One Injured In Wreck Involving Century’s Mayor
March 15, 2018
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins was uninjured in two-vehicle crash Wednesday near Gonzalez that sent his passenger to the hospital.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 17-year old Andrew Anderson of Crestview was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and trailer south on Highway 95A at Roberts Road when he turned in front of a northbound 2008 Nissan Pathfinder driven by Hawkins.
Anderson and Hawkins were uninjured in 12:54 p.m. crash. Hawkin’s passenger, 57-year old Maxine Simpson of Century, suffered minor injuries and was transported by Escambia County EMS to Sacred Heart Hospital, according to troopers.
Anderson was cited by the FHP for failing to yield right of way to oncoming traffic when making a left turn.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Gets Life In Prison For 2016 Murder
March 15, 2018
A Cantonment man will spend the rest of his life in state prison for a 2016 murder.
An Escambia County jury previosly found 21-year-old Marquis Derrell Bryant guilty of second degree murder. The life sentence was handed down Wednesday by Circuit Judge Scott Duncan.
Bryant shot 29-year old Alphonso Leon Griffin, who was found in the yard of a residence in the 200 block of Sheppard Street in Cantonment just after 9 p.m. on July 23, 2016. He was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital where he later passed away.
Bryant was previously sentenced to five years in state prison for a bribery charge. He offered to pay a law enforcement officer to let him go in connection with the arrest in the murder case.
Bryant was captured by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office just five days before the shooting, but not placed under arrest.
On Sunday, July 17, 2016, Bryant allegedly stole a classic Ford Mustang. On Monday, July 18, 2016, deputies spotted Bryant in the stolen 1965 Mustang at 3:47 p.m. near Hicks Street and Muscogee Road, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. When a deputy attempted a traffic stop, Bryant refused.
The deputy followed the vehicle, not exceeding the speed limit. Bryant opened the driver’s side door while the vehicle was still in motion. He then jumped from the vehicle and fled on foot.
The Sheriff’s Office said Bryant was located by a K-9 a short time later.
Sgt. Andrew Hobbs, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said at the time that deputies suspected that Bryant ingested some type of narcotics before being captured. He was transported to a local hospital for medical care. Hobbs declined to say which day Bryant was released from the hospital, citing medical privacy laws.
Hobbs said deputies submitted a grand theft auto warrant for judicial review. At the time of the murder, the warrant had not yet been signed by a judge.
Florida Senator Rubio Files Bills For Year Round Daylight Saving Time
March 15, 2018
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio backed state legislators Wednesday by filing separate bills aimed at keeping Florida — and the nation — on daylight-saving time throughout the year.
The Legislature during this year’s session approved a bill that calls for year-round daylight-saving time in Florida. The change, if supported by Gov. Rick Scott, ultimately would require congressional approval.
“Reflecting the will of the Sunshine State, I proudly introduce these bills that would approve Florida’s will and, if made nationally, would also ensure Florida is not out of sync with the rest of the nation,” Rubio said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
A news release from Rubio’s office pointed to several potential benefits from the change, including that additional daylight in evenings could reduce car crashes, help lead to more physical activity that would reduce childhood obesity and reduce the number of robberies.
The Florida PTA Legislative Committee, meanwhile, tweeted opposition to the proposal because of how the change would affect students.
“It’s not the will of the PTA as it will negatively impact the safety of our children in the morning,” the committee tweeted Wednesday. “We don’t need more children standing in the dark waiting for a bus.”
The idea of year-round daylight-saving time has been promoted as a way to help the state’s tourism industry, as people would be able to stay out later with the additional sunlight. Hawaii and most of Arizona currently don’t participate in switching from standard time to daylight-saving time and back. They stay on standard time throughout the year.
Daylight-saving time started Sunday and is scheduled to end this year on November 4.
by The News Service of Florida
Ernest Ward Teens For Christ Members Remember School Shooting, Violence Members
March 15, 2018
Wednesday morning, Teens for Christ members at Ernest Ward Middle School remembered the school shooting victims from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. The event before school honored not only the 17 school shooting victims at Parkland, but all victims of violence in the United States.
“At lot of us get scared,” student Kara Hawkins of when a school shooting occurs. “There is a lot of anger and fear and sadness. A lot of people want to make it like a big conflict and talk about gun rights and all that, but what we really need to be doing is praying and just giving this world back to God. And saying ‘God it is in your hands’. We can’t control what is happening.”
“In the Bible….God says ‘do not fear’ 365 times. If it’s telling you do not fear everyday, ten you need to know you don’t need to be fearing. He has it all under control,” Hawkins told about 125 students on the front lawn of the school.
Betty Coon, Teens for Christ faculty sponsor, rang a bell 17 times – once for each of the 17 Parkland victims.
The ceremony was planned weeks ago and was not part of the “National Walkout Day” movement, according to Ronnie Gill, EWMS Teens for Christ volunteer sponsor.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Fire Rescue Presents Story Time To Century Camp Fire Kids
March 15, 2018
The first story time with Escambia County Fire Rescue’s Fire Prevention Unit was held Wednesday at the Camp Fire Century Youth Learning Center.
The children heard a great story while learning about what is hot and what is not, and learning about how to get out and stay out of a house in the event of a fire.
Escambia County Fire Rescue’s Fire Prevention Unit is offering free story time sessions for Escambia County preschoolers and kindergarteners, furthering ECFR’s goal of educating local youth about practicing fire safety at home.
Firefighters are available to come to schools, day cares and preschools to read the children’s book “No Dragons for Tea,” which shows kids that learning about fire safety doesn’t have to be scary. The goal of the program is to reach children at a young age while promoting learning through reading.
To schedule a story time, contact ECFR’s Fire Prevention Unit at (850) 471-6525. One week’s notice prior to the requested date is needed, subject to scheduling availability.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
#MSDSTRONG: Tate High Students Show Support For School Shooting Victims
March 15, 2018
Students at Tate High School High School stood with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday and remembered the 17 lives lost in the February shooting at the Parkland, FL school. The Tate students wore maroon, black and gray. They also wrote the hashtag #MSDSTRONG on their hands to support the cause as a student body. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Sawmill Pageant Final Registration Set, Poster Contest Winners Named
March 15, 2018
Poster contest winners have been named in advance of Saturday’s final registration event for the annual Century Sawmill Pageant.
First place winner in the Century Sawmill Pageant poster contest was Amber Gilman, while second place was awarded to Kinzie Rackard. Both received cash prizes.
The remaining registration date is Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Southern Treasures Florist across from Whataburger in Century. The registration deadline will be March 23 by 5 p.m. For a printable registration form and more information, click here.
The pageant is for girls age 0 and up through high school students. There will be a $250 scholarship awarded to both the middle and high school division overall queens.
Pictured top: Century Sawmill Pageant poster contest winners Amber Gilman and Kinzie Rackard. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Reflections on I-10 Bus Crash: Thankful For Our Community
March 15, 2018
A few minutes after 6 a.m. on March 13, a call came in to Sacred Heart Hospital’s Emergency Department. A bus of high school students traveling home to Houston from a band competition at Disney World had plunged down a steep ravine on Interstate 10. Helicopters and EMS were on the scene. Nineteen high school students and one adult chaperone would ultimately be transferred to Sacred Heart.
Hospitals prepare for this type of disaster. Adrenalin starts pumping. Training takes over, and our team springs into action. No amount of training could prepare us for the heartwarming response of our community.
Television’s children host Mr. Rogers said his mother responded to scary news by telling him, “Look for the helpers.” We were touched by the outpouring of support from community organizations looking to help these Houston students however they could.
- The manager of our local JCPenney for running through the store gathering clothes for the children, since many had no luggage and were covered in shards of glass.
- Washington High School, West Florida High School, Pace High School and Escambia High School bands for delivering food, desserts, snacks and — most importantly — encouraging words for their new Houston friends.
- Coastal Church for their donation of thousands of dollars in gift cards.
- Jubilee Church for donating $400 worth of gas cards for families who came to drive students home.
- Olive Baptist Church for donating clothes from their clothes closet.
- Two of our patient transport staff who gave us an envelope with $100 to help the families.
- The father of one of our nurses for donating 22 gift cards to McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Publix.
- Pen Air for $1,000 in gift cards.
- Publix for their donation of food and gift cards.
- Subway for sending sandwiches and snacks for everyone.
- Ronald McDonald House for making room to house families from Houston.
- United Airlines for donating free airline tickets for children to get back to Houston.
- Chief Deputy Chip Simmons from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department for helping us get the children through airport TSA, though several had lost their identification in the wreck.
- The TSA supervisor and his staff for making the children’s airport experience seamless.
- Baptist Hospital for taking the cell phones gathered at the scene by the police, charging them and bringing them over to Sacred Heart.
- The Red Cross for their immediate offer of help.
- The Houston school superintendent for coordinating communication with parents about the location of their children and helping obtain airline tickets to bring them home.
- Baldwin County and Escambia County EMS for being the communication hub for families.
- The many people who called offering their homes to the Houston families or just wanting to help.
Watching our hospital team’s quick and comprehensive response was inspiring. Many night-shift staff stayed late, and 20 off-duty physicians came in to help as needed. Our Children’s Hospital staff — from the Pediatric Emergency Room, transport crew, child life, nursing, radiology and laboratory to pharmacy, respiratory, anesthesia, operating room — are all specially trained in meeting the medical needs of children, from ensuring the right dosages to teaching teenagers about the procedure they are about to undergo.
The medical care is only part of the equation.
One of our nurse managers drove to South Baldwin Medical Center in Foley to pick up two family members, who were themselves injured in the crash, so they could reunite with their daughter hospitalized at Sacred Heart. Our IT staff hurriedly set up a room of laptops so that students could communicate with their loved ones. Our dietary and housekeeping teams kept the students as comfortable as possible while they waited to reunite with their parents. Our chaplains and child life specialist were ready to give emotional support. Local volunteer pet therapy dogs came to provide warm snuggles. Our in-house facility dog, Sprout, was in her element.
These Houston children were in shock and nine hours away from home. But the home they found, thanks to our community’s loving embrace, is one we should be intensely proud of.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
New State Budget Lands On Rick Scott’s Desk
March 15, 2018
The clock is now ticking on Gov. Rick Scott to act on his final state budget.
The Legislature sent a newly passed $88.7 billion fiscal plan to the governor’s office Wednesday, giving Scott 15 days to decide the line-by-line fate of how lawmakers want to spend money, from big-ticket items such as education and health care to numerous local projects backed by individual lawmakers.
Asked when Scott might act on the budget, a spokesman responded Wednesday in an email, “We’ll keep you updated on this.”
The budget (HB 5001), which was approved by the House and Senate on Sunday, was among 47 bills formally sent Wednesday to Scott, who cannot seek a third term in November.
The 452-page budget, among other things, would increase public-school funding by $101.50 per student, provide $100.8 million for the Florida Forever land preservation program and offer a $130 million increase in Medicaid funding for nursing homes. The spending plan will take effect July 1, the start of the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
Last year, Scott used his line-item veto pen to slash $410 million in projects across the state, saying they failed to “provide a great return for Florida families.”
Included on the 2017 chopping block were $20.9 million for citrus-canker payments in Broward County and $16.5 million for similar payments in Lee County.
Legislators had agreed to pay the money to compensate residents in a class-action suit who had lost orange, grapefruit and other citrus trees as part of a Florida Department of Agriculture program to stop the spread of deadly citrus-canker disease. Attorneys for the homeowners raised property-rights arguments in challenging the department’s actions, and a judgment was entered in 2008.
Scott wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Ken Detzner that he vetoed the citrus-canker money due to ongoing litigation.
Legislators this year included $22 million for citrus-canker payments in Broward County and $30 million for similar payments in Palm Beach County.
Along with the budget, other bills that reached Scott desk on Wednesday included:
— HB 21, which would take a series of steps to try to curb the state’s opioid crisis. The bill includes limiting opioid prescriptions to three or seven days for many patients.
— HB 1165, which would revamp state laws about approving trauma centers. The bill comes after years of legal and regulatory fights about new trauma centers.
— HB 1011, which would require homeowners’ insurance policies to make clear that they do not cover flood damages and that policyholders might need to consider buying flood insurance.
— HB 7099, which would ratify a rule requiring nursing homes to have generators and 72 hours of fuel. The Scott administration issued the rule after the deaths of Broward County nursing-home residents following Hurricane Irma.
— HB 1013, which would seek to keep Florida on daylight-saving time throughout the year.
— HB 155, which would designate Florida cracker cattle as the official state heritage cattle breed.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
The First Hour: Dramatic Audio From I-10 Charter Bus Crash First Responders
March 14, 2018
“I’m going to need some help…we’ve got a full charter bus. Multiple, multiple injuries. They are about 60 feet down the overpass here. We need as much help as I can get….We are going to need multiple, multiple agencies.”
Those are the words from the fire firefighter to arrive at the scene of a deadly Alabama charter bus crash Tuesday on I-10 between the Wilcox Road exit and the Florida line. In the video above (direct link), NorthEscambia.com has condensed the first hour of response by Baldwin County fire departments.
The dramatic audio of radio traffic between first responders paints a vivid picture of the accident involving a charter bus full of Channelview (TX) High School band members It was about 5:30 a.m., and it was still pitch black dark when firefighters found the bus on its side with multiple people trapped inside, some critically injured.
“Be advised we are going to need multiple air bags, stabilizer jacks and extrication,” the incident commander said. “We’ve got at least 50-60 patients down here.”
The bus driver did not survive.
It was a cold morning, and that was creating problems.
“I need some blankets down here. We need some blankets and some gloves…anything warm. We getting hypothermia setting in on several. So get me blankets or something down here too.”
Still some half hour after arriving, the incident commander was still asking for more help and more tools to save victims.
“Could you get me some more backboards down here, down this ravine. We are going to need chainsaws. Somebody else is working on my portable extrication (equipment). We need whatever you can get me down here.”
For an earlier NorthEscambia.com story and photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com video. Audio courtesy Broadcastify.