Ernest Ward Tops Jay In Final Seconds Thriller (With Gallery)
September 25, 2015
The Ernest Ward Eagles defeated Jay 22-20 at Merle V. North Stadium in Jay, coming from behind in the final seconds of play.
The Eagles were down 20-16 before scoring with just 24 seconds on the clock. Ernest Ward improved to a perfect 5-0 on the year with the win.
Ernest Ward will next host Escambia County Middle School of Atmore at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 1.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cross Country Results: Northview, Tate, EWMS, Flomaton, PCA, East Hill (With Gallery)
September 25, 2015
Here are results from a cross country meet Thursday afternoon at Northview High School.
108 total Runners from East Hill Christian, Ernest Ward, Flomaton, Northview, Pensacola Christian Academy, and Tate
Fastest Girl- Kaitlyn Boschman from PCA 20:33
Fastest boy- Hunter Stewart from PCA 18:05
Overall Girls
1st Tate
2nd PCA
3rd Northview
4th Flomaton
5th Ernest Ward
Overall Boys
1st PCA
2nd Tate
3rd Flomaton
4th Northview
5th East Hill
6th Ernest Ward
Northview Girls
Moriah McGahan 24:38
Bethany Reynolds 29:21
Lexxi Baggett 30:44
Hannah McGahan 34:14
Trinady Tanksley 34:38
Northview Boys
Brandon Korinchak 19:19
Tanner Levins 22:13
Oscar Rodriguez 22:58
Dalton Hadley 23:13
James Ates 24:34
Tate Girls
Hannah Wellenkamp 21:54
Avery Royer 22:18
McKenna Royer 22:20
Carley Pope 23:05
Emma Shows 23:55
Tate Boys
Jake Alexander 21:22
Daniel Madden 21:24
Seth Godwin 21:26
Berry Avant 21:44
Philip O’Brien 21:55
Ernest Ward Girls
Addison Albriton 29:05
Nene Fendley 29:51
Payton Jackson 34:28
Jordan Stanley 37:17.44
Katelyn Hasselbrock 37:18.67
Ernest Ward Boys
Noah Harigel 23:48
Ryan Pendelton 28:06
John Penkins 29:51
Anthoni Weaver 27:55
Keaton Brown 31:47
Flomaton Girls
Shelby Barnes 30:07
Charley Boutwell 30:21
Shea Jackson 31:10
Kaylee Burkett 36:33
Lexi Jones 38:54
Flomaton Boys
Dwayne Hamby 21:29.30
Dakota McGhee 21:29.59
Dustin Reaves 21:29.82
Franklin Wiggins 23:50
Hayden Hammond 23:50
Pensacola Christian Academy Girls
Kaitlyn Boschman 20:33
Siaahi Gavkar 25:27.41
Hannah Birx 25:27.67
Karissa Porter 25:32
Megan Henderson 21:41
Pensacola Christian Academy Boys
Hunter Stewart 18:05
Hyun Lee 18:53
Trent Porter 19:22
Zach Circone 19:46
Jason Lech 20:34
East Hill Christian Girls
Ella Griffith 27:49
East Hill Christian Boys
Will Philips 20:27
John Mobley 21:32
Alex Ratcliff 22:19
Ethan Hart 24:54
Alex Bondurant 25:04
Ransom Middle Gym Dedicated In Honor Of Educator, Coach Joseph E. Murphy
September 25, 2015
Thursday, the gymnasium at Ransom Middle School was officially dedicated as the “Joseph E. Murphy Gymnasium” in honor of Joseph E. Murphy.
Murphy began his career with the school district in 1976 as a science teacher at Ferry Pass Middle School, became a physical education teacher at Workman Middle School in 1980, and then moved to Ransom Middle School in 1984 where he has served as physical education teacher, physical education department chair, School Advisory Council member, and dean of students.
Murphy coached middle school basketball and track and field, winning numerous district championships for Ransom. He also coached football and golf at Tate High School, and served as the pitching coach for the Tate baseball team, leading them to two state championships.
Murphy was also named the Escambia Physical Education Association Middle School Teacher of the Year for the 2009-2010 school year.
“Joseph E. Murphy has touched the lives of countless young people through his coaching and focus on health and wellness, encouraging and motivating students to perform at their highest level, in the classroom and on the athletic field,” stated a school board resolution issued in his honor last month.
Pictured: Joseph E. Murphy (left) with Ransom Middle Principal Brent Brummet at an Escambia County School Board meeting last month. File photo.
Scott’s KY Trip Could Mean More Pizza For Florida
September 25, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott and Enterprise Florida typically keep hush-hush the names of businesses the governor and his entourage have met privately on domestic-recruiting trips launched in Democratic-run states.
But on Wednesday, the governor’s office wasted little time in revising Scott’s daily calendar to highlight in red that he had just spent an hour in Louisville, Ky., with his old pal John Schnatter, the founder and CEO of Papa John’s pizza.
Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said the one hour meeting, which included a brief tour of the company’s headquarters, was simply posted so people could see that the tete-a-tete had occurred.
“Obviously they’re very successful in Florida, and he wanted to talk about how they’re doing in Florida and about continuing to grow and have success in the state,” Schutz said.
The three-decade-old chain has more than 4,700 locations in 37 countries, including about 260 locations in Florida.
Schnatter told WLKY in Louisville that he understands the appeal of Florida, but that he wasn’t moving the company headquarters.
“When it comes to business in Kentucky, Florida is definitely much more pro-business, but we got an election coming up and hopefully we will rectify that,” Schnatter told WLKY, referring to a Kentucky gubernatorial election this fall.
Scott heard a similar reply when he went to Philadelphia in February.
Wawa convenience stores Chief Executive Officer Chris Gheysens told reporters that expansion in Florida was ahead of schedule but that he rebuffed efforts by Scott to move the company headquarters to Florida.
“It wasn’t about … tax breaks and things like that, it’s what’s best for our associates,” Gheysens said at the time.
Scott did get to conduct a little end-zone dance in downtown Lexington on Tuesday, rolling out a Northern Kentucky company, 1st Choice Aerospace, which had months earlier announced that it would expand its South Florida operations.
While Scott’s office highlighted the WLKY coverage of Wednesday’s visit to Papa John’s, the press release omitted a less-than-flattering quote from Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. Fischer hit on the lingering resentment over Scott’s decision, as the then-CEO of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., to relocate the company’s headquarters from Louisville to Nashville, Tenn.
“In 1995, Rick Scott left town in the middle of the night, breaking dozens of commitments he’d made here. Within two years, his Columbia/HCA pleaded guilty in one the largest Medicare fraud cases in U.S. history,” Fischer said. “The company paid an historic $1.7 billion fine, and Scott was forced to resign. And now, this guy is coming to Kentucky and saying, ‘Trust me?’ I don’t think so.”
by Dara Kam and Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
PCA Tops Northview (With Photo Gallery)
September 25, 2015
Pensacola Christian Academy defeated the Northview Chiefs in high school volleyball Thursday evening.
In varsity action, PCA defeated Northview in four sets, 26-24, 25-16, 25-15, 25-17. In JV play, PCA defeated Northview 25-21, 25-20.
The varsity Chiefs will take part in the Tate Varsity tournament on Saturday.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Amerson, click to enlarge.
Escambia Neighborhood Cleanups Remove Over 125 Tons Of Debris
September 25, 2015
Escambia County collected and disposed of over 125 tons of debris during this year’s neighborhood cleanup program.
The initiative involved an aggressive clean-up effort, targeting different neighborhoods throughout the county, with crew members and volunteers working hard to pick up a variety of debris and waste, including electronics, furniture, paint, old batteries and tires.
The county’s neighborhood cleanup program was hosted by the Community Redevelopment Agency, Escambia County Safe Neighborhoods Program and Escambia County Waste Services. Local partners for this year’s efforts included tge City of Pensacola Sanitation Services, Escambia County Environmental Code Enforcement and Keep Pensacola Beautiful.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
State Fire Marshal Investigating Early Morning Vehicle Fire Near Bratt
September 24, 2015
An early Thursday morning vehicle fire near Bratt is under investigation.
A passerby reported a pickup truck on fire alongside Pine Barren Road just south of Highway 168 about 12:40 a.m. When the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue arrived, they found the Toyota Tacoma pickup destroyed and that the fire had mostly burned itself out.
The owner of the pickup arrived on the scene and told firefighters that he had run out of gas about an hour before the fire was reported. He said he had called his wife and driven to Flomaton to purchase gas, only to return and find the truck burned out.
The fire is under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
There were no injuries reported.
Pictured: The remains of a Toyota Tacoma pickup smolder alongside Pine Barren Road in Bratt just before 1 a.m. Thursday. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Home And Barn Burglarized; Stolen Truck Recovered
September 24, 2015
Authorities are searching for clues in two burglaries at a Walnut Hill home in which tens of thousands of dollars of items were taken.
Within the past two weeks, someone broke into a metal barn at a home on Kansas Road and stole a Kubota ZTR mower, all of the resident’s tools and fishing gear. The home was burglarized Tuesday, with several guns, ammo, a 24-inch TV and a banjo stolen, according to the resident. His 2007 Toyota Tacoma was also stolen.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office recovered the Tacoma Wednesday morning, abandoned in a remote area off Kansas Road, not far from where it was stolen.
Anyone with information on the burglaries is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Pictured top: This stolen Toyota Tacoma was recovered in a remote area off Kansas Road in Walnut Hill Wednesday morning. Pictured; A Kubota ZTR mower that was stolen from Kansas Road. Pictured below: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies and a crime scene unit process the truck after it was pulled back to Kansas Road. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Jail Inmate Dies
September 24, 2015
A 29-year-old male died from an apparent suicide at the Escambia County Main Jail on Wednesday, according to Escambia County officials.
Jail personnel found the inmate unresponsive in his cell and immediately began emergency medical procedures. The inmate was being held after being charged with two counts of sexual battery on a victim under the age of 12, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill, battery and withholding support/non support of children or spouse.
The case is currently under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Escambia County Corrections personnel are conducting a review of the incident.
According to jail records, the inmate was homeless prior to his arrest on August 7.
Escambia District Seeks Input On Upcoming School Calendars
September 24, 2015
The Escambia County School District has developed proposed school calendars for the next two school years, and they are asking for public approval before they are approved.
Both calendars begin school on August 10, and both include a full week out of school at Thanksgiving (a combination fall break and Thanksgiving holiday).
To view both calendars and take the survey, click here. The calendar links and the survey are the bottom of the linked page. The survey closes on September 29.
Final recommendations for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school calendars will be on the Escambia County School Board agenda on November 17.