The Big List: Back To School Bashes, Supply Giveaways And More This Weekend
July 31, 2026
Back to school events will be taking place across North Escambia this weekend, with one event scheduled for next weekend. Many of the events provide free school supplies and more.
Highland Baptist Church Backpack and School Supply Giveaway – Molino
Highland Baptist Church will host a Backpacks and School Supplies Giveaway on Saturday, August 1, from 10:00 a.m. until noon at the church, located at 6240 North Highway 95A in Molino.
The event is designed to help local students and families prepare for the upcoming school year by providing backpacks and essential school supplies at no cost. Community members are invited to attend and take advantage of this opportunity while supplies last.
“We want to support families in our community as they get ready for a new school year,” said Brad Johnson, Associate Pastor. “This giveaway is a practical way for Highland Baptist Church to share God’s love and help students begin the school year equipped for success.”
The church encourages families with school-age children to arrive early. Backpacks and supplies will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
CIC Back To School Bash (Cantonment)
The Cantonment Improvement Committee will host the CIC Back to School Bash on Saturday, August 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street in Cantonment. Backpacks with school supplies, food, waterslide, and bounce house.
Community Food Distribution and Backpack Giveaway – Marcus Pointe Baptist
Rep. Michelle Salzman, in partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast, A Foundation of Hope, and Kevin Stephens, ECUA District 5, along with a coalition of community organizations and local businesses, invites area families to attend a Community Food Distribution and Backpack Giveaway on Saturday, August 1, at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church, located at 6205 North W Street.
The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. and continue while supplies last. Vehicles may begin lining up at 6 a.m. to receive assistance.
Families will receive fresh food and grocery items along with backpacks filled with school supplies to help local students prepare for the upcoming school year. The event is designed to provide essential resources that help families start the school year with confidence. Food and backpacks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and per-car amounts will be limited due to high expected demand.
Next Level Of Faith Giveaway – Century
Next Level Of Faith Ministries at 7041 North Century Boulevard will hold a Back to School Giveaway on Saturday, August 1 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. (while supplies last) with free backpacks and school supplies for children of all ages. There will also be games and snacks for children.
Beulah Back To School Splash Bash
The First Baptist Church of Beulah will host a Back to School Splash Bash on Saturday, August 1 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 5805 Beulah Church Road. The free event will include free clothes, food, hygiene kits, school supplies, and haircuts for students. There will also be a waterslide.
Back to School Youth Clothing Giveaway – Century
A Back to School Youth Clothing Giveaway will be held at Dignity Depot inside the Soul Train Club at 150 Pond Street, Suite B, in Century on Saturday, August 1 from noon until 5 p.m. Free youth clothing in a variety of styles and sizes.
Back To School Event at Jubilee Church – Friday, July 31
A Back to School Event will be held on Friday, July 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Jubilee Church, 5910 North W Street. The church will have backpacks filled with school supplies, haircuts for kids, family activities, food, music, and more. Everything is free.
In addition, community partners will provide valuable information and entertainment for the entire family.
Calvary Apostolic Back To School Bash – Sunday, August 2
Calvary Apostolic Tabernacle at 5591 North Highway 29 in Molino will host a Back To School Bash on Sunday, August 2 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Free school supplies will be available while they last. There will also be a bounce house and water slide, $1 hot dogs, food trucks, vendors, shopping, pony rides, face painting, ice cream, and more.
Beulah Chapel Back to School Community Fun Day – Byrneville – August 8
Beulah Chapel Assembly of God will host a Back to School Community Fun Day on Saturday, August 8 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 2311 Highway 4A in Century. The day of fun, food, and community features a waterslide, kickball, a cookout, and back to school grab bags for kids.
Ensley Man Arrested by FDLE on Multiple Child Sexual Abuse Materials Possession, Bestiality Charges
July 31, 2026
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested an Ensley man on multiple child sexual abuse possession and bestiality charges.
Bailey Jaden Hurst, 25, was charged with 20 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, two counts of sexual activity involving animals, and one count of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
The investigation began in June 2026 when agents received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), reporting that an unknown user uploaded over 100 files containing images depicting the sexual abuse of children to a Google account. Two of those files also depicted bestiality involving female children between four and seven years old. Agents traced the associated IP address to Hurst’s residence.
This week, FDLE agents executed a search warrant at Hurst’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices. Further digital forensic analysis reportedly resulted in the identification of numerous files containing images that depicted child sexual abuse.
FDLE’s Special Operations Team, the Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted with the search warrant.
Future Aggies Hit the Field for Tate High Youth Football Camp
July 31, 2026
The Tate High School Aggies held their two-day annual youth football camp this week.
Youth participated in drills on the field with Tate coaches and players.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Rock Knoxville Behind Dishmey, Compton
July 31, 2026
Eliazar Dishmey turned in another dominant start, Brandon Compton made franchise history with yet another home run, and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Knoxville Smokies on Thursday night by a score of 5-1.
Dishmey (W, 2-1) wrapped up a superlative month with 5.0 scoreless, one-hit frames. Across five July starts, the 21-year-old righty allowed just one run on 10 hits in 21.1 innings.
He got early run support from Compton, who went deep with a solo homer in the fourth inning off Smokies starter Brody McCullough (L, 0-2). It was the 12th Double-A homer for Compton, and his 11th of July to set a new Blue Wahoos franchise record for home runs in a single month.
The Blue Wahoos added two more runs in the sixth inning on doubles from Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus, plus a fielding error from Smokies third baseman Jefferson Rojas. They took a 4-0 lead in the seventh as Colby Shade doubled, stole third, and scored on a Payton Green groundout.
The Smokies threatened in the eighth with four two-out baserunners against reliever Jaydenn Estanista in his Blue Wahoos debut. Colby Martin (S, 7) entered with a 4-1 lead and the bases loaded, and struck out Edgar Alvarez to escape the jam.
Connor Caskenette hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to give the Blue Wahoos a four-run cushion again, and Martin came back out to finish the four-out save with a hitless ninth.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Smokies on Friday.
written by Erik Bremer
Rescinded: Cottage Hill Water Works Boil Water Notice For End Of Wishbone Road
July 30, 2026
UPDATE: This boil water notice was rescinded on Monday morning.
Cottage Hill Water Works has issued a boil water notice for the dead end portion of Wishbone Road.
There was routine maintenance in the area that impacted addresses from 1331 to 1480 Wishbone Road. Those customers may have experienced low water pressure or a temporary loss of water service.
The utility is advising, as a precaution, that all water in the area that is used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative bottled water may be used.
This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until the problem has been corrected and a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
For more information, contact the utility’s office at (850) 968-5485
This story will be updated when the boil water notice is rescinded.
Wanted Suspect Crashes, Arrested In North Escambia After Fleeing Atmore Police
July 30, 2026
A vehicle pursuit on Wednesday afternoon in Atmore ended with the arrest of a wanted suspect following a crash in North Escambia.
The Atmore Police Department said officers spotted 47-year-old Michael Darnell Pleasant in a vehicle outside the Dollar General on South Main Street near Lindberg Avenue. APD said Pleasant was wanted on active Alabama warrants that included felony attempting to elude law enforcement and intent to distribute a controlled substance, and outstanding Florida warrants.
Police said as marked patrol units arrived to assist undercover officers, Pleasant fled the scene in the vehicle. Officers initiated a pursuit south on Main Street, but APD said they called off the chase near the Alabama-Florida line.
According to Atmore Police, Pleasant’s vehicle was located following a crash on Greenland Road, off Highway 97 in Davisville. He was taken into the custody at the scene.
Pleasant was booked into the Escambia County (FL) Jail without bond to await extradition to face Alabama charges. Two Florida warrants were also served for failure to appear in two misdemeanor cases in Escambia County, Florida.
APD said he is expected to face additional charges for Wednesday’s incident, including felony attempting to elude law enforcement.
Reno’s Reptiles Visit The Library (With Gallery)
July 30, 2026
Visitors had a chance to get up close and personal with slithering snakes, lizards, turtles, and spiders this week at the Molino Library.
The program will also be presented at:
- The Century Library on Thursday, July 30 at 10:30 a.m.
- The Molino Library on Saturday, August 1 at 1 p.m.
For a photo gallery from Reno’s reptiles earlier this week at the Molino Library, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
Handwritten Tag, Expired Registration Leads To Cocaine Arrest of Semi Driver In Escambia County
July 30, 2026
A California truck driver was arrested in Escambia County after an agricultural inspection led to the discovery of cocaine inside his semi-truck.
Officers with the Florida Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) arrested Mukesh Mani, 30, on a felony cocaine charge. According to authorities, Mani was driving a semi-truck and trailer that displayed a handwritten tag with no state designation. A registration check revealed the trailer’s registration had expired in 2021.
The standard agricultural inspection escalated when OALE K-9 Officer Thomas deployed narcotics detection dog K-9 Mojo to conduct a free-air sniff around the exterior of the semi tractor. K-9 Mojo gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics, which provided officers with probable cause to search the cab.
During the search of the interior, officers uncovered a tube containing a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.
Mani was taken into custody and transported to the Escambia County Jail. He was released on a $2,500 bond.
Moving Forward: Tensley Grain Owners Working On Plan To Reopen After Devastating Fire
July 30, 2026
The owners of Tensley Grain in Walnut Hill were busy on Wednesday, making plans to get the business up and running again following a devastating fire Tuesday evening.
The fire destroyed the business office and warehouse, which contained mostly animal feed.
“We are working on a plan to get up and going again as soon as we can,” said Gretchen Wiggins, who owns Tensley Grain with her husband, Wesley. It’s named after their daughter, Tensley.
The elevated grain silos were not damaged, and Tensley will continue its grain operations.
“Wesley plans to start shelling corn in about two weeks and we have to be up and going by then,” Gretchen Wiggins added. “As far as the feed store side of things, as soon as our scales are inspected and they can get us back set up with them, we will resume bulk feed sales.”
The State Fire Marshal is investigating the exact cause of the blaze, but officials believe the fire was started by an electrical problem.
Multiple Escambia County Fire Rescue stations responded to the blaze, along with the Poarch Fire Department, Atmore Fire Department, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Firefighters battled not only the fire, but also intense heat and humidity. There were no injuries reported.
The business was formerly known as Escambia Grain, with concrete silos that were constructed in 1965. The warehouse and office space that was consumed by the fire was constructed many years later. The Walnut Hill landmark is one of just a handful of grain elevators in Florida. First opened in 1965, the facility has six storage silos, each about 100 feet tall, and multiple other buildings.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Florida Sold $9.7 Billion in Lottery Tickets Last Year
July 30, 2026
Sales have been brisk for state lottery games after a brief period where inflation apparently caused consumers to dial back purchases of scratch-off tickets.
The Florida Lottery reported $9.7 billion in sales for all games in the fiscal year that ended June 30, a 6.35 percent increase from the prior year.
“Scratch-Off games continued to be a strong contributor to the Lottery’s success, generating $7.14 billion in sales, an increase of more than $308 million compared to Fiscal Year 2025,” Lottery Director of Communications & Strategic Partnerships Alecia Collins wrote in an email. “Draw game sales also experienced significant growth, reaching $2.56 billion, an increase of more than $271 million.”
The draw game sales figure doesn’t include state revenue from the recent rollover jackpots in the multi-state games of Powerball and Mega Millions, where the winning ticket on Tuesday was sold at a Wawa in Bradenton.
But the overall total indicates a potential reversal of an expected two-year slowdown in play, with sales down to around $9.1 billion in fiscal year 2024-2025 and $9.4 billion in fiscal year 2023-2024 after reaching $9.8 billion in fiscal year 2022-2023.
In September 2024, state economists attributed the drop in play to a decline in scratch-off sales as consumers faced inflationary pressures coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic period, which saw a spike in Lottery purchases.
At the time, the economic forecast for the games projected Lottery sales to decline to $8.8 billion in the 2024-2025 fiscal year and slowly return to the $9 billion mark by the 2027-2028 fiscal year.
By January of this year, however, the Revenue Estimating Conference noted the increase in people playing scratch-off games as it revised its economic outlook for the state.
“The gain to the (Lottery) forecast in the current year was largely attributable to higher-than-expected Scratch-Off sales,” the conference wrote on Jan. 15. “The new sales data suggests that there will be stronger year-over-year growth than originally anticipated.”
“In its new forecast, the Conference projects 5.2 percent growth in the current year, before a return in the outer years to growth rates that mirror population growth as expected in August 2025,” the conference report continued.
State economists will again look at the Lottery numbers on Aug. 7, ahead of an overall update of the state’s general revenue on Aug. 14.
Collins noted that sales in the past fiscal year, along with earnings on investments and unclaimed prizes, generated about $2.36 billion from the Lottery to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
by Jime Turner, The News Service of Florida