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.
Tate Fall Baseball Halloween Game Is This Evening
October 28, 2025
Tate Aggie Baseball will host their annual Fall Baseball Halloween Game this evening.
The event begins at 5 p.m., with trunk-or-treat with the baseball players, volleyball, softball, and Student Council all coming together for a fun night. Trunk or treat will be followed by an exhibition baseball game with players in full costume at 6 p.m. with games and prizes for the kids between innings.
Chili, hot dogs, pulled pork, treats and more will be available during the event.
The entry fee is $1 and a Thanksgiving canned food item to support an upcoming food distribution hosted by state Rep. Michelle Salzman and A Foundation for Hope. Parking is by the gym.
Pictured: The 2024 Tate Fall Baseball Halloween Game. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jim Allen Elementary Names Students Of The Month
October 28, 2025
Jim Allen Elementary School named their September Students of the Month. They are Aspen Neels and Jayce Austin. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
DeSantis Appoints Doug Broxson To The Board of Governors Of The State University System
October 28, 2025
Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of former Senator Doug Broxson to the Board of Governors of the State University System.
“As a leader in education reform, Senator Doug Broxson has stood by my side as we acted to support parental rights, eliminate DEI, reform tenure, and invest in teacher salaries,” sai DeSantis. “I am proud to appoint Senator Broxson to the Board of Governors and I know he will continue his great work to ensure Florida remains the number one state in the country for higher education.”
Broxson is the president of Doug Broxson Insurance. He has a long history of public service, having served in the Florida House of Representatives representing Districts 1 and 3 from 2010 to 2016, and in the Florida Senate representing District 1 from 2016 to 2024. Broxson held several key leadership positions, including chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. In addition to his work on education reform, he was instrumental in spearheading tort reform, a major driving force in lowering home and auto insurance premiums for Floridians.
It’s Fall Y’all — Marcus Pointe Molino Holds Fall Festival (With Gallery)
October 28, 2025
Marcus Pointe Baptist Church-Molino held a “It’s Fall, Y’all Festival,” las Saturday at the Molino Ballpark.
The family-friendly fun day included train rides, food, activities, inflatables, carnival games and more.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Marcus Pointe Baptist Church-Molino meets each Sunday morning at Molino Park Elementary School.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Allie Penton, click to enlarge.
Donald (Donnie) Forrest Clayton
October 28, 2025
Donald (Donnie) Forrest Clayton, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and dedicated servant of his country and faith, passed away peacefully at his home in Pensacola, Florida.
Donnie was born on July 15, 1940, in Columbus, Mississippi, to the late Denver Lee and Kay Clayton of Reform, Alabama. He was raised in Reform at the natural gas plant, a place that shaped his early life.
Donnie proudly answered the call to service, joining the U.S. Military. He bravely served his country over 20 years in the U.S. Army, including several tours of duty in Vietnam.
After his military service, Donnie pursued a life of faith and learning, attending Bible Seminary with Conrad Murrell in Bentley, Louisiana. He spent many years fellowshipping and serving at Fellowship of Jesus Christ Church in Gordo, Alabama, a community that was dear to his heart.
Donnie is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara Clayton, of Pensacola, Florida.
He was a devoted father and is survived by his sister, Lana Clayton, his daughters, Angela Barberi and Mechelle Hodgens, his step-daughter, Debbie Thomas and step-son David Lyon, and his daughters in law Iris Barberi and Erin Lyon, sons in law Rodney Hodgens and Stephen Thomas .
Donald cherished his role as a grandfather to Matt Funderburk, Casey Blair, Will Blair, Paul Blair, and Tessa Funderburk.
In accordance with his wishes, Donnie’s cremated remains will be laid to rest next to his mother at Graham Memorial Cemetery in Reform, Alabama
FHP: Woman Failed To Yield In Friday Highway 29, Highway 97 Wreck
October 27, 2025
A Pensacola woman sustained critical injuries Friday afternoon in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
The woman was traveling north on Highway 29 in the left turn lane when she attempted to turn onto Highway 97 but failed to yield to oncoming traffic, according to a recently released Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report. She collided with a southbound black Ford SUV driven by a 46-year-old Pensacola man.
The 70-year-old woman, who troopers said was not wearing a seatbelt, was airlifted with critical injuries by LifeFlight helicopter to a Pensacola hospital. The driver of the second vehicle received minor injuries.
The crash caused traffic delays at the intersection for over an hour. The Molino Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Low In The 50s Tonight
October 27, 2025
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 56. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 72. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast after midnight.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. West wind around 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 41.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 70.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.