Pelicans host Gulf Breeze Chamber members. A W A R D ● W I N N I N page G Gulf Breeze News 5B Talk of the Town 50¢ YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER July 12, 2007 Resource SOUND Car crashes into office officers in OFF! BY VICI PAPAJOHN Gulf Breeze News jeopardy [email protected] BY PAM BRANNON Two young women in their early 20s Gulf Breeze News page were seriously injured when their car [email protected] Gulf Breeze News crashed into the Sea Green Center last Opinion Page 6A Thursday night. According to police, the Santa Rosa County Schools may car careened over the Highway 98 have fewer resource officers from the median after departing the Pensacola Sheriff Dept. next year walking Beach offramp at a high rate of speed, school halls and PAG E 8A and was launched into the shopping teaching D.A.R.E. center. The forward momentum of the (drug abuse preven- car was so great that even when the rein- tion program) class- forced concrete structure stopped the car es. But the decision ■ Islander itself, the engine separated from the car on how many the and continued into the office. school will have is a of the Week Alcohol is suspected in the wreck, and long way from being ■ charges are pending in the ongoing investi- made. That's what GBHS Bubba’s Beach gation. Police sources say both girls should Nancy Padgett, mem- Resource ■ fully recover, but are still hospitalized. ber of the district's Officer Mark Casting Nets administrative staff, Lyster ■ Christopher Green surveys the interi- told the school board Bands or damage, forefront at right while Thursday, June 28. on the Beach Sea Green Center owner Chris "Suddenly last week media people Green talks on the phone with his started calling, asking if we were cut- insurance company ting back on school resource officers. I do not know how it even hit the WEEKEND media that were had a meeting to dis- Weather Zoo considers closing doors See SCHOOL BOARD, Page 2A6 THURSDAY 7/12 ● Officials need $1 million by the end of 2007 Lawsuit filed Scat.T-Storms species. Zoo officials are asking BY FRANKLIN HAYES high 91O for pledges to see if there is over baseball O Gulf Breeze News low 77 [email protected] enough public interest to keep The Zoo in Gulf Breeze. posters FRIDAY 7/13 Could this be the last summer "We can't generate attendance to watch lions bask in the sun at fast enough to recover from the Scat. T-Storms hurricanes," said The Zoo's BY FRANKLIN HAYES O The Zoo - Northwest Florida? Gulf Breeze News high 90 Park officials say they need $3 Executive Director, H. Douglas O [email protected] low 77 million within the next year and Kemper Jr. The director pointed out that despite last December's at least $1 million of it by the An Illinois based publishing com- record-breaking attendance, end of 2007 to keep the park pany that allegedly collected revenue SATURDAY more visitors would be needed to 7/14 open. for an unauthorized Gulf Breeze High eliminate The Zoo's accrued Scat.T-Storms The Gulf Coast Zoological School Baseball poster is already in debt. Kemper projected the park O Society, the non-profit organiza- legal hot water. high 89 would need 180,000 visitors O tion that officially assumed man- The Illinois Attorney General's low 77 annually for the park to break agement responsibilities for the Office brought a civil suit against even, due to hurricane recovery park in 2004, is launching a Liberty Publishing, Inc. owner and Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News debt. In 2006, the park had a lit- SUNDAY 7/15 community-based fundraiser to President Michael Efting in May of Zoo Keeper Lori Holt of Milton feeds a male mandrill tle more than 147,000 visitors. Scat. T-Storms named Ben a small piece of melon. Zoo officials say save the 50-acre park that boasts this year. Court documents allege that O a collection of 1,400 different high 87 they may have to close down because of debt. See Zoo, Page 2A6 Liberty Publishing employees had O solicited businesses in at least 20 low 76 other states since 2004. The state prosecutor's office main- Navarre welcomes home war vet See Poster, Page 2A6 suffered a brain traumatic injury. INSIDE BY PAM BRANNON He is here for a couple City OK’s hotel Gulf Breeze News weeks, then will be sent to Ft. [email protected] Bragg to recover for at least six Business 4A concept for months. He said Saturday he Classifieds 7B Army Spc. David Moore of wants to go back to his unit in A Soundview Tr. Community 3&5 Navarre was given a 'Welcome Iraq after he is totally recovered, Crossword 7A Home' celebration by his com- but he knows his parents 'do not BY VICI PAPAJOHN Editorial 6A munity Saturday that he labeled want to hear that'. "It is impos- Gulf Breeze News Entertainment 7A as "unexpected and overwhelm- sible to explain why I would ing". About 100 people showed [email protected] Home and Garden 8B want to go back unless you have up with flags and smiles to wel- Island News 8A been there," he said. At its executive meeting last week, come the injured soldier home B Saturday Moore and his Gulf Breeze City Council granted Seniors 6B&8 from Iraq. fiance Brittany Smith, also of approval for the concept of an Extended Sports 1-5B Moore was injured June 10 Navarre, rode atop a convertible Stay Hotel for the commercial lot on the Talk of the Town 5A in Iraq's Triangle of Death, just in a parade down Hwy. 87 and corner of Soundview Trail. TV Listings 7A south of Baghdad, when a sui- Hwy. 98 to the Navarre “I just want it to be very clear that cide bomber drove a car into an Community Center, with rows this is approval of a concept,” stated “Mailing Statement is area where he was helping to and rows of motorcycles, the councilwoman Bev Zimmern. “There on Editorial Page” protect an overpass. The bomber Navarre Krewe of Jesters float, are a lot of things that still need to be TWO SECTIONS killed three American soldiers and Holley-Navarre Fire trucks. tweaked to meet new codes and stan- and wounded two others besides VOL. 6, NO. 28 A ceremony following the dards before final approval of this Moore. He recalls the blast, then JULY 12, 2007 parade included County property. But the concept is within the finding himself 'buried', and as Commission Chair Tom Stewart Pam Brannon/Gulf Breeze News parameters of the zoning and use as far he dug himself out he started reading a proclamation making David Moore, of Navarre, and his fiance, Brittany as I can see.” shooting with other soldiers Saturday David Moore Day in Smith, rode atop a convertible Saturday driven by Councilman Carl T. Hoffman noted close by to hold off insurgents World War II Veteran Bob Dodge and his wife Nell of that the parking lot turn around was until medical help arrived. He 6 See Soldier, Page 2A6 Navarre. Moore was injured last month in Iraq. not sufficient for emergency vehicle turn-around, and pointed out the insuf- ficient setbacks under new code. The home! Gulf Power gets high marks at Plant Smith council approved an office building for the site two years ago with similar Gulf Power's Plant Smith four years have passed since Gulf Power Company and industries including the ener- footprint to the proposed multi-story recently set a safety milestone the plant suffered any kind of the other Southern Company gy industry and electric utili- your hotel. The natural, protected wetlands and the company received recordable accident as defined utilities have been rated high- ties. Companies are ranked area on the south side of the lot will high marks in customer satis- by OSHA - the Occupational est in customer satisfaction based on customer responses offer significant barrier for the home- faction. Safety and Health among all electric utilities in in six key areas: perceived owners on Soundview Trail, according Safety is a way of life for Administration. the nation by the American quality, customer expecta- to the developers one group of employees in For Gulf Power, the issue of Customer Satisfaction Index. tions, perceived value, cus- Residents from Tall Pine Trail filled Northwest Florida. Gulf safety became very real four This is the eighth consecutive tomer satisfaction, customer the room to find out if rumors of an RV Power's Plant Smith near years ago. A Gulf Power line- year Gulf Power and Southern complaints and customer loy- park in Shoreline Park South were Panama City has set a new man was electrocuted in the Company have earned this alty. true. Though a passionate discourse safety record at the company. line of duty. Gulf Power pres- honor. Southern Company scored Call 932-8986 today Call 932-8986 today ensued, council assured them that the It has been more than six years ident and CEO Susan Story The American Customer 82 out of a possible 100, RV park was but one of nearly 20 sug since anyone working at Plant said that tragedy made every- Satisfaction Index is based on putting it on top of the electric Smith missed a day of work one rethink the importance of interviews with residential utilities, and well above the Enjoy your community paper community your Enjoy mailed directly to mailed directly See City, Page 2A6 due to injury, and more than safety on the job.