Anthony “Tony” Wayne Respress
May 11, 2013
Anthony “Tony” Wayne Respress, 52, a lifetime resident of Atmore, passed away Wednesday, May 8, 2013, in Pensacola, Fl. He was a truck driver, born on February 15, 1961 in Atmore to the late Amon and Evon Dannelley Respress. He was of the Baptist faith. He is preceded in death by his brother, Thomas Amon Respress.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia Rutherford Respress; two sons, Kristopher Bradley Respress and Colton Wayne Respress all of Atmore; two brothers, Donald A. Respress and John Michael (Joyce) Respress of Atmore; three sisters, Jean (Jerry) Mason of Atmore, Janice (Larry) Kyser of Pensacola and Susan (Charles) Maquire of Atmore; and a host of family and friends.
Services will be were held Friday, May 10, 2013, at the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. J.T. Guyton officiating. Interment was in McCullough Cemetery.
Active pallbearers were, John Michael Respress, Donald Alvin Respress, Adam Respress, David Respress, Sean Respress, and Clinton Kyser.
Honorary pallbearers were Terry Mason, Tim Mason, Dale Rutherford, Autry Ziglar, James Dannelly, Larry Kyser, Charles Maquire, and Jerry Mason.
Traffic: Construction Begins On Pensacola Beach Roadway, Toll Booth Improvements
May 11, 2013
Escambia County’s Public Works Department has started construction on more than $430,000 in roadway improvements designed to enhance traffic flow and address safety concerns for pedestrians headed to Pensacola Beach:
The improvements include:
- Extending the fourth lane approaching the toll plaza so vehicles can access that lane at the foot of bridge instead of a few yards away.
- Extending the fourth lane exiting the toll plaza to give vehicles more time to merge with traffic on Pensacola Beach Boulevard.
- Lengthening the eastern transponder beach pass lane from the foot of the bridge.
- Extending the turning lane into The Grand Marlin restaurant and bridge fishing pier on the south side of the toll plaza to provide more room for vehicles to stack up.
- Enlarging the right turn lane on the northbound side of Pensacola Beach Boulevard to improve access to the bridge fishing pier and The Grand Marlin.
- Installing a pedestrian crosswalk with pavement embedded flashing lights on Pensacola Beach Boulevard at the Quietwater Beach pavilion area to the east and Pensacola Beach Marina and the Elk’s Lodge on the west side of the street.
- Upgrading the toll plaza’s transponder readers and hardware to make them operate more efficiently.
This fall, toll plaza software and hardware improvements will eliminate toll gate arms, which slow traffic. Upgrades will include the installation of the state’s prepaid toll program, SunPass, or a similar system. This will significantly improve traffic flow through the toll booth, more than doubling the number of cars able to pass through the plaza during peak times to 2,350 cars per hour.
A photo enforcement system will be installed at the three manned booths where toll takers will continue to take cash. This will allow the lane arms to be removed, and violators who pass through the toll plaza without paying will receive a bill for the $1 toll, plus additional surcharges. Nonpayment of the toll and surcharges could result in a $100 fine plus additional surcharges per a state law governing toll plazas.
Work is currently underway and the major portion of the roadwork is expected within the next few weeks. Other work such as relocating utilities will continue for a few months.
In order to minimize disruptions to beach traffic, Escambia County has instructed its contractor – Panhandle Paving and Grading – to limit work hours from work a 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays only. Additionally, there may be instances when lanes will be shut down during evening hours to complete necessary work.
Jax Beats Pcola 1-0
May 11, 2013
Audy Ciriaco delivered the game-winning single on a looping line drive over second baseman Brodie Greene in the bottom of the ninth to score Ryan Fisher from third to give Jacksonville a 1-0 win on Friday night at Bragan Field in Jacksonville. The loss is the third straight for Pensacola.
Blue Wahoos starter Josh Smith pitched brilliantly over six shutout innings. He surrendered just three hits while fanning a season-high nine batters, including a span of six consecutive batters from the second inning to the fourth. Loek Van Mil pitched well out of the bullpen for the Blue Wahoos with two scoreless innings. Josh Ravin had two strikes on Ciriaco before he delivered the game winning hit with two outs in the ninth. Ravin (L, 0-2) was handed his second loss of the season. Collin Carill (W, 1-1) earned the win for Jacksonville after pitching the final two innings for the Suns.
Offensively the Wahoos had only three hits. Third baseman David Vidal had two of them as part of a 2-for-4 game to extend his hit-streak to four games. The Blue Wahoos only threat came in the top of the ninth when they had runners at second and third with two outs. It was the only time the Blue Wahoos had a runner at third base in the game.
Pensacola will try to salvage the final game of the five-game series on Saturday night. RHP Tim Crabbe (2-1, 2.60) will start for the Blue Wahoos against Suns LHP Adam Conley (1-1, 5.88). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. CT from Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
by
Luverne Ward
May 11, 2013
Mrs. Luverne Ward, 75, passed away on Thursday, May 9, 2013, in Poarch.
Mrs. Ward was a native of Atmore and resident of Poarch for most of her life. Mrs. Ward was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and child of God. She attended the Friendly Holiness Church. Her husband, Rev. Fred C. Ward; two brothers, D.C. and Obie Daughtry; two sisters,Vernell Aplin and Charlotte Reed; and parents, Savannah and Ella Daughtry precede her in death.
She is survived by her four sons, Rev. Ray (Christine) Ward of Poarch, Randall (Janet) Ward of Poarch, Carlton (Melissa) Ward of Atmore, and Fred C. Ward, Jr. of Atmore; three daughters, Tena (David) Bryars of Bay Minette, Juanita Fears of Bratt, and Phyllis Ward of Poarch; two sisters, Bernice Qualls of Poarch, and Savanna Daughtry of Poarch; sister-in-law, Earnestine Daughtry; 18 Grandchildren; 14 Great Grandchildren and special friend, James T. Fears.
Funeral services will be Monday, May 13, 2013, at 10 a.m. at the Friendly Holiness Church with Rev. Ray Ward, Rev. David Bryars and Rev. Dale Alpin officiating.
Burial will follow at the New Home Cemetery.
Visitation will be Sunday, May 12, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. until funeral time at 1o a.m. at the Friendly Holiness Church.
Pallbearers will be Heath Bryars, Trenton Daughtry, Trevor Daughtry, Kendall Reed, Brian Richard, Douglas Daughtry, Willis McGhee and Steven Aplin.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC is in charge of all arrangements.
Edward Eugene Rolin
May 11, 2013
Edward Eugene Rolin, 64, of Poarch, was called home to be with the Lord on Thursday, May 9, 2013. He was a proud member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and a Vietnam Veteran. He regularly attended Atmore Apostolic Church where he came to know the Lord as his personal savior in the year of 2012. He was preceded in death by his father, Albert Eugene Rolin; mother, Pearlie Gertrude Rolin; two sisters, Daisy Bell Rolin & Letha McGhee; and one brother, Fred Thomas McGhee.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Cooper; five children, Wendy (Jason) Davis of Poarch, Krystal (Henry) Langford of Cantonment, David (Tanya) Rolin of Uriah, Shelly (Richie) Rolin of Pensacola, and Joey (Nikki) Rolin of Poarch; one brother, Chester Fields McGhee; two step-children, Allen (Tiffany) Hall of Bay Minette and Tony (Chrissy) Cooper of Loxley; 15 grandchildren; one great-grandson, Eli River; five step-grandchildren; be helped raise and nurture 7 nieces and nephews that he loved as his own, Charles Gregson, Eddie Wayne Gregson (deceased), Sherry Gregson, Robin Gregson, Donna Nobels, Tim Gregson and Melanie Gregson and numerous nieces and nephews.
Ed enjoyed being outdoors fishing with his best friend, Joe O’Barr (Chubby), hunting, swimming with his children and grandchildren and loved to watch Alabama Football and Nascar Racing.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at 10 a.m. at the Friendly Holiness Church in Atmore with Rev. Steve Ward officiating. Burial will be at the New Home Cemetery in Atmore.
Visitation will be held Monday, May 13, 2013, from 6 p.m. until funeral time at 10:00 a.m. at the Friendly Holiness Church.
Pallbearers will be Garvis Sells, Eddie Jackson, David Morris, Eric Rolin, Terry McGhee, Kendall Reed, Pee-Wee and Odell McGhee.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of arrangements.
Judge: T-Ball Coach Poses Danger, Must Stay In Jail On Weapons Charges
May 10, 2013
A Century man arrested on federal weapons charges while coaching t-ball will be held without bond until his trial.
In her decision this week, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Timothy ordered Joshua Duane Griffis, age 26 of North Century Boulevard, held held because “no release condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of any other person and the community”. Griffis is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and disposing of a firearm knowing that it was stolen.
Griffis was taken into custody without incident at a t-ball game in Century, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
ATF Special Agent George Bruno testified a detention hearing this week that in September 2012 Griffis went to the home of a person known to him on Green Village Road near Walnut Hill and advised the resident that he needed to retrieve a cell phone charger from a bedroom. The resident complied.
Later that evening, the resident discovered his .22 caliber revolver was missing. The victim’s wife confronted Griffis. According to an arrest report, and he said that he had let a friend working offshore borrow the gun but it would be returned soon.
Agent Bruno testified that Griffis pawned the firearm at State Line Pawn in Atmore on September 27, 2012.
Court documents show Griffis has prior adult felony convictions for grand theft, fraudulent use of credit cards, two counts of burglary of a dwelling, two counts of concealing information to obtain a prescription and receiving stolen property. His record also includes 13 misdemeanor convictions for worthless checks, two counts of petit theft, two counts of driving while license suspended and domestic violence third degree assault.
Just eight days before the firearm was pawned, Griffis was sentenced to two years probation and a suspended year in jail for receiving stolen property and domestic violence offenses. Court documents also reflect that Griffis has substance abuse issues.
The court found Griffis should remain in jail for numerous reasons, including “the nature and seriousness of the danger posed by Defendant’s release, which is obvious in this case in light of Defendant’s drug addiction, prior record, and (based on the evidence presented) apparent stealing, possessing, and pawning a firearm”.
Griffis has been set for trial at the Federal Courthouse in Pensacola in July.
Molino Woman, Two Children Airlifted After Quintette Road Wreck
May 10, 2013
A Molino woman and her children were injured in a head-on collision in Santa Rosa County Thursday afternoon.
According to the Florida Highway patrol, 31-year old Bridget M. Allen was traveling east on Quintette Road about 1:37 p.m. when she crossed the center line near Destinee Lane. Her 1994 Lincoln Town Car struck a 2003 Toyota Corolla driven by 25-year old Danielle T. Williams of Pace.
Allen and her two children were airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital. Bridget Allen was listed in critical condition, while 5-year old Bailey Allen was in serious condition, and 1-year old Brooklynn Allen was in minor condition.
Williams was transported by Lifeguard Ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition.
The accident closed Quintette Road for about two hours. Charges in the crash are pending, according to the FHP.
Everyone in the accident was wearing a seat belt or was properly restrained in a car seat or carrier, according to troopers.
Rotary Academic All-Stars Named From Four Area Schools
May 10, 2013
The Atmore Rotary Club recognized an outstanding group of area high school students as Academic All-Stars Thursday night
The Academic All-Star program is open to students who attend Northview High School, Atmore Christian School, Escambia County High School or Escambia Academy. To be named an Academic All-Star, a student must have maintained at least a B average in every subject for each grading period of the school year, with at least one A for each grading period.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Those who have maintained this status from the 9th through the 12th grades, were honored as Four-Year Academic All-Stars (pictured top). Each senior received a $500 scholarship, while Four-Year Academic All-Stars received a $750 scholarship.
The Randolph B. Luttrell, Sr.Scholarship, valued at $2,000, was presented to La’Derious Ty’Shon Franklin (pictured left), who has a 4.1 GPA at Northview High School. The Mary Joyner Grissett Memorial Scholarship, also for $2,000, was presented to Jazmine McGinnis of Escambia County High School.
The following students were recognized Thursday night as Atmore Rotary Academic All-Stars:
(Four-Year Academic All-Stars are denoted with an asterisk)
ATMORE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Ninth Grade
Madelyn Boatwright, Christopher Gehman, Ethan Heller, Nathan Jurjevich.
Tenth Grade
Caleb Hochstetler, Wesley Hostetler, Darren Landis.
Eleventh Grade
Durrell Martin, Travis Smith.
Twelfth Grade
Aimee Jurjevich, Jacinda Stahly*, Narisa Wiggins*, Hannah Ziglar*.
ESCAMBIA ACADEMY
Ninth Grade
Noah Blue, Jay Cieutat, Saige Garrett, Madalynn Grimsley, Todd Lamb, Kajel Patel, Mikayla Spruill.
Tenth Grade
Claire Dawe, Jessica Glick, Baylie Godwin, Garrett Kirk, Auden Lassiter, Erin Rider, Anna Catherine Sasser, Nate Smith, Lindsey Weatherford.
Eleventh Grade
Abigail Akins, Grayson Emmons, Sarah Weatherford.
Twelfth Grade
Caitlyn Bruley*, Brandy Helton, Page Lancaster*
ESCAMBIA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Ninth Grade
Kindric Albert, Jakius Brown, Sky Buitron, Xavier Leslie, Ryan Mancinone, Gerald Norris, Rhykker Powell, Darris Rufus, Daniel Weaver.
Tenth Grade
Rodrick Felder, O’Shea Fountain, Robert Henderson, Lyricia Johnson, Ashleigh Simpkins.
Eleventh Grade
Tristen Boothe, Chantelle Bowens, Y’Netta Craft, Malik Deese, Shafoya Gulley, Chelsea Lawson, Dy’qwan Lee, Dy’ametue Leslie, Alexis Moorer, Annah Nichols, Ashley Prime, Larry Pugh, Matthew Quimby, Alexandria Stallworth, Aisha Stots, Davontae Walker.
Twelfth Grade
Scarlet Martin*, Violet Miller, Markee Segura, Heather Taylor, Bria Willis*.
NORTHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
Ninth Grade
Kaitlyn Noelle Abbott, Jessica Kathryn Amerson, Christopher Noah Coker, Lawrence CW Douglas, Jacob Dunsford, Abbie Elizabeth Johnson, Trevor Dale Levins, Moriah Renee’ McGahan, Jason Andrew Perritt, Bethany Cheyenne Reynolds, Danielle Chanel Robinson, Savanna Brianne Roux, Jordan Caroline Taylor, David Franklin Thorpe, Harmoni Faith Till, Jensyn Lillian Warner, Haylee Alease Weaver, Madison Page Weber.
Tenth Grade
E’Layzha Rikiah Bates, Annie Lorene Bobo, Joshua Joseph Borelli, Kamryn Denise Brock, Tristan Taylor Brown, Megan Paige Bryan, Kristen Renae Byrd, Kendal Brooke Cobb, Austin Blake Cunningham, Hannah Elizabeth Gibson, Kyndall Lauren Hall, Julie Beth Hester, Adriann Dawn Lee, Jessica Leigh McCullough, Aaron Thomas McDonald, Tristan Hunter Portwood, Mallory Mason Ryan, Samantha Elizabeth Sharpless.
Eleventh Grade
Kasie Lee Braun, Audrey Leigh Byrd, Anna Elizabeth Donald, Anna Elizabeth Fischer, Tamara Maria Green, Courtney Lynn Jones, Courtney Yvonne Solari, Jeremy Logan Stacey, Courtney Alexandra Weaver, Victoria Anne Wright.
Twelfth Grade
Jessica Marie Baldwin, Alison Danielle Bardin, Hannah Elizabeth Fiellin, Jazzlyn Shanece Franklin*, La’Derious Ty’Shon Franklin, Ashton Brooke Gibbs, Justin Lance Halteman, Marcus Trey Johnson, Zachary Sean Johnson*, Ashley Nicole Mooney, Dustin Todd Parker, Winston Riley, Tyler Dewayne Roley, Julia R. Thorpe.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Four Northview Seniors Sign Sports Scholarships
May 10, 2013
Four Northview High School seniors signed college athletic scholarships Thursday morning.
Morgan Smith and Morgan Payne both signed volleyball scholarships with Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton. Ariel Holland signed a cheerleading scholarship with Faulker State Community College in Bay Minette, and shortstop Shaquanna Jones signed a softball scholarship with Southern University in Baton Rouge.
Pictured top: (L-R) Morgan Smith, Morgan Payne, Ariel Holland and Shaquanna Jones. Pictured below: The seniors sign their scholarships as family and school staff look on. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Legislature Sends Budget To Scott
May 10, 2013
The Legislature sent the proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 to Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday, giving him 15 days to determine whether to sign the bill and which projects to strike if he does.
The $74.5 billion spending blueprint would boost pay for teachers and state employees, repay $300 million that lawmakers had drained from university reserves last year and set aside money for projects large and small, including $70 million to help restore the Everglades.
It would also increase university tuition by 3 percent, something that Scott seems unlikely to approve given his repeated insistence on holding down the cost of higher education, and hold about $2.8 billion in reserve. Scott will have to make his final decision by May 24.
By The News Service of Florida