More Pop-Up Storms For Wednesday
June 18, 2025
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 1pm and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Juneteenth: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. High near 89. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 73.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Late Comeback Falls Short, Wahoos Begin Homestand With Extra-Inning Defeat
June 18, 2025
written by Bill Vilona
Pensacola, Fla. – Extra-inning drama had always gone the Blue Wahoos’ way at home this season.
That good fortune ended Tuesday in a near-miss way.
The Blue Wahoos had Grant Richardson thrown out at the plate in a close play Richardson thought he made for the tying run, but it proved decisive in the Montgomery Biscuits’ 4-3 win Tuesday to begin their week-long series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It was the first loss in five extra-inning home games for the Blue Wahoos. They were 5-2 in all extended games so far this year.
After Montgomery took the lead in the 10th on a two-out, first pitch single by Matthew Etzel, the Blue Wahoos had their crack.
Richardson started as the placement runner on second. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Johnny Olmstead. On a two-strike pitch, catcher Ryan Ignaffo hit a chopper to shortstop Gregory Barrios. With Richardson running on contact, his elusive slide missed the tag from catcher Tatem Levins.
But after a couple seconds of indecision, Levins then tagged Richardson as he tried to touch home and was called out. Blue Wahoos manager Nelson Prada briefly argued, but the decision was made.
Cody Morissette then hit a hard ground out to end the game.
The loss dropped the Blue Wahoos (32-32) back to .500 in a quest to finish the first half schedule Sunday with a winning record. The Biscuits (35-29) kept faint hopes alive in their chase against the Biloxi Shuckers, who entered Tuesday with a four-game lead.
The Blue Wahoos got a third consecutive quality start from right-hander Jacob Miller, who worked six innings, allowed four hits and two runs. The bullpen trio who followed him kept the game close.
Dale Stanavich, in particular, pitched out of a jam in the eighth and followed with a clean ninth.
Montgomery starter Ty Johnson, one of eight players on the Biscuits team ranked among the Top 30 prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Morissette laced a single to centerfield.
It led to a run when Mark Coley II hit a fielder’s choice grounder to score Ignoffo. He had reached on a hit batter, one of the few errant pitches Johnson threw.
The Blue Wahoos tied the game with two runs in the eighth inning on consecutive RBI singles from Coley and Jared Serna.
Nathan Martorella led off the ninth swinging at the first pitch and launching deep to right field, but the ball held up for the first out. The next two batters were retired to force extra innings.
WANT TO GO?
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Wednesday Thru Sunday.
GAMETIMES: The games on Wednesday through Saturday all start at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
Two Charged With Trafficking After Quarter Million Dollar Cocaine Bust In Escambia, Alabama
June 17, 2025
The Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday reported a quarter million dollar drug bust on I-65 in Escambia County, Alabama.
On June 13, the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Unit conducted a traffic stop on 2023 Cadillac XTS on Interstate 65 northbound resulting in the seizure of approximately 22 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $250,000.
“This enforcement action highlights the Sheriff’s Office’s commitment to eradicating narcotics not only in the local community, but also any drug trafficking through our country,” Sheriff Heath Jackson said.
The two occupants of the vehicle, Dominick Balli (pictured top) and James Godbe, both residents of Texas, were arrested and charged with cocaine trafficking and booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center will bond set at $1 million each.
Enon Shed Fire Quickly Extinguished After Homeowner Reports Seeing Smoke On Camera
June 17, 2025
A homeowner’s quick call to the fire department led to firefighters quickly extinguishing a storage shed fire Tuesday afternoon in Enon.
The homeowner reportedly made the call for help after seeing smoke on a security camera.
The incident was reported around 12:25 p.m. from a shed located in the 10000 block of Highway 97A, roughly half a mile west of South Highway 99.
Firefighters from Escambia County Fire Rescue’s Molino, Cantonment, and Walnut Hill stations arrived to find smoke from the structure, which was reportedly used for household item storage and equipped with electricity.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no injuries were reported.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
FHP: U.S. Mail Carrier At Fault In Highway 29 Crash With Improper U-Turn
June 17, 2025
A rural mail carrier was at fault in a two vehicle crash Saturday morning on Highway 29, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report released on Tuesday morning.
The crash happened around 9:40 a.m. on Highway 29 northbound between Cox Road and Sigler Road north of McDavid.
FHP said the 54-year-old mail carrier was traveling south in the grass median, accroaching 2700 North Century Boulevard, when he made an improper U-turn or left turn from the grass median in front of oncoming traffic. The right side of his SUV collided with the left front of a sedan driven by an 18-year-old teen. The mail carrier’s SUV came to rest off the roadway, and the teen’s car rotated until it came to rest in the roadway.
Firefighters extricated the mail carrier from their vehicle following the crash. Both drivers were transported by Newman’s Ambulance and Escambia County EMS to area hospitals.
A representative of the U.S. Post Office in Century collected the mail for later delivery.
The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash.
NorthEsccambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Case Reopened Against Century Felon Accused Of Aggravated Assault For Hitting Woman With Handgun
June 17, 2025
The State Attorney’s Office has reopened a case against a Century felon accused of striking a woman in the head with a handgun and weapon possession in May 2024.
Kenneth Elbert Hammac, Jr. was originally arrested for the incident last May, but in December 2024, the State Attorney’s Office dropped the charges due to “prosecutorial discretion” but has since reopened the case.
Hammac was arrested again direct file charges of aggravated using a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon — all felonies.
The female victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that Hammac accused her of cheating before striking her over the head with what she thought flashlight and shoving her into a table. He then pointed a handgun at their 15-year-old son, according to an arrest report.
The 15-year-old told deputies that Hammac pointed a gun at him and demanded to know who had been over, the report continues. The teen told deputies that Hammac struck the victim over the head with the butt of the handgun.
Deputies noted large laceration that bleeding heavily on the disorientated victim’s head and a table covered with blood. She was transported by Escambia County EMS to Jay Hospital for treatment.
According to the ECSO, Hammac is convicted felon, found guilty of possession of cocaine in 2008, and sentenced to two years in state prison.
He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $12,500 bond.
Chumuckla Highway and Five Points Intersection Project Public Meeting Set
June 17, 2025
A public meeting will be held Thursday about the Chumuckla Highway and Five Points Intersection Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study.
The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 19 at the Don Salter Community Center, 5976 Chumuckla Highway in Pace.
Project Information
Santa Rosa County is conducting a PD&E Study to consider widening C.R. 197 Chumuckla Highway from U.S. 90 to Five Points Intersection. This project is intended to support all modes of transportation by increasing capacity on Chumuckla Highway by widening the roadway to relieve congestion, decrease travel times, and support bicycle and pedestrian movements.
The PD&E Study will consist of developing and evaluating alternative road alignments to determine a preferred alternative that will increase the safe and efficient movement for all modes of transportation.
A public hearing is anticipated to be held winter of 2025. The PD&E Study is anticipated to be completed in spring of 2026. Design, right of way, and construction will follow.
Showers And Storms Likely Again Today
June 17, 2025
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Juneteenth: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly clear, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 73.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sheriff’s Office Issues Warning About Warrant Scam. Here’s How It Works.
June 17, 2025
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is once again warning about another warrant scam.
According to the ECSO, the scam involves callers identifying themselves as members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. These imposters then claim that the recipient of the call has an outstanding warrant related to missed jury duty and demand payment to resolve the issue. Adding to the deception, the phone number displayed on caller ID may even appear similar to an official ECSO number, making it difficult for unsuspecting victims to immediately identify it as fraudulent.
“The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will never call you and ask you to pay any amount of money,” the ECSO Said. “Do not send any form of payment or plan any meet-up if you receive a call such as this.”
Two Former Inmates Charged With Trying To Sneak Contraband Into Fountain Prison
June 17, 2025
Two former inmates were arrested on drug and contraband charges near the Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said personnel ADOC K-9 personnel noticed a suspicious vehicle near state property and investigated. The driver was identified as former inmate Sherman Mickles. Passengers included a female juvenile and an infant. Mickles was detained and the K-9 Unit tracked and located a second suspect, former inmate Robert Oliver. A backpack was recovered near Oliver.
Both suspects were arrested, transported to the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center, and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, two counts of attempting to commit a controlled substance crime (distribution), possession of marijuana first, and prohibited activities.
ADOC said the backpack included (apporximately):
- 1 bottle of vodka
- 1 Bluetooth speaker
- 7 wireless earbuds
- 11 USB blocks
- 23 USB cords
- 18 cell phones
- 1 digital scale
- 82 grams of methamphetamines
- 988 grams of marijuana
The Poarch Tribal Police and Atmore Police departments assisted in the arrests. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be pending, officials said.