William A. ‘Bill’ Blackwell
July 30, 2025
William A. “Bill” Blackwell, 71, of Cantonment, FL passed away surrounded by family Friday, July 18, 2025. Bill married his high school sweetheart Janice in 1971 and graduated from George Stone High School in 1972. He then enlisted in the US Army and later became an HVAC instructor for the US Army Corp of Engineers. As a free mason he was a member of the Cantonment Masonic Lodge No.322. He started and ran a prominent HVAC company in Pensacola, Blackwell Heating & Air, for almost 40 years before selling the business and retiring in 2017. Bill thoroughly and passionately enjoyed forestry, hunting, fishing and outdoors at his Peterman, AL farm for many years before and after retirement. After being diagnosed with ALS he moved back closer to family and continued care.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents James M. and Alice T. Blackwell and his brother James M. Blackwell, Jr.
Survivors include his wife, Janice B. Blackwell; son and daughter-in-law, William I. “Billy” and Kelley Blackwell; daughter, Tonya B. Stillwater; grandchildren, Tyler Blackwell (Katie), William “Cole” Stillwater, Skye Stillwater, Landon Blackwell and Layla Bush; great grandchildren, Reed Blackwell and Arabella Stillwater.
Memorial service will be 11am Friday, August 1st at Faith Chapel South, 100 Beverly Pkwy. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m.
Honorary pallbearers will be Steven Johnson, Arlan “Chris” Christoffersen, Gerald Tompkins and Aaron Stillwater.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ALS Association to help find a cure for this horrible disease. The family would also like to extend extreme gratitude towards the Veterans Affairs, Gracepoint Home Care and Community Hospice.
William A. ‘Bill’ Blackwell
July 30, 2025
William A. “Bill” Blackwell, 71, of Cantonment, FL passed away surrounded by family Friday, July 18, 2025. Bill married his high school sweetheart Janice in 1971 and graduated from George Stone High School in 1972. He then enlisted in the US Army and later became an HVAC instructor for the US Army Corp of Engineers. As a free mason he was a member of the Cantonment Masonic Lodge No.322. He started and ran a prominent HVAC company in Pensacola, Blackwell Heating & Air, for almost 40 years before selling the business and retiring in 2017. Bill thoroughly and passionately enjoyed forestry, hunting, fishing and outdoors at his Peterman, AL farm for many years before and after retirement. After being diagnosed with ALS he moved back closer to family and continued care.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents James M. and Alice T. Blackwell and his brother James M. Blackwell, Jr.
Survivors include his wife, Janice B. Blackwell; son and daughter-in-law, William I. “Billy” and Kelley Blackwell; daughter, Tonya B. Stillwater; grandchildren, Tyler Blackwell (Katie), William “Cole” Stillwater, Skye Stillwater, Landon Blackwell and Layla Bush; great grandchildren, Reed Blackwell and Arabella Stillwater.
Memorial service will be 11am Friday, August 1st at Faith Chapel South, 100 Beverly Pkwy. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m.
Honorary pallbearers will be Steven Johnson, Arlan “Chris” Christoffersen, Gerald Tompkins and Aaron Stillwater.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ALS Association to help find a cure for this horrible disease. The family would also like to extend extreme gratitude towards the Veterans Affairs, Gracepoint Home Care and Community Hospice.
Train Collides With Agricultural Sprayer Stuck On The Tracks In Atmore
July 29, 2025
A train collided with an agricultural sprayer Tuesday morning in Atmore.
The sprayer was stuck on the tracks at 21st Avenue due to a broken hydraulic hose, according to Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles. The sprayers are hydraulically propelled and cannot move with a broken hose.
The driver was able to exit the sprayer before the collision and was not injured. Peebles said the train engineer was able to see the sprayer on the tracks and attempted an emergency stop, but due to the weight of the train it did not stop until well after the collision.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The train was damaged by the crash but did not derail. It was apparent that the handrails were ripped off and several covers on the side of an engine were damaged or missing.
The crash blocked crossings from Second Avenue to Chapman Road, a distance of almost three miles.
There were no injuries on the train.
The Atmore Fire Department applied absorbent material to clean up the hydraulic fluid. The agricultural chemicals in the John Deere sprayer did not leak.
Photos by Tristan Gehman and Frisco Gehman for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Guns, Homemade Explosives, Target List Found During Walnut Hill Accidental Shooting Investigation
July 29, 2025
The man who accidentally shot himself last week near Walnut Hill is now facing multiple felony firearms and explosives charges, including charges related to multiple improvised homemade explosives. Authorities say he also had a potential target list.
Joshua Deen Hardy, 26, was charged with three counts of making or possession of a destructive device, using a firearm during a felony and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed. He remains in the Escambia County Jail Infirmary.
During a video appearance Monday, Judge Kerry Smith set Hardy’s bond at $65,000. If he makes bond, he will be required to stay in his home or on his porch, leaving only to go to doctor’s appointments. He is also not allowed to possess weapons, firearms, explosives or flammable substances. He was also ordered to stay away from fireworks shops, gun shops, or any place that sells substances or components related to explosives items. He is due back in court on August 22.
Last Wednesday, the man — now identified as Hardy — accidentally shot himself shortly after 3 a.m. while walking in the woods on family property at 5000 Sandy Hollow Road, just off West Highway 4. His grandmother told deputies that she received a call about 3:15 a.m. from Hardy who said he had tripped while walking on their property with his rifle and he had shot himself in the leg. She picked him up and drove him to Atmore Community Hospital.
She stated that “their old house on their property had burned down a while ago and they believe it to have been arson. Since then, Joshua Hardy will randomly get up early in the morning and ‘patrol” their property with his rifle,” an arrest report states. NorthEscambia.com reported on the fire on January 31, 2025.
At the emergency room in Atmore, Hardy told deputies that he often walks their 22-acre property because he does not like people there, the report states. He said he stepped in a hole and dropped his rifle, accidentally grabbing it as it fell by the trigger and shot himself. He was adamant that he was not shooting at anyone and had no intent of harming himself.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Hardy suffered a serious gunshot wound that shattered his tibia and fibula and nearly took his left big toe.
Deputies responded to the property later in the day after receiving a tip, and they followed a trail of blood from the county right of way and into the woods and located the spot where Hardy shot himself. They reported finding a spent 7.62×39 AK-47 round next to a bloody area. A relative told deputies that the gun and other items that Hardy had with him at the time of the shooting were on top of a freezer in a shed on the property. They were given permission to search by the property owner.
- In a shed behind a vacant doublewide mobile home, deputies reported finding:
- Camo tactical vest with front and back armor plates and a handgun holster that contained a loaded 9mm pistol. The vest had two pistol magazine holders that contained loaded 9mm magazines. The vest had a medical pouch with supplies attached and “what appeared to be some kind of homemade incendiary device with a long fuse”.
- AK-47 style rifle Kevlar helmet AK-47 drum magazine loaded with live rounds
- A total of 49 live 9mm rounds in the magazines and gun
- A total of 118 live 7.62×39 AK-47 rounds in the magazines
- Cigarette lighter
- Cigarette pack containing one cigarette
A Florida Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division bomb disposal unit and the ECSO bomb disposal unit responded, secured the alleged incendiary device and rendered it safe, according to the arrest report.
Relatives told deputies that Hardy has paranoid and manic episodes and feels like people, including law enforcement, are out to get him, the report continues.
The homemade device was described by state officials as being a destructive device found in the vest was essentially a cardboard tube with flash powder like obtained from consumer fireworks and a hobby fuse.
A search warrant was later served and deputies reported finding multiple items in Hardy’s room:
- Destructive device taped to plastic bottles on the bedroom floor
- A .22 calibre revolver with the serial number and model obliterated
- Black duct tape
- Silencer in a box on the top shelf of the closet multiple journals and notebooks
- A hobby fuse
- Destructive device with screws in a dresser drawer
- Plastic container of screws in a nightstand Cardboard box of screws in the closet
- Pouch containing multiple SD cards and USB drives found in a closet
- Apple iPhone, two Apple iPads, Verizon tablet, and an Amazon tablet in the closet
- A backpack with magazines and ammunition
- 12-gauge shotgun
- mixed Tannerite in the closet
- Ruger .300 caliber rifle with 20 rounds of ammunition
- Browning .270 caliber rifle with four rounds of ammunition and an ammo sleeve with seven rounds of ammunition
- ammunition can with additional ammunition
- hand drawn map of the property
Deputies also reported finding an OPFOR list of names in Hardy’s bedroom. OPFOR is a term commonly used in military training and exercises that is short for “Opposing Forces” to represent an enemy.
Investigators recovered two mortar plugs from the front yard and an unknown manufacturer or caliber firearm with wooden stock from a shed.
The bomb squad took custody of the destructive devices, a mortar and pestle with black powder and mixed Tannerite.
The ECSO report states that all three devices (one from the tactical vest and two from Hardy’s room) were “viable destructive devices”, based upon the training and experience of the state bomb technician.
Florida’s Month-Long Back To School Sales Tax Holiday Begins Friday
July 29, 2025
Florida’s month-long back to school Sales Tax Holiday is coming. It will will run from Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 31, giving families a full month of savings on essential school supplies and more.
“Proud to deliver additional sales tax holidays, including the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday that begins on August 1. With the new school year just around the corner, Florida families can save on back-to-school shopping during the tax holiday for the entire month of August,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday in Panama City. “By cutting taxes, empowering parents, and growing our economy, we’re making it easier for people to live, work, and thrive in the Free State of Florida.”
The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday includes exemptions for:
School supplies selling for $50 or less
- Binders
- Notebooks
- Pens and pencils
- Lunch boxes
Clothing, footwear, and apparel priced at $100 or less
- Backpacks
- Pants
- Shoes
- Shirts
- Sweaters
Learning aids selling for $30 or less
- Interactive Books
- Puzzles
- Flashcards
Personal computers and accessories priced at $1,500 or less (for noncommercial home or personal use)
- Laptops
- Flash drives
- Printers
- Headphones
Scattered Showers Tonight; More Heat Tomorrow
July 29, 2025
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 108. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Mostly clear, with a low around 75. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: A slight chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Blood Drive Today At The Century Library
July 29, 2025
The Big Red Bus will be at the Century Branch Library today, July 29 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. for a OneBlood blood drive.
Donors will receive a $20 eGift card and top handle drinkware. Donors will also receive a wellness checkup including blood pressure, pulse, temperature, iron count and cholesterol screening. An ID is required.
The Big Red Bus will also be at the Flomaton Library on Friday, August 1 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
NorthEscambai.com file photo.
Man Sentenced For Smuggling 46 Pounds Of Marijuana Into Pensacola Airport
July 29, 2025
An Oregon man has been sentenced for trying to smuggle 46 pounds of marijuana into Pensacola through the airport.
Tony Do, 30, was sentenced to one year in state prison followed by a decade of probation after he pleaded no contest to charges of marijuana trafficking and marijuana smuggling.
Do flew into the Pensacola International Airport from Portland, Oregon, on September 10, 2024.
The DEA Northwest Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area had received a tip that Do was flying in under “suspicious circumstances” and met him. He told the agents that he had no return flight and was visiting a friend before giving consent to search his two suitcases.
Both suitcases contained clothes with a “heavy masking agent odor of laundry detergent and dryer sheets”, according to an arrest report. Agents reported finding 40 vacuumed-sealed bags of marijuana that had a total weight of 46 pounds.
‘Threads of Hope’ To Provide School Clothes For Needy Kids. Here’s How To Help.
July 29, 2025
Waterfront Mission has launched Threads of Hope. The community initiative aims to provide clothing assistance to homeless and at-risk students across the Gulf Coast as they prepare for the new school year.
The program encourages community members to purchase Waterfront Thrift gift cards, which are distributed directly to local school districts, including Escambia and Santa Rosa. The districts then distribute gift cards to families in need, allowing them to purchase suitable clothing for their children.
Each gift card purchase supports Waterfront Mission’s broader programs that provide meals, shelter, and recovery services to individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction.
“We first learned about the urgent need for clothing from our partners at Escambia County Homeless Student Services,” said Mark Isbell, vice president of PR and Development. “As we spoke with them, we realized just how powerful our community could be if we came together. With the support of our generous thrift shoppers and the communities surrounding each of our seven stores, we knew we could expand this outreach across every school district we serve.”
The program has a goal of $15,000 in gift cards for the campaign by September 1. The gift cards can be purchased online at WaterfrontThrift.org or at any of the seven store locations in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Mobile, or Foley.
New Requirements For Teen Drivers In Florida
July 29, 2025
New requirements will go into effect on Friday, August 1 for teen drivers in Florida.
The requirements will apply to teens ages 15–17 seeking a Class E Learner’s Permit.
Effective August 1 in Florida, all new teen drivers must complete the following:
- 6-Hour Driver Education Course (DETS)
- REAL ID-compliant documents
- Proof of residential address
- Parental consent
Teen and their families can find course information at FLHSMV.gov or FLVS.net.
Teens that are at least 14-years-old who complete the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course before August 1, 2025, may be exempt from the 6-hour Driver Education requirement, provided they obtain their learner’s permit within one year of course completion.
Driver Education Exceptions
The following individuals are not required to complete the new 6-hour Driver Education course:
Teens who already hold a Class E Learner’s Permit or Operator’s License
Individuals transferring a valid Learner’s Permit or Operator’s License from another state
Teens with a valid TLSAE certificate dated before August 1, 2025 (valid for up to one year)