Hundreds Attend Walnut Hill Ruritan Auction
February 23, 2014
Hundreds of people attended the 39th Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Farm Equipment Auction Saturday in Walnut Hill.
Items sold included farm equipment, lawn and garden equipment, household items and more during the event, which is held each year on the last Saturday of February. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club’s community service projects in the Walnut Hill area.
Pictured: Hundreds attended the annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club farm equipment auction Saturday in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos by Bethany Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Tribal Beat Band Members Receive Superior, Excellent Ratings
February 23, 2014
Several members of the Northview High School Tribal Beat Band received superior and excellent ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association District 1 Auxiliary Solo and Ensemble MPA event Friday night at Gulf Breeze High School.
Taylor Brook and Maddi Weber received a superior for their trumpet duet, while Brook received a superior for her trumpet solo. Cory Hester received a superior for his saxophone solo. Kylie Brook, Kendrick Walker, Paula Spicer and Abbie Johnson each received an excellent rating.
Pictured: Taylor Brook and Maddi Weber (right) perform their superior-rated trumpet duet before the judges. Submitted photo for NorhtEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hospital Lands Top Spot In Chili Cook Off
February 23, 2014
An Atmore Community Hospital team won first place during a chili cook-off in Atmore’s Tom Byrne Park Saturday, while second place went to the L.A. Bikers and third place to the First United Methodist Church.
The “People’s Choice” award for the best chili went to the Greater Mt. Triumph Baptist Church.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the hospital’s efforts to purchase a new X-Ray machine.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Bethany Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Mmmm – Girl Scout Cookie Time
February 23, 2014
Girl Scout Troop 903 from Molino/Cantonment was busy Saturday selling Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties and other Girl Scout Cookie favorites at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Cantonment. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Nelson Wants Fed Review Of State’s Unemployment Website
February 23, 2014
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., wants the Department of Labor’s inspector general to look into the state’s trouble-plagued $63 million unemployment assistance website for potential “waste, fraud or abuse or violations of law” due to months of delayed claims.
“Somebody owes taxpayers an explanation,” Nelson wrote Inspector General Scott S. Dahl on Friday. “They are the ones who paid the $63 million for this project.”
Nelson twice before has asked the Labor Department to look into the Department of Economic Opportunity’s Connect system that went on live in October. After Labor Department staff visited Tallahassee in December, the state agency announced that claims would be paid in cases that had been in dispute for more than one week. The move was intended to ease a backlog created by the new website.
Since Dec. 23, the state has imposed a $15,000 per business day fine against contractor Deloitte Consulting and withheld a $3 million payment to the company for failing to deliver a “fully functioning” system. The agency hired about 250 additional staff in January, at a cost of $165,000 a week. DEO reported about 6,000 applications were pending on Friday, a drop from a backlog of more than 60,000 in mid-January.
Nelson in his letter noted that, although the state agency claims the system has improved, media outlets continue to report that people “were still reaching out for help.”
Northview Shuts Out Washington
February 23, 2014
The varsity Northview Chiefs beat Washington High 8-0 Saturday in Pensacola.
Winning pitcher Brannon Freeman pitched for seven, allowing two hits, two walks and eight strike outs. He is 1-0 as a starting pitcher with one save.
Stats: Jody Bonner 1-3 with a double, one RBI and a run scored; Chasen Freeman 3-3 with a triple, 2 RBI and a run scored; Thomas Moore 1 -4 with a double and one run scored; Aaron McDonald 1-4 with a double , one RBI and one run scored; RJ Pritchett 2-4 with two doubles, two RBI; Kevin Barrow 1-3 with one run scored; and Roman Manning 1-3 with two runs scored.
Pictured: The Northview Chiefs shut out Washington Saturday in Pensacola, 8-0. Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rotary Clubs Partner To Create 110,388 Meals For Manna
February 23, 2014
Rotary Clubs from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties came together Saturday to pack 110,388 meals at Manna Food Bank. It was part of the Rotary Against Hunger service project of the Combined Rotary of Pensacola (CROP). Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com click to enlarge.
One Killed In Early Morning Fiery Century Crash
February 22, 2014
One person died in a fiery single vehicle accident early Saturday morning.
The burning vehicle was discovered by a passing Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy about 3:55 a.m. on Fannie Road just northeast of Campbell Road, across from the Happy Valley Holiness Church.
After the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue extinguished the blaze, the victim was discovered in the driver’s seat area of the vehicle.
The Florida Highway Patrol has identified the vehicle as unknown year model Toyota sedan
The driver was apparently headed east on Fannie Road when they failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the roadway, down an embankment and struck several trees on the shore of a gravel lake. A post-crash fire completely gutted the vehicle
The Florida Highway Patrol was unable to identify the driver of the vehicle at the scene. Further details have not yet been released as the FHP continues their investigation.
Pictured top an inset: One person was killed in this fiery crash in Century early Saturday morning. Pictured below: The vehicle shortly after the fire department extiniguished the blaze. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cutbacks: Reduced Service Hours Begin For McDavid Post Office
February 22, 2014
The U.S. Postal Service will being reduced retail hours today for the McDavid Post Office. The retail window will actually be open earlier and stay open later on weekdays while reducing service hours by five.
The new hours for the McDavid Post Office, effective February 22, will be 7-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8-10 a.m. on Saturdays. The post office’s retail window was previously open 7:45 -11 a.m. and noon – 3:45 p.m. during the week and 7:45 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturdays. Access to post office boxes will remain 24/7.
Residents and businesses in the 32568 zip code were notified in December that the Postal Service will take future action regarding the McDavid Post Office. They were surveyed with 77 percent of respondents choosing a reduction in hours over other options including closure.
About two dozen people attended a public meeting with postal officials on January 16, at which time they were reassured that the McDavid Post Office would remain open.
There are no plans to make any changes at the Walnut Hill Post Office, which shares McDavid’s 32568 zip code. The Walnut Hill Post Office is a contract location operated by Escambia River Electric Cooperative, providing retail window services and post office boxes.
The McDavid Post Office was the only local post office in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties on the current closure or cutback list.
Pictured: The McDavid Post Office. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
‘Golden Cow Dung Award’ Presented To Barbara Ryals
February 22, 2014
Ernest Ward Middle School employee Barbara Ryals received the sixth annual “Golden Cow Dung Award” from members of the Ernest Ward FFA. The award presented Friday afternoon featured a large piece of cow dung, painted a golden color and mounted on a board painted in school colors.
(Cow dung, in case you did not know, is what you are probably thinking it is. It’s that natural byproduct that cows drop in the field. The award is 100 percent real dung spray painted a golden color. The golden piece presented Friday is actually the first award piece created six years ago.)
Ryals received the award from the school’s FFA members as a “thank you” for supporting FFA. The same Golden Cow Dung Award was presented last year to faculty member Betty Coon. Previous awards were presented to history teacher Kenneth Hicks, teacher’s assistant Lindsey Kelley, Family & Consumer Science teacher Kathy Ellis and Principal Nancy Perry.
More than half a million members around the nation participated in National FFA Week activities at the local and state levels this week.
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle School FFA Golden Cow Dung Award presentation to Barbara Ryals Friday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
