Cantonment Man Charged With Molino Home Burglary
February 2, 2017
A Cantonment man has been charged with the burglary of a Crabtree Church home.
The victim told deputies that he was asleep in his “man cave” when he woke to see an unknown male in his home. The victim said he chased the man out of his house, and he fled in a SUV. The victim reported that his front door had been completely kicked off the hinges, and he was missing a 42-inch smart TV.
The suspect was later identified as 21-year old Alexander George DeLoach. He was charged with unarmed burglary of an occupied dwelling, grand theft and criminal mischief with property damage. He was being held in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $26,000.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Deloach may have been involved in additional residential burglaries with additional charges forthcoming.
AT&T Hiring For Cantonment, Pensacola Tech Jobs
February 2, 2017
AT&T is hiring installation technicians, with 24 openings from Cantonment and Pensacola to Tallahassee. Ten of the jobs are based in Cantonment.
AT&T technicians connect customers to the latest technology. The techs install AT&T high-speed internet, TV and voice services. These positions are ideal for people who want to take their career on the road instead of being confined to a desk.
“Our mission is to connect people with their world, everywhere they live, work and play, and to do it better than anyone else,” said Joe York, AT&T Florida president. “The people we hire play a key role in that.”
To apply for the technician openings, visit https://connect.att.jobs/.
Escambia Hires New Corrections Director
February 2, 2017
Escambia County has hired Tamyra Jarvis as the new director of corrections, responsible for the oversight of the Escambia County Jail, Community Corrections Division and the Road Prison.
Jarvis joins Escambia County from Coleman, FL, where she served as the CEO and complex warden at the Federal Correctional Complex within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Jarvis’ first day with Escambia County was Wednesday.
In her previous job, Jarvis supervised more than 1,500 employees and was responsible for the management of the largest federal correctional complex in the United States, which houses approximately 6,500 inmates in five separate institutions.
She graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in family resources and a master’s degree in business with a minor in labor and management relations. Prior to serving as the complex warden, Jarvis was the warden at the Federal Correctional Complex’s 1,500 bed high-security male facility from September 2011 to July 2012. In that position, Jarvis directed specialized inmate programs, initiated efforts to expand reentry programs and coordinated a regional reentry summit, among other accomplishments. She also served from March 2009 to September 2011 as the warden for the complex’s 2,000 bed low-security prison for men, where she coordinated program review preparation for the Correctional Services Department and received the first-ever Superior rating in the Bureau of Prisons’ history at a Federal Correctional Complex.
Jarvis has received several honors and awards during her 25-year career in corrections, including the national Excellence in Prison Management award from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, awarded for high professional standards and outstanding leadership skills. She is also a member of the Senior Executive Service, the Association of Women Executives in Corrections and the Bureau of Prison’s Health Service Division Governing Board, along with its Medical Staffing and Management Committee.
Jarvis said she’s excited about the opportunity to move to the Gulf Coast with her husband, Jeff, and work with Escambia County’s Corrections Department.
“I’m looking forward to a challenge,” Jarvis said. “I’ve been with the Bureau of Prisons for 25 years, and working in corrections at a county level is very appealing to me.”
Jarvis’ vision for corrections aligns with the Escambia County Corrections Department’s mission, which includes a focus on community corrections. Jarvis said she hopes to expand the utilization of community corrections, which provides criminal justice alternatives for nonviolent offenders while promoting a safe environment.
“I’m interested in community corrections because it lowers recidivism rates, gives the individual an opportunity to maintain their family ties, to stay at home with their families while they are transitioning from jail or prison,” Jarvis said. “They’re able to maintain employment at that time, and it gives them an opportunity to receive the treatment and the assistance they need to successfully transition back into their communities.”
Cat Country’s Brent And Candy Named ACM Award Finalists
February 2, 2017
Brent Lane and Candy Cullerton from the Cat Pak Morning Show at locally owned Cat Country 98.7 are finalists for the 2017 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Personality of the Year. This is their sixth nomination in 10 years.
The Cat Pak Morning Show won the ACM Radio Personality of the Year award in 2009.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the level of commitment and service Brent and Candy have in the community,” said Mary Hoxeng, owner of Cat Country 98.7 and sister station NewsRadio 92.3 FM/1620 AM.
Brent and Candy are “live and local” from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday on Cat Country 98.7 and on CatCountry987.com.
The 52nd Annual ACM Award Show will air live from the T- Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on CBS Sunday, April 2, 2017. This year, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will host the show starting at 7 p.m. It will be a celebration of the country music industry and the artists that make the songs come to life.
Northview, Tate Players Ink On National Signing Day
February 2, 2017
Wednesday was National Signing Day, with local players signing at Tate and Northview high schools.
The Tate Aggies had seven players sign Wednesday, six for football and one soccer player:
Jake Henry, Appalachian State
Evan Legassey, Troy
Raymond Freeman, Mississippi State
Jared Bethea, Harding
Rod Smith, Webber
Bishop Clark, Webber
Brittney Rankins, Southern Miss (soccer)
Freeman was interested in the Air Force Academy but decommitted when Mississippi State offered the long snapper a scholarship. Free has a 30 score on the ACT and a current GPA of 4.8.
Northview High School’s Luke Ward signed with Mercer University in Macon, GA, during a ceremony Wednesday at Northview. Ward picked Mercer over South Dakota and Youngstown. Ward also received a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro out of the deal. His father Carl turned over the keys, saying that he had made a deal to give his son the car if he inked a scholarship with a Division 1 school. During Ward’s freshman year, Mercer is scheduled to play both Alabama and Auburn.
Pictured top: Northview’s Luke Ward signs with Mercer. Pictured below: The Tate High School Signing Class. NorthEscambia.com and submitted photos, click to enlarge.
State Employee Pay Hikes On The Table
February 2, 2017
Florida would have more state employees, and at least some of them would make more money, under a budget proposal unveiled this week by Gov. Rick Scott.
But whether to provide employees with their first across-the-board pay raises since 2013 will be decided in the upcoming legislative session, with one powerful senator gearing up to push the issue in his chamber’s spending plan.
Scott’s proposal would add a total of 596 positions, while cutting 266. The vast majority of the new jobs, 327, would be at the Department of Corrections, which is in the middle of a turnaround effort after revelations of prisoner mistreatment. Among the other new openings would be 90 for the state’s mental-health system and 46 counterterrorism jobs at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
According to the governor’s office, 86 percent of the jobs that would be cut are already vacant, with “many more” likely to be empty by the time the budget year begins July 1. A handful of state services, like the print shop at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, would be outsourced to private companies.
A net increase in jobs would still be a rarity for Scott, who generally has pushed to shrink the number of state employees in earlier budgets.
And while Scott wouldn’t provide an across-the-board pay increase, he would make state employees eligible for one-time performance bonuses of up to $1,500 in increments of $500. For example, employees would get $500 if agencies reach certain benchmarks, another $500 if employees are rated at least “satisfactory,” and a third increment based on budget savings.
Scott has pushed for such an approach before, as he noted to reporters Tuesday after presenting his budget plan.
“I wish the Legislature would go through (with) that,” he said. “We have great state workers. You really have to thank people for what they do. The people that work in state government are on a mission. They really try to do their job really well. So I think we’ve got to make sure we pay them well.”
Some lawmakers are shooting for more as they prepare for the March 7 start of the annual legislative session.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, has signaled that he will push hard for salary increases. The last boost came in 2013, when lawmakers approved a $1,400-a-year raise for workers making up to $40,000. Those making above that mark got a $1,000-a-year increase.
At the time, it was the first pay hike for all state employees in six years, as the state’s budget was crimped by fallout of the financial downturn.
Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, told reporters at the Associated Press’ annual legislative planning session Tuesday that Latvala’s insistence means some sort of pay raise will likely be in his chamber’s budget proposal.
“Senator Latvala has made it clear to me and to other senators that this is his No. 1 policy initiative,” Negron said. “As we’re preparing the blueprint for our budget … I think my operating assumption is that based on Senator Latvala’s commitment to that issue, I would expect to see a pay raise for state employees in the Senate budget.”
But House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, sounded ambivalent about the possibility. Corcoran has called for cutting the budget to avoid projected shortfalls in future years. Still, the speaker didn’t rule out either Scott’s bonus program or raises.
“I think those are things that are on the table and are capable of happening,” he said Tuesday. “What we have said in the House is that you’re going to have to cut the budget.”
Scott’s plan would also make a series of tweaks to health insurance for state employees. An audit to re-examine dependents on the state health-care plan could help save $45 million a year, though it would cost $1.2 million to perform. A new way of managing drug prescriptions could save another $51.2 million.
And Scott has once again proposed having all state employees pay the same rates for their health insurance, something that would increase the premiums for a select number of higher-ranking state officials. It would save the state $21.8 million — but seems as unlikely to pass this year as in each of Scott’s previous budgets, which unsuccessfully included the same provision.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Northview Wins First Weight Meet Of Season
February 2, 2017
The Northview Boy’s Weightlifting defeated Rocky Bayou Wednesday by a total score of 50-20 in the first meet of the season.
Individual winners for the Chiefs were:
119-lb. class – Greg Pressley with a total of 270 pounds (145-bench; 125-jerk)
129-lb. class – Dalton Hadley with a total of 270 pounds (160-bench; 110-jerk)
139-lb. class – MJ Jones with a total of 350 pounds (185-bench; 165-jerk)
154-lb. class – Ohijie Elliott with a total of 450 pounds (245-bench; 205-jerk)
169-lb. class – Chase Olsen with a total of 480 pounds (255-bench; 225-jerk)
183-lb. class – Tim Bush with a total of 375 pounds (195-bench; 180-jerk)
219-lb. class – Jacob Hawkins with a total of 325 pounds (170-bench; 155-jerk)
Heavyweight class – Justin Helton with a total of 420 pounds (225-bench; 195-jerk)
Also placing for the Chiefs were Caze Bradley (2nd place; 119-lb. class); Ossie Crusaw (3rd place; 139-lb. class); Colten Dockens (2nd place; 154-lb. class); Tyler Kite (2nd place; 219-lb. class).
The Northview weightlifting team returns to action on Wednesday, February 15 at West Florida.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Deputies Seek Bank Robbery Suspect
February 1, 2017
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a bank robbery suspect.
The suspect walked into the Gulf Winds at 1444 Creighton Road about 2:30 Tuesday afternoon at demanded money from the teller.
Anyone with information on the robbery or the identification of the suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Text To 9-1-1 Now Available In Santa Rosa County
February 1, 2017
Santa Rosa County’s emergency communications center now has the ability to accept 9-1-1 text messages.
The technology expands critical access for the deaf and hard of hearing and provides a safer option for individuals in dangerous situations such as domestic disputes, home invasions or kidnappings. Dispatchers can receive emergency texts from all five area service providers if the customer has a text or data plan. No additional fees are incurred by Santa Rosa County residents for this service.
While texting has overtaken calling as the most popular mobile function across many generations and especially with millennials, emergency management officials stress that calling 9-1-1 is almost always still the best option.
“Texting should be used only in situations where you absolutely cannot make a voice call. The delay in typing an emergency text and a dispatcher typing a response costs us precious seconds. Those seconds can save the life of you or a loved one,” said Scott Markel, communications chief. “There are also many additional clues dispatchers can discern based on the tone of the caller’s voice and background sounds. If you are in an emergency situation, it is imperative that you call if you are able.”
More information:
- Limit the initial message to the location of the emergency and the type of help needed. Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the dispatcher. Respond in full but simple words, and keep your messages brief and concise. Do not use emoticons or chat acronyms.
- A sample text would be: “Send police to 2000 Piney Wood Lane in Milton. Intruder in home.”
- Dispatchers will first ask for a phone number and location of the emergency. Secondly, they will ask if the caller needs police, fire or ambulance then will connect them to the appropriate agency.
- Texts are sent differently than cell phone calls and do not relay location information like voice calls do. Since dispatchers cannot determine a location from a text message, it is always better to call if at all possible.
- If texting to 9-1-1 is temporarily unavailable or you are out of the area, you will receive a message to contact 9-1-1 by other means (voice call or telecommunications relay).
- Photos and videos sent to 9-1-1 cannot go through at this time.
- Text-to-9-1-1 cannot include more than one person. Do not include any other contacts on your emergency text to 9-1-1.
- Text-to-9-1-1 has been tested extensively by county officials; there is no need for anyone to test the new service. False texts to 9-1-1 are a violation of F.S. 365.172 and considered a crime.
- Always, call if you can, text if you can’t.
Santa Rosa County public safety agencies have received extensive training in responding to 9-1-1 texts. Dispatchers can transfer emergency texts to other in-county dispatch centers such as Santa Rosa Sheriff; however there is currently no ability to transfer the caller to first responders in neighboring counties including Escambia, Okaloosa or Escambia County, Alabama. The text-to-9-1-1 service relies on the cellular carrier networks and availability or reliability cannot be guaranteed by Santa Rosa County.
IP Explosion: Neighborhood Cleanup Almost Two-Thirds Complete
February 1, 2017
International Paper officials said Tuesday that their neighborhood cleanup efforts are about 64%, or nearly two-thirds, complete.
Here is the latest update on the International Paper explosion cleanup in Cantonment:
Cleanup work continues
- As a result of the Jan. 22 digester incident at the Cantonment mill, partially digested wood pulp material was released in the surrounding area.
- Cleanup is underway at approximately 64% of the affected properties.
- Crews in the field are wearing clean-up clothing as they complete their work assignments. It should be noted these are not hazmat suits.
- Unified Command representatives are collecting daily air, water and soil samples from various locations in the impacted area and presenting the data to the environmental unit, which is comprised of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Escambia County, the Florida Department of Health and International Paper.
- A long-term environmental monitoring plan is being produced and will be implemented after active cleanup efforts have been completed.
Outreach continues in affected areas
- EPA representatives were in neighborhoods today addressing concerns from residents.
- On the ground teams are canvassing the area to ensure we are maintaining open and direct communications with all property owners impacted.
- Residents who believe their property may have been affected by the material released as a result of the incident and would like further information should call the Joint Information Center available 24/7 at 1-850-968-4208.
- The U.S. Coast Guard is here on behalf of the EPA to ensure that operational plans are followed and to enhance the health and safety of those working in the field.
- Nearly 200 individuals are working the clean-up site. Approximately 100 homes and businesses have experienced varying degrees of impact. Residents who believe their property may have been affected by the material released as a result of the incident and would like further information should call the Joint Information Center available 24/7 at 1-850-968-4208.
- The Unified Command Team has been made aware businesses are contacting community members potentially impacted by the Cantonment Digester Incident and offering various services including water testing, pressure washing and carpet cleaning for a fee. Please be aware International Paper, through the Unified Command Team, is not currently coordinating with any businesses other than Cotton and CTEH, who are managing the community cleanup. All community questions and concerns should be coordinated directly through the UC’s Joint Information Center available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-850-968-4208.
This update was provided by the Unified Command Team, comprised of International Paper, Escambia County EMA/Public Safety, Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.