Pensacola Posse Wins World Series 14U Fastpitch Softball Tourney
July 31, 2013
The Pensacola Posse won the recent USSSA 2013 World Series 14U Fastpitch Softball Tournament in Gulf Shores. Team members are: (bottom, L-R) Kaili Okahashi, Pace; Paige Palmer, Cantonment; Savannah Rowell, Cantonment; Mallory Miller, Cantonment; Meagan Jones, Cantonment; (top row) Bryce Miller, Pace; Hadley Starratt, Cantonment; Destiny Herring, Jay; Samantha Kummer, Pace; Morgan Bolen, Cantonment; Kristin Quina, Cantonment; (back row) coaches Randy Miller, Sean Starratt, Pete Kummer, and John Quina. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Investigators Seek Info On Home Invasion
July 31, 2013
Escambia Sheriff’s Investigators are seeking information about a home invasion which occurred Monday the 1800 block of Border Street in Pensacola.
According to the 70-year old victim, she was inside of her home with the front door open when an intruder armed with a gun entered her residence. The suspected demanded money, but when the victim stated that she had no money he placed the gun to her head and demanded her debit card and PIN number.
The suspect then tied the victim with cable cords before fleeing the residence. The victim managed to escape and go to a neighbor’s home where she called for help.
The suspect is described as a black male in his 20’s, about 6-feet tall with a regular build. At the time of the incident he was wearing a white shirt. dark pants, a white handkerchief around his face, an unknown type cap and sunglasses. The suspect possibly has gold teeth.
The suspect vehicle is described as a newer model silver four-door type vehicle, possibly a Pontiac Grand Prix, with dark tinted windows.
Approximately 20 minutes prior to the incident another male had approached the victim and asked to borrow money. It is believed that the two individuals may have been working together.
The other suspect is described as a six-foot tall black male in his 40’s who was driving an older gray pickup truck, possibly an 80’s model. Anyone with any information about the crime is asked to call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Vehicle Stops Inside House Following Traffic Crash
July 31, 2013
An Escambia County man was charged after hitting a house during a traffic crash Tuesday evening in Pensacola.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 33-year old Chad Bingham was northbound on North Ninth Avenue in a 2002 Mitsubishi Montero when he struck a 2008 Mazda stopped for traffic at the intersection of East Olive Road.
Bingham’s Mitsubishi then traveled across East Olive Road, over a curb, hit a county road sign, traveled though a wooden fence, struck a second wooden fence and hit the house at 8105 Banberry Road. The vehicle came to rest completely within the house.
Bingham received minor injuries and was cited with careless driving. The driver of the Mazda, 18-year old Brian Belser of Pensacola, was not injured. The occupants of the home escaped without injury.
Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
BayBears Down Wahoos
July 31, 2013
The Mobile BayBears snapped an extended scoreless streak early, and held on late for a 3-2 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Tuesday night in front of the 22nd capacity crowd of the season at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Mobile, having not scored in either of the first two games, fell behind early on a Mike Costanzo double in the last of the first inning that gave Pensacola a 1-0 lead. Unlike the last couple nights, though, the BayBears offense provided some support, tying the game in the top of the second on an RBI groundout from Rossmel Perez.
An inning later, Dustin Martin reached on a two-out infield single that scored Justin Greene, giving Mobile a 2-1 lead. The hits kept coming against Pensacola starter Tim Crabbe in the fourth inning when Ryan Court blasted his first Double-A homer giving the BayBears a two-run advantage.
Crabbe (4-8) finished off a quality start with six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and three walks. It was Crabbe’s second straight quality outing and ninth of the season.
Mobile starter Bo Schultz, who retired 11 in a row at one point and 14 of 15 hitters from the second through sixth innings, quieted the Wahoos offensively. That changed in the seventh as Travis Mattair led off the frame with a solo homer to bring Pensacola back to within two. The blast was Mattair’s franchise-record 12th of the season, but first since June 28.
Mattair had an opportunity to plate the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning, but grounded out with two on against Mobile closer Jake Barrett. Pensacola brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning against Barrett, but Devin Lohman struck out looking to end the game.
Schultz (4-2) picked up the win for the BayBears by allowing two runs on six hits in seven innings. Barrett picked up his sixth save of the year with 1.1 scoreless frames.
The two teams will tangle in game four of the series on Wednesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Josh Smith (8-8, 3.86) gets the call for Pensacola opposite Mobile’s Mark Serrano (4-0, 2.18) with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
story by Kevin Burke
Senate Prez Doesn’t Like School Grades Decision
July 31, 2013
Raising concerns about parents not getting accurate evaluations of their children’s schools, Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said he was not a “big fan” of a state decision to prevent schools from dropping more than one letter grade this year.
Six Escambia County schools benefit from the one letter grade drop protection: Ernest Ward, C.A. Weis, McArthur, Montclair, Navy Point and O. J. Semmes.
“I don’t think you’re really kidding anybody when you say, ‘Well, we’ve got a C school that really dropped to an F school, but we’re just going to give it a D and hope that everybody sort of figures out that this is a school that’s not done so well,’ ” Gaetz said during an appearance this week on The Florida Channel’s “Florida Face to Face” interview show.
Gaetz, a former Okaloosa County schools superintendent, added, “I think when you get an F, you get an F. When you get an A, you get an A. And I think we ought to be honest with parents.”
Gaetz made the comments about two weeks after the state Board of Education voted 4-3 to prevent drops of more than one letter grade. That move came after school superintendents said they feared steep drops this year in the closely watched grades. Superintendents pointed, at least in part, to repeated changes in the state’s school-accountability system — 13 this year alone — which they say have made it harder to meet standards and have created uncertainty.
Gaetz acknowledged during the interview that changes had complicated the grading system.
For the 2013 school grade for every Escambia County elementary and middle school, click here. High school grades won’t be released until later this year.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Northview Schedules 9th Grade, New Student Orientation
July 31, 2013
Northview High School will host 9th grade and new student student orientation on Thursday, August 15, from 8-11 a.m..
Students will report directly to the theater. Signs and guides will be available to direct students to the correct area. Parents should arrange for transportation to pickup their child from the school promptly at 11:00.
Current 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students can pick up schedules, get their textbooks any time between 9 a.m. and noon on August 14. Upon arriving on campus, students should report directly to the attendance window to pick up schedules before proceeding to the media center for textbooks.
Parents can find bus transportation information on the school website.
Counselors will not be available for schedule changes at this time but students may pick up a change of schedule form. Offices will be closed from noon until 1 p.m.
Homicide Victim Found In Motel Room
July 31, 2013
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the homicide of a man found in Pensacola motel room on Monday.
The body of 57-year old Robert Jeffrey Weber was found in room at the Homestay Lodge on Mobile Highway about 7:15 Monday morning. Weber’s body was discovered by a hotel employee after he did not answer his door.
Tuesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office said their preliminary investigation had determined that the death was a homicide. Further details have not been released.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about Weber or his death to call them at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pit Bulls Attack Road Crew, Deputy Shoots Dogs In Self-Defense
July 30, 2013
Two pit bulls attacked a road crew and were later shot and killed by an Escambia County deputy Tuesday morning in the Grand Oaks Subdivision in Cantonment near Tate High School.
The incident began just after 7:00 a.m in the 900 block of Brandemill Drive where two pit bull terriers attempted to attack residents that were able to retreat to safety in their homes, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The dogs were next seen near the entrance to the subdivision where they attacked and bit two road construction crew members. The crew was able to fend off the attack by striking the dogs with hand tools.
The dogs retreated back into the subdivision where a resident who observed the attacks armed himself with a gun. He went searching for the dogs in his truck and came into contact with them at the intersection of Brandemill and Grand Oak drives where a man was walking his dog. The pit bulls became aggressive towards the man and his dog, prompting the resident to fire his gun into the air and scare off the pit bulls.
A deputy located the dogs in the 900 block of Brandemill Drive. As the deputy exited his vehicle, the dogs charged him from a nearby porch. The deputy discharged his shotgun once in self-defense striking and fatally wounded both dogs, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The road crew workers sustained minor wounds and were treated and released.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Animal Control are investigating the incident.
Pictured: A road crew back at work Tuesday morning after a dog attack in Cantonment. Photos by Christina Leavenworth, WEAR 3, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
911 Transcript: Burglary Call Leads To Man Being Shot By Deputies
July 30, 2013
911 Transcription
ECSO13OFF021716
Reported 2:38 a.m.
July 27, 2013
Dispatch: Sheriff’s 911 what is your emergency?
Caller: Yeah, I’m, um, 218 Shadow Lawn Lane somebody is trying to steal my neighbor’s car.
Dispatch: O.K., they are not trying to break in, they are trying to actually steal the car?
Caller: Yes. They’re actually already in the car, trying to hotwire it.
Dispatch: O.K. , O.K…. What kind of vehicle is it?
Caller: It’s a Cadillac. It’s a white Cadillac.
Dispatch: A white Cadillac. Is it 2-door, 4 door?
Caller: 4 door.
Dispatch: And the 218 Shadow Lawn is that your address?
Caller: No ______ is my address 218 is my neighbor’s address.
Dispatch: O.K… Can you tell, is it a male, female?
Caller: It’s a black male.
Dispatch: Can you tell what he’s wearing, or no?
Caller: He’s wearing a tank top, uh, dark colored.
Dispatch: Can you tell anything else?
Caller: No, not really.
Dispatch: O.K. and he’s still in the vehicle, right?
Caller: Yes
Dispatch: You said you heard him trying to crank it up?
Caller: Uh, yes… He keeps ducking down underneath the dashboard, trying to reach for something.
Dispatch: O.K., and you’ve never seen him before, right?
Caller: No.
Dispatch: What’s your name, sir?
Caller: My name is ________.
Dispatch: And your last name?
Caller: ________.
Dispatch: Aright. Just stay on the phone with me.
Caller: O.K.
Dispatch: We’ve got several deputies enroute. Do you want to speak to the deputies or no, do you just want them to get over there?
Caller: Uh, just get ‘em over here.
Dispatch: Alright. I completely understand. I just have to ask. Um, do you know if there’s any… did the guy come in a vehicle or did you just happen to walk outside and see him?
Caller: I actually was closing my child’s blinds, um, and saw the light on in the car.
Dispatch: O.K.
Caller: So I came outside to check it out.
Dispatch: Are your neighbor’s home?
Caller: Yes. They’re home. They’re asleep.
Dispatch: O.K… You don’t see anybody else standing around or anything like that?
Caller: No. I’m actually standing out in the yard. This guy doesn’t even notice me.
Dispatch: Oh… Let me know if he does anything. He still hasn’t gotten the car started, has he?
Caller: No.
Dispatch: O.K.
Caller: Looks like he’s rifling through the center console right now.
Dispatch: You should see the deputies any minute.
Caller: Alright.
Dispatch: He still has not noticed you?
Caller: No… This is crazy. I’m standing out here in the middle of the yard talking on the phone, and he’s hardly even noticed me.
Dispatch: You should see a deputy on the street now. Let me know if you see them… Do you still see him in the car?
Caller: Yes.
Dispatch: Do you see any deputies yet?
Caller: Uh, yeah, I see them.
Dispatch: You do, O.K.
Caller: Yeah. He parked just down the road. Looks like he’s about to walk up.
Dispatch: O.K. I’m going to go ahead and get off the phone with you, O.K.?
Caller: O.K. There’s the other one.
Dispatch: O.K. Bye.
Caller: Bye.
Century Plans Series Of Special Budget Workshop Meetings
July 30, 2013
The Century Town Council has scheduled a series of budget workshops next month to discuss the town’s fiscal year 2013-2014 budget.
The budget workshop meetings will be held Thursday, August 1; Thursday, August 22; and Thursday August 29. All meetings will be held at 2 p.m. in the council chamber at the Century Town Hall at 7995 North Century Boulevard.