Rep. Bradley Byrne Announces Candidacy For U.S. Senate
February 21, 2019
Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) announced his candidacy Wednesday night at a downtown Mobile restaurant, just down the street from where he grew up.
In announcing his candidacy, Bradley said his campaign will focus on his record as a fighter for Alabama’s values.
The fight for America’s future is too important to sit on the sidelines. I am running for the United States Senate to defend the values important to Alabama. We need a Senator who will fight with President Trump “to defend the Constitution, build the wall, stand up for the unborn, push for lower taxes, make health care more affordable, and protect the Second Amendment. I will fight every day to bring Alabama’s conservative values to Washington,” he said.
Pictured top: Congressman Bradley Byrne during a town hall meeting last year in Atmore (NorthEscambia.com photo). Pictured below: Byrne announces his candidacy for U.S. Senate Tuesday night in Mobile.
DeSantis Looks To Allow Floridians To Purchase Approved Drugs From Canada
February 21, 2019
Pointing to the high costs of health care, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced plans to create a program that would allow Floridians to have access to FDA-approved drugs from Canada.
Appearing at The Villages, DeSantis said he will work with President Donald Trump on creation of the program, which would require approval from the Trump administration.
“I spoke personally to President Trump on both Sunday and Monday about this,” DeSantis told a crowd at the huge Central Florida retirement community. “He’s not only supportive, he’s enthusiastic.”
DeSantis said his administration is working on keeping regulations — and taxes — down for Florida businesses.
“Now the biggest hurdle is paying for the health insurance,” he said. “And a lot of it is … because of the prescription drugs.”
The governor’s office didn’t release a detailed plan. But DeSantis said the program would be possible under the federal Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.
The law allows imports from Canada of prescription drugs for personal use and eliminated a prohibition against manufacturers entering into agreements to prevent the sale or distribution of imported products.
But a program cannot be created unless the secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services certifies to Congress that the imports don’t threaten the health and safety of the American public and would reduce costs. Such a certification has not happened.
“Sixteen years this has been on the books, and yet it has never been put into practice,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said the changes would also help reduce the amount of money the state spends on drugs for prisoners. A federal judge in November ordered the Florida Department of Corrections to begin treating all prison inmates who test positive for hepatitis C virus with next-generation medications.
It’s estimated that between 20 to 40 percent of the 100,000 people in Florida state prisons have the hepatitis C virus. Treatment can cost $20,000.
The governor was accompanied in The Villages by House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, and Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew.
Oliva has made lowering health-care costs a top priority for the next two years. He has taken aim at Florida hospitals for being the primary drivers of increased costs and has pushed to eliminate regulations that he says give hospitals an unfair advantage over other health-care facilities, such as ambulatory surgical centers.
“There are tremendous efforts on behalf of interest groups to keep things as they are,” Oliva said. “And it takes the courage of the people that you all send up to Tallahassee to make a difference. So I can finally say, ‘We are all here and we’re going to make a difference.’ ”
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida
Highway 29 Ramp, 9½ Mile Road To Close Friday Night
February 21, 2019
The northbound Highway 29 on-ramp from Nine Mile Road, and 9 ½ Mile Road at Highway 29 will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22 to 6 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 as crews place drainage pipes across the roadways. Nine Mile Road travelers wanting to head north on Highway 29 will be redirected to northbound Palafox Street, Ten Mile Road, back to Highway 29. Travelers wanting access to 9 ½ Mile Road east of Highway 29 will use Palafox Street.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
North Escambia Community Transportation Begins Service Today
February 20, 2019
The North Escambia Transportation Service Pilot Project begins today as a door-to-door on demand transportation project in the area north of Quintette Road.
The project will service Walnut Hill, Davisville and Bratt on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Century, Molino and McDavid on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The service will be available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) gave the public a chance to check out the brand-new 10-passenger vehicle Tuesday at Community Health of Northwest Florida click in Century.
“It was a beautiful ride. It drives real smooth,” said local resident Gloria Castleman after an inaugural trip. “It’s a nice van, one of the nicest ones we have ever had here in Century. It think it will be used very well. The public will benefit from it very well and we can utilize it to our benefit. It will help a lot of people here to get back and forth to doctors and other businesses.said Gloria Castleman after an inaugural trip.”
“This is going to be a really wonderful service for our patients,” said Chief Community Engagement Officer Ann Papadelias of Community Health. “We have a high number of patients with no transportation. Some walk to the clinic but sometimes the weather is bad. This is going to help in so many ways, whether someone is using it to get to the clinic, the store, visit a friend’s house of anything else.”
The service is $1 per trip within the North Escambia area. Riders will be picked up at their home or other location within the North Escambia area. The new service will not run a fixed route, but it will allow connections at the standard fare to the ECAT Route 60 bus that connects Century, Molino and Cantonment to the rest of the ECAT system.
“It’s going to be wonderful to connect people to their health care services,” Papadelias said. “It’s tough getting to an appointment when you don’t have a vehicle.”
To qualify for the program, participants must live north of Quintette Road within Escambia County and complete a short application (click to download). All trips will require a 24-hour advance reservation by calling (850) 595-0501 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays
The service is available for anyone living in the service area that completes the application and meets one or more of the following conditions:
- Persons with no other means of transportation that do not live on a bus route
- Persons age 60 or older
- Persons with disabilities
- Persons that have an economic hardship
The North Escambia Transportation Service Pilot Project is funded through a Transportation Disadvantaged Mobility Enhancement Grant.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Softball Openers: Tate Shuts Out Pine Forest; Northview Shuts Out Freeport
February 20, 2019
Northview 8, Freeport 0
Northview 9, Freeport 2 (JV)
Northview led with a run in the first, then powered ahead with four in the bottom of the second as the Chiefs defeated Freeport 8-0 in their season opener Tuesday night in Bratt.
Tori Herrington pitched seven strikeouts while going 2-3 at the plate. For Northview: Aubree Love 2-3, Payton Glchrist 1-2, Nevaeh Brown 1-1, RBI, Kaitlin Watson 1-3, Heather Knowles 1-4.
The junior varsity Northview Chiefs beat the Freeport Bulldogs 9-2.
Northview will host the Flomaton Hurricanes Thursday at 4:00 for JV and 6:00 for varsity.
For a photo gallery from Northview vs. Freeport, click here.
Tate 15, Pine Forest 0
The Tate Aggies shut out Pine Forest Tuesday night in their season opener at home.
Avery Beuchaine earned the win for the Aggies, striking out nine in three innings.
For Tate: Shelby McLean 1-3, R, RBI; Amber Decoux 2-2, 2R, 2RBI; Avery Beuchaine 3-3, 3B, R, RBI; Madison Cawby 1-1, 2B, R, RBI; Ryleigh Cawby 2-3, 2R, 2RBI; Cam Wolfenden 1-2, R: Gabby Locke, 1-1, R; Abbie Burks 1-1, R, 2RBI.
On Thursday, Tate will host Washington.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Three Charged After Clerk Killed During Convenience Store Robbery In Escambia County
February 20, 2019
An attempted convenience store robbery turned deadly Tuesday night in Escambia County, and now three suspects are in custody.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan identified the victim as store clerk Govardhan Kotha, 50. He was shot about 8:15 p.m. at the Quick Fill on Mobile Highway near Lockhart Street. The Sheriff’s Office responded to a robbery call and arrived to find Kotha deceased at the store with gunshot wounds.
Efidarius Gemeateus Bryant, 29, was charged with felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. He is believed to be the shooter,according to Morgan. He is seen in a mask with a gun in surveillance video. Keandra Martez Smith, 23, is also charged with felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. He entered the store first to “case the joint” according to Chip Deputy Chip Simmons. Both are being held without bond in the Escambia County Jail.
Crystal Elaine Clausell, 33, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and is being held on a $100,000 bond.
“Their days of freedom in Escambia County are over,” Simmons said.
The incident was captured on surveillance video, and no additional suspects are wanted, Simmons said.
Kotha was scheduled to travel from Escambia County Thursday to attend his daughter’s wedding, Morgan said.
Tate Basketball Regional Game Start Time Changed
February 20, 2019
The start time of Tate High School’s playoff boys basketball game has been changed.
The Aggies (20-8) will host Tallahassee Chiles(11-19) in the Region 1-8A quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The Aggies accommodated an earlier start time for Chiles due to travel time from Tallahassee and the time zone difference.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Celebrates National FFA Week With Breakfast
February 20, 2019
FFA members at Northview High School are celebrating National FFA Week with a variety of events.
Tuesday morning, the FFA officers and members prepared a homestyle breakfast for teachers, staff and invited guests that support the FFA program. Northview’s FFA program has been recognized as one of the top chapters in both the state and the nation.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jay’s State Championship Hopes Dashed By Port St. Joe
February 20, 2019
The Jay Lady Royals’ hopes for a state championship were dashed Tuesday night on the road.
Port St. Joe defeated Jay 50-43 in the Region 1-1A finals.
The Royals ended their season at 25-3, a week after their first playoff win in 23 years.
File photo.
Florida Prison Inmates Sue State In Digital Music Dispute
February 20, 2019
Florida inmates are accusing state corrections officials of effectively stealing millions of dollars’ worth of digital music and books to benefit a new contractor.
Attorneys with the Social Justice Law Collective and the Florida Justice Institute filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday in Tallahassee, alleging a Department of Corrections program is unconstitutional because it doesn’t allow inmates to access more than $11 million worth of music bought for music players the agency has now banned.
The department in 2011 started allowing inmates in some facilities to purchase and download digital content to MP3 and MP4 players made specifically for prisoners, according to the lawsuit. About three years later, the department expanded the program and contracted with a company that had already been running the program, Keefe Commissary Network, LLC, doing business as “Access Corrections,” to take it statewide.
Prisoners could buy digital media players for $99.95 or $119.95, accessories for the players, and songs or files for $1.70 each. Prisoners were also required to purchase blocks of “prepaid media credits,” which required them to buy a minimum of five files or songs for $8.50.
Inmates used the “prepaid credits” at kiosks, where they could transfer their files to a cloud-based library. They could also use the kiosks, located inside the prisons, to transfer files from the cloud to digital players. Inmates had to connect their players to a kiosk every 30 days, for security purposes, or the device would be disabled, and they weren’t allowed to have players or files that weren’t purchased through the program.
The department, according to the lawsuit, “published numerous advertisements,” posted throughout prisons, “touting the qualities of the digital media players” and promising prisoners, “once music is purchased, you’ll always own it!”
The department also repeatedly told prisoners they could delete and re-order media files they had already purchased, at no additional cost.
But, the lawsuit alleges, corrections officials never told inmates the digital files would only be available during the contract with Access Corrections.
“Based in no small part on the belief by FDOC prisoners that any purchases they made through the Digital Music Player Program could be accessed for the duration of their incarceration with the FDOC, the Digital Music Player Program was a financial success for the FDOC,” the inmates’ lawyers wrote in the 27-page complaint.
From 2011 to 2017, the agency received about $1.4 million in commissions from the $11.3 million in sales during the six years the program was in effect, the lawsuit says.
In 2017, the department ended its contract with Access Corrections and entered into a contract with a new vendor, Jpay Inc.
Department spokeswoman Michelle Glady said the agency is not receiving any commissions from its multi-media contract with Jpay. The department receives commissions from Jpay through a separate contract for inmate banking services, she said.
Under the Jpay “Multimedia Tablet Program,” inmates can purchase tablets for $79.99 or $129.99 and download digital files.
In January 2018, after the tablet program was launched, the agency cut off access to prisoners’ cloud-based libraries and forced all inmates to surrender their digital media players when they received tablets. The agency set a deadline of Jan. 23, 2019, for inmates who didn’t want to participate in the tablet program to give up their digital players. The department allowed prisoners to send the old players to Access Corrections and pay $24.95 to have the players sent to people outside the prisons or have the files burned onto CDs and mailed to someone.
To encourage inmates to participate in the new program, agency officials offered a 50 percent discount on the tablets during the first 60 days and gave the tablets or sold them at a reduced cost to prisoners who had participated in the old program. They were also supposed to receive a $10 credit — regardless of the number of digital media files an inmate had purchased — within two weeks of placing their tablet orders. Inmates who were in the old program also receive a $25 annual allowance to buy files for their tablets, according to the corrections department.
Since the new program went into effect, “prisoners have written hundreds of grievances and administrative appeals complaining about the arbitrary confiscation of their property without compensation,” but the agency has denied the appeals, lawyers for the inmates wrote.
In response to the grievances and appeals, the agency “developed standard response language” acknowledging the “significant investment” prisoners and their families made in the old program but denied the appeals and continued to move forward with the tablet program, the lawsuit said.
Prisoners also can use the tablets to send emails, short videos or pictures, or for educational courses.
The lawyers filed the suit on behalf of William Demler, who was housed at the Hamilton Correctional Institution when he bought a digital media player for $99.95 in 2012 and who subsequently spent $569.50 to purchase 335 files. It also was filed on behalf of hundreds of other unnamed inmates.
Demler gave up his player in exchange for a free tablet in October, but he “was completely deprived of the use and enjoyment of all of his lawfully purchased songs and digital media files,” his lawyers wrote.
“The money he had invested in his digital media files has been effectively stolen from him,” the 27-page complaint reads.
The lawyers are seeking class-action status and allege that the taking of the digital media files “without just compensation” is unconstitutional. The lawyers also argue the new tablet program “is arbitrary and capricious, does not bear a substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals or welfare, has no rational basis, was undertaken for an improper motive, and is therefore an invalid exercise of police power,” and is an unconstitutional violation of rights to due process.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida