NWE Football To Meet
January 3, 2010
Youth football might be months away, but Northwest Escambia is getting geared up.
New officers and coaches for the 2010 season will be elected during the next NWE football meeting this afternoon at 2:00 at the Ernest Ward Middle School gym. Anyone interested in participating should attend this important meeting. For more information, contact Charles Williams at 327-4603.
Frigid Florida: Hard Freeze Warning, Tonight’s Low About 20
January 3, 2010
(Updated 5 p.m.) There is a hard freeze warning in effect for tonight, with an overnight low expected to be around 20 degrees in the North Escambia Area.
But that’s not the end of our frigid Florida weather. Monday and Tuesday night are forecast to be down to 17 degrees. It will “warm” to the mid 20’s Wednesday and Thursday nights before another cold front drops our overnight lows to 19 again Friday.
Here is your North Escambia forecast:
- Tonight…Clear. Lows around 20. North winds around 5 mph.
- Monday…Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday Night…Mostly clear. Lows 13 to 18. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming around 5 mph after midnight.
- Tuesday…Sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming 5 to 15 mph in the afternoon.
- Tuesday Night…Clear. Lows 9 to 14. Northwest winds around 5 mph.
- Wednesday…Sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.
- Wednesday Night…Not as cold. Clear in the evening becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s.
- Thursday…Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain. Highs around 50. Chance of rain 40 percent.
- Thursday Night…Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain. Lows 27 to 32. Chance of rain 40 percent.
- Friday…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
- Friday Night…Colder. Mostly clear. Lows around 19.
- Saturday…Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
- Saturday Night…Mostly clear. Lows around 19.
- Sunday…Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
HARD FREEZE WARNING
Temperatures will fall below freezing later this evening…and drop
into the lower twenties by early Monday morning with upper teens in
some locations. Slightly colder temperatures are forecast for Tuesday
morning and another hard freeze warning will likely be required.
A hard freeze warning means that temperatures are expected to drop
below 26 degrees for more than 5 hours. These conditions will be a
threat to the lives of the elderly and homeless who have no heat or
are using space heaters without modern safety features. Pets and
livestock should also be protected. There could also be damage to
sensitive vegetation and exposed plumbing…and also to water based
cooling systems of automobiles and stationary engines. Area
residents and agencies are urged to make final preparations for these
freezing conditions including checks on the elderly and provisions
for the homeless.
2009 In Pictures: July And August
January 3, 2010
We are taking a look back at 2009 through some of the thousands of photos we ran here on NorthEscambia.com. Today, we are featuring some of the best and most interesting photos from July and August.
About two weeks after the Billings murders, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan sat down with just one media outlet — NorthEscambia.com — to talk about what life was like for him personally behind the scenes of the investigation.
Children at Faith Bible Baptist Church in Bluff Springs had a chance to learn about firefighting from the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue.
Fire heavily damaged a home on Meadows Road.
An abandoned house on Juniper Street in Walnut Hill burns.
Action from Northwest Escambia versus Niceville-Valparaiso at Bradberry Park in the Junior League All-Star Tournament.
NWE versus Pace.
Anna Lee, 5, decided to cool off with a hose during a car wash at the First Baptist Church of Bratt.
Cold Weather Alert
January 3, 2010
Escambia County emergency management officials are urging residents to prepare for extremely cold weather conditions over the next couple of days. Overnight temperatures are forecast for the low 20’s in the southern portion of the county and in the teen’s in the northern portion of Escambia County.
Residents should remember the five “P’s” of cold weather safety.
- Protect Plants- Bring potted plants indoors or cover to protect from the cold temperatures.
- Protect Pipes- Protect exposed pipes with insulation and inside pipes by maintaining a minimum 60 degree indoor temperature.
- Protect Animals- Shelter or bring animals indoors for protection from the cold.
- Protect People- Stay indoors. If you must be outside, wear multiple layers of warm clothing; stay dry; and stay protected from the wind.
- Practice Fire Safety- Use safe heating sources; be aware of the dangers of space heaters and candles; keep flammable materials (curtains, clothing and furniture) away from heating sources; and have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Waterfront Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army continue to provide cold weather shelter for the local homeless population. Emergency management officials and the Red Cross will continue to monitor conditions in the event additional cold weather shelters are needed.
2009 Persons Of The Year: Sonja Luker
January 2, 2010
Sonja Luker of Molino has been named one of our North Escambia Persons of the Year.
What would a Christmas parade in Molino be without Santa Claus? And Sonja Luker?
Sonja has been the driving force behind the Molino Christmas Parade for years. She has served tirelessly for years on the board of directors for the Molino Recreation Association. Took part in Relay for Life, Special Olympics…the list just goes on and on. Helping the communities of North Escambia has been her calling.
Earlier this year, doctors told Sonja to prepare for the end because, once again, chemotherapy and radiation were unable to destroy all of the cancer cells attacking her body. As Sonja tried to come to terms with the devastating news, she began to wonder how she will tell her children that she will not live long enough to see them marry, how she would tell her parents that she would probably die before them.
But then there was a glimmer of hope that has turned into a real promise. A doctor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas was convinced that he could trick her body genetically, preventing tumors from forming.
Sonja was first diagnosed with cancer about five years ago when her son was a senior in high school. Her son Timothy is now 22 and daughter Samantha is 21.
“All I did was pray for God to let me see my children graduate,” she said. “I got my miracle.”
For Sonja, there’s always someone that needs help more than she does.
“I do what I do because I like to help,” she said. “There is always somebody worse that I am.”
Our communities did reach out and help Sonja back in September as dozens of motorcyclists took part in a 75-mile Labor Day ride from Atmore.
She said at that time that she was “a little overwhelmed by all of the people that want to help me. I would rather give than receive. I have the most amazing friends in the world.”
She did ask for one thing in return.
“I want to make sure that everybody gets involved with Relay for Life,” she said. “It if were not for the cancer research money provided by Relay for Life, I would have not a chance right now in my fight. I would have no hope if it were not for Relay for Life.”
Pictured top: Chris and Sonja Luker at a benefit motorcycle ride in Atmore in September. Pictured top inset: Sonja rides on float during the 2009 Molino Christmas Parade. Pictured bottom inset: Sonja (in purple) at the North Pensacola Relay for Life at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Deputies Seek Info On 1981 Murder
January 2, 2010
It was 29 years ago on the afternoon of January 2, 1981 that 9-year old Kenneth Deshun Underwood and three companions went bird hunting in the woods near their Cantonment home. Everyone returned home that afternoon except for Underwood.
When Underwood was still not home around 6 p.m., Escambia County Search and Rescue personnel were called. The area were Underwood was last seen alive was canvassed. His body was discovered about 5:45 the next morning –apparently murdered — in an area near Booker Street.
The case remains unsolved, and now the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help because they believe someone in our area still has information about Underwood’s death.
If you know anything about the death of Kenneth Deshun Underwood, 9, you are asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580 or Crime Stopper at (850) 433-STOP (7867). Crime Stoppers also receives tips at gulfcoastcrimestoppers.org.
Pictured above: The fourth grade photo of murder victim Kenneth Deshun Underwood of Cantonment. Pictured below: The highlighted area in this map shows were the body was found. Submitted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gulf Winds Members Share $1 Million Payout
January 2, 2010
At a time when our community is still feeling the crunch of an economic downturn, the board of directors of Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union has announced that a bonus dividend pool of over $1,000,000 has been paid to Gulf Winds members with share accounts effective December 31, 2009, putting much needed spending money back into the local economy.
“This dividend payout to more than 42,000 members is one of the principles that sets a credit union apart from other financial institutions in our community,” said Fred Houston, chairman of the board. “Members receiving their portion of this unexpected one million dollar dividend bonus should be pleasantly surprised when they check their December 2009 statement.”
“It’s the opposite of a bank bailout,” said Gulf Winds CEO Chris J. Rutledge, “Instead of the taxpayers giving hard-eared money to a bank, Gulf Winds is giving money back to our members living in the communities we serve.”
“Credit Unions are different from banks because we are owned by our members,” Rutledge said. “We work for our members instead of a profit. And when we exceed our collective financial goals, we give back to our members. This bonus dividend communicates the credit union difference to members in a way that they are likely to remember…with cash.”
Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution with over $375 million in assets, serving more than 42,000 members. Gulf Winds has 10 branches located in Pensacola, Milton, Gulf Breeze, Atmore and Brewton. For more information, click here.
Bratt Student To Raise Money For Children’s Hospital Today
January 2, 2010
Inspired by a cartoon, a nine-year old Bratt Elementary School student will hold a charity walk Saturday for Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.
Logan Doremus was inspired to organize the walk after watching a PBS cartoon in which the character Arthur and his friends held a bike-a-thon for cancer research, his mother Shannon Doremus said. Logan had surgery at Sacred Heart for a rare bone condition in 2003, prompting him to raise money for the children and families served by the children’s hospital.
“He has a big heart and wants to do well,” Shannon said.
The walk will take place 1:00 Saturday afternoon at Tom Byrne Park on Lindberg Avenue in Atmore. Logan is asking everyone that walks to donate $1 or more. For more information on the walk or how to make a donation, email shanabelld33@hotmail.com. Donations can also be mailed to 7650 Hodges Road, Century FL 32535.
Year In Review North Escambia’s Biggest Stories Of 2009: June
January 2, 2010
NorthEscambia.com is looking back at 2009 with our “Year in Review” series. Each day, we will review the biggest stories of 2009. Today, we take a look at the biggest stories of June 2009.
Signs advertising a Vacation Bible School event at Highland Baptist Church in Molino were stolen at least twice from around the community.
Archaeologists from the University of West Florida were hard at work in June uncovering the past in Molino, looking hard for a mission settlement dating back to the 1750’s.
Funeral services were held for Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office Major Tommy America who died after enduring a long battle with cancer.
The Escambia County Comprehensive Annual Finance Report showed that each Escambia resident’s share of the county debt was $389.
Battery charges were dropped against a Town of Century employee that reportedly left a state prisoner unattended in a store parking lot while he got into fight inside the store.
June was hot…with multiple days over the 100 degree mark.
Plans moved forward for Escambia County’s first hurricane pet shelter at Molino Park Elementary.
A Century convenience store was robbed at gunpoint. The robber ran from the store with the register.
Elton Gilmore of McDavid retired after 32 years of service in the Florida Division of Forestry.
The Tri-County All-Stars were eliminated from the District 1 Little League 8-9 Year Old All Stars Tournament with a loss to Defuniak Springs.
Paul Edward Black, a sergeant at the Century Correctional Institution, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of possession of child pornography. In an unrelated case, another North Escambia man, Perry Leonard Gibbs of Bratt, was arrested and charged with molesting a child under the age of 12.
In a bizarre accident in Molino, a woman hit a horse on Highway 29, ripping the van apart. A second car hit the horse and overturned several times, and a third car also struck the animal’s remains.
The Escambia County Commission rejected a 3-cent gas tax to help fund mass transit in the county.
The Northview High School Food For America progrm was named one of top two such programs in Florida.
The Escambia County School Board approved the final documents to sell the old Molino School to Escambia County.
The Town of Century received a $1.5 million grant toward a water project that includes a new elevated storage tank and miles of new water main.
Over 5,000 people attend the first annual Escambia County Blueberry Jamboree sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com at the Barrineau Park Community Center.
Century Mayor Freddie McCall appealed to the Escambia County Commission to ask them to urge Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley to reopen her office in Century.
Scott Joseph Thompson was charged with the murder of a Cantonment woman, Cheryl Cain. Cain’s body was found in a dumpster at an abandoned Pensacola gas station.
A Molino couple — Max and Julie Kent — held a yard sale at their home to sell all of their possession before heading to mission field in Guatemala.
Authorities in two states were on the lookout for a suspect after women were mugged in Walnut Hill and Atmore.
Solutia completed the sale of their nylon division, including their plant near Cantonment, to a New York-based private equity capital group. The company was renamed Ascend Performance Materials.
Century Care Residents Celebrate 2010
January 2, 2010
Seniors at the Century Care Center rang in the New Year in a grand fashion Friday. The residents enjoyed a little non-alcoholic “bubbly”, finger foods, cake and more. The party was complete with party favors and hats as the Century Care Center residents welcomed 2010.
Submitted photos by Mae Hildreth for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.