Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Farm Auction Is Saturday. And It’s Not Just Farm Equipment.
February 27, 2020
The 45th Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Farm Equipment Auction will be held this Saturday, February 29, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The auction includes not only farm equipment, but also household items like tools and small equipment, lawn and garden items, antiques and more. Items will be received all day Thursday and Friday.
Concessions will be available all day Saturday from the Ruritan Club. The sale will be located at the Walnut Hill Community Center, 7850 Highway 97, just north of Ernest Ward Middle School.
For more information or consignments, call (850) 327-4479 or (850) 380-9973.
For complete information, click here.
Pictured: Hundreds attended the annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club farm equipment auction last year in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Boys Weightlifting Improves To 2-1 With All-Class Sweep Of Jay
February 27, 2020
The Northview Chiefs Boys Weightlifting team defeated the Jay Royals on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 75-7.
The Chiefs won all 10 weight classes.
The following Chiefs placed individually:
119-lb. class: Jacob Daw (1st); Garrett Bodiker (2nd)
129-lb. class: Dustin Santenelli (1st)
139-lb. class: Caze Bradley (1st); Johnathon McCarthy (2nd)
154-lb. class: Colten Dockens (1st); Braxton Peebles (3rd)
169-lb. class: Mekhi White (1st); Blake Yoder (2nd)
183-lb. class: A’hazvion Gregory (1st); Jacob Houston (2nd)
199-lb. class: Aunterio Minor (1st); William Swearengin (2nd)
219-lb. class: Jacob Hawkins (1st); Trevor Scott (2nd)
238-lb. class: Jojo Parker (1st); AJ Hasty (2nd)
UNL-lb. class: Cameron Findley (1st); Garrick Davis (2nd)
The Chiefs improved to 2-1 on the season, after defeating Pensacola High School and falling to Escambia High School last week.
The team returns to action next Wednesday, travelling to Milton to take on the Milton Panthers and Jay Royals in a tri-meet.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Beat The Dolphins In Gulf Shores
February 27, 2020
The Tate Lady Aggies defeated the Gulf Shores Dolphins 10-9 on the Alabama coast Wednesday night.
Abbie Burks pitched a complete game win for the Lady Aggies, allowing nine runs on nine hits and striking out five.
Christina Mason, Avery Beauchaine and Sophia Jones had three hits each for the Lady Aggies. Courtney Lundquist and Taylor Noack had two each.
UWF Unveils New Business Incubator For Entrepreneurs
February 27, 2020
On Wednesday, the University of West Florida’s Center for Entrepreneurship celebrated the grand opening of the Commons Entrepreneurship Incubator, a new student work space for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Located on the first floor of University Commons, the Commons Entrepreneurship Incubator is designed to help UWF students transform their ideas into reality by providing networking opportunities and expert support from faculty and staff, and community partners.
“At UWF, one of our most beloved attributes is our intimate, tight-knit learning community,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders. “The Commons Entrepreneurship Incubator is the latest example of this and I am looking forward to learning about the experiences that are created within this new space.”
Up to five student-led enterprises can participate in the Commons Entrepreneur Incubator program each semester. Each startup accepted will receive priority access to a private meeting space, office equipment and administrative support as well as one-on-one consulting with subject matter experts to overcome hurdles related to the launching and running of a new enterprise. This space can also be used as a dedicated area to showcase products and marketing messages to peers and the campus community. Scholarships will be awarded for copies, printing and other related startup needs. When not reserved, any UWF student or Commons patron may use the meeting space and, at their own cost, the office equipment.
“The University’s support from community business leaders allows students to think and operate as entrepreneurs, and the Commons Entrepreneurship Incubator provides opportunities for students from all majors to develop and refine their innovative ideas,” said Dr. Ed Ranelli, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and dean emeritus for the College of Business.
The Center encourages and supports educational initiatives related to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking. Since inception in 2016, the Center has reached over 2,200 unique students and hosted or supported over 115 events on campus and in the community. With the generosity and support of UWF’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Quint Studer, and UWF’s newest Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Bert Thornton, the Center has provided students with direct connections to over 300 academic, business and community leaders who have shared their time and knowledge to advance students’ education.
“Communities and universities flourish together,” said Quint Studer, Pensacola businessman and philanthropist. “The Commons Entrepreneurship Incubator allows business leaders a presence on campus and grants students an experience that they will use throughout their careers as entrepreneurs. It’s an enduring investment, and one I’m grateful to help move forward.”
Another Fatal Shooting Reported In Escambia County
February 26, 2020
Another deadly shooting was reported in Escambia County Wednesday afternoon, the ninth since the first of the year.
It happened on Baylen Street near Scott Street about 4:15 p.m. As deputies were on the way to the shooting scene, the gunshot victim showed up at a local hospital where he died.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has talked to a witness, but they say she is not cooperating.
Names and other details have not been released as the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office continues their investigation.
Sheriff Confirms Bounties, Contract Killings; Plea Issued For Public’s Help
February 26, 2020
As law enforcement, commissioners and community members made a strong plea to the public to cooperate in investigations, Sheriff David Morgan confirmed Tuesday that several of the recent shootings in Escambia County involved a bounty on the victims.
There have been 20 shooting incidents this year, eight of which were fatal and about a dozen injuries.
“Is it really worth all the pain you are inflicting? At the end of the day, I would say, young man you are going to get caught. You are in a battle that you cannot win,” Lonnie Wesley, pastor of Greater Little Rock Baptist Church, said to those involved in the shootings. “This is not a game. Get to someone you can trust. Stop this. Let’s get yourself over here; turn yourself in. Stop hurting your family.”
“They are contract killings,” Morgan said of some of the shootings. “This is a particularly stressing thing.”
Morgan stated the ECSO often gets little or no cooperation from victims, family members and witnesses as he urged the public to come forward with information.
“We can’t place a deputy on every street corner. We can’t place a deputy in everyone’s home. Therefore, without the community’s support, we will fail,” Morgan said. “We are dealing with a level of inactivity now in our community that is the most distressing part of this.”
He people with security system videos are refusing to turn them over, and even families of victims are refusing to talk.
“It’s just unbelievable what we are dealing with right now,” the sheriff said.
“We get zero assistance from neighbors we know have cameras,” Chief Deputy Chip Simmons said. “We go to the parents of these victims….what we get is zero. We get nothing. We get a door slammed in our face and they say ‘go investigate it on your own’. We go down the street a little farther to people that were standing right there when it took place, and we get nothing. We get zero.”
Despite that, he said the ECSO is still aggressively working to solve the cases.
During an hour-long press conference, officials said perpetrators are becoming younger and younger, something State Attorney Bill Eddins said is happening throughout America.
“We’re praying that it’s not what will become the new norm in Escambia County with our young people,” Morgan said, adding that most of the people involved in recent criminal activity are age 15-19.
“Violent crime is being committed by younger and younger people,” Eddins said. “One of the primary reasons is America is awash in drugs.”
He said there are organized groups of juveniles that “routinely and constantly” burglarize vehicles looking for guns. The State Attorney’s Office is currently prosecuting 17 co-defendants, most between the ages of 15-19, in 168 cases where they were looking for guns, including the theft of one gun used in an armed carjacking.
Eddins said he has an aggressive approach to transfer violent or repeat youth offenders out of the juvenile justice system into adult court.
“My heart bleeds. Too many times, the lives that are lost are people that I know,” Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May said. “That’s why this is very emotional and very serious to me.”
“There is not one government official, one elected official that will ever be able to come in and solve the ills of a community without the community participating. These are our children; they are our responsibility. It’s our community. And together, we really can stand and make a difference,” May said.
Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Home Invasion, Shooting Took Place At Home Used For Drug Distribution, ECSO Says
February 26, 2020
The reported home invasion that ended with a shooting Monday off Nine Mile Road was at a residence being used for drug activity, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shots fired call on Sunnehanna Boulevard shortly after 2 p.m. Monday. They discovered it was possibly a home invasion, and the suspect had been driven to a local hospital and dropped off.
The ECSO obtained a search warrant, and what they found inside the home added another angle to the investigation.
“We did a search warrant that uncovered evidence of narcotics distribution inside,” ECSO Major Andrew Hobbs said. “But the homeowner is not being forthcoming and stories don’t match. At this point we are not sure if it was a home invasion or a drug deal gone bad.”
The alleged suspect was dropped off at West Florida Hospital with gunshot wounds by someone driving a pickup truck. A deputy spotted the pickup in the parking lot and gave chase. After the pickup collided with several vehicles, the chase was called off.
At last report, there had been no arrests in the case as deputies work through their investigation.
“The person sitting in the hospital with gunshot wounds is not being cooperative and neither is the homeowner,” Hobbs said.
Photos courtesy Renee Beninate/WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Man Charged With Breaking Into Home, Maybe Even Swinging On The Porch
February 26, 2020
A Century man has been charged after allegedly breaking into an unoccupied home, perhaps even swinging on the front porch while he was there.
Christopher George Pace, 37, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of burglary and criminal mischief with property damage.
A Cantonment man reported that someone burglarized a house he owns in the 300 block of Front Street in Century. When he arrived at the home, he was unable to open the front door, crawled through a window and discovered the front door had been secured from the inside using a 2×4. He said the windows inside his house had been covered by items left inside to make repairs, such as tar paper, plywood and insulation boards, making it impossible for anyone to see inside of the home. The owner also reported that the backdoor was unlocked and that a window with a broken pane was slightly opened at the bottom.
He placed a camera in order to identify who had been entering his home and later captured a man he recognized as Pace at the window and door, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. A neighbor also reported seeing a white male matching Pace’s general description sitting in the home’s front porch swing.
When deputies made contact with Pace, he told them he owned that house, not the victim, the report states. The victim denied the claim, stating that he has owned the property for the past 10 years and Pace has not right of any kind to the home.
Escambia River Gun Club’s Foundation Presents Law Enforcement Student Scholarships
February 26, 2020
Representatives from the ERML Sportsman Foundation visited the George Stone Technical College’s Criminal Justice Training Center on Feb. 25 to present two students attending the GSTC Law Enforcement Academy with scholarship checks for $1000 each to help the students cover the cost of tuition and lab fees
The ERML Sportsman Foundation presented scholarships Tuesday to two students at the George Stone Technical College’s Criminal Justice Training Center.
Pierce Cotton and J.T. McDaniel received $1,000 each to help cover the cost of tuition and lab fees.
“You guys are the next generation of law enforcement officers. You are the people that protect us. The Escambia River Gun Club has always been supportive of law enforcement and, we give scholarships. So,two of you guys are going to get scholarships today,” said Mike Roberts, member of the Escambia River Gun Club and president of the ERML Foundation. “A lot of times you guys might feel that you are not appreciated. You really are. The people who do appreciate you are the good guys. The ones that don’t appreciate you, they are the bad guys and they are the ones that you are going to be putting in jail.”
The GSTC Criminal Justice Training Center requires 770 hours of training
Pictured: (L-R) ERML Foundation President Mile Roberts; GSTC Criminal Justice Training Center students Pierce Cotton at J.T. McDaniel, Foundation Treasurer Richard Holsher and Foundation member Bob Drandridge during a scholarship presentation Tuesday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Junkyard Training: Firefighters Practice Extrication Skills
February 26, 2020
Escambia Fire Rescue firefighters hit the junkyard Tuesday to practice their vehicle extrication skills.
Crews focused on speciality equipment carried by Squad 3 — the county’s special operations team. They used battery-powered “Jaws of Life” and a strutting system, which much like an Erector set that can be used to stabilize a vehicle.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
