Six Months Later, Walnut Hill Post Office Remains Closed Over Issues With USPS
January 28, 2026
It’s been six months since the Escambia River Electric Cooperative Walnut Hill office reopened after being closed for nearly a year due to mold. But EREC’s contract post office for Walnut Hill remains closed.
The Walnut Hill post office is officially known as a Contract Postal Unit, a small office shared with the electric utility on Highway 99A across from Ernest Ward Middle School. It provided the Walnut Hill community with post office boxes, package pick up and shipping, and normal postal services like mailing and stamps.
The building was closed by EREC in August 2024 due to mold, and post office box customers were able to collect their mail from the U.S. Post Office on Main Street in McDavid. Post office box mail that was uncollected in McDavid was boxed in Walnut Hill on July 29, 2025, and EREC announced the reopening of its office and the post office.
EREC soon learned it was a one-time drop of the previously held mail, and it would not be able to operate the post office until conditions were met and a new contract was established.
Now, EREC says the USPS contract is complete, but they lack access to a USPS scanner required for operation and that they have had difficulty in getting cooperation from the postal service to fix the problems.
“We are working with post office management and trying to get the two IT departments together,” EREC CEO Ryan Campbell said this week. “We are trying to fix the problem configuration with the package scanner.”
In the meantime, the USPS has denied an EREC offer to provide mail services and not packages until the scanner problem is rectified.
“As an added convenience to its customers, the Postal Service offers Contract Postal Units (CPUs) around the nation, such as the one located in the Escambia River Electric Cooperative CPU. Local postal management continues to work with the CPU operator to resolve any outstanding issues at this location,” Tiffany Rowland, Strategic Communications Specialist for the U.S. Postal Service, told NorthEscambia.com this week. She said Walnut Hill post office customers may continue to access mail services by driving to the McDavid Post Office during regular hours.
Campbell said EREC is continuing to work with postal officials for a solution.
“We look forward to getting the post office back open for our membership,” he said.
Pictured top: EREC employee Kim Lambert boxes old mail Tuesday afternoon in contract post office inside the EREC Walnut Hill office. It was the last time the U.S. Postal Service delivered mail to the Walnut Hill Post Office. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Police Arrest Four On Dozens Of Charges, Fifth Suspect Sought In Firearms Theft
January 28, 2026
The Flomaton Police Department has arrested four suspects and is looking for a fifth suspect in connection with the theft of a gun safe that contained several firearms.
The four suspects arrested are:
- Michael Colton Adams — 11 counts of felony second degree theft of property, one count of felony third degree theft of property
- Wendall Ervin Adams – eight felony counts of receiving stolen property
- Lynsey Marie Nix — 11 counts of felony second degree theft of property, one count of felony third degree theft of property
- Danny Lamar McCrory — 11 counts of felony second degree theft of property, one count of felony third degree theft of property
Flomaton PD is continuing to search for a fifth suspect on outstanding warrants. The suspect’s name has not been released.
Pictured top: (top row, L-R) Michael Adams, Wendall Adams, (bottom row, L-R) Lynsey Nix, and Danny McCrory.
ECSO: When Your Art Project Goes Criminal
January 28, 2026
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 19-year-old after an alleged graffiti spree.
In a release titled “When Your Art Project Goes…Criminal”, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Orion Sky Dickinson was arrested Tuesday after deputies responded to a reported vandalism in progress at Fast Eddie’s Fun Center. Deputies reported finding Dickinson there with spray paint on him. He’s accused of also spray painting a Sheriff’s Office speed trailer and several street signs.
Dickinson was charged with felony criminal mischief, misdemeanor criminal mischief, resisting without violence, possession of marijuana under 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $6,500 bond.
Community Health Pharmacist, Alleged Accomplice Face Federal Drug Charges
January 28, 2026
A Community Health Northwest Florida (CHNWF) pharmacist and his alleged accomplice are facing federal drug charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Douglas Craig Reid Jr., and Martrice Lamar Portis, both 47 years old, were both charged in federal court with conspiracy to unlawfully dispense and distribute controlled substances and to obtain controlled substances by fraud.
Reid is a pharmacist with CHNWF.
“Community Health Northwest Florida will cooperate with any investigation, and we remain committed to our mission of serving our patients and the greater Northwest Florida community,” CHNWF said in a statement.
Trial for both defendants is currently set for March 2 before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration Diversion Control Division, with assistance from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. According to court documents, this case is related to a prior case that was indicted as part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes.
Pictured: Douglas Reid, Jr. (left) from CHNWF and Martice Portis in a 2025 mugshot from an unrelated arrest (right).
Ransom and Ferry Pass Middle Schools Honored with Statewide Music Awards
January 28, 2026
Last weekend at the Florida Music Educators Association Conference, Ferry Pass Middle School and Ransom Middle School were awarded the Music Enrollment Awards for having over 45% of students enrolled in choir, band, or orchestra.
Half of Ransom’s students and 47% of Ferry Pass students are enrolled in a music education course.
The FMEA Professional Learning Conference is one of the largest music education professional learning events in the United States.
Pictured: Ransom Middle School (top) and Ferry Pass Middle School (below) were honored with statewide music awards. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Intermittent Lane Closures Through Friday On North Century Boulevard
January 28, 2026
Motorists may encounter intermittent lane closures through Friday on North Century Boulevard (Highway 29) from Tedder Road north to East Highway 4, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Crews will be conducting coring operations. Coring involves using equipment to remove a vertical sample (a “core”) from the pavement.
The coring operations are set to take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day through Friday.
Partly Sunny, Daytime High In The 50s; Clear Night In The 20s
January 28, 2026
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 52. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Calm wind.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 41.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 52.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 58.
Lipscomb Elementary Names Students Of The Month
January 28, 2026
Lipscomb Elementary School has named its Students of the Month for January. They are Graham Harris and Isabella Almonte-Knapp.Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Alex Blake Jay
January 28, 2026
Alex Blake Jay, age 33, of Stapleton, AL, passed away on January 27, 2026.
Alex was born April 13, 1992, in Birmingham, AL, to Randall Eugene and Joyce Thompson Jay.
He loved the outdoors and cherished time hunting with his dad and his special friends, Lester Scott and Billy Franklin.
Alex is preceded in death by his grandparents, Willard and Ann Thompson, and Mary Jay.
He is survived by his parents, Randy and Joyce Jay of Stapleton, AL; his brothers, Michael (Abby) Jay of Daphne, AL, and Stephen Craig Jay of Tulsa, OK; his sister, Anna (Drew) Odom of Spanish Fort, AL; his aunts and uncles, Sharon (Todd) Stearns of Brewton, AL, and Robin Earl (Stephanie) Jay of Pensacola, FL; his nieces and nephews, Jay Odom, Emma Odom, Beau Snowden, Bella Snowden, Luca Snowden, Blossom Jay, and Mary Charlotte Jay, along with a host of family and friends.
Funeral services will be held Friday, January 30, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel, with Father Pat Madden officiating. Interment will follow in Pine Barren Baptist Church Cemetery in Davisville, FL.
Visitation will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. until service time at 3:00 p.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home in Atmore, AL.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Gertrude Smith
January 28, 2026
Gertrude Smith, age 97, of Atmore, AL, passed away Monday, January 26, 2026, in Foley, Alabama. She was born to Ruby and Ollie Moye on December 25, 1928. She was a graduate of Escambia County in Atmore, AL.
She was a faithful member of First Baptist Church in Atmore, AL., where she cherished her church family and friendships. A devoted stay-at-home mother, she poured her life into caring for her family. Her home was always immaculate: a reflection of the pride and love she put into everything she did.
She would do anything for her children and grandchildren, and her love, strength, and quiet dedication shaped generations. She will be remembered for her kindness, always smiling, her unwavering faith, and the deep love she had for her family and friends. Her legacy lives on in all who were blessed to know her.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her devoted husband of 63 years, Jack Smith; her sisters, Earlene Helton, Gladys Stanton, Willanette Troutman; and her brother, Claude Moye.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Robin Swift, of Orange Beach; her son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Susan Smith, of Orange Beach; her grandchildren, Justin (Andrea) Beasley, of Atmore; Jace (Lauren) Beasley, of Atmore; Bailey (Adam) Stitt, of Orange Beach; her great-grandchildren, Kendal Beasley, Kate Beasley, Klaire Beasley, Alexa Beasley, Jackson Beasley, Paige Lassiter, Ragan Lassiter, and Brooks Stitt.
Funeral Services will be held on January 29, 2026, at 11:30 a.m., at Atmore First Baptist Church, in Atmore, AL, with Rev. Kelly Brown and Rev. Arnold Hendrix officiating. Visitation will be held on January 29, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. until service time at 11:30 at Atmore First Baptist Church.
Interment will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery in Atmore, AL.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Atmore First Baptist Church or the charity of your choice.
Johnson-Quimby is in charge of arrangements.