BREAKING NEWS: Arrest In Billings Double Murder Case (Updated 5:30 p.m.)
July 12, 2009
(Updated 5:30 p.m.) At least one person is in custody in connection with double murder last Thursday in Beulah. That suspect was being interrogated late Sunday afternoon by investigators.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department is holding a press conference for later this afternoon with more information on the Billings double murder. That press conference will begin after the suspect interrogation is completed.
NorthEscambia.com will bring you the very latest on this developing story as the events unfold.
Blue Angels Fly Today At Pensacola Beach
July 11, 2009
Over 100,000 people are expected to watch the Blue Angels today at Pensacola Beach.
Here is a complete schedule, along with parking and safety tips for those headed to see the Blues:
Noon: Water in front of show area is cleared for safety precautions.
- 12:30 pm: Julian MacQueen’s Grumman Widgeon G44.
- 12:35 pm: U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue demonstration in an HH-65 Dolphin.
- 12:45 pm: Skip Stewart’s Modified Pitts Special.
- 12:55 pm: Gary Ward’s MX2 sport aircraft.
- 1:05 pm: Aeroshell Acrobatics Team, World War II North American AT-6 Texans.
- 1:20 pm: Swimmers are allowed back into the water.
- 1:40 pm: Water is cleared again for the main event.
- 1:50 pm: Fat Albert, a C-130 Hercules.
- 2:00 pm: Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets.
Emergency tips and warnings
- Call 911 in case of an emergency.
- Choose a landmark to meet family and friends in case of an emergency.
- No kites can be flown during the air show.
- No glass containers are allowed.
- No pets on the beach or left in vehicles.
Traffic safety tips
- Tune in to local radio stations for traffic updates.
- Traffic to the event from the Navarre to Gulf Breeze area will be directed to the far right lane. The left lane is for local traffic.
- Be sure to have plenty of gas.
- Don’t drink and drive.
- Have a designated driver.
- Plan to stay later after an event is over to avoid traffic jams.
- Be courteous to other drivers.
- Parking: To avoid questionable parking spaces and heavy traffic, arrive at the beach before 8 a.m.
- Do not block emergency access locations, bike paths, sidewalks or medians. Park in a marked spot or off the roadway.
Water safety
- Get out of the water immediately after being asked to do so. The air shows can not begin until all people are out of the water within the performance zone
- Boats can only enter and exit the water at Little Sabine.
- Always dive in feet first.
- Boaters should be on the lookout for swimmers.
Health tips
- Have at least a gallon of water for each person to drink.
- Wear loose-fitting, tightly-woven clothes.
- Take an umbrella that can be properly secured in the sand to protect you from the sun’s rays.
- Take plenty of sunscreen that is SPF 30 or greater.
NWE Football Registration Begins Today
July 11, 2009
Football is just around the corner, and registration for the 2009 season of Northwest Escambia Football begins Saturday.
Football registration will be held Saturday and continues July 18 and July 25 at the Ernest Ward football field.
Charles Williams, NWE president, said that it is important for all age groups to register before August.
“With all the preparation involved for the upcoming season, we must know how many kids to provide equipment and uniforms for prior to August 6th,” Williams said. “NWE will being playing games earlier this year.”
The first NWE Football practice will be August 3. The Jamboree is August 22, and the first game is August 29.
For more information about NWE Football, call Charles Williams at 327-4603.
Get Your Car Washed And Benefit The NHS Band
July 11, 2009
The Northview High School Band Boosters will hold a car wash Saturday morning in Atmore.
The car wash will be held at Advance Auto Parts on South Main Street from 8 a.m. until noon. All proceeds will benefit the Northview High School Tribal Beat Band.
Dawn Yoder Funeral To Be Streamed Online
July 10, 2009
Saturday’s funeral services for Dawn Yoder, the Atmore woman who died following a lightning strike, will be streamed live on the Internet.
Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 2:00 at the First Assembly of God in Atmore. Funeral services will be streamed live on the Internet at www.streamflood.net.
Visitation will be Friday from 4 until 9 p.m. at Mennonite Christian Fellowship in Atmore.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Atmore Christian School, 245 Tennant Drive, Atmore, AL 36502.
Click here for the complete obituary.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning North Santa Rosa
July 8, 2009
The National Weather Service in Mobile has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
northern Santa Rosa County in northwest Florida…
* until 545 PM CDT
* at 512 PM CDT… National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a
severe thunderstorm capable of producing nickel size hail… and
damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. This storm was located near
Jay… or 15 miles south of Brewton… and moving east at 15 mph.
* The severe thunderstorm will be near…
Berrydale by 535 PM CDT…
7 miles north of Allentown by 540 PM CDT…
7 miles west of Munson by 545 PM CDT…
Meet Tuffy The Horse At The Library Today
July 7, 2009
The summer reading series continues today at the Century Branch Library with a chance for children to meet Tuffy the American Quarter Horse at noon today.
Tuffy values teamwork and respect for others. His goal is to increase literacy and educate kids on the importance of building character. The program is free.
The library is located at 7331 North Century Blvd. Call 256-6217 for more info.
Walnut Hill Sheriff’s Precinct Opens Today
July 7, 2009
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department substation in Walnut Hill will be reopened beginning today with regular office hours.
The Walnut Hill substation will be open on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will be manned by reserve deputies Jimmy Kirkland and Danny Collins under the supervision of Lt. Carl Jones from the Century Precinct.
Jones said the precinct will provide the Walnut Hill Community with easy access to the Sheriff’s Department. Residents will be able to file a report, or just stop by and express concerns about issues in their community, he said.
“It will really make it easier for people in this community to have access to the department,” Jones said. “A lot of times people want to talk about what is going on in their neighborhood.”
Sheriff David Morgan told NorthEscambia.com when he was elected last fall that reopening the precinct was one of his North Escambia priorities. He said the precinct would be open on a “test basis” to determine if there will be enough walk-in traffic to justify keeping it open.
The building that housed the Walnut Hill Precinct 7 was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan back in 2004. Since it was rebuilt, it has not been open to the public. Deputies occasionally use the office space or restrooms in the building, otherwise the Sheriff’s Department space in the building has sat unused.
The Walnut Hill Precinct is located at 7850 Highway 97 in front of the Walnut Hill Community Center. During the Tuesday office hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the office can be reached by phone at (850) 327-4974.
Pictured top: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department Walnut Hill substation will reopen today. It has been closed since the building was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. Pictured inset: Lt. Carl Jones looks over files being moved into the Walnut Hill Precinct 7 last week. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Rain, Rain Don’t Go Away: Good Chance Of Showers Today, Tuesday
July 6, 2009
There is a good chance of rain today and Tuesday that might bring relief to areas of North Escambia that have not seen rain for nearly two months.
There is an 80 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today. The rain chance continues at 40 percent tonight and jumps back up to 70 percent for Tuesday. A 40 to 50 percent chance of rain continues each day and each night all the way through Friday.
A shortwave will move east across the forecast area today and tonight, allowing a surface front that is across the Tennessee Valley to drop slowly to the south into the area by tonight. The weather service says up to 2.5 inches of rain will fall in some parts of the area today. A few strong to briefly severe storms are possible.
Three North Escambia Teams In Action As All-Star Tourneys Continue
July 6, 2009
Three North Escambia teams are still alive in Little League District 1 tournaments. Two Tri-County teams and one from Northwest Escambia will be in action tonight.
Tri-County 9-10 Baseball
Tri-County’s bid for a title in the 9-10 Year Old Little League All-Stars Tournament is continuing this week at RL Turner in Panama City.
Tri-County, now 2-1 in tournament play, will take on Destin (2-1) Monday evening in Panama City.
In their first tournament game, Tri-County beat host team RL Turner 12-2 on June 27. Two nights later, the Tri-County All-Stars beat Freeport 13-3. Thursday night, Tri-County suffered their first loss to undefeated Niceville-American, 7-4.
Tri-County 9-10 Softball
In the 9-10 Year Old Little League All-Stars softball this week in Niceville, Tri-County will take on Shalimar Monday evening. The Tri-County All-Stars (2-1) are coming off a 11-5 victory over Defuniak Springs Wednesday night.
The Tri-County girls lost their tournament opener against Shalimar 19-9, and they went on to defeat Destin 21-18.
Northwest Escambia 11-12 Softball
The Northwest Escambia All-Stars will continue their bid for the 11-12 Year Old Little League All-Star District 1 title Monday night when they take on Shalimar. The game was scheduled for Thursday night was but was rescheduled due to rain.
NWE is 1-0 in tournament play, with a 7-0 win last week over Niceville.