Explore Tech, Learn To Build Paper Circuits And Mini Robots At The Library
September 3, 2021
This month you can explore technology with a touch of engineering at a West Florida Public Library near you. The first program is this Saturday in Century and is coming to the other branch libraries by the end of the month.
Participants will lean to build paper circuits and mini robots with Cubelets with help from he library’s STEAM team.
The events will take place as follows:
- Saturday, Sept. 4, 1 – 3 p.m. – Century Library
- Tuesday, Sept. 7, 3 – 4 p.m. – Westside Library
- Thursday, Sept. 9, 3 – 4 p.m. – Southwest Library
- Tuesday, Sept. 14, 3 – 4 p.m. – Tryon Library
- Thursday, Sept. 16, 3 – 4 p.m. – Molino Library
- Saturday, Sept. 18, 1 – 3 p.m. – Genealogy Library
- Tuesday, Sept. 21, 3 – 4 p.m. – Pensacola Library
Early Deficit Dooms Blue Wahoos Thursday
September 3, 2021
The Blue Wahoos struggled in all three phases of the game as the Montgomery Biscuits soundly defeated the Wahoos 8-3 on Thursday.
For the third night in a row, Montgomery took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. After the first two batters reached, Jonathan Aranda delivered an RBI single with nobody out off Zach McCambley (L, 1-5) to put Montgomery ahead 1-0.
In the third inning with two outs, Demetrius Sims misplayed a ground ball that allowed Jim Haley to reach. Two batters later, Ruben Cardenas hit a ground ball to Sims, but his running throw sailed past Lazaro Alonso for his second error of the inning. Biscuits ultimately scored three runs to take a 4-0 lead.
The closest Pensacola came in Thursday’s contest came in the top of the fifth. Riley Mahan belted a two-run homer off Easton McGee (W, 5-1) to cut Montgomery’s lead in half.
Unfortunately, after the homer, Montgomery outscored Pensacola 4-1 over the final four innings of play. The bullpen, which had been excellent in the first two games of the series, struggled on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits in four innings. Offensively, the Wahoos did not fare much better as they were outhit 13-5.
With the loss, Pensacola now sits three games behind the Biscuits for the second and final playoff spot for the Double-A South Championship series.
Man Allegedly Tries To Lure Child From School Bus Stop, ECSO Warns
September 2, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is warning parents about an incident reported Thursday afternoon at a school bus stop.
ECSO said a parent reported that a suspicious man approached their child at a bus stop on the 280-block of East Olive Road.
The man told the child he was sent by the child’s mother to pick them up from the bus stop.
The child ran home and immediately told their parent, who called the ECSO to make a report. The child is safe and with family.
The man is described as a black male in his mid-40s, bald, and clean shaven. He was wearing a red shirt, dark jeans, and white tennis shoes. The man was driving a silver van resembling a mid-2000s Honda Odyssey.
If you have any information about the incident, call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
“Parents and guardians, please make sure to speak to your children about safety at school bus stops,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Two Charged With Escambia County Murder
September 2, 2021
Two Escambia County men were arrested in Mississippi Thursday for an Escambia County murder.
The evening of August 23, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a man down call in the 10000 block of North Loop Road. That’s where they found a 33-year old male deceased with one gunshot wound, sitting in the driver’s seat of a brown Chevrolet Malibu. The engine to the car was still running.
Carlos Antione Holloway and Dewitt Charles Echols are now awaiting extradition on charges of premeditated murder.
The U.S. Marshal’s Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Holloway in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Echols in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Both suspects are awaiting extradition back to Escambia County.
The investigation is continuing and further information has not been released.
Blue Angels November Homecoming Air Show Moved To Pensacola Beach
September 2, 2021
The Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show has been moved to Pensacola Beach. The show dates will remain Friday and Saturday, November 5 and 6.
The change was announced Thursday morning due to COVID-19 restrictions onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola and other naval installations.
“This is a huge disappointment to us. Holding the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at NAS Pensacola is a long, proud, Pensacola tradition that is especially meaningful in this 75th anniversary year,” said Capt. Tim Kinsella, commanding officer of the base. “But, as I’ve said many times before, the links between this community and the military are incredibly strong. This airshow is important to the community, and I think in these times we probably need it more than ever.”
“I reached out to community leaders to see what was possible, and they immediately jumped in with both feet to assist, because they know how important this is to Pensacola,” said Kinsella. “This is Pensacola’s airshow. The Pensacola can-do spirit just makes me so proud to be a part of this community.”
The November show at the beach will be held in the same fashion as the July air show. In addition to the Blue Angels, there will be a handful of aerobatic and stunt plane pilots also performing. However, specific pilots, details and times are still being planned and confirmed.
Here is the schedule, weather permitting:
- Wednesday, Nov. 3: Breakfast with the Blues for circles and arrivals
- Thursday, Nov. 4: Arrival Day and Dress Rehearsal
- Friday, Nov. 5: Homecoming Air Show Day 1
- Saturday, Nov. 6: Homecoming Air Show Day 2
Showtimes are tentative and subject to change as the details are still being arranged. There will be no rain date if Saturday’s air show is delayed or canceled due to weather.
Pictured above: The Blue Angles over Pensacola Beach. Pictured below: NAS Pensacola Capt. Tim Kinsella announced Thursday that the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show has been moved to Pensacola Beach. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Company Notifies Century They Are Building AT&T Tower, Increases Lease Payment
September 2, 2021
Developers have notified the Town of Century that they are commencing construction of a new 305 foot tall cell tower for AT&T at a local park.
Earlier this year, the town council approved a five-year lease with options out to 40 years with Diamond Towers for an AT&T tower on a parcel of land in the town’s Anthony Pleasant Park off West Highway 4. It’s a small area tucked away essentially at the back of the park.
Diamond Towers had leased the property at $1,000 for a year. Now that they are moving forward with construction, the lease payment has automatically increased to $1,500 per month for at least five years under the terms of the contract. There will be another $500 per month due for any additional cellular providers collocated on the tower in the future. There are annual options for slight increases.
Construction on the tower is expected to take just a few months. The tower area will be fenced to prevent access by those using the park.
Cantonment Man Charged After Alleged Altercation With His Girlfriend At Grocery Advantage
September 2, 2021
A Cantonment man is facing charges after an alleged altercation in the parking lot of Grocery Advantage in Cantonment.
Clinton Darnell Fountain, 35, was charged with battery, burglary of a vehicle and criminal mischief.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Grocery Advantage on Highway 29 in reference to a disturbance. The victim told deputies that she had become involved in an argument with Fountain, her live-in boyfriend, and called a female friend for a ride.
The victim stated as she and friend were leaving the store, Fountain climbed through the passenger side window of the vehicle, hitting her in the chest and neck as he attempted to turn off the ignition. As Fountain grabbed the key fob from the ignition, it broke, allowing the friend to accelerate and flee the Grocery Advantage, according to the arrest report.
The victim refused medical treatment. When deputies contacted him at his residence, he denied that any altercation took place, the report states.
Fountain was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
Big Changes Take Place To Ambulance, Medical Helicopter Response In Escambia, Alabama
September 2, 2021
Big changes took place Wednesday morning to ambulance and medical helicopter services in Escambia County, Alabama.
The Escambia County (AL) Health Care Authority (ECHCA) reached an agreement with MedStar to provide comprehensive 24/7 ground ambulance coverage for the greater Atmore market, replacing ASAP EMS.
Shortly before noon Wednesday, Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles told NorthEscambia.com that the transition was smooth.
“They (MedStar) had three ambulances here, and they’ve already ran six or seven calls,” he said.
The MedStar ambulances are operating out of the former Atmore Fire Station 4 on Pensacola Avenue. The fire trucks and personnel have been moved back to the main Atmore fire station at city hall. Peebles said he’s confident the move will not have any impact of the quality of service provided by his department, even though that puts all of his fire trucks on one side of a town bisected by railroad tracks.
“The fire station (on Pensacola Avenue) was closed about three years after Hurricane Ivan, so we’ve done this before,” he said. “We will also have a truck staged probably at the airport. We have guys that live south of the tracks. We can page them out if we need to get that truck. And we can request mutual aid from Walnut Hill.”
One of the MedStar ambulances in Atmore was moved from its previous post at the Flomaton Fire Station. D.W. McMillan EMS has assumed responsibility for providing ground ambulance service in the greater Flomaton area.
ECHCA has also contracted with MedStar to provide medical helicopter service to all of Escambia County, Alabama. MedStar’s Air Care 2 helicopter is currently based at Atmore Community Hospital. Ambulances from Escambia County, Alabama, also respond to Florida under mutual aid agreements.
As NorthEscambia.com reported in July, MedStar’s Atmore helicopter will also respond to North Escambia in Florida under a new “first call agreement” between the operator of ShandsCair and Escambia County, Florida.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Local COVID-19 Hospitalizations See Slight Decline
September 2, 2021
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations reached their lowest point in about three weeks Wednesday in Escambia County.
There were 334 COVID-19 patients in the hospital Wednesday, four of those under age 18.
One month ago, on August 1, there 220 hospitalizations at Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital.
“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting vaccinated, and I encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you are able,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said Wednesday.
Data sources: Escambia County, City of Pensacola, Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals. Graphics: City of Pensacola.
Navarreto’s Late Homer Fuels Unlikely Wahoo Win
September 2, 2021
Trailing 6-5 in the top of the seventh, Brian Navarreto hit a two-run home run off Adrian De Horta (L, 2-3) to dead center, which fueled the Wahoos to an unlikely 8-6 on Wednesday night at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium.
After De Horta recorded two quick outs to start the seventh, Griffin Conine walked just before Navaretto belted a two-run home run to dead center, which gave Pensacola their first lead of the night. Prior to that, Pensacola practically spent the entire came playing catch-up.
After a tough showing from their starter last night, Pensacola ace Max Meyer did not fare much better in his outing against the Biscuits. He surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first, including back-to-back home runs to Jonathan Aranda and Ruben Cardenas.
Trailing 3-0, Pensacola had an immediate response in the top of the second. After Chris Chinea led off the inning with a single, Griffin Conine belted a two-run homer to right off Jayden Murray, cutting the lead down to 3-2. It was Conine’s 12th homer with Pensacola and his MiLB-leading 35th of the season. Later in the inning, Riley Mahan delivered an RBI single, which tied the game at 3-3.
That lead was short-lived, and the Wahoos committed a pair of errors in the second, ultimately leading to more runs for Montgomery. After an RBI double from Xavier Edwards, Aranda followed with an RBI single to make it 5-3. Meyer was lifted after three innings, and for the first time in his career allowed more than one home run in a start.
Trailing 6-3 in the fifth, the Wahoos drew back-to-back walks with one out before JJ Bleday roped a two-run double into the right-field corner, scoring Kameron Misner and Peyton Burdick. After five innings of play, the Wahoos once again found themselves down by just a run. Neither team scored in the sixth before the heroics from Navarreto in the seventh.
The Wahoos tallied one more insurance run in the eighth after Burdick walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on a throwing error from catcher Ford Proctor on a play at third.
Despite the shaky outing from Meyer, Pensacola’s bullpen did their part to keep the Wahoos in the game. Matt Pobereyko (W, 1-0) hurled two shutout innings in which he struck out three. Cody Carroll made his Blue Wahoos debut with two shutout innings on his own, which included him striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh. Finally, Colton Hock (S, 16) secured his Double-A South-leading 16th save of the year, with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
With Pensacola’s win over Montgomery and Birmingham losing a pair of games to the Chattanooga Lookouts on Wednesday, the Wahoos find themselves two games out of the playoffs once again.