Late Homers Lift Blue Wahoos To 4-3 Win Over Shuckers
June 1, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got back in the win column on Wednesday night, beating the Biloxi Shuckers 4-3 thanks to some late heroics.
Trailing 4-3 in the eighth, Will Banfield led off the inning with a game-tying homer against Robbie Baker (L, 2-1) and Norel González followed with a go-ahead blast to put Pensacola ahead for good.
The home runs made a winner out of Luis Palacios (W, 3-1), who set new personal Double-A highs with 7.0 innings and eight strikeouts. The lefty allowed three runs, two earned, to tie Pensacola’s longest start of the season.
Biloxi took a 1-0 lead in the second as Lamar Sparks doubled and scored on a Nasim Nuñez fielding error. Pensacola answered back in the top of the third, as Dane Myers walked, stole second base, and scored on a Victor Mesa Jr. double. Mesa’s liner deflected off the head of Shuckers starter Tobias Myers, who finished the inning but made an early departure from the game.
Troy Johnston led off the fifth with a solo homer, his team-leading ninth of the year, but the Shuckers responded in the bottom of the fifth on an Isaac Collins RBI single.
Felix Valerio gave the Shuckers a brief 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single in the seventh, but Palacios wriggled out of any further trouble by stranding two runners in scoring position with a strikeout of Biloxi outfielder Jackson Chourio.
After Pensacola’s two homers in the eighth, Sean Reynolds (S, 
got the final six outs to earn his league-leading eighth save.
The Blue Wahoos increased their lead in the South Division to 5.0 games ahead of second-place Biloxi with 22 games to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Shuckers in Biloxi.
written by Erik Bremer, photo/Blue Wahoos
Molino Utilities Issues Boil Water Notice Along Jacks Branch Road
June 1, 2023
THIS BOIL WATER NOTICE WAS LIFTED ON SATURDAY, JUNE 3.
Molino Utilities has issued a precautionary boil water notice along Jacks Branch Road.
The notice is in effect until further notice for all Molino Utilities customers from the 2000 block of Jacks Branch Road south of Lavanda Lane.
The water in the area was off during a scheduled outage Thursday morning for a leak repair.
The utility is advising, as a precaution, that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative bottled water may be used.
This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
For any additional information, contact the utility at (850) 587-5538.
Jody Douglas Findley
June 1, 2023
Mr. Jody Douglas Findley, age 42, passed away, Friday, May 26, 2023, in Century, FL. He was born February 16, 1981 in Franklin, LA; and later in life moved to Patterson, LA; before moving on to Century, FL. He was employed with Maverick Gas Plant for many years.
Mr. Findley was a enjoyable, likeable, people person, who enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He was an avid sportsman especially fishing and hunting and a Florida Gators Fan. He was the co-founder of “By the Big Lip Catfishing Club.”
He is preceded in death by his parents, John Douglas (Linda Mae) Findley, and one sister, Dawn Gafford.
He is survived by his two sons, Jacob Findley, of Century, FL; Brysen Findley, of Century, FL; The boy’s mom, Heather Jernigan Findley, of Brewton, AL; one sister, Wendy (Keith) Lisenby, of Brewton, AL; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, June 4, 2023, at 2 p.m. at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home. with Rev. Nathan Brown officiating.
Burial will follow at Crary Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, LLC.
Pallbearers will be Jamie Gafford, Brysen Findley, Jacob Findley, Chance Schoonover, Jamie Gafford, Jr; and Hunter Gafford.
Honorary pallbearers will be Jackie Wayne Carnley, Bo Blackwell, Mark Carter, Clint Lowery, Troy Graham, and Adam Dellacroce.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Do You Have What It Takes? Take The Firefighter Physical Abilities Test
June 1, 2023
Escambia County Fire Rescue will hold a physical abilities test Saturday, June 3 and Monday June 5.
The tests will take place at Pensacola Fire Department Station 4, at 1 North “Q” Street at 8 a.m. and is open to anyone interested in joining Escambia County Fire Rescue. Participants should arrive 30 minutes early to sign in.
Click here to apply for the certified firefighter or cadet positions.
In order to become an Escambia County Firefighter, participants must pass the test. Interviews for those who pass the test will take place the following day.
The certified test consists of:
- 1 3/4″ charged hose pull in 27 seconds
- Keiser sled in 60 seconds
- Tower evolution in six minutes
The cadet test consists of:
- 25 push-ups in two minutes
- 40 sit-ups in two minutes
- Run 1.5 miles in 15 minutes
- 1 3/4″ charged hose pull in 27 seconds
- Keiser sled in 60 seconds
- Tower evolution in six minutes
Certified Escambia County Firefighters receive a starting pay of $41,698 and numerous benefits including a $2,000 sign-on bonus, competitive pay and health benefits, a 48/96 schedule, 14 paid holidays, special teams’ incentive pay, and more.
Emma Lorrine Young
June 1, 2023
Emma Lorrine Young, age 92 of Gateswood, Alabama passed away May 31, 2023. She was born in Baldwin County, Alabama on October 17, 1930 to Verren Lee and Loney Walker.
Emma worked for Vanity Fair as a seamstress and was a member of Pentecostal Harvest Assembly of God, her love of Christ and his church was her passion, she also loved to play piano and sing for her church.
She is preceded in death by her husbands, James Miller, Vernon Boykin, and Harvey Young; parents, Verren Lee and Loney Walker Lee; brothers, Wilson Lee, A.C. Lee, Byron Lee, and Lloyd Lee; sisters, Myrtle Kendrick, Elva Sasnett, Hazel Manning and Mabel Lee; niece, Jessica Williams. Emma is survived by sons, Ronald (Becky) Miller, Dennis (Paulette) Miller, and Randy (Barbara) Miller; grandson, David (Maiah) Miller, James (Anita) Miller, Andrew (Deirdre) Miller, and Alex (Milena) Miller; granddaughter, Crystal Miller; great-grandsons, Dathan Church, Noah Williams, and Cole Harris; great-granddaughters, Crystalyn Daly and Destany Miller; and great-great-grandson
Amari Miller.
A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Reverend Fred Stallworth and Reverend Darlene Byrd officiating. Interment will be in Clear Springs Cemetery, Robertsdale, Alabama. The family will receive friends at 10 a.m. prior to services.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with arrangements.
Acie Ray “Snuffy” Dickerson, Sr.
June 1, 2023
Acie Ray “Snuffy” Dickerson, Sr. age 93 of Cantonment, Florida passed away May 28, 2023.
He was born in Mobile, Alabama on November 6, 1929 to Acie Lionel Dickerson and Claude Lavonia Dickerson. He served in the United States Army and was a Korean War veteran.
Acie worked for St. Regis Paper Mill as a papermaker for 37 years. He was a member of Cottage Hill Baptist Church. Acie had a passion for hunting and fishing and there was nothing he could not fix or repair.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Darlene Mary Kosloski Dickerson; daughter, Renina Ann Macks; son, David Wayne Dickerson; parents, Acie Lionel Dickerson and Claude Lavonia Gordy Dickerson; and sisters, Clare Winifred Shipp and Vivian Kathleen Alday.
Acie is survived by daughter, Debra (Donnie) Gable, sons, Acie Ray (Brenda) Dickerson, Jr, Curtis Lionel Dickerson, and Nathan Van (Patsy) Dickerson; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was loved by many nieces, nephews and friends.
A Funeral Service will be held at 11a.m. on Friday, June 2, 2023, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Deacon Randy Enfinger officiating. Interment will be in Spruell Cemetery, Cantonment, Florida.
The family will receive friends at 10 a.m. prior to services.
Special thanks to Covenant Care Inpatient Hospice at Ascension Sacred Heart for the great care and compassion showed to Acie and his family.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with arrangements.
Sonic Boom From Returning SpaceX Capsule Rattles Escambia County
May 31, 2023
A sonic boom heard and felt across Escambia County and surrounding areas Tuesday night was caused a SpaceX Dragon capsule and Ax-2 crew returning to earth. After passing over the area, the capsule successfully slashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off Panama City.
After the boom rattled the area shortly after 10 p.m., Escambia County 911 operators took a large number of calls, and NorthEscambia.com received hundreds of messages from Northwest Florida and South Alabama. Our readers reported what they thought was an explosion.
The capsule was caught in a NorthEscambia.com photo (above) streaking across the sky over Highway 164 west of Highway 29, between McDavid and the Christian Home community.
Pictured above: A SpaceX Dragon capsule streaks across the night sky above Highway 164 between McDavid and the Christian Home community Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Photos below courtesy SpaceX.
Escambia Schools Name Keith Leonard As Interim Superintendent
May 31, 2023
The Escambia County School Board voted unanimously in an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon to appoint Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Keith Leonard as interim superintendent.
Tim Smith’s contract as superintendent ends Wednesday after the board voted earlier this month to terminate him.
Leonard will serve as interim superintendent until June 30, 2024, unless that board terminates his contract earlier. The exact details of the contract are still being finalized; it will go before the board for approval in June.
Leonard told the board he is ready to get to work.
“We are going to give our students the best opportunity we can, and we are going to treat and support our employees every day like they are doing God’s work. You can rest assured of that,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do; we have a very diverse community, and all of their points are important and need to be listened to…Making certain that our students have the opportunity to be successful in life.”
“We are going to work on the foundation of the Escambia County School District. You can count on it now; you can count on it tomorrow,” Leonard said. “Thank you for the opportunity, and you’ll be proud of the work we do in the Escambia County School District.”
Leonard was a finalist for the appointed superintendent position that ultimately went to Smith. Multiple members of the public spoke in his favor Tuesday, while others voice support for Deputy Superintendent Sheena Payne and displeasure that she was seemingly passed over the job.
After a couple of hours of public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, Payne spoke to the board on her own behalf.
“We’ve got work to do. I can serve,” Payne said. “I’ll serve under Mr. Leonard. I’ll serve under whoever you put there.”
“God is holding us accountable for what we do from this day forward,” Payne said. She ended on a standing ovation by saying that the district must do things “on one accord”. She will remain in the deputy superintendent position.
Chance Of Rain Returns To The Forecast
May 31, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Atmore Police Identify Man Killed In Double Shooting
May 31, 2023
Atmore police are continuing their investigation into a double shooting Monday that left one man dead and another with serious injuries.
It happened about 2:15 a.m. in the area of Carver Avenue and King Street. The Atmore Police Department responded to a shots fired complaint and found the victims.
The Atmore Police Department said Robert Starks of Atmore died from his injuries, and the other person remains in serious condition at a trauma center.
“The motive is still under investigation and investigators have interviewed witnesses and are actively seeking other witnesses,” Sgt. Darrell McMann said.
NorthEscambia.com photo.