Man Critical After Highway 29 Hit And Run Rollover Crash
January 14, 2021
An Escambia County man is in critical condition after an early morning hit and run crash on Highway 29.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 49-year old Pensacola man was traveling south on Highway 29 near Archer about 4:30 a.m. when his SUV was struck from the rear. The SUV traveled across the median intp the northbound lanes and overturned off the roadway.
The man was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital after being extricated from the vehicle.
The FHP said they do not currently have a suspect as they continue their investigation.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County, State Graduation Rates Move Upward
January 14, 2021
Escambia County graduation rates inched up for the last school year, but remained below the state average, according to a recently released Florida Department of Education report.
The report showed a 1.7 percent point increase in Escambia County, while the state average was up an even 3%.
The Class of 2020 graduation rate in Escambia County was 86.5%, continuing steady gains from 76.1% in 2016. The state graduation rate for 2020 was 90%.
West Florida High School’s 99.1% graduation rate was the highest in the county. Graduation rates improved at Escambia, Northview, Tate, Pine Forest and Washington High Schools.
The pandemic disrupted the regular school year for the Class of 2020 in the spring as schools across the state were shuttered and moved to virtual instruction.
The 2020 graduation rate for each Escambia County public school or special center was as follows:
- West Florida High School — 99.1%
- Tate High School — 90.2%
- Escambia High School — 89.5%
- Pine Forest High School — 87.6%
- Pensacola High School — 87.1%
- Northview High School — 86.4%
- Washington High School — 85.8%
- Escambia Virtual Academy — 100%
- Escambia Westgate — 94.1%
- Success Academy — 57.4%
- Camelot Academy — 23.5%
“Though graduation rates are up, I want to be very clear this increase must be understood within the context of the exemptions that were provided in the spring semester to the class of 2020,” Jacob Oliva, chancellor of the state’s K-12 public school system, wrote in an email to school superintendents. “That compassion and grace for our seniors was absolutely necessary, as we took several steps to ensure that our seniors would have support and opportunities to minimize the disruption of the pandemic on their educational journey. However, it limits the interpretation of these results.”
Gulf Power Switches Plant Crist To Natural Gas Delivered Through North Escambia Pipeline, Ending Coal Use
January 14, 2021
Gulf Power’s Plant Crist is now running 100% on natural gas delivered by a pipeline through North Escambia.
Gulf Power, a division Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), ceased coal-fired power generation at its Plant Crist in Escambia County. The plant modernization, which FPL initiated immediately after purchasing Gulf Power from the Southern Company, includes a conversion to run entirely on American-produced, cleaner natural gas – cutting the plant’s carbon emissions rate by 40% and marking the end of Gulf Power’s use of coal to generate energy in Florida.
Converting coal-burning units to run on natural gas was a major piece of the modernization underway at Plant Crist, along with the addition of four new, highly efficient combustion turbines to provide greater reliability and efficiency for the energy grid and a new natural gas pipeline to provide additional natural gas for the plant.
Over the past several months, Gulf Power has installed an underground natural gas pipeline that runs 39 miles from the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline near Century, through McDavid, Molino and Cantonment, to the company’s Plant Crist.
The retirement of coal at Plant Crist was accelerated by Hurricane Sally, which caused damage to the plant’s coal equipment. The company determined that it is in the best interests of its customers to accelerate the modernization instead of repairing the coal equipment.
Pictured top: Bright yellow new pipes threaded throughout the inside and outside of Plant Crist this year are the visible signs of the coal to natural gas conversion that will allow the plant to run 100% on U.S. produced natural gas. Pictured inset: A crane hoists one of the larger pieces of new equipment at Plant Crist, a gas heater, into place at the Plant Crist gas yard as part of the coal to natural gas conversion. The heater will warm the natural gas to keep it from freezing in the pressure control valves that send the gas from the pipeline to the power plant. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Man Gets 15 Years On 12 Child Porn Charges
January 14, 2021
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on child pornography charges.
Shawn Eric Caron, 45, entered a plea to 12 counts of possession of certain images of child pornography. Circuit Judge Jan Shackelford then handed down the sentence.
The charges stemmedf from a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation. On June 15, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Caron’s residence and found child pornography images on his devices, including a cell phone, that depicted male and female children under the age of 10.
Escambia County COVID-19 Hospitalizations Remain Near Record
January 14, 2021
The number of daily local COVID-19 hospitalizations reached new record over the last week.
There were 263 people currently hospitalized in Escambia County on Wednesday, down slightly from a record 270 on Saturday, January 9. During a summer surge, local COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a peak of 246 on July 20.
According to Escambia County, there were 17 adult ICU beds available in Escambia County Wednesday night — none at Baptist, five at West Florida and 12 at Sacred Heart. Of the 215 total ventilators in the county, 142 were available.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided daily by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital. The daily numbers are not cumulative.
Data source: Escambia County, City of Pensacola. Graphic: City of Pensacola.
Grand Jury Indicts Man For Killing His Half-Sister In 2017, Burying Her Body Near Jay
January 14, 2021
A Santa Rosa County grand jury has indicted a man that allegedly murdered his half-sister three years ago before burying her body outside Jay.
Jerry Savoy Phillips Jr. was indicted this week for first degree premeditated murder with a firearm for the death of his half-sister, 38-year old Felicia Kuswandy.
Kuswandy’s remains were found buried behind a home in the 7700 block of Highway 4 east of Jay on December 14, 2018. The murder was believed to have occurred on or about November 12, 2017.
Phillips, 29, was jailed in Alabama on drug trafficking charges until late October 2020, at which time he was formally charged with his half-sister’s death in Florida.
The newly impaneled Santa Rosa County grand jury also indicted Hakeem Denarious Peterson for the first degree felony murder and robbery with a firearm for the death and robbery of a Milton Tom Thumb employee on September 15, 2020.
Cantonment Man Charged With Attempted Murder
January 13, 2021
A Cantonment man is the third person charged in an October shooting at a convenience store on Olive Road.
Michael DeWayne Robinson, 43, was charged with first degree premeditated attempted murder, kidnapping an adult for ransom and aggravated battery. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail this week with bond set at $1.175 million.
On January 5, Quaundre McGee, 17, was charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated battery and destruction of evidence. A third accomplice, Tawanna Quanethia Lewis, 40, was arrested November 13 on charges of attempted homicide, kidnapping, aggravated battery and obstructing justice. She remained jailed with bond set at $1.6 million.
The shooting happened October 24 at the Xpress Mart store at 202 East Olive Road during what was described as a drug deal gone wrong. A woman suffered a gunshot wound to the ankle.
Pictured top: Michael DeWayne Robinson of Cantonment. Pictured below: Tawanna Quanethia Lewis (left) and Quaundre McGee,
Local Publix Stores Offering COVID-19 Vaccinations Beginning Thursday
January 13, 2021
COVID-19 vaccinations will be available at Publix stores in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties beginning Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced.
The vaccine will be available at no cost at six Publix locations in Escambia County and five in Santa Rosa County for residents 65 and older by appointment only. Appointments can be made beginning Wednesday at publix.com/covid-vaccine. Each location will be able to administer 100-125 vaccinations per day.
Customers with health insurance will need to bring their insurance card to their scheduled appointment. Customers without health insurance will need to provide their driver’s license or Social Security number.
“Publix has done a great job with this,” DeSantis said during a news conference Tuesday morning in Niceville. “We knew that they would because people love Publix in Florida.”
The local distribution is an expansion of a pilot program in Citrus, Hernando, and Marion counties.
Vaccines will be available at the following local Publix stores:
Escambia County
- 13390 Perdido Key Drive, Pensacola
- 5055 North 9th Ave., Pensacola
- 9251 University Parkway, Pensacola
- 5998 Mobile Highway, Pensacola
- 2180 West Nine Mile Road, Pensacola
- 1100 E. Cervantes St., Pensacola
Santa Rosa County
- 852 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze
- 1430 Tiger Park Lane, Gulf Breeze
- 8244 Navarre Parkway, Navarre
- 4739 Highway 90, Pace
- 5580 Woodbine Road, Pace
Customers with health insurance will need to bring their insurance card to their scheduled appointment. Customers without health insurance will need to provide their driver’s license or Social Security number.
COMMENTS ON THIS STORY HAVE BEEN CLOSED. You cannot make or confirm an appointment by making a comment on this story. You must follow the link above. Too many individuals from across the state were posting sensitive medical and personal information that could pose an identify theft problem. Therefore, we closed the comments.
IP Awards $70,000 In Grants To Local Organizations
January 13, 2021
International Paper’s Pensacola Mill awarded $70,000 in International Paper Foundation grants to 26 local organizations, demonstrating the company’s commitment to education, hunger, health and wellness, disaster relief and initiatives that improve the planet.
“We are pleased to support local organizations in their efforts to make a difference in education, hunger, health and wellness,” said Whitney Fike, International Paper communications manager. “Our company cannot succeed if our communities do not succeed, and these grants are an investment in our family, friends and neighbors.”
Local community organizations and their projects awarded grants for 2020:
- Autism Pensacola – Kids for Camp 2021
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida – Defending Potential
- Children’s Home Society – Community Partnership School: Closing the Digital Divide
- Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) – Be Ready Pensacola
- Council on Aging of West Florida – Foster Grandparents
- Ernest Ward Middle School – For the Love of Reading!
- Every Child a Reader in Escambia (ECARE) – Books for Break
- Feeding the Gulf Coast – Weekend Backpacks for Children
- FoodRaising Friends – Food Giveaway Funding
- Gulf Coast Kids House – PPE for Medical Professionals
- Institute for Human and Machine Cognition – Science Saturdays
- Jim Allen Elementary School – Ready to Read!
- Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida – First Grade Jr. Achievement at McArthur Elementary School
- Keep Santa Rosa Beautiful – Learning about Butterflies
- Kingsfield Elementary – Ready to Read!
- Manna Food Pantries – COVID-19 Relief
- Miracle League of Northeast Pensacola – Keeping the ballfields green
- Pace Center for Girls – The EmpowHERment Project
- Pensacola Children’s Chorus – Preparatory Choir
- Pensacola MESS Hall – Audio visual for virtual programming
- Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries – Hot, Healthy Meals
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida – Hope for Hurting Families
- Studer Community Institute – Brian Bags
- The Arc Gateway – Improving Outcomes through Early Detection
- UF IFAS Extension Escambia County Master Gardener Volunteer Program – Garden to Table
- University of West Florida – Argo’s Edible Campus Expansion
Grants were determined after careful committee review with local team members. Recommendations are subsequently reviewed by the International Paper Foundation’s grants committee, which then must be
confirmed and ratified by the foundation’s board of trustees.
Pictured: International Paper mascot Pinelope poses with a grant check. IP team members normally take part in check presentations to each group, but that did not happen this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Starbucks Is Coming To Atmore After All; Construction Set To Begin Next Week
January 13, 2021
Starbucks is coming to Atmore after all.
In January 2020, Wind Creek Atmore announced construction was set to begin in March 2020 on a Starbucks store near their casino. That was put on hold due to COVID-19, but now Wind Creek says construction is set to begin.
“We are very excited to announce that construction will begin next week, and we are on target for a May 2021 opening,” Wind Creek Assistant Property Manager Terri Breckenridge told NorthEscambia.com.
The 2,000 square foot stand-alone facility will offer convenient drive through, seated dining and full retail store across the street from the Creek Convenience Store on Poarch Road, adjacent to the Spa at Wind Creek. The destination will occupy a prime location for coffee lovers; the nearest Starbucks along the I-65 corridor are north 113 miles in Prattville and south 47 miles at Springhill Avenue in Mobile.
The project is expected to create 20 or more permanent jobs for local residents in addition to temporary construction jobs.
The Atmore Starbucks location is projected to draw an additional 300 cars and 750 customers daily from I-65 Exit 57.
Pictured: A rendering of the Starbucks planned for Atmore. Image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.