Cox And Spectrum Finalize Merger: Here Is What It Means For Local Customers
August 21, 2026
Spectrum and Cox are merging and will operate under the Spectrum name.
Charter Communications has officially completed its landmark transaction with Cox Communications alongside its acquisition of Liberty Broadband Corporation, creating the nation’s largest broadband and video provider across a combined 45-state footprint. While the corporate entity will undergo significant structural changes, the day-to-day experience for millions of subscribers will center on a unified brand and restructured product lineup.
The Name on the Bill and the Box
Consumers will not see the Cox name on their consumer services for long. Moving forward, all customer-facing internet, TV, home phone, and mobile services across all markets will operate strictly under the Spectrum brand.
At the corporate level, however, the parent company will officially change its corporate name from Charter Communications to Cox Communications within the next year. The combined company will remain headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, while maintaining a significant corporate presence in Atlanta, Georgia.
What It Means for Cox Customers
The transition begins immediately, with major pricing and product rollouts scheduled for mid-September 2026:
- Free Mobile Promotion: Starting immediately, current Cox internet subscribers who do not already use Cox Mobile are eligible for one free line of Spectrum Mobile service for an entire year.
- New Pricing and Packaging: By mid-September, former Cox markets will transition to Spectrum’s simplified, transparent rate structures and packaging options.
- Streaming-Inclusive Video: Cox video customers transitioning to Spectrum TV Select plans will gain access to bundled, ad-supported streaming services at no additional cost, including Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, ESPN Unlimited, and Discovery+.
- Customer Service Overhaul: Spectrum is bringing its customer service commitments to Cox territories over the next 12 to 18 months, which includes 100% U.S.-based support available 24/7, automatic account credits for outages lasting longer than two hours, and same-day technician dispatch when service disruptions are reported before 5:00 p.m.
- What It Means for Spectrum Customers
For existing Spectrum households, daily service and plans will remain consistent, but the expanded footprint extends key network perks:
- Broader Connectivity: Access to a combined nationwide network supported by roughly 45 million out-of-home Wi-Fi access points.
- Local News Growth: The company’s local news division, Spectrum Networks, will expand into former Cox television markets, adding localized regional news reporting.
- Enhanced Commercial Services: Business clients will see merged capabilities between Spectrum Business and Cox Business, integrating enterprise fiber provider Segra and cloud provider RapidScale.
Summary of Deal and Leadership
Under the terms of the closing, Cox Enterprises received approximately $4 billion in cash alongside common and convertible preferred units, giving it an approximate 26% fully diluted ownership stake in the combined entity. Alex Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Cox Enterprises, has taken over as chairman of the Board of Directors, while Chris Winfrey remains president and chief executive officer. Liberty Broadband was simultaneously acquired in an all-stock transaction, retiring 38.6 million Charter shares previously held by Liberty.
Florida Executes Man Near 20 Years After He Shot His Estranged Wife
August 21, 2026
Nearly 20 years after he fatally shot his estranged wife at her mother’s Casselberry-area home, William Frances Silvia was executed by lethal injection this week at Florida State Prison.
Silvia, 61, was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m., according to the Department of Corrections. The execution was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his latest motion for a stay.
In 2008, Silvia was convicted of first-degree murder of Patricia Silvia two years earlier and given a life sentence for the attempted first-degree murder of her mother, Betty Woodard.
Silvia is the 13th execution conducted this year in Florida after a modern-era record 19 last year. Two more are already scheduled in the next three weeks.
The pace of executions is desensitizing people to them, said Rev. Jeff Hood, Founder of the Execution Intervention Project and Silvia’s spiritual advisor.
“So many killings are happening that it becomes a sort of afterthought, that people are being killed,” Hood said.
“What we have consistently seen, again, is that with the next execution date and the next execution date and the execution date, people begin to be forgotten,” he added.
After the Florida Supreme Court last Wednesday denied the motion for a stay by Silvia’s counsel, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to commute the death warrant he signed July 17.
The conference has made similar requests before other executions.
DeSantis earlier this year defended his pace of death warrants, saying capital punishment is needed to “bring justice,” as “some of the victims’ families have been waiting a long time.”
“We do owe it to them to do it,” DeSantis said during a July 28 appearance at the Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference at Trump National Doral.
“And it doesn’t take away what happened,” he continued. “I don’t know if closure is the right word, because you’ll probably never get full closure. But at least knowing justice was served is something that was very important to a lot of people.”
DeSantis also questioned the length of the appeals process.
According to court records, on Sept. 22, 2006, Silvia went to Woodard’s home where the family was having a cookout. After attempting to reconcile with Patricia Silvia, he retrieved a Mossberg Persuader 12-gauge shotgun from his truck and shot Woodard in the face and Patricia Silvia in the head.
Patricia Silvia died. Woodard, who was standing in front of her daughter, lost her left eye and the top portion of her nose.
Silvia purchased the shotgun about five hours before the shooting. Video of the gun purchase showed him exhibiting “no bizarre, agitated, frenzied or panicked behavior,” according to the sentencing order.
Silvia purchased four boxes of shells from another store.
He was arrested the next day.
Silvia reportedly told an officer driving him to jail that “my wife spent all my money. I placed the checking account in her name. She started re-dating her ex-husband. That is the reason I shot her.”
The jury voted 11-1 to recommend the death penalty.
The state is scheduled to execute Harold Gene Lucas, 74, on Sept. 1 for the death of his 16-year-old former girlfriend in Bonita Springs in 1976 and Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., 72, on Sept. 10 for the 1996 murder of a man in Charlotte County.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
This Is The ‘Suspicious Object’ That Sent A Bomb Squad To Airway Drive On Thursday
August 21, 2026
Airway Drive south of Nine Mile Road was closed for over two hours on Thursday afternoon while authorities investigated a “suspicious package”.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office shut down a section of the roadway south of the Miracle League Fields at John R. Jones Athletic Park and requested the State Fire Marshal’s Office Bomb Squad to inspect the object, which “rendered safe” the package.
The object was confirmed to be a sealed container used in geocaching—a global, GPS-based outdoor scavenger hunt where participants hide and locate containers with logbooks.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scattered Friday Storms Give Way To Sizzling, Dry Weekend
August 21, 2026
Triple-digit heat indices and late-afternoon storm chances will kick off the weekend before dry, sunny conditions take over through Sunday. Friday brings a heat advisory with high temperatures in the mid-90s with heat index values pushing up to 110 degrees, along with scattered showers and storms developing late in the day. Rain chances clear out in time for a completely dry and sunny weekend, though daytime highs will remain in the lower to mid-90s with heat indices topping 106 degrees.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 4pm. Sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 110. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 106. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 92.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 92.
Chiefs Roll Past Rocky Bayou 40-6 In Season-Opening Blowout (With Gallery)
August 21, 2026
The Northview Chiefs kicked off the season in dominant fashion Thursday night, rolling to a 40-6 blowout victory over Niceville’s Rocky Bayou Christian Knights in Bratt.
Northview took complete control early in a game that was delayed nearly 30 minutes lightning in the area. Starting the game light rain, but a welcomed cooler night, the Chiefs built a commanding 40-0 lead by halftime behind a three-touchdown performance from Tyson Phifer.
For more photos, click here. (Look for cheerleader, fan and band photos over the weekend).
Phifer opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, followed quickly by a 4-yard scoring run from Caleb Levins. The Chiefs broke the game wide open in the second quarter. Phifer found the end zone twice more on runs of 16 and 20 yards, while Levins connected with JJ Jacobs for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Jacobs also punched in a 2-yard touchdown run of his own.
With the FHSAA running-clock mercy rule in effect for the entire second half, the game moved swiftly. Rocky Bayou’s lone highlight came as time expired, scoring on a 40-yard touchdown pass to avoid the shutout.
The Chiefs (1-0) hit the road next Friday to face the McIntosh Demons in Washington County, Alabama, about 40 miles north of Mobile.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Friday High School Football Schedule, Thursday Night Scores
August 21, 2026
The Florida high school football season has arrived, with the first games on the schedule coming up tonight at Northview and Catholic.
FLORIDA
Thursday, August 20
- Northview 40, Rocky Bayou 6 [Story, photos...]
- Pensacola Catholic 20, Milton 0
Friday, August 21
- Marianna at Tate, 7 p.m.
- Jay at Baker, 7 p.m.
- West Florida at Walton, 7 p.m.
- Gulf Breeze at South Walton, 7 p.m.
- Booker T. Washington at Pine Forest, 7 p.m.
- Pensacola at Fort Walton Beach, 7 p.m.
- Graceville at Central, 7 p.m.
- Fairhope at Pace, 7:30 p.m
- Navarre at Florida High, 6 p.m.
ALABAMA
- Flomaton at Sweetwater, 7 p.m.
- Escambia Academy @ Evangel Christian (Alabaster, AL), 7 p.m.
- Escambia County (Atmore) at Elberta, 7 p.m.
- Orange Beach a T.R. Miller, 7 p.m.
- Bullock County at W.S. Neal, 7 p.m.
Wahoos Win One of Two On Thursday Night
August 21, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos left Blue Wahoos Stadium with an extra win and loss on their record, after going 1-1 in what was essentially a twin-bill with the Knoxville Smokies.
The day began with the continuation of the series opener that started on Tuesday. Luis Palacios (L, 4-2) pitched the lone inning played on Tuesday and gave up nine runs, a season worst for Pensacola pitching. The game picked up in the second inning on Thursday night and the Wahoos put up three runs in the third. Those runs came from Aiva Arquette and Juan Matheus hitting back-to-back doubles.
Luis Moreno pitched the bulk of game one and got roughed up for 7 runs on 7 hits and four walks in 4.0 innings. Knoxville posted a five-spot in the fifth inning and added two more in the 6th, with Ariel Armas taking Moreno deep to begin the inning.
Aiva Arquette launched his 8th homer of the year, a two-run blast in the 6th brought Pensacola its final runs of the night. Connor Schultz (W, 5-4) threw 5.0 innings and earned the win in a 16-5 final.
Game two came up all Wahoos in a seven inning contest. Knoxville struck first in the top of the third when Karson Simas took Eliazar Dishmey (W, 4-1) deep to right-center field. It was the first homer Dishmey had given up since June 18th. Dishmey ended up completing 6.0 innings on a season high 93 pitches. He allowed just the one run on two hits and 8 Ks. Juan Matheus and Brandon Compton each grabbed RBIs in the bottom of the third, Matheus on a single and Compton on a double, his second of the game and third of the series.
Up 2-1, Adrian Santana came to bat with the bases loaded and two down in the fourth. He tapped a squibber to the left side and Brody McCullough (L, 1-3) threw the ball up the first baseline and into right field. The throwing error cleared the bases with Santana ending up at second and the Wahoos grabbing a 5-1 lead.
Brandon Compton cranked a solo bomb to straight away left in the fifth, to extend the lead to 6-1 before Jack Sellinger would slam the door shut in the 9th, sealing the win for Pensacola.
The Wahoos improved their record to 65-50 overall and 30-17 in the second half, the first team to 30 second half wins. The Smokies fell to 64-52 and 26-20.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Knoxville Smokies, Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, on Friday night.
written by Charlie Hobert
James ‘Jimmy’ Warren Weaver
August 21, 2026
James “Jimmy” Warren Weaver passed away on August 20, 2026, leaving behind a lifetime of memories and a family who loved him dearly.
Jimmy was born on July 7, 1940. He proudly served his country for four years in the United States Army, an experience that reflected the strength, dedication, and loyalty he carried with him throughout his life. He later worked for many years as a civil servant at NAS Pensacola.
Anyone who knew Jimmy knew how much he enjoyed the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. He was a member of the McKinnonville Hunting Club, where he spent many memorable days doing what he loved and enjoying the company of friends. Some of the best memories of Jimmy are the simple ones—the stories told, the laughter shared, time spent outdoors, and being surrounded by the people who meant the most to him.
Jimmy shared that love of the outdoors with his three sons, Bruce, David, and Russell, raising them to appreciate the same things that brought him so much happiness. Through countless days spent hunting, fishing, traveling, and simply enjoying the outdoors together, he passed down more than traditions—he passed down a way of life. His three sons will proudly carry on their father’s legacy and his love for the outdoors, sharing those same traditions, stories, and memories with the generations that follow.
More than anything, Jimmy was a family man. He loved his family deeply, and the relationships he built throughout his life were among his greatest treasures. He was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend whose presence will be greatly missed.
Jimmy was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Elizabeth Weaver; his parents, John and Eunice Weaver; his brother, Donald Weaver; and his sister, Jane Moodhard.
He leaves behind his children, Bruce and his wife, Julie; David and his wife, Pam; and Russell and his wife, Mindy; his grandchildren, Jonathan and his wife, Heather; Weston and his wife, Heather; Amanda and her husband, Dan; and Briar; and his treasured great-grandchildren, Hadley, Abby, Matthew, Elizabeth, and Lucas.
Although saying goodbye is never easy, Jimmy’s family finds comfort in knowing that a life is measured not only in years, but in the memories made, the love given, and the people whose lives were touched along the way. His stories will continue to be told, his memory will live on around campfires, on hunting trips, beside fishing holes, and at family gatherings. The lessons he taught and the love he gave will remain with his family always.
And after a life well lived, there is comfort in imagining Jimmy making that final journey home, with his beloved Elizabeth waiting for him at Heaven’s gates. After time apart, husband and wife are together once again—reunited in a place where there are no more goodbyes.
Jimmy will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and forever carried in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30a.m., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Pastor Jerry Fleming officiating.
The family will receive friends at 9:30 prior to services.
Burial will follow in Jordan Cemetery.
Honored to serve as pallbearers are Briar Weaver, Weston Weaver, Jonathan Weaver, Eddie Milstead, Randy Spivey, Kelly Blackmon, Kenny Nall, and Jimmy Miller.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 South Highway 29, Cantonment, is entrusted with arrangements.
Need A Reason To Shop? Back To School Sales Tax Holiday Ends Tonight
August 20, 2026
Need a reason to shop?
Florida’s back to school sales tax holiday ends at midnight tonight.
Through August 20, consumers in Florida can purchase qualifying back to school supplies exempt from tax.
Sales Tax Holiday Included Items
During the Florida Back to School Sales Tax Holiday, which takes place annually from July 20 through August 20, the following items are exempt from Florida sales tax if they meet the specified price limits and other conditions:
Clothing, footwear, and accessories having a sales price of $100 or less per item, including:
- Shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shorts, and other apparel
- Shoes, boots, sandals, and other footwear
- Accessories such as belts, hats, gloves, and scarves
Wallets and bags* having a sales price of $100 or less per item, including:
- Backpacks
- Diaper bags
- Fanny packs
- Handbags
*Briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags are excluded.
School supplies having a sales price of $50 or less per item, including:
- Binders
- Cellophane tape
- Compasses
- Composition books
- Computer disks
- Construction paper
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Folders
- Glue or paste
- Legal pads
- Lunch boxes
- Markers
- Notebooks
- Notebook filler paper
- Pencils
- Pens
- Poster board
- Poster paper
- Protractors
- Rulers
- Scissors
- Staplers and staples used to secure paper products
Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles having a sales price of $30 or less:
- Flashcards or other learning cards
- Interactive or electronic books and toys intended to teach reading or math skills
- Matching or other memory games
- Puzzle books and search-and-find books
- Stacking or nesting blocks or sets
Personal computers or personal computer-related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use having a sales price of $1,500 or less
- Personal computers* include:
- Calculators
- Desktops
- Electronic book readers
- Handhelds
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Tower computers
*The term does not include cellular telephones, video game consoles, digital media receivers, or devices that are not primarily designed to process data.
Personal computer-related accessories*+ include:
- Keyboards
- Mice
- Modems
- Monitors
- Nonrecreational software
- Other peripheral devices
- Personal digital assistants
- Routers
*The listed accessories are tax-exempt regardless of whether they are used in association with a personal computer base unit.
+ The term does not include furniture or systems, devices, software, monitors with a television tuner, or peripherals that are designed or intended primarily for recreational use.
The sales tax holiday does not apply to the rental or repair of any of the qualifying items. Additionally, the sales tax holiday does not apply to sales in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.
Beulah Man, A Former School Custodian, Sentenced To Prison For Trying To Lure Child For Sex
August 20, 2026
A Beulah man who was working as a school custodian has been sentenced to state prison this week for trying to lure a child for sex.
Chad Lane Wren, now 57, was charged in October 2025 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with soliciting or luring a child to engage in sexual conduct. After pleading no contest this week, he was sentenced to 36 months in prison with credit for 249 days served. He was also sentenced to five years of probation and designated as a sexual offender.
He was ordered to have no contact with any minor following his release.
According to court documents, he arranged to meet who he believed to be a 14-year-old for sex, but the person was actually an FDLE agent. “I prefer younger,” he texted, according to FDLE.
Additional charges of traveling to meet a child for obscene purposes and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony were dropped.
Wren resigned from his position as a custodian at Blue Angel Elementary School on the day of his arrest.