Child Dies In Atmore House Fire; First Responders Injured (With Gallery)
July 4, 2012
A fire late Tuesday night in Atmore claimed the life of 11-year old Nyamiah Weeks Weeks and sent five first responders to the the hospital.
The fire was reported about 11:15 p.m. in the 100 block of Beck Street.
Firefighters were quickly able to knock down the fire in the 1600 square foot wood frame home. By 11:45 p.m., family members learned that Nehemiah had just been found dead inside the home.
“”She was such a sweet, loving girl,” said a family member that did not wish to be named. “She was always so happy. And she was so happy to be going to the middle school.” She would have started Escambia County Middle School in Atmore in August.
“I just can’t believe she’s gone. Little angel now,” he said. “God’s little angel.”
Preliminary information indicates the fire started after Nyamiah Weeks made a grilled cheese sandwich and left the stove on after cooking. Her grandmother, Jackie McMurray, escaped the blaze and was not injured.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
The fire was still under investigation Wednesday morning, with Atmore Fire Chief Gerry McGhee saying that it could be a matter of days before the State Fire Marshal determined the fire’s origination.
Four firefighters and one Atmore police officer were transported to Atmore Community Hospital to be treated for injuries, McGhee said. The police officer suffered burns to his hands in a rescue attempt. All had been treated and released by mid-morning Wednesday.
Pictured top: An Atmore police officer and an unidentified man console a relative of a young girl killed in an Atmore house fire. Pictured below: Smoke pours from the Beck Street home in Atmore as paramedics treat an injured firefighter on the lawn. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Arson After Suspicious Fires Damage Escambia High School (With Gallery)
July 4, 2012
Suspicious fires damaged Escambia High School Tuesday night, and a Pensacola man has been charged with arson for starting the blazes.
Smoke was pouring from the roof of the two story portion of the school shortly after firefighters arrived shortly after 11 p.m. Crews from multiple fire stations search the buildings for the origination of the smoke as ladder trucks towered over the school on 65th Avenue in Myrtle Grove.
Firefighters were able to locate a fire in at least two different classrooms as smoke filled much of the sprawling buildings. There were no injuries reported.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office was called in to the investigate the fire, along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators and a crime scene unit were still at the school after 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Daniel Lance Quattlebaum, 21, was charged with arson, burglary and criminal mischief with property damage in connection with the incident. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday with bond set at $112,500.
Further details have not yet been released.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy watches as two Escambia County firefighters pull a ventilation fan down a smoke filled outdoor corridor early Wednesday morning at Escambia County High School. Pictured inset: Smoke billows from Escambia High School shortly after the first firefighters arrive on scene Tuesday night. Pictured below: A ladder truck aerial towers over Escambia High School. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, Bob Solarski/WEAR 3 and reader submitted photos, click to enlarge.
TV Icon Andy Griffith Dead At Age 86
July 4, 2012
TV icon and “America’s Sheriff” Andy Griffith passed away at his home in North Carolina Tuesday morning. He was 86.
Famous for “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1960-68, he also started in “Mayberry R.F.D.”, the legal drama Matlock and made guest appearances on numerous other shows. He was also a Grammy award winning Southern Gospel Singer.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2005.
Ron Howard, cast as Griffith’s television son Opie Taylor, commented on Twitter, “Andy Griffith’s pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations and shaped my life. I’m forever grateful. RIP Andy.”
Santa Rosa Wreck Claims Life Of Jay High Graduate
July 4, 2012
A 21-year old man died in a two vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Santa Rosa County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Trevor J. Thomas of Milton was southbound on Chumuckla Highway near Archies Way at 3:30 p.m. in a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro when he crossed the center dividing line into the path of a 2009 Chevrolet truck driven by 16-year old Clayton Gregory of Pensacola.
Troopers said Gregory saw Thomas cross the center line and tried to avoid a collision. But Thomas never attempted to correct his driving mistake, according to the FHP.
Thomas, a 2009 graduate of Jay High School, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Gregory received only minor injuries; he will not face any charges in connection with the accident, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Pictured top and inset: A Jay High School graduate driving this Camaro died Tuesday afternoon when he drove into the path of a pickup truck (pictured below) on Chumuckla Highway. Photos courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Charges To Be Filed In Toddler Shooting
July 4, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has announced that there will be no charges filed in connection with the weekend shooting of a two-year old child.
The toddler sustained a gunshot would to the stomach area, according to investigators, Sunday afternoon about 3:30 at a home in the 7300 block of Pine Forest Road. The toddler was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to a Sacred Heart Hospital where he remains hospitalized in stable condition.
The child was with his mother, Angela Matthews, as she was visiting her boyfriend, Kevin Vestal, at his home. The 2-year old was separated from another child and put into a bedroom by Matthews, the Sheriff’s Office said. Later, a loud bang was heard and the child was found with the wound.
“Kevin Vestal had a firearm stored in this room, and wasn’t aware that the two-year old was in there. The case has been ruled accidental and no charges will be filed,” Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesman for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Featured Recipe: Yankee Doodle Dandy Treats
July 4, 2012
Looking to spend some time with the kids in the kitchen? Yankee Doodle Dandy Treats are a fun, easy and patriotic way to celebrate.
The recipe is not only easy, but it also lots of fun. It’s terrific for a “just-because” snack or as a sweet way to finish off a family picnic. And kids of all ages can help – from pouring and stirring to dipping and decorating, there’s something everyone can do.
Yankee Doodle Dandy Treats
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 package (10 ounces, about 40) regular marshmallows OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
- 6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal OR 6 cups Kellogg’s® Cocoa Krispies® cereal
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate morsels
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Red-, white- and blue-colored sprinkles
Preparation
- In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
- Add cereal. Stir until well coated.
- Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Crosswise cut in half, forming two 9 x 6 1/2-inch rectangles.
- Meanwhile, in small saucepan melt white chocolate morsels over low heat, stirring frequently. Stir in oil. Add powdered sugar, stirring until combined. Add water. Stir until smooth.
- Spread chocolate mixture over one cereal rectangle. Top with second rectangle. Sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles, pressing lightly into cereal mixture. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Cut into 3 1/4 x 1-inch strips. Best if served the same day.
Serves
Servings 18
Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour
Flomaton, Century Celebrate The 4th With Fireworks (With Gallery)
July 4, 2012
The area’s fireworks Fourth of July demonstrations got underway Tuesday night at Showalter Park in Century.
Last year, both towns sponsored a fireworks show at Hurricane Park in Flomaton. Century agreed to help pay for the show only if the town’s alternated being the host for the event each year — the event will return to Flomaton next year.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Fireworks Tuesday night at Showalter Park in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos by Raja Atallah and Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Federal, State And Local Officials Applaud RESTORE Act
July 4, 2012
Local, state and federal officials gathered on Pensacola Beach Tuesday to celebrate the passage of the RESTORE act. Passed by Congress last week, the RESTORE act, which was part of a larger transportation measure, earmarks 80 percent of water pollution fines BP is expected to pay for restoration efforts in Gulf States, which bore the brunt of the damage from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
“To be able to have the money stay here in Northwest Florida is very important. We know that the oil spill was ongoing a lot of the money that was dedicated to helping people through the process was used all over the state of Florida where the biggest damage was done in Northwest Florida. That’s not going to happen again,” Congressman Jeff Miller said at a Pensacola Beach press conference.
Once money is allocated to the local area under the federal act, it will be up to local governments to decide how to spend those dollars.
“The idea of this money is to use it for things we will invest in the future both for infrastructure projects and other things either environmental or economic that will move us forward,” County Commissioner Grover Robinson said.
The bill is awaiting President Barack Obama’s signature. It’s not clear exactly when local Gulf Coast communities will see their first payment.
Pictured top: (L-R) Escambia Commissioners Wilson Robertson and Grover Robinson, Congressman Jeff Miller, Santa Rosa Island Authority Director Buck Lee and State Rep. Doug Broxson during a news conference Tuesday on Pensacola Beach to address the RESTORE act. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Smell Of Smoke Prompts Store Evacuation
July 3, 2012
The Davisville Family Dollar was evacuated and temporarily closed this afternoon due to the smell of smoke.
Employees of the store at 11200 Highway 97, near the Alabama state line, reported an electrical burning smell inside the building about 3:40 p.m. Firefighters determined the source of the smell to be an overheated computer battery backup system that was plugged up but not in use.
The store reopened for business a short time later.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Atmore Fire Department responded to the call.
Picture: The smell of smoke prompted the evacuation of the Family Dollar in Davisville Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Residents: Garbage Pickup As Usual On The Fourth Of July
July 3, 2012
According to the Town of Century, Allied Waste will pick up garbage as usual on Wednesday July 4 for residents within the town limits.
For more information, contact Allied Waste at (251) 809-0800.