Community Mourns Passing Of Ransom Middle Band Director Janie Walker
May 29, 2021
The community is mourning the loss of Ransom Middle School Band Director Janie Suzanne Walker who passed away Wednesday, May 26 at the age of 47 after complications from a recent surgery.
Walker started her teaching career in the fall of 1997 when she became the band director at UMS Wright Preparatory School in Mobile. While living in Mobile, she played in the Mobile Pops Orchestra.
In the fall of 1999, Walker moved back to Pensacola and became the band director at Ransom Middle School. During her time at Ransom, her symphonic and jazz bands received consistent superior ratings at District Music Performance Assessments, and she had 18 students selected for participation in Florida all state bands. She also served as guest conductor for Middle School Honor Bands in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. She was selected as the Ransom Middle School Teacher of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year.
She was born March 26, 1974, in Pensacola and attended Cordova Park Elementary, Workman Middle School, and Washington High School. Walker and her family were active members of First Baptist Church in Pensacola where she was baptized and married and she served as a Children’s Camp Counselor. She also played the trumpet in the church orchestra.
Following graduation from high school in 1992 with honors, she attended the University of Alabama where she received a Bachelor of Music Education in 1997. While at Alabama she was a member of the Million Dollar Band, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Quota Brass Quintet and Mu Phi Epsilon. Walker and her future husband, Chris Walker, met at Alabama and they were both members of the Million Dollar Band.
“Janie had a tremendous impact on music education in Escambia County,” according to her obituary. “She cared deeply for her students and wanted her students to reach their potential. She served as a mentor to other band directors in our area and she was always appreciative of the directors who guided her in her teaching career. Former students of Janie are serving in teaching positions at various middle school and high school band programs in the Florida panhandle and various former students are professional musicians.”
Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday until a noon funeral service begins at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Burial will be held at Bayview Memorial Park.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions may made to the Ransom Middle School Band Boosters, Inc., 1000 W. Kingsfield Road, Cantonment, FL 32533-4621.
For the complete obituary, click or tap here.
Woman Pleads No Contest In Hot Vehicle Death Of Her 2-Year Old Child
May 29, 2021
The mother of a two-year old has entered a plea to the death of her child left inside a hot vehicle.
Jessica Monell, 38, entered a plea of no contest to aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect. She previously entered no contest pleas to aggravated child neglect and multiples charges involving possession of controlled substances.
On April 10, 2019, Monell’s two-year old child was found deceased in Monell’s van parked outside the home. The subsequent investigation revealed that Monell had ingested methamphetamine and forgot to remove her child from the van. The child was strapped in her car seat for about nine hours.
The medical examiner determined that the child’s cause of death was hyperthermia. At the scene, Monell consented to a blood draw and methamphetamine was found in her blood. A search warrant was executed on the home and various drugs and paraphernalia were found. The child’s autopsy report revealed that the child also had a trace amount of methamphetamine in her system.
Monell will be sentenced by Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Lee Robinson on July 15, 2021. She faces a maximum of 50 years in state prison.
Burdick’s Slam Propels Wahoos To Thrilling 5-4 Win
May 29, 2021
Peyton Burdick blasted a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the ninth against Braden Webb (L, 1-1) to give the Blue Wahoos an improbable 5-4 win against the Shuckers on Friday night.
Pensacola entered the top of ninth trailing 3-1. Webb, who was one of six pitchers used by the Shuckers on Friday, was making his third in appearance in four nights. He opened the ninth by walking Lazaro Alonso before striking out Lorenzo Hampton.
After the strikeout, Bubba Hollins and Devin Hairston delivered back-to-back singles with two strikes to load the bases. That brought up Burdick, who fell behind 0-2, crushed a 2-2 changeup over the left-field netting to put the Wahoos up 5-3.
With the sudden lead, the Wahoos quickly got Colton Hock (S, 5) up and into the game in the bottom of the ninth. Chad Spanberger and Tyler Friis led off the inning with singles, setting the Shuckers up with the winning run at the plate and nobody out.
However, Hock escaped peril by striking out Ryan Aguilar before Tristen Lutz grounded into am RBI fielder’s choice. With the Shuckers down 5-4 and the tying run on, Brice Turang popped out to third to end the game.
Earlier in the night, there was serious doubt as to whether these two teams would even finish Friday’s contest.
In the bottom of the second with the game tied at 1-1, heavy rain made its way through the area and forced the game into 1 hour, 28-minute delay. After a lengthy discussion between the managers, the umpires, and member of the Shuckers’ Front Office, the decision was made to resume the game at 8:30.
Jeff Lindgren was Pensacola’s starter on Friday, and despite having to wait almost an hour and a half between innings, the right hander remained in the game after the delay. Lindgren pitched 3.2 innings for the Wahoos, but gave them much needed length, which helped saved the bullpen for later in the game.
Biloxi starter Noah Zavolas pitched two innings for Biloxi but made way for Peter Strzelecki after the rain delay.
With the Wahoos trailing 3-1, Zach Wolf, Sean Guenther and Zack Leban pitched a combined 4.1 innings of scoreless ball. Those relievers only allowed a total of one hit, one walk while striking out eight. That set the stage for Hock to collect his league-best fifth save of the season.
Burdick has now homered in five of his last 10 games for the Wahoos and has 10 RBI during that stretch, while JJ Bleday snapped an eight-game hitless streak by going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple.
The series continues Saturday evening where the Wahoos will look to close out their third series win of the year. LHP Will Stewart (0-1, 3.21) will make his fourth start of the year for the Wahoos. Biloxi has yet to announce their Saturday starter, after Zavolas (Biloxi’s original starter for Saturday) had to pitch tonight.
by Chris Garagiola, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Memorial Day Programs Planned In Pensacola, Atmore
May 29, 2021
Memorial Day programs are planned at Veterans Memorial Park in Pensacola and the Veterans Monument in Atmore.
A Memorial Day Ceremony will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park in Pensacola.
Rear Admiral Peter Garvin, Commander, Naval Education and Training Command, will be the Keynote speaker. A Marine Corps Color Guard will present the colors and the Pensacola Opera Chorus will perform a patriotic medley of songs. In addition, the Gold Star and Surviving Families Connect group will make a special presentation of an Honor & Remember Flag.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have given their lives in the service of our great nation,” said Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola President, Paul Entrekin. “Memorial Day is set aside to honor and remember these men and women so that their service and their sacrifice is never forgotten.”
The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold their annual Memorial Day Program at 9 a.m. Monday at the Atmore Veterans Monument located in front of Atmore City Hall. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
Pensacola Bay Bridge Is Now Open
May 28, 2021
The Pensacola Bay Bridge is now open for the first time since it was damaged by Skanska barges during Hurricane Sally, restoring the vital connection between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze.
The majority of the bridge is open to four lanes of traffic (two in each direction) except for a two-lane, half-mile segment just west of the bridge’s arch while work to complete final repairs continues. The speed limit is temporarily set at 35 mph and emergency refuge areas are available on the bridge.
To quickly clear travel lanes following vehicle incidents FDOT’s Road Ranger Service Patrol will be stationed on each end of the bridge from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekends and major holidays. At other times, at least one unit will be on-call and available. Law enforcement will also be on-site 24-hours a day on both ends of the bridge to alert drivers about the temporary restrictions.
Consistent with the requirements within the construction contract, FDOT will continue to withhold payments of $35,000 per day until four lanes of traffic are restored to the entire southbound span of the Pensacola Bay Bridge. FDOT is regularly reviewing the contractor’s schedule of the entire Pensacola Bay Bridge Project with the anticipated completion date for all improvements currently scheduled for January 2022.
At this time, tolls on the Garcon Point Bridge are suspended through Sunday, June 6, 2021. Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) will soon discontinue service for the Route 61 detour across the Garcon Point Bridge. Normal schedules for Route 61 and Route 64 Beach Jumper will restart.
For a video animation exploring the traffic patterns on the bridge, click or tap here.
Pictured above: Traffic crosses the Pensacola Bay Bridge Friday morning. Pictured below: This 18-wheeler was among the first vehicles to cross the bridge Friday morning. Pictured bottom: The new flyover on the Pensacola end of the bridge. Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Splash Pads Are Now Open For The Summer In Century And Atmore
May 28, 2021
Splash pads are now open in both Century and Atmore.
The Town of Century Splash Pad officially opens today (May 28). The splash pad is open daily from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. It is located in Showalter Park on Kelly Field Road.
The Atmore splash pad is open daily from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. It is located near the intersection of West Craig Street and South Trammell Street. That’s at the back of Heritage Park on South Main Street.
Pictured: The splash pad in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Launches Edible Campus Program To Combat Food Insecurity
May 28, 2021
With 200 new trees and bushes on the University of West Florida’s Pensacola campus, the University is taking another step toward combating food insecurity with its Argos’ Edible Campus program. The program will provide access to fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables, free of charge to students. In March, Chasidy Hobbs, lecturer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and her students, participated in the first planting event.
“Through this program, we’re creating sustainable environments by incorporating landscapes with plants that are both beautiful and edible,” Hobbs said. “Our goal is to have 1,000 fruiting trees or bushes by 2024.”
In addition to Argos’ Edible Campus program, the Argo Pantry and UWF Community Garden are a part of UWF’s response to food insecurity. One in 12 UWF students visit the Argo Pantry annually. The Argo Pantry is a campus resource that sustains currently enrolled UWF students with free, healthy food and basic personal care items, allowing students to focus on academic goals and progress toward degree completion and not worry about food insecurities. Hobbs hopes to remove the stigma of food insecurity by empowering students to get involved with growing their own food.
“We welcome anyone who would like to be involved,” Hobbs said. “Spend some time learning to grow your own food. If you do not have the time to come get dirty with us, but want to contribute to food production on campus, we suggest donating, if you can. Once the trees and bushes get established and start producing much more fruit we will have harvesting events, but that is likely a few years away. The next planting event will be held in Spring 2022.”
Since becoming involved, sophomore Monica Woodruff, who is majoring in Environmental Sciences, says her interest in food insecurity has now turned into a passion.
“I have learned a lot about my community and a lot about myself as an ally this semester,” Woodruff said. “Food insecurity is everywhere, it just hides in plain sight. I’ve realized I have a personal (and enjoyable) duty within myself to help those who are struggling with food insecurity around me by doing something I love – planting.”
For more information, visit the Argos’ Edible Campus website.
Free Bird Watching Bingo Activity Kits Back At Century Branch Library
May 28, 2021
Earlier this month, we told you about “Bird Watch Bingo” take home activity kits available for free at the Century Branch Library. Due to popular demand from NorthEscambia.com readers, the kits quickly flew out the door.
But good news…the kits are back in stock. With the bird watching kit, look into the world around you for local birds and check them off your bingo card as you identify different species.
Wahoos Six-Game Win Streak Ends After Loss To Shuckers
May 28, 2021
It looked like it might be a long night for Pensacola starter Brandon Leibrandt (L, 0-2), who had given up two runs to the first three batters of the game. Jamie Westbrook hit a two-run double with nobody out to put Biloxi up 2-0, and it appeared it might be a huge inning against the Wahoos.
However, Leibrandt responded immediately by forcing a couple of groundouts, including an inning-ending double play to escape the first inning with no further damage done.
Pensacola had a response immediately for the Shuckers as they scored in the top of the second against Leo Crawford (W, 1-1). After a leadoff walk by Tristan Pompey, Riley Mahan doubled before Pompey scored on an RBI groundout from Bubba Hollins, which was his first RBI of the season.
Unfortunately for the Blue Wahoos, the offense would end there. Despite finishing the night with seven hits, Pensacola was 0-for-9 as a team with runners in scoring position. The win for Biloxi was their first since Sunday, when they took the series finale against the Smokies 7-3.
Pensacola will try to take control of the series tomorrow when the Wahoos send RHP Jeff Lindgren (2-1, 2.50) to the mound against RHP Luis Contreras (0-1, 5.19).
by Chris Garagiola, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
File photo.
Ready To Stock Up? Florida Disaster Sales Tax Holiday Begins Today
May 28, 2021
The 10-day Florida 2021 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday begins today. Consumers can purchase qualifying disaster preparedness supplies tax free through Sunday, June 6.
Many items to prepare for hurricane season and other disasters are exempt from sales tax in the state.
“The approach of hurricane season is an excellent reminder to prepare not just for storms, but for all potential disasters,” said Jim Zingale, executive director of the Florida Department of Revenue. “The 2021 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is an excellent opportunity for Floridians to save money while gathering the supplies they need to be safe.”
Qualifying items include:
- $20 or less
- Reusable ice
- $40 or less
- Portable self-powered light source
- $50 or less
- Certain portable radios
- A gas or diesel fuel tank
- Packages of certain battery types
- $60 of less
- A nonelectric food storage cooler
- Portable power banks
- $100 or less
- Tarps
- Ground anchor systems or tie-down kits
- $1,000 or less
- Portable generators for use in a power outage
More details are in the graphic above.