Suspect Jailed In Robbery Of Highway 97 Gas Station, Lillian Pharmacy
November 26, 2014
A suspect in the armed robbery of a North Escambia convenience store and a pharmacy in Lillian, AL, is now behind bars in north Mississippi.
William “Jake” McMillan, age 27, was jailed after allegedly committing an armed robbery in Choctaw County, MS. He was arrested after a high speed chase into Montgomery County, MS, and transferred back to the Choctaw County Jail where is being held without bond.
A warrant for McMillan’s arrest was issued last week in Baldwin County, AL, after he was identified on surveillance video as the suspect who robbed the Lillian Pharmacy at gunpoint, making his getaway with about 1,700 hydrocodone pills. A short time before the robbery, he allegedly took an undisclosed amount of cash from a register and safe from his workplace, the Las Vegas Discount Golf & Tennis at Tanger Outlets in Foley.
McMillan has also been named as the suspect in the Friday night armed robbery of the Davisville BP on Highway 97 in Escambia County, FL. He allegedly entered the store, displayed a handgun and demanded cash before fleeing in a vehicle. The clerk was uninjured.
Authorities in Mississippi reportedly reviewed the surveillance video from the Davisville BP published on NorthEscambia.com and discovered McMillan appeared to have the same jacket and clothing in his possession at the time of the Mississippi armed robbery.
Once charges are resolved in Mississippi, McMillan is expected to be extradited back to Baldwin County before facing any charged in Escambia County, FL.
Pictured inset: The suspect in a Friday night robbery. Pictured below: The BP station on Highway 97 in Davisville minutes after a Friday night robbery. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Town of Century Employees Enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner
November 26, 2014
Employees, family and friends of the Town of Century enjoyed a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner Tuesday afternoon. The group enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs with sides and desserts. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bill Would Allow Online Florida Lottery Sales
November 26, 2014
Florida lottery players could buy tickets with the click of a mouse instead of having to stop by the corner store, under a proposal filed by Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Miami.
The proposal filed for the 2015 legislative session, would allow the Florida Lottery to create a program in which people ages 18 and older could buy lottery tickets online. Currently, the lottery sells tickets through more than 13,000 retailers but does not sell tickets online or by mail or fax, according to the agency’s website.
by The News Service of Florida
Northview’s Lathan Signs Softball Letter With Kentucky’s Union College
November 26, 2014
Northview High School senior Angel Lathan signed a letter of intent Tuesday to play softball for the Bulldogs of Union College in Kentucky. The college is a member of the NAIA and competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference in softball. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Farm-City Thanksgiving Meals Distributed To 600 Families
November 26, 2014
As part of Farm-City week, 600 families in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties received full Thanksgiving meals Tuesday — much of it locally grown — thanks to the efforts of local farms, food banks and hundreds of FFA and 4-H students. Students from Tate High School’s FFA chapter and local 4-H clubs helped with the Escambia County distribution at the Waterfront Rescue Mission.
The 400 pre-qualified families in Santa Rosa County and 200 in Escambia County received turkeys, collard and turnip greens, sweet potatoes, cornmeal, canned goods and desserts. The sweet potatoes were donated by local farmers and sorted by FFA students from a half dozen schools, and students also picked the collards and turnips from field Monday at the University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences West Florida Research and Education Center.
Representatives from the Santa Rosa and Escambia Extension Services were at the distribution sites providing recipe cards and cooking advice.
Farm to City Week is a national effort with the goal to bring about a better understanding between rural and urban people by increasing their knowledge and appreciation for agriculture.
The locally grown produce was harvested at the University of Florida, West Florida Research and Education Center by participating Ag students from Jay High School, Central High School, Milton High School, Northview High School, Tate High School, Ernest Ward Middle School and King Middle School. [Read more about Monday's activities here....]
Pictures: Students ready for Farm-City Week food distribution Wednesday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Holiday Cooking Can Be Bad For ECUA Sewers And Home Plumbing
November 26, 2014
The Thanksgiving holiday means special times with family, friends, lots of delicious food and the potential for sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs). No matter how the meal is prepared, it will certainly generate fats, oils and grease, or FOG, Which can be damaging to the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority sewer system and your household plumbing.
Keep your plumbing and the sewer system free from blockages and overflows by properly disposing of FOG this holiday season. Many homeowners may be surprised to learn that pouring the fatty remains of culinary delights down the kitchen drain can result in costly and unpleasant SSOs. Besides the mess, untreated sewage can cause health hazards and threaten the environment. Overflows can also require expensive cleanup.
Cooks should avoid depositing other oil-based foods down the drain and garbage disposal. No-nos include fatty substances such as lards or shortening, butter or margarine, food scraps, dairy products, batter and icing, salad dressings and sauces. For more information on ways to keep your kitchen clean and green, visit www.ecua.fl.gov.
Conscientious cooks should:
- Throw food scraps in the trash
- Use a paper towel to wipe away residue from serving dishes and plates
- Rinse these items over a sink strainer to catch and dispose of any remaining food particles
Any grease left-over from holiday cooking should be poured into a heat-safe can, place it in the freezer to cool and harden, and toss the can out with regular garbage. If you’re planning to deep-fry a turkey, put the used fryer oil back in its original container or use an ECUA Cooking Oil Disposal Container. Drop it off at an ECUA Disposal Station to be recycled into biodiesel fuel. ECUA has several conveniently placed stations throughout the community:
Clean & Green
3303 North Davis Highway
Baskerville Donovan Engineering
449 West Main Street
ECUA at Ellyson Industrial Park
9255 Sturdevant Street
ECUA Sanitation Department
3050 Godwin Lane
ECUA Bayou Marcus Water Reclamation Facility
3050 Fayal Drive
Pensacola Beach on Via de Luna Drive
Between Pensacola Beach Elementary School and Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church
NAS Pensacola (Military and Base Personnel ONLY)
Andrew Jackson Court
Fort Santa Maria de Galve Hase Road
Slemmer Avenue
Murray Street and Billingsley Street
Corry Field Housing at NAS Corry Station
Escambia County Sheriff’s Sub Station Serving Perdido Key & Grand Lagoon
12950 Gulf Beach Highway
For additional information visit the ECUA website www.ecua.fl.gov or call ECUA Customer Service (850) 476-0480.
Tate Grad Hodge Signs Wih University Of New Orleans
November 26, 2014
2013 Tate High School graduate Riley Hodge has signed with the University of New Orleans Privateers baseball team for the 2016 season.
Hodge currently plays with Jefferson Davis community College of Brewton. At Tate, Hodge had a 0.94 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 52.1 innings his senior year and was selected to play in the North Florida All-Star Game. In the summer of 2014 he went 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA for West Palm Beach of the South Florida Collegiate League.
Turkey Time Cooking Tips
November 26, 2014
It’s Thanksgiving, time for family and friends to gather and give thanks. And time for cooks to ponder the correct way to prepare their turkey.
Today, we are taking a look at the proper way to cook your turkey with tips from Dorothy Lee, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for the Escambia County Extension Office.
Clean
Begin every meal preparation with clean hands, and wash hands frequently to prevent any cross contamination. As a rule, hands that have come in contact with raw meat or poultry should be washed for twenty seconds in hot, soapy water.
Separate
Raw meat and poultry products may contain harmful bacteria, so make certain that the juices from those products do not come in contact with food that will be eaten without cooking, like the salad. Also, never place cooked food on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat or poultry.
Cook
Use of food thermometer should be a standard operating procedure in your kitchen and, when used correctly, will ensure that your turkey is cooked to perfection. To be safe, the temperature of a whole turkey should reach 180°F between the breast and the innermost part of the thigh.
If you stuff your turkey, the center of the stuffing must reach 165°F. If the stuffing has not reached 165°F, then continue cooking the turkey until it does. Let the turkey stand twenty minutes after removal from the oven before carving.
Chill
This is another important step because food-borne bacteria can grow while food sits unrefrigerated. Refrigerate or freeze perishable leftovers within two hours of cooking. To prepare your leftovers, remove any remaining stuffing from the cavity and cut turkey into small pieces. Slice the breast meat. Wings and legs may be left whole. Refrigerate stuffing and turkey separately in shallow containers.
Use or freeze leftover turkey and stuffing within three to four days, gravy within one to two days. Reheat thoroughly to a temperature of 165°F, or until hot and steaming.
For more information, call the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
Fatal Shooting Under Investigation In Escambia County
November 25, 2014
A fatal shooting is under investigation in Escambia County.
A woman told deputies that she came home to her residence on Galvin Avenue Tuesday afternoon and found her boyfriend with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased on the scene by first responders.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has said narcotics were found in the home, but no other details have been released.
ECSO: Molino Man Points Shotgun At Man, Kids Outside Dollar Store
November 25, 2014
A Molino man is accused of pointing a shotgun at a family, including three children ages 7-12, and threatening to kill them outside the Family Dollar Store in Cantonment.
Forest McCoy Hope, age 65 of Crabtree Church Road, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one felony county of committing a felony with a weapon.
A 12-year old boy was inside the Family Dollar on Highway 29 Sunday night when he told his father that Hope cursed at him. The man, his children and the store clerk went outside the business. A short time later, Hope drove by the front of the store in a SUV, pulled a shotgun out, pointed in the direction of the man and his children and said “I’ll blow your head off!”, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. Hope then drove off toward the parking lot exit but managed to drive his vehicle into a ditch.
The man his children told deputies that they feared for their lives during the incident. The store clerk told deputies that she also feared for her safety, but she did not want to press additional charges because it is the holiday season.
When deputies arrived, they found the SUV in the ditch with Hope in the driver’s seat. The deputies reported that Hope had a shotgun between the center console and passenger seat.
Hope told deputies that he did not argue with anyone outside the store, but he did point his walking cane in their direction. Hope had no response when deputies told him that the store clerk had accurately described the shotgun in his vehicle, the report states. During he investigation, Hope became irritated and poked a deputy in the chest, telling him “you better do your job”, the arrest report states.
Hope was taken into custody at the scene. He was released from the Escambia County Jail Monday afternoon on a $35,000 bond.
Pictured top: Deputies conduct an investigation Sunday night in the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store on Highway 29 in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.