Pensacola News Journal from Pensacola, Florida • 8

SECOND RIM The Pensacola Journal Thursday, November 3, 1983 News, classified, circulation: Fort Walton Beach 243-7686 Crestview. 682-4533 Fori Walton Beach W02 Hospital continues to ail Walton Mark O'Brien Journal Columnist LI 4r mf' By MARY V.JONES Journal StoH Writer DEFUNIAK SPRINGS The Walton County commissioners declared themselves out of the hospital business when their facility was leased to Baptist Regional Health Services in 1982, but expenses continue to come in. The latest unexpected bill is a $79,718 assessment from the Department of Insurance. The department says the bill covers the county's share of patient's compensation claims for the years between 1976 and 1981 inclusive. "We agreed to pay it, because we have no choice, but where we'll get the money will depend on what the county clerk can find for us," District 2 Commissioner Sam Pridgen said Wednesday.

Failure to pay the assessment by mid-November would cost the county 12 percent in interest fees. The assessment has been levied against all hospitals, physicians, surgeons, surgical centers, professional associations and health providers who were members of the Florida Patient's Compensation Fund during those years. John W. Odem, general manager of the fund in Tallahassee, said the fund's Board of Governors has certified there is a deficiency in the amount of money available to pay claims for the five membership years. The fund is insurance to cover patients claims against health care providers.

The criteria for assessment is based on the past and prospective loss and expense experience of health care providers in di-ferent types of practice, the prior claims experience of the providers covered under the fund, and the actual fees paid by the members of the fund. The Board of Governors, after full evaluation and consideration of the fund's financial position, certified to the Insurance commissioner a total deficit of $55 million for reassessment, Odem said. The county levy under the state assess ment plan totaled $1,659 for 1976-77, $13,992 for 1977-78, $17,321 for 1978-79, $29,684 for 1979-80 and $17,062 for 1980-81. In addition to the assessment for the patient's compensation fund, the board recently received a bill for nearly $10,000 authorized for payment of a change order in the hospital remodeling project. "It never stops, that hospital just continues to drain us even after we thought we were through with it," said District 3 Commissioner Bob Anderson.

In 1982, the hospital was turned over to the Baptist Regional Health Services un- See WALTON, Page 2C Greyhound to idle bus service during strike Merchant loses friends, business Seven years ago, Vinny Ellner bought his first bird, a cockateel. Vinny named the bird Gabby. His interest in exotic birds began to build after that, and what had been merely a hobby became his business. Five years ago, he opened Picadilly Pet Shop in suburban Atlanta and began selling, boarding and caring for exotic birds. He also added tropical fish to his shop.

One Sunday night, Vinny closed up his booth at the Atlanta Civic Center Home Show, where he annually displays some of his birds. "People love our birds," he said. "They add so much color and joy to the setting." Last year, Picadilly Pet Shop was given the "most outstanding booth" award at the home show. Vinny and his wife stopped off for dinner before heading home. Soon after they reached home they heard sirens.

Fifteen minutes later the police called Vinny to tell them there had been a fire at his pet shop. He rushed to the scene. When he arrived firemen asked him to unlock the door to the back of his store, where they believed less damage had been done. Once inside, Vinny Ellner was devastated at what he saw. All the birds, except two that were being boarded in the back of his store because they were ill, were dead.

The fish in only one aquarium were still alive. Vinny Ellner and other witnesses complained about how the fire department handled the situation. One witness said the fire department took its time about arriving and then waited for Vinny Ellner to bring keys to the shop rather than going in on their own to attempt to save the birds and fish. Fire officials said, however, that the color of the smoke firemen saw inside when they arrived indicated nothing could yet be alive in the shop, and that they feared breaking in at that point might cause an explosion because of heat buildup inside the shop. "These men have to make split-second decisions when they arrive at an said Fire Marshal Richard Waits.

Regardless, Vinny Ellner was left to clean up what remained of his shop next morning. When he talked about what he found, his voice shook with emotion. "You can't imagine what it was like," he said. "I came in and found all those little bodies of my birds. The sprinkler system worked and put out the fire, but it was all that smoke that killed my pets." Vinny's latest count had 386 birds dead.

Their value was over $30,000. He also lost $2,400 worth of fish, including two three-foot-long nurse sharks. Vinny's first bird, Gabby, died in the fire. "He had been my friend for years," he said. Vinny also lost Hymie, an Amazon parrot with a 30-word vocabulary.

"He was an amazing bird," Vinny said. "He was our star. People would come in just to see him. People would walk in off the streets just to feed him french fries and listen to him crow like a rooster." Vinny said his insurance would cover only about $8,000 of the damage, but he wasn't going to let the fire bring an end to Picadilly. Two other birds, Leo, the rollerskating macaw, and Chuckles, the Amazon parrot who answered the phone at the shop, are all he has-left.

They escaped the fire only because Vinny and his wife had displayed them at the home show and decided to take them home instead of dropping them off at the shop. "We'll be back," said Vinny Ellner. immmt fk '(AvkuMM Staff photo by Gary McCracken From ifaH and wire report The Greyhound Corp. prepared to shut down bus service temporarily as union and company officials agreed Wednesday that a "final" contract offer made a strike all but certain. Greyhound stood firm Wednesday on its demand for sharp wage concessions from 12,700 drivers, terminal, maintenance and office workers, saying the concessions are necessary for the bus division to remain competitive.

Both company and union officials agreed this meant a nationwide walkout at 1 a.m. toduy. The Pensacola terminal was to close at 10:30 Wednesday night, a Greyhound worker said earlier in the day. The Inst scheduled departure before the strike deadline was to leave at 10 p.m., heading west to Mobile. Workers at the Pensacola station were instructed Wednesday afternoon to sell tickets up to the Mobile departure.

In Fort Walton Beach, the station closed at 7 p.m. according to a Greyhound official there. One of the last buses to leave the terminal was a through bus to San Francisco at 3:40 p.m., but the station official said the bus probably would be stopped at one of the terminals along the route before the strike deadline. John W. Teets, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, told a news conference Wednesday that intercity bus service would shut down at 1 a.m.

Greyhound carries about 60 percent of the nation's intercity bus passengers. Teets said Greyhound planned to resume operations as soon as possible, using new employees if necessary, but he had no timetable "because we don't know yet what the response will be from our employees." He said the Greyhound proposal would be mailed immediately to union members. Teets said resumption of service could be two weeks Or more away but "we intend to start operating again as soon as practical." Teets said the company had offered to extend the current contract for as long as necessary to allow members of the Amalgamated Transit Union to vote on what he described as the company's final offer. But, said Teets, the leadership of the union's Greyhound council "flatly refused." Harry Rosenblum, president of the 31 local council in Phoenix, said his membership already had rejected the company position when it authorized negotiators to call a strike by a more than 98 percent vote. He said the union had offered to continue to work indefinitely under the old contract's terms as long as meaningful negotiations continued or the dispute was placed in binding arbitration.

Escambia County Sheriff Vince Seely talks to reporters Wednesday as he shows off loot recovered in a four-month "sting" operation. Escambia 'sting operation garners $350, 000 in property By BILL DINGWALL Journal Staff Writer Posing as video-game operators, Escambia County undercover officers Wednesday ended a four-month "sting" operation that recovered an estimated $350,000 in stolen property and led to charges against more than 80 persons. Sheriff Vince Seely at a news conference unveiled details of the operation in which undercover officers set up a gaming room as a front to buy stolen goods. Thus far, more than 20 persons have been arrested on charges ranging from illegal drug sales to auto and residential burglary. The recovered stolen property some of which came from Alabama, Louisiana and other parts of West Florida included eight vehicles, dynamite, explosive devices, drugs, firearms, gambling equipment, silverware, television sets, electronic gear, motorcycles and outboard motors.

Most of the transactions were conducted at the Oakfield Pool Game Room, 6750 Old Palafox Highway, an operation that was set up by undercover officers as the front. "About 90 percent of all the transactions (at the gaming room) were filmed on tape," said Sgt. Joe Cardwell. Once the gaming room was established, it wasn't long before "word-of-mouth advertising" got around that the operators were willing to buy stolen property or drugs. Cardwell said, "You just have to let a few people know that you're involved with buying stolen goods and the word gets around Seely said the seizure of more than $350,000 in stolen property and drugs was obtained at a cost of only $3,200.

In addition, he said, there were 19 unrelated "spin-off investigations as a result of the sting operation, including narcotics cases, insurance fraud and gambling violations. The wide-ranging investigation was headed by Lts. Dick Barlow and Don See STING, Page 5C See GREYHOUND, Page 2C Work on new armaments museum may start in spring Tense scene Pensacola police officers huddle in the front yard of Ri-cardo Miller following a shooting incident Wednesday afternoon at the Miller-nome. No one was injured, but police said Miller stood in the front yard of his home and opened Are at a passing pickup truck occupied by two persons. Miller, 28, of 615 N.

A then went back in his home, pointed the pistol at another occupant, police said. Police were summoned and Miller was or- dered outside. At police headquarters, police said Miller kicked in a door to an interro- gation room. He faces three counts of aggravated assault and one count of destroying city property. His bail was set at $25,000.

Staff photo by Charlie Steed By MARGARET FIFIELD Journal StoH Writer FORT WALTON BEACH Groundbreaking for a million dollar Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base could be held "in early spring of next year," a member of the museum's building committee said recently. Col. William Lund, executive director of the Museum Foundation, said the new facility will be built just outside Eglin's West Gate. It will replace a former armament museum on Eglirt that was dismantled when the building in which it was housed was condemned, Lund said. The new museum will be more accessible to the public, Lund explained, since it will be located outside the military gate.

He said planners expect admission to the museum to be free. And more than a million visitors a year are expected, Lund said. According to information provided by Lund, the new Air Force Armament Museum is "the only facility dedicated to the display of Air Force armament in the United States." Lund said it will be a sort of "branch library" in relation to the (national) Air Force Museum, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. "There are other Air Force museums, but this one will not be just about Eglin," Lund said. The proposed 20,000 square-foot building will provide a "history of Air Force weaponry," with exhibits of more than 5,000 items ranging from World War I bombs and machine guns through Viet Nam era missiles and guided bombs.

Aircraft to be on display at the Eglin museum will range from World War II planes to more recent jet aircraft such as the F-101 and the F-104 fighters, according to the Air Force information. Among other exhibits, visitors to the museum will see rockets, guidance systems, ballistic and bomb computers, assault rifles, flares, maps and training programs and photographs. Air Force officials, as quoted in information about the new museum, believe the facility at Eglin will "capture a segment of the history of the United States Air Force as it relates to our See MUSEUM, Page 2C fell SSg Patrolling taxicab drivers will look for more than fares around, she said, it wouldn't matter if she were driving cab or working behind a counter. Urquhart, who has driven a cab for five years, also said it was important to support the police. "I think we've got a fine police department," she said.

"They're standing between me and the people who rob me." The ongoing program Is sponsored by the Southland Corp. and 7-Eleven Stores, who serve as taxi stands and offer cab drivers free coffee. Southland presents semiannual awards to drivers who make a substantial contribution through reporting emergencies. Cab driver B.W. (Carol) Ur-quhart said keeping alert and keeping the police informed was was something she and other cab drivers always have done.

She said now, with the extra training, they likely will look out for, and consequently notice, things they might not have paid attention to before. "Crime's got to be stopped," she said, "and it's goj to be stopped by everyone in the community with their eys and their ears." She said she does not fear retribution or driving a cab because most customers realize she is just doing her job. If a "nut" were Once the taxi driver reports the incidents to his dispatcher, the dispatcher notifies the appropriate agency. The visibility of the drivers In taxicabs is similar to that of police officers in patrol cars, Muhlbach said. "If they're alert, they're going to see a lot of things a patrolman would." He said the drivers weren't being placed in any danger because "they're trained not to get directly involved." The Police Department received 100 percent participation from the some drivers of the Cotton's Black and White, City and Efforts culminated in a training session Tuesday attended by 12 cab company owners and drivers, said crime prevention officer Chris Muhlbach.

During the hour-long session, cab drivers learned what to look for when they see suspicious activity. "We don't want them to take any direct action whatsover," Muhlbach said. "That is our job." Drivers were advised to reports treet crimes, including assaults, muggings, robberies, rapes, vandalism, and burglaries, as well as suspicious actions, fire, accidents, unusual occurrences and hazardous conditions. Yellow Cab companies, he said. Despite cab company owner J.C.

Cotton's willingness to help, Cotton said he was afraid of possible retribution from someone he might testify against in court. "It can happen easily," he said. "A cab driver is really dealing with some of the worst people in the world." He said, however, that he's been notifying police apf crimes for years. "If all of us will stand up and do our part, it will be a lot better for the whole public," Cotton said. "That's the only way to be in this world." By cheryl Michaels journal Staff Writer FORT WALTON BEACH Nine local taxicabs went on patrol for the Police Department this week as part of new program aimed at deterring crime and improving emergency services.

So far, law enforcement officers and taxi drivers alike said they are enthusiastic. The department began investigating the possibility of establishing the Taxis on Patrol program about three weeks ago at the suggestion of Cmdr. Jim Murdaugh, who now serves as interim police chief. i.