this here…that’s like walking around a mall full of pervs (moms, dads: those are sexual predators) with sign around your neck with your name, address, phone number and a map to your house. Oh…you might as well pass out keys to your house and gas money at the same time. And don’t think it is just the girls that have to be careful…the same things happen to guys.
Be KEWL about it, and MySpace is well, KEWL.
Usually the biggest problem is a generation gap. Many parents just don’t get MySpace, or text messaging or any of that Internet stuff. Their kid might as well be speaking Russian.
And, dear students, IMHO, there are a few of you that just don’t get it. Like those in the news story that posted their phone numbers. Or just never thought about saying “I’ll meet you at Whataburger at 3:00 Tuesday afternoon”. There are just some sick people in this world. They know who you are, what you look like and where you will be. That’s creepy. And many more of you don’t realize that the moment you post something on the Internet, there is NO WAY to delete it forever. It’s stored on computers in all sorts of places, and it might come back to bite you one day. Everything on your MySpace might be seen by a college admissions rep. By the guy who is going to hire you for your dream job. By your future husband or wife. Or your kids might google you one day and find all that stuff, even if you delete it today.
Again, MySpace is not evil if you do the right, and the smart, thing with it.
I know I’ve gotten your attention. Probably made a few people mad. If your MySpace is featured in the news story, you might want to edit that thing like right now. If you are a parent and you are lost, this week is the week you will learn something. It’s not about parents controlling their kids. It’s not about spying or getting into their business. It’s about understanding.
We’ve brought up some issues and said some words that you may not have expected to find. But I’d rather all of us talk about this now as a community than for you to read the story I have to write when a youth in North Escambia becomes a victim. The words I’ll have to write then won’t be nearly as nice. I don’t want to go there.
Join us again tomorrow as we look at this issue some more. And let us know what you think by email at news@northescambia.com or use our online contact form.