Byrneville Elementary School Names Students Of The Month
February 23, 2025
Byrneville Elementary School recently named their January Students of the Month.
They are:
- Kindergarten: Sydney Lashley and Brylee-Paige Smith
- 1st Grade: Kacki Sanders and Nevaeh Carnley
- 2nd Grade: Rebecca Cooley and Danny Parish
- 3rd Grade: Cambree Flowers and Baylee Gafford
- 4th Grade: Ezra Hall and Brayden Mullins
- 5th Grade: BJ McCall and Lilly Harper Jacobson
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Library Hosting Photography Meetup Group Monday Afternoon
February 23, 2025
Interested in learning morning about photography?
The Molino Library will host a photography group at 2 p.m. on Monday.
Whether you are taking photos with your phone or a professional camera, the group is open to everyone.
At the first meeting, the group will explore the magic of light and how it can transform a simple photo into art. Participants will learn the basics of using natural and artificial light to enhance compositions, capture emotion, and create striking images.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
What’s The Status Of A Costco For Nine Mile Road?
February 23, 2025
What’s happening with plans for a new Costco store on Nile Mile Road?
Short answer — nothing.
An engineering firm filed plans with Escambia County Development Review Committee (DRC) for the store back in June of last year. Then, in response to DRC feedback, updated plans were filed in late October 2024.
Since that time, the proposal has not gone before the DRC for consideration. Without a development order, the project can’t move forward.
A DRC Committee review on the resubmission has not yet been scheduled.
We reached out to Costco for comments on this story, but didn’t hear back.
What do the plans show?
The latest plans filed last October with Escambia County show the 172,580 square feet Costco retail store with a gas station and 885 parking spaces at 235 East Nine Mile Road, at the corner of East Nine Mile Road and Chemstrand Road. That’s the site of the current Planet Fitness and a former Kmart store. It’s several parcels totaling just under 22 acres.
The new plans are about 10 thousand square feet larger that the originally filing months earlier.
The plans show the existing Dairy Queen, Sam’s Seafood Restaurant and Wells Fargo to remain, with a Costco gas station constructed between Sam’s Seafood and Wells Fargo in an area that is currently a parking area for the old shopping center. The current Planet Fitness building will be demolished to make room for the new Costco if it’s approved.
Pictured top: The Costco in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday afternoon, February 22. NorthEscambia.com photo. Pictured below: Plans for a Costco on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola. Click to enlarge.
County, Sheriff’s Office Again Warning About Those Toll Scam Text Messages
February 23, 2025
The county and sheriff’s office are once again warning residents about fraudulent toll messages.
Escambia County and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office have received reports of fraudulent text messages targeting the public from persons claiming to represent SunPass.The messages are requesting prompt payment to avoid fees and contain a link to a fraudulent website in an attempt to collect information.
Escambia County or Sunpass does not send text messages to SunPass or Pensacola Beach Annual Pass holders seeking information or action regarding their account balances or fees owed.
SunPass does not ask customers via text to make a payment or to take immediate action on their account. Messages from SunPass will come from the following email address or text number:
- Email: customerservice@sunpass.com or noreply@sunpass.com
- Text: 786727
Pace Walks Off With A Win In Saturday Game Against Tate
February 23, 2025
The Pace Patriots walked off with a 4-3 win Saturday afternoon over the Tate Aggies. The game in Pace was tied in the bottom of the ninth when the Patriots hit a solo home run.
Nathan Ozuna and Kaden Posta both had two hits for the Aggies. Posta, Nathan Connors, and Evan Taylor each recorded and RBI.
Zane Warrington went eight and two-thirds innings for Tate, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits, walking one and striking out one.
The Aggies will hit the road this week, with games at West Florida on Tuesday, Crestview on Thursday and Fort Walton Beach on Friday. Tate won’t be back at home until a March 4 game against the Milton Panthers.
Thunderbolts Defeat Ice Flyers In Shootout
February 23, 2025
In Saturday night’s rematch against Evansville, the Ice Flyers forced overtime, but the Thunderbolts claimed victory in a shootout.
Myles Abbate opened the scoring with a quick shot past goaltender Ricky Gonzalez, who was making his first start as an Ice Flyer.
Sam Dabrowski and Bronson Adams energized the home crowd of 6,829 when they dropped the gloves at center ice to close out the first period.
For more photos, click here.
Matt Wiesner evened the score with a hard-fought second-effort shot off a deflection from Eimantas Noreika.
Logan Vande Meerakker restored the Thunderbolts’ lead five minutes into the third period.
Nick Pryce tied the game again with a snipe from the faceoff circle late in the period.
After a scoreless overtime, Evansville’s Scott Kirton and Aidan Litke secured the win in the shootout.
Cantonment Cold Case: 1981 Murder Remains Unsolved
February 22, 2025
It was just over 44 years ago on the afternoon of January 2, 1981, that 9-year-old Kenneth Deshun Underwood and three companions went bird hunting in the woods near their Cantonment home. Everyone returned home that afternoon except for Underwood.
When Underwood was still not home around 6 p.m., Escambia County Search and Rescue personnel were called. The area where Underwood was last seen alive was canvassed. His body was discovered about 5:45 the next morning –apparently murdered — in an area near Booker Street. His cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.
The case remains unsolved, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help because they believe someone in our area still has information about Underwood’s death.
If you know anything about the death of Kenneth Deshun Underwood, 9, you are asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580 or Crime Stopper at (850) 433-STOP (7867).
Pictured above: The fourth-grade photo of murder victim Kenneth Deshun Underwood of Cantonment. Pictured below: The highlighted area in this map shows where the body was found. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High Students Place In Regional HOSA Competition
February 22, 2025
Tate High School Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) students competed at regionals and had numerous first place winners and qualifiers for the state competition in April.
They were:
Kaylyn Weiss: First Place – Behavioral Health
Dalila Whalen: Second Place – Behavioral Health
Jax Hardnack: First Place – Clinical Nursing
Aiden Ledbetter and Bode Smith – Third Place – Forensic Science
Alysen Garske – Second Place – Medical Law and Ethics
Lily Treick – First Place (third year in a row) – Nursing Assisting
Emma Nigam – First Place – Occupational Therapy
Caelynne Walter – First Place – Research Poster
Talia Smith – First Place – Vet Science
Friends Of The Library Winter Book Sale Going On Through Sunday
February 22, 2025
The annual Friends of the West Florida Public Library’s Winter Book Sale is continuing through Sunday in downtown Pensacola.
The book sale, which benefits libraries across the county, will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday with all book prices half-off.
On Sunday, the sale will be open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. with a $7 bag sale — all the books that will fit in a provided bag for just $7.
The book sale is at the Friends of the Downtown Pensacola Library at 239 North Spring Street.
File photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Lady Chiefs Beat Blacksher 17-2
February 22, 2025
The Northview Chiefs beat the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs of Uriah, Alabama, 17-2 in three innings on a frigid night in Bratt.
Kylee Langham drove in five runs with two hits.
The Northview Chiefs powered to a big lead in the bottom of the first with seven runs on five hits for a 7-1 advantage. During the first, Kylee Langham drove in three runs.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Senior Jamison Gilman earned the win for the Lady Chiefs, giving up four hits and two runs over the three-inning game, walking two and striking out two.
Daviona Randolph and Langham both had two hits for Northview. Gilman, Riley Brooks, Mikayla McAnally, Avery Stuckey, Bailey Burkette, and Aubrey Hadley each added one hit.
The Lady Chiefs will play two on the road next week — Tuesday at Navarre and Thursday at Tate.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
