Work Tonight On Nine Mile At Navy Federal
October 16, 2014
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, motorists can expect intermittent westbound lane closures on Nine Mile Road west of Interstate 10 near Heritage Oak Drive from 9:00 tonight until about 3:00 a.m. Friday as crews perform turn lane construction activities.
Drivers are reminded by FDOT to use caution when traveling in work zones. Work may be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Two Bodies Found In Mobile Home
October 16, 2014
The bodies of a man and woman were found inside a mobile home in Ensley Wednesday night after neighbors called deputies saying the family had not been seen in days.
When Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, they said cars were in the driveway of the residence in the 99 Oaks Mobile Home Park, but no one would answer the door. Deputies forced their way into the home and found the two bodies. There were reportedly no weapons found in the home.
The Sheriff’s Office said a cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office and a determination will be made if there was foul play in the deaths.
Neighbors described the couple as being in their mid-40’s.
Cross Country: Northview, EWMS, Flomaton, Miller
October 16, 2014
About 90 runners took part in a cross country meet with Ernest Ward Middle, Flomaton High, Milton High, Northview High, Catholic High and T.R. Miller High Tuesday at Northview High School in Bratt.
For additional photos, click here.
Results were as follows:
Top Girls Teams
- TR Miller- 30 points
- Pensacola Catholic- 36 Points
- Milton-63 Points
- Northview -141 Points
- Ernest Ward-153 Points
Fastest Girl-Allie Nelson from TR Miller with a time of 20:02
Top Boys Teams
- Pensacola Catholic- 29 points
- Milton High -50 points
- TR Miller -80 points
- Flomaton -126 points
- Northview -165 Points
- Ernest Ward-237 points
Fastest Boy- Grant Kemp from Pensacola Catholic with a time of 18:08
TOP FIVE RUNNERS FROM EACH SCHOOL
Northview Girls
- Moriah McGhan -25:29
- Mary Sullivan -31:53
- Bethany Reynolds -32:18
- Myisha Syria -33:01
- Jessica Barrows-41:28
Northview Boys
- Brandon Korinchak -20:20
- Josh Borelli -20:49
- Heath Sheldt -23:58
- Austin Ates -24:35
- Triston Reaves -28:03
Ernest Ward Girls
- Addison Albritton 28:11
- Haley Black -32:57
- Cailee Wilburn -33:02
- Lexxi Baggett -33:07
- Anna Sullivan 33:09
Ernest Ward Boys
- Brandon Sheldt -25:36
- Bryce Korinchak-28:07
- Shane Hardin -30:12
- Keaton Brown -32:48
- Alexander Floyd -35:04
Flomaton Boys
- Dustin Reaves -20:37
- Duane Hamby -21:00
- Dylan Patterson -22:07
- Dakota Boatwright -23:28
- Hayden Hammond 23:59
TR Miller Girls
- Allie Nelson- 20:02
- Tara Townsend -23:54
- Sarah Byrd -24:17.21
- Madison Lum -24:17.59
- Carmen Knowles -25:02
TR Miller Boys
- Travis Carlson -19:08
- Micah Flores 19:37
- Walker Harris 21:03
- Noah Morris 21:11
- Tuck McDaniel 21:54
Milton Girls
- Isabella Potate-23:36
- Nikki Delagarza-24:57
- Becky Ward -24:58
- Rachel Natioa-25:49
- Aly Bly-26:27
Milton Boys
- Cody Price -18:57
- Alex McDonald -19:03
- Myles Osborne -19:36
- Virgil Holmes -20:35
- Marcus Deloach -20:45
Pensacola Catholic Girls
- Annabelle Doyle-22:52
- Gabby Endacott-24:18
- Olivia Endacott-24:21
- Vivi Lee -24:35
- Angie Gonzalez-24:40
Pensacola Catholic Boys
- Grant Kemp -18:08
- Edward Neyman -18:09
- John Rawley -18:23
- Henry Marcille -19:23
- Logan Kane-19:40
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wyatt Dewayne Johnson
October 16, 2014
Wyatt Dewayne Johnson, 2, passed away on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, in Atlanta, GA.
Wyatt was a native and life long resident of Century. Wyatt was a cancer survivor, loved the outdoors, loved riding a lawnmower and loved his family. Two grandfathers, Dewayne Johnson and Don Rehn; two grandmothers, Peggy Davis and Wanda Sellers; great-grandparents, Dorothy and Winford Johnson; and two cousins, Michael Brogden and Wendy Land, precede him in death.
Survivors include his parents, Justin and Nicole Johnson of Century; sister, Daisy Johnson of Century; grandparents, Dianne Johnson of Century, Patrick Head of Flomaton, Darrin Sellers of Hopkins, SC, and Tonya Emmons of Flomaton; great grandparents, James and Dorothy Turner of Atmore, George and Joan Davis of Caryville, FL, Ralph Sellers of Hopkins, SC, and Daisy Rehn of Century.
Funeral services will be Sunday, October 19, 2014, at 2 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmorewith Rev. Tommy Lee Johnson and Rev. Doug Hogg officiating.
Burial will follow in the McCurdy Cemetery.
Visitation will be Saturday, October 18, 2014, from 6-9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be P.J. Head, Jr., Bradley Johnson, Derek Johnson and Shawn Johnson. Honorary Pallbearer will be Jimmy Dubose, Jr.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Governor’s Race Debate Blown Away By Crist, Scott Dispute Over Fan
October 16, 2014
After tens of millions of dollars worth of television commercials and the slinging of massive amounts of mud, could the Florida gubernatorial election come down to an electric fan?
In the latest strange chapter in the always-fascinating politics of Florida, Gov. Rick Scott skipped the first few minutes of a televised debate Wednesday with his Democratic challenger, former Gov. Charlie Crist, because of the presence of an electric fan at Crist’s feet.
Actually, debate organizers were unsure at first whether either of the candidates would be on stage, though Crist strode out as moderator Eliott Rodriguez tried to explain the situation to the audience.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have an extremely peculiar situation right now,” Rodriguez said.
Scott eventually came out as well, but the incident brought a whole new meaning to the “spin room,” where surrogates for the two candidates gathered and tried to make sense of a nonsensical turn of events.
The Crist camp’s description of events: They had learned that after an event last week featuring CNN anchor Candy Crowley, the stage at the remodeled venue, Bailey Hall at Broward College, was described as uncomfortably warm. Debate organizers promised to fix the problem — with fans if necessary.
“They said they were going to fix it,” said former state Sen. Dan Gelber, who signed the debate agreement on Crist’s behalf. “And they said … if they don’t, they’ll have something available.”
The Crist campaign quickly produced the copy of the rules they signed, where Gelber had written in “with understanding that the debate hosts will address any temperature issues with a fan if necessary.”
But Scott’s supporters countered that the fan violated the rules of the debate, and Rodriguez said in the opening moments of the debate that a copy of the rules showed to him by the incumbent’s campaign indicated the fan shouldn’t be on the stage.
In fact, Scott’s camp said, it was Crist who threatened to pull the plug on the event if the fan was not plugged in.
“When I got here today for this debate, I was told that Charlie Crist was going to cancel the debate, because unless there was a fan on that stage, he would not come out,” said U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. “So I think that Governor Scott was waiting to see if Charlie would actually pull that off or not.”
Scott and others said he didn’t immediately take the stage at the beginning of the debate because he wanted to make sure Crist did.
Crist’s nearly ubiquitous fan was already famous, memorialized by a Twitter account and obsessed over by MSNBC host Chris Matthews. Rubio said that “a similar incident” happened in a 2010 Senate debate between himself, former Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek and Crist, then running as an independent, when Meek complained about the fan.
Both campaigns tried to blow off the issue Wednesday night, but only after scoring a few political points from it.
“What looked bad was this bizarre incident tonight where Charlie Crist insisted on ignoring the rules of a debate, just like he’s ignored the rules time and again when it comes to telling the truth about what he stands for on issue after issue,” Rubio said.
“Charlie Crist can bring his fan, microwave, and toaster to debates — none of that will cover up how sad his record as governor was compared to the success of Rick Scott,” Scott campaign manager Melissa Sellers said in a statement issued after the debate, an apparent effort at damage control. “Crist should buy a fan for the 832,000 Floridians who lost their jobs while he was governor.”
Crist’s campaign said Scott was afraid to address issues.
“I think it’s outrageous that he’s worried about that when he’s not worried about a million Floridians without health insurance, he’s not worried about teachers, he’s not worried about my kid who goes to a public school,” said Annette Taddeo, Crist’s running mate. “That’s what he should be worried about, not about a fan.”
Both candidates addressed the fan flap near the end of the debate, with Crist defending having his cooling system on hand.
“Is there anything wrong with being comfortable?” Crist said. “I don’t think there is.”
Once the debate did begin, the candidates continued the squabbling that started in television commercials and carried through a debate last week at Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo.
“That’s not true,” Scott said at one point during a discussion of insurance rates.
“Oh, it’s true,” Crist shot back.
Crist once again brought up a years-old deposition in a civil case where Scott invoked his right not to incriminate himself 75 times.
“That is not the kind of leadership that Florida deserves,” Crist said.
In response to a question about gay marriage, Scott noted Crist’s evolving position on the issue — part of a narrative seeking to portray Crist as a habitual flip-flopper.
“We don’t actually know what Charlie believes on this issue, because he’s taken every side of this issue,” Scott said.
But most of the talk on social media and at the debate venue concerned the fan — and whether or not it will make any difference.
“It’s funny, but in terms of pushing people, I doubt it,” said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida. “But it may make them watch the next one.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Free Hunter Safety Course Offered In Santa Rosa County
October 16, 2014
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering a free hunter safety course in Santa Rosa County.
The class will be heldat Avalon Middle School, 5445 King Arthur’s Way, Milton. Instruction will be from 6-10 p.m. Oct. 21, 23, 28 and 30. The range portion of the class is Nov. 1 from 7-10 a.m.
An adult must accompany children under the age of 16 at all times. Students should bring a pencil and paper with them to take notes.
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course and have a hunting license to hunt alone (unsupervised). The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.
People interested in attending this course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling Hunter Safety Coordinator Will Burnett at the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at 850-265-3676.
Molino Bar Wants Noise Ordinance Waived For Veteran’s Event
October 15, 2014
A Molino bar is asking the Escambia County Commission to waive the county’s noise ordinance for an all-day Veteran’s Remembrance Event and Ceremony.
The event is planned for 8 a.m. until midnight on Saturday, November 8 at Louie’s Tavern at 271 Molino Road. The event, according to the establishment’s application, is a “remembrance to celebrate life and remember the fallen”.
If approved the Escambia County Commission at their Thursday meeting, a special event permit will be issued.
Escambia Sample Ballots In The Mail
October 15, 2014
Sample ballots for the November 4 General election are being mailed to Escambia County voters beginning this week. according to Supervisor of Elections David Stafford. The sample ballot includes a ballot image, the voter’s polling location and information on early voting, absentee voting, and voting on Election Day. Sample ballots are also available at EscambiaVotes.com.
Early voting will begin Monday, October 20 and continue through Saturday, November 1.
Man Gets 15 Years For Fatal Cantonment DUI Crash
October 15, 2014
A Cantonment man has been sentenced to prison for a November 2013 traffic crash that claimed the life of his 54-year old passenger.
Melvin Lewis Pryear was sentenced by Circuit Judge Erwin Fleet to 15 years in state prison for DUI manslaughter and to one concurrent year in the county jail for DUI property damage for the death of Albertina McCarty of Pensacola
Pryear was driving under the influence when he pulled into the path of a 18-wheeler at Highway 29 and Muscogee Road near International Paper last November. The Florida Highway Patrol said that according to multiple witnesses, both north and southbound Highway 29 had a green light, but there was no green turn arrow for Pryear.
The front of the 18-wheeler struck Pryear’s vehicle causing it to rotate onto the southbound shoulder at the Raceway gas station. McCarty, Pryear’s passenger, was pronounced deceased at the scene by Escambia County EMS.
Pryear had a blood alcohol level of .196 which is over twice the legal limit. He also tested positive for use of marijuana.
Escambia Awarded $266K In Defense Related Grants
October 15, 2014
Governor Rick Scott ha announced that Escambia County and the Pensacola Chamber were awarded $266,000 through Florida’s Defense Infrastructure and Reinvestment Grant Programs. The funding will diversify the local economy, enhance military missions at Naval Air Station Pensacola and protect the installation from encroachment.
Governor Scott said, “Our investment of more than $260,000 in Escambia County to protect the jobs and quality of life for Escambia families is essential to the area. We thank Florida’s service men and women for their dedication to protecting Florida families and we will continue to support our military families.”
For more than 15 years the defense grants have been successful tools in assisting local defense partners in supporting the State’s military installations. Florida’s military and defense sector is responsible for 9.4 percent – or $73.4 billion – of the Sunshine State’s economy. This translates to 758,112 statewide direct and indirect jobs.
Escambia County was one of 12 counties to receive a Defense Reinvestment Grant, which is designed to support relationships between military installations and their community.
Escambia County was awarded $200,000 for the purpose of encroachment protection, and the Pensacola Chamber was awarded $66,000.
“Escambia County appreciates the continued financial support from Enterprise Florida’s Defense Infrastructure Grants which help protect the valuable military mission of NAS Pensacola. Working with the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce and NAS Pensacola, we are able to prioritize and purchase land adjacent to NAS Pensacola to reduce building density and buffer the base,” said Taylor Kirschenfeld, Escambia County Water Quality and Land Management Division.