Hundreds of Escambia Students Receive Gift of Sight Through Non-Profit Vision Program
January 6, 2026
Hundreds of schoolchildren in Escambia County will enjoy the gift of better eyesight in 2026, thanks to a non-profit vision program.
In December, the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program, a subsidiary of Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, provided free comprehensive eye exams and prescription glasses, if needed, to about 170 Escambia County Public School students at seven schools. The program is funded by entities that include the Florida Department of Health and the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
“We provide no-cost eye exams, and if the children need glasses, we give them glasses at no cost as well,” said Dr. Whitney Schubert, after completing eye exams at Bratt Elementary School. “We do a complete eye exam, complete with the dilation, the drops, and the full examination.”
At Bratt Elementary School, 19 of 29 students who received an eye exam needed glasses.
“They get to pick out their own glasses, which is really cool,” Schubert said. “The kids get so excited, and that’s important at this age.”
The doctor said that studies show one in four children have an undiagnosed vision problem.
“If you can imagine if you can’t see what the teacher is presenting to you, it’s going to be really hard to pick up on those concepts,” she said. “Just getting them a good pair of glasses really just sets the kids up to be able to learn, to grow, and to become confident little kids.”
The Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program free comprehensive eye examinations were offered by the program at Bratt, Lipscomb, McArthur, Ferry Pass, Ensley, Myrtle Grove, and Oakcrest elementary schools. Parents were eligible to apply for the program at 28 Escambia County schools in October, with the program requiring at least 30 approved applicants in order to provide the service at a school.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Warm Days And Mild Nights Continue, Highs In The Middle 70s
January 6, 2026
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 75. Light south wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Patchy fog after 9pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Wednesday: Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind around 10 mph.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 54.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.
Alabama Man Struck By Pickup Truck on Munson Highway
January 6, 2026
A 29-year-old Alabama man was seriously injured when he was struck by a pickup truck in Santa Rosa County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the Brewton man was walking along with the flow of traffic on the edge of Munson Highway near Indian Ford Road when he was hit by a black Ford F350 driven by a 26-year-old Baker man just before 8:30 Sunday.
The pedestrian was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
Second Incumbent Escambia County Commissioner Prefiles For Reelection
January 6, 2026
A second sitting Escambia County commissioner has pre-filed to seek reelection in 2026.
Mike Kohler pre-filed Monday as a Republican to seek reelection to the District 2 seat. He was first elected in 2022, succeeding Doug Underhill, who did not seek reelection.
Incumbent Republican Ashlee Hofberger pre-filed for the District 4 seat in January 2025. Hofberger was first appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the BOCC in October 2024, and she won election in November 2025 for a two-year term. The seat was left vacant in January 2025 when DeSantis appointed Robert Bender as Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
The 2026 primary election will be held August 18, with the general election on November 3.
District 5 Q&A Session Is This Evening In Molino
January 6, 2026
Residents of District 5 will have a direct line to their local leadership this evening as ECUA District 5 Representative Kevin Stephens hosts a constituent Q&A session.
The event is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. at the Molino Community Center at 6450-A North Highway 95A.
According to organizers, Stephens will be joined by other elected officials to meet with the public, including Rep. Michelle Salzman, and representatives from the Escambia County School Board, Escambia County administration, Molino Utilities and other agencies.
The session is designed to give District 5 residents an opportunity to get direct assistance and connect with their Escambia County representatives regarding local issues and services.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Federal Charges Filed Against Former School Employee For Attempted Sex Trafficking Of A Minor
January 6, 2026
Federal charges have been filed against a former school employee for attempted sex trafficking of a minor in Escambia County.
Christopher W. Glover, 47, of Semmes, Alabama was indicted in federal court in Pensacola on attempted sex trafficking of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor, and traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
At a detention hearing in federal court in Pensacola, evidence was presented that Glover communicated with who he believed to be a 14-year-old female and offered to pay her hundreds of dollars in return for sexual acts. It is alleged that Glover then traveled from Alabama, where he worked for the Baldwin County School District, to Pensacola to meet with the minor. The purported minor, however, was an undercover law enforcement officer. When Glover reached Pensacola to engage in the sexual acts with the minor, he was taken into custody. Glover remains detained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending trial.
Glover is scheduled for trial before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola on February 17.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Florida Highway Patrol, and the United States Marshals Service.
Glover was arrested in October 2025 along with a dozen other people in a FDLE operation.
Senovia Velos Tyler
January 6, 2026
Senovia Velos Tyler, born February 13, 1928, in El Paso, Texas to Senovio Velos and Tomasa Vega, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2026. She will be remembered for her sharp wit, cleanliness, cooking skills and love of her family.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Buford M. Tyler, and 5 of her 11 children: James Bailey (Lalo), Elaine McDuffy, Gail Warne, Charles (Bobby) Tyler, and Dorothy O’Donovan.
Survivors include: Barbara Arend of Leesburg, Georgia; Melvin (Peggy) Tyler of Dothan, Alabama; David Tyler of Marianna; Bill Tyler of Cantonment; Faye (Ray) Boutwell of Molino; and Peggy (Michael) Oglesby of Milton. She is also survived by many loving relatives from Texas to Colorado and places in between, numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren, too many to mention by name, but loved no less than anyone else.
Visitation will be held on January 10, 2026 in the chapel of Eastern Gate Memorial Funeral Home, 1985 W. Nine Mile Road from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Funeral service will immediately follow with burial in the family plot at Eastern Gate.
The family extends a special Thank You to her caregivers at Emerald Coast Hospice.
By The Numbers: Escambia County EMS Responded To Over 93,000 Calls In 2025
January 6, 2026
It was a busy year for Escambia County EMS in 2025 with over 93,000 calls for service.
According to numbers released by the county on Monday, Escambia EMS responded to the following in 2025:
93,682 calls for service
56,323 transports
2,860 CORE appointments
4,985 motor vehicle accidents
978 cardiac arrests
410 standby events (such as sporting events, air shows, events)
Additional EMS stats for 2025 include:
• Pediatric emergency responses: 5,269
• Critical airway interventions: 1,269
• Medications administered : 40,538
• Training hours: Approximately 2,000
UPDATE: FHP Says Century Woman Failed To Yield In Saturday Crash That Injured Five
January 5, 2026
UPDATE: The Florida Highway Patrol said Monday that a 63-year-old Century woman failed to yield in a Saturday crash that injured five people on Highway 29 south of Century.
The crash occurred at about 12:50 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 29 and Bluff Springs Road and involved a GMC Terrain Denali and a Ford Expedition.
FHP said the Century woman was driving the GMC east on Bluff Springs Road when she attempted to cross all four lanes of Highway 29 but failed to yield to the approaching Ford.
Three of the five people involved were transported to area hospitals by Newman’s Ambulance with minor injuries.
The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue also responded, along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash temporarily closed the Highway 29 northbound lanes and later reduced northbound traffic to a single lane around the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sex Offender At Lake Stone Campground Charged With Failing To Register
January 5, 2026
A 49-year-old registered sexual offender was arrested after authorities discovered him living at a campground in Century while claiming to be a homeless resident of Alabama.
Robert William Glenn was taken into custody on a felony charge for failing to report a change in his residence or transient address to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began on December 27, when an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the county-operated Lake Stone Campground on west Highway 4 for a welfare check. During the encounter, Glenn claimed he was currently homeless and living in his truck in Brewton, according to an arrest report. He further claimed he possessed an Alabama driver’s license, though a records check later revealed he had no identification from that state and actually held a valid Florida license.
Glenn told the deputy he was only at the campground to help a woman with her ill ex-husband and to take children to school. However, the camp host and neighbors provided sworn statements contradicting his story. The camp host reported that Glenn had been staying at the site since December 2, 2025, and had even used his Florida driver’s license to complete the check-in paperwork. Neighbors added that Glenn appeared to be living at the camper “90 percent of the time” and that his vehicle was rarely gone overnight.
“While on scene, I verified the welfare of the children residing in the camper and did not see anything that caused me concern about their welfare,” the ECSO deputy wrote in the arrest report.
Glenn told deputies that he reports weekly to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama where he is registered as homeless.
Under Florida law, sexual offenders must report a “transient residence” within 48 hours if they remain in a county for three or more days, the ECSO said in the report. Records show Glenn signed a document in October 2025 acknowledging these requirements and stating his intent to move permanently to Alabama, the report states.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, adjudication was withheld against Glenn in 1997 in Escambia County, Florida, on a charge of a lewd or lascivious act involving a child under 16.
Glenn remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.