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.
Northview To Present ‘Shrek The Musical’ Friday And Saturday
April 28, 2014
The Northview High School Music Department will present “Shrek The Musical” Friday and Saturday nights. Performance time is 7:00 both evenings in the Northview theatre. Tickets are $8 in advance and are available in the school office.
Jim Allen Students Learn About The Lifecycle Of Butterflies
April 28, 2014
In partnership with the International Paper Foundation, the students at Jim Allen Elementary School received a classroom kit with Painted Lady butterfly caterpillars. The students watched and learned about the life cycle of the butterfly.
Mrs. Rhoda Greenwell, teacher at Jim Allen for more than 40 years, reads Charlie the Caterpillar to the students before releasing the beautiful butterflies.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Power Outage Causes Problems For Wedding, But All Ends Happily Ever After
April 27, 2014
When Nikki Burkett and Jason Jones planned their lakeside wedding in Molino for Saturday, they had no idea a five-hour power outage would hamper their plans.
The wedding was set to begin at 3 p.m. at the Gizmo Angus Farm lodge on Gibson Road, just off Highway 97. The bridesmaids arrived at 11 a.m. to find the power was out — the driver of a truck had lost control on Highway 97 and crashed through a power pole, cutting power to over 415 Gulf Power customers.
A quick phone call, and the bridesmaids found a friend on Highway 95A in Molino that had power.
“We loaded up the bride and all beauty supplies and proceeded to move Operation Glamour to another location,’ said bridesmaid Mary Land. The wedding start time was pushed back an hour to 4 p.m., and the DJ, Tom Swartz, set up a mobile sound booth in the back of his truck running off axillary power.
But weddings are all about happy endings. Just after 3 p.m., the power was restored, and the wedding went on in picture perfect splendor for the new Mr. and Mrs. Jones.
Nikki Burkett of Cantonment is the daughter of Ms. Mickey Burkett. She graduated in 2000 from Tate High School. Jason Jones is from Tennessee. They met last year through a mutual friend and were engaged last Easter. Nikki is the procedure supervisor for Gulf Coast Pain Institute, and Jason is an Escambia County Corrections Officer and a volunteer firefighter for the Beulah Station of Escambia Fire Rescue. He has a 9-year old son named Camden.
Pictured top: The power outage delayed wedding of Nikki Burkett and Jason Jones Saturday in Molino. Pictured inset: The bridesmaids moved “Operation Glamour” to another area of Molino with power. Pictured below: The DJ, Tom Swartz, set up a mobile sound booth in the back of his truck running off axillary power. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Community Teams Up To Clean Up
April 27, 2014
Members of the Honeysuckle Garden Club, the Barrineau Park Historical Society, the Barrineau Park 4-H Club and Clean and Green teamed together to beautify Barrineau Park during the community’s annual trash pick up day Saturday.
Barrineau Park 4-H has set a goal this year for each participant to pick up at least 100 trash items in celebration of their 100 years as the oldest continuous 4-H Club in the State of Florida.
Pictured top: Members of the Barrineau Park 4-H Club. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Birth: Brandan Ray Cole
April 27, 2014
Jennifer Lynn Coon and Steven E. Cole are proud to announce the birth of their son, Brandan Ray Cole, born March 31, 2014, at 5:18 p.m. at D.W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton.
Brandan Ray weighed seven pounds, three ounces and was 18 inches long.
Grandparents are Ray and Cathi Coon of Atmore and John and Cynthia Cole of Molino. Great-grandparents are Betty and Floyd Adams, Jerry and Ginger Cochran, and Dale C. Fiveash, all of Atmore and Dorothy and the late Elbert Montgomery of Molino and the late Pearl Wiggins.