Photo: Supermoon

May 6, 2012

Saturday night’s supermoon, seen in the photo above, was the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Firefighters, Deputies Respond To Fire, Dispute Over Abandoned Building

May 5, 2012

Firefighters and deputies responded a to reported building fire on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill Friday night.

About 8 p.m., someone reported the building in the 7400 block of Highway 97, near Ernest Ward Middle School, to be on fire. When the first firefighters from the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue arrived on scene, they found a small pile of boards and other debris on fire directly next to the building, which housed a community store and served as a residence years ago. The building had been abandoned since it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene due to a dispute between individuals claiming ownership and rights to the building. One of those individuals claiming rights to the building began demolishing it with a tractor Friday evening and had started the small fire. Another person with a claim to the building told deputies that she did not want the person to tear the building down.

According to Escambia County Property Appraiser records, the building sits on different parcels of property, including the state’s right of way along Highway 97.

There were no injuries and no charges filed in connection with the incident.

Pictured above: Firefighters work to completely extinguish a small trash and debris pile next to an abandoned building in Walnut Hill Friday night. Pictured below: The building has been abandoned since it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

The Power Of Purple: Relay For Life At Tate High (With Gallery)

May 5, 2012

The annual Relay for Life of Greater Escambia got underway Friday evening at Tate High School.

Dozens of teams and hundreds of people took part in the annual event which has raised over $500,000 for cancer research in about 10 years.

Teams in the event were from Cantonment, Molino, Gonzalez, Cottage Hill, Ensley and surrounding areas. The even was fformerly called the North Pensacola Relay for Life.

For a photo gallery, click here.

Pictured top: The 2012 Relay for Life of Greater Escambia got underway Friday event at Tate High School. Pictured inset: Celebrating during the Survivor’s Lap. Pictured below: The moon rises early Friday evening over “HOPE” luminarias at Tate High School.  NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.



Molino Carjacking Under Investigation

May 5, 2012

A Friday night car carjacking in Molino is under investigation.

The incident happened in the 5000 block of Schaag Road. The victim reported that a  male in his 30’s approached them and first asked for a ride. Then, the suspect reportedly took the victim’s 2008 Ford Focus at knife point.

The suspect was last seen headed south toward Barrineau Park Road. There were no injuries  reported.

The incident remains under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Further details have not been released.

Photos: NHS Presents ‘The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux’

May 5, 2012

The Northview Spring Musical “The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux”, was presented Friday night.

For a photo gallery, click here.

NorthEscambia.com photos by Annie Wiedel, click to enlarge.

Jackson Tops Pensacola To Even Series

May 5, 2012

Five different Jackson hitters recorded a multi-hit game, while Generals starting pitcher Brandon Maurer kept the Pensacola offense at bay by allowing just one earned run in seven frames, as the Blue Wahoos fell 10-2 on Friday night in front of another sell-out crowd of 5,038 at Pensacola’s multi-use stadium. The capacity crowd was the ninth in 13 home dates for the Blue Wahoos in 2012.

The Generals plated got off to a quick start with a six-run second frame thanks to three hits and four walks. Included in the inning were two-run singles from DH Joe Dunigan and 1B Rich Poythress, while C Jesus Sucre also drove in a run with a base knock. Jackson would be held quiet until the final frame, when they would bring across four more scores.

Pensacola got their first run of the contest in the fourth with a two-out rally. RF Josh Fellhauer walked with two outs and advanced to third on 2B Brodie Greene’s single, before scoring on C Koyie Hill’s RBI single to right. The Blue Wahoos would also tally another run in the eighth on 1B Joel Guzman’s run-scoring base knock to left.

Maurer (7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) earned the victory to improve to 2-0 on the year after yielding just an earned run on six hits in his solid seven innings of work, while Pensacola starter Tim Crabbe (4.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss to drop to 1-2 after allowing six earned runs on six hits in his four frames. Blue Wahoos reliever Mark Serrano (3.0 IP, 2 H, 4 SO) turned in a strong outing in relief, firing three shutout innings.

Dunigan (2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Poythress (2-5, 1 R, 2 RBI), along with 3B Francisco Martinez (2-6, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI), RF Johermyn Chavez (3-5, 1 R, 1 RBI) and C Jesus Sucre (2-4, 2 RBI) all collected two or more hits for the Generals. Greene (3-4) led all Blue Wahoos batters with three hits on the evening, while Guzman (2-4, 1 RBI) also recorded a pair of hits.

3B Henry Rodriguez reached base with a single in the eighth to extend his hit streak to 12 games, which is now the longest stretch by a Blue Wahoos player this year. Rodriguez in addition currently rides a 14-game on-base streak.

With the series tied at 2-2, Pensacola and Jackson will meet for the final game of the series, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 pm on Saturday night. The Blue Wahoos are expected to start RHP Pedro Villarreal in the rubber match, while the Generals are slated to send LHP Danny Hultzen, the Mariners’ second-best prospect according to Baseball America, to take the bump.

By Andrew Green

Pictured: Brodie Greene tallied three hits in Pensacola’s 10-2 loss Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo by Chris Nelson, click to enlarge.

Man Busted For Explicit Texts, Arranging Sex With 14-Year Old

May 5, 2012

An Escambia County man was arrested Friday afternoon for explicit communication with what he thought was a 14-year girl and agreeing to meet her for sex.

Alan Lynsdale Hamilton, 48, began the text message conversations with was really an undercover Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigator with the department’s computer crimes unit.

“During the communications Hamilton engaged in a sexually explicit conversation and agreed to meet the fourteen year-old on May 4, 2012, for the purpose of having sex,” according to Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, Baxter said Hamilton went to the Deluna Lanes Bowling Alley, with the intention of picking up the 14-year old girl for sex.

When he arrived at the location he was taken into custody by members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Hamilton was charged with one count each of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, and traveling to meet a juvenile for sex after soliciting them via a computer. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

Beer Truck Becomes A Bit ‘Tipsy’, Overturns On Nine Mile Road

May 4, 2012

There were no injuries when an 18-wheeler hauling Bud Light beer became a little “tipsy”  on West Nine Mile Road near Beulah Friday morning.

For an unknown reason, the 18-wheeler overturned onto its side as the driver exited from I-10 to West Nine Mile Road. The driver, 51-year old Antonio Purifoy of Cantonment, was taken to West Florida Hospital with minor injuries.

Purifoy was cited by the FHP for careless driving.

The accident happened about 8:25 a.m. and caused traffic delays four about eight hours, according to FHP.

Submitted photo by Meridith Caum for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Tate Falls To Mosley In Quarterfinals

May 4, 2012

The Tate Aggies lost their Region 1-6A quarterfinal game Thursday night to the Mosley Dolphins.

Tate jumped out to an early lead with an RBI single to left field in the first, and another RBI single in the third. But Mosley tied it up 2-2 in the third before scoring a go-ahead run with a single up the middle. Mosley increased their lead to 5-2 in the fourth.

The Aggies cut the lead to 5-4 in the fifth, with the sixth and seventh inning scoreless.

With the loss, the Aggies season came to an end with a 22-6 overall record, 12-2 in the district.

Tate Hitters: David Moorhead 2-4, 2RBI, 1R; JT Granat 2-4, 1RBI; Mac Siebert 1RBI; Maverick Champman 2-3;  Hunter Black 2-4; Austin Quina 0-3, 1R

Photos: The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux Dress Rehearsal

May 4, 2012

The Northview Spring Musical “The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux”, will be presented Friday at 6:30 p.m.

The play follows the dastardly Dr. Dogsbreath Devereaux and his equally evil nurse, Hilda Hatchet, as they plot to wrestle away the Hanover D. Cash Clinic from Hanover’s sweet and very wealthy widow, Lotta Cash.

Dr. Phil Good, the good hero, and the heroine, Wendy March, try foil the evil Dr. Devereaux and nurse Hatchet.

Throw in a little love, marriage, flirting, burlesque dancers, murder, zany patients and more….and the audience won’t know what’s happening next at the Hanover D. Cash Clinic.

Tickets will be on sale Friday at the NHS office. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door for reserved seating.

For over 100 photos from a Thursday afternoon dress rehearsal, click here.

Pictured inset: Scenes from a dress rehearsal Thursday afternoon of “The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux” at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

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