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Century, McDavid, Molino, Walnut Hill Businesses Apply Here For Free NorthEscambia.com Advertising

Up to 50 locally owned businesses in Molino, Century, McDavid and Walnut Hill can receive $3,250 worth of free advertising on NorthEscambia.com through an economic development program funded by Escambia County in cooperation with the Century Area Chamber of Commerce.

The businesses will also receive a business spotlight story, 300 to 400 words in length with up to six pictures, to be published on NorthEscambia.com. The stories will also be posted on NorthEscambia.com’s Facebook and Twitter sites.

In addition, each of the 50 businesses will receive a free Century Area Chamber of Commerce membership.

Applications are accepted online only by completing this form on a first come, first served basis (click here).

Program highlights:

• The business must be properly licensed, locally owned and located in the 32535, 32568 or 32577 zip code.
• There is zero cost or financial obligation to the business.
• The business will receive 200,000 non-animated display ads (300×250px) that rotate with other participants on NorthEscambia.com.
• Basic design of one ad is included. The ad can be linked to the business’s website or social media page.
• Ads will run on uniformly scheduled basis prior to November 30, 2019.
• Business spotlight stories, as described above, will run as scheduled by NorthEscambia.com by November 30, 2019.
• The business spotlight story link will be posted on NorthEscambia.com social media channels on day of publication.
• Ads and spotlight stories may not feature alcohol, tobacco or other age-restricted products.
• The business will receive a free, basic level, one year membership in the Century Area Chamber of Commerce.
• Final determination of eligibility will be made by NorthEscambia.com and the Century Area Chamber board of directors.

Questions? Email news@northescambia.com.

Molino Woman Sentenced To Prison For Shooting At Her Son’s Friend In Drug Money Dispute

A Molino woman has been sentenced to prison for firing a gun at her son’s high school friend in a dispute over drug money in an incident that played out on the roads of Bratt.

Crystal Holliday pleaded no contest  to shooting or discharging a firearm from a vehicle, aggravated assault by threat with a deadly weapon and a lesser charge of robbery without a firearm.  She was sentenced to 22.2 months in state prison and will be required to serve 60 months probation when released. She will be required to obtain a mental health evaluation, complete an anger management course and  stay away from the victim while on probation.

In September 2018, the victim told deputies that he was given $200 to go buy “weed” for  the dad of another student he knew from school. But instead of purchasing marijuana, the victim decided to keep the cash.

He received text messages from a number he did not recognize asking him to meet at a convenience store at the corner of North Highway 99 and Highway 4 in Bratt. When he arrived at the store, he saw the man get out of his car and start to approach him.  The victim became scared and drove away.

The student’s dad pulled up next to the victim’s car as they traveled on Breastworks Road. The student’s mother, later identified as Holliday, fired a shot at the victim, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. The victim stopped his car and put his hands up as Holliday pointed the gun at him and demanded the $200, the report states.

The victim told investigators that he had already spend part of the $200, so Holliday took a compound bow valued at $900 and his $600 iPhone at gunpoint and told him he could get his phone back for $90. The victim drove to a residence on Pine Barren Road and called deputies.

The father told deputies that there was never a gun involved in the incident, and Holliday owns a .380 caliber weapon that she keeps in another vehicle, according to the report. The father also said the money was for a cell phone that the victim did not give his son, so they chased him, taking his phone and bow until the victim could pay back the money.

The bow and iPhone were returned to the victim by the ECSO.

Here Are This Week’s Road Construction Problem Spots

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

Escambia County:

• U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to U.S. 90A (Nine Mile Road) – Drivers will experience the following impacts to traffic Sunday, July 21 through Saturday, July 27:
  • Nine Mile Road will be closed at U.S. 29 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, July 21 through Thursday, July 25 as crews drive piles for the new southbound bridge deck. Traffic control officers will be on-site to help direct motorists. The following detour will be in place.:
    • Eastbound Nine Mile Road will be reduced to one lane, directed to U.S. 29 southbound, U-turn at West Hood Drive, and return to Nine Mile Road.
    • Westbound traffic will perform the same operation at West 9 1/2 Mile Road.

o   U.S. 29 traffic between Interstate 10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road may experience alternating lane closures as crews continue drainage and paving operations.

·         Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road to U.S. 29 – Drivers will experience alternating lane closures at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road from 8 p.m. Friday, July 26 to 6 a.m. Monday, July 29 as crews reconstruct the intersection.  Traffic control officers will be on-site to help direct traffic.

• U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement Bridge- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 21 through Sunday, July 28:

• • Intermittent lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to 2,000-feet east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
  • Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola, between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
  • U.S. 98 eastbound traffic (Pensacola to Gulf Breeze) will be shifted to the new Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday evening, July 28 and U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) Thursday, Aug. 1. The temporary configuration for the new bridge will provide two lanes of east and two lanes of westbound traffic, along with a center-lane reserved for emergency vehicles. A multiuse path for pedestrians and bicyclists is expected to be operational approximately two-months after the traffic shift.
  • From 8 p.m. Sunday, July 28 to 6 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, 17th Avenue will be closed to through traffic between Gregory Street and the CSX Railroad overpass. Drivers will be detoured using Ninth Avenue and Cervantes Street (U.S. 90). Access to the visitor’s center, boat ramp, and the Pensacola Bay Fishing Pier will be maintained for local traffic via 17th Avenue.

• U.S. 29 Resurfacing from south of County Road (C.R.) 184 (Muscogee Road) to State Road (S.R.) 97 (Atmore Highway)- Post mounted delineators have been erected between the Thrift Store and Cross Roads Dollar General to prevent cut-through traffic from Molino Road. Workers are clearing trees and shrubs and excavating for roadway widening at the Molino Road intersection. Drivers may encounter intermittent lane restrictions as crews and heavy equipment enter and exit the roadway.
• S.R.  727 (Fairfield Drive) from South of Usher Circle to North of Hestia Place- Traffic on Fairfield Drive from south of Usher Circle to north of Hestia Place remains shifted to the west as crews complete the installation of the box culvert under the roadway. The north entrance to Usher Circle is also temporarily closed to traffic during the drainage operation. Residents will utilize the south entrance of Usher Circle.
• Cervantes Street (S.R.10A) Underground Utility Operations at Covington Place-   The westbound inside lane will be closed near Covington Place from 8 p.m. Monday, July 22 to
  5 a.m. Tuesday, July 23 as crews perform underground utility work.
• Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road to U.S. 29 – Drivers will experience alternating lane closures at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road from 8 p.m. Friday, July 26 to 6 a.m. Monday, July 29 as crews reconstruct the intersection to match the newly-constructed eastbound lanes. Traffic control officers will be on-site to help direct traffic.
• C.R. 168 Bridge Replacement over Unnamed Branch in Northwest Century-  Traffic was recently shifted to the temporary acrow bridge.   Activities associated with the bridge replacement project continue and are anticipated to be complete late 2019.
• Bratt Road Bridge Replacement over Canoe Creek - Bratt Road continues to be closed near Canoe Creek. Drivers on Bratt Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to Pine Barren Road and C.R. 4.  Drivers east of the bridge will be detoured east on Bratt Road.  The project is anticipated to be complete summer 2019.
• Hanks Road Bridge Replacement over Breastworks Creek - Construction activities continue. The roadway will be temporarily closed during construction. Drivers on Hanks Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to C.R. 99 and C.R. 4.  Drivers east of the bridge will utilize Pine Barren Road.  The project is anticipated to be complete late 2019.

Santa Rosa County:

• U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement Bridge- Bridge construction will require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 12 through Sunday, July 28:
  • Intermittent lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to 2,000-feet east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
  • Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola, between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
  • U.S. 98 eastbound traffic (Pensacola to Gulf Breeze) will be shifted to the new Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday evening, July 28 and U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) Thursday, Aug. 1. The temporary configuration for the new bridge will provide two lanes of east and two lanes of westbound traffic, along with a center-lane reserved for emergency vehicles. A multiuse path for pedestrians and bicyclists is expected to be operational approximately two-months after the traffic shift.
  • From 8 p.m. Sunday, July 28 to 6 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, 17th Avenue will be closed to through traffic between Gregory Street and the CSX Railroad overpass. Drivers will be detoured using Ninth Avenue and Cervantes Street (U.S. 90). Access to the visitor’s center, boat ramp, and the Pensacola Bay Fishing Pier will be maintained for local traffic via 17th Avenue.
• I-10 Widening from the Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281/Exit 22) – The following construction related traffic impacts are planned for Interstate 10 and Avalon Boulevard from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, July 21 through Thursday, July 25:

• Alternating lane closures, Sunday through Thursday, on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange as crews perform construction activities.
• Alternating lane closures on I-10 from the Escambia Bay Bridge to east of Avalon Boulevard (Exit 22), Sunday through Thursday, as crews work to place final striping and to finish work list items.

• I-10 Routine Bridge Inspection over Garcon Point Road- East and westbound traffic will encounter intermittent lane closures from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sunday, July 21 through Thursday, July 26 as crews perform a routine inspection on the bridges.
• S.R. 87 Pavement Markings Replacement- Traffic will encounter alternating and intermittent minor delays at the following locations from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Friday until Thursday, July 30 as crews remove and replace pavement markings in the roadway. Law enforcement will be on site to direct traffic:
  • U.S. 90 to Nicholas Lake Road
  • U.S. 98 to Vonnie Tolbert Road

• S.R. 87 Multilane from Eglin AFB boundary to Hickory Hammock Road– All north and southbound travel lanes on State Road (S.R.) 87, between C.R. 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) and two miles south of the Yellow River are now open and the speed limit is now 65 mph. Drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures as crews complete construction activities and the speed limit is reduced to 45 mph through the active work zones.

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.

3-Year Old Girl Shot By Her Father Has Died

The 3-year shot Saturday by her father has passed away.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says Terrence D. Jackson shot the child twice before turning the gun on himself on Wyoming Street, near the Fairfield Drive and New Warrington Road spur just before 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Jackson picked up his toddler from the mother’s home, walked about about 100 yards away and then shot the child twice in the head before shooting himself, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Jackson was pronounced deceased at the scene.

AAA: Seesaw At The Pump Now, Gas Prices Expected Decline In The Coming Days

The summertime seesaw at the pump continues this week. After rising 7 cents early last week, Florida gas prices are moving lower once again.

The average price for Florida gasoline is $2.67 per gallon. The state average is 4 cents more than this time last week and 23 cents more than a month ago. However, Florida drivers are paying 13 cents less than this year’s high, and 10 cents per gallon less than this time last year.

The average price per gallon for regular unleaded was $2.62 on Sunday, down a penny from a week ago, but up 11 cents from a month ago.

In North Escambia, gas was as low as $2.49 Sunday night at stations at Highway 29 and Muscogee Road.

“After quickly rising last week, Florida gas prices are already on their way back down,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Prices at the pump are falling at an average rate of one penny per day. The state average could reach $2.55 per gallon in the next two weeks, unless futures prices quickly change course.”

County Acquiring Gonzalez Property For Possible Public Safety Training Facility

Escambia County is acquiring a piece of property in Gonzalez that a commissioner says is crucial in plans for a new public safety training facility.

The county has 14.5 acres near Old Chemstrand Road and 90 & 9 Ranch Road, the site of the now-closed Escambia Charter School. The property had no frontage on Chemstrand Road.

The 0.67 acres being acquired in the 1600 block of Old Chemstrand Road will provide better access to the former charter school site with 500 feet of Old Chemstrand frontage. The 0.67 acres is being purchased for $25,000 from Hussein S. and Anne B. Sharaway.

“I do anticipate and support going forward with the public safety training facility being put on this property,” said Commissioner Steven Barry.

The county is working on evicting a cell phone tower  that is on about two acres of the former school property, as well as moving four modular buildings to other areas. A couple of buildings may remain that will be demolished.

“Then we can start to talk about how to put the public safety training facility on that property that we already own,” Barry said.

The Escambia County Commission has not yet taken any formal action to construct the public safety training facility.  The Escambia Charter School closed after 22 years at the end of the 2017-2018 school year due to declining enrollment.

Pictured above: This map shows property being acquired by Escambia County to provide better access to current county property. Pictured below: The county is working to evict this cell phone tower from their current acreage. Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

M-Braves Earn Three Game Sweep Of The Blue Wahoos

The Blue Wahoos gave themselves an early reason to believe Sunday’s game might evolve differently than others in the past week.

They staked a 3-0 lead in the third inning. It was already the most runs generated in six games. Starting pitcher Jorge Alcala was coming off two solid starts.

But it changed quickly after the Mississippi Braves scored four runs in the bottom of the third, chased Alcala, then kept on hitting into an 8-3 win and three-game sweep of the weather-shortened series in Pearl, Miss. The teams did not play Saturday night due to heavy rain in the area.

What started positive became the Blue Wahoos’ season-high, sixth consecutive loss.  It was the team’s 13th defeat in the past 15 games. It has dropped the Blue Wahoos (49-50 overall, 11-18 second half) under .500 overall for the first time this season, after they won the first three games to start the 2019 season in April.

The M-Braves (46-52, 13-16), got a career-high eight innings pitched from starter Joey Wentz, plus bashed a season-high 18 hits against five Blue Wahoos pitchers. The M-Braves won their fourth consecutive game.

The Blue Wahoos will now try to shake this slide at home Monday when beginning a five-game series against the Mobile BayBears.

It will be the BayBears final appearance in Pensacola as a franchise. The team will relocate in 2020 to Madison, Ala., just outside of Huntsville, changing into the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

The M-Braves launched their offense Sunday without a home run and only two extra-base hits among the 18 they produced. Six of the batters in the lineup had multiple hits, led by catcher William Contreras, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI in the first 4-hit day of his Double-A career.

Earlier in Sunday’s game, however, it was the Blue Wahoos with a busy day at the plate. In the first inning, Alex Kirilloff single, then went to second after Trevor Larnach was hit by a pitch from Wentz.

Lewin Diaz followed with an RBI single. Caleb Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly to score Larnach. After a wild pitch sent Diaz to second, Mark Contreras lined out to first base to end the inning.

In the top of the third, Larnach blasted his first Double-A home run on a deep shot over the center field wall, giving the Blue Wahoos a 3-0 lead.

The good vibe changed when four of the first five M-Braves batters reached base in the bottom of the third. Alejandro Salazar started the rally with a lead off triple, then scored on Ray-Patrick Didder’s single.

Drew Waters following a one-out single to score Didder. After Ryan Casteel walked and Contreras made his only out in the game on a fly out, Alcala (5-7, 6.36 ERA) was lifted for Anthony Vizcaya.

He was promptly greeted by two consecutive RBI singles and a walk to drive in two runs. Salazar came back around to bat and laced a hard liner that Larnach caught in right field to end the inning.

The score stayed 4-3 in the M-Braves favor until they scored a run in the sixth. Contreras’ RBI single provided a 5-3 lead. In the seventh, the M-Braves forced the Blue Wahoos to use two relievers in the inning, as they scored three more runs.

The Blue Wahoos were held to five hits, one walk by Wentz (5-7, 4.26 ERA), who struck out five.

Kirriloff went 2-for-4 to boost his average to .281 and was the only Blue Wahoos batter with multiple hits.

The Blue Wahoos will begin the homestand with Mobile on Monday.

Fire Heavily Damages Escambia County Gun Store

An Escambia County gun store was heavily damaged by fire Sunday night.

The two-alarm fire was reported about 9:30 p.m. at D.C. Guns on West Fairfield Drive and took over an hour to extinguish.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal. There were no injuries reported.

Numerous Escambia Fire Rescue stations responded to the fire, while stations as far away as Molino were put on standby to provide coverage for any other incidents.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Appeals Court Upholds Conviction Of Man That Robbed Century Coin Laundry, Fled With Loot In Plastic Pumpkin

An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a Century man that robbed a Century laundromat and made his getaway with the loot in a plastic Halloween pumpkin.

In January 2018, William Edward Perry, Jr. was sentenced to 20 years in state prison by Circuit Judge Gary Bergosh as a prison releasee reoffender and as a habitual felony offender. That means Perry will be required to serve the first 15 years of his sentence day for day as a mandatory minimum.

Perry, now 58, appealed, but the Florida First District Court of Appeal last week upheld the sentence.

He was convicted by an Escambia County jury of robbery with a weapon.

On April 21, 2016, Perry entered Century Laundry and Self Storage and committed a robbery. The victim, who was about 70-years old, was the store manager and was alone in the store when Perry entered. The victim was taking  money out of the washers and dryers when Perry came up behind her and took the plastic Halloween bucket of money.

The pumpkin bucket contained approximately $300 in coins. Perry put his hand in her face, told her to get back, and to go sit down behind the counter. Perry then demanded she give him the keys to the store. When the victim refused, Perry fled the scene without the keys but with the money in the pumpkin bucket.

The victim later identified Perry from a photo lineup.

Pensacola Police located Perry panhandling near the intersection of Pace and Cervantes in May 2016. When officers approached, he ran before falling down and scuffling with officers before being taken into custody. He was charged with  battery, two counts of resisting an officer and obstructing police by the Pensacola Police Department. Those charges were later dismissed.

Perry’s criminal record includes escape, burglary, grand theft, resisting officer with violence, and possession of cocaine as well as numerous misdemeanor offenses, including indecent exposure, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

He is currently served out his sentence at the Suwannee Correctional Institution in Live Oak. He is currently set for release in 2036.

Florida To Require Mental Health Instruction In Grades 9-12

Florida will  require every public school in the state to provide students with at  least five hours of mental health instruction beginning in the sixth grade under a mandate that was approved by the state Board of Education.

The state will now require school districts to annually provide a minimum of five hours of instruction to grades 6-12 students related to youth mental health awareness and assistance. The instruction must include awareness an of signs and symptoms, the process of seeking help for themselves or others and what to do or say to peers struggling with mental health disorders. Students will also be made aware of resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

In May, First Lady Casey DeSantis announced Hope for Healing Florida, a new multi-agency mental health and substance abuse campaign. The Hope for Healing Floridacampaign will leverage, in part, the resources of private sector partners to produce and distribute mental health and substance abuse resource materials throughout the state at no cost to taxpayers. Those resources will help guide families in need to meaningful help in a timely fashion.

“Ron and I have traveled the state and have heard from many families who voice concern about the struggles that adversely affect so many of our children,” Casey DeSantis said. We know that 50 percent of all mental illness cases begin by age 14, so we are being proactive in our commitment to provide our kids with the necessary tools to see them through their successes and challenges. Providing mental health instruction is another important step forward in supporting our families.”

Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said, “This is just the beginning. It’s no secret that mental illness robs students of the ability to reach their full potential, and we are joining forces to combat this disease and give our students the tools they need to thrive.  We are going to reinvent school-based mental health awareness in Florida, and we will be the number one state in the nation in terms of mental health outreach and school safety.”

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