North Escambia Store Sold One Of Florida’s Only Winning Powerball Jackpot Tickets A Decade Ago
September 7, 2025
“Play Here!”
It’s just a simple Florida Lottery sign on a rather nondescript storefront in Davisville on Highway 97 in a 38-year-old shopping center that shows its age. The storefront is located on Highway 97, about 1,100 feet south of the Florida-Alabama state line.
The corner store, located just around the walkway from the Piggly Wiggly grocery store, is where a winning Powerball jackpot ticket was sold, one of just 17 top prize winning tickets sold in Florida since the state joined the Powerball in 2009.
Alice Patricia Dawson of Frisco City, Alabama, purchased a Quick Pick, a ticket 10 years ago there at the State Line Gift Shop at 11208 Highway 97 and won $80 million on April 11, 2015. She opted for a cash payout of $53,440,213.76 for the only winning ticket for that drawing in the country.
Neighbors in Frisco City, a town near Monroeville, described Alice Dawson and her husband as down to earth people. The Dawsons did not seek the limelight after the win. They told WEAR 3 back in 2015 that they didn’t want any extra publicity and had been playing the lottery in Florida for about 17 years.
Incidentally, one of those 17 winning Powerball jackpot tickets sold in Florida was never claimed and expired. The $50 million winning ticket was sold in Tampa back in 2013.
Pictured:The State Line Gift Shop on Highway 97 in Davisville before the drawing for the September 6, 2025, $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Powerball Players In Missouri And Texas To Split $1.79 Billion Jackpot
September 7, 2025
Two winning tickets were sold in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. The tickets sold in Missouri and Texas will split the $1.79 billion jackpot.
The winning numbers were 11, 23, 44, 61, and 62, with the Powerball number being 17.
The winners will have the option of taking their half as a lump sum of $820.6 million cash.
The drawing trails only the world record $2.04 billion jackpot won on November 7, 2022, in California.
There was a single Florida $1 million Match 5 winning ticket was sold in New Port Richey, one of 18 sold across the nation.
The next Powerball drawing Monday night is estimated at $20 million.
Tate High School Aggies Win Freshman Invitational Tournament
September 7, 2025
The Tate High School Aggies won the Freshman Invitational Tournament on Saturday at Tate.
The Aggies won all six games to claim the tournament title.
Other participating schools were Crestview, Navarre, Milton, Pace, and West Florida high schools.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sunny, Near 90 For Sunday
September 7, 2025
Here is your official NorthEscambia.com forecast:
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 89. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. East wind around 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 89.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 86.
Sharp Scores Three Touchdowns To Lead UWF Over Kentucky Wesleyan
September 7, 2025
Running back Jay Sharp did a little bit of everything on Saturday, scoring three touchdowns to help the Argos take down Kentucky Wesleyan on the road, 28-7.
Sharp finished with 16 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown along with three receptions for 97 yards and two scores. He was the leading rusher and receiver on the day for UWF.
FIRST HALF
Much like the home opener, the Argos wasted no time in getting on the board. On the first offensive play of the game Marcus Stokes’ screen pass to Sharp went 75 yards for a touchdown. Just 15 seconds into the game UWF took a 7-0 lead.
On the next possession the UWF defense forced a fumble and Jamal Ellis recovered it at the Kentucky Wesleyan 21-yard line. The defensive stop set up a 20-yard touchdown catch for Sharp to notch his second score of the day.
The West Florida defense held the Panthers to only 54 yards of offense in the first half.
Penalty calls became the crutch for the Argos with two first half scores being nullified. After Wesleyan punted on its second possession, Tony Newsome returned the punt 90 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back for holding.
With 9:30 remaining in first quarter an interception returned for a score by Jamari Dickens was taken off the board for a pass interference call.
SECOND HALF
The Argos used a 12-play – 85-yard drive that took up nearly seven minutes on their first offensive possession of the second half resulting in a touchdown. Running back Preston Godfrey had a 21-yard run and capped it off with a seven-yard touchdown run to put West Florida up 21-0.
Wesleyan got on the board at the start of the fourth quarter on a deep 41-yard touchdown pass, but it was the only scoring opportunity the Panthers came across.
Sharp found the end zone for the third time in the game with 38 seconds remaining following a two-yard run, putting the Argos up 28-7.
KEY PERFORMANCES
The UWF defensive front did not allow the Kentucky Wesleyan running game to gain positive yards. The Panthers finished with -26 yards rushing on 24 attempts.
Jay Sharp had a career-high three touchdowns and 178 yards of total offense.
Preston Godfrey had his first score as an Argo.
Ja’Kobe Clinton had six total tackles including one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
NEXT UP
West Florida will host Shorter on Sat. Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. as part of Family Weekend presented by Florida Blue at Pen Air Field.
Library’s Paula Hammond Named Escambia County Employee Of The Month
September 7, 2025
West Florida Public Libraries STEAM Instructor Paula Hammond has been named the Escambia County September 2025 Employee of the Month. She was recognized with a proclamation during a recent Board of County Commissioners meeting.
Hammond’s career with West Florida Public Libraries began in 2013 when she joined the Century Library as a part-time employee. Since then, she has filled several roles at the Century Library, including serving as the acting branch manager for a year and a half. She is always willing to lend a helping hand however she can and has been celebrated by her team members for her positive demeanor.
In her current role as a STEAM Instructor, she provides science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics programs for patrons at the Century and Molino libraries. Hammond’s tie-dye program at the Century Library is popular among library patrons, bringing dozens of people to the library each month to experience hands-on, creative activities.
“It’s truly a job working with the library system,” Hammond said. “I love all the people there, all the patrons in Century. Century is home, always has been, and I look forward to what the future holds. ”
“We are incredibly proud of Paula for her endless dedication to the Century library and our patrons,” Interim Library Services Director Christal Bell-Rivera said. “When people in Century think about the library, they think about Paula. She is a fixture in the community and is known and loved by many of the regulars that visit the library. She is extremely deserving of this recognition, and it is an honor to celebrate her as the Employee of the Month.”
In addition to the STEAM programming and her other regular branch duties, Hammond manages local outreach for the Century Center for Rehabilitation & Healing, providing interactive crafts for elderly adults designed with their skills and abilities in mind.
To read the proclamation, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Fall 5-3 To Shuckers Despite Strong Hitting
September 7, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost a back-and-forth game to the Biloxi Shuckers on Saturday night, falling 5-3 as their playoff hopes continued to fade.
The Blue Wahoos scratched out 12 singles, including six with runners in scoring position, but made three outs on the bases and twice were thrown out at the plate trying to score from second base.
Dub Gleed went 3-for-5, opening the scoring with an RBI single in the third inning off Shuckers starter K.C. Hunt. Gleed is now 11-for-20 through the first five games of this week’s series in Biloxi.
Blue Wahoos starter Luis Palacios worked a perfect first two innings, extending Pensacola’s scoreless streak to 21.0 innings dating back to Wednesday, but saw an unearned run score in the bottom of the third on a Tony Bullard fielding error to tie the game 1-1.
An RBI single from Colby Shade in the fourth put Pensacola ahead 2-1, but the Shuckers answered back once more in the bottom of the inning on a Zavier Warren sacrifice fly and Darrien Miller RBI single for a 3-2 Biloxi edge.
Bullard tied the game 3-3 in the fifth with a two-out RBI single, but Gleed was thrown out at the plate on a Payton Green single and Gage Miller was robbed of a run-scoring hit on a diving catch by Biloxi right fielder Garrett Spain to keep the game tied.
The Shuckers scratched across two runs in the sixth against Blue Wahoos reliever Evan Fitterer (L, 6-6), taking a 4-3 lead on a Miller hit-by-pitch and adding on with an Eduardo Garcia RBI single.
Abdiel Mendoza (W, 5-3) worked 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, benefitting from another outfield assist throwing out Gleed at the plate on a Green single in the seventh, and Travis MacGregor (S, 3) finished off the game with a perfect ninth inning for a 5-3 final.
With the loss and a Montgomery win, the Blue Wahoos trail the Biscuits by 6.0 games with 7 to play in the regular season. Any Pensacola loss or Montgomery win would eliminate the Blue Wahoos from playoff contention.
The Blue Wahoos play their final road game of the season against the Shuckers on Sunday.
Jan Coleman
September 7, 2025
Jan Coleman, 73, of Century, FL, passed away on August 31, 2025. She was born on October 21, 1951, in Gulfport, MS, to Paul and Mary Frasier, of Waynesboro, MS.
Jan was the first daughter of Paul and Mary Frasier. She was “Little Ms. Waynesboro”, played piano and saxophone, and was a baton twirling majorette. Jan graduated college with a degree in interior design. As life changed courses, so did she. Jan went back to school to get her degree in chemistry. This is where she found another passion. She was a lifeguard and an entrepreneur in selling the clothing that she made. She had a wide variety of things and areas that she was passionate about. Jan loved sewing and making things of all sorts. She made clothing from sweatshirts, dance costumes, outfits for the family, even the sheets and pillowcases that they laid their heads on. She taught many children and grandchildren how to sew.
She had a love for the water, from teaching the children how to swim in the pool to hanging out on the beach with her sons (all 3). She had a love for flowers, so there always had to be flowers in the yard (sunflowers, especially). Jan loved to fish, watch “Law and Order” and sit on the porch or on her swing with a hot cup of coffee. Many grandchildren sat on the porch enjoying a cup of Nana’s hot chocolate with her. She had a love of baking and candy making. Jan loved to put on large family gatherings. They were always over the top to most but not for her- they were just right. She would cook for days on end to “get ready” as she would say. There would be so much more food than was needed and she would say “you never know who all is coming, I want to have enough”.
Christmas was her favorite time of year. Everyone knew all year to be ready for Christmas Eve at Nana’s (it will carry on). She loved watching some good football, whether it be from the stands cheering on the grandchildren or in the living room with family. Jan loved family and watched it grow through the years with many people becoming family. She has impacted a lot of lives in her lifetime, and she will be greatly missed by all that knew her.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, Gary Coleman; parents, Paul and Mary Frasier; and sister, Andreae O’Dom Busby.
Jan is survived by her brother, Paul (Vicki) Frasier of Shubuta, MS; sisters, Mona Shea (Larry) Givens of Chatom, AL, and Denise (Paul) Brown of Fruitdale, AL; sons, David Alan Coleman of Century, FL, Jeremy Coleman of Cantonment, FL, and Nick (Melissa) Fowler of Lyman, SC; daughters, Sylvia Hoy of Century, FL, and Nancy Hudson of Cantonment, FL; 15 grandchildren: Chandler, Micheal, Dillon, Nick, DJ, Jeremiah, Jacob, Joseph, Jasmine, Alex, Faith, Garrett, Damion, Mariah, and Dalton; and 13 great-grandchildren: Alexis, Liam, Destiny, Taccoa, Montana, Kingsley, Tori, JJ, Skyler, Alora, Kayden, Hezekiah and Rosalynn (on the way).
The family would like to give a special acknowledgment to friends and neighbors, Gary and Poly Johnson; and Nikki Fort, Rebecca Hudson, Nora Hudson, Racheal Sexton and Ronald Hoy, who became family many years ago and each had a special place in her heart.
Pallbearers will be Nick Fowler, Alex McMinn, Dalton Hudson, Jacob Coleman, Michael Boyd and David Hoy.
A Funeral Service for Jan were held on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at Trahan Family Funeral Home. Burial followed the service at Spruell Memorial Cemetery.
Tonight’s Powerball Jackpot Is 2nd Biggest Ever. Here Are Three ‘Secret’ Tips.
September 6, 2025
Saturday night’s Powerball drawing in the second largest ever, soaring to an estimate $1.8 billion, or a cash option of $826.4 million — both amounts before taxes.
The drawing trails only the world record $2.04 billion jackpot won on November 7, 2022, in California.
The drawing Saturday night will be the 42nd since the last winner on May 31, also in California.
“Secret” Tips And Tricks
Over the past 30-plus years, there have been many theories on whether players can gain an edge to winning the Powerball. Here are the top secret three misconceptions and tips, according to the lottery:
Misconception 1: You’re better off letting the computer randomly select your numbers versus you choosing your own numbers on a play slip.
How a player selects their numbers does NOT affect their probability of matching the winning Powerball numbers. Every number has the same probability of being drawn in every Powerball drawing. Historically, 82% of Powerball jackpot-winning tickets had winning numbers that were chosen by a computer. That doesn’t mean that method of play is any luckier, simply that more Powerball ticket purchases are quick picks, or had their numbers chosen by a computer. If half of all tickets purchased for a Powerball drawing had numbers that were chosen by a player, then statistically, we would expect player picks to account for half of the winning tickets.
Misconception 2: Powerball jackpot-winning tickets are only sold in big cities and states.
Powerball was designed to be a random game. Every ticket has the same probability of matching the winning numbers drawn, regardless of where a ticket was sold. The number of winning tickets in a location directly correlates to the volume of ticket sales. Typically, there are more winning tickets in cities because they have higher ticket sales compared to rural areas, and therefore, more winners based upon sales volume.
Misconception 3: You have a better chance of winning the Powerball jackpot if less people are playing.
Individual players have the same odds of winning in every Powerball drawing, regardless of the jackpot amount or how many tickets were sold for a particular drawing.
However, as the Powerball jackpot increases there is a greater likelihood of someone winning it. As the jackpot goes up, ticket sales increase, which means more number combinations are being purchased. Based on sales volume, game leaders can estimate how many potential number combinations are covered, assuming each ticket purchase has a unique number combination. Lotteries call this coverage. A higher coverage percentage means there’s a higher chance that the Powerball jackpot will be hit.
Northview Falls To Freeport 48-43 (With Photo Gallery)
September 6, 2025
The Northview Chiefs fell to the Freeport Bulldogs 48-43 in a hard fought game Friday night at Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium in Bratt.
The Chiefs led 22-14 at the half, before closing out the third quarter with a 35-21 advantage.
But the Bulldogs bit back with a strong fourth quarter, score 27 points to 8 for the Northview.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Chiefs, now 0-3, will look for their first win on the road next week against the Central Jaguars, also 0-3. Central lost 41-6 Friday night to the Baker Gators.
*Look for cheerleader, band, and fans photos coming soon from NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
