Rusty Nail Named New Escambia County Fire Chief
April 21, 2018
Russell “Rusty” Nail has been selected as the new Escambia County Fire Chief, responsible for supervising all Escambia County Fire Rescue staff. Nail’s target start date is Monday, May 7.
Nail joins Escambia County with over 26 years of experience as an accomplished chief fire officer including more than 12 years of supervisory and nine years of command-level experience, mostly in a fast-paced, large metropolitan fire department of 17 stations, with over 500 personnel and a budget of up to $100 million.
Nail will join Escambia County from Palm Bay, FL, where he currently serves as the City of Palm Bay Fire Rescue fire chief and emergency manager and previously served as a battalion chief. Nail graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in fire and emergency services management and from Brevard Community College with an Associate of Arts in general studies and Associate of Science in fire science technology.
Prior to his tenure at Palm Bay, Nail worked for the City of Orlando Fire Department for more than 20 years, serving as assistant fire chief, assistant chief of planning, district chief and retiring as the deputy chief. Nail’s experience also includes working as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.
His certifications include being a State of Florida Certified Firefighter, Chief Fire Officer with the Centers for Public Safety Excellence and a University of Florida Executive Fire Officer, among others. Nail is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Florida Fire Chiefs Association, Space Coast Fire Chiefs Association, Palm Bay Hospital Advisory Board and Eastern Florida State College Technical Advisory Committee.
Nail was selected from a pool of 77 applicants for the Escambia County Fire Chief position after a thorough selection process. The selection committee narrowed the list down to seven candidates and then to three finalists, ranking Nail as the top candidate. The selection process included several interviews with the selection committee, along with a tour of Escambia County Public Safety and a meet and greet with staff.
As the Escambia County fire chief, Nail’s duties will include supervising fire rescue staff, providing oversight and directing implementation of internal operations, managing expenditures to the approved annual budget, developing goals and objectives and ensuring compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations.
Tate Tops Escambia; Northview Takes Chipley
April 21, 2018
Tate 7, Escambia 2
The Tate Aggies beat the Escambia Gators 7-2 Friday night.
Gabe Castro pitched the win for the Aggies in five innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out four. Cole Fryman opened thee game for the Aggies. He allowed one hit and one run over one inning, striking out one. Jace Dunsford earned the last three outs, throwing on inning in relief.
For Tate: Blake Anderson 1-4, R, RBI; Reid Halfacre 1-3, 2 RBI; Trent Jeffcoat 1-3, R; Kaden King 1-2; Raymond Lafleur 2-3, R, RBI; Mason Land 3-4, 2R, RBI; Hunter McLean 3-4, 2 R, RBI; Darrien McDowell R; Jesse Sherrill 1-4, R.
Northview 12, Chipley 2
The Northview Chiefs took home a 12-2 victory over Chipley in five innings Friday night.
Seth Killam earned the win for the Chiefs allowing two runs on five hits and striking out five.
For Northview: Billy Rolin 1-3, R, RBI; Tanner Levins 1-2, R, 3RBI; John Chivington 2-3, 3R; Trevor Singleton 1-3, 2R; Trevor Singleton 1-3, 2R; Jackson Moore 2-4, 2B, 2R, 3 RB; Adam Aliff R; Logan English 1-2, R; Seth Killam 2-4, R, 2RBI.
Blue Wahoos Blank Mississippi Braves
April 21, 2018
Wyatt Strahan did a little bit of everything on Friday to propel the Wahoos to their first series win of the season.
Strahan held the M-Braves to three hits over six shutout innings and Pensacola allowed one baserunner after the fourth inning as the club picked up their second shutout win of the year.
Even though the Wahoos didn’t score in the first inning like they had in their previous wins, it didn’t take much longer for the offense to find its groove. In the top of the second, Taylor Sparks drove in a pair of runs with his third double of the year. Then with two outs and Strahan at the plate, M-Braves starter Enderson Franco (L, 0-1) surrendered an RBI-single to the Wahoos starter to make it 3-0.
Aristides Aquino and Chadwick Tromp each had three hits and tacked on additional RBIs later in the game to make it 5-0. Shed Long extended his hitting streak eight games with a 2-for-5 night. He’s also reached base in 13 straight contests, which is the second-longest on-base streak in the Southern League this year.
The five runs proved to be plenty of run support for Strahan and the Blue Wahoos bullpen. After Strahan exited the ballgame, manager Jody Davis turned the ball over to his bullpen, and once again they posted zeroes. Carlos Navas pitched a perfect seventh inning and Victor Payano dealt a spotless eighth in his Blue Wahoos debut. In the ninth, Robinson Leyer delivered a scoreless ninth to seal the shutout.
Defensively, the Wahoos recorded their first errorless game since April 12, snapping a seven-game error streak where the team went 2-5.
With the series win, Pensacola has now won seven consecutive series against the M-Braves dating back to 2016. During that stretch, the Wahoos have won 22 of their last 34 matchups against Mississippi.
Pensacola returns home to Blue Wahoos Stadium to take on the Birmingham Barons tomorrow night for the first of five games. The Barons are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox who have one of the deepest prospect systems in all of Major League baseball. Daniel Wright (2-1, 5.79) will open the series for the Wahoos and will have a tough test facing LHP Matt Tomshaw (0-1, 4.82). Tomshaw was a Southern League mid-season All-Star last season with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Russell Edward Welch
April 21, 2018
Russell Edward Welch, 92, of McDavid, FL, went to be with the Lord April 20, 2018. Ed was born October 04, 1925 in Riviera Beach, Florida. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Bratt. His family moved to McDavid while he was in High School, he graduated from Tate High School and later went to work for St. Regis Paper Co. where he worked for 40 years, retiring in 1985. Ed and his wife Teresa loved to travel; they traveled extensively in the states and abroad, vacationing in many countries, even to his ancestor’s homeland of Ireland. He loved to work in the garden and grew most of the vegetables they ate; he also loved to fish anytime he had a chance.
Mr. Welch is preceded in death by his wife of 63 years Teresa Beatrice Welch, his father and mother, Claude & Farabelle Welch, two sisters, Olivia Magness and Eunice Browning and two brothers, Fred and Tommy Welch.
Russell Welch is survived by one daughter, Nancy Brook and husband, Joe of McDavid, Florida; one son Gregory Welch and wife Gwen of Cantonment, Florida; one grandson Matthew Brook and wife Connie; one granddaughter Jessica Welch of Monroe, LA.; 4 great grandchildren, Taylor, Kylie, Gracen Brook, and River Welch; one sister Ruth McNeil of Crestview; one sister-in-law Carolyn (Wayne) Milligan of Cantonment and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 10:00 AM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Delbert Redditt officiating.
Burial will follow at the Ray’s Chapel Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Monday April 23, 2018 from 6 to 8 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Bill Welch, Gary Welch, Elton Gilmore, Eric Gilmore, William Chancery and Jimmy Malone.
The family is grateful for the love, prayers, and support of family and friends, also church family, and the care he received from the many staff members of Emerald Coast Hospice.
Mrs. Mary E. Watts
April 21, 2018
Mrs. Mary E. Watts, age 80, passed away on Friday, April 20, 2018 in Atmore, Alabama.
Mrs. Watts was a native of Massachusetts and resided in Byrneville, FL for most of her life. She was a loving mother, grandmother and was of the Catholic Faith. She is preceded in death by her husband, Edward Watts.
Survivors include her three sons, Donald Beals of Flomaton, AL, Mike Beals of Byrneville, FL and James “Jimmy” Castonguay of Baker, FL and six grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Sunday, April 22, 2018 from 6 to 8 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Jerry Lassiter
April 21, 2018
Jerry Lassiter, 47, of Cantonment, FL, passed away on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at a local hospital.
Jerry was a resident of Cantonment for 47 years.
He is survived by his wife, Marie Callahan; his mothers, Patricia Fox and Renee Fell; his fathers, Henry Stanczak, Joe Fell and Charles Fox; several brothers, including Jason Lassiter, sisters, aunts and uncles.
Visitation will be held from 2-3 p.m. with a memorial service following at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at Family-Funeral and Cremation, 7253 Plantation Road, Pensacola, FL.
Remember The Busy Intersection Shootout? Second Suspect Arrested
April 20, 2018
The final suspect has been arrested in connection with a shootout and a busy intersection on January 22.
Dash cam video from a nearby vehicle shows a silver Lexus pull up to the intersection of W Street and Fairfield Drive about noon. A man, later identified as 27-year old Jonathan James Harris is seen leaning out the open driver’s window of a silver Lexus. He begins firing across a traffic lane at a gold Toyota driven by 31-year old Jeremy Olds.
The man identified as Olds jumps out of the Toyota and returns fire. He was arrested in January and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Deputies arrested Harris (pictured) after a traffic stop Thursday on a car that fled from them earlier in the day. Harris was driving that vehicle, according to deputies, and had with him three clear plastic baggies with a white powdery substance inside that tested positive for cocaine, another plastic baggie containing Hydrocodone pills, a stolen gun, marijuana and more than $4,000 in cash.
Harris was arrested and charged with trafficking of cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, attempted first degree homicide, aggravated assault, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, fireing a weapon into a vehicle and criminal mischief with property damage. He is being held without bond in the Escambia County Jail.
Authorities have estimated that 10-12 rounds were fired, including rounds that struck a nearby vehicle with two children inside.
Scott Announces Low Tax Opportunity Zones In Escambia County, Including Century
April 20, 2018
Gov. Rick Scott is recommending that seven census tracts in Escambia County be designated as “Opportunity Zones”, including Century and the immediately surrounding area.
Low Tax Opportunity Zones, as established in the federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017, encourage long-term investment and job creation in targeted communities by reducing taxes for many job creators. Low Tax Opportunity Zones enhance local communities’ ability to attract businesses, developers and financial institutions to invest in targeted areas by allowing investors to defer capital gains taxes through investments in federally established Opportunity Funds.
“The Pensacola area has created 19,400 jobs since December 2010 and these new Low Tax Opportunity Zones will spur even more private investment and job creation. I look forward to seeing the new businesses and jobs that are created in these target areas,” Scott said.
“These Zones will make a real and lasting difference in some of our highest-need areas by helping to bring new capital investment and more jobs to every county across the state. They will also bring additional investment to rural communities and urban areas, ensuring that every Floridian has the chance to live the American Dream in the Sunshine State,” the governor added.
“The new Opportunity Zone program will have a lasting impact for families in the Panhandle by offering tax incentives to attract businesses. This program will grow the local economy, create jobs and provide assistance to hardest-hit areas,” said Cissy Proctor, executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has 30 days to certify each state’s recommendations. After the Zones are approved, the federal government will begin the rulemaking process to designate how Opportunity Funds are created and how businesses, developers and financial institutions can invest in qualified Zones.
Sunny Skies Today, Wet For Saturday Night, Sunday
April 20, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 62. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 74. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 74. West wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 75.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.
Final Plans Made For ‘Reimagine Century’ With Food Giveaway And More
April 20, 2018
Final plans were made Thursday night for a Reimagine Century outreach event scheduled for next month.
The faith-based event will feature a 15,000 pound food giveaway, free clothing, free paper products, free baby diapers, free haircuts, free HIV testing, free lunch and much more.
The event will be held Saturday, May 5 at 440 East Hecker Road in Century.
Reimagine Century is a project of Doers of the Word Ministry and is sponsored by numerous churches and other organizations, including NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
