Northview Volleyball Celebrates Senior Night, Takes On Jay
October 10, 2014
The Northview Lady Chiefs honored their seniors during Senior Night Thursday before taking on the Jay Royals.
Senior Northview volleyball players honored were E’Layzha Bates, Penny Banda, Kyndall Hall, McKenzie Nasser and Shania Ward.
The Chiefs lost to Jay 15-25, 25-18, 8-25, 12-25.
Pictured top: Senior E’Layzha Bates. Pictured below, upper to lower photo: Penny Banda, Kyndall Hall, McKenzie Nasser and Shania Ward. Each girl was escorted by her parents. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Child Contracts Enterovirus D68; Child Attends Santa Rosa School
October 10, 2014
The Florida Department of Health has received confirmation of the presence of Enterovirus D68 infection in an 8-year old boy who lives in Escambia County And now the department is advising parents, childcare workers, and healthcare professionals to be vigilant for respiratory virus infections such as enterovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza (flu).
The Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County has confirmed the student that resides in Escambia County attends school in Santa Rosa County. The health department said the student has recovered from the illness and is no longer contagious.
In a news release, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said the child is not a student in the Escambia County School District. School officials said they are not aware of any student or staff member in the Escambia County School District being exposed to the virus.
All schools in the district have been informed to take extra precautions by following the advice of the Florida Department of Health’s instructions. Students and staff are being asked to increase the use of soap and water by washing their hands thoroughly as hand sanitizer has not proven effective against this contagious virus.
Enterovirus D68 can cause difficulty breathing in infants and young children. Like RSV and the flu, EV-D68, is highly contagious and spreads through droplets in coughs or sneezes, or when someone touches a contaminated surface like a countertop or doorknob. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers and disinfectants have not been found to be effective against EV-D68. Frequent hand washing and the use of non-alcohol surface disinfectants are recommended.
Enterovirus D68 has signs and symptoms that are similar to the common cold, the flu, or RSV. Adults and older children might have only mild signs such as a cough, stuffy nose, and low-grade fever. People with asthma, particularly children, are at increased risk for severe presentations of EV-D68 infection. In rare cases, EV infections may become serious enough to require hospitalization.
Other prevention measures include:
- Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow;
- Avoiding sharing cups and eating utensils;
- Refraining from kissing others, especially those with symptoms;
- Frequently cleaning potentially contaminated surfaces (doorknobs, countertops, tables, toys, etc.) using a bleach solution (1 part bleach and 9 parts water).
Call your doctor if you or your child has any of these symptoms:
- wheezing
- trouble breathing
- high fever with ill appearance
- thick nasal discharge
- signs of dehydration
Ernest Ward High School Alumni’s Final Walk Through School
October 10, 2014
It was a stroll down memory lane Thursday afternoon for many Ernest Ward High School graduates as they roamed the hall of their old school for what might be the final time. The old high school, now Ernest Ward Middle School, will be demolished early next year as students move into an entirely new facility.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Molino Park Community Helpers Day (With Photo Gallery)
October 10, 2014
It takes a lot of people, and sometimes a lot of big machines, to keep a community running smoothly.
Molino Park Elementary School held a “Community Helpers Day” Thursday for students to learn about some of people that are hard at work, often behind the scenes, in the Molino area.
The event includes personnel and equipment from Escambia County EMS, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Florida Division of Forestry, ECUA, J. Miller Construction and Frontier Communications.
Pictured top: Escambia County Deputy Jason Land and his K-9 Edo answer questions Thursday morning during Community Helpers Day at Molino Park Elementary. Pictured: An Escambia Fire Rescue firefighter from Molino’s Station 18 answers questions. Pictured below: Students walk past a dump truck on display from Eli Miller Construction Company. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Town Of Century Mourns Loss Of Longtime Employee Steve Ross
October 10, 2014
The Town of Century is mourning the loss of a longtime employee. Water Department Superintendent Steve Ross passed away suddenly Thursday at the age of 56. He had worked for the Town of Century for 24 years.
For funeral arrangements, click here.
Pictured: A black ribbon was placed on the door of Century Town Hall Thursday in memory of Water Department Superintendent Steve Ross. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
DCF Receives Increase Grant Award For Child Abuse Prevention Efforts
October 10, 2014
The Department of Children and Families has announced that Florida has received $200,000 to bolster evidence-based child abuse prevention programs. The funds were awarded by the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) grant for Florida’s financial commitment to child abuse prevention initiatives in the last year.
Previously, Florida spent the grant on program analysis, which has identified services like substance abuse programs that best reduce child maltreatment and family violence. Florida’s funding also supported homeless and veteran families.
“I’m proud to see that our state continues to increase funding for programs that keep children and families out of harm,” said DCF Interim Secretary Mike Carroll.
This year, the additional funds will be directed toward securing more services and resources for our most vulnerable families. It will continue to support child abuse prevention programs and also promote public awareness and education.
The purpose of the CBCAP program is to support community-based efforts that develop, operate and expand child abuse and neglect initiatives. The program helps coordinate resources and activities that strengthen and support families, reducing the risk of abuse and neglect.
Ernest Ward Beats Excel (With Photo Gallery)
October 10, 2014
The Ernest Ward Eagles defeated the Excel Panthers 44-20 Thursday night in middle school football action in Walnut Hill.
The Eagles will host Foley on Thursday, October 16, and Ernest Ward will round our their season at home on Tuesday, October 21 against the Flomaton Hurricanes. Both games are set for kickoff at 6 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Takes Deputy’s Gun During Struggle
October 9, 2014
A Cantonment man is behind bars after he allegedly took a deputy’s weapon during a struggle that followed a traffic stop.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigator made a traffic stop for an equipment violation. As he approached the vehicle, 35-year old David Lee Mason, Jr. fled, and a brief foot pursuit followed.
Mason tripped and fell down an embankment after which time as struggle took place between Mason and the investigator. During the struggle, Mason was able to gain control of the investigator’s firearm, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
As the investigator and Mason fought over the firearm, the investigator shoved the firearm into the mud to prevent Mason from using it against him. The investigator managed to regain control of the firearm, which was no longer functional.
A short time later, backup arrived and took Mason into custody. A large amount of cocaine and crystal meth and a small amount of marijuana were located in Mason’s vehicle along with a firearm and more than $1,100 in cash, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Mason and the investigator were both treated at a local hospital for minor injuries.
Mason was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of aggravated assault on a specified person (LEO), displaying a weapon in the commission of a felony, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, resisting an officer with violence, obstruction of a law enforcement officer (deprive of communications), possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, trafficking in methamphetamine and violation of probation. He was being held with no bond due to the probation violation and a $156,000 total bond for all other charges. He also received a verbal warning for the equipment violation.
Christmas 2014: Satanic Temple Display Proposed For State Capitol
October 9, 2014
The New York-based Satanic Temple wants to bring some of its holiday cheer to the Florida Capitol, after being turned away last year. The Satanic Temple announced Wednesday that “in a gesture of seasonal spirit and good will” it will ask the state Department of Management Services to accept the same display for the Capitol’s first-floor rotunda that was rejected a year ago as being “grossly offensive.”
“We feel our holiday display sends a very important, affirmative message that goes above and beyond that of superficial season’s greetings,” temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves said in a release. “It’s a message of religious freedom, and church-state separation expressed in the state’s neutrality.”
Ben Wolf, a spokesman for the Department of Management Services, said in an email Wednesday that the agency has yet to receive the application. The agency limits the height of displays based on where they are located in the rotunda and prohibits displays from blocking permanent memorials such as the Civil Rights and Veterans halls of fame. Also, the department will allow displays as long as there is available space, but has rules against noise and impeding official business.
The department decided in May to maintain its mostly open-door, first-come, first-served policy on Capitol displays after a number of diverse exhibits dotted the Capitol rotunda during the 2013 holiday season. The often irreverent displays, which included a pole made of empty beer cans to mark the sitcom-created Festivus holiday and a shredded pile of paper that was supposed to resemble the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, came in response to the state approving a pair of Christian nativity scenes for the Capitol.
The Satanic Temple had proposed a diorama of an angel falling into hell bannered with the phrase “Happy holidays from the Satanic Temple.”
by The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster joined several groups putting up irreverent displays in the first floor of the Florida Capitol last year for Christmas. Pictured inset: A display proposed by the Satanic Temple that was rejected last year by the Department of Management Service for the Florida Capitol. File photos by Jim Turner for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Tax Collector’s Office Burglary Under Investigation
October 9, 2014
The search for a suspect is continuing in a weekend burglary at the Escambia County Tax Collector’s Office in Molino.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglar alarm at the office, located in the Molino Community Complex on Highway 95A, about 3:40 Saturday morning. When a responding deputy arrived, he found what appeared to be pry marks on an exterior door and saw what appeared to be someone inside the building.
The suspect was able to escape the building and an unsuccessful manhunt involving multiple deputies and a K-9 unit followed.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, nothing appeared to missing from the Tax Collector’s Office, and investigators believe the burglary may be related to others in the Molino and surrounding areas.
Anyone with information on the burglar should call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.