Prep Softball, Baseball Roundup (With Northview vs. Catholic Gallery)
February 23, 2019
High school scores from Friday:
BASEBALL
- Northview 7, Pensacola High 2
- Catholic 13, Northview 1
The Northview Chiefs beat Pensacola High 7-2 Friday afternoon. In the nightcap, Pensacola Catholic led with a homer on the way to a 13-1 win over the Chiefs.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Northview’s JV will open the regular season with a doubleheader Monday at Escambia beginning at 4:00. The JV will be in action again Tuesday at W.S. Neal at 4:00, and the varsity Chiefs open play at 6:30 also at W.S. Neal.
- Tate 10, Escambia 0
- Tate 12, Washington 1
The Tate Aggies shut out the Escambia Gators 10-0, and the Aggies beat Washington 12-1 in preseason action Friday.
Darrien McDowell led on the mound for the Aggies against Escambia, striking out six and allowing no hits and no runs in three innings. Mason Land went 3-4 at the plate, and Raymond Lafleur homered.
Land homered in the first as the Aggies drove past Washington. Land drove in four on two hits. Land and Cole Fryman also had a couple of hits each.
Preseason action for the Tate Aggies will continue at 4:00 Saturday afternoon against Washington at West Florida
The JV Aggies open their regular season Monday at 6:30 as they host Gulf Breeze, and the varsity Aggies open away on Tuesday at 6:00 at West Florida
SOFTBALL
- Northview 7, Crestview 4
- Northview 13, Crestview 1 (JV)
The Northview Lady Chiefs hit the road Friday to beat Crestview 7-4. The junior varsity Lady Chiefs beat Crestview 13-1. The JV Chiefs were coming off a 13-3 three inning run-rule win over Flomaton on Thursday.
Northview will host the T.R. Miller Tigers Tuesday at 4:00 for JV and 6:00 for varsity.
Pictured: Catholic at Northview. NorthEscambia.com photos.
Annual Blue Jacket Jamboree Receives $2.5K From Escambia County
February 23, 2019
The upcoming Northview High School FFA Blue Jacket Jamboree will receive a $2,500 contribution from Escambia County.
The Northview FFA requested funding for the event that benefits students with scholarships and transportation funding for state and national conventions. This event continues to grow every year, attracting over 1,000 people annually, according to the county.
The Escambia County Commission approved a request by District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry for $2,500 in funds for the Blue Jacket Jamboree from his $50,000 annual discretionary funding.
The Blue Jacket Jamboree will be held Saturday, March 30 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Escambia County 4-H Facility off South Highway 99 in Molino.
Pictured top: An Easter egg drop during the 2018 Blue Jacket Jamboree in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Boil Water Notice Lifted For 365 Center Water Works Customers
February 23, 2019
A precautionary boil water notice has been lifted for about 365 Century Water Works Customers. The utility said bacterial testing showed the water is safe to drink.
The notice was issued due to a broken water main discovered about 10:30 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of North Century Boulevard.
Florida Prisons Take $50 Million Hit In Hurricane
February 23, 2019
As state officials deal with the costs associated with Hurricane Michael recovery, they will need to consider about $50 million in storm damage to a large concentration of prisons in Northwest Florida, state records show.
The losses reported by 20 state correctional facilities across 15 counties will eventually be covered by the state and federal governments. But as repairs are underway, some facilities have been temporarily shuttered, and inmates have been relocated to other prisons.
“When you shut down a couple of these facilities, we have had to rebalance the prison population all across the state,” said Sen. Jeff Brandes, the top criminal-justice budget writer in the Senate.
One of the facilities shuttered after the Category 4 storm barreled through parts of the Panhandle was Gulf Correctional Institution. The costs associated with that facility’s structural damage are estimated at $18.5 million, about 36 percent of the property-loss total estimated by the Department of Corrections as a result of Hurricane Michael, records show.
The hurricane made landfall Oct. 10 in Mexico Beach in southeastern Bay County and caused devastation in rural areas that play a major role in housing the state’s prisons. The facilities also are a large employer in rural communities.
The impact has been felt in Jackson County, where four correctional facilities racked up about $12.4 million in property damage, records show. A vast majority of those losses are at the two complexes of the Apalachee Correctional Institution, one of the state’s oldest prisons.
From broken fences and towers to structural damage and wrecked equipment and furniture, the storm has had a severe impact on state correctional infrastructure, an issue Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, wants to prioritize.
“Budget constraints notwithstanding, we’re going to try our best to prioritize funds in our DOC (Department of Corrections) infrastructure,” Galvano told reporters Friday.
It remains unclear exactly how much the state and federal government will each pay to repair the facilities. Michelle Glady, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman, said it will be “a mix,” and Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said he believes the vast majority will be federally reimbursed.
Some losses have already been paid. As of Jan. 17, a program under the state Division of Risk Management had received hundreds of claims from the corrections department amounting to $22 million, of which $4.5 million had been paid.
Aside from correctional facilities, recovery costs associated with Hurricane Michael have been a “tremendous expense” to the state, said Galvano, who added a good chunk of money is going to debris cleanup.
Galvano said the state has already spent $1.13 billion responding to the hurricane and that Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, estimates the total could reach $2.7 billion. While the federal government is expected to reimburse many costs, that will take time.
“There’s also a balance that we have to keep in mind in discerning what is reimbursable, what’s not reimbursable and what would be reimbursable but for the state funding it,’ Galvano said.
by Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida
Man Injured In Single Vehicle Quintette Crash
February 22, 2019
A driver was injured in crash in the fog before sunrise Friday on Quintette Road.
The driver left the roadway and struck a tree before 6 a.m His vehicle came to rest on its side.
The man was trapped in his vehicle for about 25 minutes following the crash near Frank Ard Road. He was transported to an area hospital by Escambia County EMS after being freed by firefighters.
The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Cantonment, Molino and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded, along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Pictured top: A single vehicle crash Friday morning on Quintette Road. (reader submitted photo by Sheena StPierre). Pictured below: The vehicle after it was removed from the ditch. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Private Investigator Murder Suspect Sentenced To Prison For Racketeering, Fraud
February 22, 2019
The woman accused of murdering a local private investigator and burying her body on family property in Cantonment was sentenced to prison Thursday on unrelated charges.
Ashley Britt McArthur, 41, received seven years in state prison for racketeering and organized fraud. Once released, she will be on probation for three years.
While employed by Pensacola Automatic Amusement, from 2015 to 2017, McArthur embezzled thousands of dollars from two clients, the Azalea Cocktail Lounge and Seville Quarter.
Pensacola Automatic Amusement serviced entertainment machines and jukeboxes for various clients in the Pensacola area for 40 years. McArthur falsified collection reports for jukeboxes at the Azalea Lounge and Seville Quarter while keeping the unreported proceeds.
McArthur is facing a first-degree murder charge for the death of 33-year old Taylor Wright, a private investigator and former police officer. Wright’s body was found in September 2017 off Britt Road, just west of County Road 97 near Muscogee Road in Cantonment. She allegedly stole $34,000 from Wright.
She will face trial on the murder charge later this year.
Rep. Matt Gaetz Discusses Issues With Locals In Century And Jay
February 22, 2019
Congressman Matt Gaetz brought his “Open Gaetz Day” tour to Century and Jay on Thursday, an area he had not visited during his term.
“These communities have unique challenges with infrastructure and with the environment and agriculture that we don’t l necessarily hear about in the more urban areas of our district. So I am here to learn how I can be a better congressman for every town in Northwest Florida, not just the major urban centers,” he said.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins said he wants to see an expansion of the town’s sewer system. Gaetz explained that the best source of funding would be the state.
“We are going to be in the golden era of environmental infrastructure in Florida during the DeSantis governorship,” he said.
During an afternoon roundtable with the Century Town Council, Century Chamber of Commerce officials and local citizens, Gaetz asked what should be the “brand” of Century headed forward.
“We’ve lost the brand of this town,” Century council member Ben Boutwell said. “There’s no industry here, that’s what’s hurting us. Our infrastructure’s failing. You brought that up. We have to rebuild that to get an industry in here. Something’s got to come to help us.”
Gaetz again pointed to state funding, rather than federal, to help the town.
“In Northwest Florida’s communities, they don’t care if the federal government or the state government is the solution. They just want the solution,” said Gaetz.
The Congressman spent most of his day in Jay, where he made several stops. He visited the Terrace at Ivey Acres Assisted Living Facility where he was met with chants of “Build the Wall”, toured the Jay oilfields and Escambia River Electric Cooperative and had lunch with local leaders.
He started the day at Jay High School, where he said students encouraged him to support national legislation against texting and driving. The day ended with a town hall meeting at the Linda Carden Community Center in Jay.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Man Charged With Threatening To Kill Off-Duty Deputy, Animal Control Officer
February 22, 2019
A Molino man allegedly threatened to kill an Escambia County Animal Control officer and an off-duty deputy.
Seth Ragsdale, 40, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
When the animal control officer arrived to make contact with a witness, 40-year old Seth Ragsdale ran to a fence and screamed at the officer, according to a report. He allegedly threaten to shoot the officer.
The victim attempted to address the situation; however, Ragsdale continued to threaten the animal control officer, even stating he was off his medications and did not care if he went to jail, the report revealed.
An off duty deputy arrived on the scene, and Ragsdale threatened to kill him and any arriving deputies, according to the report.
Ragsdale then walked back to the residence and appeared a short time later carrying a shovel — swinging it at the victims and gesturing he was going to hit them, the report stated.
It was after this the report stated, Ragsdale grabbed the only thing standing between the victims and himself — a low lying fence and began to shake it and threaten to jump over and “bash their heads in with a shovel,” the report stated.
The animal control offer returned to his vehicle and left the scene.
A witness said Ragsdale has a traumatic brain injury and has been diagnosed with Explosive Outburst Disorder which he believed it the reason Ragsdale was threatening people, the report stated.
Maybe A Shower, High Near 80
February 22, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind around 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. East wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 54.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 71.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69.
Pictured: It was 80 degrees Thursday afternoon in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Woman Accidentally Electrocuted At Century Prison
February 22, 2019
A woman was accidentally electrocuted at Century Correctional Institution Thursday afternoon.
The incident occurred about 1:10 p.m. at a warehouse reportedly located outside the main prison fence.
Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia Count EMS reported. An adult female was transported by ambulance to Jay Hospital, according to an Escambia County spokesperson.
An update on the woman’s condition and and additional information on the accident were not available.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.