Wahoos Erupt For Four Runs To Beat Jacksonville
April 15, 2016
Barrett Astin, Wandy Peralta and Alejandro Chacin combined to pitch four scoreless innings, allow one hit and strikeout five as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Jacksonville Suns, 4-1, Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Blue Wahoos are off to their best start in team history at 6-2, surpassing the 2012 team that started 5-3.
Chacin earned his second save of the season in four games and now has four strikeouts in four innings pitched. The relievers came in and got out the first 10 batters they faced after Sal Romano pitched five strong innings. He got six of his seven strikeouts in the first three innings, while allowing three hits and one earned run in the first inning.
Romano, the Cincinnati Reds No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America, also showed some defensive skills, reaching out to nab a hard hit grounder and getting the speedy Suns lead-off hitter Yefri Perez out at first.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he had questions about his bullpen coming into the year but has called Chacin “fearless.”
“It’s been nice to have great pitching,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of flexibility and some good arms. They’ve been doing really good.”
The Blue Wahoos now lead the Suns, 2-1, in the five game home stand. In 2015, Pensacola didn’t win its first series until May. But this year, they’re going for their second straight series win to start the season.
Pensacola trailed, 1-0, until it erupted in the sixth inning, scoring four runs and sending nine hitters to the plate.
Jacksonville took the lead in the first inning when Suns shortstop J.T. Riddle singled on a soft liner to right field. Suns left fielder Austin Dean then smashed a high fly ball over the head of left fielder Pin-Chieh Chen, which scored Riddle easily.
However, first baseman Donald Lutz led off the sixth with a walk and scored Pensacola’s first run when the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases and catcher Joe Hudson then earned a walk to tie the game, 1-1. Then Chen, who had a bunt single, scored on pinch hitter Ray Chang’s blooper to centerfield that put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-1.
But the biggest hit in the sixth inning when Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej slapped a two-out single that dropped in front of the center fielder and scored both right fielder Sebastian Elizalde and catcher Joe Hudson. The runs gave Pensacola some breathing room, 4-1.
Vincej said he was just looking for a good pitch to hit.
“The previous at bat, I popped up with guys on base,” said Vincej, who’s hitting .290 this season. “I was just trying to put some barrel on it.”
Four of the first five innings, Pensacola’s first batter reached base. But the runners remained stranded. The best chance to score came in the fourth inning when Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin walked to lead off the inning and Lutz followed by smashing a single over the head of the shortstop. But Lutz rounded first base and was tagged out in a rundown.
Jacksonville right-hander Austin Brice, the Marlins No. 14 prospect, ended up pitching five innings allowing two hits, walking four and striking out two. In his two starts this season, Brice has pitched 11 scoreless innings.
“What I saw was a pretty good pitcher,” Kelly said. “Brice threw extremely well. On a cold night, he pitched us inside.”
But it has been Pensacola’s bullpen that has consistently impressed Vincej.
“They have come in and shut the door,” Vincej said. “It makes it a lot easier on the defense. We can go out and play relaxed.”
Tate, Jay Softball Disrict Championship Games Postponed Due To Weather
April 14, 2016
Softball district championships scheduled for tonight have been delayed to Friday night due to weather.
The Jay Royals and South Walton game has been moved to Friday at 6 p.m. at Northview in District 3-1A.
The Tate Lady Aggies and Pace at Escambia game has been moved to 6:30 p.m. Friday in District 1-7A.
More Narcotic Arrests In Flomaton, Including McDavid Woman
April 14, 2016
The war on drugs in Flomaton is continuing with additional drug arrests Wednesday.
Wednesday morning, a Flomaton Police Department officer spotted a suspicious vehicle sitting next to the Tom Thumb. A K-9 unit from the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office responded and alerted on the vehicle.
Over 100 grams of liquid cocaine, one gram of cocaine powder and a gram of methamphetamine were recovered from the vehicle, according to Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis.
Valene Alaine Walker, 30, of McDavid, and Jeremy Anderson Pete, 29, of Castleberry, AL, were each charged with multiple felonies include possession of controlled substance, possession of controlled substances including cocaine and methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and cocaine trafficking.
Both were booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton.
The Flomaton Police Department reported another double drug arrest Wednesday night. Details were not immediately available as officers inventoried a quantity of pills.
Wednesday’s drug arrests in Flomaton came on the heels of several other narcotic arrests. Click here for an earlier story.
Pictured top: Drugs recovered from a vehicle Wednesday morning in Flomaton. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Woman Arrested Second Time For Sexual Assault On Juvenile
April 14, 2016
A Jay woman has been arrested a second time for sexual misconduct with a minor.
Kimberly Anne Seevers, 45, was arrested in Santa Rosa County on a charge of sexual assault on a victim 16 or 17 years old. In an unrelated case, Seevers was arrested last November for sexual assault on a victim 16 or 17 years old and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The two arrests involved separate incidents involving different juveniles age 16 or 17, according to Assistant State Attorney James Parker.
“The victim described a physical encounter with Seevers,” he said.
Parker said the second male victim was discovered during the course of the investigation into the first set of charges.
The first arrest came after the school resource officer at Jay High School received information in regards to a possible sexual relationship between Seevers and juvenile males. Seevers is not employed by or connected with the Santa Rosa County School District.
Both sexual assaults allegedly occurred at her home, the second between September and November 2015.
Seevers was released Wednesday from the Santa Rosa County Jail on $5,000 bond. Parker said prosecutors had request the judge set bond at $50,000. She previously entered a plea of not guilty and is awaiting trial on the November charges.
White Quickly Piles Up Money For Hill’s House Seat
April 14, 2016
Preparing to run for a Northwest Florida House seat, Pensacola Republican Frank White raised nearly $62,000 during the last week of March, according to a newly filed campaign-finance report.
White opened a campaign account March 23 to run in House District 2 and quickly raised $61,970. He also loaned $50,000 to the campaign, according to information posted on the state Division of Elections website.
White is the vice chairman of the Pensacola State College Board of Trustees and is managing director of an investment group. He is also the son-in-law of car dealership owner Sandy Sansing.
District 2 is held by Rep. Mike Hill, a Pensacola Beach Republican who could run this year for the state Senate. Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, is weighing a bid to replace Republican Congressman Jeff Miller, who has announced he will not seek another term.
by The News Service of Florida with contribution from NorthEscambia.com
Wildlife Commission Sets Sights On Another Bear Hunt
April 14, 2016
Armed with updated data showing a “robust” and growing black-bear population, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working to hold another bear hunt.
Commission Chairman Brian Yablonski on Wednesday directed staff and commissioners to prepare to discuss during a June meeting how a hunt could be managed. A commission spokeswoman said later that a decision has not been made to hold a hunt.
“There is a process of how the hunt is set up, what the quota objectives are,” Yablonski said during a commission meeting at the Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place in Jupiter. “There’s a ton of options out there.”
The Florida Administrative Code already includes an outline for an annual bear hunt to be held in late October, and Yablonski said it’s up to the commission to set quota numbers.
The commission in October 2015 held its first bear hunt in more than two decades as a means to slow the increase of black bears in the state and to reduce dangerous interactions between bears and humans. But the hunt was highly controversial, with opponents protesting in various parts of the state.
Jacki Lopez, the Center for Biological Diversity’s Florida director, said Wednesday opponents have “been anticipating” the commission putting the quota issue on an upcoming agenda.
Conservation groups headed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Animal Legal Defense Fund have petitioned the federal government to approve an endangered-species protection designation for Florida black bears.
The commission last year set a collective “harvest objective” of 320 bears that could be killed in four parts of the state opened for the hunt. The areas were the eastern Panhandle region, which includes the northwestern Big Bend area to west of Apalachicola Bay; the South region, which includes Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties, the North region, which goes from Jacksonville west to Hamilton and Suwannee counties, and the Central region, which includes the St. Johns River watershed to the Ocala National Forest.
The quota was based on an estimated 3,000-plus bears being in the state.
A limit of one-bear-per-hunter was set. Hunting permits were sold at $100 to state residents and $300 for people from out-of-state. A total of 3,778 permits were sold. Money raised through the permits is supposed to be used for measures, such as bear-proof garbage containers, to reduce human-bear conflicts.
The 2015 hunt was projected to last up to a week. Instead the hunt was called off after two days as the bear death count quickly reached 304.
Commission officials admitted to being caught off guard by the success of the hunters.
On March 24, the commission increased the estimate of the number of bears in the state to 4,350 adults, based on survey results taken before the 2015 hunt.
The commission also estimated about 2,000 bear cubs statewide, of which about half are expected to survive into adulthood.
The bear population had been as low as 300 to 500 statewide in the 1970s, when bears were put on the state list of threatened species because of a mix of hunting and humans impacting their natural habitat. Bears were removed from the list in 2012 when a new management plan was approved.
In 2015, lawmakers increased penalties for people who repeatedly are found feeding bears not in captivity.
This year, Florida lawmakers included $500,000 to reduce human-bear conflicts in the state’s new $82 billion budget. Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley said Wednesday that the majority of the money must go to local governments with ordinances in place requiring residents and businesses to secure their trash.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Scott Signs Tax-Cut Package Including Back To School Tax Holiday
April 14, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday signed a trimmed-down package of tax cuts that will permanently eliminate a sales tax on manufacturing equipment and set up a three-day tax “holiday” for back-to-school shoppers.
However, the signing came with less flourish than might have been expected for one of Scott’s top priorities during the recent legislative session.
Scott held a ceremonial bill-signing as the undercard of an announcement by Novolex — which makes plastic bags — that it’s expanding a manufacturing facility in Jacksonville.
In a release, the governor’s office noted that “during the announcement, Gov. Scott also ceremonially signed HB 7099.”
“This bill will not only give Florida families an important back-to-school sales tax holiday, but it will also permanently eliminate the sales tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment so companies like Novolex can invest more money in growing their business and creating new jobs,” Scott said in the release. “We will continue to do all we can to cut more taxes and support economic growth so Florida can become first for jobs.”
The package, a legislative compromise that totals $129 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1, includes a Scott priority to eliminate a sales tax on manufacturing equipment. It also exempts sales taxes on food and drinks sold by veterans’ organizations and phases out — over three years — a sales tax on asphalt used for government projects.
The measure also revises how taxes are calculated on alcohol and tobacco sales for cruise ships within Florida waters, on pear cider, and on an excise tax on aviation fuel, which is a discount for most carriers.
For many Floridians, the biggest part of the package will be a sales-tax “holiday” for back-to-school shoppers. However, the holiday will run from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7, rather than the 10 days initially proposed by Scott and many lawmakers.
In addition to the shorter period, the amount of savings available to shoppers will be lower than in earlier proposals. For example, shoppers will be able to avoid paying sales taxes on clothes that cost $60 or less, down from an earlier $100 proposal. Also, computer purchases won’t be included in the holiday. The measure also lifts the tax on school supplies costing $15 or less.
Regardless of the number of days, the Florida Retail Federation says the tax holiday provides an economic boost to retailers.
“We look forward to the savings that consumers will enjoy and the increased sales for retailers during the anticipated back-to-school sales tax holiday shopping weekend,” Florida Retail Federation President and CEO Randy Miller said in a release.
Scott had sought more than $1 billion in tax cuts for the upcoming fiscal year and $250 million for business-recruitment incentives at the public-private Enterprise Florida.
But as state tax-revenue projections declined, lawmakers agreed not to provide any of the incentive money and downsized the tax-cut package.
Still, lawmakers have joined Scott in saying that $1 billion in tax relief has been approved over a two-year period, a figure Scott campaigned on in 2014 as part of his re-election bid.
Last year, lawmakers approved a tax cut package that totaled $428.9 million, topped by a reduction in the communications-services tax on cell-phone and cable-TV bills.
This year, lawmakers say Floridians also will get tax savings because the newly approved 2016-2017 budget includes money to hold down local property taxes that would otherwise go into the state’s school-funding formula. The issue involves part of the formula known as “required local effort.”
With the property tax money, the Senate put the “tax relief” for the coming year at more than $550 million.
House Finance & Tax Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said the relief is “over a half billion dollars for this session.”
“We have made the decision in Florida that we can grow our economy, meet the needs of our state and care for the vulnerable not by having more taxes, but by having more taxpayers,” Gaetz said in a prepared statement. “These tax cuts welcome new families, businesses, and visitors to our state each day.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Blue Jacket Jamboree Has New Home; Entries Accepted For Beautiful Baby Contest, Craft Vendors
April 14, 2016
The Northview High School FFA’s Blue Jacket Jamboree is returning this year with a new home and an exciting new beautiful baby contest.
The Blue Jacket Jamboree will be Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the new Escambia County 4-H Facility at 5701 Highway 99 in Molino. The event will be held in conjunction with the GCA/NYRO Youth Spring Livestock Show.
As in years past, during the fun-filled day for the entire family there will be arts, crafts, food, entertainment and a car show. And this year, there will be a “Blue Jacket Baby Contest” for children birth through two-years old.
For event information, to register for the baby contest, or to learn more, visit www.bluejacketjamboree.org.
To join the over 40 arts and craft vendors registered for the event, call Linda Till at (850) 572-1076 or visit the website.
To register for the car or tractor show, call Angus Brewton at (850) 712-7884.
Pictured: Last year’s Blue Jacket Jamboree, which was held at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Lose To Jacksonville 2-1 In Nine
April 14, 2016
On paper it was a matchup of the top pitching prospects in the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins organizations.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos southpaw Amir Garrett and Jacksonville Suns lefty Jarlin Garcia delivered on the suggested pitching duel between the two No. 3 prospects in the Southern League Double-A match up.
In the end, though, the Jacksonville Suns pulled out a 2-1 victory Wednesday over Pensacola in a dramatic ninth inning when both teams scored all their runs at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Both teams are 5-2 on the season and tied with the Biloxi Shuckers for first place in the Southern League South Division.
Garrett struck out Jacksonville’s first four batters and got nine of the first 10 hitters out in his six shutout innings. He allowed only four hits and struck out seven.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s Garcia allowed a single in his 5.2 innings and struck out six Blue Wahoos before walking two batters in the sixth and being lifted for reliever Tyler Bremer.
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly said the fireworks between the hurlers was to be expected.
“Garcia was good but Garrett was just as good, if not better,” Kelly said. “We had two pretty good lefties out there.”
Garrett said he has faced Garcia a few times during their minor league careers and was “pumped” to be facing him in his first game in front of the Blue Wahoos crowd.
“I was feeling really good tonight,” Garrett said. “I was pretty pumped up and wanted to make a statement.”
Long after the superb performances by Garrett and Garcia, Jacksonville first baseman Brady Shoemaker scored on a deep fly ball by third baseman Matt Juengel to Pensacola right fielder Tony Renda to make it, 1-0, in the top of the ninth inning.
Suns right fielder Moises Sierra then put Jacksonville up, 2-0, when he tagged from third on a line drive by second baseman James Roberts to left fielder Phillip Ervin, who barely missed throwing Sierra out at the plate.
The game looked over but Pensacola came back to load the bases. Blue Wahoos first baseman Ray Chang hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Ervin from third base, pulling the Blue Wahoos within one run, 2-1, with two outs.
Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson, who had a single, walk and double in his first three at bats, then hit a chopper to third that looked like it was heading to left field. However, the Suns third baseman Juengel cut it off, stumbled but made a force out at second in the nick of time to end the game.
“This team shows a lot of grit,” Kelly said. “They came right back at the end.”
Fire Destroys Large Shed In Walnut Hill
April 13, 2016
Fire destroyed a large shed behind a residence in Walnut Hill Wednesday morning. The approximately 400 square foot shed was fully involved when the first firefighters arrived on scene just after 6:15 a.m. The cause of the fire was not immediately known; there were no injuries. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.