Northview, EWMS Hold FFA Banquet, Remember Late Tommy Weaver
May 12, 2012
It was an emotional night Friday at the 17th Annual Northview High School FFA Banquet as attendees stopped to honor and remember beloved FFA co-advisor Tommy Weaver who passed away March 7.
Senior Lydia Weaver was named the first Tommy Weaver Scholarship recipient.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
The annual banquet includes a somber ceremony for graduating seniors…they slowly remove their signature blue FFA jackets and hang them up for the last time on a coat rack.
One at a time, the two graduating FFA senior officers participated in the ceremony. Lydia Weaver, Brandon Chambliss and Brittany Thompson removed jackets one by one, placing them on the coat rack.
The night also included many awards for Northview and Ernest Ward Middle school FFA members and supporters.
Among those honored for their support of the FFA program were Doug and Vickie Godwin, Kerry Hardin, Anna Bell, Alan and Michelle Purvis and Brett Ward; they were named honorary members of the Northview FFA.
The new NHS FFA officers named for the 2012-2013 school year were: Jessica Baldwin, president; Courtney Solari, 1st vice president; Karissa Strickland, 2nd vice president; Logan Wainwright, secretary; Jeremy Stacey, treasurer; Haylee Weaver, reporter; Tiffani Cruce, Dillon Crutchfield, sentential; parliamentarian; Courtney Weekley, historian; Bethany Reynolds, chaplain; and Kaitlyn Kleinatland, photographer.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured top: Northview senior Lydia Weaver receives the first Tommy Weaver Memorial Scholarship Friday night from his son, Toby Weaver. Pictured inset: Senior Brandon Chambliss reacts after hanging up his FFA jacket. Pictured below: Logan Wainwright (left) presents gifts to senior Brittany Thompson (center) and Lydia Weaver. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Dance Team Honored
May 12, 2012
Members of the Northview High School Dance Team were honored Friday afternoon at the school for their hard work and participation during the school year. The group performs at Northview football games and other school events under the direction of Heather Leonard.
Pictured above: (L-R, front) Courtney Lambert, Chloe Leonard, Ashley Cunningham, Danielle Scott, Morgan Digmon, (L-R, back) Anna Fischer, Shelby Nielsen, Lily Townson, Jessica Lowery, Rachel Presley and Samantha Barrow. Not pictured: Kinani Okahashi. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Grad King Graduates From Basic Combat Training
May 12, 2012
Army Pvt. Brittany A. King has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
King is the daughter of Annette King of Ronda Street, Pensacola, and Glenn King of North Chipper Road, Molino.
She is a 2009 graduate of J.M. Tate Senior High School, Cantonment.
Escambia Man Gets 15 Years For Attempted Robbery
May 12, 2012
An Escambia County man is headed to prison for a 2011 attempted armed robbery.
State Attorney Bill Eddins said Thursday that Christopher Light was sentenced by Judge Scott Duncan to 15 years in state prison for attempted robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm and battery. Light was found guilty as charged by an Escambia County Jury on March 8, 2012.
On August 15, 2011, Light was hiding outside the Park Place Apartments off Scenic Highway when he attacked the victim and held her at gunpoint demanding money and other items.
Place Food By Your Mailbox Saturday To Help Stamp Out Hunger
May 12, 2012
Saturday is the day to place food out by your mailbox to help local families in need.
Americans in more than 10,000 communities will partner today with letter carriers to help “Stamp Out Hunger.” The Letter Carriers Food Drive is the largest, single-day effort to combat hunger in America.
To participate, residents are asked to place a bag of non-perishable food items, like canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, by their mailbox before their mail is delivered on Saturday, May 12. Letter carriers will collect the food items and deliver them to hunger relief agencies with the help of volunteers.
Local hunger relief organizations including Manna Food Pantries, Bay Area Food Bank, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Warrington Emergency Aid, ACTS Ministries, and We Care Ministry will receive the food donated locally and distribute it to needy families throughout the summer.
For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger effort, ask your letter carrier, contact your local post office or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.
Molino Man Killed In Alabama Bulldozer Accident
May 11, 2012
A Molino man was killed when he was run over the by bulldozer he was operating Friday morning about 12 miles northeast of Flomaton.
Joe Gene Boatwright, 73, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident off Wildfork Road near Emmons Road.
Boatwright apparently struck a 4-foot tall debris pile with the dozer at a work site and was ejected. He was then run over by the dozer’s tracks, according to Mike Lambert, chief deputy of the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office. The dozer then continued for about 150 yards or more, through a pond, and coming to rest across Wildfork Road.
Family members aid Boatwright has operated heavy equipment for over 60 years, and they believe a medical condition may have caused him to hit the debris pile.
The accident remains under investigation by the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office.
Pictured: A dozer that ran over a Molino man came to rest alongside Wildfork Road northeast of Flomaton. Pictured inset: The dozer traveled through this pond without a driver. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vehicle Hits Propane Tank, Carport
May 11, 2012
A vehicle struck a carport and a 150 gallon propane tank in Pensacola this morning, creating a bit of tense situation for hours.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Amy T. Le, 19, was northbound on Gregg Road near Olive Road (near the side entrance of Academy Sports) when an animal ran into her path of her 2005 BMW about 4:35 a.m.. She veered off the roadway into a propane tank and the brick support of carport at 8036 Gregg Road. The vehicle came to rest under the carport.
An Escambia Fire Rescue special operations team was called to the scene to deal with the propane leak and was still on scene at 8 a.m. There was no explosion or fire.
Le was not injured in the accident.
McDavid Post Office Targeted For Service Reduction
May 11, 2012
The McDavid Post Office will see cutbacks if the U.S. Postal Service moves forward with a new strategy that is designed to keep the nation’s smallest post offices open with reduced services.
The plan would keep the McDavid Post Office open, but with retail window hours reduced from eight to six hours per day. Access to the retail lobby and to post office boxes would remain unchanged, and the McDavid zip code and community identity would be retained.
“We’ve listened to our customers in rural America and we’ve heard them loud and clear – they want to keep their Post Office open. We believe today’s announcement will serve our customers’ needs and allow us to achieve real savings to help the Postal Service return to long-term financial stability,” said Postmaster General and CEO Patrick R. Donahoe.
The new reduced hours would be implemented over a two-year, multi-phased approach and would not be completed until September 2014 at thousands of post offices across the nation. Once implementation is completed, the Postal Service estimates savings of a half billion dollars annually.
The reduced operating hour strategy replaces a plan announced last year to close 3,700 post offices nationwide.
No changes will occur until after a community meeting is held to review options in greater detail. No date for the meeting has been set for McDavid; residents will be notified by mail of the date, time and location of the meeting.
The McDavid Post Office is the only North Escambia area post office on the list of thousands across the country slated for a reduction in window hours. The plan does not include the Walnut Hill Post Office, which is in the McDavid 32568 zip code and operated under contract by Escambia River Electric Cooperative.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Area Man Busted With $114,200 Kilo Of Cocaine In Louisiana
May 11, 2012
An area resident is behind bars in Lafayette, Louisiana, after being arrested with a kilo of cocaine.
Anterrio Montgomery, age 29 of Brown Street in Atmore, was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center Thursday on a charge of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
His arrest was the result of a three month investigation by the Lafayette Metro Narcotics Task Force. When he was taken into custody in Lafayette, he was found to have one kilogram of cocaine his possession with a street value of $114,200.
He remained in jail early Friday with bond set at $150,000.
Pictured top: A kilo of cocaine with a street value of $114,200 reportedly found in the possession of an Atmore man in Louisiana. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Car Vs. Power Pole Wreck Leaves Homes In The Dark
May 11, 2012
A single vehicle crash Thursday night on Pine Forest Road in Walnut Hill left a small number of residents in the dark.
The driver of a car was northbound on Pine Forest Road just north of Pelt Road when he lost control and struck a power pole about 9:30 p.m. The collision snapped the pole off at the base, and sent power lines down for several hundred feet along Pine Forest Road to the railroad tracks at Pelt Road.
The male driver of the vehicle and his female passenger refused medical treatment at the scene.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
A small number of homes in the area lost power for a few hours as Escambia River Electric Cooperative worked to replace the pole and lines.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.