The Blue Angels Return Home
March 21, 2017
The Blues are back! The U.S. Navy Blue Angels buzzed downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Beach late Monday afternoon on their way back to their home at NAS Pensacola for the air show season..
The 2017 Pensacola Beach Blue Angels Air Show will be July 9, and the Pensacola Naval Air Station Homecoming Air Show is coming up on November 11 and 12. There are also numerous opportunities to catch a Blue Angels practice aboard NAS Pensacola. Click here for a schedule.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge
Learn How To Do Business With ECUA
March 21, 2017
On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, the Florida Small Business Development Center and the University of West Florida’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program, will offer a free workshop entitled, “How to do Business with the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority” (ECUA).
The informational meeting will educate attendees about the potential of doing business with the ECUA, while increasing participation in obtaining future ECUA contracts. Participants will learn about the bidding process, qualification requirements, future business opportunities, and how the ECUA hiring process is conducted.
The featured speakers will include; Bill Johnson, ECUA director of engineering and Amy Williamson, ECUA senior purchasing agent.
The workshop is free; however, pre-registration is recommended. For additional information contact Laura Subel, PTAC procurement specialist, via email at lsubel@uwf.edu, or by calling (850) 474-2549. The event will be held at the SBDC Office, 9999 University Parkway, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Gulf Power Reaches Rate Increase Settlement
March 21, 2017
A rate hike on the horizon for hundreds of thousands of Gulf Power customers might not be as big as initially proposed.
The Northwest Florida utility agreed Monday to a settlement with the state Office of Public Counsel, which objected to an original proposal to raise base rates by $106.8 million. An announcement of the settlement came just prior to the start of a hearing before the Florida Public Service Commission.
The settlement proposal, which the commission agreed to consider April 4, would add about $7 to the monthly bills of typical residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, according to Gulf Power.
“Energy providers can’t just sit and coast,” Gulf Power spokesman Jeff Rogers said. “We have to continue to invest in infrastructure, transmission lines, substations. We’re a 90-year-old company. We’ve got equipment constantly aging and that constantly has to be invested in to ensure the reliability our customers expect.”
If the request is approved, the company projects that starting July 1, the monthly bill for typical residential customers will grow from $144 to $151.
The initial request sought to boost the typical monthly bill to $158.
The state Office of Public Counsel, which represents customers in utility cases, initially argued that base rates should decrease by about $2 million. No objection was raised to the settlement proposal on Monday by other parties involved in the case, which range from Walmart to the Sierra Club.
In the agreement, Gulf Power’s original request for a $106.8 million base-rate increase would fall to $62 million through the end of 2019. However, the company projects the net impact to customers would come to $54.3 million.
The filing before the PSC now says Gulf Power would seek a “return on equity,” a measure of profitability, of 10.25 percent, down from the original proposal of 11 percent. Gulf Power also is also now seeking to take a one-time $32.5 million write down on costs related to a Georgia power plant, known as Plant Scherer.
Gulf Power in the past has sold electricity from the plant on the wholesale market but now uses power from the plant for its retail customers.
The Pensacola-based Gulf Power is one of four major investor-owned utilities in Florida. It serves about 450,000 customers in eight Northwest Florida counties.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Escambia Man Gets Life For 2013 Murder
March 21, 2017
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2013 murder.
Taikwan Crosby was sentenced to life in state prison by Circuit Judge John Miller for the murder of James Faucett. On January 19, 2017, Taikwan Crosby was convicted by an Escambia County Jury of second degree murder with a weapon.
The defendant met Faucett at a Kangaroo gas station on April 28, 2013. The two men left the station together and went to Faucett’s home on Wisteria Avenue Later that evening, the victim was stabbed and beaten to death by Crosby. Faucett was pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS.
Molino Road Wildfire Burns Less Than An Acre
March 21, 2017
A wildfire burned less than an acre near Molino Monday afternoon. The fire was reported just before 4:00 p.m. in the 2800 block of Molino Road. There was no property damage, and no injuries were reported. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the fire. Photos by Jared Sigler for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Shuts Out Riverview; Monroe Academy Blanks Northview
March 21, 2017
Monroe Academy 3, Northview 0
Monroe Academy defeated the Northview Chiefs 3-0 Monday evening in Bratt.
Monroe scored on run each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings for the win.
John Chivington, Seth Killam, Josh Neese, and Chandler Lowery had one hit each for the Chiefs, while Killam singled in the second inning. Daniel Mascaro pitched five innings for the Northview Chiefs, allowing three hits, two runs, two errors and striking out four. Blake Reid had two strikeouts, one hit , one run and one error in two innings on the mound for the Chiefs.
Northview hosts Baker on Tuesday — the junior varsity at 4:00 and the varsity at 6:30.
Tate 7, Riverview 0
Ryan Green threw a complete game, allowing just one hit, as the Tate Aggies defeated Riverview 7-0 in the Sarasota Baseball Classic.
The Aggies took a commanding 5-0 lead in the second inning and added two more runs in the sixth.
For Tate – Reid Halfacre 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI; Mason Land R; Logan McGuffey 3-4, R; 3 RBI; Trey LaFleur 1-3; Ethan Bloodsworth 1-1; Kyler Hultgren 2-3; Blake Anderson 1-2, R;
Mosley will play Tate at 4:30 EST Tuesday at Venice High School
Tate 8 Milton 7 (9th)
Pictured: Monroe Academy at Northview. NorthEscambia.com photos by Ramona Preston, click to enlarge.
Bratt Brush Fire Quickly Extinguished
March 20, 2017
Firefighters quickly extinguished a brush fire in Bratt Sunday afternoon. The fire was reported about 5:50 p.m. in the 500 block of North Highway 99, between Bratt Elementary School and Highway 4. The fire burned through a small lot between a residence and a parking area. There were no injuries reported. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Camp Fire Kids Celebrate Incredible Kids Day; Camp Fire Birthday
March 20, 2017
The children at Camp Fire Century recently celebrated Camp Fire’s 108th Birthday and Absolutely Incredible Kids Day.
Camp Fire’s Absolutely Incredible Kid Day honors our nation’s youth by asking adults to write letters of encouragement and inspiration to the incredible kids in their lives. It is a simple, meaningful way to let youth know how much they are appreciated. This year, the staff at Camp Fire Century wrote 207 letters for Byrneville Elementary school to pass out to their students.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Tribal Beat Band Names New Drum Major, Assistant
March 20, 2017
The Northview High School Tribal Beat Band has named Clayton Findley (left) as drum major for 2017-2018. Camilla Windham (right) has been named assistant drum major. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Senate Moves Forward With State College Changes
March 20, 2017
A bill that would create a new board to oversee the state college system, place limits on students enrolled in baccalaureate-degree programs and revamp the approval process for four-year degrees at state colleges advanced in the Senate.
The Senate Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously approved the bill (SB 374), sponsored by Sen. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, after changing some provisions that have drawn opposition from the state college advocates.
Subcommittee Chairman Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who is handling the legislation as Hukill recovers from surgery, said Florida has “a very good college system.” He said where the system “stands out” and has won national awards is with its ability to graduate students with two-year degrees who then finish four-year degrees at state universities, the so-called “2-plus-2 articulation” system.
But Galvano said that changed 15 years ago when state colleges received approval to start four-year, or baccalaureate, degree programs. In the past, the colleges were known as community colleges.
“What we have seen in recent years, since the authorization of the baccalaureate degrees, is a proliferation of these type of degrees,” Galvano said. Senate analysts said 27 of the 28 state colleges offer a total of 179 four-year degrees.
And Galvano said some of those degrees don’t seem to be in line with “workforce demands in communities and regions,” which was the primary purpose of allowing the schools to have four-year degree programs.
To address that issue, the bill would impose a cap on the baccalaureate degree programs. That has been one of the most controversial issues for state college leaders, who argue the four-year degree programs remain a minor part of their mission and that they are serving more “non-traditional” students, including many part-time students, older students and minority students.
As part of ongoing negotiations about the bill, the Senate panel eased off on the cap somewhat, raising the trigger to limit four-year enrollments when baccalaureate students represent 10 percent of the overall school enrollment, up from an original 8 percent.
The amendment came from Sen. Gary Farmer, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who said his analysis showed state colleges were serving critical local workforce needs while not harming university enrollment.
“Our universities are thriving and, frankly, they are packed,” Farmer said.
In another adjustment, the Senate subcommittee backed off a “one-year” notice provision that colleges would have to file if they wanted to propose a new baccalaureate program. The amended bill creates a six-month “notice of interest,” followed by a “notice of intent” that would have to be filed 100 days before submitting the proposal to the Division of Florida Colleges.
The bill also would rename the college system as the Florida Community College system and create a 13-member State Board of Community Colleges to oversee the 28 schools, similar to the Board of Governors, which oversees the 12 state universities. The state college system previously had a separate oversight board, but it was abolished in 2003 and the colleges were moved under the state Board of Education, which also oversees the K-12 system.
Ann McGee, president of Seminole State College, said the 28 college presidents appreciated the changes the Senate has made in the bill, while suggesting they want to see more modifications.
“The baccalaureates are very important to us,” McGee said. “We pledged to work with you as we go forward on this bill because we want to be all about access for our students and success for our students because we know how important that is.”
The bill next heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee. A similar bill (HB 929) has not been heard in the House.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida