Bicyclist Struck And Killed On Highway 95A In Cantonment
May 1, 2023
A bicyclist was struck and killed Sunday night in Cantonment.
It happened on Highway 95A just north of Archer Road. The 59-year old man was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol said he was struck by a SUV driven by a 42-year old Cantonment man. The man and his 44-year old female passenger were not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.
Pictured: The scene on Highway 95A at Archer Road following a fatal accident Sunday night. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Contractor Matt Banks Jailed To Await Trial After Bond Revoked
May 1, 2023
Embattled local contractor Matthew Scott Banks is back in the Escambia County Jail, this time without bond to await trial.
Escambia County John Simon ruled that Banks, 39,violated the terms of his pretrial release by committing new offenses of workers compensation fraud and tampering with evidence. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
The ruling came in a case involving an August 2022 arrest on a third degree felony charge of contractor fail to refund filed by the Pensacola Police Department. He was released on bond at that time.
Then, in April 2023, a grand jury indicted Banks for racketeering, aggravated white collar crime, organized fraud, and tampering with evidence. The first three counts are first degree felonies and are each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and the fourth count is punishable by up to five years in prison.
He was released from jail on a $150,000 bond just nine minutes after his arrest. Last week, Judge Simon ruled the additional charges in the indictment violated his terms of release in the 2022 case.
“Matthew Banks, a local contractor, personally and through his business Banks Construction, engaged in a pattern of criminal activity and stole over $5 million in funds, materials and services from more than 150 victims.,” ” State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said after the indictment.
“The defendant, in this case, has been charged and will be brought to justice for exploiting innocent victims who were trying to improve their lives for his personal gain,” said Madden. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold him accountable for taking advantage of people by stealing their money and robbing them of trust in businesses. This arrest proves he is not representative of our many reputable contractors.”
The second case was investigated by the Office of State Attorney Division of Investigations, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Agriculture, and the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services.
Banks’ next scheduled court appearance is in July.
No Rain In The Work Week Forecast
May 1, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 53. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Florida Gas Prices Move Lower Again
May 1, 2023
Florida gas prices are moving lower again, now that the fuel supplies have largely recovered from the record flooding that caused widespread outages in South Florida.
On Sunday, Florida gas prices averaged $3.65 cents per gallon. That’s 6 cents less than last week and 7 cents less than the 2023 high.
In Escambia County, gas prices average $3.31 a gallon. The low price in North Escambia Sunday night was $3.29 in the 2500 block of Highway 29. In Pensacola, a station in the 1700 block of Nine Mile Road was at $3.04.
“In addition to stabilizing fuel supplies in Florida, the fuel market has cooled off in recent weeks,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Oil prices are on a 2-week streak of declines which should enable gas prices to steadily decline through the week.”
Fire Destroys Hybrid SUV In Cottage Hill
May 1, 2023
A hybrid SUV was destroyed by fire Sunday night in Cottage Hill.
The Cadillac Escalade caught fire on Highway 95A near Eden Lane about 9:40 p.m.
There were no injuries reported, and there was no word on the cause of the fire.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Today: Escambia Schools Parents Can Choose Student Access To School Library Books
May 1, 2023
– Parents can stop their kids from checking out any library books at all
– For unlimited access, no parental action is needed
Beginning today, parents of students in Escambia County Public Schools can fill out a form specifying what type of books their student can check out of the library.
The move comes as about 190 books have been challenged and a handful have been banned from school libraries.
The library access form is available in the school district’s Focus Parent Portal, and it will allow parents to choose their student’s level of access to both library and classroom collections.
If parents decide that unlimited access is best for their child, they need not fill out the form. The default for all students is unlimited, unless a parent makes another choice.
With unlimited access, students will have “full access to check out grade and age appropriate books that are available at their grade (elementary, middle, high) school library to include same grade level inter library loan as well as classroom libraries”.
Other options are:
- Limited: Students may check out books from the library media center, but there is content that a parent would like their student to not have access to in the library media center including the classroom library.
- No Access: Students are not permitted to check books out of the library media center or use classroom library books.
If a parent chooses “limited” on the form, they will be able to specify which type of books they do not want their child to check out.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Baseball Districts Begin This Week
May 1, 2023
Baseball districts are this week.
In 1A District 1, No. 1 Northview, No. 2 Jay and No. 3 Baker all have byes on Monday while No. 4 Central takes on No. 5 Laurel Hill
In 6A District, No. 1 Pace, No. 2 Gulf Breeze and No. 3 Tate all have Monday byes. No. 4 Navarre will host No. 5 Milton. Tate will travel to Gulf Breeze on 4 p.m Tuesday.
May 1 Quarterfinals
No. 1 Northview (bye)
@6p
4 Central
5 Laurel Hill
No. 2 Jay (bye)
No. 3 Baker (bye)
May 2 Semifinals
@4p
1 Northview
vs. winner Central/Laurel Hill
@7p
2 Jay
3 Baker
May 4
@7
District Championship
May 1 Quarterfinals
No. 1 Pace (bye)
@7p
4 Navarre
5 Milton
No. 2 Gulf Breeze (bye)
No. 3 Tate (bye)
May 2 Semifinals
@7p
1 Pace
vs. winner Navarre/ Milton
@4p
2 Gulf Breeze
3 Tate
May 4
@7p
District Championship (at higher seed)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fire Damages McDavid Mobile Home
May 1, 2023
The Florida State Fire Marshal was called to investigate a fire that damaged a home near McDavid Sunday afternoon.
The single-wide mobile home fire was reported about 3:30 p.m. in the 3400 block of South Century Boulevard, south of Bogia Road.
Firefighters reported a working fire upon arrival and were able to bring the fire under control quickly.
There was no immediate word on the cause.
The McDavid, Century, and Molino stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue responded, along with Escambia County EMS.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Softball District Play Begins Today
May 1, 2023
District 1 softball tournaments begin this week.
The entire 1A District 1 tournament will be played at Northview High School in bratt. No. 1 Jay and No. 2 Northview will sit out Monday’s action.
In 6A District 1, the No. 3 Tate Aggies will travel to No. 2 Navarre at 6 p.m. Monday, while No. 1 Pace will host No. 4 Milton.
May 1 Quarterfinals
No. 1 Jay (bye)
@7p
4 Baker
5 Central
No. 2 Northview (bye)
@4:30p
3 Paxton
6 Laurel Hill
May 2 Semifinals
@4:30p
1 Jay
vs. winner Baker/Central
@7p
2 Northview
vs. winner Paxton/Laurel Hill
May 4
@7p
District Championship
May 1 Semifinals
@6p
1 Pace 3
4 Milton 0
@6p
2 Navarre 14
3 Tate 4
May 3
@6p
Milton @ Pace
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pickup Truck Overturns In Cantonment Wreck
May 1, 2023
There were no serious injuries reported in a two-vehicle rollover wreck Sunday night in Cantonment.
The crash involved a passenger car and a Ford dually pickup on County Road 97 at Bristol Park Road.
The driver of the pickup was quickly extricated through the windshield. Both drivers were transported to area hospital by Escambia County EMS.
The cause of the wreck is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Troopers have not released further information.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
