Northview And Jay Athletes Headed To State Track And Field Finals
May 6, 2021
Athletes from both Northview and Jay High schools will compete in the state track and field finals.
Jay will complete on Friday in Class 1A, and Northview will compete in Class 2A on Saturday. Both finals are at the University of North Florida Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.
From Northview:
- Sarius Davis will complete the 100 meter and the 400 meter sprints (pictured top left).
- John Michael Ward will complete in the shot put (pictured top right)
From Jay:
- Jillian Thornton, ranked first in the state, will complete in the high jump. She also set a new school record at regionals (pictured below left).
- Issac Black will compete in pole vault (pictured below middle).
- Landry Cato will compete in pole vault (pictured below right).
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Over 250 Escambia Students Compete In Annual Battle Of The Books
May 6, 2021
A virtual version of the Escambia County School District’s Battle of the Books was held last Saturday as 256 students on 55 teams from 22 schools competed.
Each team was tested on their knowledge of books from the Sunshine State Young Readers book lists. Each team completed virtually from their school with four rounds of 10 questions, plus a tie breaking lightning round if needed.
The 2020-2021 Battle of the Books winners for ECSD were:
Third Grade
- 1st Place: Beulah Elementary School’s “The 5 Booketeers”
- Coaches: Brooke Ferrara, Denise Williamson and Sara Smith
- Students: Mason Gibson, Kyleigh Dunning, Lucas Duarte, Devyn McCarron, and Forrest Hoxworth
- 2nd Place: Bratt Elementary School’s “Third Grade Team”
- Coaches: Shonna Gilmore and Sherri Carter
- Students: Riverly Heathcock, Ella Grace Diller, Zoe Jantz, Rylan Johnson, and Jonah Carter
- 3rd Place: Pleasant Grove Elementary School’s “Titans of Text”
- Coaches: Kristi Suarez, Kaylin Roy, and Cheyanne Forbes
- Students: Raeylin Richardson, Sullivan Bell, Dylan Roy and Lailah Harris
Fourth Grade
- 1st Place: Blue Angels Elementary School’s “The Book Crew”
- Coach: Angela Kriner
- Students: Olivia Wood, Derek Chen, Destiny Donaldson, Layla Emory, and Mackenzie Kanzelmar
- 2nd Place: A.K. Suter Elementary School’s “Suter 1”
- Coach: Paula Stillman
- Students: Violet Barnett, Theo Perry, Maida Wells, Jonah Alonzo, and Lucas Ramos
- 3rd Place: Cordova Park Elementary School’s “Cordova Colts 4”
- Coach: Lori Hahn
- Students: Piper Johnson, Olivia King, Lyra Kuykindall, Haven Parker, and Abigail Peterson
Fifth Grade
- 1st Place: Cordova Park Elementary School’s “Cordova Colts 5”
- Coach: Lori Hahn
- Students: Piper Johnson, Olivia King, Lyra Kuykindall, Haven Parker, and Abigail Peterson
- 2nd Place: McArthur Elementary School’s “Books for Life”
- Coach: Jennifer Beal
- Students: Addisyn Butler, Hadley Krantz, Chloe Murray, Adyson Payton, and Scottie Pennewell
- 3rd Place: Ferry Pass Elementary School’s “Beauty and the Books”
- Coaches: Heather Horn, Madelyn Cognevich, and Jenna Gunter
- Students: Jenna Khalaf, Alexia Granados, Claire Maddox
Middle School – 6-8th Grades
- 1st Place: Bellview Middle School’s “Team B”
- Coach: Michelle Lingo
- Students: Landon Beard, Ricky McGregor and Heather Wells
- 2nd Place: Bellview Middle School’s “Team A”
- Coach: Michelle Lingo
- Students: Gaven Carter, Andy Pham, and Cara Schmitt
- 3rd Place: Jim Bailey Middle School’s “Bulldogs Rock”
- Coach: Roberta Wetzel
- Students: Kaylin Honeycuttt, Lin Xi Niedbala, Alexis Speegle and Cody Thompson
Pictured: Beulah Elementary School’s first place third grade Battle of the Books team. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cool Night, Low In The 50s
May 6, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 79. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.
Max Meyer Dazzles In Pro Debut To Lead Blue Wahoos To Season-Opening Win Over Mississippi
May 6, 2021
Max Meyer was sensational for the Blue Wahoos in his much-anticipated professional debut as one of the baseball’s top prospects.
The relievers who followed were nearly as good.
It meshed perfectly into a 2-1 victory Wednesday night in Pearl, Miss. against the Mississippi Braves in a season-opener unlike any other. This one followed 605 days from the last Blue Wahoos’ game, following the 2020 shutdown from the coronavirus pandemic.
The opener also began Pensacola’s new era as the Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate.
Meyer, a Minnesota native, who became the third overall pick by the Marlins in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft, showed no sign of nerves or rustiness in his near flawless performance.
He yielded just one hit in five innings and two baserunners, while recording five strikeouts. He dazzled in front of a crowd of 2,307 at Trustmark Park, which included his parents, who traveled from Minnesota to see the special moment.
“Obviously, the standout performance was Max going five (innings),” said Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel. “He was very efficient with his pitches and seemed to get better as the game went along as well.
“I think it’s just his persona. It’s like he knows where he needs to be… and he knows where he’s going, most importantly. He never pitched in the Florida State League (High-A) or Low-A. It’s just the minor leagues to him and he feels he needs to be in the big leagues, he’s got the best stuff and that’s just how he pitches and we saw it (Wednesday).”
He was followed by three Blue Wahoos relievers – Sean Guenther, Anthony Maldonado and Colton Hock, who combined to allow just four hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
In the ninth, Hock earned the save with the M-Braves potential, game-winning run on first base. Hock, a fourth-round pick by the Marlins in 2017 out of Stanford, gave up a two out single and walk to get into trouble. But he then recorded the final out when getting next batter CJ Alexander to ground out, ending the game.
Meyer, meanwhile, was pitching in his first game that counted in 424 days – all the way back to March 6, 2020 as a junior at the University of Minnesota when he pitched what became his final collegiate game against Utah before the COVID-19 shutdown.
After waiting an extra day, following Tuesday’s rainout, Meyer flashed why he entered as the No. 23-rated overall prospect in all minor league levels by MLBPipeline.com.
The only hit Meyer allowed was a single in the fifth inning. He yielded just one walk and faced one batter above the minimum, leaving a memorable first impression. Both his slider and fastball were spot on. He kept hitting the corners with his fastball and the slider was curve-dropping into an unhittable pitch.
“The first two innings were nice, he’s was getting some swing and miss on his slider, but they weren’t really landing in the (strike) zone when he wanted to,” Randel said. “But about the third inning, he started landing some more breaking balls and he just got better as the game went along.”
The Blue Wahoos got their two runs in the first two innings. JJ Bleday, the Marlins No. 1 pick in 2019 out of Vanderbilt, drove in Victor Victor Mesa, who led off the game with a triple on the second pitch.
In the second inning, Lazaro Alonso laced a one-out single to score catcher Nick Fortes, who led off the inning with a double. The Blue Wahoos had four hits in the first two innings, but the M-Braves pitched check Pensacola on four hits the rest of the way.
“I think right away, right of the bat, just the offense getting going,” Randel said. “First time competition, underneath the lights, in however many days and we put up some good at bats early.”
The teams will play five more games before the Blue Wahoos return to make their home debut on May 11 against the Birmingham Barons.
by Bill Villona, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
31 New COVID-19 Cases Reported In Escambia County
May 6, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
The Florida Department of Health reported 31 new COVID-19 cases in Escambia County on Wednesday.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 36,081 (+31)
Non-Florida residents: 3,676
Recovered: 33,558*
Total deaths: 688 (+1)
Long-term care facility deaths: 285
Current hospitalizations: 31 (-1)
Number of tests reported last day: 539
Percent positive reported last day: 5.1%
Percent positive reported last week: 6.6%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 27,038 (+25)
Cantonment: 3,232 (+5)
Century: 1,176
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 494 (+1)
McDavid: 212
Bellview: 58
Walnut Hill: 55
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 13
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 18,197 (+8)
Non-Florida residents: 249
Total deaths: 287 (+1)
Long-term care facility deaths: 82
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 903*
Number of tests reported last day: 337
Percent positive reported last day: 6.4%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 8,682 (+8)
Navarre: 3,758 (+9)
Gulf Breeze: 3,354 (+2)
Pace: 1,478 (+3)
Jay: 550
Bagdad: 32
Florida cases:
Total cases: 2,253,929
Florida residents: 2,211,728
Deaths: 35,478
Hospitalizations: 91,425
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. Most of these people are longer be hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
***The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals. Escambia County is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered by Escambia County.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
ECSO: No Charges Will Be Filed In Stand Your Ground Shooting (With Video)
May 5, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says charges won’t be filed against the person that shot and killed an intruder inside an Ensley home Tuesday afternoon.
Just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 8400-block of James Taylor Lane in reference to a disturbance complaint where someone had been shot.
Once on scene, deputies found a 54-year old male deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The residents inside the home told investigators the man kicked in the front door, once inside he armed himself with a knife, yelling he was there to harm his children’s mother.
Still armed with a knife, he went room to room searching and threatening the occupants who had retreated to a bedroom in the rear of the house. He then confronted a female in the rear bedroom, who, fearing for her life, shot the man twice, according to the ECSO.
Video from outside the home is below. It contains extremely graphic language and violence. It may be disturbing to some readers.
At the time of the incident, the suspect, had an active domestic violence injunction filed on him. Investigators said he was also reportedly on his way to anger management treatment when the incident took place.
“Florida State Statute allows people to take reasonable steps to protect themselves from harm. You can see from the video; his demeanor and intent were clear,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will defend a person’s right to reasonably protect themselves against harm, even with the use of deadly force. We do not intend to bring charges against the occupant of the home.”
No names have been released in the incident.
Photos: This Is What Happened When Lightning Hit A Power Line In Bratt
May 5, 2021
This is what happened when lightning hit a power line in Bratt during storms Wednesday morning.
The power line along West Highway 4, just west of Northview High School, was completely severed by the lightning about 8:30 a.m., according to Escambia River Electric Cooperative.
Photos courtesy lineman David Deese, Escambia River Electric Cooperative, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Highway 297A Reopened After Emergency Closure; Will Close Again At 7 AM Thursday
May 5, 2021
Highway 297A in Cantonment has reopened following an emergency closure Wednesday morning, but a lane is scheduled to close again Thursday morning for repairs.
About daybreak Wednesday, the northbound lane of Highway 297A at the Highway 97 intersection (map below) was closed after an existing depression in the roadway worsened. Temporary repairs were completed, and the road was opened by about 10 a.m.
The northbound lane of Highway 297A will be closed again beginning about 7 a.m. Thursday so that permanent repairs can be made. This may also lead to traffic delays at the intersection of Highway 297A and Highway 97. Drivers are asked to use an alternative route Thursday morning.
Pictured: Escambia County crews work to make emergency repairs to Highway 297A at the intersection of Highway 97 in Cantonment. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Reported Wednesday Morning At Ascend Performance Materials
May 5, 2021
A fire was reported at Ascend Performance Materials on old Chemstrand Road Wednesday morning.
Midday Wednesday, Ascend told NorthEscambia.com that a lightning strike is being investigated as the possible cause of the fire.
Escambia Fire Rescue was called to assist Ascend’s internal fire department about 8:10 a.m. The Escambia County fire units were first staged in a parking lot outside the plant’s main gate, but were then called inside the plant to assist with the blaze.
According to Escambia County, the fire was on the fourth floor of a structure, according to Escambia County spokesperson Laura Coale. It was reported to be essentially out at 8:37 a.m., but firefighters were still working on hot spots in the area.
Additional Escambia County fire units were dispatched to the area just before 9 a.m. to stage outside the plant. A total of 11 ECFR units responded, Coale said. At 10 a.m., firefighters were working to isolate and extinguish possible fire between layers of roofing material, according to reports.
“Earlier today a fire occurred at Ascend’s Pensacola site. To ensure safety, we evacuated our employees. Local fire authorities were dispatched and contained the fire. There were no injuries and the community was not at risk at any time,” Alison Jahn, vice president of global communications and external affairs, told NorthEscambia.com.
“From what we know right now, there was a severe thunderstorm that passed over the site that we believe resulted in lightening striking some of our equipment. We’re still assessing the root cause,” Jahn said.
Pictured: A fire was reported as Ascend Performance Materials on Old Chemstrand Road Wednesday morning. Escambia Fire Rescue was first staged in a parking lot outside the plant, but they were moved inside to help battle the fire. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Battering His Ex-Girlfriend And Her SUV With A Crutch
May 5, 2021
A Cantonment man is charged with allegedly battering his ex-girlfriend and her SUV with his crutch.
Christopher Jamicheal Campbell was charged with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor battery.
The victim told deputies she was sitting in her vehicle with a male friend when Campbell approached the driver’s side and began hitting her car with a metal crutch. She rolled her back window halfway down to speak with Campbell, at which time he pushed the window down, unlocked the door, and attempted to hit both vehicle occupants, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
The victim jumped out of her vehicle, and Campbell hit her on the upper thigh with the crutch, the report continues. He then fled the scene in his vehicle at a high rate of speed, leaving the crutch behind.
The victim refused medical treatment. Her vehicle sustained about $1,700 in body damage from the crutch, and the window sustained about $400 in damage, the report notes. Campbell’s crutch was placed into evidence.
Campbell was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $12,500 bond.