Woman Critically Injured In Fiery Crash On Highway 29 In McDavid
March 17, 2025
A 22-year-old Fairhope woman was critically injured in a fiery single-vehicle crash on Highway 29 in McDavid on Sunday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the woman lost control of her Nissan and collided with a bridge guardrail and overturned just north of the McDavid Fire Department.
“The vehicle became engulfed in flames shortly after,” FHP said in a report. The driver was extricated from the vehicle and airlifted by LifeFlight to a Pensacola Hospital.
The driver was the only occupant of the vehicle.
The investigation is ongoing.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
FHP Releases Details In Pine Forest Crash That Injured Two Children
March 17, 2025
Multiple people, including at least two children, were injured in a multiple vehicle crash Saturday morning on Pine Road near Godwin Lane, near the entrance to the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds.
In a report released Monday, the Florida Highway Patrol said a passenger car driven by a 39-year-old Massachusetts woman ran a stop sign and pulled into the path of a SUV driven by a 29-year-old Cantonment man. The SUV then collided with a nearby business, Elegant Kitchen & Bath.
Two children in the car, ages 5 and 6, were injured. One child and the driver were listed in serious condition with injuries not considered life-threatening, troopers said. The Cantonment man sustained only minor injuries.
Escambia County EMS, Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash, which completely shut down Pine Forest Road.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘Believing That God Has Something New For Us’ – Atmore Church Plans To Rebuild After Devastating Fire
March 17, 2025
The First Presbyterian Church of Atmore congregation gathered outside under a sunny blue sky for Sunday morning worship, just hours lightning from a strong thunderstorm likely sparked a massive fire that destroyed their church building.
Nearby, their sanctuary and fellowship were in ruins.
But churchgoers are quick to point out that while the building was destroyed, the church was not.
“The church is fine. The building is not,” church elder Chuck Dettling said. “We have to stay together. I’m hoping that this will drive us closer.”
“For our church people, it’s a shock of course,” interim pastor Jim Diet said. “But we are believing that God has something new for us. We didn’t anticipate that, but we are going accept that from God.”
The Atmore Fire Department and the Alabama State Fire Marshal were back at the church Sunday, working to make a final cause determination. But preliminary information indicates the fire was started by lighting.
The church says they will rebuild, and they are looking for place to temporarily hold services for about a year.
For more photos from Sunday morning following the fire, click here.
For a previous story and overnight fire photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Meet The Candidates: Century Town Council Seat 4
March 17, 2025
NorthEscambia.com submitted a questionnaire to each of the three candidates seeking a on the Century Town Council in Tuesday’s special election.
Three candidates will appear on the ballot for Century Town Council Seat 4.
Seat 4 on the council was left open in early January when Alicia Johnson was appointed interim mayor after Luis Gomez, Jr., resigned for health reasons. The candidates are (click a name for that candidate profile):
The questionnaire was created as a secure Google Form. Each candidate received the exact same questions in the same order, and they were warned that responses would not be spell checked or edited. This was a free service offered equally to each candidate.
Any candidate that receives 50% of the vote plus one on Tuesday will be declared the winner. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to the special general election on April 29.
Polls will be open on election day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Billy G. Ward Century Courthouse at 7500 North Century Boulevard in Century. The election is nonpartisan and open to any registered voter that lives within the town limits. The voter registration deadline has passed.
It’s Spring Break – That Means The Annual Aggie Classic
March 17, 2025
It’s spring break, and that means it’s time for the 30th annual Harvester’s Credit Union Aggie Classic with teams from three states facing off across Pensacola.
Tate, Washington, Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Catholic will take part in the tournament, as will W.S. Neal from East Brewton, Alabama. The remainder of the teams are from across Florida and Oklahoma.
Admission is $10 daily or a tournament pass is $35. Cash and Square are accepted at the game. Regular season passes will not be accepted for entry.
Monday’s schedule is as follows:
Tate High School
- 1:00 PM – W.S. Neal vs Yukon, OK
- 4:00 PM – Broken Arrow, OK vs Olympia
- 7:00 PM – Tate vs Charles Page, OK
Washington High School
- 4:00 PM – First Academy vs Washington, OK
- 7:00 PM – Washington vs Bixby, OK
Gulf Breeze High School
- 4:00 PM – Gulf Breeze vs Blanchard, OK
- 7:00 PM – Gulf Breeze vs Yukon, OK
Catholic High School
- 4:00 PM – NO GAME
- 7:00 PM – Pensacola Catholic vs Noble, OK
Last year, the Pace Patriots claimed the Aggie Classic title with a win over the host Tate Aggies.
The complete list of teams participating this year is as follows:
Florida Teams:
- Tate High School
- Washington High School
- Gulf Breeze High School
- Catholic High School (Pensacola Catholic)
- First Academy
- Olympia
Oklahoma Teams:
- Yukon
- Broken Arrow
- Charles Page
- Noble
- Blanchard
- Washington
Alabama Teams:
- W.S. Neal
Pictured: 2024 Tate Aggie Classic championship game action. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Cantonment 10,000 Pound Food Distribution Set For Tuesday
March 17, 2025
The Cantonment Improvement Committee will hold a 10,000 pound food distribution Tuesday, March 18 at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street.
The event will start at 3 p.m. Attendees should like up facing north on Webb Street. Must have an identification to receive food.
File photos.
Ribbon Cutting Held For New Credit Union Branch In Cantonment
March 17, 2025
A ribbon cutting for a new credit union was held Saturday in Cantonment.
The Cantonment branch of My Pensacola Credit Union opened on Highway 29 just south of Ten Mile Road.
“We couldn’t be more excited to offer a new location in Cantonment to better serve all of our current and future members in that area,” said James Phetteplace, president and CEO of My Pensacola Credit Union. “We feel our presence will be a welcomed addition to the area and are excited to have now officially opened our doors to embrace the surrounding community as their new financial partner.”
My Pensacola Credit Union’s other branch is located at 108 South Reus Street in downtown Pensacola. Membership is open to anyone that lives, works, worships, or attends school in Escambia County.
As of December 2024, the credit union had approximately $83 million in assets with approximately 4,600 members.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Massive Fire Destroys Atmore Church (With Photo Gallery)
March 16, 2025
Members of the First Presbyterian Church of Atmore tell us they were looking forward to worship and a churchwide lunch on Sunday.
But the church on Horner Street was destroyed by a massive fire late Saturday night.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Preliminary information indicated the fire may have been sparked by a lightning strike during a heavy thunderstorm just before 11 p.m. Neighbors reported seeing multiple lighting strikes in the area before the fire.
The fire appeared to have started near where the church’s old sanctuary joins a fellowship hall and classrooms that were constructed after a tree fell into the old sanctuary in the days following Hurricane Ivan.
Despite a high-pressure water flow from a ladder truck, the massive fire quickly raced through about 160 feet of the attic of the building, with the steeple and cross crashing down into the flames (pictured top).
Dozens of firefighters from across the area responded to the fire, including the Atmore, Barnett Crossroads, Poarch Creek, Little Rock and Nokomis fire departments from Alabama, and the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia (FL) Fire Rescue, with additional personal from Florida. The Atmore Police Department and other agencies also responded to fire, located just over a block off Atmore’s Main Street.
Firefighters remained on scene into the early morning hours.
There was no word on any injuries.
The fire remains under investigation.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: The moment the steeple and cross collapsed into the flames Saturday night at First Presbyterian Church of Atmore. Pictured above and below: First destroyed the church, ripping through the attic. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Local FFA Member Named Finalist For ‘Stars Of Florida’ Program
March 16, 2025
The Florida FFA Association recently selected 25 student members — including one from Escambia County — as finalists in the highly coveted “Stars of Florida” award recognition program.
Isabelle Jenkins, who attends the Pensacola High School IB program and is a member of the Florida Virtual FFA chapter, was the only local student to be named a finalist.
The program symbolizes the highest competitive recognition for FFA members and their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program(s) in seven different categories. Each candidate will be interviewed by a team of FFA, industry and agriculture education representatives to determine the winner in each area. Each finalist, their family and agriculture instructor(s) will be recognized at the Fourth General Session of the 97th Florida FFA Convention to be held at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Quintette Neighborhood Cleanup Set For March 19
March 16, 2025
A neighborhood cleanup for residents in Quintette will take place Wednesday, March 19. This is a chance for residents to dispose of items such as old furniture, appliances and household waste free of charge.
Yard debris is eligible for removal during this cleanup.
Only residents in the designated cleanup area can participate in the neighborhood cleanup. All items for pickup should at the curb by 7 a.m. on the day of the cleanup.
Items eligible for removal include:
- Household appliances and electronics
- Household junk and debris
- Bicycles and toys
- Old furniture and mattresses
- Barbecue grills
- Household hazardous waste (old paint, motor oil, chemicals, batteries)
- Tires (limit 10 per household)
Items NOT eligible for removal include:
- Building materials (concrete, bricks, blocks, roofing, drywall or lumber)
- Explosives or ammunition
- Auto parts
- Dirt or sod
- Vehicles or vessels
- 55-gallon drums of fluids
Since 2016, more than 7,435 tons (16,393,574 pounds) of waste have been disposed of through the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program. During neighborhood cleanups, crew members and volunteers visit different neighborhoods in the county to remove a variety of debris and waste free of charge.