Two Mississippi Men Charged After Traffic Stop Yields Over A Half Pound Of Cocaine
September 22, 2026
A routine traffic stop led to drug trafficking charges and the seizure of more than half a pound of cocaine, according to the Atmore Police Department.
Officers with the department’s patrol division stopped a vehicle and developed probable cause to conduct a search. During the inspection, officers uncovered more than 300 grams of cocaine, a small amount of marijuana, and over $7,000 in cash.
Police arrested Cassious Lett and Travis Colley, both of Moss Point, Mississippi. Both men were charged with drug trafficking in cocaine, second-degree possession of marijuana, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lett and Colley were booked into the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.
Pictured: (L-R) Colley and Lett.
Felon Arrested On Drug, Weapon Charges Following I-10 Traffic Stop In Escambia County
September 22, 2026
A Pace man with multiple felony convictions faces a series of drug and weapons charges after a traffic stop near the Florida–Alabama state line in Beulah.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE), officers arrested 47-year-old Daniel Eric Slayton following a stop for a traffic violation near Agricultural Interdiction Station 19 along Interstate 10.
During the stop, officers deployed certified narcotics detection K-9 Ronin to conduct an exterior free-air sniff of the vehicle. Ronin alerted to the presence of narcotics.
A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered methamphetamine, a digital scale containing methamphetamine residue, prescription medication not prescribed to Slayton, ammunition, and a loaded firearm featuring an altered serial number.
Authorities noted that Slayton is a nine-time convicted felon.
He was taken into custody and booked into the Escambia County Detention Facility. Slayton faces charges including possession of a firearm with an altered or removed serial number, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and operating a motor vehicle while license suspended or revoked.
Lipscomb Elementary Honors Special Area Champions
September 22, 2026
Lipscomb Elementary School recently recognized its August Special Area Champions. The champions were honored in areas that included art, music, P.E., and reading for their outstanding efforts. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Slight Chance Of Rain For The First Day Of Fall
September 22, 2026
A slight chance of late afternoon and evening storms will give way to a stretch of dry, sunny weather across the North Escambia area. Highs will hover in the low 90s on Tuesday and Wednesday before a slight cooling trend arrives Thursday, bringing afternoon temperatures back down into the upper 80s alongside comfortably cooler overnight lows dipping into the 60s.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 91. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Calm wind.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Pensacola High Rallies Past Northview in Four Sets; Tigers Also Sweep JV
September 22, 2026
The Pensacola High School Tigers rallied past the Northview Lady Chiefs 3-1 on Monday night in Bratt.
Northview came out strong to claim a tight opening set 25-23, but Pensacola High answered with a 25-23 win in the second set before taking the final two frames 25-15 and 25-13.
Key varsity stats for Northview varsity:
- Natalia Morales: 18 assists and 4 digs
- Aubrey Hadley: 4 kills and 3 digs
- Hartlie Bowman: 4 kills, 4 digs, and 13 serve receptions
- Daviona Randolph: 2 kills, 2 blocks (1 solo), 1 ace, and 5 service points
- Avery Trawick: 2 aces, 3 service points, and 1 solo block
- Nevaeh Allen: 8 digs and 1 assist
- Brielle Garcia: 12 serve receptions and 2 digs
In junior varsity action, Pensacola High defeated Northview in two straight sets, 27-25, 25-14.
Up next, Northview (3-8, 1-4) will host the Flomaton Hurricanes (6-2) on Tuesday before a big home matchup against district-leader Jay (15-1, 3-0) on Thursday.
NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Commerce Chief Kelly Named Pensacola State College President
September 22, 2026
Pensacola State College has named. Alex Kelly, Secretary of the Florida Department of Commerce, as the school’s next president.
The Pensacola State College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Monday to appoint Kelly, the only finalist.
“Alex understands, as well as anyone in Florida, how education and economic opportunity are connected,” said District Board of Trustees Chair Zack Smith. “Throughout this process, we have seen a leader who listens, understands what employers and communities need and recognizes the extraordinary role Pensacola State plays in creating opportunity for our students and our region. The Board is confident he is the right person to lead PSC into its next chapter.”
Kelly will replace Edward Meadows, who has been president of PSC since 2008. This spring, Meadows announced he would retire at the end of 2026.
DeSantis appointed Kelly as secretary in 2023, after the state folded and rebranded the Department of Economic Opportunity as the Department of Commerce.
For the previous two years, Kelly worked in DeSantis’ office as his deputy chief of staff. Before that, he was chief of staff at the Florida Department of Education to then-Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.
PSC’s presidential search included 109 applicants from across the country, according to the school. The search committee then selected nine candidates for interviews and four candidates for in-person interviews in Pensacola.
Kelly will visit campus in late September for meetings and forums with students, faculty, staff and community members.
“I am honored by the Board’s confidence and grateful for the warm welcome I have received from the Pensacola State community,” Kelly said. “I have spent my career working to connect people with opportunity, and few institutions do that more directly than colleges like Pensacola State. Our students will be the workforce, entrepreneurs and leaders who shape Northwest Florida’s future. I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, employers and community partners to create even more opportunities for them to succeed.”
Kelly joins a number of DeSantis administration members who have taken prominent educational leadership roles the past couple of years.
Most recently this summer, former Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas was selected the next president of Polk State College.
Log Truck Driver, 66, Pronounced Deceased After Highway 29 Crash
September 21, 2026
The 66-year-old driver of a log truck was pronounced deceased on Monday afternoon following a crash on Highway 29 north of Molino.
The crash occurred around 3:45 p.m. on southbound Highway 29, just south of North Barth Road and Camp O’ the Pines.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the truck was northbound on Highway 29 when the driver crossed the median and the southbound lanes of Highway 29 before crashing into a power pole and the tree line and overturning.
The Milton man was pronounced deceased by Escambia County EMS.
A pickup truck was also struck in the crash. The pickup driver, a 78-year-old Pensacola man, was not injured.
The downed pole and utility lines left about 150 Florida Power & Light customers in the area without power.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Cottage Hill Water Works: Boil Water Notice Neal Road Area
September 21, 2026
Cottage Hill Water Works performed system upgrades on Monday on Neal Road west of Forehand Lane that also affected Ridge Way, Hillock Drive, and Knollwood Drive. These areas experienced a loss of water service for a short period of time while the upgrades were completed.
The utility is advising, as a precaution, that all water in the area that is used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative bottled water may be used.
This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until the problem has been corrected and a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
For more information, contact the utility’s office at at (850) 968-5485
This story will be updated when the boil water notice is rescinded.
Council On Aging Expands Senior Meals, Services In Century And Cantonment
September 21, 2026
A $62,500 grant approved by Escambia County commissioners is restoring and expanding free meal services for older adults living in rural North Escambia.
The funding, awarded to the Council on Aging of West Florida, targets low-income seniors in Century, Cantonment and surrounding areas who face ongoing food insecurity and high grocery costs. For many elderly residents living in remote corners of the county, limited transportation and a lack of nearby supermarkets have made getting fresh, healthy groceries a regular challenge.
“The grant allows us to provide services in rural communities that are typically harder to reach for social services, or any kind of service really,” said Emily Echevarria, the Council on Aging’s spokeswoman. “We need to use that in Century at our dining site. We can also provide social services and case management, along with Meals on Wheels. We can also add people to our dining site on Nine Mile Road at St. Luke’s Methodist Church.”
Under the expanded program, hot, freshly prepared lunches will be served on a steady schedule Monday through Thursday at the community dining site at 6025 Industrial Boulevard in Century and St. Luke Methodist Church at 394 East Nine Mile Road. The sites had previously faced service reductions, cutting back on the days it could provide hot meals as operational costs climbed and older-adult nutrition budgets tightened.
While other Council on Aging dining sites have a wait list, the county grant is allowing the Council on Aging to add dining site clients at both Century and at St. Luke’s.
Last Friday, the nonprofit held a Senior Resource Fair at the Century dining site, and hopes to have similar resource fairs and signup events in the future.
“Because we have this rural funding, we can add clients at those two sites, so this means a free hot meal in the middle of the day, Monday through Thursday,” Echevarria said. “But more importantly, it’s socialization, it’s friendship. This is the place for anyone 60 or older to go and be with their peers.”
Beyond providing balanced nutrition, the dining facilities serve as crucial hubs to combat rural isolation. Seniors who visit the centers can socialize, participate in recreational activities, and connect with health checks and other essential elder services.
“They play bingo; each dining site has their own kind of flavor and activities,” she added. “Their own dining site manager manages all of that, and it’s a fun place to go. It’s a group of people that are going to call if you stop showing up and figure out what’s going on, what’s wrong, and be there to support you. That connection is extremely important for older adults who are at a high risk of isolation.”
The county funding steps in to bridge that gap after earlier pandemic-era relief expired and broader federal funding levels shifted, leaving local providers struggling to keep up with kitchen labor, utilities, and ingredient expenses. Without local intervention, several rural dining centers had been operating on shortened schedules or relying heavily on non-perishable food distributions.
There are also Meals on Wheels openings for home-delivered meals at Century and Nine Mile Road, but there is a signup process and assessment. To register, an individual can visit one of the dining sites during its hours, or call the Council on Aging at (850) 432-1475.
Pictured: The Council on Aging of West Florida held a senior resource fair on Friday, September 15 at its Century senior dining site. NorthEscambia.com photos, click toe enlarge.
Driver Takes Wild Ride After Running Off Highway 97, Crossing Kansas
September 21, 2026
A driver took a wild ride after running off Highway 97 near Walnut Hill sometime on Sunday morning.
The driver of a southbound Lincoln MKX lost control in a curve, traveled through a ditch and into a field where the vehicle narrowly avoided high-voltage power line poles and additional guy lines. It then crossed Kansas Road and crashed into a second field before coming to a stop about 1,000 feet after leaving the roadway.
There was no one around the vehicle when Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Florida Highway Patrol responded around 7:20 a.m.
The crash remains under investigation by FHP.
Photos by Sean Kahalley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
