Tate Lady Aggies Fall In Hard-Fought District Battle At Gulf Breeze
September 30, 2026
Fresh off a dominant Senior Night sweep over Milton, the Tate Lady Aggies traveled south on Tuesday night for a pivotal district clash, falling in four hard-fought sets to the Gulf Breeze Dolphins, 3-1.
The Lady Aggies stayed within striking distance throughout the opening frame before the Dolphins edged ahead to take set one, 25-20. Gulf Breeze carried that momentum into the second frame to take a 25-18 decision and build a 2-0 match lead.
Refusing to go quietly, Tate answered with tenacity in the third set. Controlling the tempo at the net, the Lady Aggies broke away late to claim a decisive 25-18 victory and push the match to a fourth frame.
The two sides traded runs in a fiercely contested fourth set, but Gulf Breeze managed to close out the match with a 25-19 win to seal the victory.
With the setback, Tate drops to 15-7 overall and 1-3 in district play, while Gulf Breeze improves to 14-4 overall and 2-1 in the district.
After regrouping for a few days, the Lady Aggies will held to Jay on Monday at 6:30 to take on the Royals before rounding out the regular season with away games at Pensacola Catholic on Tuesday and Pace on on October 8.
Pictured: The Tate Lady Aggies swept Milton 3-0 on Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Clear, Middle 60s Tonight; Upper 80s And Sunny On Wednesday
September 29, 2026
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 65. Calm wind.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 1pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 1pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. High near 87. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 84. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 83. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Monday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Still Searching: Danielle Bell Has Now Been Missing From North Escambia For 25 Years
September 29, 2026
A Tate High School student has now been missing for 25 years.
Danielle Arion Bell was last seen at age 14 at a September 2001 party in the 500 block of Cedar Tree Lane, between Highway 29 and Highway 95A in Cantonment.
Witnesses told authorities that Bell left a party with a man who was in his mid-20s at the time. Escambia County deputies later questioned that man and searched his home, but he was never charged in connection with the case.
During the summer of 2007, Alfredo Gomez Sanchez Jr. was charged with providing law enforcement with false information about his whereabouts at the time Bell disappeared. He was not implicated in her disappearance.
In October 2010, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit served a search warrant at the home.
As part of that search warrant, a septic tank behind the residence was pumped out, and dogs from Escambia County Search and Rescue were also used to search the area. Investigators said nothing was found, and they would not say what new information might have led to the search.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Danielle has a scar on her right forearm and blue eyes. She had brown hair at the time of her disappearance. Danielle, whose nickname was “Dani,” was a member of the Tate Aggies cheerleading squad. The freshman enjoyed dancing and drawing.
Anyone with information about Bell is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured first below: Investigators pumped and searched a septic tank at this home on Cedar Tree Lane in Cantonment in October 2010 in the case of missing teen Danielle Arion Bell. Pictured below: A search and rescue K-9 team was also on site. Pictured bottom: A septic tank company employee prepares to pump a septic tank at the home. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Pictured first below: Investigators pumped and searched a septic tank at this home on Cedar Tree Lane in Cantonment in October 2010 in the case of missing teen Danielle Arion Bell. Pictured below: A search and rescue K-9 team was also on site. Pictured bottom: A septic tank company employee prepares to pump a septic tank at the home. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Historical Society Donates $500 To Molino Park Elementary STEM Program
September 29, 2026
The Barrineau Park Historical Society recently presented $500 to Molino Park Elementary School.
The donation, presented by new BPHS President Phillip Mayhair, will be used for the Molino Park STEM team competition and other student endeavors.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Attorney General Seeks Halt to OpenAI Development
September 29, 2026
Attorney General James Uthmeier is already suing OpenAI over its alleged harms to children and abetting acts of violence. Now, he wants the California-based company to stop developing its artificial intelligence products until they are safe enough for the general public.
In a filing with the 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Highlands County on Monday, Uthmeier puts the situation in dire terms: “This is not just any service. It is one that Defendants themselves concede poses an existential risk to the continued survival of humankind,” the filing states.
The filing is a request for a temporary injunction to stop OpenAI from developing its AI models without independent safety mechanisms in place; stop its ChatGPT product from soliciting engagement; stop letting minors use ChatGPT; stop adapting ChatGPT to give it “human” attributes; and prevent the company from “falsely advertising ChatGPT as safe, accurate, or reliable.”
Uthmeier explained the move in a video posted on X, pointing to an instance where OpenAI lost control of its AI agents, which broke into an Australian government health care system, and another where the agents coordinated with each other to break protocols and hack into Hugging Face, an American tech company.
“No new model development without independent safety guardrails, no more harvesting children’s data, no more calling this product safe, accurate or reliable. No more pretending it’s human,” Uthmeier said.
The filing is part of the original case Uthmeier filed against OpenAI on June 1, after he previously began a probe into the company that was expanded to look at possible criminal charges.
He cited many instances where OpenAI’s chat product, ChatGPT, helped users commit suicide or acts of violence against others, including the April 17, 2025 mass shooting at Florida State University, which left two dead and five wounded. Police say the alleged shooter, Phoenix Ikner, asked for and received advice from ChatGPT on weapons, ammunition and the best place on campus to kill as many people as possible.
The family of one of the victims in the shooting, Tiru Chabba, is already suing OpenAI in federal court.
OpenAI has defended itself in the past by noting its product didn’t encourage Ikner, merely gave answers to questions it received.
In Monday’s filing, Uthmeier pointed to comments from a board member of OpenAI’s nonprofit foundation, Paul Christiano.
“Based on the recent trajectory of capabilities and the continued difficulty of alignment, I now believe there is a meaningful risk that rapid acceleration in AI capabilities leads to catastrophic and irreversible loss of control in the very near term,” Christiano stated earlier this month. “I do not think … (OpenAI) is currently on track to reduce this risk to an acceptable level.”
The filing also noted former OpenAI researcher Jacob Coxon’s recent comments, which rang alarm bells throughout the industry earlier this month when he warned of the dangers of AI products escaping human controls.
“No other human activity poses this level of danger,” Coxon said, according to the filing.
by Gray Rohrer, The News Service of Florida
ECFR: Grease Fire On Stove Caused Cantonment Mobile Home Fire
September 29, 2026
The cause of a Saturday evening fire that damaged a Cantonment mobile home and displaced residents has been determined to be an accidental grease fire on the stove.
Escambia County Fire Rescue was dispatched to the 1000 block of North Highway 29 on Saturday, September 26, arriving to find the mobile home engulfed in flames. Firefighters mounted an attack and brought the blaze under control by 7:06 p.m.
The home sustained significant damage, but no injuries were reported.
The Cantonment, Ensley, and Bellview stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to the call, along with Escambia County EMS and Florida Power & Light.
The American Red Cross is assisting those displaced by the fire.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Correctional Inmate Serving Life For Murder Assaulted Correctional Officer, FDC Says
September 29, 2026
A Century Correctional Institution inmate assaulted a correctional officer recently, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Inmate Safari H. Rodriguez assaulted a correctional officer, FDC said. Staff members were not injured.
Rodriguez was serving a life sentence for a 2022 Osceola County conviction for first-degree murder.
Tate Aggies Sweep Milton On Senior Night (With Photo Gallery)
September 29, 2026
The Tate High School Aggies celebrated Senior Night in dominant fashion on Tuesday, sweeping the Milton Panthers 3-0 in their final home game of the regular season.
Tate set the tone early in a competitive opening frame, taking the first set 25-19 before overpowering Milton 25-10 in the second. The Aggies closed out the sweep with a decisive 25-15 victory in the third set.
For more photos, click here. (Seniors are near the end of the gallery)
The evening honored five Tate seniors playing their final regular-season contest on their home floor:
- Laila Whitley
- Jayla Templeman
- Torrie Garrett
- Bailie Merritt
- Ella Merritt
With the win, the Aggies improved to 15-6 overall on the season.
Up next, Tate (1-2 in district play) hits the road today, September 29, for a crucial district showdown against the Gulf Breeze Dolphins (13-4, 1-1).\
NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ascension Sacred Heart Names New President
September 29, 2026
Rick Metzger, a healthcare executive and registered nurse who served as CEO of USA Health Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, has been named president and chief executive officer of Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, effective October 12.
He brings more than two decades of experience in patient care, hospital operations, quality and safety, and strategic growth. The appointment marks a return to Ascension for Metzger, who previously spent nearly seven years as vice president of operations and chief operating officer at Ascension Providence from 2016 to 2023.
“Coming back to Ascension feels like a true homecoming,” Metzger said. “At my core, I am a nurse and a servant leader, and connecting back to Ascension’s faith-based mission is deeply meaningful to me,” he said. “Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola has an exceptional legacy, and my primary focus will be building upon the strong foundation Will Condon established, expanding access to care, and earning the trust of our dedicated physicians, associates, and community.”
Before coming to Sacred Heart, Metzger has served as CEO of USA Health Providence Hospital, a 349-bed acute care hospital and Level III trauma center in Mobile, Alabama, since June 2024, first as interim CEO and then as permanent CEO beginning in October 2024
Metzger led Providence through several major technology initiatives, including the transition to a new electronic medical record system. He also led a financial improvement plan that achieved more than $10 million in operational savings and helped grow clinical services by building strong partnerships with physicians. His focus on quality and safety helped Providence improve its Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade from a C to a B in spring 2026.
He succeeds Will Condon, who was recently appointed CEO of Ascension Sacred Heart Health System.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rick back to lead Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola,” Will said. “Rick brings a unique combination of frontline clinical insight as a registered nurse, proven operational leadership, and a steadfast commitment to our Mission. He understands what it means to lead within Ascension, and that will be invaluable as we continue to expand services and provide compassionate, high-quality care across our region.”
Metzger began his healthcare career when he was 19 as an OR orderly and went on to work in surgical technology, nursing, hospital operations, and executive leadership. A Huntsville, Alabama, native, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a Master of Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. In 2022, he completed Ascension’s Executive Ministry Leadership Formation program.
Malcom ‘Ross’ Drew
September 29, 2026
Malcom “Ross” Drew, 90 of Pensacola, Florida passed away on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
He was born on August 30, 1936 to Aubrey and Susie Turk Drew in Uriah, Alabama. Ross was a veteran of the Air Force and retired from Monsanto. He was a faithful member of Wilde Lake Church. Ross loved the outdoors including fishing, gardening and woodworking and of course Alabama football!
Ross is preceded in death by his parents as well as his sister, Anniece Drew Buck; nephew, Timothy O’Neal Buck and brother, Ralph Earl Drew.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Healon Fay Drew; son, Joel Drew (Trish); daughter, Sonja Drew Picheo (John); granddaughter, Dixie Picheo Taylor (Michael); sister, Betty Drew Lalak (Joseph); sister-in-law, Carol Drew; as well as nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held at Pensacola Memorial Gardens Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 from 1pm until the service begins at 2pm.