Escambia County Posthumously Honors Firefighter Gary Diamond Of Molino
November 17, 2021
The Escambia County Commission on Tuesday issued a proclamation in honor of Gary Diamond, who was recently recognized posthumously as Florida’s Career Firefighter of the Year in a ceremony in the Senate Chamber of the Florida Capitol.
Diamond was murdered at his Molino home on December 26, 2020.
“Gary was a dedicated servant to the citizens of Escambia County,” said Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore. “While we are saddened he is no longer with us, we will continue to honor Gary’s legacy within Escambia County Fire Rescue. It’s a privilege to present this proclamation to the Diamond family.”
Accepting the county proclamation on behalf of Gary Diamond was his wife, Cindy.
Diamond joined the Ensley Volunteer Fire Department in 1982 before transferring to the Molino Volunteer Firefighter. He worked his way through the ranks to assistant chief of the Molino Volunteer Fire Department in 1987 and went on to serve as Molino chief from November 1992 to September 1993. He left Escambia in County 2006 to pursue his career calling as a firefighter and EMT at Navarre Beach where he retired as a captain to return home to take care of a family member. At the time of his death, he was volunteering as a fleet transport driver for Escambia Fire Rescue, moving fire apparatus around the county as needed.
“Gary was known for his influence on others with the experience and passion to build a strong fire service community,” Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis. said during a ceremony in September, “dedicating his time to train younger generations of firefighters.”
“Gary suffered a tragic death in December 2020 doing what he has been know to do his entire career, which was selflessly protecting others at the expense of his own life,” stated a proclamation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, CFO and Fire Marshal Patronis, and Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried.
Geneva Elizabeth Sims “Jenie” Beckman
November 17, 2021
Geneva Elizabeth Sims “Jenie” Beckman, resident of Pensacola, FL, passed away on November 12, 2021 at the age of 84. She was born in Houston, Texas to the late Lois Virginia Gottie. Jenie worked for the Escambia County Schools in the cafeteria.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Walter Beckman; and her parents.
Jenie is survived by her daughters, Therese (Dana) Drexler and Lois (David) Krause; sons, Guy (Randy) Beckman, Mike (Jan) Beckman and Chris Beckman; ten grandchildren; and eleven great- grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 2PM, on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South, 100 Beverly Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32505 with Rev. Gail McGill officiating. Burial will follow in Clopton Cemetery. The family will receive friends at 1:30PM prior to services.
Dana Meri Whiting
November 17, 2021
Dana Meri Whiting, age 55, of Ormond Beach, FL passed away on November 9, 2021. She was born on June 24, 1966 in Jacksonville, FL to Walter Hogge and Anita Polson Zilcosky.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Gary Arthur Whiting and her granddaughter, Braylee Ann Chevelle Lambert.
She is survived by her parents, Walter (Geanette) Hogge of Hampton, VA and Anita Zilcosky of Jacksonville, FL; her fiancé, Donald Rebello; her children, Nicholas Whiting of Pensacola, FL, Leslie Whiting (Ray Baxley) of Perdido, AL and Justin Whiting of Orlando, FL; her sister, Tina Peach of Palm Coast, FL and her grandchildren, Sheyanne Lambert, Allison Lambert and Keira Peacock.
Graveside services will be held Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. at Walnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery with Bro. Don Sanks officiating. Interment will follow at Walnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery in Walnut Hill, FL.
Active pallbearers will be Nicholas Whiting, Justin Whiting, Ray Baxley, Donald Rebello, Richard Padilla and Steven Ripstein.
Visitation will be held Thursday, November 18, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
Jimmy Vickery
November 17, 2021
Jimmy Vickery, born on July 8, 1957, passed away on November 15, 2021, at the age of 64. He lived in Cottage Hill all his life. He was a member of the Mopar Club and a Dodge mechanic for over 40 years.
He is survived by his daughters, Jenifer Stratton (Michael) and Michelle Kimmons (Mike); sons, Jeffery Vickery and Kevin Bell; sister, Janice Chason (Tony); grandchildren, Lindsey Kimmons, Samantha “Sam” Kimmons, Brycen Stratton and Brooklyn Stratton; and numerous other aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, W. L. “Red” Vickery and Nancy Jo Vickery; his sister, Shelia Adams; and his brother, Randy Vickery.
A visitation will be held at 3 P.M. on Friday, November 19, 2021 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North.
Ronnie Lee Boatwright
November 17, 2021
Mr. Ronnie Lee Boatwright, age 61, passed away, Friday, November 12, 2021 in Flomaton, AL. He was born in Atmore, AL; and has resided most of his life in Barrineau Park, FL. He enjoyed watching tv, and raking yards.
He is preceded in death by his father, Jimmy Jones, grandparents, Irvin and Frances Mitchell, one uncle, Eugene Mitchell, one aunt, Phyllis Joyner and Leon Joyner, and two cousins.
He is survived by his mother, Rose Baldwin, of Flomaton, AL; a special friend, Janice Peterson, two brothers, Ricky (Traci) Boatwright, of Walnut Hill, FL; James Jones, of Flomaton, AL; two sisters, Patsy (Roger) Hart, of Barrineau Park, FL; Susie Miller, of Molino, FL; numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 1:00 PM at Pugh’s Chapel Assembly of God Church with Chaplain: Ricky Tedder officiating.
Burial will follow at Pugh’s Chapel Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 12:00 PM until service time at 1:00 PM at Pugh’s Chapel Assembly of God Church.
Pallbearers will be Johnathan Ard, Oliver Ard, Christopher Miller, Hunter Poston, Gene Hasserbock, Terry Hasserbock, and Kenny Poston.
Honorary pallbearers will be Don McCall, John McCall, and Doug Poston.
Bergosh New Commission Chair, Underhill Vice Chair
November 16, 2021
The Escambia County Commission has new leadership after their annual reorganizational meeting Tuesday morning.
For the next year, District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh will serve as the new chairman and District 2 Commissioner Doug Underhill as the vice chairman. A scheduled rotation takes place each year.
“I want to keep the positive momentum of the last six months moving forward, continue to foster better working relationships with our employees, bargaining groups and community partners, and work toward streamlining our budgeting process for 2022 and beyond,” Bergosh said. “Additionally, I look forward to working with my peers on the board to provide our constituents, the taxpayers of Escambia County, maximum transparency and efficiency in all of our county operations as we work toward recruiting, training and deploying a dynamic and talented workforce to take our county into the future with competence and confidence.”
District 4 Commissioner Robert Bender previously served as the chairman. Bergosh was vice chair prior to his appointment as chair.
“I want to thank the commissioners for allowing me the opportunity to lead the board this past year. We continued to recover from Hurricane Sally, navigate through COVID-19, created and finalized a plan for OLF-8 and made great strides in Public Safety with pay increases and ordering new equipment. I look forward to a great year of leadership as Commissioner Bergosh takes control of the gavel, and I am able to continue to represent the citizens of District 4 and Escambia County.”
Bergosh added, “I applaud the accomplishments and achievements of the last year that the board and staff of the county were able to realize under Chairman Bender’s steady leadership. From hurricane rebuilding to the difficulties of COVID-19 on our community, to beach traffic reduction to profound economic development victories at OLF 8 and the Pensacola Airport with ST Engineering—it was a challenging yet still productive year for Escambia County.”
Century Hiring Town Manager, Town Clerk And Three Other Positions
November 16, 2021
The Town of Century is accepting applications for multiple positions, including a town manager and a town clerk.
Under the town’s charter, the mayor must recommend new hires to the council, which makes the final hiring decisions. Monday was the last scheduled council meeting until December 20, prompting Council President Luis Gomez to call a special meeting for November 30 to speed the hiring process.
“We’re not going into 2022 juggling employees or applicants to try to fill these jobs. When January 1 rolls in I want a great team in place,” Gomez said Monday night.
For the open job postings, click or tap here (pdf).
Applications close November 18 for a town clerk and an administrative clerk.
Applications close November 24 for multiple positions:
- Town manager with a salary negotiable based upon experience. As of Monday, 10 people had applied for the town manager job.
- Service worker with salary based upon experience
- Wastewater or water operator or trainee with a starting salary of $15 per hour for licensed operators or $13 per hour for trainees.
Interim Town Manager Vernon Prather has notified Century that he is leaving when his contract ends December 1, saying that he has decided to fully retire. Town Clerk Kim Godwin is no longer full time, notifying the mayor that she is now going to nursing school. She cut her hours to at least 25 per week, the minimum number needed to keep her benefits. And Assistant Town Clerk Emily Easterling recently resigned.
Pictured: Monday night meeting of the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Sunny Skies, High In The Middle 70s
November 16, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. East wind around 5 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 69.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.
Playoffs: Community Pep Rally Thursday For Northview Chiefs, NWE Chiefs
November 16, 2021
A community Chiefs pep rally will be held Thursday for the Northview Chiefs and the Northwest Escambia Chiefs.
It will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
The pep rally is for the Northview Chiefs as they travel to Baker Friday night for the regional semifinals and the NWE Chiefs as they work to bring home an Escambia River Conference league championship in all four age divisions. The NWE cheerleaders will also be recognized as they prepare to compete in the ERC cheer championships.
This event is not sponsored or sanctioned by Northview High School.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
UWF Earns #3 Seed in NCAA Playoffs, Awarded First-Ever Home Playoff Game
November 16, 2021
The UWF football team was awarded the No. 3 seed in Super Region 2 of the 2021 NCAA Division 2 Football Championship.
UWF will face Newberry at Blue Wahoos Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday.
UWF is 9-1 on the year and shared the Gulf South Conference championship at 6-1 following Saturday’s 61-42 win over Valdosta State. The Argos have one of the top offenses in the country, ranking fourth with 497.4 yards of total offense and seventh in passing offense at 331.2 yards per game. Their 45.9 points per game are second nationally.
The Argonauts are making their third appearance in the NCAA Playoffs and have a 9-1 all-time record, making them the winningest team in D2 history at .900.
Newberry went 9-2 this year and won the South Atlantic Conference title with a 7-1 record. UWF has never faced the Wolves but is 3-0 in postseason play against SAC schools, defeating Wingate twice in first round games and Lenoir-Rhyne in the 2019 region final.
TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket prices are $25 for Argo Club and Priority 1 seating, $20 for Priority 2 seating and $15 for Priority 3 in the sideline bleachers.
Tickets will go on sale Monday morning. UWF season ticket holders will have until Wednesday at Noon CST to purchase their existing seat(s) before they are released to the public. Contact the UWF Ticket Office at (850) 474-ARGO (2746) for more information.
Blue Wahoos Stadium gates will open at Noon and parking lots will open at 9 a.m.
PARKING INFORMATION
Fans can use their Valdosta State (Game 5) Parking Pass for all 2021 NCAA Playoff Games at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Lots 4 & 5 across the street from Community Maritime Park will still be $10 per vehicle at home games similar to the regular-season. Recreational vehicles can park in Lot 5 for $30. Handicapped parking is available in Lot 3 for $10.
Photo: Morgan Givens/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.