Escambia River Dropping Closer To Historic Low
April 29, 2026
Rivers in the North Escambia area are dropping closer to historic lows as the area is currently in an extreme drought.
At Century, the Escambia River was at 2.69 feet and falling at 11 p.m. Tuesday; the all-time record low level was 1.30 feet in 1954. The Perdido River at Barrineau Park was at 1.34 feet Tuesday night. Low water records for the Perdido River are not available.
During a 50-to-100-year drought in July 2011, the Escambia and Perdido rivers were at 2.90 and 1.30 feet, respectively.
Rain chances into the weekend, especially upstream in Southern Alabama, may bring the river levels up.
Pictured: The Escambia River at Century on Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Prison Inmate Convicted Of Writing Letter Threatening Pensacola Federal Judge
April 29, 2026
Christopher Summers, 58-year-old Florida Department of Corrections inmate, has been convicted of mailing threatening communications to a federal judge in Pensacola.
Court documents and evidence presented at trial revealed that in October 2024, Summers sent a handwritten letter addressed to a Federal District Judge M. Casey Rodgers at the Federal Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida. In the letter, Summers wrote in part:
“I am writing this letter to you in hopes that you will know what it feels like to be helpless when you know for fact that you’re going to either be beaten so badly you’ll never function like a normal person again, or be killed. I’m very driven to have you killed, even if I’ve got to do it myself when I get out and back to Pensacola. I thought I’d have to wait until I got out, but now that I’ve thought about it I realize that I can have it done now. As soon as I leave this prison and get back to my perminet [sic] camp I’ll get on one of the many cell-phones there and green light a hit on you … Hell if I have to I’d shoot your head off as you pull in to that gate at the Court house, I can do it from that park next door. I don’t care if I get more time or even killed. As long as I get you first. So how dose [sic] it feel to know who is going to be responsible [sic] for your life, yet not be able to stop it or do anything about it?”
“When threatening statements exceed the legal bounds of constitutional Free Speech, my office will not hesitate to aggressively prosecute those criminal threats to ensure they do not have the opportunity to ripen into acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin. “Criminal threats directed at public officials are becoming alarmingly more common, and this must stop now. We have zero-tolerance for such criminality in the Northern District of Florida and will seek maximum punishments to keep our public officials safe”
At trial, counsel for Summers claimed that Summers wrote the letter as part of his mental health therapy, and that Summers never intended to mail the letter. However, the Government’s case revealed that mental health therapy did not include threatening letters; that the prison takes steps to ensure that inmates do not inadvertently send letters to the courts; and that Summers told another inmate his desire to have the Judge killed. The jury swiftly returned a guilty verdict.
Summers faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for August 6, 2026, before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II, in Pensacola.
Click images to enlarge.
Northview And Jay Earn Mercy Rule Wins To Advance To Softball District Championship
April 29, 2026
The Northview Lady Chiefs and the Jay Royals both claimed mercy rule wins in the Rural District 1 softball semifinals on Tuesday.
No. 1 Northview and No. 2 Jay will play for the district championship on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Jay.
Northview 14, Baker 1
Junior Kylee Langham had a big day Tuesday as the Northview Chiefs won their district semifinal 14-1 in five innings over the Baker Gators in Jay.
Langham went a perfect 4-4 with a home run, four runs, and five runs batted in. Her three-run home run to center field came in the bottom of the fourth. Daviona Randolph also went an incredible 4-4 for the Lady Chiefs, with three RBIs, two runs, and a stolen base.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Mikayla McAnally opened in the circle for the Lady Chiefs, giving up just one hit and no runs in three innings, walking none and striking out eight. In relief, Peyton Womack allowed no hits and one unearned run, and recorded two strikeouts while walking two.
Womack also went 2-4 at the plate.
Northview heads into the district championship at 17-5, while Baker’s season ended at 9-12.
Jay 14, Paxton 0
The Jay Royals shut out the Paxton Bobcats 14-0 in five innings.
Mylee Frazier hit a grand slam to center field in the second inning as she went 2-2 for the Royals. Emery Vaughn went 3-for-4 for the Lady Royals, while Kaylee Gilbreath, Cadee Carroll, and Kylei Martinez each added multiple hits.
Ella Samford earned the win for Jay, giving up one hit and no runs in a complete game five innings, walking two and striking out seven.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Fall To Pace In District Semis
April 29, 2026
The Tate Aggies fell 7-1 to the No. 1 Pace Patriots on Tuesday in the 6A District 1 semifinals at Pace.
Kaylyn Relstab went for three innings in the circle for the Lady Aggies, allowing six runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out one and walking two. Faith Middleton pitched three, allowing three hits and one run, striking out one and walking one.
Taylor Robinson went 1-for-3 at the plate with one RBI, and Breylyn Morris went 2-for-3 to lead the Aggies in hits.
The season ended at 10-14 for the Lady Aggies, while Pace (21-4) advances to the district championship on Thursday against No. 2 Navarre (13-9).
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
U.S. Postal Employee In Escambia County Indicted For Mail Theft
April 29, 2026
An Escambia County mail handler has been indicted on federal charges.
Divincent M. Madison, Jr., 25, was indicted for one count of delay or destruction of U.S. Mail, one count of theft of U.S. Mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee, and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
He faces up to five years in federal prison on each count and is set for trial on May 18, in Pensacola.
Additional details on the allegations were not provided by U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin as he announced the indictment.
Lewis Jr. Homers, But Bullpen Falters In Loss To Shuckers
April 29, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos twice came back from early deficits in their homestand opener against the Biloxi Shuckers on Tuesday night, but surrendered five late runs in a 7-2 loss.
Jacob Miller turned in his best start of the season, allowing one earned run over 5.2 innings for the Blue Wahoos. The Shuckers scored an unearned run in the second inning on a Brendan Jones fielding error and Blake Burke RBI groundout, but the Blue Wahoos answered in the home half on a Fenwick Trimble RBI single.
Burke homered off Miller in the top of the sixth to put Biloxi ahead 2-1. It was the league-leading eighth of the season for Burke, with four coming against the Blue Wahoos.
Ian Lewis Jr. answered in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the seventh, lacing a game-tying home run to left field off Shuckers reliever Jesús Broca (W, 1-1). It was the first at the Double-A level for Lewis Jr., who homered six times in 2025.
The Shuckers took the lead for good in the top of the eighth against Blue Wahoos reliever Colby Martin (L, 1-1). Damon Keith hit the first pitch of the inning for a solo homer, the first allowed by Martin in his professional career. Two walks, two singles and two wild pitches followed as the Shuckers scored four runs for a 6-2 lead.
Eduardo Garcia capped the night with an RBI single in the ninth inning for a 7-2 Shuckers win.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biloxi Shuckers on Wednesday.
written by Erik Bremer
Six Lanes For Hwy 29? Four Lanes For Hwy 97? Rural Transportation Projects Survey Open
April 28, 2026
Six lanes for Highway 29? Four lanes for Highway 97? Those are just a few of the proposed projects on the Regional Rural Transportation Plan (RRTP) 2026 Transportation Project Priorities list — a list of proposed projects that aim to improve mobility, safety, and connectivity across rural area of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa counties, as well as all of Holmes and Washington counties.
The RRTP Technical Advisory Committee will consider the project priority rankings, possibly changing the priority order, during a meeting on May 21.
This list of recommended projects is submitted to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to help identify which projects will receive state and federal funding in the upcoming Five-Year Work Program.
The TPO relies on public input to ensure transportation decisions reflect the needs of the community. Whether you drive, bike, walk, or take transit, your voice helps shape the future of Florida-Alabama’s transportation network.
The public comment period is open now (click here). The survey will close on May 1, 2026.
Project priorities in Escambia County, and their current rankings, are :
Capacity Project Priorities
No. 2. Highway 29 Widening
- Feasibility study on widening 37.2 miles of Highway 29 from four to six lanes from I-10 to the Florida/Alabama state line in Century.
No. 6 Highway 97 Widening
- Project development and engineering (PD&E) to widen 22 miles of Highway 97 from two to four lanes from Highway 29 in Molino to the Florida/Alabama state line at Atmore.
No. 8 Widen Portion of Highway 4
- Feasibility study on widening 39 miles of Highway 4 from Highway 29 in Century to Highway 189 in Baker. This would not include Highway 4 between Century and Highway 97 in Davisville, a county road.
Resurfacing Projects
No. 1 Highway 164 Resurfacing
- Resurface 11.5 miles of Highway 164 from Highway 97 to Highway 29
No. 2 Highway 168 Resurfacing
- Resurface 5.9 miles of Highway 168 from North Highway 99 to Highway 4A
No. 4 Highway 4 Resurfacing
- Resurface 3.4 miles of Highway 4 from Highway 97 to North Highway 99 in Bratt.
No. 6 State Line Road Resurfacing
- Resurface 0.4 miles of State Line Road in the Century town limits.
No. 7 Highway 182/Molino Road Resurfacing
- Resurface 0.67 miles of Highway 182/Molino Road from Highway 29 to Highway 95A.
Safety Priority Projects
No. 3 Highway 29 and Highway 97 at Crabtree Church Road
- Safety study in the high crash area of Highway 29 and Highway 97 at Crabtree Church Road in Molino.
Updating Contact Info Is Vital For School Emergency Alerts, Official Says
April 28, 2026
When a bomb threat was received Monday for Beulah Middle School, the Escambia County Public Schools notified parents within a few minutes.
But many parents and guardians said they were never notified.
“We sent notifications to the phone numbers or emails that we have in FOCUS,” Escambia County Public Schools Communications Coordinator Cody Strother said. “We ask parents and guardians to make sure the information is updated each year.”
The phone number or email address on file is used for notifications at all public schools in Escambia County, not just Beulah Middle.
Strother said that parents can call their child’s school, but it is fast and easy to check and update contact information in the FOCUS portal.
“We need information that is accurate in the database,” he said.
The bomb threat at Beulah Middle School on Monday was determined to be unfounded after multiple law enforcement agencies searched the school for nearly two hours.
Escambia Man Charged in 2025 Fatal Nine Mile Road Hit And Run
April 28, 2026
An Escambia County man has been charged in connection with a fatal hit and run last year on Nine Mile Road.
A pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit and run during the early morning hours of June 20, 2025, on Nine Mile Road, and the suspected hit and run driver has surrendered to troopers.
Kenneth Early Bodley, Jr., 34, was booked into the Escambia County Jail last Friday on a charge of hit and run failure to stop or remain at a crash involving death. He was released Saturday night on an $88,000 bond.
About 3:58 a.m., the victim, identified as Roderick Bennett of Cocoa, Florida, was out for his morning exercise and jogging in or near a Nine Mile Road crosswalk. Bodley, who was traveling east in the inside lane of Nine Mile Road in a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, failed to see Bennett in the crosswalk, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. Troopers said he failed to stop and continued east on Nine Mile Road.
Bennett was transported to Baptist Hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 4:48 a.m.
A witness told troopers that the suspect vehicle passed him at a high rate of speed on Nine Mile Road, and he watched as the vehicle failed to stop at the red light at University Parkway.
Bodley’s vehicle was identified using license plate reader cameras, the report states, and a trail of vehicle parts led to Water’s Edge Apartments on Gloria Circle, about one half mile away. Investigators determined that Bodley lived at the complex, but they were unable to locate him or the vehicle.
Just before 10 p.m. on the day of the crash, the FHP dispatch center received a call from Bodley’s attorney, stating that he was at the FHP Pensacola Station to turn himself in. Bodley told a responding trooper that he was driving the Chevrolet Traverse involved in the crash and drove to his mother’s house on Lee Street in Pensacola. Troopers located the vehicle behind the residence, and located blood on the bumper belonging to Bennett, according to DNA testing.
“The defendant’s vehicle collided with the victim causing fatal injuries. The defendant failed to stop his vehicle and render aid, failed to remain on scene or report the crash. The defendant left the scene leaving the victim lying on the roadway,” the trooper’s report states.
FFA Outreach: Tate High Students Teach Jim Allen Fifth Graders About Agriculture
April 28, 2026
Jim Allen Elementary School fifth graders learned about cotton and peanuts.
Members of the Tate High School FFA visited with the students, reading to them and taking part in educational activities.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
