SPORTS SCHOOLS FAITH Ryals, Willets sign Hear ye! Top academic 5 generations college scholarships achievers honored at baptism Gulf Breeze High’s Hear ye! Honor rolls for the third Noah James Dozier Ashleigh Ryals will nine weeks of the gets baptized as four play golf and Tyler Hear ye! 2009-2010 school year generations of Willets soccer at the have been released by relatives look on next level. 1C area principals. 6-8C with pride. 7A A W A R D ●● W II N N II N G 50¢ YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER April 22, 2010 Midway mother: ‘I killed my baby’ ■ Thirty-four-year-old admits ent who lived with her parole. A responding deputy located Vasquez to suffocating her 8-day-old mother and step-father in According to a Santa and instructed her to come out of the CRIME SCENE the 5800 block of Congress Rosa Sheriff’s Office inci- woods. She emerged without her child daughter in wooded area Street in Midway/Gulf dent report, Vasquez had and reportedly uttered, “I suffocated Breeze, is being held with- given birth to baby her.” Deputies located the deceased baby BY JOE CULPEPPER out bond in the Santa Rosa Madison on April 8, which wrapped in a blanket on the ground in the Gulf Breeze News County Jail on a charge of coincided with the moth- woods. She appeared to have been dead [email protected] capital murder. Vasquez is er’s 34th birthday. The sus- for some time. believed to have suffocated pect’s step-father contacted Vasquez, also the mother of a 2-year- The Midway woman charged with her week-old infant daugh- authorities late Friday old child, told an investigator that she killing her 8-day-old daughter last Friday ter, Madison Marie Florez, Michelle M. Vasquez afternoon and reported that was unemployed and had no source of told an investigator “I killed my baby” in nearby woods on April 15 or 16. Vasquez was in the woods across from income. She stated that she decided last and “I am a murderer” before her arrest. Capital murder in Florida is punish- their residence with the baby, who he Thursday to leave home with the baby to Michelle Marie Vasquez, a single par- able by death or life in prison without believed might be deceased. See CRIME, Page 2A VETERANS What will our visit World War II roads look like MEMORIAL in 25 years? Transportation officials seek RIGHT: Veterans Allen S. “Doc” Holliday, 94, and Everett L. French, input to craft future concepts 85, flank Guardian Doug Broxson in front of the World War II Memorial transit needs between 2010 and BY PAM BRANNON fountain during the sixth Emerald 2035. Coast Honor Flight on April 14. Gulf Breeze News [email protected] Wiley Page of the PBS&J BELOW, RIGHT: Billy B. Belcher is consulting firm working on the Would you like to see a third long-range plan told the TPO moved to tears by a hand-written and bridge built from Gulf Breeze to board last week that planners colored note card after “mail call” on Pensacola to help with traffic need input from Gulf Breeze the flight to Washington, D.C. congestion and storm evacuation? residents. He said planners want Escambia County School children Or would you prefer a second to see what concept residents raised $140,000 to fully fund last layer of roadway over U.S. would prefer in moving people week’s Emerald Coast Honor Flight. Highway 98 in Gulf Breeze? from Gulf Breeze to Pensacola “I’m just overwhelmed emotionally by You can let the state’s road and back in the future. the effort put forward by these school planners know what you think “We recognize something children,” Belcher said. “They raised and why at a workshop today has to be done,” Page said. “We money, wrote us letters. I cannot (April 22) from 5:30 p.m. to 7 are right now looking at three describe what the support they’ve p.m. at the South End Service options,” he said. shown means to me.” Center in Midway. See TRANSPORTATION, Page 2A The Florida-Alabama Trans- portation Planning Organization Related inside is holding workshops in the ■ Transportation official county this week to gain input says local governments may in the long-range planning for have to generate own money Photos by Vici Papajohn/ roads and bridges and mass to fund road projects, 3D Gulf Breeze News Full-page coverage, 1B American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life aims to help eliminate disease Life, the annual event that who lost their battle, to the joy the whole family, offering din- face painting, a basketball “Do not eat before you come BY LISA NEWELL evokes the gamut of human of children winning prizes at ner, dessert, shopping and more, shootout, washer toss, crab to Relay,” Shannon Gulf Breeze News [email protected] emotions. From the pride of old-fashioned carnival game with every cent going toward races, massages and even rides Westmoreland, Relay publicity cancer survivors taking their lap booths and the comfort of the fight against cancer. in the Re/Max hot-air balloon. chair, reminds attendees. “There It’s big. It’s purple. It’s com- around the track at Dolphin friends visiting in lawn chairs Local bands will entertain The event begins at 6 p.m. will be so much local food that ing Friday night. Stadium to the sadness in hear- outside their tents. while team members walk the and lasts through the night and it’s hard to begin to list it.” It’s the Gulf Breeze Relay for ing the names called of those Relay for Life is an event for track for a cure. There will be into Saturday at noon. See RELAY, Page 3A INSIDE ON NEWSTANDS NOW WEEKEND Weather-plus Calendar . .2A Island News . .1D home! Classifieds . .3D Lifestyles . .1B Community . .2-8A Obituaries . .7A your Crossword . .3B On the Spot . .6A FRI 4/23 SAT 4/24 SUN 4/25 MON 4/26 Faith . .7A Opinion . .6A PARTLY POSSIBLE POSSIBLE PARTLY Home and Garden . .4D Sports . .1-8C CLOUDY STORMS STORMS CLOUDY Fire Reports . .2A Talk of the Town . .4B high 81 high 79 high 82 high 81 low 67 low 68 low 65 low 61 “Mailing Statement on Opinion Page” FOUR SECTIONS, 24 PAGES | VOL. 9, NO. 16 | APRIL 22, 2010 Call 932-8986 today Call 932-8986 today GULF BREEZE NEWS (850) 932-8986 www.gulfbreezenews.com Enjoy your community paper community your Enjoy mailed directly to mailed directly 2 A April 22, 2010 GULF BREEZE NEWS TRANSPORTATION: Three options Thursday, April 22 1500 Woodlawn on drawing table Commission Regular 9 Way, Gulf Breeze Marine Advisory Continued from page 1A a.m., County Administrative Center, 6495 Caroline 5 p.m., County Administrative ■ One would be building another Street, Milton Santa Rosa County Center, 6495 bridge that would come from the Caroline Street, Garcon Point area and have landfall School Board 9 a.m., Milton somewhere in the bay area of Gulf District headquarters, 5086 Canal Street, Milton Breeze. Wednesday, ■ Another option would be to have a bridge from Gregory Street in Tuesday, April 27 May 5 Pensacola to the Naval Live Oaks area Joe Culpepper/Gulf Breeze News Gulf Breeze City Board Gulf Breeze so drivers could access Three Mile This is the home on Congress Street in Midway where 8-day-old Madison Marie of Adjustments 6:30 p.m., Chamber of Bridge faster to get to Gulf Breeze and Florez lived for roughly a week with her troubled mother, Michelle Marie Vasquez, 1070 Shoreline Drive, Gulf Commerce Pensacola Beach. before allegedly having her life squeeze out of her on April 16 in the nearby Breeze Governmental Affairs ■ A third option would be to use a woods. Vasquez faces a capital murder charge. Committee 4 p.m., mass-transit bus system to move people Wednesday, Chamber Conference Room, back and forth. April 28 409 Gulf Breeze Parkway, “A bridge is very expensive, and if CRIME: Suspect held baby tightly Gulf Breeze tolls are high you may have a bridge sit- Santa Rosa Island Citizen Advisory Task ting there and not being used, and that would seek help. Vasquez reportedly Authority Committee 5 Continued from page 1A Force (CATF) Neighborhood helps no one,” Page said. “Maybe a bus responded, “You do not want to see the baby p.m., SRIA Headquarters, 1 live on the streets, expressing her belief that Stabilization Program 1:30 system would be the answer, if people right now because she is dead.” Via de Luna Drive, she was a burden on her family. Vasquez p.m., Conference Room, want to use it.” The suspect’s step-father flagged down a Pensacola Beach explained she took Madison into the woods 6051 Old Bagdad Highway, Florida-Alabama TPO board mem- passing deputy shortly after 6 p.m. Friday Gulf Breeze City Council and, at some point, held the child very tight- Milton ber and Santa Rosa County ly to comfort her. and led them to the scene. Vasquez was Executive Committee 6:30 Commissioner Robert Cole said he During questioning, Vasquez told the arrested shortly after 11 p.m. p.m., City Council Chamber, would like to see a second-layer road investigator she knew the difference The crime scene is about a mile from the 1070 Shoreline Drive, Gulf Thursday, May 6 considered. between right and wrong and what she did Santa Rosa County Health Department’s Breeze Blackwater Soil and “I would never support the concept of to Madison was wrong.