Cantonment Man Crashes Into Sacred Heart ER In Domestic Violence Incident
August 17, 2017
A Cantonment man crashed his Jeep into the Sacred Heart Emergency Room early Thursday morning in what police are calling a domestic violence incident.
Pensacola Police said the jeep was driven by 25-year Kevin Pryor of Cantonment. Hospital staff members and at least one bystander struggled with Pryor following the incident hand held him until police arrived. At last report, Pryor and a female passenger were being treated in the Sacred Heart ER for his injuries.
Police said it all began with a domestic violence incident in Cantonment.
“The driver looked at the passenger and said hold on” before he rammed into the hospital, Pensacola Police Public Information Officer Mike Wood told Channel 3 News.
The emergency room remained open following the incident.
Criminal charges against Pryor are pending.
More details will be posted as they become available.
Pictured: A Cantonment man crashed his Jeep into the Sacred Heart Emergency Room early Thursday morning in what police are calling a domestic violence incident. Photos courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Highway 29 Crash
August 17, 2017
There were no injuries in two vehicle crash Thursday morning on Highway 29 between West Roberts and 10 Mile roads. Both drivers refused medical treatment at the scene. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Teen Injured In Cantonment Rollover Crash
August 17, 2017
A teenager was seriously injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Wednesday night in Cantonment.
The 16-year old girl lost control of her vehicle, ran off the road and overturned into a ditch alongside East Kingsfield Road between Elevenmile Creek and Highway 297A. She was trapped in the vehicle, with first responders using the Jaw of Life to free her.
The driver was transported by Escambia County EMS to a Pensacola hospital as a “trauma alert.”
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not yet been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Florida Prisons Cancel All Weekend Visitations
August 17, 2017
The Florida Department of Corrections has announced the cancellation of weekend visitations at all institutions for Saturday and Sunday. This cancellation includes all major institutions, work camps and annex facilities such Century Correctional and Santa Rosa Correctional institutions.
“In response to credible intelligence indicating that small groups of inmates at several institutions may attempt to disrupt FDC operations and impact safety and security, FDC has, in an abundance of caution and in the best interest of staff, inmate and public safety, cancelled all visitation statewide. FDC looks forward to resuming normal visitation as soon as possible,” A FDC statement said.
The department declined to answer any questions about what the threat may be and if it originated with any specific institutions.
This cancellation does not apply to work release centers.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Denied: Losing Firm Protests Escambia Jail Bid
August 17, 2017
A challenge to the selection of a firm to build the Escambia County Jail project failed on Wednesday. Yates Construction asked for an informal protest hearing after losing the bid last week to Whitesell-Green/Caddell.
“We’re really just looking for an apples-to-apples comparison of the bids,” Yates Construction’s Attorney Dodds Dehmer said.
Their argument is over a retention pond. Whitesell-Green/Caddell presented a proposal to county commissioners on Thursday that showed a retention pond in the area that was designated for future retail space. Yates Construction proposed an expensive underground water storage in that same area.
“Clearly in our mind, this property was not to be used to build the facility, but rather for future development,” Dehmer said.
Dehmer argued that if they would have included a retention pond instead, it would have lowered their bid price by $3.5 million. That would have made them the lowest bidder.
County staff said that is a moot point.
Assistant County Administrator Amy Lovoy said commissioners chose the best value for the project, not necessarily the cheapest bid.
“With respect to the pricing, it simply wasn’t a selection criterion,” Lovoy said.
James Brown, the director of estimating and preconstruction services for Yates Construction, questioned that statement. He points to the time commissioners spent tallying up the numbers before the vote.
“You have a county that has budget pressures, you have it out in the media that they were the low price and I just don’t see an elected official making any other decision,” Brown said.
Paul Nobles, the county’s purchasing manager, upheld the commissioner’s decision to choose Whitesell-Green/Caddell. He said their original proposal submitted back in July complied with the county’s guidelines and that is what he will hold them to, not the changes presented to commissioners two weeks later.
“That was not an official proposal,” Nobles said. “That was just a discussion on what potentially could be done.”
Yates Construction can now ask for a formal protest. That would bring in an outside firm to hear both the county’s side and Yates Construction’s side. Then it would go to commissioners to consider.
Commissioners are set to ratify their selection at Thursday’s board meeting.
FHP Sending Message: No Ticket Quota
August 17, 2017
A prohibition on ticket quotas will become part of training for supervisors and higher-ups in the Florida Highway Patrol, a top highway-safety official told Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet on Wednesday.
Terry Rhodes, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said the move is part a response to a report that Maj. Mark Welch of the patrol’s Troop H in Tallahassee had sent an email to troopers requesting “two citations each hour.”
“You have my commitment here today that no quotas will be tolerated within the Florida Highway Patrol,” said Rhodes, whose department includes the patrol.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was “troubled” by Welch’s directive, which she called “a stupid statement.”
“One misplaced, reckless statement like that can give everyone a bad name,” Bondi said. “Thank you for clarifying something that is a given. It’s illegal to have quotas, and it’s wrong.”
On Wednesday night, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Welch had submitted a letter of retirement effective Sept. 5. The one-line letter did not provide an explanation.
Col. Gene Spaulding, director of the Florida Highway Patrol, told reporters earlier in the day that Welch’s comments in the email to troopers were “unfortunate and inappropriate” and that the need for disciplinary action for Welch was under review.
“The rank and file know that they have never been disciplined, they have never been evaluated, there has been no punitive damages, they’ve never been rewarded for strictly writing citations,” Spaulding said. “They know they have a job to do, because their job is public safety.”
Welch — in his email to troopers patrolling Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor and Wakulla counties — stated the directive wasn’t a quota, yet “when you look at citations per hour, we are at 1.3 so we have a goal to reach.”
He also wrote that more tickets would help reduce the fatality rate within Troop H’s area.
“Many times,” Welch wrote, “it is easier to issue a warning opposed to a citation for behaviors observed. But the only way to try to alter that behavior is by impacting the motorist with the sanctions surrounding a traffic citation.”
Spaulding disputed that tickets are more effective than warnings.
“Our main focus is high visibility and hot spots in areas that we’ve identified through crash data throughout the state,” Spaulding said. “We have approximately 240 hot spots throughout the state, three to five in each county, where there is a high volume of crashes. Our emphasis is not about citations. It’s not even about warnings or faulty equipment notices. It’s about visibility, being in those areas, being visible and taking action when you need to.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Cantonment Baseball Field Gets Makeover From The Blue Wahoos
August 17, 2017
A field at the Cantonment Sportsplex got a makeover Wednesday with a little help from the Blue Wahoos.
Despite rain, completed renovations included measuring and moving the bases, removing weeds and cleaning the infield, edging the base paths and home plate area, picking up trash and painting.
“It’s important to us to give back to the community, so it was a great day,” said Blue Wahoos President Jonathan Griffith. “There was a great outpour from this community. This is a revival for the Cantonment Sportsplex Association and we wanted to help them and educate them on field turf management.”
Headed up by four-time Southern League Groundskeeper of the Year Ray Sayre, the field is safer for the kids to play baseball.
“Today’s young players are the future of the game of baseball,” said Sayre. “Beauty is great, but safety is number one. It was important to make sure the bases are the correct distances and same level.”
Volunteers for the renovation included team co-owner Bubba Watson, front office members, gameday staff members, Waste Management and members of the Cantonment community.
“This is exciting for our kids to have a professionally repaired field,” said Cantonment Sportsplex Association President Josh Longo. “It’s good for them to see what it’s like to play on a field that’s prepared by a professional crew. By having the parents involved in the nomination process and cleaning, it feels like we’re doing something right.”
The Cantonment Sportsplex was chosen for the renovation through a contest on WEAR TV.
Photos courtesy Barrett McClean Photography/Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Top The Braves
August 17, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder Brian O’Grady smacked a sacrifice fly to center field to allow third baseman Nick Senzel to tag up from third and score the game-winning run in the 10th inning.
O’Grady earned a high-five from Pensacola manager Pat Kelly and his teammates as the Blue Wahoos pulled out a victory, 5-4, Wednesday over the Mississippi Braves at Trustmark Park.
Senzel walked and reached third when first baseman Gavin LaValley doubled on a ground ball to left field. O’Grady’s game-winning RBI made up for his error on a fly ball hit by right fielder Tyler Neslony that allowed catcher Alex Jackson to score in the eighth inning and tie the game, 4-4
Pensacola is now 2-6 in extra-inning games and won its third straight game.
Pensacola starter Deck McGuire was trying to earn a career-high 10 wins but for the fourth straight start failed to get it. The 6-foot-6 righty earned a no-decision Wednesday, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks and striking out six. McGuire is 9-8 with a 2.69 ERA. After the first inning, McGuire walked into the Pensacola dugout with his 1,000th career inning pitched under his belt.
Instead, reliever Geoff Broussard, who pitched a perfect ninth inning, got the win to improve to 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA.
Pensacola took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth inning when Senzel hit his 14th double for Pensacola to drive in left fielder Gabriel Guerrero to tie the game, 3-3. Blue Wahoos right fielder Aristides Aquino put Pensacola up, 4-3, when he slammed a double, his 16th on the year, that brought home, Senzel.
Mississippi had jumped out to a 3-0 lead when Jackson launched his second homer of the season in the second inning. The Braves added two more in the fourth inning when shortstop Dylan Moore scored on a double by third baseman Austin Riley and Neslony singled in Riley.
In the second half, Pensacola improved to 24-27 in the Southern League South Division and remains three games behind the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in fourth place. The first half champions are 64-57 overall.
Driver Caught On Camera Passing School Bus On Shoulder
August 17, 2017
A Cantonment driver was caught on camera passing a loading school bus on the grassy shoulder of the road.
The incident happened about 7:00 Tuesday morning on Chemstrand Road just south of Kingsfield Road. In the top photo, a student can been seen boarding the school bus as the Honda Pilot approached the bus.
The photos were submitted by a reader to NorthEscambia.com. The photos have also been provided to the Escambia County School District and the Florida Highway Patrol. Officials believe they should be able to easily find the vehicle using the tag number, which is reasonably clear in the original photos.
Failing to stop for a school bus that is loading or unloading is a $271 ticket in Escambia County. But if charged, the Honda Pilot driver that passed on the grassy shoulder may not get off so easy.
“Passing a school bus on the shoulder is a mandatory court appearance,” Lt. Eddie Elmore of the Florida Highway Patrol said. “They will have to go stand in front of a judge.”
Pictured top: A student can be seen getting on a school bus Tuesday morning as it is passed on the shoulder of Chemstrand Road by the driver of a Honda Pilot. Pictured below: A series of photos shows the progression of the Honda Pilot and that the flashing stop lights on the bus were active. Reader photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Water System Issues Boil Water Notice For Enon Area
August 16, 2017
The Walnut Hill Water System has issued a precautionary boil water notice:
A water main breach affecting Goodale Lane, South Pineville Road, Enon School Road, Kinzie Lane, Dan Hall Road, and Highway 97A from 6111 traveling south/southeast to Dan Hall Road has occurred causing a loss in water pressure. As a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative, bottled water may be used. Residents are also advised to take precautions when bathing, especially immunocompromised individuals, infants, or the elderly.
A loss in system pressure could cause backsiphonage of contaminants, such as E.Coli bacteria, into the water system. Water containing E.Coli bacteria can be considered safe for drinking and cooking after vigorously boiling the water. Disease symptoms caused by these bacteria may include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and possibly jaundice, and any associated headache and fatigue. EPA has set an enforceable drinking water standard for E.Coli to reduce the risk of these adverse health effects. Under this standard all drinking water must be free of these bacteria.
The water system is currently collecting samples to determine if the presence of E.Coli bacteria exists within the water system. This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until the problem has been corrected and a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink. The anticipated date for rescinding this notice is August, 19, 2017 at 4:00pm. If you have any questions you may contact: Member Services at 1-800-235-3848 or 3425 Hwy 4 W, PO Box 428, Jay, FL 32565.