These Are This Week’s Road Construction Trouble Spots
June 15, 2025
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projectsin Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- U.S. 98 (Garden Street) City of Pensacola Martin Luther King Jr. Parade – Motorists will encounter road closure from A Street to Tarragona Street Thursday, June 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.
- Garden Street (Business U.S. 98) Construction from Pace Boulevard to the Interstate 110 (I-110) Ramp – The week of Sunday, June 15, drivers may encounter the following construction-related traffic disruptions:
- Garden Street, between Pace Boulevard and N. Donelson Street, is reduced to two travel lanes (one in each direction), as crews perform construction activities on the south side of the street. This temporary traffic configuration will be in place through early 2026.
- Temporary side street closures south of Garden Street, from B Street to J Street, as crews perform utility and stormwater management enhancements.
- On-street parking is closed on the south side of Garden Street, between B Street and L Street. Additionally, periodic on-street parking closures will occur on Garden Street, between A Street and Alcaniz Street, for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.
- Signage will be in place to direct drivers and pedestrians around the work zone.
- Michigan Avenue (State Road (S.R.) 296) Resurfacing from Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) to North Palafox Street (U.S. 29) – The week of Sunday, June 15, drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on Michigan Avenue, from Mobile Highway to North Palafox Street, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., for utility work and manhole adjustments.
- Brent Lane/Bayou Boulevard (S.R. 296) Resurfacing, from Davis Highway (S.R. 291) to Baisden Road – Drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on Brent Lane/Bayou Boulevard, from Davis Highway to Baisden Road, Monday, June 16 through Thursday, June 19, between 8 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., for milling and paving operations.
- Interstate Circle Bridge Over Eight Mile Creek Construction – Interstate Circle is closed at the Eight Mile Creek Bridge through mid-2025 while crews replace the bridge. Signs are in place to detour drivers around the work zone using Pine Forest Road, Longleaf Drive and Wymart Road.
- Interstate 10 (I-10) at Nine Mile Road Interchange (Exit 5) Construction – Drivers will encounter the following construction-related traffic disruptions:
- Intermittent I-10 inside lane closures near the Nine Mile Road interchange, Sunday, June 15 through Thursday, June 19, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Nine Mile Road will be reduced to one travel lane in each direction between the I-10 ramps, Sunday, June 15 through Friday, June 20, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Law enforcement will be on site, and directional signage will be in place to guide drivers through the work zone.
- I-10 at U.S. 29 Interchange (Exit 10) Construction – The week of Sunday, June 15, drivers will encounter the following construction-related traffic disruptions:
- The U.S. 29 southbound turn lane access to the I-10 eastbound on-ramp will be temporarily shortened Monday, June 16 through Thursday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The reduced turn-lane length is required for daytime construction activities and will reopen nightly from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
- I-10 between U.S. 29 and I-110, is reduced to two travel lanes in each direction.
- The U.S. 29 northbound ramp to I-10 eastbound is closed. U.S. 29 northbound drivers are being detoured to make a U-turn at Broad Street onto U.S. 29 southbound to access I-10 eastbound.
- Pine Forest Road (S.R. 297) Resurfacing from Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) to Blue Angel Parkway (S.R. 173) – The week of Sunday, June 15, drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures and periodic detours on Pine Forest Road, from Mobile Highway to Blue Angel Parkway, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., for milling and paving operations. Signage will be in place to direct drivers around the work zone.
- I-10 Routine Utility Maintenance from Exit 5 (U.S. 90) to west of Exit 22 (S.R. 281) – Drivers may encounter intermittent eastbound lane closure Monday, June 16 through Thursday, June 19 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for routine utility maintenance.
Santa Rosa County:
- U.S. 90 Resurfacing from west of Avalon Boulevard to east of Stewart Street – Drivers may encounter intermittent U.S. 90 lane closures, between Avalon Boulevard and Stewart Street, Sunday, June 15 through Thursday, June 19, from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., for shoulder work and placement of thermoplastic striping.
- U.S. 90 Bridge Replacement over Simpson River – Drivers on U.S. 90 may encounter intermittent lane closures over the Simpson River Bridge, Sunday, June 15 through Thursday, June 19, between 8 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. as crews perform bridge construction work. Drivers are reminded that the speed limit is 35 mph through the work zone.
- S.R. 87 Resurfacing, from south of East Bay Boulevard (County Road 399) to Vonnie Tolbert Road – Drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on S.R. 87, from East Bay Boulevard to Vonnie Tolbert Road, Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 13, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., for concrete repair work.
- U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Motorists will encounter the following traffic impacts:
- Median and turn-lane closures from Bayshore Road to Tiger Lake Drive.
- Intermittent lane closures and additional median closures between Bayshore Road and Tiger Lake Drive, Sunday, June 15, through Friday, June 20, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for paving operations.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Fulton Leads Wahoos To 4-2 Win In Rainy Rocket City
June 15, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got back in the win column and returned to the .500 mark on Saturday night, beating the Rocket City Trash Pandas 4-2.
After a 56-minute pregame rain delay, Blue Wahoos starter Dax Fulton (W, 3-4) kept the Trash Pandas off balance with 5.1 innings of two-run ball.
The Trash Pandas strung together three hits in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead on an Oscar Colas RBI single. The Blue Wahoos answered back right away in the second against Rocket City starter Joel Hurtado (L, 5-5), building a threat with a Johnny Olmstead single and Cody Morissette double before Mark Coley II’s two-out RBI infield single extended his hitting streak to 10 games and scored Olmstead to tie the game 1-1.
One batter later, Jared Serna laced the second of his three hits on the night to bring home Morissette and put Pensacola ahead 2-1. Rocket City second baseman Mitch Daly then misplayed a sharp Kemp Alderman grounder, allowing Coley to score for a 3-1 Blue Wahoos lead.
Fulton settled into a groove, pitching into the sixth inning before running into trouble and exhausting his pitch limit. The lefty departed with two runners on and one out leading 3-1, and though Nigel Belgrave allowed an inherited runner to score on a Joe Redfield RBI single the Trash Pandas were unable to do anything else against the Pensacola bullpen for the remainder of the night.
Shane Sasaki added insurance for the Blue Wahoos in the sixth, singling before stealing two bases and coming in to score on a throwing error. Armed with a 4-2 lead, Belgrave, Josh White and Josh Ekness (S, 7) shut the door on the Trash Pandas with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
The series against the Trash Pandas wraps up on Sunday, with a first pitch from Toyota Field scheduled for 2:35 p.m
Two Injured In Crash Involving U.S. Mail Carrier
June 14, 2025
UPDATE — FHP: U.S. Mail Carrier At Fault In Highway 29 Crash With Improper U-Turn
Previous story:
Two people were injured in a crash Saturday morning on Highway 29 involving a car and a rural mail carrier’s vehicle.
The crash happened around 9:40 a.m. on Highway 29 northbound between Cox Road and Sigler Road north of McDavid.
Firefighters extricated the mail carrier from their vehicle following the crash. Both drivers were transported by Newman’s Ambulance and Escambia County EMS to area hospitals. Their conditions were not available.
A representative of the U.S. Post Office in Century collected the mail for later delivery.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released the cause of the crash. The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash.
NorthEsccambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bratt Woman Accused Of Elderly Exploitation, Grand Theft, Credit Card Fraud
June 14, 2025
A Bratt woman is accused of two felonies for allegedly using an elderly man’s debit card over five dozen times without his permission.
Sara Jo Workman, 43, was charged with exploitation of elderly, felony credit card fraud, grand theft, misdemeanor credit card fraud, fraud/impersonation, and larceny of a credit card. She remained in the Escambia County Jail Saturday morning with bond set at $17,500.
Workman allegedly took possession of a debit card belonging to a 77-year-old McDavid man’s account. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Workman used the card with the name of the victim’s deceased wife 63 times in about a month in 2024 to purchase items, goods and services to totalling $1,960.
The victim told deputies that Workman had stayed in their home and worked for the couple.
The victim was alerted by his bank of suspicious charges and also noticed a $50 transaction to Escambia River Electric Cooperative. With the assistance of his bank, the victim determined that the payment was for electric service at Workman’s home on Ashcraft Road in Bratt.
Deputies were at first unable to locate Workman but were unable to interview her with the assistance of the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office when she had an unrelated court appearance in Brewton.
Investigators noted in their report that information was provided to other jurisdictions in reference to possible charged for use of the card outside of Escambia County, Florida.
Motorcyclist Critically Injured, Molino Man Uninjured Olive Road Crash
June 14, 2025
A motorcyclist was critically injured, and a Molino man was uninjured, in a crash about 4:36 p.m. Friday afternoon in Escambia County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 25-year-old motorcyclist was exiting a parking lot on Olive Road when he lost control of the motorcycle. The motorcycle overturned and was then struck by a pickup truck.
Troopers said the truck and trailer traveled over the motorcyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, causing critical injuries.
The driver of the pickup, a 50-year-old Molino man, and his passenger, a 28-year-old female, were not injured.
FHP said any charges are pending.
Cottage Hill Woman Charged With Passing Fake $100 Bill At Local Store
June 14, 2025
A Cottage Hill woman faces a felony charge after allegedly passing a counterfeit $100 bill at the Dollar General on Highway 29 at Neal Road on Thursday.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, 41-year-old Casey Leanne Cushing tried to buy items with the fake bill. A store employee said he immediately recognized the bill as counterfeit when Cushing handed it to him. The employee told deputies Cushing “begin to play dumb,” and also noted that someone had attempted to pass a fake bill with the exact same serial number just two days prior.
Cushing claimed she had no idea the $100 bill, which she said she received from a friend, was fake. However, she could not provide her friend’s full name or phone number. The arrest report states Cushing admitted to making a purchase at the same Dollar General two days earlier, but maintained she was unaware if that bill was counterfeit.
She remained in the Escambia County Jail Saturday morning with bond set at $2,500 on a felony counterfeiting charge.
Escambia County Accepting Comments On Multi-Year Implementation Plan Amendment
June 14, 2025
Escambia County invites residents to participate in the public comment period for the RESTORE Act Draft Multi-Year Implementation Plan Amendment 4, open now until Friday, June 27.
The MYIP is a plan for projects to be proposed completed using RESTORE funds from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, with three amendments submitted for approval since 2017. Amendment 4 proposes modifying three existing projects and the addition of five new projects. Residents are encouraged to leave feedback on the five new projects before MYIP Amendment 4 is submitted for approval.
The three modified projects include:
Perdido Key Gulf of Mexico Public Access
Perdido Key Beach Public Access – Property Acquisition and Construction
South Navy Boulevard Improvements
The five new projects include:
Bob White Lane and Ziglar Road Water Quality and Drainage Improvements
Ellyson Industrial Park Stormwater Design and Construction
Galvez Landing Design Update and Construction
Marine Dive Garden
Palmetto Phase 2 and Palomar Water Quality and Drainage Improvements
Public comments will be accepted the following ways:
Emailing restore@myescambia.com
By mail: Attention: Ryan Kirby, Natural Resources Management Department, 221 Palafox Place, Pensacola, FL 32502
Via the public comment portal on MyEscambia.com/MYIP.
Tate Softball Alum Izzy Werdann Tapped As Mississippi Gulf Coast Head Softball Coach
June 14, 2025
Tate High School softball alum Izzy Werdann has been named head softball coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast community College.
As a catcher, Werdann helped lead the Tate Lady Aggie to the 2015 7A state championship when she was a senior.
Mississippi Gulf Coast softball fans remember a pair of home runs by Izzy Werdann. She hit remarkably similar homers to win postseason games, and now she’s coming back home to create more opportunities like that for the next generation.
The former All-American, who led the Bulldogs to an 85-21 record, returns to her stomping ground as the fifth head coach in program history, bringing a wealth of playing experience in the SEC and NCAA Division I coaching savvy to Perk.
“I’ve been here, and I’ve done it. I’ve lived it,” Werdann said. “I know what it took to be successful playing here as a player, and so I know what it’s going to take to be successful here as a coach. The landscape has changed, and there are some really good teams out there, but we’re going to be really good.”
“While we had some other very qualified candidates, Izzy’s experience as a successful player at MGCCC and coach in the state of Mississippi were two things that really stood out,” Gulf Coast Dean of Athletics Steven Campbell said. “We are excited for her to share her experience with current and future Bulldogs and look forward to her making an impact in the community she began her collegiate playing career.”
As a sophomore at Gulf Coast, Werdann led the team with 13 home runs, 47 RBI and a .513 on-base percentage while batting .384 in 2017. She was named MACJC Co-Player of the Year and earned her second All-MACJC selection on the way to All-Region 23 and NJCAA All-American honors.
The Bulldogs were conference regular-season and tournament runners-up, missing the national tournament by one game at the regional tourney. They were ranked seventh in the final NJCAA poll.
In her freshman season, she batted .323 with five homers and 41 RBI. Gulf Coast finished ranked third in the country after finishing as regular-season and tourney runners-up.
She’s remembered for hitting three-run homers with two outs in the sixth inning of conference tournament-opening games both years. She beat Itawamba both years, lifting the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win as a freshman and a 7-6 win the next season.
“It means everything to come back here,” Werdann said. “I cannot wait to come back to the school where I started my career and win here as a coach. I can’t wait.”
Werdann became the second Gulf Coast player to play in the SEC when she went to Ole Miss, batting .281 in 33 games over two seasons in Oxford, earning scholar-athlete awards along the way.
The Rebels made it to the championship round of the Tempe Regional in her junior year before winning the Oxford Regional the next year, losing to sixth-ranked Arizona in the Tucson Super Regional.
Werdann has an associate’s degree from Gulf Coast and a bachelor’s in general studies with minors in education, sports and recreation management and psychology from Ole Miss, graduating summa cum laude. She graduated with a master’s in sports management from USM while she started her coaching career.
“I thank God. He opened this door for me to get to walk through,” Werdann said. “And the door was opened through Dr. (Mary) Graham, Dean (Steven) Campbell. Dr. (Ladd) Taylor and Dr. (Brad) Bailey. I would like to thank them for this opportunity. It means everything to me, and I can’t wait to prove them right for hiring me.”
Coley’s Double Not Enough In 4-1 Wahoos Loss To Trash Pandas
June 14, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped their third game in a row on Friday night, falling 4-1 to the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
Mark Coley II spared the Blue Wahoos from a shutout, lacing an RBI double in the eighth inning to bring home Cody Morissette and extending his hitting streak to a team-high nine games.
The Trash Pandas jumped ahead in the bottom of the second inning against Pensacola starter Adam Laskey (L, 2-5), capitalizing on a Morissette error at third base to score two unearned runs. David Calabrese brought home Travis Blankenhorn with a successful safety squeeze bunt, and Mac McCroskey followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 Rocket City lead.
Blankenhorn, a former Blue Wahoo as a Twins prospect in 2019, came up with the biggest hit of the night against his old club. With runners at the corners in the third inning, the Trash Pandas left fielder cracked a two-run double to right field to extend the Rocket City lead to 4-0.
Laskey completed 5.0 innings, allowing two earned runs, but was outdueled by Trash Pandas righty George Klassen (W, 2-5). The top-ranked prospect on the Rocket City roster twirled 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing only a pair of harmless Jared Serna singles.
Coley’s double in the eighth inning was the best rally the Blue Wahoos could muster, as Jared Southard (S, 5) locked down the 4-1 final with a scoreless ninth.
With the loss, the Blue Wahoos lost ground to the first-place Biloxi Shuckers in the first half division race. They are 6.5 games back with 8 to play before the standings reset in the second half of the season.
The series against the Trash Pandas continues on Saturday, with a first pitch from Toyota Field scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Trial Set For Former Ernest Ward Middle Bookkeeper Charged With Grand Theft
June 13, 2025
This week, a court date was set for a former Ernest Ward Middle School bookkeeper that was charged last year with embezzling over $50,000 in cash from the school and its organizations. Charges against her in an related case grand theft were also dropped.
Lindsey Dawn Kelley of McDavid, now age 41, was arrested in October 2024 charged with grand theft, scheme to defraud and false entry in books of business for the alleged thefts from Ernest Ward. The scheme to defraud and false entry in books of business charges were dismissed by prosecutors, according to court records.
Tuesday, Judge Amy Brodersen set a jury trial in mid-September on the grand theft over $20,000 and under $10,000 felony charge. She remains free on bond as she awaits trial.
Charges Dropped In Unrelated Arrest
In an unrelated case, Kelley was charged with petit theft, grand theft, fraudulent use of a credit card over $300, and fraudulent use of a credit card two or more times to obtain goods over $100 for the alleged fraudulent use of her uncle’s debit card while was was away at rehab. This week, charges were dropped because the victim declined to prosecute, according to court documents.
Ernest Ward Theft Allegations
According to investigators, Kelley stole cash collected by school organizations over a 13-month period.
She quit her bookkeeping job at the school in Walnut Hill before the first week of the 2024 school year following her arrest on the unrelated credit card fraud and grand theft charges that have now been dropped.
That prompted Principal Tyvanna Boulanger to request that the Escambia County School District complete an internal audit of the school’s bookkeeping and financial records.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Kelly collected $52,278.98 in cash from various organizations at Ernest Ward that was stolen between July 1, 2023, and August 30, 2024:
- Change Fund-$300
- FFA-$4,047.50
- Honor Society – $310
- Shop- $650
- Volleyball/basketball – $4,001.65
- Cheer – $28,192.34
- SGA/track – $850
- Football – $200
- Band – $1,840
- Library/yearbook/drama – $4,670.49
- Culinary-$865
- 6th grade- $1,786
- 8th grade – $2,756
- 7th grade- $1,810
“It should be noted that this amount does not reflect any money stolen from Earnest Ward Middle School prior to July 1, 2023,” the arrest report states.
The report states that in the school year before Kelley was hired as a bookkeeper at EWMS, the school deposited $82,475.24 in cash for school organizations. The report notes after Kelly was hired as school finance specialist in August 2020, cash deposits were as follow:
- 2019-2020 – $46,736.28 cash deposited
- 2020-2021 – $23,270.08 cash deposited
- 2021-2022 – $29,782.46 cash deposited
- 2022-2023 – $18,733.64 cash deposited
- 2023-2024 -No Cash Deposited
The school district told investigators that Kelley was audited in the 2022-2023 school year and the audit noted Kelley had a “lack of organization led to several issues, the most severe of which was the inability to locate entire records for deposits and receipts.” Kelley has not been charged with any school related crime that occurred prior to July 1, 2023.
Kelley was interviewed by ECSO investigators on October 23, 2024.
“One at a time, we spoke with teachers/sponsors of the different school organizations who had given cash to Kelley during the previous school year for their organizations,” a investigator reported. “There was zero cash deposited to the school’s bank account during the 2023-2024 school year so all cash that was given to Kelley is now missing.”
“Immediately upon beginning the interview, Kelley stated that she took the money. Kelley didn’t know the amount of money that she had taken because she had taken it over time and didn’t keep track of it,” the ECSO report states. Deputies said the money was deposited in her credit union account or added to a GreenDot account.
“I advised Kelley of the amounts stolen from each team/organization and that the total amount stolen for the 2023-2024 school year adds up to $52,278.98,” the investigator wrote in his report. “While surprised, Kelley did not disagree with that amount and advised that if that was the amount that had been determined, then that was the amount that she had stolen. When asked about the balance statements for the teams/organizations, she admitted to editing them on an Adobe program so that they wouldn’t discover the low balances of the accounts. At the conclusion of the interview, Kelley advised that she was remorseful and would never do something like this again.”
In addition, school administration alleged that all documents such as purchase orders, money collected forms, along with receiving invoices and documents were missing.