Camp Fire Century Holds Trike A Thon For St. Judes
October 23, 2018
The Children at Camp Fire Century held their annual St. Jude’s Trike-A-Thon recently, their seventh year hosting the event. The children learned about trike safety, raised money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and enjoyed the ride. They learned about being a community helper, volunteering and giving back to others in need.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Early Voting Begins
October 23, 2018
The unofficial early voting turnout in Escambia County was 2,862 on Monday, the first day of early voting. That is a 76 percent increase over the first day of early voting in the 2014 election.
Early voting continues through November 3 from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. 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
Flomaton Delivers Hurricane Relief Supplies To Apalachicola
October 23, 2018
The Flomaton Fire Department and MedStar Ambulance delivered Hurricane Michael relief supplies to Apalachicola Monday . The supply donation was coordinated with the help of Flomaton High School. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview’s Girls Golf Advances To Regionals; Boys Team Makes Districts
October 23, 2018
The Northview High School boys and girls golf teams played in the 1A District tournament at Osceola Golf Course in Pensacola last week. Competing against five other schools, the girls team placed third and will advance to the regional tournament at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin. Qualifying team members are Emily Boutwell, Bradi Edwards, Meredith McGhee and Raeliegh Woodfin.
The Northview boys team placed fourth at the district tournament, ending their season. Boys team members include Bryce Korinchack, Billy Rolin, Brandon Santos, Nick Venable, Josh Wilson and Hunter Zisa.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
State Seeks To Bolster Tourism After Hurricane Damage
October 22, 2018
Visit Florida is moving forward with a $9 million marketing plan to combat media reports and negative public perceptions about how much of the state remains in ruins from Hurricane Michael.
The tourism-marketing agency’s executive committee voted Friday to support a plan that includes highlighting what has reopened in areas hit by the deadly Oct. 10 storm in Northwest Florida. The plan also seeks to call attention to other areas of the Panhandle, such as Pensacola, that were largely unscathed and deliver a message that “the rest of Florida is wide open for business.”
“If we do not manage the customer perception, it could be very devastating to our economy if they think that (hurricane damage) is very widespread,” said committee member Dan Rowe, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The marketing effort will feature domestic and international ads along with heavy use of videos on social-media sites showing what’s open and the recovery efforts. It is seen, in part, as a continuation of ongoing work to address concerns of potential tourists about algae and red-tide problems in waterways in Southeast and Southwest Florida this year.
Staci Mellman, Visit Florida’s interim chief marketing officer, said the post-Michael effort will be layered on a planned $500,000 campaign that is set to kick in once the red tide problems subside.
“It’s all about maintaining Florida’s brand perception and ensuring we stay a top tourist destination,” Mellman told members of the executive committee during a conference call.
A goal for the agency is to find a balance in marketing what is open while being respectful to people in areas like Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe, which were decimated by the storm and face a long recovery. The agency also has to grapple with media images of storm-damaged areas.
Committee members balked at a proposal to prominently display on the Visit Florida homepage a map outlining areas of the state that are open and closed.
“The general perception is Florida is in a hurricane, a lot of damage happened and everything is closed,” committee member Danny Gaekwad of MGM Hotels said as he unsuccessfully pitched the idea. “The best way to fight, to educate the customer on how big is Florida, is very simple, where the damage is and where the damage is not. The airline is coming. The roads are open. Bridges are open. Points of interest are open. And that gives the best perception, I think, because we are fighting the media.”
Committee members said such information will be on a webpage focused on Northwest Florida, but they don’t want to highlight hurricanes on the homepage.
Visit Florida has contracted with the international public-relations firm Ketchum, and the state agency will begin working next week with tourism officials in four Panhandle counties — Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton — that were mostly unscathed by the storm.
The plan must still go before Visit Florida’s Finance Committee as the agency determines where the money will come from.
Cynthia Hefren, Visit Florida chief financial officer, said the agency is looking at a “variety” of sources, such as $1 million available for a crisis and shifting about $1.3 million from the agency’s uncontracted funds.
The agency received $76 million from the state Legislature for the fiscal year that started July 1.
A year ago, Visit Florida enacted a similar $5 million winter-marketing plan to promote the Florida Keys after the island chain was ravaged by Hurricane Irma.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Fighting Back: Northview Chiefs Deliver Hurricane Relief Supplies To Blountstown
October 22, 2018
A funeral was held Sunday for the mother of a Blountstown Tigers football player.
It was only about a month ago that the Northview Chiefs traveled to battle it out with the Blountstown Fighting Tigers on their football field. Today that football stadium is in shambles from Hurricane Michael. The bleaches are a tangled mess, stadium lights are down and portions of the school’s roof were ripped off.
The Chiefs football team, volleyball team, FFA, students and the community gathered supplies that were delivered Sunday by students, parents and volunteers.
For Blountstown resident Deborah Horst, seeing a Chiefs shirt was a heartwarming moment. “My niece and two nephews graduated from Northview so when I saw the shirts I felt a kindred spirit and deeply moved,” she told NorthEscambia.com. She just had to meet the Chiefs and snap a few pictures (some of which you will find on this page and in our photo gallery).
“Thank you so much for helping our in our community! What a blessing you were for us,” Horst said.
The eyewall of the monster hurricane directly hit Blountstown, 40 miles away from landfall in Mexico Beach. Most homes were damaged; many were destroyed. Trees were snapped like toothpicks. Power is just beginning to return inside town, and a handful of businesses were back open Sunday. Outside the town, most residents are still in the dark. The tarps — the blue roofs — arrived Sunday.
And Blountstown plans to play football this upcoming Saturday. The are the Fighting Tigers after all.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Early Voting Begins In Escambia County
October 22, 2018
Monday marks the beginning of 13 consecutive days of early voting in Escambia County for the General Election. A total of nine sites will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily throughout the county – the most locations ever offered to
EscambiaCounty voters:
- 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 be offered Monday, October 22, through Saturday, November 3. Early voters cast paper ballots through our digital scanners and may choose any one of the nine sites. Each location is also equipped with an Express Vote ballot marking device to assist 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 U.S. 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 voting information or contact the Elections Office by phone or e-mail with any questions.
Gillum, DeSantis Bash Each Other In First Debate
October 22, 2018
Democrat Andrew Gillum and Republican Ron DeSantis shredded each other Sunday night during a nationally televised debate, as the gubernatorial candidates appeared in their first face-to-face showdown little more than two weeks before the Nov. 6 general election.
The hour-long CNN debate in Tampa, hosted by Jake Tapper, is evidence of the attention garnered by the race between Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor who’s trying to make history as Florida’s first black governor and who’s 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.
The two men couldn’t be farther apart on the political spectrum, or on their stances on issues, sniping 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 questioned DeSantis about his 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 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, who resigned from Congress last month to devote his efforts full-time to running to replace outgoing Gov. Rick Scott, 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 brought up a tongue-in-cheek television ad that featured the Republican candidate “schooling” his two young children about Trump. The CNN host asked DeSantis if he thinks the president is “a good role model for the children of Florida.”
DeSantis said he and his wife, Casey “were poking a little fun at ourselves” with the ad, then launched into praise of Trump for relocating the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump followed through on a campaign promise to move the embassy, the former congressman said.
“To me, when you give your word, and you follow through with it as an elected official, that is the model that we’re supposed to do. He was right to move the embassy to Jerusalem,” DeSantis said. “I know Andrew didn’t support that … but to me that was true leadership.”
Gillum gave a more direct answer to the question about Trump being a good role model.
“No, he’s not. Donald Trump is weak. And he performs as all weak people do: They become bullies. And Mr. DeSantis is his acolyte,” Gillum, who was a surprise victor in August’s Democratic primary, defeating four other opponents, including former Congresswoman Gwen Graham.
But DeSantis said his relationship with Trump would help Florida, which relies on federal support for water projects, transportation funding and military installations.
“You need to be able to work with the administration to be able to get the dollars we deserve,” said DeSantis, who repeatedly referred to Gillum as “Andrew” throughout the debate.
“Andrew can’t do that. He wants to impeach Trump. He’s always saying bad things about him. I’m not going to be involved in the Washington food fight anymore. I’ve been there, done that, got the T-shirt. But I think I will be better positioned to advance Florida’s priorities because I have a productive relationship with the administration,” DeSantis said.
But Gillum, who has harshly criticized Trump and has in fact called for the president to be impeached, disagreed.
“This is not Russia. You should not have to kiss the ring of the president of the United States for the president to see to the good will of the third-largest state in all of America. This is a democracy. We can dissent. We can disagree. And when it comes to working together, we can do that, too,” the Democrat said.
To illustrate his point, Gillum said he and Scott, a Republican trying to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, worked together as they dealt with the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Michael, which caused massive damage this month in the Panhandle and the Big Bend region.
DeSantis also hammered Gillum about an FBI probe into public corruption in Tallahassee. Lobbyist Adam Corey, a longtime friend of Gillum with whom the mayor says he has severed ties, appears to be at the center of the investigation. A trip to Costa Rica in which Gillum’s campaign said he paid cash for his portion of a rental house shared with Corey and others, has made the mayor a subject of scrutiny, but Gillum insists he is not the target of the FBI investigation.
“He’s used the office to benefit himself,” DeSantis said.
But Gillum lashed back, accusing DeSantis of spending $145,000 on taxpayer-funded trips before he resigned from Congress and refusing to provide the receipts for the travel.
“I don’t take free trips from anybody. I’m a hardworking person. I know that may not fit your description of what people like me do,” Gillum said.
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 when referring to Gillum 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.
Health care was another flashpoint early in the debate, as DeSantis challenged Gillum over his support for “Medicare for all,” or a single payer health-care system. After Gillum supported the proposal, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont progressive leader, endorsed the mayor in the crowded Democratic primary.
DeSantis said the Medicare proposal would fold funding for existing programs — such as the military’s TRICARE, Medicaid and Medicare — into a new program.
“It dumps all those people against their will, regardless of if they want to stay in their current plans, it dumps on a single-payer government system,”’ DeSantis said. “Taxes will go through the roof.”
Gillum did not directly address the criticism, saying instead that he supports expanding Medicaid eligibility and that DeSantis repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act while in Congress. The federal health-care law encourages states to expand Medicaid and requires insurers to cover people even if they have pre-existing conditions prior to obtaining coverage.
“We can build Florida’s economy simply by extending access to health care and guess what?” Gillum said. “It’s not only good for those 800,000 people who would get access, but it’s also good for folks like small businesses who right now can’t afford to get access to health care.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida. Image courtesy CNN.
Ransom Middle Academic Teams Competes In Tournament
October 22, 2018
The Ransom Middle School Academic Team took part in the 12th Annual Academic Tournament at the Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville on Saturday.
Team A, with a record of a 4-1. was ranked number eight in the morning rounds among a field of 28 mostly high school teams. Ransom’s Team A and Team B completed against each other in the playoff rounds. Team A then played top team from Fort Walton Beach High School. Despite an impressive score, they did not win.
Team leaders said it was great training, helping the Ransom Academic Team prepare for the middle school level tournaments in November and January. Those tourneys are qualifiers for the national tournament in Chicago.
Byrneville Students Raise $3.6K In ‘Change Wars’ For Childhood Cancer
October 22, 2018
Byrneville Elementary set out to raise $500 for childhood cancer a few nickels, dimes and quarters at a time. When the “change wars” fundraiser ended, the Byrneville Braves had raised many times more.
Friday morning, the students presented a check for $3,618.18 to Sacred Heart Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
They raised $1,609.09 in the change wars fundraiser, and the PTO matched. Then they had another $400 donation from a parent who sponsored a “Go Gold” shirt drive.
There are just under 200 students in Byrneville Elementary.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
