USPS Rate Increases Take Effect Today: Forever Stamps Rise to 82 Cents
July 12, 2026
Mailing a letter will cost a bit more starting today. The U.S. Postal Service’s planned price adjustments officially take effect Sunday, July 12, raising the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 78 cents to 82 cents.
The 4-cent increase is part of a broader 4.8 percent rise in mailing services product prices, which was approved by the Governors of the Postal Service and reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Under the new pricing structure that goes into effect today, a standard one-ounce First-Class Mail letter increases from 78 cents to 82 cents, while a metered one-ounce letter moves from 74 cents to 78 cents. Sending a domestic postcard now costs 65 cents, up from 61 cents. International travelers and standard mailers will also see increases, as the price for both international postcards and outbound single-piece international one-ounce letters has risen from $1.70 to $1.75.
Postal customers looking for a bit of good news will find it in the additional-ounce price for single-piece letters, which remains unchanged at 29 cents.
According to the postal service, the adjustments are a response to continued rising operational costs and the severe financial crisis facing the agency. As a self-financing independent federal establishment that generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, the USPS relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its sprawling network.
Even with the new adjustments, U.S. Postal Service officials maintain that the nation’s mailing prices remain among the most affordable in the world as the agency continues its network modernization plan ahead of its 250th year of service.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
No Serious Injuries In Highway 97 Three-Vehicle Crash
July 12, 2026
There were no serious injuries in a three-vehicle crash Saturday afternoon on Highway 97.
The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. in front of the Davisville Community Center, just north of West Highway 4, and involved a Range Rover, a Ford Bronco, and a Hyundai SUV.
One person was transported to a hospital by Escambia County EMS following the crash, that completely shut down Highway 97.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Fallen Oak Trees Shut Down Century Area Roads; One Leaves Hundreds Without Power
July 12, 2026
Hundreds of residents in the Gandyville and Byrneville areas spent a portion of their Saturday without air conditioning after falling trees downed power lines and disrupted traffic on Saturday afternoon.
The trouble began shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday when a large oak tree collapsed near a 90-degree curves on Killam Road, just west of Century and a short distance from Gilmore Road. The falling tree completely blocked the roadway and ripped down several utility poles and power lines.
Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC) initially reported that 480 members lost electricity due to the damage.
Because of downed lines and broken poles, the resulting power outage lasted for hours before utility crews could safely replace the infrastructure. The Century Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue also responded.
Meanwhile, a second tree fell within the Century town limits across Hecker Road near Jefferson Avenue. Fortunately, that tree missed nearby utility lines. Town of Century crews were deployed to clear the debris and reopen the roadway.
There were no severe storms tracking through the immediate area when the trees came down; however, strong outflow winds preceding a thunderstorm were blamed for the damage.
Pictured above and first below: A toppled oak tree on Killam Road and downed power lines on Saturday afternoon. Pictured bottom: A fallen oak tree on Hecker Road in Century. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Motorcyclist Killed In Saturday Night Collision
July 12, 2026
A Jay man was killed Saturday night in a two-vehicle collision in Navarre, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred at approximately 8:45 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 87 and Segura Street.
According to the FHP, a 75-year-old female driver from Fort Walton Beach was operating a sport utility vehicle when it collided with a motorcycle driven by a 36-year-old man from Jay.
The 36-year-old motorcyclist suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. FHP noted that he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The driver of the sport utility vehicle was wearing a seatbelt and reported no injuries.
The exact circumstances leading up to the collision have not yet been released, and the FHP investigation is ongoing.
Florida Government Weekly Roundup: Crossing The First Amendment
July 12, 2026
Florida Weekly Roundup is a look back at last week in a Florida politics and government.
For Republicans who dominate the state, a slew of court decisions went against them this week.
Federal appeals panels rejected the position of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration on a pair of key issues, while a Leon County circuit judge ruled against an incumbent GOP House member looking to get on the ballot, a ruling that could flip a Central Florida House seat.
RESTRICTING ‘ANTI-WOKE’ RESTRICTIONS
Keeping in place a district court’s preliminary injunction, a 2-1 decision Tuesday from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state law restricting how state college and university professors can teach about race and gender violates the First Amendment.
The majority declared the law “a breathtaking assertion of power to ban unpopular ideas from public discourse in the very places the state’s own statutes recognize as centers of inquiry.”
“If the First Amendment offers any boundary of protection at all for public university classrooms, this statute crosses it,” wrote Judge Britt Grant, an appointee of President Donald Trump.
Grant was joined by Judge Charles Wilson, an appointee of President Bill Clinton.
Judge Barbara Lagoa, a Trump appointee who had previously been appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by DeSantis, argued in dissent the state had the right to restrict the speech of professors in the classroom.
“To be clear, the First Amendment protects all viewpoints in the public square, whether they are conventional or controversial. But it does not compel all viewpoints to be worthy of state-sponsored endorsement,” Lagoa wrote.
The case was brought by a set of university professors and backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
“We are thrilled the court has stopped the erasure of topics that have real implications for our students, allowing them to learn, discuss, and develop tools for combatting the complex issue of racism in our country without being gagged by those who would dictate that only state-approved thought may be promoted,” LeRoy Pernell, a Florida A&M University College of Law professor, and one of the instructors who brought the lawsuit, stated in a release.
The ruling prevents Florida from enforcing part of the “Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act” passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.
DeSantis pushed for the law as a bulwark against “indoctrination” in university classrooms. It bars professors from endorsing precepts of critical race theory, including eight specific tenets.
APPROVING ACCREDITATION
A separate three-judge panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday unanimously rejected Florida’s push to throw out federal rules for accreditation agencies for public universities.
The decision upheld a 2024 lower court ruling that found the federal accreditation structure to be constitutional.
“The accreditation requirement is neither a delegation of government power nor an unascertainable condition,” Judge Andrew Brasher wrote in the ruling.
Brasher, an appointee of President Donald Trump, was joined in the decision by Judge William Pryor, an appointee of President George W. Bush, and Judge Nancy Abudu, who was appointed by President Joe Biden.
DeSantis’ administration brought the lawsuit in 2023, arguing Congress had unconstitutionally delegated unchecked authority to private accreditation agencies.
“We reject the idea that a totally unaccountable, unappointed, unelected accrediting agency can trump what the state of Florida is doing,” DeSantis said at the time.
DeSantis has pushed to get Florida’s public universities out from the accrediting eye of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACS.
In 2025 DeSantis announced Florida would set up a new accrediting body, in collaboration with other states, to review universities to ensure their quality.
Among his critiques of SACS, DeSantis alleges it insisted on incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools. He’s also alleged that accrediting agencies aren’t accountable to the government.
A POSSIBLE FLIP
Rep. Paula Stark’s move to be placed on the ballot to retain her House District 47 seat was rejected by a Leon County court Wednesday.
The St. Cloud Republican’s application to qualify for the ballot was rejected for the lack of a financial disclosure form, which her campaign treasurer, Joel Davis, said was submitted to Division of Election officials before the noon June 12 deadline.
Second Judicial Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes instead accepted the testimony of five state Division of Elections officials working in the hour before the deadline that if they had received the paperwork, it would have been stamped.
“They all testified consistently that after 11:30 (a.m.), the clerks no longer performed any check of the papers,” Hawkes wrote. “Instead, they just received, stamped, and later, if time allowed, handed copies of the stamped forms back as courtesy copies. The streamlined, no-review, process was to ensure those that wanted to qualify could before the noon deadline.”
Hawkes gave Stark seven days to file evidence showing why her petition shouldn’t be dismissed, but otherwise his order leaves her off the ballot for the district that is mostly in Osceola County and includes a sliver of Orange County.
Democrats Jorge Figueroa of Kissimmee and Anthony Nieves of St. Cloud were the only candidates to qualify for the contest when the filer period ended on June 12. If Stark is unable to get on the ballot — mail ballots have already started to be distributed — the Aug. 18 primary would be open to all voters of the district.
STORY OF THE WEEK:
A federal appeals court ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act” restrictions on state university and college instruction violate the First Amendment.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“This was not on my bingo card.” — State Rep. Dotie Joseph acknowledging her late entry into the Democratic gubernatorial primary was spurred by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings dropping out for health reasons on the eve of the qualifying period.
by Jim, The News Service of Florida
Ninth Inning Comeback Cut Short In 4-2 Wahoos Loss
July 12, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos were defeated by the Montgomery Biscuits by a final score of 4-2 on Saturday night, despite an impressive comeback effort in the final inning.
The Blue Wahoos (45-41) dropped their second game of the series following Friday night’s 11-1 loss. Though Pensacola still holds the 3-2 edge in the homestand, the Biscuits (41-45) will look to tie during Sunday’s matchup.
Pensacola scored two runs on four hits, drawing two walks. Four different bats in Brandon Compton, Cristian Hernandez, Juan Matheus and Fenwick Trimble recorded a hit, three of which came in the ninth inning.
Compton managed a solo home run, his fifth with the Blue Wahoos thus far. It was also Pensacola’s furthest-hit home run of the season, flying 472 feet at an impressive 113.2 miles per hour.
Luis Moreno (L, 4-4) offered a quality start despite drawing the loss, pitching 6.0 innings that saw six hits, three earned runs, two walks and one strikeout. For the Biscuits, it was Jackson Baumeister (W, 4-3) who took home the win. He held the Blue Wahoos to a single run through a seven-inning start, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out nine.
Montgomery’s Caden Bodine got the scoring started for the visiting side, punching a solo home run in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. The Biscuits extended their lead to 3-0 with a Will Simpson homer in the fourth.
The Blue Wahoos managed a response in the bottom of the fifth in big fashion. Compton mashed a solo home run that left Blue Wahoos Stadium entirely and served as the team’s first hit of the evening.
It’d be Bodine again to maintain the Biscuits’ edge, doing so with an RBI single through the left side in the seventh inning. Montgomery led 4-1 heading into the final two frames.
Down to the wire, the ninth and final inning saw the Blue Wahoos offense surge for the first time that night. Hernandez recorded the second hit of the evening with a double into center, and was sent home on a single by Matheus in the next at-bat. The sold-out crowd would be on their feet after Trimble managed a double down the left field line, putting the potential go-ahead run at the plate.
Compton would step up and, despite a lengthy battle at the plate, struck out swinging. Ryan Ignoffo subsequently grounded out to third base, extinguishing the momentum and sealing the 4-2 loss.
The Blue Wahoos finish their series against the Biscuits on Sunday.
written by Maddy Branning
Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Peanut Field Near Florida-Alabama Line
July 11, 2026
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in an Alabama peanut field near the Florida state line on Friday afternoon.
The pilot and a student made the landing in the field after experiencing engine trouble, approximately 0.7 miles south-southwest of the runway at the Atmore Municipal Airport. There were no injuries.
The 2023 Diamond DA 40 NG plane belonging to Skywarrior Flight Training of Pensacola did not sustain any apparent damage.
The incident occurred just north of Old Bratt Road, which is also known as State Line Road in Florida. The Florida-Alabama state line is generally considered to be along the middle of the roadway.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Suspect Now Charged With Attempted Murder In Downtown Pensacola Shooting
July 11, 2026
Charges have been upgraded to attempted first murder against a 26-year-old man arrested earlier this week in connection with a deadly shooting in downtown Pensacola that claimed one life and injured six other people.
Nicholas Lilane Safford, 26, of Daphne, Alabama, is also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Safford has two previous felony convictions in Alabama.
Lillian Myllicen Meyers, 25, of Pensacola, has also been charged with tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact. Pensacola police say the shooter gave her one of the weapons used, which she then removed from the scene. Both are being held without bond.
The shooting, which occurred during the early morning hours of July 5, claimed the life of 19-year-old Phillip Devon Monte Sheppard Jr. All but one of the six other victims have since been released from the hospital. Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom said Monday that an ongoing feud led to the shooting.
Monday Is Deadline To Apply For $65,000 In Community Grants From International Paper
July 11, 2026
The deadline to apply is Monday for the International Paper Pensacola Mill 2026 grant program, which will award 10 grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations.
The IP Foundation grant program supports organizations working to address critical community needs and improve quality of life across the region.
“International Paper grants are a powerful way for us to make a meaningful difference in our community,” said Whitney Fike, Regional Communications Manager. “We’re proud to support organizations that are creating positive change and delivering real impact where it’s needed most.”
Applications are open through Monday, July 13 and can be submitted online at www.ipgiving.com.
The International Paper Foundation focuses its giving on four key areas:
- Education – with a priority on early childhood literacy (birth through 3rd grade)
- Hunger – improving food security
- Health & Wellness – promoting healthy lifestyles
- Disaster Relief – helping communities prepare for and recover from disasters
Additional funding opportunities may support environmental initiatives and other critical community needs.
Eligible applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or qualifying federal entities and demonstrate measurable impact through their programs.
For more information, visit www.internationalpaper.com/giving-eligibility or contact Whitney Fike, Regional Communications Manager at whitney.fike@ipaper.com or call (850) 968-3076.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
First Mail Ballots Returned For August Primary, Including 18 In Escambia County
July 11, 2026
Ballots are being cast across Florida for the 2026 primary election.
In Escambia County, 18 mail ballots had been returned by Friday, with 10 of those Democratic, six Republican, one with no party affiliation (NPA) and one listed as “other”, according to the Supervisor of Elections.
Over 800,000 mail ballots have been sent out across the state.
The deadline to register to vote in the August 18 primary or for changing party affiliation is July 20.
In Escambia County, in-person early voting at limited polling locations will run from August 8 to August 15.
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