Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Is Saturday
May 13, 2016
Escambia and Santa Rosa Letter Carriers will once again join forces to help Stamp Out Hunger in our community. In its 24th year, the annual food drive has grown to be the largest national single-day effort that benefits millions of Americans who struggle to put food on the table.
Residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag of non-perishable foods, such as canned soups, fruits, vegetables, or meat, dried pasta, rice, beans and cereal next to their mailbox prior to their regular mail delivery on Saturday.
Escambia and Santa Rosa letter carriers will collect food donations for five local organizations including Manna Food Pantries.
“Please give generously this year, so we can help provide food to those who are less fortunate,” said Phillip Skipper, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Northwest Florida Branch 321.
Despite generous support, the need is still great in our community. Last year, Manna Food Pantries helped a total of 20,303 individuals through all of their pantries and programs in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Of those, 34 percent were children.
“This is such an important food drive because it comes at a time when donations are typically low and the need has increased,” said DeDe Flounlacker, Manna Food Pantries’ executive director. “During the school year, many children get a healthy meal through the free or reduced breakfast and lunch programs. During the summer, those programs aren’t available. The donations from Stamp Out Hunger allow us to provide nutritious food to hungry families and children throughout the summer months.”
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Northview’s Perritt Places In Law Week Student Essay Contest
May 13, 2016
Northview High School student Sarah Perritt won third place in this year’s Law Week Student Essay Contest. Her prize included a $50 award and a certificate from the Northwest Florida Paralegal Association.
Perritt was encouraged to enter an essay by James Moretz, who teaches U.S. government, economics, sociology and physiology at Northview.
This year’s Law Week Essay Contest centered on the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Miranda v. Arizona. Students were tasked with preparing a case brief essay which focused on the factual findings in the juvenile case of J.B.D. v. North Carolina and “Miranda.”
Moretz said Perrittis a highly motivated self-starter and is very deserving of the recognition she earned from the Northwest Florida Paralegal Association. Additionally, Moretz said he is encouraged that her success will inspire others to participate in next year’s contest.
Pictured: Law Week Student Essay Contest third place winner Sarah Perritt and teacher James Moretz. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Play: ‘You Can’t Take It With You’
May 13, 2016
The Greater Escambia Center for the Arts (GECA) will present “You Can’t Take It With You” this weekend.
Showtime are 7 p.m. Saturday, with a Sunday matinee performance at 2 p.m.
Set in pre-World War II 1930’s, the story is about two very different families with one thing in common – their youngest members are in love. It is up to the lovers to bring the two families together and find common ground. In the process, chaos ensues and both tempers and fireworks flare as a compromise is sought.
Admission is $10 per person, $7 for GECA members, at 100 South Trammel Street in Atmore. Advance tickets are available at the Atmore News Office on South Main Street, call (251) 368-6397.
Pictured: (L-R) Pam Dees, Sandy Helton, Tom Wolfe and Sharon Poulsen in “You Can’t Take It With You”. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott To Go Hunting For Jobs In Lousiana
May 13, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott intends to wade into Louisiana — now that the Pelican State has a Democrat in the governor’s mansion — as he expands his search for business owners who want to relocate to Florida.
Fresh off a business-development mission to California, Scott announced this week he will head to Louisiana sometime in the summer to go job hunting.
“The last governor was a good friend of mine, Bobby Jindal,” Scott said Wednesday while at an Enterprise Florida Board of Directors meeting at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.
“Bobby tried to cut taxes, balance the budget, tried to grow jobs, stop the outflow of people … tried to build a better business climate,” Scott continued. “Gov. (John Bel) Edwards got elected in November. He’s already raised taxes 14 times. Taxes are going up just from the time period April 1 to June 30, $300 million. The taxes that we’ve cut, for like manufacturing, he’s raising. For telecommunications, he’s raising. And he’s talking about raising taxes again for next year.”
Scott also sent out of series of tweets Wednesday saying, “Louisiana elected officials are clearly not focused on creating new opportunities” and that “LA leaders don’t understand raising taxes hurts job creators & families. In FL, we have cut taxes 50 times & saved taxpayers $5.5 billion.”
Edwards’ office quickly responded in an email, saying Scott omitted the larger part of the narrative — that Jindal’s efforts left the state facing a $1 billion deficit for the current year that, without any corrections, would grow to $2 billion next year.
“While (Scott) supported Bobby Jindal’s plans that have crippled our state and led to two credit downgrades, Gov. Edwards has worked night and day to stabilize our state from the reckless policies Gov. Scott’s coming to promote,” Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said in the email. “He’d be best served staying in Florida to tend to the business of his own state. Louisianans and Floridians would prefer productive dialogue over more gimmicks from slick-talking politicians.”
Edwards took office in January after defeating Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter in the race to replace Jindal.
Scott, who last year undertook similar job-hunting trips to New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Kentucky and California, recently went on his second business-poaching trip to the Golden State. When Scott went to the states, they were all headed by Democratic governors, though Kentucky is now run by a Republican.
The California trip, along with media exchanges in which Scott and California Gov. Jerry Brown talked past each other, remained on Scott’s mind this week.
On Wednesday Scott jokingly said he loves Brown.
“I think he’s doing a great job as governor out there,” Scott said before criticizing a letter he received from Brown because it “did not talk at all about jobs for people.”
Before and during the trip, Scott talked about a climate for jobs. Brown focused on the need to address climate change.
“California is the 7th largest economic power in the world,” Brown wrote. “We’re competing with nations like Brazil and France, not states like Florida. If you’re truly serious about Florida’s economic well-being, it’s time to stop the silly political stunts and start doing something about climate change.”
Scott, who reached out to business owners in California by noting Florida’s minimum wage stands at $8.05 an hour while California has moved to increase its rate to $15 an hour by 2022, continued to contend this week that the minimum-wage hike will cost jobs for Brown’s state.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Win 5th Series Of The Season
May 13, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos first baseman Donald Lutz took out some of his frustrations at the plate against Chattanooga this series at AT&T Field.
Lutz went 2-4 and drove in three runs and stole a base, as Pensacola clinched the five-game series with a 5-4, victory Thursday that was delayed by rain an hour and 20 minutes in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Blue Wahoos clinched the series to move to 5-2 this season. However, the Blue Wahoos are still chasing the Biloxi Shuckers, who over took them April 19. The Shuckers came from behind to beat the Jacksonville Suns, 8-6, Thursday and now are 21-12. Meanwhile, Pensacola improved to 21-13, a half-game behind the Shuckers.
In two games against Chattanooga this series, Lutz has feasted on the Lookouts pitchers going 4-8 with two doubles and raising his average to a season-high .200. Lutz, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has one homer and 11 runs batted in this season and it was his second three RBI game of the year.
He drove in the go-ahead runs in the fifth inning when he singled up the middle to score second baseman Zach Vincej and third baseman Alex Blandino, which put Pensacola on top, 4-1.
Chattanooga scored two in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it a 4-3 game. The No. 8 hitter Stuart Turner and the No. 9 hitter Shannon Wilkerson hit back-to-back solo shots to left field off of Pensacola starter Nick Travieso.
Pensacola added a run in the top of the sixth inning when Vincej hit a soft grounder to shortstop to score Blue Wahoos catcher Chad Wallach for a 5-3 lead.
Chattanooga went up, 1-0, in the first when Ryan Walker singled to center field to score Zach Granite.
The Blue Wahoos then came back to take the lead, 2-1, by scoring in the second and third innings. In the second, Wallach grounded into a double play that scored Pensacola right fielder Brandon Dixon. In the third inning, Lutz hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Vincej.
Pensacola starting pitcher Travieso, the Cincinnati Reds No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America, allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks in 5.1 innings, while striking out five. In his longest outing of the season, he improved to 2-2 with a 5.96 ERA.
Bottom of the sixth inning Travieso struck out second baseman Levi Michael and then walked D.J. Hicks. As he was being replaced by Pensacola reliever Barrett Astin, it started to rain at about 8:30 p.m. and the game was finally resumed at 9:50 p.m. Thursday.
Pensacola shortstop Calten Daal went 1-4 to push his hitting streak to 11 games. He is hitting .425 (17-40) in 11 games.
In addition, Tony Renda, who batted leadoff and played left field, was 1-5 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. His batting average is now .317 on the season.
Man Killed In State Line Road Wreck At Funeral Home
May 12, 2016
One person was killed in a single vehicle crash just before midnight Wednesday at the Alabama/Florida state line in Flomaton.
The driver of the vehicle was eastbound on West State Line Road at Highland Avenue when he lost control, struck utility pole and overturned into a ditch. The vehicle came to rest upright in front of the Flomaton Funeral Home, on the Alabama side of the roadway.
The adult male driver was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.
Further details, including the driver’s name, have not yet been released.
The Flomaton Fire Department, Escambia County (FL) EMS and the Flomaton Police Department responded to the crash.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Critical After Major Highway 29 Cantonment Crash (Updated With Names, More Photos)
May 12, 2016
Two people were critically injured in a traffic crash at Highway 29 and Muscogee Road Wednesday night.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 58-year old Diane Purifoy was northbound on Highway 29 in the left turn to Muscogee Road when she turned her 2001 Buick Century into the path of southbound Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 36-year old Christopher Carlisle Odom, Jr. of Ruskin, FL.
The Tahoe collided with the rear of the Buick, shearing the car nearly in half. The Tahoe continued south on Highway 29, overturning several times and coming to rest nearly past the Raceway gas station at the railroad tracks. Odom and his passenger, 43-year old Joseph Michael Kettering of Cantonment, were critically injured.
Both men in the SUV were not wearing their seat belts and were ejected during the crash. One of them was trapped under the vehicle until freed by firemen. The FHP did not specify in their report which man was trapped. Both were transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Odom was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash according to the FHP report.
Purifoy, who was wearing her seat belt, received only minor injuries in the wreck and taken to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment.
A tire and a portion of the Buick came to rest several feet away near the gas pumps in the Raceway parking lot (see bottom photo). There were no injuries as a result.
A charges in the crash are pending the outcome of the FHP investigation.
For more photos from the crash scene, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Extra Tornado Debris Removal In Century Coming To End
May 12, 2016
Extra tornado debris removal in Century is coming to an end on Friday, about three months after an EF-3 tornado ripped through the town.
Large dumpsters from Republic Services were placed in the hardest hit areas for debris following the tornado ; those dumpsters will be removed on Friday. The town will resume its normal curbside pickup scheduled of the first and third Tuesday of each month.
On February 15, the Town of Century was struck by an EF-3 tornado that had winds estimated to be up to 155 miles per hour that damaged or totally destroyed 109 structures. The Town of Century didn’t have the approximate equipment to clean up the debris caused by the tornado, so they rented the equipment from Thompson Tractor Company, Inc., and hired Republic Services to remove the debris.
Town officials believed that FEMA funding would become available to reimburse them for expenses associated with the cleanup, but FEMA determined that the damage was not severe enough for federal assistance.
Escambia County has already approved paying Century’s invoices from Thompson Tractor Company for $10,042.20 and from Republic Services for $24,413.34 for a total off $37,455.54. Additional invoices will become due for the last month, also to be paid the county.
Escambia County will make payment on Century’s behalf using county operating reserve funds up to a total of $75,000.
“The Town of Century wishes to thank Escambia County Board of Commissioners for its generosity in helping the town pay for cleanup expenses related to the tornado,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said Wednesday.
Pictured: Tornado debris is loaded into a dumpster on Front Street in Century on March 1. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Man Found To Be Stabbed After Cantonment Wreck Now Jailed
May 12, 2016
A man found to be stabbed after a wreck in Cantonment late last month has now been arrested.
Edward Allen Boyd, age 48 of Cantonment, was charged this week with battery and burglary of an occupied dwelling. He remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $150,000.
Boyd crashed his Kia Sportage into a utility pole near Tree Street, just south of Muscogee Road about 1:15 a.m. on April 30. He was found lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the road, suffering from multiple stab woulds.
Deputies said that before the accident, he burst into his ex-girlfriend’s home in the 800 block of Highway 95A and attacked a male inside the residence. The ex-girlfriend grabbed a survival knife and defended the man, according to an arrest report, stabbing Boyd multiple times in the back.
Boyd then fled the scene in his vehicle and was involved the traffic crash.
Deputies said the ex-girlfriend will not face any charges for stabbing Boyd.
Tate Cheerleaders Hold Spring Cheer Camp For Ages 5-12
May 12, 2016
The Tate High School cheerleaders will host a Lil’ Aggies Spring Cheer Camp on May 21 from 8:30 a.m. until noon at the Fryman Gym for ages 5-12.
The cost is $25; the deadline to register is Friday, with a possible deadline extension.
The Lil’ Aggies Spring Cheer Clinic will teach athletes proper stretch techniques, Tate sideline cheers and chants, Tate sideline dances, proper jump techniques, and motion placement. Athletes will be placed according to age level. Snacks will be provided. There will be a parent/guardian showcase from 11:30 a.m. until noon.
For more information see a Tate cheerleader or email jking5@escambia.k12.fl.us.