West Florida Libraries Resume Fine And Fee Payments Today
June 15, 2026
After system upgrades, fine and fee payments will resume today, June 15, and all West Florida Public Libraries branches.
Library staff will resume requesting payment for outstanding balances during transactions and account assistance. Library loan periods and finds are in the chart below.
WFPL said additional improvements and updates are still underway during the software migration.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Florida Gas Prices Decline, AAA Says
June 15, 2026
Florida gas prices are moving lower after rising 17 cents early last week. The state average then declined 12 cents through the weekend.
Sunday’s state average of $3.83 per gallon is 3 cents more than a week ago, 56 cents less than a month ago, and 88 cents more than this time last year.
The Pensacola metro had the lowest average price in the state at $3.52. In Pensacola, a low of $3.09 was available on Sunday at the warehouse clubs and several other stations around town. In North Escambia, a low of $3.37 was available Sunday at stations of Highway 29 in Cantonment.
“Crude prices dropped overnight after the United States and Iran announced an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “This is an encouraging sign for drivers, as lower oil prices typically lead to lower prices at the pump. However, this remains a fluid situation, and it’s unclear how quickly or how much gas prices may fall.”
Sunday night, crude oil traded around $80 per barrel, down about 5% from Friday’s closing price of $84.88.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Clinch Series With 8-4 Win Over Clingstones
June 15, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos wrapped up their weeklong road series against the Columbus Clingstones with an 8-4 win on Sunday afternoon.
Juan Matheus, Jay Beshears, Garret Forrester and Dillon Lewis each went deep, helping the Blue Wahoos secure a series win and apply pressure in the first half South Division playoff race. With one week remaining, they are 1.0 game behind first-place Montgomery pending the results of the Biscuits’ Sunday contest.
Luis Moreno (W, 2-3) allowed a first-inning solo homer to David McCabe, the Columbus slugger’s league-leading 15th of the season, but turned in another effective start with 5.0+ innings of two-run ball.
The Blue Wahoos got on the board against Clingstones starter Ian Mejia (L, 0-4) in the second inning, using speed and small ball to score a pair of runs. Cristian Hernández was hit by a pitch, stole two bases, and scored when Ian Lewis Jr. stole second and prompted an errant throw to the outfield. Cam Cannarella then laced an RBI single to right field, scoring Lewis Jr. to put Pensacola ahead 2-1.
Matheus hit a two-run homer in the third and Beshears added a solo shot in the fourth, extending the Blue Wahoos lead to 5-1.
The Clingstones chipped away, as Luke Waddell delivered an RBI single in the fifth and sacrifice fly in the seventh, but relievers Kade Bragg and Nigel Belgrave worked out of trouble to preserve the lead. Late homers from Forrester in the eighth and Lewis in the ninth created a four-run cushion for Colby Martin to close out the 8-4 final.
After an off day Monday, the Blue Wahoos wrap up the first half with a six-game home series against the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday.
written by Erik Bremer
Update: West Bogia Road Reopens Just Two Weeks After Flood Collapse
June 14, 2026
UPDATE: West Bogia Road reopened Sunday afternoon, June 14.
Two weeks after West Bogia Road at South Century Boulevard collapsed during torrential rainfall and flooding, emergency repairs are almost complete.
On May 31, estimates showed a three-hour rainfall approaching six inches in the McDavid area.
While Highway 29 at West Bogia Road was under several feet of water, West Bogia Road washed away and collapsed at a culvert at the intersection.
The Florida Department of Transportation agreed to make repairs to the county road. The culvert that collapsed had a pipe that was 78 inches (6.5 feet) in diameter and 40 feet long.
Fore more photos, click to enlarge.
By Saturday, June 13, the state had replaced the headwall around a new pipe with new, solid concrete and rebuilt the crossing. Paving had not yet been completed. According to FDOT, the contractor should, weather permitting, reopen West Bogia Road in a few days.
Pictured: Flooding and the collapse of West Bogia Road and repairs as of Saturday afternoon, June 13, and just after the collapse on May 31. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FHP PIT Maneuver On I-10 Ends Pursuit Of Suicidal Century Man Fleeing Flomaton
June 14, 2026
A potentially suicidal Century man fleeing from Flomaton crashed Saturday afternoon on I-10 in Okaloosa County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
“The driver had made several statements that he was going to attempt to commit suicide,” FHP said in a statement released Saturday night.
The 31-year-old man who was fleeing from Flomaton was traveling west on I-10 when FHP attempted to stop the vehicle near Crestview just after 3 p.m.. A PIT maneuver allowed troopers to successfully end the pursuit and the driver was taken into custody without incident. His name has not been released.
File photo.
Florida Sen. Ashley Moody Fights To Ensure More American Flags Are Made In America
June 14, 2026
Today, Sunday, June 14, is Flag Day.
During Flag Week, Florida Senator Ashley Moody is fighting to ensure more American flags are made in the U.S.A. Senator Moody is a cosponsor of the Make American Flags in America Act, which would close loopholes in existing law so more flags that are displayed or bought with federal funds are domestically sourced.
“As we celebrate National Flag Week, we honor the enduring symbol that is our Stars and Stripes. The American flag represents the freedom we cherish and the generations of patriots who have defended it. That’s why I’m cosponsoring the Make American Flags in America Act to ensure more of our nation’s flags are made here in the U.S.A.,” said Moody.
The Make American Flags in America Act builds upon the previous All-American Flag Act, which prohibits federal funds from being used to purchase American flags unless the flags are domestically manufactured, with a few exceptions.
The new Make American Flags in America Act closes a few loopholes in the previous bill, such as applying to the legislature, judiciary, and federal government corporations, and removing the acquisition threshold so that all flags purchased must be domestically manufactured.
The Act also requires that all flags displayed must be domestically manufactured and requires an FTC study on compliance.
With Recent Rain, Drought Eases Across Most Of Escambia County
June 14, 2026
For several months, the entire area was in a drought. But with recent rains, most of Escambia County is now just classified as “abnormally dry” by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
A small area in the northeast corner of the county, including Century, is still classified as being in a moderate drought, as is almost all of Santa Rosa County.
The Drought Monitor does not measure recent rainfall; it tracks how deeply an area’s total water system has recovered from long-term deficits.
Donut Strike For Manna Returns June 24-26
June 14, 2026
In about two weeks, local firefighters and law enforcement officers are answering a different kind of emergency call: the growing need for food assistance in our community. These brave men and women will be trading donuts for donations as they rally the community together to help fight local hunger.
No sprinkles. No glaze. No jelly-filled treats — until families have the food they need. That’s the message behind the annual Donut Strike for Manna. From Wednesday, June 24, through Friday, June 26, first responders are going on strike against the disc-shaped delicacies to inspire donations of food and funds to support hungry neighbors in need. They won’t give in until truckloads of healthy, non-perishable food have been donated.
Each day of the Donut Strike, first responders will be stationed at grocery stores across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties from 3-6 p.m. to collect nutritious food and monetary donations. Locations will be announced the week of the Donut Strike
Entering its ninth year, the annual pastry protest has become a powerful force for good, generating the equivalent of more than a quarter-million healthy meals for local children and families facing food insecurity.
Participating agencies include the Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Gulf Breeze Fire Rescue, Gulf Breeze Police Department, Midway Fire District, Pace Fire Rescue District, Pensacola Fire Department, Pensacola Police Department, and Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Manna is a local, grassroots non-profit dedicated to fighting hunger in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Pictured: Escambia County Fire Rescue firefighters collect donations during last year’s Donut Strike for Manna at the Winn Dixie on Highway 29 in Cantonment on June 26, 2025. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Spin Three-Hit Shutout In 4-0 Win
June 14, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Columbus Clingstones 4-0 on Saturday night, riding another dominant start from veteran lefty Luis Palacios to a combined three-hit shutout.
Palacios (W, 4-0), the winningest pitcher in franchise history, earned his 28th career Double-A victory with 5.0 innings of one-hit ball. Jack Sellinger and Holt Jones (S, 1) finished off the shutout with effective relief.
After a 29-minute precautionary pregame weather delay, Palacios and Clingstones starter Julio Robaina (L, 1-2) traded zeroes until the top of the third. Garret Forrester walked, Dylan Jasso reached on an error, and Ian Lewis Jr. hit an opposite-field three-run homer to put the Blue Wahoos ahead 3-0.
Cristian Hernández had a three-hit night, doubling in the ninth inning and scoring an insurance run on an unusual play when he stole third and catcher Archer Brookman’s throw deflected off Forrester in the batter’s box.
That would be more than enough for Palacios and the rest of the Pensacola pitching staff, which allowed only a seventh-inning walk and a pair of ninth-inning singles for the club’s third shutout of the season.
The win brought the Blue Wahoos back to .500 at 31-31, and brings them to within 2.0 games of first place with seven to play in the first half pending the results of first-place Montgomery’s Saturday game.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Clingstones on Sunday afternoon.
written by Erik Bremer
Three Unopposed Century Council Members Automatically Reelected
June 13, 2026
With no opposition, three Century Town Council members were automatically deemed elected on Friday after no one else qualified to seek the seats.
Those elected were:
- Seat 3: Incumbent Shelisa Abraham. She was first appointed as an interim council member in January 2023 and elected during a 2023 special election.
- Seat 4: Incumbent John Bass. He first won election for a term that began in January 2025 after Alicia Johnson was appointed interim mayor.
- Seat 5: Incumbent Sparkie Harrison. She was first elected with opposition in June 2025 to fill a seat left vacant after the resignation of Sandra McMurray-Jackson.
All three will be sworn in for their new four-year terms in January 2027.
The official qualifying period for the 2026 ballot ended at noon, Friday, June 12. The seats are nonpartisan.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.