Turning Breezy And Colder Tonight
March 31, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 40. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 57. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
Thursday Night: Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 34. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday: Patchy frost before 7am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 58. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Areas of frost after 4am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 36. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 66. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 77.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 78.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 80.
Your Local Pizza Hut Has A New Owner In Massive Franchise Deal
March 31, 2021
Your local Pizza Hut has a new owner.
Flynn Restaurant Group has acquired 937 Pizza Hut locations across the United States from NPC International. NPC declared bankruptcy in 2020.
The deal includes the Pizza Hut restaurants in Cantonment, Pensacola, Milton, Pace, Atmore, Flomaton and Brewton, a Flynn Restaurant Group spokesperson told NorthEscambia.com.
Flynn, which describes itself as the largest restaurant franchise operator in the country, including Applebee’s, Panera Bread, Taco Bell and Arby’s. With the purchase, Flynn will nearly double its restaurant count as a result of this acquisition, now owning and operating a combined total of 2,355 quick-service, fast casual and casual dining restaurants, generating $3.5 billion in sales and employing 73,000 people in 44 states.
Pictured: The Pizza Hut location in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Splits Games With Pine Forest
March 31, 2021
Pine Forest 3, Tate 1
The Pine Forest Eagles topped the Tate Aggies Tuesday night 3-1.
Tanner Rouchon allowed two hits and one run in two innings for the Aggies. Tucker Griffin pitched one inning, allowing one hit and sitting down one.. Ethan McAnally allowed two runs on one hit striking out one; and Jackson Penton pitched two innings, allowing two hits and striking out one.
Drew Reaves was 2-4 for Tate. Jadon Fryman was 1-3 with a run; Penton went 1-1 with a RBI.
Tate 4, Pine Forest 1 (JV)
The Tate High School junior varsity defeated Pine Forest 4-1 Tuesday.
Caleb Murph started on the mound for Tate, going three innings while allowing no hits, no runs and striking out four. Saxon Hill pitched two and a third innings allowing one hit, one run and striking out five.
Hill led Tate at bat, going 3-4 with two RBIs. Javin Floyd, Colton Swiers, Allan Beasley, Michael Sardar and Jamil Sarder each added a hit.
Pictured: Tate High School’s junior varsity defeated Pine Forest 4-1 Tuesday. Photos by Laura Glodfelter for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walk-in Vaccinations Available At Community Health Clinic Thursday At 4-H Center In Cantonment
March 31, 2021
Community Health Northwest Florida will hold a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Thursday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Langley Bell 4-H Center on Stefani Road in Cantonment.
Eligible persons who wish to be scheduled for this Moderna first dose vaccination event should call the Community Health COVID-19 vaccine Call Center at (850) 439-3358 to make an appointment. Walk-ins will also be accepted. The clinic is open to all Florida residents age 40 and older, people age 18 and older who are “medically vulnerable”, as well as individuals who hold specific jobs that put them at high risk.
- Eligibility Criteria for Vaccines:
- Persons 40 years of age and older;
- Adults 18 and older deemed medically vulnerable by a physician. One of the following is required:
- Patients may have their doctor fill out a State of Florida “COVID Vulnerability Determination” form or
- Bring a doctor’s note/prescription stating the condition that qualifies the patient or current prescription bottles of the medication that treats the preexisting condition;
- All K-12 school employees, all ages; must show a badge from their school. (Current Executive Order does not include educators beyond K-12);
- Daycare workers; badge or paystub required as proof of employment in day care setting;
- Long-term care facility residents and staff;
- Healthcare personnel with direct patient contact.
- Sworn law enforcement officers
- Firefighters
IMPORTANT:
- All participants will be required to show photo ID as well as proof of eligibility at time of appointment.
- Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days or have had symptoms of illness (fever, cough, shortness of breath) in the past 14 days should not receive the vaccine.
Tate Aggies Girls Continue Winning Streak With Defeat Of Washington
March 31, 2021
The Tate High School Aggies girls tennis team continued their winning streak Tuesday with a 4-3 win over Washington.
Ana Sanchez Morales and Kingsley Cline maintain their momentum at the #1 doubles with a 9-7 victory and the #2 doubles of Gwen Ward and Kayley Foshee securing the overall with their 8-5 win.
Next up, the Aggies will be at Milton on Thursday.
File photo.
FDOH Reports 28 New COVID-19 Cases In Escambia County
March 31, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
The Florida Department of Health reported 28 new COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths in Escambia County on Tuesday.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 34,810 (+28)
Non-Florida residents: 3,602
Recovered: 33,202*
Total deaths: 664
Long-term care facility deaths: 278
Current hospitalizations: 25 (+3)
Number of tests reported last day: 476
Percent positive reported last day: 5.7%
Percent positive reported last week: 4.5%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 25,961 (+21)
Cantonment: 3,134 (+5)
Century: 1,172
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 484
McDavid: 209
Bellview: 57
Walnut Hill: 53
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 13
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 17,725 (+16)
Non-Florida residents: 221
Total deaths: 278
Long-term care facility deaths: 81
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 852*
Number of tests reported last day: 424
Percent positive reported last day: 4.1%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 8,456 (+7)
Navarre: 3,660 (+3)
Gulf Breeze: 3,285 (+4)
Pace: 1,425 (+2)
Jay: 544
Bagdad: 32
Florida cases:
Total cases: 2,052,441
Florida residents: 2,014,354
Deaths: 33,338
Hospitalizations: 84,973
*“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.
Dorothy Jean Howell White
March 31, 2021
Mrs. Dorothy Jean Howell White, age 81, of Tallahassee, FL, passed away Monday, March 29, 2021 at her home in Tallahassee FL.
Mrs. White was born in Century, FL, and had been a member of the Century and Flomaton communities for years before she moved to Tallahassee where she lived for 23 years. During her working years she worked as a secretary for the Florida Department of Forestry. She enjoyed crocheting, sewing, quilting and her gardening. Mrs. White was of the Holiness faith, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and was preceded in death by her parents, James Elvin and Luna Dee Ryles Howell; three brothers; one sister, and her husband, Willard O’Neil White.
She is survived by son, Joey O’Neil (Allison) White of Land O’ Lakes, FL; daughters, Katherine Virginia White of Tallahassee, FL, Frances Darlene (Peter Nicholas) Diaz of Port Richey, FL, Mary Phyllis (Lawrence) Davis of Fayetteville, TN; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Mrs. White will be held on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel from 1 P.M. until a 2 P.M. service time with Bro. Donnis Bowman officiating.
Interment will follow in Rock Cemetery, Flomaton, AL.
Ribbon Cut On New $142 Million Escambia County Correctional Facility
March 30, 2021
A ribbon cutting was held Monday for the new Escambia County Correctional Facility as the county officially took possession of the $142 million building.
The 840-bed facility on Pace Boulevard replaces the Central Booking and Detention facility that was destroyed by a natural gas explosion during the April 2014 flood that claimed the lives of two inmates and injured about 180 others.
For a NorthEscambia photo tour of the jail, click here.
“It’s very important that we’re taking a step to help those that are in our custody and try to make sure that they come out a better person than they came in. I say we’re also leading the way,” Escambia County Commission Chairman Robert Bender said. “We’re showing by example having impervious surfaces for our asphalt. This is as much of a drainage project as it is a corrections project. Trying to help the drainage in this area, containing flooding so that we don’t have to deal with the same issues that we saw in 2014. We are very excited that we are able to address all these with just one project.”
The county will now move into the new building over the next month or so before inmates are housed in the building.
The new four story building will not replace the current jail, which was constructed in the 1980s. The two buildings are connected by an enclosed corridor. Inmates will be divided between the two buildings based up on their security classification. Main services such as food and laundry will be in the new building.
The facility is designed with separate wings to house and provide services for juveniles, keeping juveniles out of normal sight and sound of adult inmates.
“The best thing that I see is the opportunity not just for the inmate population to be in a better, secure and safer environment. It’s a safe and secure environment for our staff to operate in,” Escambia County Corrections Chief Rick Powell said. “The biggest advantage is the size of this building of over 300,000 square feet. It is designed so it’s not tight, and it can be managed better. In the last two and half years in preparation for this building, we have been rewriting policies looking at old policies, restructuring how we conduct business and bringing policies into a modern era. Every area has a medical unit and educational area. Inmates have the essential needs to not come back. We try to introduce skill sets so they make better choices.”
There are 15 housing units, known as “pods” for the inmates. Four dorms are centered around a central multipurpose room that includes a station for corrections officers. Inmates will spend their time inside the pods, with services such as medical treatment, food and video visitation coming to them. There are televisions in the multipurpose rooms, and there access to an attached recreation area with a basketball goal. The rec area has high windows that open to the outside to allow in natural light and fresh air.
The corrections facility is operated by Escambia County, not the sheriff’s office.
“What you see here is near and dear to my heart because every step of the way the partners that we chose, that the Board of County Commissioners chose, we had that partnership with one goal in mind — to make it the very best,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said. “The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will continue in this partnership and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
For a NorthEscambia photo tour of the jail, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Horse Judging Team Wins State Championship, Advances To Nationals
March 30, 2021
The Northview High School Horse Judging Team won a state championship Saturday and will advance to the national competition.
Team members are Leia Grantham, Hannah Hassebrock, Audrey Goetter and Samantha Kimmons.
In addition, Grantham placed first individually in the state, and Goetter placed second.
The team is coached by sisters Courtney and Stephanie Solari, both Northview graduates.
“We are beyond proud of the girls’ dedication and the hard work they put in this year. Even when faced with changes to the contest format, a canceled preliminary event, and uncertainty over whether the contest would even happen, they persevered and gave it their all,” said Courtney Solari.
This was the second time Northview’s Horse Judging Team has won the state championship; the team claimed the title in 2019.
Pictured: (L-R) Audrey Goetter, Leia Grantham, Samantha Kimmons and Hannah Hassebrock. Team members are pictured below with coaches Stephanie Solari (far left) and Courtney Solari (far right). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Man Accused Of Stealing Power Tools From Carriage House
March 30, 2021
A Century man is accused of stealing power tools last year that were later sold and recently recovered.
Travis Leigh Carroll, 28, was charged with felony burglary of an unoccupied structure and theft for an incident that happened last September.
Carroll allegedly entered a “carriage house” at a home on Highway 4A and stole $1,000 worth of equipment, according to an arrest report. The building is described in an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report as an open-air building that is not locked or secured.
The items reported stolen included an air compressor, a gas pressure washer and a chain saw.
On March 22, the ECSO received information about where the stolen items might be located after they were sold by Carroll. They items were recovered and returned to the original owner.
The victim stated he was contacted by Carroll who stated law enforcement was harassing him and his fingerprints would be on the items because he had formerly worked for the victim, according to the arrest report.