Carla Ross Named Escambia District Teacher Of The Year, Other Top Educators Honored

January 27, 2018

Carla Ross of Washington High School was named the Escambia County School District Teacher of the Year Friday night at the annual Golden Apple Awards.

Ross is now in the running for the Florida Teacher of the Year.

In addition to Ross the five finalists for the award included William Broome of Woodham Middle School, Shana Brown of Molino Park Elementary School, Megan Carroll of Northview High School, and Suzanne Hollingsworth of Beulah Elementary School.

A teacher from each school in the district was selected by their peers to represent ingenuity, dedication, compassion, organization,  other traits shared by teachers in their schools. They teach various subject areas and also teach life skills and employability skills such as teamwork, time management, and social responsibility.

The Golden Apple Awards honered all Teachers of the Year for each school in the district.

Those teachers were:

Alternative Education — Mercedes Musto
Jim Allen Elementary — Cheryl Massey
Jim C. Bailey Middle — Bobby White
Bellview Elementary — Katie Trier
Bellview Middle — Paulette Brown
Beulah Academy of Science — Rodney Story
Beulah Elementary — Suzanne Hollingsworth
Blue Angels Elementary — Donna C. McKay
Bratt Elementary — Kim Ryan
Brentwood Elementary — Mrs. Scotti Mason
Brown-Barge Middle — David Mellor
Byrneville Elementary — James McDaniel
Camelot Academy — Barbara Belvin
Hellen Caro Elementary — Amy Blamires
N. B. Cook Elementary — Kim Anthony
Cordova Park Elementary — Julios Dewberry
Ensley Elementary — Myra L. Palmer
Escambia High — Keitha Jenkins Brown
Escambia Westgate — Barbara McGill
Ferry Pass Elementary — Nikki Cole
Ferry Pass Middle — Dustin Brenton
Global Learning Academy — Clarence Myles, Jr.
Reinhardt Holm Elementary — Tonya Gron
Lakeview School — Sherry King
Lincoln Park Primary — Jamila Richardson
R. C. Lipscomb Elementary — Patti Payne
Longleaf Elementary — Rena Croker
L. D. McArthur Elementary — Elizabeth Benoit
McMillan Pre-K — Lillian Welch
Molino Park Elementary — Shana Brown
Montclair Elementary School — Catherine Gritsavage
Myrtle Grove Elementary — Angela Carver
Navy Point Elementary — Dawn Paulus
Northview High — Megan Carroll
Oakcrest Elementary — Lori Martin
Pensacola High — Thelma Mullin
Pine Forest High — Jeffrey Lance
Pine Meadow Elementary — Vanessa Taylor
Pleasant Grove Elementary — Alison Schultheis (Sarah)
Ransom Middle — James Jackson
Scenic Heights Elementary — Melissa Thompson
O. J. Semmes Elementary — Cole Harper
Sherwood Elementary — Alexis Quick
George Stone Technical Center — Susan Shockley
A. K. Suter Elementary — Susan Anderson
J. M. Tate High — Alton “Dale” Gilmore
Title 1 — Wendy Ellis
Ernest Ward Middle — Jennifer Luker
Warrington Elementary — Keri Buck
Warrington Middle — Anne Laurenzi
Booker T. Washington High — Carla Ross
C. A. Weis Elementary — Jennifer Kemp
West Florida High — Shawn Walker
West Pensacola Elementary — Tereasa Newton
W. J. Woodham Middle — William Broome
J. H. Workman Middle School — Milagros Sessions

Lexus Involved In Intersection Shootout Found In Georgia; Shooters Still On The Run

January 27, 2018

The silver Lexus involved in an intersection shootout in Escambia County has been located.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Friday night that the vehicle was located in Georgia. But the search is continuing for  suspect 27-year old Jonathan James Harris and a second unknown shooter who were both inside the Lexus.

Dash cam video from a nearby vehicle shows the silver Lexus pulling up to the intersection of W Street and Fairfield Drive about noon Monday.  A man, later identified as Harris leaned out the open driver’s window of the Lexus. He fired across a traffic lane at a gold Toyota driven by 31-year old Jeremy Olds.

The man identified as Olds jumped out of the Toyota and returned fire. Olds has been located and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Authorities have estimated that 10-12 rounds were fired, including rounds that struck the Toyota with two children inside.

Deputies said the shooting was likely drug related.

Anyone with information on Harris or the shooting is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.

Two More Arrested In Escambia Homicide And Home Invasion

January 27, 2018

Two more suspects have been arrested in connection with a deadly home invasion in Escambia County.

Tatiana Monique Shanell Williams, 26, and Cleveland Jermaine Golden, 37, were arrested Friday by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Williams is charged with homicide and principle to home invasion and is being held on a $200,000 bond. Golden was charged with homicide and home invasion robbery. He is being held without bond.

Deputies said another suspect, 22-year-old Lyntonio De’Shawn Quinn, was taken into custody and arrested earlier on Friday. He is charged with homicide, home invasion robbery, and probation violation.

Deputies responded to a call of a shooting victim around 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday on 48th Avenue near Elsa Avenue.

When deputies arrived they found 27-year-old David Washington dead on the side of the road. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Washington and the three suspects arrested Friday were involved in a drug-related home invasion at the time of the shooting.

Students Won’t Be Required To Make Up Day Missed Due To Icy Conditions

January 27, 2018

Schools officials say Escambia and Santa Rosa county students will not be required to make up a day they missed due to ice. Students in both counties were out on January 17 due to the frozen conditions across the area.  Pictured: Ice in the school zone on Highway 4 in front of Northview High School in Bratt the morning of January 17. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Escambia Extension Holds ‘Starting Your Plants From Seeds’ Program

January 27, 2018

Escambia Extension held a “Starting Your Plants from Seed” program Friday morning. Attendees learned about seed starting techniques to get a jump on a successful gardening season. The program was  held at the Escambia County Extension Office in Cantonment. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Molino Park Collects Thousands Of Pop Tabs For The Ronald McDonald House

January 27, 2018

Molino Park Elementary School students collected tens of thousands pop tabs — those little pull tabs off the tops of aluminum drink cans — to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida.

The pop tabs were delivered to the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola Friday night…there were too many to weigh right away, so we’ll update you on the total later.

The money from recycling the tabs is used by the facility to help pay their utility bills for the house on Bayou Boulevard.

And it’s not too late to donate pop tabs to Molino Park Elementary for the Ronald McDonald House…the school is still accepting donations.

Pictured: Molino Park Elementary dropped off a lot of pop tabs Friday night at the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Jay Weight Lifters Place At Regionals, Watson Going To State

January 27, 2018

Two Jay High School senior weightlifters placed at regionals on Friday. Haylee Watson won regionals in her division, and she advances to state for the third year. Sarah Barnhill placed sixth in her division.  Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Driver Arrested For DUI Following Highway 97 Crash (Updated)

January 26, 2018

[Updated with details 10 a.m.] A Century man with a blood alcohol level almost two and a half times the legal limit was arrested for driving under the influence following an injury crash on Highway 97 Thursday evening.

The accident happened about 5:30 p.m. on Highway 97 near Gibson Road near Molino.

The Florida Highway Patrol said 46-year old Linda Faye Till of Molino was traveling south on Highway 97 when her 2017 Toyota was rear-ended by a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by 53-year old Benjamin Frank Ard. After the initial collision, the vehicles were being moved off the roadway when Ard rear-ended the car a second time, according to troopers.

Linda Till and her passenger, Brian Aubrey Till, were transported by Escambia County EMS to Atmore Community Hospital for their injuries.

Ard and his passenger, Lorenzo Knight of Walnut Hill, were not injured.

Ard had a blood alcohol level of .197, according to a FHP report, above the legal limit of .08. He was charged with driving under the influence and cited for careless driving and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $1,000.

Further details have not been released as the FHP continues their investigation.

NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

Forecasters: Drought Conditions Worsen Across The Area

January 26, 2018

A drought continues to slowly worsen with moderate to severe drought across the Florida Panhandle, according to the National Weather Service. NWS graphic, click to enlarge.

New Krispy Kreme Planned For Nine Mile Road

January 26, 2018

A new Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is in the planning stages for East Nine Mile Road, possibly with a new Burger King next door.

Krispy Kreme presented plants for the new store at 1730 East Nine Mile Road — just east of Dodge’s Fried Chicken (pictured above). Company representatives went before the Escambia County Development Review Committee this week with their plants.

The developers are purchasing four parcels located on East Nine Mile Road between Plainfield Avenue and Barranger Drive, two of which would house a Krispy Kreme and two of which would house a Burger King.

Currents plans show the Krispy Kreme at 3,500 square feet with 40 seats.

In order for the development to move forward, they would have to apply for a rezoning to rezone the property from commercial to heavy commercial and light industrial. This rezoning is required to accommodate a further request for a conditional Use, based on the drive-thru nature of the proposed business, according to Escambia County spokesperson Kaycee Lagarde.

“It is up to the developers to take the next step and apply for the rezoning, then they would go through the conditional use process,” she said in an email. “Both of those processes combined (rezoning and conditional use) can take up to several months, but again, it is up to the developers to decide whether to proceed/how soon they decide to apply.”

Pictures above: A Krispy Kreme is planned for this location on East Nine Mile Road next to Dodge’s Fried Chicken. Pictured below: Preliminary drawings showing the restaurant. Pictured inset: The only other Krispy Kreme in Escambia County, located on North 8th Avenue. Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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