Walker Awarded Tommy Weaver Memorial Scholarship
May 6, 2014
Northview High School senior Lauryn Walker has been awarded the Tommy Weaver Memorial Scholarship.
She will receive $500 upon enrollment in college. Applicants were required to fill out a brief application and write an essay explaining why the scholarship was important to them and how it would make it possible for them to continue their education.
Walker was awarded the scholarship recently during the annual Northview DCT banquet. The scholarship fund was established in memory of Tommy Weaver, DCT/Ag instructor and assistant coach who passed away in March 2012.
Pictured top: Tommy Weaver Memorial Scholarship Lauryn Walker with Northview Principal Gayle Weaver. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Shrek The Musical
May 5, 2014
Northview High School presented two performances of Shrek the Musical over the weekend. The musical was based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks film that started it all, bringing the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life on stage.
The production starred Cory Hester as Shrek, Anna Donald as Fiona, Kendrick Walker as Donkey, Kent Smith as Farquaad and host of other Northview students.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Flood Washes Away Bristol Park; Memories And Spirits Stay High
May 4, 2014
Bristol Park Road was nearly quiet, strangely peaceful late Thursday afternoon. The sound of a few generators, a little hammering and even a little laughter from neighbors gathered on a lawn.
Just a few hours before, the neighborhood had been the scene of a hellish nightmare for residents and rescuers as heavy rains sent people scurrying into their attics to avoid rising flood waters. At first, the normally peaceful creek behind their homes began to lap at thresholds before entering uninvited and to the surprise of most residents. Important items were saved, albeit very temporarily, by moving them to higher spots around the home — the couch, the top of the fridge. But the water became a raging river, rising and rising, consuming worldly possessions and leaving some residents to question their own mortality.
Dozens were rescued in boats by first responders and volunteers alike. Many times, rescuers were forced to cut their way into attics to rescue men, women and children.
Most were quiet, very methodical as they toted a lifetime of possessions to the curb. A bedroom dresser looked very normal, nearly off the showroom floor new, as it sat on the sidewalk. But it’s contents were held tightly inside by the wet swollen wood, the homeowner forced to use crowbar to pry open drawers. Couches, mattresses, bedroom suites, dining tables, refrigerators — all the usual household contents — were piled high up and down the road.
But it was some of the smallest items in the trash piles that quietly told the biggest stories. A “Christmas 2007″ ornament amongst the soaked Christmas decor that held happy stories of many a Christmas morning. Prom pictures from days, and hairstyles, gone by, next to a bagged cap and gown and a “Snowflake 1990″ Christmas bear. The things of memories decades ago destroyed.
The piles were endless on the curb at almost every house. Wet, drippy sheet rock and the entire contents of every home. One house was different….the household items were piled in the side yard, not by the road for pickup. Perhaps a little hope that everything could simply dry, be put back inside, and everything would be the same. Perhaps an optimist, perhaps a dreamer. Perhaps it was just a little too hard to say goodbye to everything.
Sewage bubbled and gurgled into the street from a manhole, the stench drifting along in the cooling late evening air. Night was settling in on a neighborhood united by great loss and sorrow, their dreams and memories washed away.
At a nearby Publix, a woman stood near the checkouts, her face telling a story worth volumes as she broke into tears. It’s going to be a long, tough recovery for the area.
By Saturday, the Bristol Park neighborhood was different. The shock was gone, reality had settled in for many. It was no longer the quiet, surreal feeling of shortly after the flood.
At a town hall meeting, residents expressed concerns about “looters” — outsiders seen as criminals going through the neighborhood loading up items like appliances from the trash piles and hauling them off. The “looters” were a real concern for many residents. Sure the items were out for a trash pickup, almost a proper burial, but something about the idea of taking away your lifetime of possessions as their own was just wrong. A deputy told residents that items on the roadway are considered “abandoned property” and that there was nothing the Sheriff’s Office could do to stop them.
ECUA board member Larry Walker told residents that ECUA would begin pickups of the trash and debris bright and early Sunday morning, continuing until the area was clean.
Bristol Park was a hustle and bustle of wall to wall activity Saturday. Churches, aid groups and well-meaning individuals flood packed the street between the mountains of household items and wet carpet and sheet rock. They passed out cleaning supplies, helped tote debris, provided food and even a shoulder to cry on.
Saturday was a return trip to the Bristol Park neighborhood for Brennan Moore and Tim Stewart of Tag’ Tail (TNT) Charters. Both captains used their boats to rescue trapped residents during the flood. Saturday, they were joined by friends and volunteers to cook and serve over 60 whole chickens, 40 Boston butts, 40 racks of ribs and 200 pounds of fish.
“”They don’t have power and they don’t have anywhere to go. They don’t have anywhere to cook. So, if we come out here and we cook and come here and do what we need to do and they’re fed for the day,” Moore said. “It just makes me feel like the Lord has put me in the place today where he wants me and this is where I need to be.”
Pictured top: Sewage bubbles onto Bristol Park Road Thursday afternoon. Pictured top inset: A rescue hole cut into an attic. Pictured inset: A soaked prom photo and Christmas bear placed out with the contents of a house for trash pickup. Pictured lower inset: Household contents piled outside homes. Pictured lower inset and below: A free meal provided by volunteers on Saturday. (Saturday photos credit Linda Craft.) NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
40th Annual Pen Wheels Disabled Fishing Rodeo Held
May 4, 2014
The 40th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo was held Saturday in Walnut Hill.
Over the history of the fishing rodeo, it has been held at locations ranging from Ft. Pickens to the Three Mile Bridge in Pensacola. Since 2001, it has been held at Jantz’s Catfish Pond on South Highway 99, just off Highway 97.
Dozens of volunteers stood ready Saturday to help the disabled. They baited hooks, tossed a line and offered words of friendly encouragement, while dozens of disabled people were registered in Saturday’s fishing rodeo. They were from around the area, including Pensacola and Century.
The Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo is provided to the disabled for free as a project of the Pensacola Fiesta of Five Flags organization.
Pictured: The Pen Wheel Fishing Rodeo for the disabled Saturday in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Century Sawmill Day And Car Show
May 4, 2014
Large crowds attended the fourth annual Sawmill Day and Car Show Saturday at the Historical Park in Century. The event featured continuous entertainment, a car show, yard sale, plenty of good food, arts and crafts and free museum tours.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Holds Muffins For Moms And Field Day
May 3, 2014
There were two big events at Molino Park Elementary School on Friday — Muffins for Moms and Field Day.
Muffins for Moms, sponsored by the PTA, gave moms a chance to stop by with children and learn about the latest school information. The school recently held a similar “Donuts With Dad” event.
Pictured top and below: Field Day at Molino Park Elementary. Pictured inset and bottom: Muffins for Moms at MPES. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Facebook Posts Lead To Rescue For Couple Trapped In Flood
May 1, 2014
In our attic. House underwater….Please let them know we are in the attic.
A terrifying Facebook post from Dana Jacobs. She and her husband live on Bristol Park Road where Tuesday night’s flooding was some of the worst. And they live in the lower end of the street where the water was highest.
What?? It’s flooding!!!??? I hope you guys are ok!!!!
That was the response from Dana’s friend Ashleigh in California. Another friend posted a reassuring link to a NorthEscambia.com Facebook post.
ALERT — Officials reporting water to the roof of houses in the Bristol Park Subdivision of Hwy 97/297A. Including Bristol Park Road and Ashbury Lane. EMS/Fire rescuing residents.
Ashleigh responded to the NorthEscambia.com post.
Please get help to (9XXX) Bristol park road water is almost in attic.
NorthEscambia.com responded by contacting Ashleigh in California directly by Facebook chat. She verified the information along with names and addresses, and NorthEscambia.com make a direct call to McDavid Station Chief Eric Gilmore on the scene with the information and also reported the situation to Escambia-Fire Rescue dispatchers. All that was about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday.
“It was crazy scary,” Dana said. “We never expected the water to rise like that. First the floor was wet. We started moving things in the house up higher. Then in like 30 minutes, the water was to our waists. We panicked. The water went up over everything we’d moved up. We didn’t know what to do.”
The couple made the way to their detached garage. The smell of gas was overwhelming from gas cans that overturned in the flood. They crawled into the attic and called 911.
“911 told me they could not get to us right way until they got some boats,” she said. Outside, at the entrance to the neighborhood, firefighters were risking their own lives wading as far as they could into the rushing water to rescue adults and children. A frantic effort was underway to get boats to the scene, but responding agencies were hampered by flooded roads and overrun bridges along the way.
Dana and her husband were concerned that rescuers might not check the garage attic. They used a hatchet to chop a hole in the roof. Then they could hear the screams of their neighbors.
“The neighbors and their kids were on their roof. The screams for help….the screams for help..I’ll never forget them. It was awful.”
The raging flood waters were rising, approaching the attic. Dana said she was afraid they would not be found in time.
Dana and NorthEscambia.com continued the Facebook chat throughout the early morning hours, updating their status. In the meantime, firefighters were working their way down the street, now with boats, continuing rescue after rescue.
Then, at 3:25 a.m. NorthEscambia.com received a phone call from Chief Gilmore on the scene.
“They are out and on a boat,” he said.
Dana and husband had been rescued; they believe with the help of a cross-country Facebook conversation and the mostly volunteer members of Escambia Fire Rescue that responded to their call for help.
“They are our heroes. We can’t thank them enough for saving our lives,” she said.
Pictured: Dana and husband Damien Jacobs. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Martial Arts Holds Black Belt Event
May 1, 2014
Escambia Martial Arts in Cantonment recently held their first black belt event.
Devan Chea, Dylan Lambert, Glendine Jones, John Thomas were promoted to 1st Dan in the art of Kyuki-do. Ryan Corbitt advanced to 2nd Dan inf Kyuki-do, andMichael Jones was promoted to 3rd Dan.
Kyuki-do is a mixed martial art of defense that combines the elements of different arts that makes up a complete system.
Pictured are: (front, L-R) Master Rick Bjorkquist, Devan Chea, Grand Master Ok Hyung Kim, Dylan Lambert, Master Jeff Kim, (second row) Master Holden, Ryan Corbitt, Michael Jones, Glendine Jones and John Thomas. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Follow NorthEscambia.com Flooding And Road Updates On Facebook, Twitter
April 30, 2014
NorthEscambia.com frequently posts updates during situations like our flooding on our Facebook page and Twitter.
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Escambia Twin Sisters Share Many Things In Life, Including New Lungs
April 28, 2014
It’s often said that twins share similar traits and have unique bonds that other siblings simply don’t have. Sometimes those traits are things one would rather not share with their twin, especially when it comes to a potentially life-threatening medical condition.
Linda Foster and Brenda Santinelli, 60-year-old twin sisters from Escambia County are active women with a love of the outdoors. Hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and other activities were well-suited to both their lifestyles. Both sisters are in long-term marriages. Both have young grandchildren. They even both have 20-plus-year careers at Walmart in their hometown. Both were former smokers who quit several years ago.
So it was more than a coincidence that during separate hiking trips in 2011 both women found themselves experiencing shortness of breath and feeling more tired than usual. To their surprise, they were about to experience another commonality that neither ever imagined – both sisters were diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a potentially fatal lung disease that necessitated they receive lung transplants (or in Linda’s case, a double-lung transplant).
“This came as a complete surprise to both of us, as neither of us had really experienced obvious symptoms of this disease in the past,” says Linda. “But I guess we should have understood the possibility of an IPF diagnosis, since our mother died of the disease and our uncle succumbed to it as well.”
At the recommendation of their local doctors in Pensacola, Linda and Brenda initially sought an evaluation and diagnosis at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, since it was convenient to their home in the western Florida Panhandle. But because their employer-provided health insurance specified Mayo Clinic as their preferred provider for transplant cases, the sisters came to Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus for a full pulmonary evaluation. Both sisters’ conditions were deteriorating, although Linda’s seemed to be progressing more quickly, and they were both listed for lung transplants — Brenda in December 2012 and Linda in January 2013.
Linda was listed for a double-lung transplant as her condition worsened, requiring she receive continuous supplemental oxygen. Brenda was listed for a single lung, which she eventually received on Oct. 29, 2013. Linda received a double-lung transplant on Feb. 12, 2014. Another coincidence — both sisters’ new healthy lungs came from women in their 50s.
Linda and Brenda had virtually the same transplant team at Mayo Clinic in Florida managing their care. The team was led by Cesar Keller, M.D., and supported by Francisco Alvarez, M.D., David Erasmus, M.D., Jorge Mallea, M.D. and John O’Dell, M.D., as well as many of the same nurses, medical techs, transplant coordinators and even the social workers handling their cases.
“Our cases were almost identical, from when we first realized something was wrong through our diagnosis and care, up to and including our transplants,” says Linda. “Our team at Mayo Clinic was wonderful, and thanks to their care, we are both slowly getting back to normal.”
“I’m feeling great, walking an hour a day, shopping, exercising and stretching … living my life again,” says Brenda. “My sister and I are both grateful for this second opportunity at life thanks to the generous gift of our donors.”
Both sisters also say that their faith has played an important role in their recovery. “We’ve had quite a few prayers answered and have received support from all our church friends and people we don’t even know,” said Linda. “We’ve been truly blessed throughout this entire experience.”
April is National Donate Life Month. Sign up as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Visit www.organdonor.gov.
Published courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.
Pictured top: Linda Foster (left) and Brenda Santinelli (right), twin sisters from Escambia County who recently both received lung transplants. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.