Voter Registration And Party Change Deadline Is Monday, July 22
July 19, 2024
The registration and party change deadline for the August 20 primary is Monday, July 22, according to Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender.
Those who do not register before this deadline will be unable to vote in the Primary Election. Voters who wish to change party affiliation for the primary and do not act by this deadline will have to vote with the party they are currently registered with.
Registration and party changes can be made online at registertovoteflorida.gov. Physical applications can be found at EscambiaVotes.gov and submitted by mail or in-person at the main office at 213 Palafox Place, 2nd Floor, in Pensacola. There are also applications available to complete upon arrival at the Supervisor of Elections office.
For more information, visit EscambiaVotes.gov.
Escambia School Board Buys 36 Acres For $3.9 Million For New Beulah School
July 18, 2024
The Escambia County School Board has approved the purchase of property in Beulah for a new school for nearly $4 million.
The 36-acre tract is bordered by Mobile Highway, Beulah School Road and Helms Road.
The board approved purchasing the property from James Frank and Cornelia Sue Higdon for $3.9 million. It is located less than a mile from the current Beulah Elementary School and about two miles from Beulah Middle School.
Escambia School Superintendent Keith Leonard said it has not yet been determined which grades might be served by a new school on the site., but it will alleviate crowding at other schools in the area.
There are 900 students at Beulah Elementary School with a multitude of portables.
The school board will discuss plans for the new school at a meeting in August, and Leonard hopes that plans will be ready in about six months with construction possibly starting in about a year.
NorthEscambaia.com graphic.
Head On Crash Injures Two In Beulah
July 18, 2024
Two people were injured in a crash before daybreak Wednesday in Beulah.
The crash happened at the intersection of Beulah Road and West Nine Mile Road at 3:07 a.m.
Authorities said two vehicles were involved in the head-on crash. One patient was extricated from their vehicle.
Two people were transported by Escambia County EMS to area hospitals.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
FWC Removes 14 Boaters For Boating Under The Influence During Blue Angels Air Show
July 18, 2024
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says they removed 14 boaters suspected of boating under the influence during the four days of the Pensacola Beach Air Show.
FWC als said despite the substantial numbers of vessels in the water, only two minor boating incidents were reported and there no significant or fatal boating accidents occurred over the course of the event.
“Blue Angels Weekend is a much-anticipated tradition for so many people in our area,” said Maj. Robby Creech, FWC Northwest regional commander. “I am proud of the dedication and commitment shown by the officers in our region, our local law enforcement partners and FWC officers from outside our area who volunteered to take time away from their lives and their family to travel here to protect the boating public and provide a safe environment for everyone to enjoy. That’s really what it’s is all about.”
Century Spending Over $3.3 Million On Five Sewage Lift Stations
July 18, 2024
The Town of Century has approved over $3.3 million for five sewage lift stations.
Lift stations are designed to move wastewater from lower to higher elevation using a pump.
The lift stations to be construction or reconstructed are:
- Lift Station 1 – Century Correctional (including the mechanical bar screen and standby generator)
- Lift Station 4 – Century Woods
- Lift Station 8 – Highway 4 West
- Lift Station 16 – Jefferson Avenue
- Lift Station 20 – Pond and Jefferson
The bid was awarded to Talcon Group, LCC, of Havana, Florida for $3,365,175. Talcom was the lowest of two bidders. Pensacola Concrete Construction Company $10,561,045.88
The town has a total of 22 lift stations, and this is phase two of the repair and replacement process.
The council voted 3-0 to award the project with council members Dynette Lewis and Shelisa McCall absent.
Pictured: A wastewater lift station near Pilgrim Lodge Baptist Church on Jefferson Avenue at Pond Street in Century out of service and running on a temporary pump as seen May 10, 2022. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Gets Life Sentence For Murdering Roommate Before Staging Her Drowning
July 18, 2024
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his roommate before staging the scene to make it appear she drowned in a small water feature in a yard.
James Edwards Hicks, 62, was sentenced to by Judge Linda Nobles after he was found guilty by an Escambia County jury of second degree murder.
The jury found that, on August 12th, 2022, James Hicks killed his roommate, 65-year-old Terri Jo Williams, and then staged a scene to make it appear as if she had drowned herself in a small garden pond in the front yard. During the death investigation, Hicks stated that his roommate had been emotional and depressed for weeks, and that he thought she committed suicide.
The jury was presented with evidence from the scene, death investigation, neighbors and family members, and the medical examiner who determined the victim’s death was the result of homicide.
Catholic’s TJ McCants Drafted By Chicago White Sox
July 18, 2024
Pensacola Catholic High School graduate TJ McCants was selection in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
McCants played college baseball at Ole Miss and Alabama. He went to the White Sox as the 469th overall pick.
In one season for the Crimson Tide, McCants made 56 starts for Alabama in the outfield. He had a .306 batting average with 17 home runs and 53 RBOs. McCants also had 14 stolen bases.
Man Gets 50 Years In Prison For 2022 Murder At Cantonment Gas Station
July 17, 2024
An Escambia County man convicted in a 2022 shooting death at a Cantonment convenience store has been sentenced to five decades in state prison.
Charles Tyree Moore was convicted by an Escambia County jury of second-degree murder for the shooting death of 35-year-old Durrell Dupree Palmer at the Circle K on Highway 29 at West Roberts Road in May 2022 in an argument over the victim’s wife. Circuit Court Judge John Simon sentenced Moore on Tuesday to 50 years in prison.
The homicide occurred at the Circle K convenience store located at the corner of Highway 29 and West Roberts Road in Cantonment at 7:30 am on Monday, May 23, 2022. At the time of the murder, the two men were engaged in a heated conversation over an argument that had begun on social media.
Video of the encounter was captured by the store’s surveillance cameras. The video showed Palmer stop at the gas pump to initiate contact with Moore, and then, after more than five minutes of intense discussion, Moore suddenly pulled a handgun from his waistband and shot Palmer four times in the torso at close range.
The shooting was witnessed by several customers.
Moore then fled the scene in his vehicle before calling 911 to turn himself in.
Deputies took him into custody within minutes on Palafox Street at Nine Mile Road (pictured below).
During the 911 call, Moore claimed he blacked out and didn’t know what happened. Investigation revealed that at the time of the shooting Palmer had a pistol located in the center console of his vehicle but that his firearm was not involved in the exchange between the two men.
Moore testified and claimed self-defense at his trial, but the jury found him guilty as charged. He will be sentenced on July 11.
Moore had no criminal history and held a concealed weapons permit.
Pictured above and below: A man was shot and killed at the Circle K at the corner of Highway 29 and West Roberts Road about 7:30 Monday morning. Pictured first below: More was taken into custody minutes later on Palafox Street at Nine Mile Road. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Pedestrian Checking Trailer Tire Struck By Car In Two Vehicle Crash Near Century
July 17, 2024
A 78-year old local man was seriously injured when he was struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning near Century.
The man, who was driving a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup pulling an empty trailer, pulled over with the vehicle partially in the roadway to check a tire about 6:55 a.m. on on West Highway 4 just east of Lake Stone, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
A Dodge Charger driven by a 63-year old Century woman stopped in the roadway about five feet from the truck and trailer according to FHP. A 16-year old Century boy driving a red vehicle “failed to react in time” and collided with the Dodge Charger, troopers said. The Charger was pushed onto the shoulder where it struck the pedestrian.
The pedestrian was transported by Escambia County EMS to the McDavid Fire Station and then airlifted by Aircare helicopter to a Pensacola hospital. An update on his condition was not available.
The other drivers were not injured.
FHP is continuing their investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
State Funding $240 Million Beulah I-10 Interchange
July 17, 2024
The state will fund nearly a quarter of a billion dollar interchange at I-10 and Highway 99 in Beulah.
Known as the Beulah Interchange, the project will cost an estimate $240 million to alleviate traffic problems and accommodate growth in the Beulah area and Navy Federal Credit Union.
State Senator Doug Broxson confirmed Tuesday that funding has been shifted to the project from state and federal grants in central and south Florida. A formal announced is expected in a few days.
Construction is expected to begin in mid-2025.
The $240 Million Appropriation from the state to fully fund the construction of the Beulah Interchange beginning next year will be an amazing and transformational project for Beulah, District 1, and Escambia County,” District 1 Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh told NorthEscambia.com ” We certainly could not have done it without the steady leadership of Senator Doug Broxson, combined with sustained persistence by the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization as we on that committee kept this project as our number one priority. Thank you to our legislature, the governor, and the folks at FDOT for getting this necessary project funded for Escambia County.”
NorthEscambia.com file photo.