NWE Sophomores And Freshmen Advance To ERC Championships
October 28, 2018
The NWE Freshmen and Sophomore Chiefs are headed to the ERC championships after wins Saturday in Bratt.
The freshmen championship game will be next Saturday at 1 p.m. at Poarch; the sophomore game will kick off at 2:30.
Here are Saturday’s finals:
Seniors
- Brewton 50, Neal 15
- Excel 35, Baker 0
Juniors
- Brewton 35, Baker 0
- Poarch 27, Baker 6
Sophomores
- NWE 20, Brewton 0
- Jay 27, Poarch 6
Freshmen
- NWE 6, Brewton 0
- Excel 27, Baker 0
Hundred Attend Atmore’s Williams Station Day (With Gallery)
October 28, 2018
Hundreds of people attended the annual Williams Station Day in Atmore Saturday.
Williams Station Day takes its name from Atmore’s early history when in 1866 the community was a supply stop along the Mobile and Great Northern railroad.
Festival-goers enjoyed plenty of good food, a variety of musical entertainment and lots of arts and crafts.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Chapman Named Pine Meadow Teacher Of The Year
October 28, 2018
Pine Meadow Elementary School has named Susan Chapman as their Teach of the Year. She teaches third grade. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Grad Doremus Graduates From Marine Boot Camp
October 28, 2018
Logan Michael Doremus, a 2018 graduate of Northview High School, graduated from the United States Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, SC, recently. He will go on to become an aviation mechanic with the USMC.
What Is Florida’s Favorite Halloween Candy?
October 28, 2018
The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) says Florida has new favorite candy for Halloween and fall events.
Snickers beat out last year’s winner Skittles followed by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. This year, the FRF estimates more than 661,000 pounds of Snickers will be bought in Florida for Halloween, 579,000 pounds of Skittles and 214,000 pounds of Reese’s Cups. The top five favorite candies nationally are Skittles, M&Ms, Snickers, Reese’s Cups and Starburst.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: DeSantis, Gillum Drop The Gloves
October 28, 2018
“I went to a fight the other night and a gubernatorial debate broke out.”
With apologies to comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s famous line about hockey games, that seems like an apt characterization of the two debates this week between Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum and Republican nominee Ron DeSantis.
The fighting began Sunday night with a debate on CNN and concluded Wednesday evening with a televised debate at Broward College. If they watched, Floridians witnessed no-holds-barred exchanges, where character attacks obscured debate over the stark policy differences between the two candidates.
DeSantis slammed the ethics and honesty of Gillum, questioning whether he has been telling the truth about his role in an ongoing FBI investigation in Tallahassee, where Gillum is mayor.
DeSantis’ allegations have been bolstered by the release of documents related to a state ethics investigation. The documents raise questions about how Gillum paid for a pricey ticket to the hit musical “Hamilton” and a Costa Rica vacation.
Gillum, seeking to be the first African-American governor in Florida, hammered DeSantis over his association with people who have been called racists and for DeSantis’ comment that Gillum would “monkey this up” — referring to the state’s success under outgoing Gov. Rick Scott — if elected.
Gillum stopped just short of calling DeSantis a racist but said “racists believe he is a racist.”
While the back-and-forth drew headlines, the vitriolic debates may not have much impact on the outcome of the election for several reasons.
One is that most voters have made up their minds about the two candidates seeking to succeed Scott. A Quinnipiac University poll released this week showed only 2 percent of the voters were undecided and only 4 percent said they might change their minds.
That could be expected in what is viewed as a “base” election with both candidates targeting and trying to energize their most loyal supporters.
A second factor likely to diminish volatility in the final days of the campaign is that many Floridians have already cast ballots or will do so before Election Day on Nov. 6. As of Friday, more than 2 million of the 13.3 million registered voters had already cast their votes, either through mail-in ballots or at early-voting sites.
GILLUM VS. DESANTIS, ROUND ONE
Gillum and DeSantis shredded each other Sunday night during their first debate, which was hosted in Tampa by CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Gillum, who is backed by prominent progressives across the country, and DeSantis, a former congressman whose pedigree boasts of a Harvard law degree and a stint as a Navy attorney, couldn’t be farther apart on the political spectrum, or on their stances on issues.
They sniped throughout the debate about the environment, health care, and, of course, President Donald Trump, whose support helped boost DeSantis to a GOP primary victory in August.
Tapper asked about DeSantis’ opposition to a sweeping state law, passed after the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County. The law raised the minimum age from 18 to 21 to purchase all guns and banned the sale of “bump stocks,” devices that can be placed on semi-automatic firearms to make them fire more rapidly.
“The congressman was against the piece of legislation because he’s wholly owned by the NRA,” Gillum said. “He’s not going to stand up to the National Rifle Association. That’s why they’re running all these ads against me, because they want the man that they bought.”
But DeSantis countered by raising the issue of Tallahassee’s crime rate, a point he hammered throughout the match-up.
“His record as mayor is one presiding over a city that’s out of control in terms of crime,” DeSantis said, citing a report that found Tallahassee had a historically high murder rate last year.
“All right, well, Ron is being Don. And that’s Donald Trump, neglecting all sense of reason and facts,” Gillum retorted, insisting that Tallahassee is experiencing a five-year low in crime.
Tapper also raised the specter of racism, asking DeSantis about a donor “who called Obama the N-word” and about the phrase “monkey this up,” which DeSantis said the day after the Aug. 28 primary.
DeSantis pointed to his past work as a prosecutor and said the race of victims was irrelevant.
“Floridians can know that I’ll be a governor for all Floridians. If we disagree tomorrow, maybe two weeks later we’ll find some common ground,” he said.
But Gillum pushed back, saying DeSantis “let us know exactly where he was going to take this race the day after the election” with the “monkey up” comment.
“The truth is I’m black. I’ve been black all my life. So far as I know I will die black,” he said, adding that “the only color people care about is the blue-green algae” and red tide contaminating Florida waterways.
DESANTIS VS. GILLUM, ROUND TWO
The second debate at Broward College followed with plenty of hostile exchanges between the candidates.
During one of the most explosive moments, DeSantis, who was on the attack throughout the night, lost his cool after being questioned by moderator Todd McDermott of WPBF-TV about the former congressman’s affiliation with conservative author David Horowitz.
“Are you going to play the McCarthy-ite game?” DeSantis interrupted McDermott.
McDermott persisted, saying Horowitz had questioned the oppression of black Americans because there is not an exodus of blacks from the country. DeSantis had praised Horowitz as someone who “shoots straight” and “tells the American people the truth,” McDermott pointed out, sparking an outburst from DeSantis,
“How the hell am I supposed to know every single statement everybody makes?” he exploded, saying that as a soldier in Iraq “we worked together as a team regardless of race.”
DeSantis reiterated that, as a prosecutor, he “stood up for victims of every race, color and creed” and will “represent all the people” as governor.
“Everyone will get a fair shake. But I’m not going to bow down to the altar of political correctness. I’m not going to let the media smear me,” he angrily continued.
DeSantis repeatedly hammered Gillum about the recently released documents the Republican contends demonstrate that Gillum lied about who footed the bill for tickets to see “Hamilton” two years ago during a trip to New York.
“Andrew was getting things he shouldn’t have gotten, and they got a $2 million contract from the city of Tallahassee. That is what corruption is. When you get something you shouldn’t have had, and you give something to people who were trying to influence you. That is wrong, and he has not told the truth about any of that,” DeSantis said.
The documents were released to the public this week by Chris Kise, a lawyer representing Adam Corey, a Tallahassee lobbyist and entrepreneur at the heart of a federal corruption probe involving the city of Tallahassee.
Corey and Gillum were longtime friends whose global travels were part of the 150 pages of texts, emails and other documents released by Kise.
Gillum has steadfastly maintained he is innocent of any wrongdoing and has publicly severed ties with Corey. The documents show that Corey told Gillum the Hamilton tickets were provided by “Mike Miller,” an undercover FBI agent who also arranged a boat cruise for Corey, Gillum, and the mayor’s brother, Marcus.
Gillum has said he received the ticket for the show from his brother, and that the Broadway tickets were swapped for a Jay-Z show.
“The problem I have is that I should have asked more questions … to ensure that everything was above board,” Gillum said Wednesday night.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum spent nearly an hour Wednesday ripping each other apart on charges of corruption and racism in their final gubernatorial debate.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Now, I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist. I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.” — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum during the Wednesday debate at Broward College.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Investigation Underway After Body Found In Molino Woods
October 27, 2018
An investigation is underway after a body was found in Molino Saturday.
The body was discovered inside a pickup truck that was in a clearing in partially wooded area about 600 feet off Sunshine Hill Road, just south of Cedar Springs Road. That’s about a mile off Highway 97.
The adult male was discovered by law enforcement looking for a subject with warrants out of Santa Rosa County, according Deb Henley, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The ECSO was not involved in the initial discovery but is conducting the death investigation.
It was not known how long the body had been in the woods, and a positive identification must be made by the medical examiner, Henley said. There was no immediate word of any foul play.
Further details have not been released as the active investigation continues.
Early Voting Continues
October 27, 2018
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford reminds voters that early voting will remain open through this weekend and throughout the following week. Almost 15,000 voters took advantage of the first 5 days of early voting. A total of nine sites will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. county-wide:
- 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
Early voting will continue through Saturday, November 3. Early voters cast paper ballots through our digital scanners and may choose any one of the nine sites. A ballot marking device is available for persons with disabilities.
Another option for voters is to cast a vote-by-mail ballot, which can be requested through the online form at EscambiaVotes.com, or by e-mail (votebymail@escambiavotes.com), phone (850) 595-3900, mail, or fax (850) 595-3914. Requests must include the voter’s date of birth and address, and must be received no later than Wednesday, October 31. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day and may not be returned to a polling location. The Postal Service recommends voters mail ballots at least one week before the due date. Vote-by-mail participants may track the status of their ballot at EscambiaVotes.com.
The third option for voters is to cast a ballot at their precinct on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Voters are reminded to bring their photo and signature ID with them to the polls and are encouraged to visit EscambiaVotes.com for complete votinginformation or contact the Elections Office by phone or
e-mail with any questions.
Northview Blanks Snook 56-0
October 27, 2018
The Northview Chiefs earned a big 56-0 senior night win over the Eagles of Snook Christian Academy.
“It was a good game by our guys,” Northview football coach Derek Marshman said. “I thought for the first time we came out with a lot of urgency. We played good football for, really for four quarters.”
Northview held a commanding 20-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, and the Chiefs were up 49-0 at the half before going on to a 56-0 win in Bratt.
“Right there at the end we had a bunch of young guys in. They let some emotions get to them; some penalties kind of hurt us,” he said.
The Chiefs (5-4) will wrap up their regular season next Friday night on the road against the Freeport Bulldogs (3-6). Freeport is coming off a 30-26 loss to Jay Friday night.
“If we can with that one, it should secure us a home playoff spot. So it’s going to big for us to go over there and get a victory,” Marshman said.
For photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Hazmat Team Stationed In Cantonment, Ensley Gets New Response Vehicle
October 27, 2018
Escambia County’s Hazmat team, which is stationed between the Ensley and Cantonment fire stations, has a new response unit.
The vehicle was donated by the Okaloosa County via the Ocean City Wright Fire Department. The new apparatus allows the Hazmat team to transport up to six Hazardous Materials Technicians and a wide variety of equipment for detection and mitigation to an incident all in one vehicle, which greatly reduces response time.
The 2000 model Pierce hazardous material response unit is equipped with a command and research area, power generator, scene lighting and compressed air for responders. Previously, the HAZMAT team used multiple utility pick-up trucks and trailers to respond with similar equipment. By decreasing the time needed to arrive on scene and being equipped with a more capable response unit, the county will be able to reduce the exposure and impact to citizens and the environment during a hazardous materials incident.
““We are ecstatic about this acquisition. Our Special Operations Teams will now be more effective than ever, as we continue to make Escambia County one of the safest places to live, work, and visit. Escambia County Fire Rescue is very grateful to both the Okaloosa and Escambia County Commissions for making this possible for our team and region,” Escambia Fire Rescue Chief Rusty Nail said.
Strategically located between the interstate, railways and many industrial companies, Escambia County’s Hazmat team is housed at the Ensley and Cantonment Stations. With at least eight hazardous materials technicians on duty 24 hours a day, Escambia County has the capability and equipment to decontaminate, treat and transport victims of chemical or biological exposure. The team can respond to a wide variety of calls from household propane gas leaks, rail or transportation accidents involving chemicals, industrial leaks of materials like acid, gasoline, or chlorine; spills caused by a natural disaster like a hurricane, to an act of terrorism like dangerous biological materials found in the mail. When not responding to or training for hazardous materials emergencies, team members respond to day-to-day fire and medical emergencies.
Escambia County Fire Rescue’s Hazmat team is a state regional asset and is one of only 20 in Florida qualified to respond to Type 1 and Type 2 hazardous materials incidents. This means they are appropriately equipped and trained to handle all industrial chemical and weapons of mass destruction hazards in any form such as liquid, aerosol, powder, solids and vapor or gas.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
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