Senator Plans To Break Up Major Gun Bill
January 25, 2017
The author of a controversial proposal that would broadly expand how and where people can carry guns said Tuesday he is breaking up the measure.
However, Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, said he still intends to advance each smaller piece of his proposal (SB 140), which includes allowing people with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry handguns in public and carry firearms on college and university campuses.
“Just from feeling the tea leaves, it’s probably better to attack it piece by piece,” Steube said after a Judiciary Committee meeting. “The House doesn’t have a bill that has all those different (parts).”
Steube, who was elected to the Senate in November, is chairing a committee where major gun-related measures died during the 2016 legislative session.
Steube’s proposal would affect Florida’s more than 1.67 million concealed-weapons license holders. The measure, in part, would allow them to be armed on college and university campuses, at airport passenger terminals, in elementary and secondary schools, and at legislative and local government meetings.
Pieces of the Senate bill have been filed in individual House bills for the 2017 session, which starts March 7.
Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, introduced a House version of the campus-carry measure (HB 6005). Also, Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia, has proposed a bill (HB 6001) that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns into airport terminals.
The House overwhelmingly approved bills during the 2016 session to allow people to openly carry guns in public and carry them on campuses. Steube, then a member of the House, voted for both bills.
The campus-carry proposal faces opposition by university and college leaders, campus law- enforcement officials and faculty members. The Florida Sheriffs Association has opposed efforts to allow open-carry in Florida.
When Steube’s proposal is broken up, potentially into as many as 10 parts, Senate President Joe Negron will have to refer each proposal to a series of committee appearances.
Steube said campus-carry, which he sponsored in the House, and the airport-terminal proposal would be his top priorities.
“Given what’s happened at Fort Lauderdale airport, that’s important to me,” Steube said, alluding to a recent mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Steube’s measure was scheduled to first go before the Judiciary Committee on Jan. 10, but the meeting was canceled as one Republican member — Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah — wasn’t going to be in attendance. Including Steube and Garcia, the committee is comprised of five Republicans and four Democrats.
Steube’s comments Tuesday came after a Second Amendment website claimed that the open-carry legislation is being held up by Republican members of the committee.
“Theoretically. This should be a cake walk,” the website The Truth About Guns said Monday in an article called “Florida Open Carry On Life Support.”
“Five Republicans members means the Democrats aren’t even an issue,” The Truth About Guns continued. “But here we have four Republicans that aren’t currently in favor of strengthening and further securing the 2nd Amendment in Florida.”
Meanwhile, influential National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer said Tuesday prior to the committee meeting that she isn’t worried about Steube’s proposal.
“If I were worried, you would have seen me blast out an alert,” Hammer said when asked about the bill as currently written.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Deputies Seek Bank Robber
January 25, 2017
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The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for bank robber. The suspect walked into the Compass Bank on Davis Highway about 1:30 Tuesday afternoon and demanded money before fleeing on an orange motorcycle. Anyone with information on his identity or whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
IP Explosion: Officials Talk Black Liquor Dangers, Cleanup Work
January 25, 2017
International Paper joined government officials at a press conference Tuesday afternoon to detail the dangers of “black liquor” and remediation plans follow an explosion Sunday night.
IP’s Cantonment mill experienced significant structural damage to their largest pulp digester and power house during an explosion. The incident caused a mixture of wood fiber, water and black liquor to be released into the surrounding aera.
“We are incredibly thankful that no one was hurt, that no one was injured during this incident,” Mill Manager Bretton Dejong said. “We absolutely regret the disruption it has caused to the neighboring communities, our friends and neighbors. We’ve been here a long time and we’re very proud of our history, we’re proud of our community, and we hate that we’ve impacted our community.”
A top priority is remediation, he said.
For the first time in the nearly 48 hours after the accident, Dejong became the first International Paper employee to acknowledge that the black substance that rained down around the plant following the explosion was “black liquor”. The Florida Highway Patrol had referred to it as “black liquor” in a Monday morning press release, saying the substance was a skin, eye and respiratory irritant, but other government and IP officials had not used the term or detailed health hazards.
“Black liquor is a material that has elevated PH and is a byproduct of our pulping process. It is actually produced when the cooking chemicals are consumed during the cooking process,” he said.
Dr. John Lanza, director of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, said the black liquor no longer poses a significant public health risk as it may have when airborne immediately following the explosion.
He said the remaining health threat at this time is physical contact with the material.
“If you are trying to clean your house or something like that, you need to stay away from this material as much as you possibly can. The health issue is skin irritation,” Lanza said, adding that any contact area should be washed with soap and water. He advised people continued skin irritation or other issues from the material to contact a physician or go to the nearest emergency department.
Residents of the Woodbury area near the plant, an area covered in a layer of black liquor, have told NorthEscambia.com that they were concerned that they were being told not to touch the material and simply wash it off, but workers hired by IP to clean up the neighborhood were wearing protective hazardous material clothing.
Chris Russell of the U.S. EPA said that he has in the areas surrounding the plant dressed in ordinary street clothing.
“I have daughters that I love, and I am not going to let them go without a dad, and this is how I look when I go out there….that being said, when we have the workers out there they are going to be pressure washing and scrubbing. The is the possibility that they are going to get stuff..in their eyes and what not. So you will see them in a little bit more of protective gear.”
International Paper has set up a hotline for residents. Individuals with questions or concerns pertaining to Sunday night’s incident can contact the information hotline at (850) 968-4208. The number is available 24 hours a day until further notice.
Pictured above and below: Remediation efforts underway Tuesday afternoon on Woodbury Circle in Cantonment. Pictured below: Members of the Unified Command discuss the Sunday night explosion at the International Paper mill in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
IP Explosion: Citizen Information Phone Line Available
January 24, 2017
International Paper has set up a hotline for residents. Individuals with questions or concerns pertaining to Sunday night’s incident can contact the information hotline at (850) 968-4208. This number is available 24 hours a day until further notice.
Crews Respond To Fires Monday At International Paper
January 24, 2017
Escambia Fire Rescue crews responded to a fire twice Monday at International Paper in Cantonment…the first call just before 5 p.m. and a reflash just before midnight. The fires were reportedly contained to wood chips in an elevated storage bin. There were no injuries reported. The fires did not pose any threat to the public. The fires were not directly related to a Sunday night explosion at the facility, according to a county spokesperson. Pictured: Fire engines arrive at International Paper in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
IP Explosion: Highway 29 Now Open North And Southbound
January 24, 2017
Update 2:00 a.m. Tuesday: Highway 29 is now open northbound and southbound in Cantonment.
Update 8:45 p.m. — ALERT — HIGHWAY 29 Northbound lanes are open, southbound lanes remain closed, with a detour in place.
Update: 12:45 pm. — The Florida Department of Transportation is on scene. Due to the chemical makeup of the material, Highway 29 will remain closed until work crews can wash the roadway. The chemical is of a soap type base chemical, and it is unknown what type of reaction the chemical will have when moisture is introduced. The roadway could become slippery, and cause a hazard to the roadway and motorist. The previous detours will remain in effect.
Due to the explosion at the International Paper Company Plant in Cantonment, Highway 29 is closed between Muscogee Road to the north and Tate Road to the south and Muscogee Road and Jacks Branch Road to the west and County Rd 95A from Woodbury Place to Muscogee Road. At this point there is still no time frame on how long the roadway will be closed for cleanup.
The substance on the roadway is called “Black Liquor”. It is a skin, eye and respiratory irritant. The State Fire Marshall is on scene and there are trucks with sand on standby to begin the cleanup. The Escambia Sheriff’s Office is on scene assisting. Currently FHP personnel assigned to this incident due to road closures.
Related story: No Injuries As Explosion Rips Through International Paper In Cantonment
Related story: All Escambia Schools Are Open On Monday
Related story: Black Substance Covers Area Around Plant
NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Century’s New Mayor Wants To Raise Rates For Water, Garbage And Gas
January 24, 2017
Century’s new mayor says the town needs to raise rates for water, gas and garbage because the town is financially bleeding.
“We need to look at how we do business,” Henry Hawkins said during a Monday night council meeting.
The council approved Hawkin’s request for a new water meter fee. Currently, it costs the town $130 to install a new water meter for a new account. The town will begin charging a $150 fee — in addition to the normal $150 deposit — for new water meters. New water accounts at a location that already has a meter won’t pay the new $150 fee.
Hawkins said he want to eliminate regular sanitation pickups of anything that is not household garbage, limbs or bagged leaves. The town currently picks up bulky items such as couches and appliances for free, but the mayor says that service loses money and needs to be fee based.
“We are shooting ourselves in the foot doing it for free,’ he said.
“They are just going to drive it (discarded furniture) around the corner and dump it,” resident Helen Mincy said. “So what are going to do? Leave it there or pick it up?”
The council has set a 6 p.m. workshop on March 20 to discuss the rate increases.
Pictured top: Century Mayor Henry Hawkins. Pictured below: Council members Kevin Stead, Ann Brooks and Sandra McMurray Jackson listen to Hawkins Monday night. NorthEScambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Citizen Tips Lead To Flomaton Drug Bust
January 24, 2017
Thanks to citizen tips of “high drug activity”, the Flomaton Police Department made a felony drug bust Monday morning.
Methamphetamines and other amphetamines were discovered along with various drug paraphernalia at a home Mize Road. Flomaton Police arrest 35-year old Jonathan Rabon on two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Rabon was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton.
IP Explosion: Paper Mill Reaches Out To Neighborhood Hit Hardest By Black Liquor
January 24, 2017
International Paper started an outreach program Monday afternoon in the Woodbury neighborhood, one of the areas hardest hit by a chemical mix in a Sunday night mill explosion.
Homes, cars, the roadway, trees — everything in the Woodbury area was covered by mixture of f wood fiber, water and pulping liquor — a black, sticky goo.
IP representatives went door to door to address residents’ concerns, passing out a letter that began with a friendly “Dear Neighbor” salutation. The letter described the powerful explosion as a “manufacturing process incident” that caused the release. (Click the letter image to enlarge.)
The letter explained that anyone having contact with the black liquor should wash the area for 15 minutes with soap and water, and to see a doctor for skin irritation or respiratory issues.
The IP letter also advised residents seeking more information to call (850) 968-4208.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High Cheerleaders Headed To State Competition
January 24, 2017
The Tate High School cheerleaders have advanced through the semi-finals on the way to represent the Aggie Nation in Gainesville this weekend for the state championship. Team members are Kearstyn Lile, Taylor Rouchon, Hayden Lindsay, Bailey Carter, Alexis Wilson, Lexi Holley, Payton Herring, Kinsey Gill, Jonah Cass, Brylee Dodd, Krysanne Hagen, Mallory Stephens, Elena Lucci, Emilee Potter, Kennedy Bellard, Shelby Fleming, Blessing Kirk, and Morgan Austin. Coach is Jessica King. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.