Local FFA Members Shine At Sub District Contests
January 8, 2025
Local middle and high school FFA Chapters recently participated in the sub-district FFA contest and meetings.
The primary goal of career and leadership development events is to develop individual responsibilities, foster teamwork and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement. The events included public speech, parliamentary procedure, and safe tractor operations.
Each student that placed first in their contest will compete at districts this month.
Middle School Parliamentary Procedure:
- 1st Place – Beulah Middle
- 2nd Place – Beulah Academy
Middle School Opening and Closing Ceremonies:
- 1st Place – Jay Middle
- 2nd Place – Beulah Middle
- 3rd Place – Central Middle
Middle School Extemporaneous Speech:
- 1st Place – Beulah Middle (Mia Wickham)
Middle School Prepared Public Speech:
- 1st Place – Beulah Middle (Caleb Pitts)
- 2nd Place – Central (Sydney Vinson)
Creed Speaking:
- 1st Place – Tate (Luke Graham)
- 2nd Place – Jay (Kenley Smith)
- 3rd Place – Beulah Middle (Briniyah Stallworth)
High School Parliamentary Procedure:
- 1st Place – Northview
- 2nd Place – Milton
Safe Tractor Operations:
- 1st Place – Northview (Braden Glick)
- 2nd Place – Jay (Tanner Wolfe)
- 3rd Place – Tate (Aiden Hollingsworth)
High School Prepared Public Speech:
- 1st Place – West Florida (Bella Trivison)
- 2nd Place – Tate (Maegan Coleman)
- 3rd Place – Florida Virtual (Izzy Jenkins)
High School Extemporaneous Public Speech:
- 1st Place – West Florida (Suzie Baker)
- 2nd Place – Tate (Blakely Campbell)
- 3rd Place – Northview (Olivia Hall)
Newly elected Sub-district 1 Officers:
- Chair: Olivia Hall (Northview)
- Co-Chair: Bella Trivison (West Florida)
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cottage Hill Residents Concerned By New 404 Home Development Proposed For McKenzie Road
January 8, 2025
Local residents gathered in a church sanctuary Tuesday night to discuss a 404-home subdivision proposed by a developer for their neighborhood.
The Cottage Hill Neighborhood Watch group hosted the meeting at the First Baptist Church of Cottage Hill to discuss D.R. Horton’s proposal for McKenzie Estates on the east side of Highway 95A in the 800 block of McKenzie Road. The development, as proposed, would be 404 single family homes on three parcels totaling 197.2 acres. The site is currently vacant and wooded with a stream and an estimated 43 acres of wetlands.
Residents of Cottage Hill and surrounding communities expressed concerns about lack of infrastructure including schools, road, traffic and draining; impacts on wetlands and wildlife; and utilities. Residents have questioned if Cottage Hill Water Works can serve the new residents properly and if existing residents might be required to pay a tap fee and forced to connect to sewer from ECUA. They also questioned if their current property values might be impacted.
The proposal has been filed with the county; however, no public meetings or votes have been scheduled to date.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour and NorthEscambia graphic (bottom), click to enlarge.
Century Once Again Hires Town Clerk Away From Flomaton, Hires Billing Clerk
January 8, 2025
The Town of Century has once again hired a town clerk away from nearby Flomaton, and they have hired a new utility billing clerk.
The council voted to hire Carrie Moore as town clerk and Courtney Benson as the utility billing clerk.
Town Clerk
The town council voted 5-0 to approve a recommendation from Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. to hire Carrie Moore (pictured top) as Century town clerk. The position has been vacant since Leslie Howington took a leave of absence in mid-April before resigning in May for medical reasons.
The annual starting salary for the position is $76,000.
Tuesday was the second time the council has voted to hire Moore; they approved her as town clerk in September 2024. She later turned down the job and remained in Flomaton.
Moore has served as town clerk in Flomaton for the last three years. She previously worked with the City of Evergreen from 2015 until going to work in Flomaton in April 2021. She is a Certified Municipal Clerk and holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Troy University and is working on her MBA from Troy.
Utility Billing Clerk
The council also voted to hire Courtney Benson as utility billing clerk, filling a position that became vacant with an employee resignation several months ago.
The starting salary for the position is $16 per hour.
Benson (pictured left) has been employed as a data entry specialist at United Bank in Atmore since 2022. She previously worked as referral specialist at Community Health Northwest Florida in Century for about five years after about 12 years as an administrative assistant at Corizon in Atmore. A Northview High School graduate, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Walden University and an associate degree from Pensacola Junior College.
Background information on the new hires is according to their resumes and/or applications filed with the Town of Century.
Submitted (top) and NorthEscmbia.com photo (bottom), click to enlarge.
Century Mayor, Two Council Members Sworn In; Council Leaders Elected
January 8, 2025
Century’s mayor and two council members were sworn in Tuesday night for new terms.
Luis Gomez, Jr., who was reelected without opposition last year, took the oath of office as mayor. His tenure will be short; Gomez submitted his resignation effective Friday earlier in the same meeting.
Dynette Lewis (seat 1) and Henry Cunningham (seat 2) ran unopposed and were sworn into their seats for four-year terms.
The oaths, which are purely ceremonial, were administered somewhat hastily at the end of a council meeting, with the council pausing for a member retrieving a Bible from her car.
The council reelected Lewis as president and selected Cunningham as vice president for the upcoming year.
Pictured top: Luis Gomez, Jr. takes the oath of office as mayor as his wife holds a Bible. Pictured first below: Henry Cunningham takes his oath as a council member as the Bible is held by his daughter Michelle Cunningham. Pictured second below: Dynette Lewis sworn in as a council member. Pictured bottom: Gomez hugs his wife after being sworn in as mayor albeit for a few days. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Delta To Resume Nonstop Flights Between Pensacola And Detroit
January 8, 2025
Delta Air Lines will resume weekly Saturday nonstop service from Pensacola (PNS) to Detroit (DTW). Flights will operate from June 14 through Sept. 6, utilizing Boeing 717-200 aircraft with 110 seats, including 12 First Class, 20 Delta Comfort and 78 Main Cabin seats.
- Delta flight 1319 from Detroit to Pensacola: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Delta flight 1319 from Pensacola to Detroit: 12:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
“We’re very pleased that Delta is adding direct service from Pensacola to Detroit in addition to their service to Atlanta (ATL) and New York LaGuardia (LGA),” Pensacola International Airport Executive Director Matt Coughlin said. “Detroit is one of Pensacola’s largest unserved markets and offers a large Delta hub with worldwide connections.”
“New service is always a tangible indicator of the prosperity, growth and potential that major carriers see in our area,” Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said. “Detroit is the major Midwestern hub for Delta, so that means our residents will have many more options for flying in that region and quick connections.”
Pictured: The Pensacola International Airport. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Extreme Freezing Weather — Protecting Pets, Plants, Pipes And Other Tips
January 8, 2025
With freezing weather, it is time to take necessary precautions to protect pipes, pets and plants, and check on elderly friends and neighbors.
Here are ways to stay safe during cold temperatures, courtesy of the American Red Cross:
- Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing body heat.
- Know the signs of hypothermia — confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. If someone has these symptoms, they should get immediate medical attention.
- Watch for symptoms of frostbite including numbness, flushed gray, white, blue or yellow skin discoloration, numbness or waxy feeling skin.
- Bring the pets indoors. If that’s not possible, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.
- Avoid frozen pipes — run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent them from freezing. Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night to help avoid freezing pipes.
- Do not use a stove or oven to heat the home.
- Space heaters should sit on a level, hard surface and anything flammable should be kept at least three feet away.
- If using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
- Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
And here are a few extra details and tips from ECUA on protecting pipes against the freeze:
- Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas: Pipes located in unheated areas of your house, such as a garage or crawl space under the house or in the attic, are subject to freezing. If you have time to do this before freezing temperatures arrive, wrap these pipes with insulation materials made especially for this purpose. These materials can be found in most hardware stores or home improvement centers.
- Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses: Detach all hoses from faucets and allow them to drain. This action guards against the water in the hose or pipe from freezing and bursting the faucet or pipe to which it is connected.
- Run a trickle of water: When forecasts call for sustained and / or severe freezing temperatures, run a thin trickle of water from the faucet furthest from the water line coming to your house. Usually this is in a room at the back of the house or outside, in the yard. Allowing the water to circulate through your home’s plumbing helps to keep it from freezing. Some consider this a waste of water but the cost of the water used is extremely slight compared to repairing broken pipes and the resulting water damage.
- Remember the backflow preventer: Residents and business owners who have backflow preventers on their properties for water lines, fire lines, irrigation systems, and swimming pools need to protect their backflow preventers from freeze as well. Extended freezes can burst the body of the backflow assembly, rendering it useless. Wrap these pipes with insulation materials, made especially for this purpose. These materials can be found in most hardware stores or home improvement centers. If the device and the water line are not in use at this time (i.e., irrigation system or swimming pool lines), shut off the water supply line and drain the backflow device.
Cantonment Highway 29 Crash Claims Life Of Teen
January 7, 2025
A Monday night crash claimed the life of a teen in Cantonment.
The crash happened about 10:50 p.m. on Highway 29 just south of Tate Road, near Anytime Fitness.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 17-year-old female from Cantonment was headed south on Highway 29 when she ran off the road to the right before crossing the media and the northbound lanes and hitting a ditch. Her SUV came to rest in a parking lot.
Troopers said she was not wearing a seat belt.
Escambia County EMS, the Cantonment Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
File photo.
Republicans Receiving Sample Ballots In The Mail For 2025 Special Primary
January 7, 2025
This week, sample ballots for the 2025 Special Primary Election will start arriving in mailboxes of Republican voter who do not have an active vote by mail request on file.
Voters can also access their sample ballots online by clicking here.
There’s still time to request a vote-by-mail ballot. Voters wishing to request a vote-by-mail ballot can do so by visiting https://escambiavotes.gov/vote-by-mail, or by calling (850) 595-3900. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Thursday, January 16, at 5:00 p.m. Voters can also track a vote-by-mail ballot by signing up for notifications at https://escambiavotes.gov/track-my-ballot. Voters will be able to see when a ballot was received and accepted for tabulation.
The 2025 Special Primary Election is for Republican voters only. The State of Florida holds closed primary elections, meaning only registered Republicans will be eligible for the 2025 Special Primary Election There is only one Democratic candidate, so there is no Democratic primary.
Back To School: Dressing For Cold Weather
January 7, 2025
Escambia County students head back to school on this cold Tuesday.
With our cold weather this week, it’s important to dress in layers, cover skin and limit time outside, according to the National Weather Service office in Mobile.
Here’s how to dress for cold weather:
Man, 19, Charged With Murder Last Week Near Pine Meadow Elementary
January 7, 2025
A 19-year-old Escambia County man has been charged with the shooting death of a man late last Wednesday night not far from Pine Meadow Elementary School.
Talan Darby Burnette is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond on charges of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and firing a weapon.
The shooting happened about 11:45 p.m. January 1 outside a home on Tommy Street, just off Cove Avenue. The man was transported to any area hospital where he later died.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said he arrived at the property and an argument followed between a group of people. Investigators said Burnette then shot the 48-year-old man.
Burnette was located the following morning in Santa Rosa County, and he was charged with loitering and resisting arrest by Santa Rosa County deputies. Escambia County deputies questioned him in Santa Rosa County and obtained Escambia County warrants for his arrest. He was transferred to the Escambia County Jail on Monday.