Over 3,200 Ballots For Military And Overseas Voters On The Way
September 20, 2024
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Robert D. Bender announced Thursday that the first vote-by-mail ballots for the November 5, 2024, General Election were being sent to military and overseas voters.
The mailing of domestic civilian ballots will begin next week to those who have vote-by-mail request. Federal and state laws require military and overseas ballots be sent no later than 45 days prior to an election. Florida law establishes a window for mailing civilian ballots between 40 and 33 days prior to election day.
Any Florida voter can choose to vote by mail. Due to a change in Florida law, you must renew your vote-by-mail request each elections cycle. If you have not already made a request and wish to receive your ballot in the mail, visit EscambiaVotes.gov/vote-by-mail or call us at (850) 595-3900. The request deadline is October 24.
The deadline to register to vote before the November 5, General Election is October 7, 2024. Visit EscambiaVotes.gov/register-to-vote for more information. Sample ballots are available online at EscambiaVotes.gov/sample-ballots and one will be mailed to all registered voters who have not requested a vote-by-mail ballot prior to the start of early voting. Voters with questions about their eligibility should call (850) 595-3900 or visit EscambiaVotes.gov/am-i-registered for more information.
Early Voting will begin on October 21 and run through November 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day at 10 area locations. Visit escambiavotes.gov/early-voting-locations for a complete list of locations and their addresses.
Tate Aggies Off To Best Start In Decades; Defeat WFHS 42-7 (With Gallery)
September 20, 2024
The Tate High School Aggies are off to their best start in over 20 years, winning their fifth straight game with a convincing 42-7 victory over the West Florida Jaguars on Thursday night.
Seniors Carson Secchiari and Demorion Clay, Jr. led the way for the Aggies with two touchdowns apiece. Laquarius Bradford and Elijah West also added touchdowns.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Tate dominated the first half, taking a 35-7 lead into the locker room.
The win improves Tate’s record to 5-0. The Aggies will look to keep their history-making winning streak going when they host the Navarre Raiders in a district game next Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.. The Raiders are currently 0-3 as they head into a Friday night game against 0-4 Milton on Friday night.
Look for a bonus photo gallery with the cheerleaders, Showband of the South and more in the coming days.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Convicted Murderer Get Second Life Sentence For Killing His Cellmate
September 20, 2024
A convicted murderer serving life has been sentenced to another life term for killing his cellmate.
Joshua Gardner, 32, was sentenced by Circuit Judge J. Scott Duncan to a consecutive life sentence in state prison after a jury convicted him of 2nd Degree Murder.
Prosecutors said Gardner was an inmate at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution on February 1, 2020, when he brutally beat his cellmate, Jose Aparicio-Becerra.
“Becerra was found unresponsive by prison guards with injuries that included numerous facial fractures and a deformed skull. A prison official described the scene as the most gruesome thing she had witnessed in her 19 years of employment in the state prison system. Becerra was transported to a local hospital and passed away from complications of blunt force trauma,” the State Attorney’s Office said in a statement
Prosecutors said he was not eligible for the death penalty.
Gardner was sentenced to life in 2016 for a murder in Hernando County.
Ransom Middle School Names Students Of The Month
September 20, 2024
Ransom Middle School has named their August Students of the Month. They are eighth graders Josiah Forest-Ratcliff and Brynlie Fulton. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Hires Town Clerk Away From Flomaton
September 19, 2024
The Town of Century has hired a new town clerk. And she’s crossing the state line from Flomaton.
The town council voted 5-0 to approve a recommendation from Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. to hire Carrie Moore 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.
Gomez said Moore will start in three weeks.
Moore has served as town clerk in Flomaton, a town of 1,458 residents, for the last three years. Century is a similar size town with a population of 1,736 residents, but Gomez acknowledged that Moore would have a slight learning curve since Florida statutes for municipalities can be different than Alabama. She previously worked with the City of Evergreen beginning in 2017 until her hiring in Flomaton in 2021.
“We have been weighing our options for a few months now,” Gomez said before the affirmative vote. “We had several applications in which I thoroughly vetted them along with my team, and we had one standout. Her name is Carrie Moore.”
“We’ve done a background check to a certain extent,” he added.
The council was told negotiations on Moore’s salary have not finalized, but her compensation was “well within” a salary range set back in May of $71,000 to $91,000, more than Howington was paid.
Council member Shelisa McCall questioned Moore’s employment history. McCall asked, “So when you spoke to her, did you ask about 13 months here, three months here, four months there? There’s an eight-month lapse, seven months here, and now with Flomaton for three years. So why is she leaving?”
“We did have the opportunity to ask her about her interests,” replied Cheryl Harrison-Lee, who works with Howard Brown and his Local Government Consulting Group of West Palm Beach that provides interim town manager consulting services. “She’s looking to expand her skill set, and she thought that moving over to Century would give he ran opportunity to expand her skill set.”
According to Moore’s resume, she worked as assistant CFO for Elgin, Texas, from May to August 2014; STS in Madison, Alabama, from April to August 2015, city clerk for Evergreen, Alabama, from September 2015 to April 201; and town clerk from April 2021 to present.
McCall also questioned if Moore living some 30-45 minutes away from Century would be an issue. According to her resume, she lives in Repton, Alabama.
Pictured: Carrie Moore, Century’s new town clerk. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO: Cantonment Man Tried To Eat Bag Of Meth After Traffic Stop
September 19, 2024
A Cantonment man was charged after allegedly tried to eat a bag of meth following a traffic stop.
Theodore Reynolds Paige, 29, was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, two counts of destruction of evidence and resisting arrest without violence. He was released on a $13,000 bond.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office stopped Paige’s vehicle in the area of Ensley Street and Argo Drier for a seat belt violation.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Paige threw a bag out of the driver’s side window that was later found to contain amphetamine/dextroamphetamine, a schedule 2 controlled substance. Deputies said Paige resisted when being searched, reaching into his pants, and grabbing a bag containing a white powder.
“Paige then grabbed a large bag of a white powdery substance from his groin area and started to rip it open,” the arrest report states. “Paige was then placed on the ground where he was able to grab a bag of powder that had fallen on the ground with his mouth and eat it. He continued to resist and rip another bag open covering himself in the white substance.”
The white substance field tested positive for methamphetamine, according to an arrest report.
Due to allegedly eating the white powder, Paige was transported to Baptist Hospital for evaluation.
“At the hospital, he was forced to take a shower due to the fact he was covered in meth,” the report states. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail after being released from the hospital.
New Images Released Of Man Wanted For Attacking Woman In Flomaton
September 19, 2024
The Flomaton Police Department has released more images of a man they say attacked a woman Tuesday afternoon not far from the Alabama-Florida state line.
Flomaton Police Chief Dereck Lowry said 38-year-old Christopher Moody is wanted for on felony charges of kidnapping, burglary and assault.
The new, undated screenshots (top) were from a video recorded at the Nadine McCaw Park on North Century Boulevard in Century.
Lowry said a female had pulled to the side of the road Tuesday afternoon near a railroad trestle in the area of Railroad Street and Martin Luther King Drive when Moody approached.
“After she stopped, she cracked her door open and he came out of nowhere,” the police chief said. He said Moodey assaulted the woman and attempted to rob her before fleeing. A K-9 team responded for a manhunt, but they were hampered by a sudden downpour.
The area of the alleged crime is about 1,200 feet north of the Alabama-Florida state line. The Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office also took part in the search for Moody.
Moody was described as a being a homeless individual from Mobile.
Anyone with information on Mooday’s whereabouts is asked to call the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811, their local law enforcement agency, or 911.
FPD previously released an image from a surveillance video of Moody in a Flomaton convenience store on Monday.
Bonus Gallery: Tate Alumni Cheerleaders, Band, Fans, And More
September 19, 2024
The Tate High School Aggies celebrated Homecoming 2024 last Friday night.
- For a Homecoming Parade photo gallery, click here.
- For Homecoming King info and photos, click here.
- For Homecoming Queen and her court, click here.
- For a game action story and photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Volleyball Gets Senior Night Sweep; Tate Edges Choctaw
September 19, 2024
Northview 3, Blacksher 0
The Northview Chiefs volleyball team celebrated senior night with a resounding victory over the Blacksher Bulldogs of Uriah, Alabama.
The Chiefs dominated the home match, winning in straight sets by scores of 25-23, 25-18, and 25-18.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
Prior to the match, the Chiefs honored their two graduating seniors, Madison Levins and Kamryn Langham.
The Northview Chiefs will travel to Laurel Hill on Thursday. Laurel hill is on a five-game losing streak, including a September 12 loss 3-0 to Northview.
In junior varsity action, Northview took Blacksher 2-0 by scores of 26-24, 25-19.
Tate 3, Choctaw 1
The Tate Aggies volleyball team picked up a hard-fought victory over the Choctaw Indians on Wednesday night,
Tate defeated Choctaw by scores of 26-24, 22-25, 25-22, and 25-11.
Tate will next Travel to Niceville Thursday before hosting Escambia on Monday.
Pictured: Northview defeats Blacksher. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Impact 100 Names 15 Finalists For Grants Of $100,670 Each
September 19, 2024
Impact 100 has announced 15 grant finalists for 2024. Of the finalists, 12 will receive a grant of $100,670 each at the group’s annual meeting on October 13.
The fifteen finalists selected by IMPACT 100’s Focus Area Committees are as follows:
The 15 finalists selected by IMPACT 100’s Focus Area Committees are as follows:
- ARTS, CULTURE & HISTORY
- Parent Booster USA, Inc., dba Navarre Band Parent Association, Inc. — Bands are Instrumental
- Pensacola Lighthouse Association, Inc., dba Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum — Reconstruction of Our Historic Boathouse
- West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc., dba UWF Historic Trust — Pensacola Children’s Museum: Our Town: A Space for All
- EDUCATION
- Capstone Adaptive Learning and Therapy Centers, Inc. — Destination Independence
- Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc. — Girl Scouts Community Development Troops
- Pyramid, Inc. — Driving Innovative Opportunities for People with Disabilities
- ENVIRONMENT & RECREATION
- Dixon School of Arts and Sciences, Inc. — IMPACT 100 Natural Wonders Park at Dixon School of Arts and Sciences
- Friends of Pensacola State Parks, Inc.– Inclusive Playground in Big Lagoon Park
- Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners Association — Tractor and Audio/Visual Upgrades for SRC Master Gardeners
- FAMILY
- My Father’s Arrows, Inc. — Rolling On to a Bigger Vision
- Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem Foundation, Inc. — Cases for Kids
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul Council of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Inc. –From Paris to Pensacola “Let us go to the Poor”
- HEALTH & WELLNESS
- Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition, Inc. — Healthy Start Mobile Stork Stock
- Ministry Village at Olive, Inc. — Tender Hearts Caring Hands Building
- Vision of Hope, Inc. — Journeying to Independence
This is the 21st year that Impact 100 will award grants to local nonprofit organizations. Since its inception, Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area has awarded 153 impactful grants totaling $16,284,000 to nonprofit organizations serving Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.