Vehicle Overturns On Highway 97 In Walnut Hill Late Monday Night
June 15, 2021
A driver escaped serious injuries in a single vehicle wreck late Monday night on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
The male lost control on Highway 97 just south of North Highway 99, striking a utility pole and a fence as he vehicle overturned. The driver was not around when first responders arrived, but was brought back to the scene in a private vehicle.
Highway 97 was temporarily closed due to power lines down across the roadway, and Escambia River Electric Cooperative reported 32 customers in the area lost power.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash about 11:35 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Register Now For Tate Cheerleaders’ Lil Aggies Summer Camp
June 15, 2021
The Tate High School Cheerleaders’ Lil Aggies Summer Camp is coming up the last week of the month, and now is the time to register.
The registration forms and payment are due by Wednesday, June 23. The camp will take place at Tate Monday, June 28 through Wednesday, June 30 from 8 a.m. until noon each day. The camp Tate Aggies cheerleaders will each atheletes the property stretch techniques, sideline cheers and chants, proper jump techniques and motion placement, as well as stunting and tumbling skill building. There will also be fun games, engaging activities, snacks and drinks.
For registration information, click or tap here.
District 5 Commissioner Barry To Hold Town Hall Meeting In Molino
June 15, 2021
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry will host a town hall meeting on Monday, June 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Molino Community Center.
Residents are invited and encouraged to attend the open forum event.
The Molino Community Center is located at 6450 Highway 95A.
Pictured: Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry at February 2019 town hall meeting at the Molino Community Center. NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Eric Randall Sworn In As New Pensacola Police Chief
June 15, 2021
Eric Randall was sworn in Monday as the new chief of the Pensacola Police Department.
Randall was selected as the police chief in May after a nationwide search, public participation and thorough review by the selection committee and mayor.
“I am so honored to have been chosen as the Chief of Police for the Pensacola Police Department, and I look forward to all the amazing things we will do together,” he said. “PPD is the key to making Pensacola a safe place to live, work, visit, and raise a family. In order to achieve this goal, we have to work as an innovative and collaborative team. We will work hard together to lead our department and city into the future.”
Randall was the assistant chief with the Newport News Police Department. He is originally from Pensacola and graduated from Washington High School.
Sacred Heart Vaccination Clinic Thursday At Olive Baptist Church
June 15, 2021
Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart will hold a vaccination clinic on Thursday, June 17 at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.
The clinic will offer the Pfizer vaccine for individuals 12 and older from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those who get vaccinated will have their second dose scheduled for July 8.
Walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment online, go to www.getsacredheartcare.com.
A parent or guardian must accompany persons under age 18.
Update: Superintendent Drops Proposal To Eliminate Valedictorian, Salutatorian Honors
June 14, 2021
Monday, Escambia County School District Superintendent Dr. Tim Smith pulled a controversial plan change from the school board agenda that would have eliminated high school valedictorians and salutatorians at the county’s high schools.
Beginning with students in the incoming freshmen class this fall, the valedictory and salutatory awards would have longer be presented under an updated student progression plan. If approved, there would have been no valedictorian or salutatorian named at high schools in Escambia County beginning with the graduating class of 2025.
Instead, the Latin honors of Cum Laude, defined by the district as the top 20% of students at a high school, Magna Cum Laude (top 10%) and Summa Cum Laude (top 5%) ” would have soleby been used to identify high achieving students,” according to the proposed plan.
After an earlier version of this NorthEscambia.com story published Monday morning, hundreds of people took our comments section, our social media sites and other social media pages to blast the proposal. Before the board meeting, it was very hard to find a comment in support of dropping the valedictorian and salutatorian honors.
“I’ve been appalled at some of the discussion points. I’ve been called and told, ‘have read this and have you read this’,” District 5 board member Bill Slayton said.
“Our community, I’m not sure, I really have to say I don’t care whether you like it or not,” Slayton said. “I appreciate and want the opportunity to continue this conversation, and let’s see where it goes from there.”
“It is a subject that I would like to continue to get information on and release it to the public,” he said. “I think there are group of people out there that will support this because I don’t believe they find it to be that necessary. There are people out there that believe it is very important to their child.”
“We do give everybody a trophy. It’s called a diploma and they earned it,” Slayton added.
“It is not giving everyone a trophy; it is not about no competition,” board member Patty Hightower said, detailing the reasons why the awards might should be eliminated.
“What I would like to see us do is have some conversations with students about this process,” she said. “I think we do need that competition … but I would like to have that conversation with students. How do you feel? How would you feel? What do you think this is going to do? Then have that conversation with parents.”
School board members Kevin Adams and Paul Fetsko both said they had received a large number of contacts, all of which were against the plan.
Fetsko said over 400 people had contacted him, “and not a single one wants it to stop.”
Adams said making such a decision would be a slippery slope when the very best students are honored in sports and other school programs.
Board members did discuss that sometimes students must choose whether to pursue the goal of being top of the class or make decisions to take part in other activities or sports.
“If something else more important, then you make decisions,” Fetsko said. “And that’s what goes on in life. In life you have to make decisions, you have to decide what you are going to set at a priority and you’re not. And that’s a healthy thing to do.”
The proposal originated with Lesa Morgan, the school district’s director of high school education. She said the problem is pressure on the students and how it can impact their wellbeing.
“It can be devastating,” Morgan said, for those that are just a fraction of a point away from the top. “This day and time, we all know the whole world is fragile. There’s a lot of stress, especially on our young folks … the competition can be very unhealthy, an unhealthy obsession.”
She said students working for the top of the class does not always participate in other activities.
Gilley Proposes Warning To Anyone Contacting Escambia County By Email Or Online
June 14, 2021
Escambia County Administrator Janice Gilley is proposing a warning to anyone contacting the county by email that their IP address may be public record.
The move comes after an anonymous Escambia County employee made an anonymous public records request in an apparent effort to potentially reveal the identity of the person that made an anonymous email records request for documents. The county received an email request in late April from an email address with no name — an email that on the surface appears to not identify the sender.
“The IT Director (Siders) believed it would be unethical, and a violation of the anonymity provisions in Chapter 119 (Florida public records law) as a public entity, to effectively identify that person making the request through providing their IP address. I agreed with his decision,” Gilley wrote.
Escambia County Attorney Alison Rogers disagreed, saying the header containing IP addresses is part of the email and thus public record.
“Under Florida law, a public record must be disclosed unless there is a specific exemption,” Rogers told NorthEscambia.com. “We consulted with the Attorney General’s Office. They found no exemption and advised that it was a public record that must be disclosed.”
This Thursday, Gilley is asking the county commission for new warnings to the public that their IP address might be disclosed.
“This will provide further notice to the public,” Gilley said in a written memo.
“It is common knowledge that providing a specific IP address is similar to providing the location or name of the person who sent the message. IP addresses are unique, and disclosing the IP address of the anonymous citizen in question could ultimately reveal that person’s identity and render them anonymous no more — which could be in violation of the law. So the County will change the disclaimers to appropriately notify the public,” Gilley continued.
In part, Gilley is proposing the following disclaimer additions:
- On the county’s public records request system — “To submit a public records request to better ensure anonymity, you will not be able to use the online service or email.”
- On the county website — “If you do not want your email address or IP address released in response to a public records request, do not send your request electronically but make your request via phone.”
- And on all county email taglines: “Under Florida law, both the content of emails, email addresses and IP addresses are public records. If you do not want the content of your email, your email address, or your IP address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity.”
The Escambia County Commission will consider Gilley’s disclaimer requests at their next meeting on Thursday.
In the case of the IP address of the anonymous email requester that was later requested by an anonymous county employee, NorthEscambia.com and an independent cybersecurity expert determined the IP address was not unique and did not disclose any identifying information about email sender. For more information, read “NorthEscambia.com Investigates: Escambia Employee Makes Anonymous Records Request To Identify Anonymous Citizen (And Why It Won’t Work)“.
NorthEscambia.com graphic.
New Signal At Highway 29, Molino Road Becomes Operational Tuesday
June 14, 2021
The new traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 29 and Molino Road is set to become operational at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 15.
The signal is currently in flash mode to acquaint motorists with the new location. The Florida Department of Transpiration said drivers are urged to use caution when approaching the intersection.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Jay High’s Carson Walters, First National Merit Finalist In School History, Receives Auburn Scholarship
June 14, 2021
Jay High School Class of 2021 graduate Carson Walters has been awarded the National Merit Auburn University Scholarship. Walters is the first National Merit Scholar finalist to graduate from Jay High.
College-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners are a part of a distinguished group of about 7,500 high school seniors who will receive National Merit Scholarships for college undergraduate study worth a total of nearly $30 million. Walters lists his probable career field as orthopedic surgery and will be attending Auburn University in the fall.
AAA Says Florida Gas Prices Are The Highest Since 2014
June 14, 2021
Florida gas prices increased as projected last week, with the state average jumping 12 cents. The increase was following significant gains in the prices of crude oil and gasoline futures, as the recovery in global fuel demand outpaces supply, according to AAA.
The average price per gallon in Florida is now $2.97, the most expensive since 2014.
In Escambia County, the average price per gallon was also $2.97 Sunday night. The lowest price to be found in Cantonment was $2.87 on Highway 29 in Cantonment, while in Pensacola two warehouse clubs were at $2.72.
“Fortunately, futures prices flattened out last week, so drivers should not face another round of rising prices this week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.