EREC Holds 87th Annual Meeting (With Photo Gallery)
April 26, 2026
Escambia River Electric Cooperative members held their 87th annual meeting on Saturday at Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill. Dozens of door prizes were awarded, most of them electric, and member Betty Davis won the grand prize of a $500 credit on her electric bill.
Members met in a business session after voting on trustees. Incumbent Brian Davis retained his seat as an Escambia County trustee, defeating challenger Heath Bryan 246-149. An amendment to the cooperative bylaws was approved 292-92.
Guest speaker was Damon Morgan, COO of Powersouth. He is a 1978 graduate of the former Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill.
Savannah Hudson from Northview High School and Brea Lyle from Jay High School were recognized as winners of four-year Herman D. Johnson Scholarships; and Tyler Carach from Northview High School and Nicholas Baxley from Jay High School were recognized as recipients of EREC Trade/Votech Scholarships.
EREC was formed in 1939 with 88 members in their first month. The cooperative now serves about 13,409 members in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties with 1,823 miles of energized line and has 1,629 water meters in Escambia County.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two 19-Year-Olds Killed In Rural Santa Rosa County Wreck
April 26, 2026
A two-vehicle crash late Friday night in rural Santa Rosa County claimed the life of two 19-year-olds.
The double fatal crash occurred at approximately 11:35 p.m. at the intersection of American Farms Road and Cornfield Way. The Florida Highway Patrol said a pickup truck with six occupants was traveling east on Cornfield Way when it collided with an SUV driven by a 57-year-old Milton woman.
The pickup truck overturned, ejecting a 19-year-old male and a 19-year-old female; both were declared dead at the scene. A 19-year-old female passenger was critically injured, while the 20-year-old male driver and two other passengers, ages 18 and 19, were seriously injured. All were from Milton.
The SUV driver sustained minor injuries.
The FHP Traffic Homicide unit is conducting a comprehensive investigation.
File photo.
Slight Chance Of Scattered Sunday Afternoon Showers
April 26, 2026
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers between 1am and 4am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71.
FCA Game Changer Awards Presented To Local Athletes
April 26, 2026
This week, the Northwest Florida Fellowship of Christian Athletes presented their “Game Changer” awards to local high school athletes.
The awards honored their participation in flag football, lacrosse, and tennis. The winners were chosen by their teammates based upon their integrity, dedication, character, and FCA values.
Lacrosse:
- Abigayle Keever- Tate
- Ashley Saiter- Gulf Breeze
- Graham Pennington- Gulf Breeze
- Maisy Archangel- Milton
- Gavin Archangel- Milton
- Gretchen Lamar- Pensacola
- Ella Adams- Pensacola Catholic
- Dade Cutter- Pensacola Catholic
Tennis:
- Manera Lampe- Escambia
- Christian Villarreal- Escambia
- Lilly Dye- Milton
- Winston Ward- Milton
- Zella Trahan- Pensacola
- Cash Schweigert- Pensacola
- Mayan Chavan- Pensacola Catholic
- Gavin Tubban- Pensacola Catholic
- Syndey Grace Hudspeth- Washington
- Linxi Niedbala- West Florida HS
- Jack Cavnar- West Florida HS
Girls Flag Football:
- Makenzie Levins- Northview
- Rivers Gurney- Gulf Breeze
- Aurianna Luckett- Pine Forest
- Dani Slattery- Washington
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Win Extra-Inning Thriller in Montgomery
April 26, 2026
Brendan Jones led the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to their first extra-inning win of the season on Saturday night, driving in a pair of crucial runs in a 3-1, 10-inning victory over the Montgomery Biscuits.
Jones opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo home run, and delivered the eventual game-winning hit with an RBI single to lead off the top of the 10th inning.
In between, the Blue Wahoos and Biscuits played a crisp, competitive pitchers’ duel. Karson Milbrandt became the first Pensacola pitcher this season to complete 6.0 innings, allowing just a run on two hits while striking out six, and Montgomery’s Garrett Edwards completed 7.0 innings by retiring 16 men in a row after a second-inning Cristian Hernández double.
The Biscuits tied the game 1-1 on a fifth-inning solo homer from Xavier Isaac, his third of the series. As the Blue Wahoos turned the game over to the bullpen, Justin King and Logan Whitaker (W, 2-0) kept the game tied to force extras.
In the 10th, Jones greeted Biscuits reliever Alexander Alberto (L, 0-1) with a quick RBI single to bring home placed runner Fenwick Trimble for a 2-1 Blue Wahoos lead. Dillon Lewis followed with an opposite-field RBI triple off the top of the right field wall for added insurance.
Whitaker returned for the bottom of the 10th and retired the Biscuits in order to preserve the 3-1 win.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Biscuits on Sunday.
written by Erik Bremer
Cantonment Murder Suspect Extradited From Arizona; Shooting Linked To Winning $20K Sports Bet
April 25, 2026
The suspect in a March Cantonment homicide who was later arrested in Arizona had been extradited and is now in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Devaughn Kentrell Williamson, 29, is accused of shooting Tyshawn McDowell in the chest during an incident at a residence on Booker Lane. He was located on April 17 at a bus stop in Phoenix with a bus ticket in his pocket for El Paso, Texas, according to Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons. The sheriff said he had cut off his dreads, which were in a bag in his possession (pictured bottom), and he also had a handgun (pictured below).
He was captured with the assistance of a U.S. Marshals Task Force. He is being held in the Maricopa County Jail in Arizona, before being extradited back to Escambia County.
First Report
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, deputies responding to a deadly missiles call on Booker Lane on March 4, 2026, discovered blood and shell casings at the scene, along with a bloody firearm discarded in a nearby wooded area.
After deputies spoke with the reporting person, they first developed Williamson as the possible victim and were unable to locate him. On March 6 at 8:30 a.m., Williamson was located at Carver Park on Webb Street and he told deputies that he was fine and elected to leave after a fight with his girlfriend, according to the report. He also told deputies that he had no knowledge of anything occurring, and that it had nothing to do with him.
Victim Reported Missing
At 1 p.m on March 6, Tyshawn McDowell was reported missing by his mother who told deputies that family members had attempted unsuccessfully to contact him. She told deputies that McDowell was last know to be going to meet with Williamson because Williamson’s twin brother owned him approximately $20,000 from a winning sports bet.
McDowell’s brother received a Facebook call from someone wishing to remain anonymous and stating that McDowell had been shot and was dead, the report continues.
GPS Tracker and Bloody Palmprint
A GPS tracker place by an automotive company was used to locate McDowell’s 2016 Nissan Altima on Greek Cemetery Road east of Robertsdale, Alabama. Investigators located the vehicle on the side of the road and observed blood inside and outside the car. Florida deputies learned the vehicle had previously been stopped by a Baldwin County deputy, and Williamson was the driver and sole occupant. The Alabama deputy noted money scattered around the floorboard in the car.
Also on March 6, investigators determined that palm prints on the bloody weapon’s magazine belonged to Williamson.
Victim’s Phone Data Leads To His Body
ECSO obtained geolocation records for McDowell’s phone, tracing its path from Booker Lane in Cantonment, along Highway 112 in Baldwin County where the phone was stationary for 15 minutes before moving back to Pensacola. Based upon the cellular data from the victim’s phone, investigators conducted a search and located McDowell’s body in a secluded wooded area just north of Highway 112 near Goodlander Road. He had a single gunshot wound to the chest.
An arrest warrant for second degree murder was obtained for Williamson.
Library Winter Book Sale Is Saturday And Sunday
April 25, 2026
The Friends of the West Florida Public Library 2026 Spring Big Book Sale is continuing on Saturday and Sunday at the Downtown Library.
The big book sale is for readers of all ages with books, audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs. Selections cover a wide variety of genres including plenty of family-friendly options.
Sale Highlights:
- Saturday, April 25, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday, April 26, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – $7.00 for a bag of books
- Location: Downtown Library, 239 N. Spring St., Pensacola
- Admission: Saturday and Sunday’s admission is FREE for all shoppers.
- Items for Sale: Hardback and softback Books (Fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, biographies, Young Adult, children’s), Paperbacks, Religious, Foreign Language, Travel, Crafts, Holidays and Cooking. The Collectors’ Corner features books by local authors, books about our area/history and specialty books (all individually priced). Multimedia includes CDs, DVDs, Vinyl and Audio Books.
- Cash or Credit Cards accepted.
The Big Sink: Cat Excavator Nearly Disappears Into Soft Ground Along Highway 29
April 25, 2026
Recovery crews spent the better part of Friday night extricating a Caterpillar excavator that was swallowed by the earth alongside Highway 29 in Cantonment.
Authorities stated the machinery was unoccupied when it began to disappear into the unyielding mud for an unknown reason.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
The incident occurred adjacent to the southbound lanes of Highway 29, just north of Power Road.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Patchy Fog Tonight, Slight Chance Of Showers Again Sunday Afternoon
April 25, 2026
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A slightt chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74.
Hundreds Go ‘Casual for Kids’ To Benefit Ronald McDonald House
April 25, 2026
On Friday, hundreds took part in “Casual for Kids,” an annual event to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
On Friday, thousands along the Gulf Coast wore their t-shirts to help continue the RMHC mission of keeping families close.
In North Escambia, teachers and staff at Tate High School and Ernest Ward Middle School took part and went casual to support RMH, as did employees at International Paper in Cantonment. The Tate High Senior Executive Board created a hallway display seen here for the event.
Pictured top and bottom, Tate High School teachers and staff took part in “Casual for Kids” on Friday. Pictured first below: Ernest Ward Middle School also took part. Pictured second below: International Paper in Cantonment participated. Pictured third below: The Tate High Senior Executive Board created a hallway display for the event. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
