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Storm Packs a Punch in North Escambia: Trees Snapped, Lines Downed, and Hundreds Left in the Dark

A strong evening thunderstorm Tuesday evening  in North Escambia left hundreds without power and caused minor damage.

High winds left about one-third of Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s members in Escambia County without power after numerous poles and power lines were knocked down.

At one point in the evening, EREC reported about 1,600 members without power, with about 500 of them along South Highway 99 in Walnut Hill, Bay Springs, and Barrineau Park. Shortly after 6 p.m., at least seven poles were downed or snapped, bringing power lines down alongside or across South Highway 99 about half a mile south of Highway 97.

EREC crews worked for hours, restoring power on that feeder line by about midnight.

Several small trees in the area were also snapped at residences on South Highway 99.

For more photos, click here.

Additional power poles and lines were downed on Highway 97 and Highway 97A.

Officials said it appeared the damage was caused by straight-line winds. There were no injuries reported.

Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Oak Grove Garage Workshop Destroyed By Tuesday Afternoon Fire

Fire destroyed a large metal building and garage workshop at a home in Oak Grove Tuesday afternoon.

Explosions were reported from fuel tanks inside the structure just after 3 p.m., and arriving firefighters found the building heavily involved in fire on North Highway 99 near Mayhaw Road.

There was no immediate word on the exact cause of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

For more photos, click here.

Responding agencies included the Walnut Hill, Molino and McDavid stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue, the Atmore Fire Department, and Escambia County EMS.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Heavy Thunderstorm Flips Aircraft, Damages Metal Building In Walnut Hill

A heavy thunderstorm that moved through Walnut Hill on Tuesday evening flipped an aircraft and damaged a large metal building.

The glider was apparently anchored at a grass airstrip operated by Solace Aerial on Railroad Road, near the Genesis Rail Systems transfer station. The glider was blown approximately 200 yards, coming to rest upside down in a field.

For more photos, click here.

A nearby metal building was also damaged, with large doors blown down. It also appeared that building contents may have been shifted.

Escambia County Fire Rescue responded and did not find anyone around the facilities.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Escambia County Veterans Services Outreach In Molino On Thursday

The Escambia County Veterans Services Office will hold an outreach event in Molino on Thursday, July 2.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Molino Community Center, located at 6450 Highway 95A.

Veterans Services Office staff members will be available to help with topics including reviewing VA benefits, filing a VA claim, and re-evaluating VA disability. Additional vendors include:

• Escambia County Property Appraiser
• Council on Aging of West Florida
• Legal Services of North Florida
• Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging
• Pensacola Vet Center
• United Way of West Florida

Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis at no charge. No appointment is required.

Pickup Hydroplanes During Heavy Thunderstorm, Crashes Into Flooded Ditch

A driver crashed into a flooded drainage ditch during a heavy thunderstorm in Walnut Hill Tuesday evening.

The man said he was traveling north on South Highway 99 near Morgan Road when he hydroplaned in deep water crossing the roadway during the storm. He lost control, with his GMC Sierra, and trailer landing in the deep ditch.

The man was not injured. The Florida Highway Patrol investigated.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Hot, Humid Summer Days Ahead

Scorching summer heat will dominate the next few days, with temperatures climbing into the mid-90s and heat index values pushing a stifling 105 degrees. While mostly sunny skies are on tap through Friday, standard afternoon storm chances return just in time for Independence Day. A much more active weather pattern sets up by the conclusion of the holiday weekend, bringing a high probability of rain and thunderstorms by Sunday afternoon.

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 4pm. Sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 105. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Calm wind.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Calm wind.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. Calm wind.

Independence Day: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.

Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.

Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.

Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.

NWE 13U Chiefs Bagging Groceries Today, Friday To Raise Funds

The NWE 13U Chiefs will be bagging groceries for donations at the Piggly Wiggly on Highway 97 in Davisville to raise funds for the upcoming regional baseball tournament in Monroe, Louisiana. They will be bagging on Wednesday, July 1, and Friday, July 3, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day. NorthEscambia.com file photo.

Blue Wahoos Blast Rocket City For Fourth Straight Win

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued to punish Southern League pitching on Tuesday night, opening up their six-game road series with a 9-2 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

After scoring 12 runs in each of their past three games last weekend in Chattanooga, the Blue Wahoos didn’t quite live up to that pace. They did, however, add four more home runs and made a couple of stellar defensive plays to win their fourth game in a row.

Rocket City struck first in the bottom of the second, as Juan Flores lined an RBI double off the warning track in center field for a 1-0 Trash Pandas lead. The Blue Wahoos would counter in a big way in the top of the third, racking up four runs on six hits against Trash Pandas starter Eybersson Polanco (L, 3-4) to take the lead for good.

Payton Green led off with a double, and scored on a long two-run homer from Dylan Jasso. Cam Cannarella followed with a solo homer of his own, his sixth in the past week and a half, to give the Blue Wahoos a 3-1 lead. Consecutive singles from Juan Matheus, Fenwick Trimble and Brandon Compton added another for a 4-1 advantage.

Flores greeted Blue Wahoos reliever Holt Jones (W, 2-0) with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, but that would be the extent of the damage against the Pensacola bullpen. Cannarella made a leaping catch at the right field wall to rob Mac McCroskey and end the fourth, and catcher Ryan Ignoffo picked off Nick Rodriguez straying too far from third base to end the fifth. The Trash Pandas collectively went 0-for-12 with men in scoring position on the night, leaving nine men on base.

Green added a solo homer in the sixth inning, and Compton capped a three-hit night in his Double-A debut with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the eighth. With two walks and a hit batsman to load the bases, Juan Matheus contributed a finishing kick later in the inning with a two-run single for a 9-2 lead.

Jones, Kade Bragg and Livan Reinoso all protected the lead with effective relief for the Blue Wahoos before Huntsville native Christian MacLeod ended the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Trash Pandas on Wednesday night.

written by Erik Bremer

WSRE Ends Affiliation With PBS, Effective July 1

Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow, NOVA, Masterpiece Theatre and other PBS favorites are now gone from WSRE-TV 23.

AAs of July 1, the station, operated by Pensacola State College, has ended its affiliation with PBS after several decades. Last year, President Donald Trump signe an excutive order to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and PSC lost $1.5 million in state and federal funding.

Now, WSRE is replacing PBS shows with a wide variety of lineups, including educational, cultural, and musical content, Pensacola State College features, locally produced WSRE shows, and programming from the Florida Channel. The station’s subchannels—PBS World (23.2), Create (23.3), PBS Kids (23.4), and a dedicated Florida Channel (23.5)—have also been discontinued

There will be special programming this week for America’s 250th. The regular programming schedule is as follows:

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