Branden Penegar Car Show Set For March 17
March 5, 2018
The annual Brandon Penegar Memorial Car Show is scheduled for March 17.
Any make, model or year car is welcomed for the show. Car registration will be from 8:00-11:00 a.m. on March 17th. The fee is $15 to only display a car, $25 to enter the car in the show. Spectator admission is free. Click here for a printable flyer (pdf) with more information.
Branden Penegar, known as the “Gentle Giant” was a 2011 graduate of Tate High School, an assistant coach for the freshman Tate Aggies’ football program and varsity tennis team, and a member of the Tate High School Student Hall of Fame. He passed away in March 2013 at the age of 20. Penegar was a active member of the Gonzalez United Methodist Church and youth program.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
West Florida Library Top 10 Books Of The Month
March 5, 2018
The West Florida Public Library has released their Top 10 Most Popular Books for the previous month. Clicking any title or author will search the library’s catalog to determine availability at each branch or place a hold.
“The Rooster Bar” by John Grisham
“The Woman in the Window” by A. J. Finn
“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah
“Two Kinds of Truth” by Michael Connelly
“Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff
Delores Rolin Schultz
March 5, 2018
Mrs. Delores Rolin Schultz, 64, went to her heavenly home on Friday, March 2, 2018.
Mrs. Schultz was a native and lifelong resident of Poarch, AL. She was a member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and attended the New Testament Church. She is preceded in death by her husband, Peter Schultz; parents, George and Mary Rolin; and two brothers, Frank Rolin and Glenn Rolin.
She is survived by her brother, Billie Rolin of Poarch, AL; one sister, Lenna Rackard of Atmore, AL; one niece, Anita Glass of Atmore, AL; five nephews, Glenn Rolin of Baytown, TX, Jerry Rolin of Atmore, AL, Kevin Rackard of Atmore, AL, Rodney Rackard of Atmore, AL and Tommy Rolin of Atmore, AL; and a host of great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. William “Bubba” Rolin officiating.
Burial will follow at the New Home Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Ronnie Rolin, Keith Rackard, Jacob Rackard, Michael Glass, Chez Mercer and David Glass.
Special thanks to Southern Care Hospice, Candle Light Services, Staff at Thomas Hospital, PCI Health Department, friends and family for food, thoughts and prayers.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Margaret M. Hurst
March 5, 2018
Margaret M. Hurst, 77, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on March 2, 2018. Margaret was a loving mother and wife whose passion in life was taking care of her husband and children and being with her grandchildren as much as possible. She loved to cook, especially her chicken and dumplings. She loved her Disney movies, Mexican and Italian food, and TV.
She is preceded in death by her brothers, Anthony, Joe, and Frank Jr.; and sisters, Betty, Dorothy, and Fern.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Donald Hurst; children, Carmen Hurst and Judy Harris (Jim); grandchildren, Bryan, Corey and Erin Harris; great-grandchild, Amber Harris; sisters, Beatrice Guillen (Manuel), Mary L. Cobb (Delano); brother, Salvador Savala; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Doug Hurst, Jim Harris, Bryan Harris, Corey Harris, Glenn Duck, and Don Wright.
Memorial donations may be made to either VITAS Healthcare or the American Cancer Society.
Visitation will be at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North in Cantonment, Tuesday, March 6, 2018 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
A viewing will be held at Beulah Baptist Church on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 10 a.m. followed by the funeral service at 11 a.m. Pastor Paul Brooks will officiate.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with arrangements.
Lee Roy Burns
March 5, 2018
Lee Roy Burns, 73 of Jay, formally of Marianna, Florida, passed away on Friday, March 2, 2018, at Baptist Hospital after a lengthy illness.
Lee was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He loved his family and friends and had a very kind and loving heart. He came to know Jesus and devoted his life to Christ. He served as a long haul truck driver for many years achieving over 3 million miles accident free and was an avid Florida Gator fan. He enjoyed playing the guitar, watching sports, especially football and girls’ softball, fishing, gardening, and spending time with his wife, family and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Daniel and Ola Glisson Burns; his adopted son, Robert Earl Raines; and brothers, Junior Green and Paul Raines.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Linda Burns; son, Lee Roy (Amanda) Burns, Jr.; daughter, Michelle Sapp; step-daughters, Cory (Jon) Brown, Connie (Patrick) Shores, Angela (James) Cordell; step-son, Andrew (Kendra) Blackerby; brothers, Will Raines and Noah (Judy) Burns; sister, Estell (Carey) Cox; grandchildren, Garrett, Dylan, Hannah, Haley, Savannah, Emily, Layton, Ariahna, Martina, Alexander, Preston, Sophia, Hunter, Olivia, and Emma; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at Jay Chapel, 3853 Highway 4, Jay, Florida with Dr. Fredricks offciating.
A visitation will be held one hour prior to the memorial service.
Lydia Brianne Moretz
March 5, 2018
Lydia was taken home to the arms of Jesus on Saturday March 3, 2018 in a car accident. She was born January 27, 1987 to her then sailor father, James, and mother, Lisa, in Ocala, Florida. She grew up as a military brat moving with her family to Charleston, Norfolk, Pensacola and finally settling in McDavid, Florida. Lydia graduated with honors from Northview High School and attended Pensacola State College. She was employed by Navy Federal Credit Union as a Member Services Representative with credit services.
Lydia is survived by her precious twin daughters, Genevieve Marie Graham and Gabriella Leigh Graham; parents, James and Lisa Moretz; siblings, Amanda (Jeffrey) Mclemore, Melissa Moretz, and Jonathan (Hannah) Moretz; grandparents, Aubrey and Leah Moretz and Albert Martinez; many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, great-aunts and great-uncles, and friends considered as family.
A celebration of life gathering will be held on March 17, 2018, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North in Cantonment. Family may gather at 12:30. Friends may join from 1:00-2:00 p.m. St Patrick’s Day was one of Lydia’s favorite days. She was a joyful person. Although we are sad for her loss, this is a celebration of her life. Please bring your happy memories and love.
In lieu of flowers, an educational fund is being set up for her twin daughters, Genevieve and Gabriella. Her recent efforts were spent working toward making a better life for them.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with the arrangements.
Paul Robert Lavallee
March 5, 2018
Paul Robert Lavallee was born on December 10, 1942 in Tupper Lake, New” “York to Napoleon and Juliette Lavallee. Paul grew up in New York where he” “graduated from Keeseville Central in 1960. He then joined the Navy for 4 years” “and attended Tech College before making Pensacola his home. Paul worked for” “IBM, Mobile Aero Space, Painted Airplanes, Pepsi Cola Bottling Company for” “many years before starting his own company A Reliable Paint and Body Shop in 1980 along with numerous other companies through the years.
Paul is preceded in death by his parents, brother Norman Sorel and grandchild Jeffrey Johnson. He is survived by his loving wife Debbie of 39 years, his son Morris (Jan) Johnson, daughter Theresa (Dewayne) Dreadin, son Wayne (Teresa) Lavallee, son Allen (Arlene) Lavallee, daughter Little Debbie Sewell, son Todd (Emily) Lavallee, son Bobby (Ronda) Lavallee, his siblings Dorothy Clark, Jeanine Lavallee, Donna Ortuno, Donald Lavallee (Eve), his 18 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Pallbearers are as follows: son Morris Johnson, son Wayne Lavallee, sn Allen Lavallee, son Todd Lavallee, son Bobby Lavallee and brother-in-law Buddy Clakley. Honorary Pallbearers are his grandsons and nephews.
A special thank you to Dr. Ibrahim, Jane, Paula, all the wonderful people at The Infusion Center, Wendy Cutaia, Cristyn Soto and Hospice.
Visitation service will be Friday, March 9, 2018 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Funeral will be Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North beginning at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Blake Nance officiating. Burial will follow at Bayview Memorial Park Cemetery.
Alleged Hit And Run Driver Found Three Miles Away From Crash Scene
March 4, 2018
Authorities caught up with an alleged hit and run driver with her vehicle’s engine on the ground three miles from an injury crash Saturday in Davisville. The incident landed the driver in jail.
According to witnesses, a driver was waiting to make a turn from Highway 97 onto Meadows Lane south of the Piggly Wiggly store, when she was rear-ended by a black Kia Soul driven by 53-year old Cheryl Rene Parrish of McDavid about 4:20 p.m. Witnesses further stated that Parrish and the Kia Soul then struck a Nissan car before running several other drivers off the road and continuing south on Highway 97.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy located the disabled Kia, with Parrish reportedly still behind the wheel, three miles away on Highway 4 just west of Still Road. The force of the collision had broken the motor mounts on the Kia, and the engine was resting on the ground. The front and side curtain air bags in the vehicle had deployed at the time of the crash.
Multiple parts apparently from the Kia were located along the three mile route between the crash site and the final resting place of the Kia.
The driver of the vehicle that was rear-ended refused medical treatment at the scene but later reported going to the hospital. The the driver of the Nissan car was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital.
Parrish was transported by Escambia County EMS to Atmore Community Hospital for evaluation. She was booked into the Escambia County Jail early Sunday morning with one hit and run involving injury charge and two additional counts of misdemeanor hit and run. She was released on a $2,000 bond late Sunday morning from the Escambia County Jail.
Further details on the crash have not yet been released by the Florida Highway Patrol as they continued their investigation.
Florida Senate Backs Armed Teachers, Rejects Assault Weapons Ban
March 4, 2018
After hours of intense debate on a school-safety measure, Senate Democrats were unable Saturday to strip a controversial provision that would allow specially trained teachers to bring guns to schools or to add an assault-weapons ban demanded by survivors of last month’s mass shooting at a Broward County high school.
Democrats spent the rare Saturday floor session trying to amend the sweeping bill, hurriedly crafted by Republican leaders in response to the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 14 students and three faculty members dead.
But outnumbered 23-15 in the Senate, and even with the frequent support of two Republicans, Democrats were only able to make marginal changes to the bill (SB 7026) aimed at making schools safer and keeping guns away from mentally ill people.
Much of the debate in the week since Republican leaders rolled out the package has centered on a proposed “school marshal” program. That program would allow specially trained teachers and other school workers, who would be deputized by local sheriffs, to carry guns to school.
Gov. Rick Scott is among critics — including the PTA, the union representing teachers, and many parents and students from Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High — who oppose the proposition.
Sen. Perry Thurston, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who is chairman of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, pleaded with senators to support an amendment that would have removed the marshal program from the bill, saying that it would further endanger minority children who are at risk of gun violence.
Black parents already must have “the talk” with their children about how to avoid getting into confrontations with law enforcement officers and how to keep interactions with police from escalating, Thurston said. That talk will have to begin earlier if teachers are allowed to be armed, he predicted.
“We can’t agree to that. No type of way. No form. No shape. This is a non-starter,” he said.
The Senate plan and a similar House proposal would allow school boards to decide whether they want to implement the marshal program. If school boards opt for the program, the House proposal would require sheriffs to participate, while the Senate proposal would not.
While being grilled by Democrats, Sen. Bill Galvano, the bill’s sponsor, said that the school-marshal plan “hasn’t just been drawn out of the air,” but was based on other programs in Florida and across the country.
“We’re seeking to transform school security in the state of Florida,” said Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who will take over as Senate president in November.
The marshal program would exist “in a new state of affairs,” based on other components of the bill, such as a new Office of School Safety within the Department of Education and requiring school-safety specialists and threat-assessment teams at the local level.
The legislation includes broad outlines for the marshal program, including the requirement of at least 132 hours of training and psychological screening, but would leave up to sheriffs and school districts details such as what types of guns could be used and where they would be stored, Galvano said.
That means parents, students and others would have no way of knowing which teachers might be armed, Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, said.
“We will have no clue in 67 counties in this state of what this marshal program looks like,” Gibson said. “We don’t need additional guns in schools. You don’t add fuel to a fire that’s already burning. It’s burning just fine on its own.”
But Senate Majority Leader Wilton Simpson argued that allowing teachers to carry guns would make students safer.
“We are many colors in this chamber. I would want a teacher to have the opportunity to stop an evil person from slaughtering children,” Simpson, R-Trilby, said. “But the only thing that’s going to stop a slaughter, in that moment, is if it’s fortunate enough to have a person in that room with a firearm. And the marshal program provides an opportunity, not a guarantee, for that to be done.”
The House and Senate packages have faced pushback from politicians on both ends of the gun-control spectrum.
Many House Republicans and the National Rifle Association are opposed to proposed regulations that would raise age requirements from 18 to 21 and impose a three-day waiting period for the purchase of rifles and other long guns. Proposals would also allow law enforcement officers to seize weapons from people who pose a danger to themselves or others and ban the sale of what are known as “bump stocks,” an idea also opposed by the NRA.
Democrats are frustrated because the proposals fail to include a ban on assault-style weapons such as the semi-automatic rifle used by 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas student charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder after the nation’s second-worst school shooting.
Survivors of the shooting, parents of slain students and high schoolers from across the state have flooded the Capitol since the Valentine’s Day shooting, with the vast majority seeking a ban on assault weapons.
The students asked lawmakers “to do one thing: make school shootings and assault weapons a thing of the past,” said Sen. Linda Stewart, an Orlando Democrat who offered an amendment Saturday that sought to ban them.
“Assault weapons are really killing machines. They are not rifles, and they are not guns that we use to protect our homes and go hunting,” she said at the end of an hourlong debate on her amendment.
Immediately after the amendment failed in a 20-17 vote, Senate President Joe Negron ordered a moment of silence as requested by Scott for the entire state on the 17th day after the 17 Parkland students and faculty were killed.
Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, a member of the black caucus, conceded Saturday that the ban on assault weapons was “too divisive” for the GOP-dominated Legislature.
“It splits us down the middle, and it’s not the time to do that right now. This is the time to come together,” Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, said.
But he beseeched his colleagues to support a proposed amendment doing away with the marshal program, saying lawmakers need more time to explore the issue.
“This is an important piece of legislation that we’ve put together in a week. We can all get behind (it) if we don’t have something like this in it that splits us down the middle,” Braynon said. “Why would we take this moment when we need to come together … to almost tear us apart as a body?”
After nearly eight hours of debate on the attempted amendments, Sen. Tom Lee proposed removing the most-controversial portions of the bill: the marshal program and the new restrictions on the purchase of long guns.
Lee, a former Senate president, said lawmakers have consensus on two issues — keeping guns out of the hands of mentally ill people and school hardening.
The “gun control and that marshal plan are for a bumper sticker in November,” Lee, R-Thonotosassa, said.
“They’re going to do nothing. Neither one of them,” he said. Lee’s proposal to remove the issues failed.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Cloudy Tonight, Sunny On Monday
March 4, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 74. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of showers. High near 66. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 61. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 61. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 33. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 66.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
Saturday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 71. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Saturday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75.