Padgett Homers As Tate Softball Shuts Out Niceville; Tate Baseball Falls
April 4, 2025
SOFTBALL
Tate 3, Niceville 0
Jordan Smith recorded 21 outs as the Tate Lady Aggies shut out Niceville 3-0 Thursday night in Cantonment. She gave up three hits and no runs in seven innings while striking out none and walking none.
Mykamia Padgett has one RBI for Tate as she went 1-3 with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to center field. Kara Wine went 2-3. Kaylie Mitchell and Kinzlee Biggs each added one hit.
Friday night, the Tate Lady Aggies will host the West Florida Jags in the annual Strike Out Cancer game at 7:00.
BASEBALL
West Florida 5, Tate 2
The West Florida Jaguars defeated the Tate Aggies 5-2 Thursday night in Cantonment.
Zane Warrington took the loss for Tate in six innings, surrendering five runs (four earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out four. Nate Connors was on the mound for one inning, striking out two while allowing no hits and no runs.
Up next, Tate will travel to Navarre on Friday for a 7:00 game.
Pictured: Mykamia Padgett homered Thursday night for the Tate Lady Aggies. Photo for NorthEscambia.com , click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Lacrosse Defeats Milton 6-2
April 4, 2025
Tate Girls Lacrosse earned a district win 6-2 over Milton Panthers Thursday night in Milton. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Boys Tennis Defeats Navarre
April 4, 2025
The Tate Aggies boys tennis team got back into the win column 5-2 over Navarre Thursday. The Tate girls fell to the Raiders 5-2. Up next, Tate will host Pace on Monday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Middle School Names Students Of The Month
April 4, 2025
Ransom Middle School recently announced their February Students Of The Month. They are seventh graders Ryot Futral and Jefferson Trahan. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ribbon Cutting Held For The New Jennings-Gonzalez Park in Gonzalez
April 3, 2025
An official ribbon cutting was held on a warm Wednesday afternoon at the new Jennings-Gonzalez Park, the newest Escambia County park in District 5.
“I’m very excited to celebrate the newest park in District 5, which provides children and families in the area even more recreational opportunities without having to leave their neighborhood,” District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said. “I’d like to express my sincere thanks to the Jennings family for their support and continued contributions in District 5, along with our parks and recreation and public works departments for bringing projects like this to fruition for our community. I look forward to seeing our residents and visitors enjoy Jennings-Gonzalez Park for many years to come.”
The new park is located at 1552 Goldenrod Road, the site of the former Escambia Charter School, just behind Gonzalez Utilities on Old Chemstrand Road. The park features a playground with a slide, numerous climbing structures, and additional play features for all ages. The park has been open since February 10.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“We may have to look at one of those fancy sunshades,” Barry quipped, “as the summer sets on to us.”
The park is named for the Jennings family, who have been part of the Gonzalez community for nearly 130 years. The family first arrived in Gonzalez in 1896 after James Sylvester Jennings retired from the Muscogee sawmill, where his son Christopher Jennings continued working after moving to Gonzalez in 1910. The Jennings family became well-known in the Gonzalez community and regularly attended Gonzalez Baptist Church, which was built on property once owned by their family. The Jennings family kept a vegetable garden and a farm, and they hosted numerous family and friends every Sunday for dinner and fellowship together.
Fred Lee Jennings and Sara Elizabeth Hatton were married in 1938 and went on to have six children, all of whom remained in the Gonzalez community and had families of their own. One of their daughters, Sara Jennings Blackburn, later called “Nana,” dreamed of having a park closer to home where her grandchildren could play. Although she passed away in September 2023, her daughter-in-law Candice Blackburn said her Nana would have loved seeing the park come to life for the Gonzalez community.
“We are so thankful for this little park to bring joy to our family and many others now,” Blackburn said. “Now, Nana has five grandbabies, one bonus grandbaby, and one on the way who will continue playing and spending their time in Gonzalez. We know that Nana would have cherished each and every laugh and squeal she heard from all of these babies she loved immensely. I’d like to thank Commissioner Barry and everyone who worked together to make this park a reality for so many families in our community to enjoy.”
“For the Jennings family, faith, family and education has always been kind of a cornerstone of where we are at,” Lee Jennings said. “My great, great grandfather came from Alabama. He was a surveyor and a lumber man on the sawmills in Muscogee., and then at some point bought a large tract of land here in the Gonzalez area…They were all instrumental in a lot of things building the church. Faith was at the forefront of everything, giving glory to God in everything they did and making sure they were tied into the community.”
Jennings-Gonzalez Park is the second new park this year in Escambia County’s District 5 with the January addition of Paper Park in Cantonment.
For an additional submitted history of the Jennings family on Gonzalez, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
$200,000 And Counting: Tate Softball’s Strike Out Cancer Game Is Friday
April 3, 2025
Tate Aggie softball’s annual Strike Out Cancer Game will be this Friday as they add to over $200,000 raised for the fight against cancer.
The Lady Aggies will host the West Florida Jaguars at 5 p.m. for junior varsity with the varsity game beginning about 7 p.m. There are no advance ticket sales; admission is donations only at the gate. There will also be auction items and “Chase the Aggie” for children by donation.
Full concessions, fish dinners, jambalaya dinners, and more will be available for purchase. All gate fees, concessions and donations will benefit Rally Gulf Coast, the Keeping Abreast Foundation and the Baptist Healthcare Mammography Program.
Last year’s Strike Out Cancer Game raised $25,183.
The first year, they raised $2,550 and didn’t know if they would ever beat that mark.
The game has now raised over $200,000 for cancer awareness and research in 14 years.
For more photos from last year, click here.
Pictured: Last year’s Tate Aggies Strike Out Cancer Game. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Choirs Receive Superior Ratings At District 1 Assessment
April 3, 2025
Members of Tate High School’s Vocal Ensemble received an all superior rating, and students in the Cantus SSAA choir received an overall superior rating in the District 1 Choral Music Performance Assessment held at First Baptist Church of Pensacola recently.
Students are judged on stage performance by three adjudicators and on melodic and rhythmic sight-reading by one adjudicator.
Tate High was one of 11 out of 29 participating school choral programs to receive superior ratings in District 1 and the only school in Escambia County to achieve the honor.
Pictured: Tate High School’s Vocal Ensemble (above) and Cantus SSAA choir (below). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cloud, Low Around 70 Tonight
April 3, 2025
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Cloudy, with a low around 69. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 68. Southeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers between 1am and 4am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 74. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 69.
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 41.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 71.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 75.
Century Council Refuses To Hire Mayor’s Recommendations Without Proper Advertising
April 3, 2025
This week the Century Town Council refused to hire new employees recommended by the interim mayor until the council is confident that the positions were probably advertised.
Billy J. “BJ” Johnson applied March 12 for a position described as “gas department employee” in the town’s natural gas department, where he previously worked for about a decade. Interim Mayor Alicia Johnson requested permission to rehire him, saying that he holds several needed certifications. The town charter requires the council to approve all hires by the mayor.
The interim mayor said the position has been advertised for many months, but she was unable to provide the council with any proof or say where and exactly when the position was advertised. Billy Johnson was the only applicant. It was established during council discussions that the position was not posted to the town website.
She said that the town gas department would be out of compliance without the hire,
Johnson had two other positions on the agenda with recommended hires but withdrew her request. On a motion by council member Henry Cunningham and a second by Shelisa McCall, the council voted to have the interim town manager develop basic job descriptions and advertisements for the positions and ensure that the jobs were probably advertised.
She said about dozen open positions need to be advertised.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FWC Hunter Safety Courses This Month In Molino, Cantonment, Jay, Milton
April 3, 2025
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering free hunter safety internet-completion courses in Molino, Cantonment, Jay and Milton. Hunter safety courses are designed to help students become safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunters and learn about conservation.
Participants must take the online course before attending a class.
All firearms, ammunition and materials are provided free of charge. Students should bring a pen or pencil and paper. An adult must accompany children younger than 16 at all times.
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course and have a hunting license to hunt alone (unsupervised). The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.
The two-day events will be held as follows, and you must have completed an online hunter safety course and have a copy of the completion certificate or field day voucher prior to taking a Field Day.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
- April 7, 6 p.m. and May 3, 9 a.m. — Escambia County Extension, Cantonment
- April 14, 6 p.m. and May 3, 9 a.m. — Molino Community Center
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
- April 21, 6 p.m. and May 3, 9 a.m. — Jay United Methodist Church
- April 28, 6 p.m. and May 3, 9 a.m. — Santa Rosa Extension, Milton
Those interested in attending a course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes or by calling FWC safety coordinator Jeff Schumacher at (850) 767-3612 for more information or email.