Photos: King Of The Jungle In Molino

July 29, 2012

Children at Highland Baptist Church presented “King of the Jungle” Sunday evening The children attended a daily music camp last week — Camp Quarternote — to prepare for the presentation.

For more photos, click here.

Pictured: Scenes from “King of the Jungle” at Highland Baptist Church. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.


School Shopping? Here Are The Supply Lists You Need

July 28, 2012

School starts Monday, August 20 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Here are the  school supply lists from each elementary school and middle school in Escambia County, plus the North Escambia area schools in Santa Rosa County.

(High schools typically do not have a general supply list. Students are advised of their supply needs in each class.)

North Escambia Area Schools:

Complete Escambia County Lists:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

A Hero’s Welcome: Hundreds Welcome Wounded Marine Home (With Photo Gallery)

July 28, 2012

A local Marine was given a hero’s homecoming Friday morning in Pensacola.

Lance Cpl. Joseph Daniel Palmer, along with his wife Becky and his two young children, arrived at Pensacola Aviation just after 11:00 this morning to a large crowd of well wishers, many dressed in patriotic clothing and waving American flags.

“I wasn’t expecting this many people to be here,” Palmer said as he addressed the crowd.  “It’s awesome to see that I’m coming home to a community that actually cares.”

“It lifts my spirit, and I know it probably lifts my wife’s spirit as well. All I can say, really, is thank you for your support,” the 26-year old Marine said. “Stay in the fight. Because there’s still Marines over there doing the same thing I was doing and going to come back the same way I come back. Keep them in your prayers. If you see them on the street, don’t hesitate to come say hello.”

“It’s just a blessing. We feel very, very blessed…to be able to come home,” he said, looking at his wife Becky and choking back tears. “Just thank y’all.”

For a photo gallery, click here.

Dignitaries including Congressman Jeff Miller, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, Santa Rosa Commissioner Don Salter and Milton Mayor Guy Thompson were on hand to welcome Palmer and his family back to the area. After the ceremony, a motorcade led by law enforcement at the Patriot Guard traveled to a  newly renovated home for the Palmers at the Whiting Pines military housing in Milton. The first three months of rent at the home will be paid by the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Foundation.

Palmer suffered extensive combat related injuries in Afghanistan. His right leg was amputated below the knee, and he endured more than a year of medical rehabilitation in North Carolina.

Palmer is a 2004 graduate of Central High School. He joined the Marines in October 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan in January 2010. He has several relatives in the North Escambia area, including his sister.

Pictured: Lance Cpl. Joseph Daniel Palmer and his family returned home to Pensacola just after 11:00 Friday morning. Photos  for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Photos include reader submitted photos from WEAR 3, Shaun Moye, Kristi Smith and P.C. Wu.


Photos: Storms Clouds Roll

July 28, 2012

NorthEscambia.com received numerous reader-submitted photos of rather unique cloud formations moving across the area Friday evening. Click any of the images on this page to enlarge. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Jay Grad Performs At Olympic Opening Ceremony

July 27, 2012

A 2009 Jay High School performedwith fellow University of Florida Band members at the opening ceremonies of the London Olympic Games.

Kimmy Hudon is a native of Santa Rosa County. She has been a part of the Fighting Gator Marching Band for three years.

The Gator Marching Band is the only American band invited to play at the Olympics. They played the Star Spangled Banner as the U.S. team entered the stadium and “God Save the Queen” for the British team during the Parade of Nations.

Hudon is the daughter of Kathy and Aubrey Penton and Rick and Shelley Hudon.

ECAT Gets $1 Million Grant To Replace Vehicles

July 24, 2012

Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) will receive just over $1 million in funds from a $787 million transit grant announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The $1,053,401 for ECAT will replace paratransit vehicles that have met or exceeded their useful lives. The new vehicles will be equipped with a vehicle camera technology safety system. ECAT will also purchase scheduling software to manage a fleet with zero spares.

All total, Florida will receive more than $50 million in federal transportation funds for 14 projects to revamp and renovate aging public transit systems.

In addition to ECAT in Escambia County, the list of approved projects includes $15 million to renovate transit facilities in Gainesville and $5 million for a new transit facility in Fort Myers.

The Florida projects were included in a group of 255 projects in 48 states. Since 2010, the federal program has pumped $1.8 billion in funding to replace aging transit facilities and vehicles around the country “to meet the growing demand from millions of riders across the country.”

Featured Recipe: Easy, Zesty Chicken Nuggets The Family Will Love

July 22, 2012

The humble chicken nugget isn’t just for kids anymore. And there’s no more frozen with  this zesty homemade version.

Featuring six different seasoning blends plus Italian bread crumbs, these bite-sized delights are packed with flavor.  Frying them fresh means they’ll be extra crunchy – perfect for dipping in a favorite sauce like barbecue or honey mustard. But be careful – they’re addictive.

For a printable pdf of today’s featured recipe, click the image below.

Molino Resident Named Florida’s Social Worker Of The Year

July 22, 2012

A Molino resident has been named the Florida Social Worker of the Year.

Rikki Vidak received the award from the Association of Social Workers, Florida Chapter after she was first named the Social Worker of the Year for the Northwest Unit. She will now be in the running for the national Social Worker of the Year award.

Vidak is a behavioral science coordinator for the Family Residency Program at the Navy Hospital in Pensacola where she has faithfully served Pensacola’s military and their families for decades.

She is also the unit chair for the Northwest Unit of the NASW-FL, and has been a strong leader building community among social workers in Northwest Florida. She was selected as Social Worker of the Year because of her leadership, her service to the community, and her outstanding professionalism, according to the group.

Cruisers Unlimited Shows Off, Grills Out For Ronald McDonald House

July 22, 2012

The Cruisers Unlimited car and truck club of Atmore recently provided a grilled dinner for the family staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola. The group also had a few of their classic vehicles on hand for small car show for the residents.

The local Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for family members of children who travel from their homes to receive medical treatment in Pensacola.

Each of the 26 rooms at the Ronald McDonald House has been full for most every night for the past two weeks, leaving the RMH in need of items that are used on a daily basis. Some of the items on the RMH wish list include:

  • Paper plates, napkins and plastic utensils
  • Large boxes of cereals
  • travel/trial size deodorants
  • 13-gallon trash bags
  • kitchen and bathroom sponges
  • brownie mix
  • one and two gallon zip top bags
  • ranch dressing
  • breakfast bars
  • 8.5 x 11 copy paper
  • dryer sheets
  • stamps

The Ronald McDonald House is located at 5200 Bayou Boulevard in Pensacola. For more information, contact (850) 477-2273.

Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Local Students Attend 69th Boys State

July 21, 2012

Two upcoming seniors at Northview High School attended the week-long 69th Annual Boys State event at Florida State University recently.

Corry Baggett and Trey Johnson were selected by their counselors, principal, and the Oversight Committee of the American Legion Post 90. Jason Knight of Jay also represented the North Escambia area.

Local Alabama students Blake Clark, Michael Glick and Andrew Sasser from Escambia Academy, and Domineque Hubert from Escambia County High School attended their sessions in Tuscaloosa.

Students learned about city, county and state government throughout their week-long sessions and have the opportunity to earn dual enrollment credit for their efforts.

From Santa Rosa County, Stewart Campbell of Gulf Breeze was awarded a two-year scholarship to Tallahassee Community College followed by a two-year scholarship to Florida State. The Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Aviles scholarship was named for Andrew Aviles who delayed attending FSU in order to join the military and whose life tragically ended as a result at just 18.

Pictured top: Attendees at the 69th Annual Boys State at Florida State University. Pictured inset: Corry Baggett and Trey Johnson represented Northview High School at the event. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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