Former Inmate Charged With Stalking Century Prison Employee
October 4, 2018
A former Century Correctional Institution inmate is accused of stalking and damaging an employee’s vehicle in the prison’s staff housing area.
Ronald Wayne Boone, Jr. 41, was charged with stalking and felony criminal mischief with property damage.
Boone is accused of breaking the back glass out of the victim’s vehicle while it was parked in the staff housing area. He then allegedly returned about an hour later, yelling from his vehicle that has soon as the window was fixed, he would break it again.
Boone was previously an inmate at Century CI, but the victim said they had no issues during the incarceration. The victim said he believed the problems were because after he broke up with his girlfriend in March, and she married Boone in April, according to an arrest report.
Boone was released from prison, according to Florida Department of Corrections records, in December 2017 after serving five years on Escambia County charges of escape, grand theft and depositing a check with intent to defraud.
I-10, Highway 29 Interchange Improvements Are Complete
October 4, 2018
Construction is complete on a $8.5 million project to improve the I-10, Highway 29 interchange in Escambia County.
The improvements include removing the I-10 westbound exit ramp to U.S. 29 south (Exit 10B), constructing a new exit ramp (Exit 10), installing a traffic signal on U.S. 29 for I-10 westbound traffic connecting to U.S. 29 southbound, and widening the bridge on I-10 eastbound to eliminate the left-side merge from U.S. 29 southbound.
The speed limit on I-10, near Exit 10 (U.S. 29) will remain 60 mph.
New Climbing Wall Installed At Carver Park In Cantonment
October 4, 2018
A new climbing wall was installed Wednesday at Carver Park in Cantonment.
The two-acre neighborhood Carver Park features a covered pavilion, playground, volleyball court, basketball courts, security lights, benches and picnic area. The park also has a small community building and some of the most historic oak trees in Escambia County. The park is located at 20 Webb Street.
For reservations and rental information, call (850) 393-9870.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FWC Hunter Safety Courses Offered In Molino, Cantonment, Jay
October 4, 2018
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering free hunter safety courses in Molino, Cantonment and Jay.
Online completion courses will be held as follows:
Classes will also be held
- October 10 (6 to 10 p.m.) & October 27 (7 to 10 a.m. )
- Molino Community Center
- 6450 Highway 95A N. in Molino
- October 16 (6 to 10 p.m.) & October 27 (7 to 10 a.m. )
- Langley Bell 4-H Center
- 3730 Stefani Road in Cantonment
- October 24 (6 to 10 p.m.) & October 27 (7 to 10 a.m.)
- Jay Community Center
- 5259 Booker Lane in Jay
Students who have taken the online course and wish to complete the classroom portion must bring the online-completion report with them.All firearms, ammunition and materials are provided free of charge. Students should bring a pen or pencil and paper. An adult must accompany children younger than 16 at all times.
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course and have a hunting license to hunt alone (unsupervised). The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.
Contact Paul Averill, Florida Fish and Wildlife hunter safety instructor at (850) 982-8070m or visit MyFWC.com/HunterSafety for more information.
Jim Allen Elementary Hosting Fall Carnival Friday
October 4, 2018
Jim Allen Elementary School will host a Fall Carnival Friday from 3-6 p.m.
There will be games and prizes, special guests Argie and Kazoo and food including hamburgers, hotdogs and pulled pork plates. All proceeds will be used for classroom supplies.
Media Groups Fight ‘Jane Doe’ Request In Gun Law Case
October 4, 2018
Media organizations from across the country are urging a federal appeals court to reject an attempt to allow two teens to remain anonymous in a challenge to a new Florida gun law.
A brief filed last week on behalf of 21 organizations argued that allowing the teens to take part in the challenge as Jane Doe and John Doe would hinder public access to court proceedings. The National Rifle Association filed the challenge in March to a law that increased from 18 to 21 the minimum age to buy rifles and other long guns in Florida.
“(The NRA and teens’) allegations in this case are — as they themselves argue — significant matters of public concern, especially because their challenges are framed as an assertion of their constitutional rights, and seek ultimately to invalidate legislation,” said the 40-page document, filed by attorneys for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “The testimony by and concerning Does (the teens) could very well affect the ultimate outcome of this case. Open litigation, with full disclosure of the parties’ identities, will allow the public to better understand and assess the parties’ competing claims, and their credibility, and to make informed judgments about the administration of justice in this case.”
The filing at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta is the latest move in a case that stems from lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott approving gun restrictions after the February mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.
The NRA quickly filed a federal lawsuit challenging the age change for purchasing guns and later sought to add a 19-year-old Alachua County resident as a plaintiff and identify her as Jane Doe. It also sought to add to the case allegations related to another 19-year-old identified as John Doe.
But Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office has fought allowing the teens to take part in the case anonymously, and U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in May agreed with the state’s legal position. That prompted the NRA to take the anonymity issue to the appeals court. The underlying lawsuit challenging the gun law remains pending.
The NRA has argued in court documents that anonymity is needed because of concerns for the safety of the teens. As part of its case, the NRA has cited threatening and often-vile emails received by longtime NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer.
“Jane Doe and John Doe, two 19-year-old Florida citizens, seek to participate in this lawsuit challenging Florida’s age-based ban on the purchase of firearms anonymously, based on the reasonable, documented fear that they would suffer harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence if their true identities and participation in this controversial litigation were made public,” said a brief filed in June by the NRA’s attorneys. “Under the standard for pseudonymous pleading established by this court’s precedents, Jane and John Doe should clearly be allowed to remain anonymous.”
The attorneys for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed the friend-of-the-court brief Friday on behalf of organizations ranging from the American Society of News Editors to The Dallas Morning News. Among the organizations were The McClatchy Co., which operates the Miami Herald and Bradenton Herald newspapers, and South Florida’s WPLG television station.
In addition to raising arguments about public access to court proceedings, the media organizations disputed the NRA’s argument that the teens need to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
“Put simply, the record before this court is devoid of any factual basis on which to conclude that there would be a legitimate risk of retaliation against Does themselves if their identities were revealed in this litigation,” the brief said. “Permitting Does to proceed pseudonymously in this case would provide grounds for any plaintiff asserting a ‘controversial’ claim to do so. Such broad use of pseudonymity is impermissible.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Northview Names Homecoming Court; Plans Parade And Friday Meal
October 4, 2018
Northview High School has named their 2018 homecoming court, and there are several big events planned for homecoming.
Homecoming court members are: seniors Shelby Bashore, Hannah Ellis, Kherstin Johnson, Aubree Love, Madison Sherouse; juniors Raeleigh Woodfin, Briana White; sophomores Franki Daw, Hailey Harigel, Kenna Redmond, freshmen Anna Adams, Grayson James and Mia Starns.
The parade will line up on the campus of Bratt Elementary School beginning at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The parade will begin at Bratt Elementary at about 1 p.m. and end with a pep rally in the Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium at Northview High. (The general public should not enter the Bratt Elementary campus.)
A homecoming meal will available Friday from 10 a.m. until from the football concession stand to support the Tommy Weaver Scholarship Fund. The $7 meal will include a barbecue sandwich, chips, dessert and a drink.. To reserve lunch, call (850) 327-6681 ext. 248 or email pbyars@escambia.k12.fl.us.
Pre-game festivities will begin at 6:00 Friday night, including the presentation of the homecoming court and the naming of the queen.
The homecoming game against Jay High School will kickoff at 7:00.
Pictured are: (L-R) Mia Starns, freshman; Anna Adams, freshman; Franki Daw, sophomore; Raeleigh Woodfin, junior; Aubree Love, senior; Madison Sherouse, senior; Kherstin Johnson, senior; Shelby Bashore, senior; Briana White, junior; Hailey Harigel, sophomore; Grayson James, freshman; Kenna Redmond, sophomore.Not pictured: Hannah Ellis, senior. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Molino Bridge That Collapsed In June Now Open
October 3, 2018
A new $1.97 million Molino bridge that partially collapsed on June 30 has opened to traffic.
On June 30 at the Highway 196 bridge over Jacks Branch, concrete for a bridge deck span was being poured into temporary forms when a rod and temporary truss failed. That caused two deck spans of concrete that had not hardened to fall into water below.
Earlier in June, crews were attempting to place concrete in another deck form that failed, causing the deck and truss under the form to sag, he said. That section of bridge deck was removed by the contractor.
“The safety of the state’s bridges is a top priority of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Due to our comprehensive bridge maintenance program, Florida has some of the safest bridges in the country,” said Ed Seifert, interim communications director for the FDOT, told NorthEscambia.com after the collapse. “Before any bridge is opened to the public, a thorough safety inspection is undertaken by FDOT.”
GDB-US Constructors, Inc. of Parish, FL, is the contractor on the project, the lowest of four bidders. This was their first bridge project in FDOT District 3, which includes Pensacola to Tallahassee. The bridge is owned by Escambia County; however, the replacement project is being constructed with federal dollars administered by FDOT.
Highway 196 had been closed since January for the bridge replacement.
Pictured: A look back at a June partial bridge collapse on Highway 196. Photos obtained by NorthEscambia.com and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
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Pictured below: Sections of concrete bridge deck removed from the bridge after it began to sag three weeks ago can be seen to the right of the bridge.
Century Approves Tax Funding Plan For Redevelopment Area
October 3, 2018
The Century Town council has voted to approve a funding plan for their Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
The council approved a Tax Increment Financing plan for their redevelopment area, allowed the CRA to receive property tax revenues each year in excess of an established base rate. The appraised value of the property within the designated district was “frozen” this year, with that amount of tax revenue generated still designated for the town’s general fund, the county and other taxing authorities.
The redevelopment area will receive 95 percent of the property tax generated in excess of the frozen base value as property values rise. It is estimated that will amount to about $10,000 the first year for the CRA.
The CRA funds will be used to improve conditions in the 510 acres, bounded by Jefferson Avenue to the south, Jefferson Avenue to the east, East High 4 to the north and the center line of North Century Boulevard to the west. It also extends north on the east side of North Century Boulevard to include commercial properties up to, and including, the former Burger King. Click here for a detailed map (pdf).
Tax Increment Financing is a unique tool available to cities and counties for redevelopment activities. It is used to leverage public funds to promote private sector activities in the targeted redevelopment area. Property owners in the CRA will pay the same tax rate as those in the remainder of the town.
TIF revenue can be used on a “pay as you go” basis, where the annual stream of revenue is used to fund small projects, or used to pay debt service costs over the life of a project lasting 10 or more years. Historically in Florida, TIF has been effective at generating large amounts of funding for capital investments for roadway improvements, flood control programs, water and sewer and drainage infrastructure improvements, parking lots and garages, neighborhood parks, sidewalks, street and sidewalk tree plantings, signs and building construction.
After a February 2016 tornado damaged or destroyed 40 homes and businesses, the town looked to address the long-term effects on the community of a downturn in economic development. That led to the redevelopment area.
The CRA plan sets a roadmap for future development and spending to eliminate existing conditions of blight and to encourage continued private investment. The plan also provides a framework for coordinating and facilitating public and private redevelopment within the area.
Review the Century CRA plan by clicking here.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
You Should Have Received A ‘Presidential Alert’ On Your Cell Phone
October 3, 2018
Everyone in the country should have received an alert on their phone this afternoon, and a short time later there was an alert on broadcast television and radio stations. But many North Escambia area residents reported that they did not receive the alert. (We didn’t receive it on our NorthEscambia.com phones from Verizon.)
The test happened at 1:18 p.m., when phones displayed a “Presidential Alert” with the note: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
A second test of the national Emergency Alert System, the kind that typically appears on TV and radio, will follow at 1:20 p.m.
“The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed,” according to FEMA.
A Presidential Alert is “meant for use in a national emergency, and the only type of WEA alert (wireless emergency alert) that can be sent nationwide by FEMA” according to the agency.
While individuals can opt out of ordinary emergency alerts (like Amber Alerts or extreme weather notifications), that’s not an option for Presidential Alerts. These types of alerts would be sent in the event of major national emergency, such as a mass terrorism event.