Fall Carnivals Friday At Molino Park, Byrneville Elementary Schools

October 19, 2017

Fall carnivals and festivals will be held Friday afternoon at Byrneville and Molino Park elementary schools.

Molino Park PTA Fall Carnival

The Molino Park PTA Fall Carnival will be held Friday from 4:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the school on Highway 97.

The annual event will feature a variety of carnival games, carnival food including popcorn and bake-off goodies, food vendors and a live auction.

Byrneville Elementary Fall Festival

Byrneville Elementary School is hosting a Family Fall Festival on Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Byrneville Elementary School. Parking for the event will be at the Byrneville Community Center will trolley transportation to the school.

There will be food, games, a silent auction, a sweet shop, a cake decorating contest, a scare crow making/decorating contest, a corn hole tournament, cupcake walk, lots of candy and prizes, and horse drawn buggy ride, and two spooky/haunted houses. The menu includes BBQ sandwiches and combos (chips and drinks), hotdogs and combos  (chips and drinks), nachos with cheese, pickles, cotton candy, popcorn, sweet shop treats (cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc.).

There will also be a silent auction.

NorthEscambia.com file photo.

FWC Law Enforcement Report

October 19, 2017

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending October 12 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

No report was submitted from Escambia County this week.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Hutchinson was patrolling the Blackwater State Forest when he observed a couple of vehicles pulled over on the side of a forest road. He stopped to check on the subjects inside of the vehicles. While speaking with them, he could smell the strong odor of cannabis coming from the vehicles. After questioning the two drivers, he discovered cannabis inside both vehicles. Both men were issued notices to appear for possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis.

This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.

NorthEscambia.com photo.

Tate, Ransom Place In FFA Forestry Contest

October 19, 2017

Several local schools recently competed in the 2017 FFA Forestry Contest.

Teams competed in six areas — general knowledge; timber cruising to measure timber and determine merchantability; equipment identification to name tools and heavy equipment used in the forestry industry; tree identification  naming different species of common trees in Florida; and forest disorders to identify diseases and bugs that infect trees in Florida.

High School Overall Winners:

1st – Tate High Team A
2nd – Milton High Team B
3rd – Tate High Team B

Middle School Overall Winners

1st – Poplar Springs Middle (Graceville)
2nd – Ramsom Middle
3rd – Poplar Springs Middle (Graceville)

Photos by Jared Sigler for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Wrong-Way Driver Collides With Florida State Trooper On Highway 29

October 18, 2017

A wrong-way driver collided with a Florida State trooper Tuesday night on Highway 29 in Ensley.

According to the FHP, 37-year old Judy Ruhland of Pensacola was in a Chrysler 300 traveling south in the northbound lanes of Highway 29 near Devane Street entering a lighted work zone area. Trooper Knowles was traveling south on Highway 29 attempted to signal Ruhland by using her lights and siren.

The trooper accelerated ahead of Ruhlandand stopped in the paved median attempting to warn approaching traffic of the impending danger. Ruhland struck the left side of the trooper vehicle.

Ruhland was transported by Escambia County EMS to West Florida Hospital in serious condition. Trooper Knowles received minor injuries,  and  she was transported to Baptist Hospital.

The FHP said charges again Ruhland are pending analysis of a blood sample.

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

Great Sunny Weather Continues

October 18, 2017

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 77. East wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. Northeast wind around 5 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northeast wind around 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Northeast wind around 5 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. East wind around 5 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. East wind around 5 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. East wind around 5 mph.

Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.

Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67.

Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80.

Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.

Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Century Council Approves New Town Logo

October 18, 2017

Monday night, the Century Town Council approved a new town logo that was designed in-house by clerk Christina Covan. The logo was approved on a unanimous 5-0 vote.

Dale Gilmore Named Tate High Teacher Of The Year

October 18, 2017

Dale Gilmore has been named Tate High School’s Teacher of the Year.  Gilmore has been in education for 44 years with over 30 of those years at Tate High School.   Gilmore is currently the Tate High School athletic director and American government teacher. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Woman Gets 20 Year Sentence

October 18, 2017

The female defendant in dubbed a modern day Bonnie and Clyde for their multi-state crime spree last year has been sentence to two decades in state prison.

Brittany Nicole Harper pleaded no contest to charges stemming from crimes committed in Escambia Countyat the tail end of a crime spree encompassing Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida from January 26 through February 5, 2016.

Harper accompanied Blake Fitzgerald on a robbery crime spree during this time period.

Circuit Court Judge Scott Duncan accepted  Harper’s plea and sentenced her to 20 years in state prison.
The local charges included principal to robbery with a firearm, home invasion robbery, three counts of false imprisonment and grand theft auto.

On February 4, 2016, both Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper committed an armed robbery of the Famous Footwear on Davis Highway. Subsequently, in the early morning hours on February 5th, 2016, the pair forced their way inside the residence of a local family, holding them against their will for several hours before stealing their vehicle.

Due to local law enforcement’s efforts to locate them, they were discovered in the stolen vehicle. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office pursued Fitzgerald and Harper into Santa Rosa County. Fitzgerald was killed during an armed stand-off with law enforcement and Harper was taken into custody.

Harper also faces further prosecution for crimes similar to these that were committed in other states. She will now be released to be transferred to the other states to face the charges there.

Pictured top and bottom: The scene in February 2016 on Garcon Point Road at Saragon Lane, a short distance from where gunfire erupted, killing one member of a couple dubbed a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde by federal authorities. Pictured bottom inset:  The home were a chase involving the Missouri couple came to an end on Saragon Lane off Garcon Point Road in Santa Rosa County. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

Molino Boy Scouts Learn About Government With ECUA Board Member

October 18, 2017

Boy and Cub Scout Troop 430 in Molino spent Tuesday evening with ECUA District 5 board member Larry Walker at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. Walker spoke about his role and about local government. Meeting and speaking to an elected official is part of Webelos advancement and the Boy Scout “Citizenship in the Community” merit badge. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

sc

Week 8 Football Playoff Point Standings Released

October 18, 2017

The Florida High School Athletic Association has released current projected football playoff point standings for local schools at the end of Week 8:

District 1-Class 6A

Escambia 39.00

Tate 34.83

Pine Forest 37.00

Washington 29.57

District 2-Class 6A

Navarre 36.00

Gulf Breeze 34.86

Milton 31.14

Pace 27.00

District 1- Class 5A

West Florida 41.14

Pensacola 28.14

Mosley 34.29

Arnold 27.00

Bay 28.57

Region 1-1A

Chipley 41.00

Baker 40.57

Holmes County 37.14

Bozeman 34.50

Vernon 34.50

Jay 32.50

Freeport 31.63

Graceville 26.80

Northview 25.88

Beginning this season, district play has been eliminated in Classes 1A-4A, with teams making the playoffs based on a points system. Classes 5A-8A retain districts, with the district champion receiving an automatic playoff bid.

For Classes 1A-4A, no region or district play is required, with each school controlling its own schedule. Four teams from each region (16 total statewide) will make the playoffs based on the new points system.

District play for Class 5A-8A remains, with 32 teams qualifying for the playoffs in each class. District champions will receive an automatic bid to the playoff and will receive a 1-4 seed based on the new points system. Four wild cards will be taken from each region based on points following the conclusion of Week 11.

For more information on the points system, click the graphic at the bottom of the story to enlarge and click here for a informative pdf.

NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

« Previous PageNext Page »