Tate Cheerleaders Take Honors At Camp; Four Headed To London
August 5, 2016
The Tate High School cheerleading squads recently attended the UCA Cheerleading Camp in Panama City Beach. The Tate varsity and junior varsity brought home Superior Overall in both of their categories.
Varsity received first place extreme routine, first place sideline, second place game day and Superior Overall.
Junior varsity received second place extreme routine, second place cheer and Superior Overall, and the freshman squad received second in game day.
Four Tate High cheerleaders — Payton Simmons, Zoe Williams, Jasmine Crabtree, and Mallory Stephens — were All-American Cheerleaders out of hundreds who attended the camp. Those who earned All-American status have been invited to cheer in the New Year’s Day parade in London.
Members of the Tate Varsity cheerleaders are: Taylor Roushon, Gloria Jones, Jasmine Crabtree, Emilee Potter, Cole Stillwater, Jonah Cass, Kinsey Gill, Krysanne Hagen, Mallory Stephens, Blessing Kirk, Lexi Holley, Elena Lucci, Morgan Austin, Brylee Dodd, Alexis Wilson, Kennedy Bellard, Hayden Lindsay, Abi Manoso, Kearstyn Lile, Bailey Carter, Shelby Flemming, and Coach Jessica King.
Members of the Tate Junior Varsity cheerleaders are: Payton Simmons, Tayler Mills, Kyndal Milstead, Zoe Williams, Taylor Barnes, Kensley Foley, Payton Herring, Keaden Martin, Kyanna Woods, Hannah Hamilton, Destiny Campbell, Madyson Reaves, Carlie Boswell, Danyah Turner, Ally Stephens, Skylar Smith and Coach Jamie Southard.
Members of the Tate Freshman cheerleaders are: Leila Jones, Madison Lucio, Skye Stillwater, Sherrie Swinson, Maddie Ray, Hailey Morphis, Savannah Weaver, Savanna Bowen, Lillie Hamrac, Karis Parmley and Coach Karen Potter.
Pictured top: Tate Varsity cheerleaders. Pictured first below: Invited to London are All-American cheerleaders Jasmine Crabtree, Mallory Stephens, Zoe Williams and Payton Simmons. Pictured second below: Tate JV cheerleaders. Pictured third below: Tate Freshmen cheerleaders. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mississippi Beats The Wahoos In Five Hour Game
August 5, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Mississippi Braves were locked in a 2-2 tie for 13 innings and then the 14th inning happened.
That’s when the Braves sent 12 batters to the plate scoring eight runs on four walks, four singles and four errors by the Blue Wahoos. Mississippi won, 10-2, over Pensacola Thursday in a four hour, 57 minute game at Blue Wahoos Stadium to stay tied with Mobile for first place in the Southern League South Division. Both teams are 24-16, while Mississippi improved to 58-51 this season.
Pensacola fell to 9-4 on the season in extra-inning games. They also dropped to 9-2 in five-game series at home on the year after going a perfect 7-7 in the first half.
Pensacola is now 19-21 in the second half and 60-50 on the season.
In the top of the 14th inning, Pensacola relief pitcher Jake Ehret gave up a one out, bases loaded walk to center fielder Connor Lien to score third baseman Johan Camargo, who started the inning with a single. It gave the Braves a 3-2 lead and opened a flood gate of runs for Mississippi.
Pensacola set a franchise record with 20 strikeouts in the extra-inning game. The previous high was 18, including one that was a regular nine inning game.
Pensacola second baseman Ronald Bueno came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning. Bueno, who was called up from High-A Daytona Tortugas Tuesday, took a 2-2 pitch and sent a liner to left field to score right fielder Brandon Dixon to tie the game, 2-2, and send it into extra innings for the second time this series.
It was no pressure on the 23-year-old Bueno, who in his last bases loaded situation this season hit a double and drove in two runs for Daytona.
The Braves scored first, going up, 2-0, when first baseman Carlos Franco hit a two-out, two-run line drive over the center field wall in the sixth inning.
Pensacola got a run back in the seventh inning when the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases with one out and right fielder Brandon Dixon scored from third on a wild pitch, pulling them within 2-1.
Pensacola went 6-50 or .120 with runners in scoring position against Mississippi in the series. In the previous series against the Montgomery Biscuits, the Blue Wahoos hit .190.
Sean Newcomb, the top Atlanta Braves pitching prospect, retired 16 in a row Thursday. He struck out a season-high 10 Blue Wahoos and gave up three hits in 6.2 innings.
Newcomb, who has allowed one run or less in nine of his 22 starts, did not get a decision Thursday and remains 5-7 on the year with a 4.26 ERA.
A first round pick in 2014, Newcomb dueled Pensacola spot starter Barrett Astin matched goose eggs through the first five innings. Astin, who had started in his last three outings and eight times this season, finished his outing pitching 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk and striking out six.
New Plant, 100 High Tech Jobs Coming To Atmore
August 5, 2016
The City of Atmore officially signed off Thursday on an agreement with Hunstville-based Brown-Precision that will bring 100 new jobs and a multi-million dollar investment to a new industrial park. And officials say they hope it is just the beginning of the job announcements in a new aerospace corridor.
Aerospace is Alabama’s second fastest growing industry sector and a key target in my Accelerate Alabama economic development strategy,” Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said in a prepared statement. “I’m committed to helping companies like Brown Precision expand in Alabama and strengthen their aerospace business. Rural communities are important to me, and I am honored to know the hard-working men and women in Atmore will soon have an opportunity to compete for more than 100 skilled well-paying jobs.”
“We are excited about being in Atmore,” Greg Brown, president and co-CEO of Brown Precision said Thursday morning in Atmore. “We hope this is going to be a corridor of aerospace industry all up and down I-65.” .
“Brown Precision is a great addition to Southwest Alabama’s growing aerospace cluster, which is poised to become a key region in this global industry over the next decade,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “Brown Precision counts many of the industry’s biggest names as clients, so its expansion to Atmore says a lot about the region’s potential.”
Brown Precision, a family owned company founded in 1964, performs precision machining for clients in the aerospace and medical industries. It manufactures complex components ranging from aircraft and helicopter components to artificial human joints. Clients include GE Aviation, GKN Aerospace, Bell, PPG Aerospace, and Smith & Nephew.
The Atmore facility is expected to eventually employ more than 100 workers in activities such as CNC-based manufacturing, custom fabrication and component coating. The company expects to make an initial investment of approximately $7 million in the facility, with expansions possible.
“We think the Atmore area is a great fit for what we do at Brown Precision Inc., and we look forward to being part of the community,” said Dan Brown, the company’s co-CEO and chief operating officer. “We believe southwest Alabama and the Coastal Gateway region is positioned extremely well as a point of growth for the aerospace industry, and we wanted to be on the leading edge of that. We look forward to putting down roots that will hold for many years to come.” Dan Brown will move to the Atmore area to oversee the new facility.
At a ceremony in Atmore today, Mayor Jim Staff welcomed Brown Precision as the first industrial tenant in the Rivercane Industrial Park, located at the intersection of Interstate 65 and Alabama 21. A new access road to the park will be built in coming months.
“It is great day for Atmore,” Staff said. “They are going to be a great fit for the community.
“The Atmore area is a prime area to become a cluster of aerospace activity,” Tim Martin, president and CEO of the Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority. He said CIEDA’s Muskogee Metalworks will work in conjunction with Brown Precision, allowing the companies to bid on larger projects, especially for the government.
To develop the Rivercane Industrial Park, the City of Atmore received funding commitments from the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and the Delta Regional Authority.
The Alabama Department of Commerce and AIDT, the state workforce development agency, lent support to the Brown Precision project, as did numerous local agencies and businesses. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians and Creek Indian Enterprises also supported the project.
“We believe our region is going to benefit greatly over the years from the presence of Airbus and the expansion of the aerospace industry in general,” said John Johnson, executive director of the Coastal Gateway Economic Development Alliance, which acted as project manager.
“Adding Brown Precision Inc. to existing local aerospace companies, such as Muskogee Technology, and connecting with our local community colleges and training programs, serves notice that the Coastal Gateway region is not only ready to expand our aerospace sector, but has also proven capable of doing so,” Johnson added.
Pictured top: The Atmore City Council, with Mayor Jim Staff (right), approved the resolutions necessary to enter into an agreement with Brown Precision during a special meeting Thursday morning. Pictured top inset: Greg Brown, president and co-CEO of Brown Precision. Pictured botttom inset: Tim Martin, president and CEO of the Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority. Pictured below: A large crowd was on hand for the Brown Precision announcement. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Morning Rains Cause Flooding Problems
August 4, 2016
Heavy rains caused flooding across a large portion of Escambia County Wednesday morning, including Molino, where flooding was a major issue at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 (first three photos) and on Crabtree Church Road (bottom photo). NorthEscambia.com photos by Kayla Bedell, click to enlarge.
ECSO: Two Robberies At Cantonment Tom Thumb Are Related (With Video)
August 4, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office now says they believe two different robberies at a Cantonment convenience store were committed by the same suspect.
The Tom Thumb at Highway 29 and Woodbury Circle was robbed on July 4 and again on July 29. In both robberies, the suspect walked behind the counter and took cash from the register without producing a weapon.
In the July 4 robbery, the black male opened the store’s door using a white cloth on his hand, walked around behind the counter an demanded cash. He did not produce or indicate that he had a weapon. He was wearing a gray and black ball cap, mostly black clothing and black tennis shoes.
In the second robbery on July 29, the suspect is seen in a black ball cap, dark pants, white t-shirt. and the same black tennis shoes.
The suspect was described as being about 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Surveillance video from both robberies is below.
Obama Commutes Sentences Of 214, Including Two From Pensacola, One From Atmore
August 4, 2016
President Obama commuted the sentences of 214 more federal inmates Wednesday, including one from Atmore and two from Pensacola.
Scottie Ladon Dixon of Atmore was sentenced to life in prison with a concurrent 33 month sentence with 10 years supervised released on May 18, 2010. Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Dixon admitted in federal court that he sold 6.2 kilograms (13.67 pounds) of crack cocaine while he was on supervised release from a 1997 drug conviction.
A Drug Enforcement Administration’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force agent used a confidential informant to purchase crack from Dixon near Bay Minette on April 21, 2009. According to court documents, Dixon bragged about the quality of crack and sold the confidential informant two cookies of crack for $2,000. As federal agents raided Dixon’s home, he was found at the end of a trail of cocaine powder, standing over a toilet. Court documents indicated that agents found crack in the sewage pipes under his trailer. He was taken into custody by federal agents at his trailer at 307 East 4th Street in Atmore on April 30.
Dixon’s sentence was commuted to a term of 221 months imprisonment.
Christopher M. Dees of Pensacola was sentenced to life in prison, 10 years supervised release and a $1,000 fine on September 1, 2004. He was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base. His prison sentence was commuted to a term of 262 months imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
Christopher Stanton of Pensacola was sentenced to 360 months imprisonment with eight years supervised release on July 25, 2006. He was convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of cocaine base. His sentence was commuted to expire August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
Obama has now commuted the sentences of 562 people incarcerated under what he calls outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws, including 197 individuals who were serving life sentences. The majority were nonviolent offenders sentenced for drug crimes. He has commuted the sentences of more prisoners than the past nine presidents combined. He has also granted 70 pardons.
Students Enjoy Milkshakes With Their School Resource Officer
August 4, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office held a “Milkshake With A School Resource Officer” event at Chick-fil-A on Nine Mile Road Wednesday evening.
The event provided an opportunity for students to meet their SRO before school starts, and enjoy a little conversation over a free milkshake provided by Chick-fil-A.
Over 50 students took part in the event. The Sheriff’s Office also handed out free school supplies to the kids.
Pictured top: Florida’s statewide School Resource Office of the Year, Deputy Ronnie Gill of Ernest Ward Middle School, with students enjoying milkshakes Wednesday evening at Chick-fil-A on Nine Mile Road. Also pictured: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office “Milkshake With A School Resource Officer” event. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Debate Turns Emotional Over Dozier School Memorial
August 4, 2016
A state task force on Wednesday began an emotional debate about how to commemorate the victims of abuse and brutality at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and what to do with the unidentified remains of youths who died at the shuttered reform school.
“The mission and goals of this task force are different and sensitive from most other task forces,” Secretary of State Ken Detzner told the nine-member panel, which held its first meeting in Marianna, near the site of the 1,400-acre Dozier property in Jackson County.
Detzner said the task force has been directed by the Legislature to develop recommendations by Oct. 1 on the creation of a memorial to honor the victims of the reform school, which operated from 1900 to 2011, as well as designating a permanent burial site for victims whose bodies were unidentified or unclaimed.
An investigation led by University of South Florida researchers found 51 sets of remains in an unmarked graveyard known as Boot Hill Burial Ground at the Dozier facility, including victims of a 1914 dormitory fire. USF anthropologists identified 21 of the sets of remains through DNA and other methods.
The law that created the task force also provided $7,500 for each family for funeral and reburial costs if they claimed the remains of victims.
But in its initial meeting, the task force found itself at odds over the issue of whether the memorial and the permanent burial site should be at the former Dozier reform school or elsewhere in the state.
Eric Hill, a Jackson County commissioner who serves on the task force, said the permanent burial site and memorial would receive greater exposure if it was in a more populated area of the state, rather than the rural Panhandle county.
“I think the location would be best fit with a larger population,” Hill said.
He was supported by Jerry Cooper, who was sent to Dozier as a runaway teen and who leads a group of “White House Boys,” an organization named for a building where youths said they were beaten and abused.
“I see no reason, whatsoever, to reinter these people, these children, back on this property,” Cooper said. “As far as I am concerned, it would be only adding insult to injury.”
Dale Landry, representing the Florida NAACP, said his civil rights organization was unanimous in believing that the memorial should be at the former reform school.
“Our biggest fear is that once you let it go, it will be forgotten,” Landry said, adding the goal should be to “repurpose that land and make it sacred.”
Stephen Britt, whose uncle died at Dozier in 1946, strongly objected to the idea of not having a memorial and permanent burial in Jackson County.
“They want it to be totally eliminated. They don’t want any reference of it being here. They are ashamed, but they shouldn’t be,” Britt said. “They didn’t commit those crimes. Their ancestors did, but they didn’t.”
Britt, at one point, called the proceeding “a farce,” but later apologized for his outburst, while adding “you must understand this is extremely personal to me.”
“I think everyone understands how emotional this is,” said Timothy Parsons, head of the state Division of Historical Resources and chairman of the task force. “And I think we all feel really strongly about our responsibilities.”
David Jackson, a Florida A&M University history professor who was appointed as a non-voting adviser to the task force, said it would be “very unusual” to not have a memorial at the site of the former reform school.
“It gives us an opportunity to continue to teach people for generations to come about what’s right, what’s wrong, what should not have occurred so we won’t repeat those things going forward,” he said.
The task force agreed to wait until its Aug. 19 meeting to begin voting on proposals for creating a memorial and designating a permanent burial site for the unidentified or unclaimed Dozier victims.
The task force’s Oct. 1 report will be forwarded to the Department of State, lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger and Tom Urban, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: A trench dug in the search for human remains at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. Pictured below: Mapping the graves. Pictured inset: The remains of George Owen Smith have been positively identified. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Zika Tourism Effects Could Take Time To Play Out
August 4, 2016
With Florida battling a Zika virus outbreak in Miami, the full impacts of federal and international travel advisories on the state’s tourism industry won’t be known for months.
The state’s tourism-marketing arm Visit Florida, following Gov. Rick Scott and other officials, has maintained a message that Florida is safe and open for business.
But Mark Bonn, professor of services management at Florida State University’s Dedman School of Hospitality, said the state — which recently has also drawn negative international attention because of a mass shooting in Orlando and toxic algae blooms in estuaries fed by Lake Okeechobee — needs to get a handle on the Zika issue before the cooler-weather tourism season kicks in.
“We know from tourist behavioral research that the most important decision-making motive in a consumer’s mind about where they’re going to go for their vacation is safety and security,” said Bonn, who specializes in tourism marketing and research. “So if a consumer is at all unsure about a destination’s safety and security, they’re probably going to pass and probably go somewhere else.”
Bonn said most travelers to Florida aren’t planning to visit the area of Miami known as Wynwood, where state Department of Health officials believe people have been infected with Zika through mosquito bites. But the perception of the situation, similar to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, could be much wider that the actual area of impact.
“The further away the consumer was from the epicenter of the (BP) damage, the more fear they had that there was a factor of unsafeness in the consumptive factor of seafood,” said Bonn, who published a study on the impacts of the BP spill. “I guarantee you that the same hypothesis is true here. That the further away the consumer is, such as in the UK or Canada, the higher the fear is about traveling to Florida.”
British and Canadian health officials have issued advisories about travel to Florida.
The British release was for all of Florida, while the Public Health Agency of Canada advisory said pregnant women and those planning pregnancies should “avoid travel to the area in South Florida and countries with reported mosquito-borne Zika virus.”
The Canadian advisory, ranking the outbreak a Level 2 risk, also informed all travelers to “protect themselves from mosquito bites.”
Under the Canadian grading, a Level 3 risk would advise people to avoid non-essential travel into an area with an outbreak and Level 4 states that individuals should avoid all travel due to a high risk to the general public of infection.
Those advisories came as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory that pregnant women should not travel to the Wynwood area of Miami.
Zika, which emerged last year in South America, generally produces mild symptoms. However, it is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can lead to severe birth defects, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and developmental problems.
Health officials are investigating 15 cases of people infected with Zika in South Florida. No new locally transmitted cases were reported Wednesday. Numerous other cases have been diagnosed involving people who were infected while traveling outside the continental United States.
Scott has been holding roundtables across the state and on Wednesday held a midday call with Visit Florida and tourism leaders about Zika preparedness.
Regional tourism officials in South and Central Florida didn’t respond to requests for comments.
The governor’s office issued a release Wednesday that said the state Department of Health is providing free Zika testing to pregnant women in all county health departments.
On Tuesday, Scott and other state officials tried to assure the public that Florida remains safe.
Visit Florida President & CEO Will Seccombe on Tuesday called the outbreak “a hyper-local situation,” joining Scott in expressing confidence in the state’s effort to contain and eradicate Zika.
“The Florida Department of Health reports that the only locally transmitted cases to date are confined to a neighborhood in Miami,” Seccombe said in a statement. “For perspective, that’s a one-square-mile area in a state where a drive from end to end can cover more than 800 miles.”
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said the state needs to get a “clear message” that Florida is safe outside of the Miami neighborhood, but people need take “reasonable precautions.”
“I grilled out every night this weekend,” Putnam said Tuesday after a state Cabinet meeting. “The mosquitoes that are biting you at dusk are not the mosquitoes that are carrying Zika. And based upon what we know so far, the mosquitoes that are carrying Zika are pretty tightly contained in one area of South Florida.”
While state officials were calling Florida “safe,” CDC Director Tom Frieden appeared Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” where he said eradication has been difficult in the affected area in Miami.
“It could be that the mosquitoes there are resistant to the insecticide being used,” he said.
He added that the neighborhood’s design had contributed to the difficulties.
“It’s mixed use. It has industrial, business and residential and that makes mosquito control very complex,” Frieden said.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Cantonment Community Group, Church Provide Food, Educational Help For Kids
August 4, 2016
Wednesdays in the park have meant a good lunch, a fun time, and a little education thanks a local church and a community group.
All summer on Wednesday, Saint Jude Catholic Church has provided free hot dog meals in Cantonment’s Carver Park on Webb Street. This Wednesday, they provided a pizza lunch. The Cantonment Improvement Committee has cosponsored the events.
Children have also had the opportunity to keep up with their reading and math skills using the computer lab the Carver Park Resource Center.
Photos courtesy Cantonment Improvement Committee for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
