Sunny, Windy And Cooler
October 29, 2025
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. West wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. West wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 42. Calm wind.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 71.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 73.
Chili Fundraiser To Benefit Escambia Public Schools Foundation
October 29, 2025
The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation will be hosting its annual chili cook-off on Saturday, November 1..
This year’s cook-off will be held at Fountain Park, 300 E. Zaragoza Street, in downtown Pensacola adjacent to Seville Square. The event will start at noon and run until 3:00 pm.
Proceeds from this year’s chili cook-off will be used for the Tools for Teachers program, which provides free classroom supplies to all educators in Escambia County Public Schools.
“This event brings the community together for a fun afternoon that benefits the students and teachers in our district,” said Escambia Public Schools Foundation Executive Director Jo McArthur.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by visiting the Foundation website or by texting CHILI to 850-930-9939. Tickets can also be purchased at the event. Tickets will allow you to sample a dozen different chilis, and also gets you a drink and dessert. Kids 10 and under are free.
Visitors will be able to enjoy performances by the bands from Ransom Middle School and Bailey Middle School. ECPS Teacher of the Year Kelly Reed will serve as a judge.
Santa Rosa Man Executed For 1998 Rape, Murder Of His Neighbor
October 29, 2025
A Santa Rosa County man was executed Tuesday night for raping and murdering his next-door neighbor in 1998.
Norman Mearle Grim Jr., 65, was pronounced deceased at Florida State Prison near Starke,
Grim was convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery for the 1988 murder of his neighbor, Cynthia Campbell.
After she was reported missing, her body was found by a fisherman at the Pensacola Beach Bridge. She had suffered 11 stab wounds to her chest, along with multiple blunt-force injuries to her face and head that were consistent with being struck by a hammer.
Grim was the 15th inmate executed in Florida in 2025.
Tate Baseball Hits A Home Run With Fall Halloween Costume Game (With Gallery)
October 29, 2025
Tate Aggie Baseball hosted their annual Fall Baseball Halloween Game Tuesday evening.
The event started with trunk-or-treat with baseball players, volleyball, softball, and student council all coming together for a fun night. Trunk or treat was followed by an exhibition baseball game with players in full costume with games and prizes for the kids between innings.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Allie Penton, click to enlarge.
Bonus Gallery: Northview Band, Fans And Cheerleaders
October 29, 2025
The Northview Chiefs celebrated Senior Night with a big 60-0 win over the Central Lions of Hayneville, Alabama, last Friday night.
For a bonsu gallery with the cheerleaders, band and fans, click here.
For a football action gallery and story, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wendy Michelle Booker
October 29, 2025
Wendy Michelle Booker, 60, of Jay, Florida passed away on October 26, 2025.
Wendy was a Jay High School graduating class of 1982. She enjoyed fishing with her husband, crafting, baking, thrifting, and traveling to Tennessee to see the leaves change color. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends. She was a member of the Century Church of Christ.
She was proceeded in death by her father Billy Blackmon of Jay, FL and her former sister-in-law Misty Wright, of Jay, FL.
She is survived by her husband, Wally Booker of Jay, FL; her mother, Janice Blackmon of Jay, FL; her son, Chad (Kristie) Booker of Summerville, GA; her daughter, Brandy (Wade) Edwards of Bratt, FL; her grandchildren Braxton (Raegan) Edwards, of Canoe, FL; Bradi (Tyler Murphy) Edwards of Century, FL; Jordan (Grace Johnson) Mosley of Carrollton, GA; Cameron Booker of Summerville, GA; her brother, Scott (Wendy) Blackmon of Jay, FL; her sister, Amy (Brian) Hawthorne of Jay, FL; her brother-in-law Larry Booker of Jay, FL; her sister-in-law Ginger (Ronald) Steele of Brewton, AL; her nephews, Tyler (Morgan) Blackmon of Jay, FL; Nolan (Danielle) Hawthorne of Jay, FL; Zachary Blackmon of Jay, FL; her great-nephews Liam Hawthorne and Trajan Blackmon; her very close friends Evelyn and Joe Edwards of Brewton, AL. She is also survived by a magnitude of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews that she loved dearly.
The Family wishes to thank the nurses with VITAS hospice for their wonderful care given during her time of sickness, Dr C. David Smith for being her physician for many years, and all the family and friends who have prepared food, sent cards, and visited during her time of sickness it was greatly appreciated.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at Lewis Funeral Home Jay Cornerstone Chapel, 4003 Highway 4, Jay, Florida 32565, with visitation from 1-2 p.m. and service at 2 p.m.
‘A Tragic Misunderstanding’ — Sheriff Details Accidental Shooting Of Walnut Hill Teen
October 28, 2025
A 16-year-old remains in critical condition after being accidentally shot in the chest early Sunday morning in Walnut Hill. Another teen is facing charges, but he is not charged with the shooting itself.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons told NorthEscambia.com Monday afternoon that another 16-year-old took a weapon that belonged to his sister’s boyfriend out of the glove compartment of her car without permission.
“He and another 16-year-old were talking about the gun, and they thought if they removed the magazine the gun was empty,” he said. “And, unfortunately, that was a tragic misunderstanding on their part because one round was left in the chamber and that was the shot that went off when he pointed it at the 16-year-old victim.”
It happened at a gathering at a home around 12:05 a.m. Sunday near South Highway 99 and Morgan Road.
The victim was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. His mother has posted on social media that he has undergone surgeries and is continuing to fight for his life.
The sheriff said witnesses, the suspect, and the victim gave corroborating statements.
“Even the victim said to point the gun and pull the trigger for whatever reason,” Simmons said. “There’s obviously a lesson here, a very serious lesson here that had very serious consequences.”
The teen who discharged the 10mm semi-automatic weapon has been charged with grand theft of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a minor.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Escambia School Choice Expo Is Today
October 28, 2025
Escambia County Public Schools will host their School Choice Expo on Tuesday, October 28.
This year’s expo will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. at Washington High School. Typically, the expo welcomes over one thousand people
Representatives from ECPS Career Academies and Choice Schools will be on hand to greet guests and answer questions about their programs. Tables for career academy displays will be set up inside the Washington gym and cafeteria. Local vendors will provide items for gift bags for attendees.
“The school district is excited to once again be offering our School Choice Expo to the community,” said Coordinator of Enrollment Services Chris McFarland. “This is a great opportunity for our students to experience all of the awesome programs and school choice transfer options available to our students in one venue. We look forward to once again seeing everyone there.”
The School Choice Expo coincides with the middle and high school open enrollment period, which runs from October 27 to December 5, 2025. The open enrollment period for elementary schools runs from January 26 to March 6, 2026.
For questions about open enrollment, contact McFarland at (850)469-5580. For questions about career academies, contact Steven Harrell, director of Workforce Education, at (850) 469-5357.
Families are encouraged by the district to register for school choice during the expo.
David Jolly, Democratic Candidate For Governor, Holds Molino Town Hall
October 28, 2025
Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly is the first to admit that you would not typically expect to see a Democrat campaigning for governor in Molino; which traditionally votes Republican. But he spoke to about 60 people Monday night at the Molino community center.
“A lot of people are saying we haven’t seen a gubernatorial candidate in Molino,” Jolly said. “We’ll get used to it, because this isn’t going to be our only trip; we are going to be back and back and back…because someone has to be a governor for the entire state, not just a political party, not just for one part of the state, but the entire state.”
Jolly is a former Republican and considered to be the front-runner among Democrats who are running for Florida governor. He served as a Republican in the U.S. House from 2014 to 2017 in Florida’s 13th district.
“The state of Florida is going to choose a new direction, and it doesn’t have to be rooted in deep partisanship to simply say we are going in the wrong direction, that we’ve gotten away from the values that we hold dear, and we need to reset.”
For more photos, click to enlarge.
He added that he does not look at voter registration when he goes into a community.
He likened his campaign to that of Democratic Lawton Chiles, who in 1970 started a 1,000-mile walking tour of the state in Century on the way to winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. Jolly said he’s made 108 campaign stops so far on his way to visiting every community in the state.
And he said he’s not a stranger to Molino—visiting churches in the area when his father, Rev. Lawson Jolly, was with the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association in the 1990s.
“I speak openly about my faith,” he said. “I think we need more Democrats that speak openly about their faith…I say it not to evangelize.”
“In a state that has become the home of culture wars rooted in faith, I think this state needs a governor that understands the governor’s personal and private faith stops at the steps to the State House.”
The Pinellas County resident added that it is important for voters to realize that they can vote Democratic, regardless of their party registration. He said he is focusing on making Florida an affordable place for everyone, with job growth and lower insurance rates.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Partly Sunny, Low 70s Today; Rain Possible Early Wednesday Morning
October 28, 2025
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 72. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast after midnight. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 67. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. West wind around 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 41. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 70.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 76.