Softball: Catholic Tops Northview (With Gallery), Tate Defeats Pace
March 6, 2021
Pensacola Catholic 8, Northview 3
The Northview Chiefs defeated the Pensacola Catholic Crusaders in high school softball action Friday night in Bratt.
Emma Gilmore went seven innings for the Chiefs, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out five.
Kailyn Watson led Northview with two hits in three at bats with one run and one RBI. Heather Knowles went 1-3 with one run; Chloe Ragsdale went 1-3 with a run; Abigail Levins was 1-1 with a RBI.
FOR A PHOTO GALLERY, CLICK HERE.
Tate 3, Pace 1
The Tate Aggies defeated the Pace Patriots 3-1 Friday night.
Abby Burks earned the win for the Lady Aggies, giving up one run on four hits in six innings while striking out one.
Courtney Lundquist and Courtney Adams had one hit each for the Aggies.
Pictured: Pensacola Catholic tops Northview Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos.
Woman That Allegedly Kidnapped Two Kids In Louisiana Is Now In Santa Rosa Jail
March 6, 2021
The woman that allegedly kidnapped her two young children from Louisiana Tuesday afternoon was arrested Friday night.
Shawntel Nicole Heck was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond as a fugitive from justice. She has multiple charges pending in Louisiana.
Heck was arrested after contacting a deputy stating she was tired of running and wanted to turn herself in.
An Amber Alert was issued after she allegedly drove away with the children, ages 4 and 8, from their father’s home in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, according to Louisiana authorities. The boys were found safe Wednesday afternoon near Munson in Santa Rosa County, but authorities were unable to immediately locate Heck after a K-9 search.
Tate Aggies Take Fifth Inning Lead To Beat Pace (With Gallery)
March 6, 2021
The Tate Aggies beat the Pace Patriots 8-4 Friday night at Tate.
The game was tied AT three when Jackson Penton doubled on a 2-1 count for the go ahead run in the bottom of the fifth. Drew Reaves and Jordan Jarman had two hits each for the Aggies. Penton, Zak Licastro and Dalton Bowen had one hit each.
Josiah Glodfelter started for the Aggies on the mound. He went six and a third innings, striking out 12 and allowing three runs on four hits.
Photos by Laura Glodfelter for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pedestrian Struck And Killed In Century
March 5, 2021
A pedestrian was struck and killed Friday afternoon in Century.
It happened on North Century Boulevard just north of Pond Street. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 71-year old Century man was attempting to walk across the roadway when he was struck by a 28-year old female driver that was unable to avoid a collision.
The man was transported from the scene by Escambia County EMS but was pronounced deceased. The Hyundai Sonata driver and her 10-year old passenger were not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing their investigation. FHP no longer releases the names of traffic crash victims.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Doug Underhill Won’t Seek Third Term On The Escambia County Commission
March 5, 2021
District 2 Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill announced Friday that he will not seek a third term.
“I want to thank my supporters who have worked so hard in the campaigns and in reforming this government. I am humbled that so many of you are pressing me to run for a third term. My supporters sent me here on a message of reform, and their continued support is the best indication that I have lived up to that expectation and have not succumbed to the constant pressure to do things ‘the way they’ve always been done’. That is precisely why I will not be seeking a third term,” Underhill said in a prepared statement.
“I have always opposed term limits because a free people should never ask the government to do for them what they can do for themselves. I admire the example set by our nation’s first executive, who set the gentlemen’s standard of two terms in an office. There are exceptional men and women in our community who could serve District 2 and Escambia County in this seat; only a selfish man believes that his incumbency is more important than the good of the community.”
There will be two Escambia County Commission seats on the 2022 ballot. In addition to Underhill’s seat, the District 4 seat held currently by Robert Bender will also be up for election. Bender announced last week that he will seek a second term.
“I am making this announcement at this time to enable those future public servants to begin their efforts to serve. The work of reform is never done, and it is certainly not done in Escambia County. For the next 20 months, I will continue to work towards making our government a truer reflection of the priorities and morality of the people we serve, and that work will continue aggressively long after I leave this office.”
Three people had pre-filed as of Friday to seek Underhill’s seat — Republicans Chance Walsh and Steven Stroberger and NPA candidate Melissa “Mel” Pino.
‘Brown Out’ Plan Might Temporarily Close Two Fire Stations; Commissioners Disagree Over Firefighter Pay, Volunteer Value
March 5, 2021
The Escambia County Commission learned about a draft “brown out” plan Thursday that might temporarily close two fire stations due to reduced staffing, as two commissioners disagreed over low firefighter pay and the need for volunteers.
Escambia Fire Rescue operates 21 fire stations. Thirteen stations are staffed 24 hours a day with career, seven are volunteer only, and the Century fire station has a daytime career crew weekdays and volunteer staffing at other times.
If department-wide career firefighter staffing falls below 47 when Century’s crew is on duty, or 43 after hours and weekends, a firehouse will brown out — shut down with an remaining crew members reassigned to other stations. The draft plan calls for the Warrington station to be the first to brown out, followed by Bellview if necessary.
“This is a contingency plan. This is a last-ditch effort. This is a Hail Mary,” interim Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore told commissioners. “This is in case we do go below minimum staffing levels, and we’ve got processes in place to keep us from getting there.”
“If we had COVID hit an entire house and took all those members out of the house, then we would have major problems,” Gilmore said. “We’ve got administration that’s going to step up and run those trucks, down to the interim fire chief stepping up and running the trucks. So, this is in case we get to those minimum levels that are unforeseen, or things happen or we lose additional staff. So that’s what this plan is. It is a last-ditch effort…There are things we’ll do. We’ll pull volunteers from other houses; we’ll stand up a volunteer house. So from administration to the volunteers, we’ll do everything we can to get to that point.”
“You have to do this because we have been on a long trajectory underfunding the public safety. You have to do this, the same way as if you’re crash landing an airplane; you still have to through an emergency landing check,” Commissioner Doug Underhill told Gilmore at a Thursday morning commission session. “When you’re losing airspeed and altitude, every single minute, you’re crashing. We are losing airspeed and altitude with regard to fire safety in this county, and we have been for a long time. You are undermanned. You told me in my office that our pay rates are not competitive for firefighters in this area.”
“That is correct. We are lowest in the Panhandle; we are lowest,” Gilmore responded. “We have lost members to surrounding departments because of that.”
Underhill said with a low pay rate, Escambia County is training “great cops and great firefighters” to go serve at other departments. He said that if Escambia County still has staffing problems, equipment breaking down, and a brown out plan, the commission did not give the department adequate funding.
“There are firefighters right now in Escambia County making six figures, lieutenants making over six figures,” Bergosh challenged. “It’s a tough job. It’s a challenging job. But if you work a career there, you retire in your late 40s or early 50s with a full pension, and you make tremendous money for this area. So, I think we do need to raise starting pay, and, of course, I’m going to support that.”
“But the other thing we need to do is treat our volunteers better. We haven’t been treating them well. They have been wholesale run out of many firehouses, and I’m working against that. That’s a big problem,” Bergosh continued. “Volunteers work for a $400 a month stipend, Doug. It’s a lot cheaper to do that than pay a fully loaded career (firefighter) a 50, 60, 70, a 100 (thousand). We need to recruit volunteers. There are many out there that want to serve. Many firehouses are run 100% volunteer…I support all firefighters.”
“We need to embrace a culture of volunteers. Instead of running them out, strangling from getting the training they need so they can’t serve. We’ve also had a tremendous leadership vacuum, two years without a fire chief,” added Bergosh. “But the knee-jerk isn’t do what Doug Underhill says. The knee-jerk isn’t let’s go raise taxes. I will tell you, Doug, it’s not always about how much you get paid, it’s about where you work, the community you live in, and other factors. It’s not always about money. You want to be a firefighter in Escambia County, you can make tremendous money doing it.”
District 1 Commissioner Bergosh continued, “God bless them. They do great work. I want to pay them good money, but I also want to get our volunteers back into all the firehouses, and I want them to be treated well.”
Underhill replied that in the “built-up” part of the county, which he defined as south of I-10, the volunteer service failed to achieve objectives.
“Volunteer service is an augmentation to professional service, but every single citizen in my district deserves to have a professionally trained, professional outfitted fire team arrive at their home in their time of need,” Underhill said. “I love the bit of Americana that is the volunteer fire service, it is perfectly appropriate in rural areas.”
Gilmore told NorthEscambia.com that volunteer firefighters in Escambia County are issued the same equipment as career firefighters, and the volunteers also have state certification in order to perform in their capacity as firefighters.
Cantonment Man Charged After Drugs, Weapons, Cash Found During Search Warrant Service
March 5, 2021
A Cantonment man is facing multiple drug charges after law enforcement found drugs and weapons after executing a search warrant.
Larry Clay, 22, is charged with trafficking in oxycodone, possession of hydrocodone and violation of probation.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, SWAT team and High Intensity Patrol Unit served a search warrant in the 60 block Calloway Street in Cantonment. Inside the home, they discovered 11.55 ounces of methamphetamine, 13.8 grams of powdered cocaine, 9.6 grams of crack cocaine, 20.5 grams of oxycodone, 22.1 grams of hydrocodone, $11,172 in cash, along with four pistols, a shotgun and a rifle.
Clay remained in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Walnut Hill Man Charged With Felony Battery
March 5, 2021
A Walnut Hill man was charged after allegedly beating a man in Bratt.
Thomas Zachariah Mason, Sr., age 31, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on a charge of felony battery.
The victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that he spent the night with his girlfriend at her sister’s home somewhere on Bratt Road. He and the girlfriend got into an argument and she told him to leave, but he refused because he needed sleep before going to work, an arrest report states.
Mason allegedly went to the residence after a Facebook message from the victim’s girlfriend. At the home, Mason and another man allegedly beat the victim, causing a concussion, multiple bruises, a rib fracture and eye damage, an arrest report states.
Through a search warrant, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office obtained Facebook messages showing the girlfriend contacted Mason and informed him of the altercation between her and the victim, at which time Mason stated that he was on the way, according to an arrest report.
Mason was released from jail on a $25,000 bond.
Community Health Northwest Florida Holding Vaccination Clinics Friday And Saturday
March 5, 2021
Community Health Northwest Florida will hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics on Friday March 5 and Saturday March 6 at Brownsville Community Center for all Florida residents who qualify, including those covered under the governor’s latest Executive order; the amended order expands the groups eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida to include persons under 65 who are “medically vulnerable,” as well as individuals 50 and older who hold specific jobs that put them at high risk.
Vaccine supply is limited and will be administered by appointment only. Preregistration is required.
Any eligible individuals who would like to receive the vaccine may schedule an appointment by calling the Community Health Northwest Florida COVID vaccination scheduling call center at (850) 439-3358. The call center is open Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon. (or whenever all appointment slots are filled).
All participants will be required to show photo ID as well as proof of qualifying condition or job at their appointment.
Northview Beats PHS; Tate Freshmen Over Navarre
March 5, 2021
Northview 17, Pensacola 4
The Northview High Chiefs beat the Pensacola High Tigers 17-4 Thursday night in Pensacola.
Bryce Korinchak drove in four runs on two hits. He had runs on a second inning single, a walk in the fifth and a sixth inning single.
Luke Bridges, Jamarkus Jefferson and Rustin Pope each had two hits for the Chiefs. Kaden Odom and Trent Knighton had a hit apiece.
Jefferson pitched five innings, allowing six hits with four runs and striking out seven. Josh Landis was on the mound for a single inning, sitting down two with no hits
Tate 12, Navarre 5 (Freshmen)
The Tate Aggies Freshmen defeated Navarre 12-5 Thursday.
Joseph Polk went three innings on the mound for Tate, allowing four runs on five hits and striking out three.
Cole McNair pitched two innings, allowing one run, one hit and striking out three.
Conner Hassell had three hits for the Aggies, while McNair had two. Trey Rebber, Ketch King, and Damian Cullen had one hit each.
Pictured: Jamarkus Jefferson on the mound for Northview. NorthEscambia.com file photo.