Escambia Woman Claims Half Million Dollar Lottery Prize
October 22, 2019
An Escambia County woman has claimed a half million dollar top prize from the Florida Lottery’s Cash Blast game.
Barbara Flowers, 54, purchased her winning ticket from Quick Fill, located at 3020 Gulf Beach Highway.
The $5 game launched in December 2018 and features six top prizes of $500,000 and more than $58 million in total cash prizes.
District 5 Commissioner Holding Town Hall Next Month
October 22, 2019
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry will hold a public town hall next month
The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 4 at the Milestone Baptist Church.
The public is invited to the open forum style town hall meeting.
Pictured: Attendees at an August District 5 town hall meeting in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate High Names September Students Of The Month
October 22, 2019
Tate High School has named Danica Riddell and Quang Vo as September Students of the Month. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Sends Team To Help With Texas Tornado Outages
October 22, 2019
Gulf Power is a sending a dozen employees to assist Oncor following severe storms and tornadoes that knocked out power to approximately 150,000 customers in the north Texas area.
The employees are part of a Damage Assessment Team that will help assess the damage so crews can begin restoration efforts in the area west of Dallas.
“We are happy to assist Oncor just as they came to Northwest Florida last year to help us following Hurricane Michael,” said Gordon Paulus, Gulf Power spokesperson.
Gulf Power did not deploy any of its line crews to Texas so they would be ready locally as the same storm system moved through Northwest Florida Monday night.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Monday Night High School Football Finals
October 22, 2019
Here are scores from high school football games played Monday night due to Tropical Storm Nestor cancellations last Friday night, plus other scores from last Friday night and Saturday.
For Tate and Washington photos and game story from Saturday, click here.
FLORIDA
Monday Night Scores
Jay 36, North Bay Haven 6
Pine Forest at Choctaw*
Escambia at Fort Walton Beach**
Pensacola High 38, Panama City Arnold 32
Catholic 40, Tallahassee FAMU 12
Navarre 31, Tallahassee Leon 28
* Pine Forest led Choctaw 14-3 when the game was called due to weather. It will continue Tuesday, October 22 at 6 p.m.
**Escambia was leading Fort Walton Beach 14-0 when the game was called due to weather. The game will continue October 28 at 4 p.m.
Friday, Saturday Scores
Washington 51, Tate 31 (Saturday)
De La Salle 24, West Florida 6 (Friday)
Milton 40, Mosley 28 (Thursday)
ALABAMA SCORES
UMS-Wright 31, Escambia County 8
Escambia Academy 47, South Choctaw Academy 0
Flomaton 44, Thomasville 21
Andalusia 42, W.S. Neal 12
Montgomery Catholic 26, T.R. Miller 21
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Irene Diamond
October 22, 2019
Irene Diamond, 92, received her heavenly wings and went home to be with the Lord on October 19, 2019, with her family by her side.
She was born March 4, 1927 in Owassa, Alabama to William Reuben Diamond and Lula Rea Taylor Diamond. She has lived in Jay, Florida most of her life and grew up helping her family. She often spoke of using washboards to do laundry and carrying buckets of water from the creek. She worked in the fields that fed her family and tended to her siblings. She began working for The Santa Rosa County School Board at Jay Elementary and retired after many years of service.
She loved to sew and was known for making many of her own clothes and helping her children and grandchildren whenever there was an alteration or costume needed. Working in her flowerbeds was a true joy and passion of hers. Her beautiful flowers and rose gardens are the talk of the town. She could often be seen on early mornings tending her gardens while wearing her beautiful bonnets. She loved her chickens and felt that they deserved all of her leftover cornbread. They are indeed spoiled, fat and happy chickens.
Above all else, she loved her Lord and her family. She has been an active member and constant prayer warrior of the Ebenezer Assembly of God since 1964 and loved her church family. She witnessed to and prayed for anyone and everyone who would come to her. She had a soft, yet knowing and powerful, voice when it came to praying and teaching others about God. Her faith was unwavering, and she stood firmly upon it. The Holy Spirit surrounded her and could be felt by many when in her presence. She passed this knowledge to her family and friends with love and understanding. She had a knack for being firm in her beliefs but not pushy or overbearing.
She was a beloved daughter, wife, mother, granny, mawmaw, sister, aunt, sister in Christ and mentor. She was a wonderful cook, who never had to measure anything, and always had room for more at her table. She offered food to anyone who walked through her doorway. Holiday meals revolved around “granny’s house”. Her smile and laughter could light up a room. Her hugs were the absolute best. She loved to sit and talk about life, her family and her Lord. This world is a better place for having had this beautiful woman in it.
Ms. Diamond is survived by her son, Johnny Faulk; her daughters, Jennie (Houston) Watson and Peggy (John) Henderson; grandchildren Cathy Watson and Daniel Corum (great grandchildren Hunter and Kara), Michael and Megan Watson (great grandchildren Heath and Peyton), Amy and Seth Shell (great grandchildren Austyn and Oliver), Chelsea and Keith Stansfield, Elizabeth Watson, Kimberly Knupp (great grandson Kyle), Darrell Smith, Cannon Smith; Regina Kyser (granddaughter Lety); her sister, Mildred (George) Bradley; and many nieces, nephews and other extended family members.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 pm Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at Ebenezer Church in Jay, Fl., with Brothers Bobby Carnley, Dykes Strickling, and Robert Gandy officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior. Burial to follow at Church cemetery. Family Members to serve as Pall Bearers.
She is preceded in death by her parents; three brothers; four sisters, two infant children, a baby boy, a baby girl; her son, Leonard David Smith, Jr.; her grandsons, James Henry Emmett, Jr. and Joey Faulk.
The family of Irene Diamond are deeply grateful and wish to thank relatives, friends, her church family and neighbors for their words of comfort, food, flowers, expressions of sympathy and support during this difficult time of loss.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Speak Out: Public Input Meetings Set On Escambia Superintendent Search
October 21, 2019
The Escambia County School District has scheduled five community forums to give the public the chance to share their input as the school district moves closer to advertising the school superintendent job.
All five of the meetings are in the geographic southern half of Escambia County.
The community forms will be facilitated by the Florida School Boards Association Search Team. All input gathered during the events will be collected and provided to the Escambia County School Board members and will be made available online. School board members will not attend the input sessions.
“The board members and I want to make this process as transparent as possible. The search team will lead the participants through conversations that will help us identify our school district’s strengths and weaknesses, and allow them to have a chance to tell us what skills should be present in the next superintendent,” said Patty Hightower, school board chair. “Our search team consists of professional educators from around the state who have helped other districts through this process, and they too believe these meetings are critically important. We hope everyone with an interest in Escambia County’s public schools will attend at least one of the community input sessions that fits their schedule.”
The town hall events will be held:
- Oct. 24, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 160 of the J.E. Hall Center, 30 E. Texar Drive, Pensacola.
- Nov. 14, 2019 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Blue Angels Elementary School, 1551 Dogtrack Road, Pensacola.
- Nov. 21, 2019 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Pensacola High School, 500 W. Maxwell Street, Pensacola.
- Jan. 7, 2020 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Beulah Middle School, 6001 W. Nine Mile Road, Pensacola.
- Jan. 9, 2020 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Tate High School, 1771 Tate Road, Cantonment.
In 2018, voters approved an appointed, rather than elected, superintendent in Escambia County. The search is being guided by the Florida School Boards Association leading up the selection of a superintendent with a November 24, 2020, start date. The job is set to be advertised beginning April 1, 2020.
Florida Gas Prices Drift Downwards After Recent Hike
October 21, 2019
Florida gas prices are drifting lower again, according to AAA. After rising 8 cents early last week, pump prices have declined 3 cents.
Prices at the pump have ping-ponged in recent weeks. The state average increased then declined every other week for the past month; bouncing between $2.40 and $2.50 per gallon. Despite the recent increase, Florida gas prices remain 30 cents per gallon less than this time last year. Florida drivers are finding an average price of $2.47 per gallon, at the pump. The state average is 5 cents more than a week ago, but 3 cents less than this time last month.
The average price per gallon was $2.42 in Escambia County, with North Escambia prices as low as $2.31 at one station in Cantonment Sunday night.
Strong Storms Possible Monday Evening; Cooler Tuesday
October 21, 2019
There is a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) of severe storms across the area tonight due to an approaching cold front. The primary threat is damaging winds.
On Tuesday, we’ll cool down with lows Tuesday night possibly in the upper 40s in North Escambia.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 7pm, then showers and thunderstorms between 7pm and 1am, then a chance of showers after 1am. Low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 73. North wind around 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 71. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 73. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 61. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 71. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 76.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Monday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.
Bashore Completes First Solo Flight On His 16th Birthday
October 21, 2019
John Bashore took to the skies and completed his first solo flight on his 16th birthday earlier this month.
Bashore and his flight instructor Bill Weaver flew from the Brewton Airport to Atmore where Weaver exited the aircraft and Bashore completed two solo flights.
Bashore and Weaver met at a Byrneville church and formed an immediate bond. Both love aviation, and Bashore said he has been a blessing and a great mentor in his life.
Weaver trained as an Army pilot during the Vietnam War. He also operated a flight training school at the Milton Airport in the 1970s. Weaver is now retired with 35 years of service flying for oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico.
Bashore and Weaver have flown together since 2011.
Over the past year, they have worked hard training so Bashore could complete his solo on his 16th birthday. Over the next year he will continue the training need to complete 15 hours of solo flight and 10 hours of instructional flight and pass the FAA exam.
Bashore said he looking forward to obtaining his private pilot license on his 17th birthday. He hopes to one day attend the U. S. Air Force Academy and fly the F-22 fighter. He attends Northview High School where he is a member of the NJROTC.
Pictured: John Bashore and instructure Bill Weaver on the day of Bashore’s first solo flight from Brewton to Atmore. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
