Food Distribution On Saturday In Cantonment
April 24, 2026
Escambia County 4-H and the Northview 4-H Club are holding a food giveaway on Saturday, April 25 in Cantonment.
The student-led food distribution will take place from 9 a.m. until noon, or while supplies last, at the Langley Bell 4-H Center at 3730 Stefani Road.
This food giveaway is in conjunction with the Legacy Meals community pride project through Florida 4-H, a 4-H youth-led community service project with a focus on helping those who are struggling with food insecurities.
The provided meals are packaged and designed to provide a family with a complete, shelf-stable, and nutritious dinner that can be easily prepared at home.
EREC’s 87th Annual Meeting Will Be Saturday In Walnut Hill
April 24, 2026
Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s 87th Annual Meeting will be held Saturday, April 25.
The meeting for EREC members will be held at Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill. Activities and registration will be from 8 to 10 a.m., and the business meeting will begin at 10 a.m.
There will be lots of door prizes, vendor information tables, and activities for kids. Scholarship winners will be recognized, and voting will take place for open trustee seats.
Breakfast will be available for cash only, with proceeds going to the EWMS culinary arts program (menu pictured left).
General parking will be in front of the school (enter from Highway 97), and senior parking will be on the side in front of the gym (enter from Highway 99A).
Pictured: The 2025 EREC Annual Meeting at Wallace Lake K-8 School in Pace. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Portion Of The Area Now In An Extreme Drought
April 24, 2026
Drought conditions continue to worsen in the North Escambia area, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor data released on Thursday.
A portion of Escambia County in Florida, including Century, McDavid, Bratt, Davisville, and part of Walnut Hill is in an extreme drought, along with Escambia County in Alabama and Santa Rosa County. The remainder of Escambia County, Florida, is in a severe drought.
According to the Drought Monitor, an area in an extreme drought may experience major crop or pasture losses, extreme fire danger and water shortages.
Tate Aggies Host Tocoi Creek Toros In Regional Quarterfinal Tonight
April 24, 2026
The Tate Aggies begin play tonight in the 6A regional quarterfinals.
In a quarterfinal game, the No. 4 Aggies (20-7) will host No. 5 Tocoi Creek (14-13) at 7 p.m.
Tocoi Creek in St. Augustine is a relatively new school that opened in 2021. In 2025, the Pace Patriots swept the Toros in two shutout games in the Region 1-6A semifinals.
Also Friday night at 7 p.m., No. 1 Pace will host No. 8 Lake Howell.
If the Patriots and Aggies both win, they will meet again at Pace in a best-of-three series May 1-2 in the regional semifinals. Pace claimed the district title on April 16 with a 4-2 walk-off home run over Tate.
Pictured: Kaiden Posta rounds first base in Tate’s district championship game against the Patriots at Pace. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Softball District Tournament Schedules Announced
April 24, 2026
Softball district tournament pairings were announced on Thursday, with Northview and Jay earning byes in the first round and Tate set to take on the top team in the district.
Rural District 1
In the Rural District 1 quarterfinals on Monday, Northview and Jay will each have a bye in the tournament.
On Tuesday, April 28 at 5 p.m. No. 1 Northview will play the winner of Monday’s Central and Baker game, while at 7 p.m. No. 2 Jay will play the winner of Monday’s Paxton and Laurel Hill game. The district championship will be Thursday, April 30.
All games will be played at Jay.
Region 1-6A
In the 6A District 1 semifinals, the No. 4 Tate Aggies (10-13, 1-4) will travel to No. 1 Pace (20-4, 4-0) next Tuesday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Simultaneously, No. 3 Crestview (18-7, 2-3) will travel to No. 2 Navarre (13-9, 3-3).
The district championship will be Thursday, April 30 at the higher seed.
Pictured: The Tate Lay Aggies score back-to-back runs on Wednesday night in their win over Choctaw. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Split Twin Bill With Biscuits In Montgomery
April 24, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos split their doubleheader against the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday night, winning game one by a score of 8-7 and falling in game two by a 4-2 final.
In game one, the Blue Wahoos overcame an early deficit and withstood a late Montgomery charge to win their first game in five tries against the Biscuits this season. Austin Overn opened the scoring for the Biscuits with a safety squeeze bunt in the bottom of the third inning, but the Blue Wahoos exploded in a four-run fourth. Ryan Ignoffo hit a solo homer to tie the game, Payton Green smoked a two-run double, and Dylan Jasso added a sacrifice fly for a 4-1 lead.
The Biscuits wasted no time answering back against Pensacola starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr, as Xavier Isaac hit a solo homer and Mac Horvath tacked on an RBI single before Gregory Barrios scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 4-4.
The Blue Wahoos took the lead for good against reliever Jackson Lancaster (L, 0-1) in the fifth, as Dillon Lewis brought home a run on a double play grounder and Cristian Hernández blasted a double, his second of the game, to score Michael Snyder from first base and put Pensacola ahead 6-4. They added two more in the sixth on a Gage Miller sacrifice fly and Brendan Jones solo homer for an 8-4 advantage.
Justin King (W, 1-0) worked 2.0 innings of effective relief, and Logan Whitaker (S, 1) survived an anxious bottom of the seventh to earn his first save. After loading the bases with nobody out, the righty worked around a bases-loaded walk to Isaac and an RBI groundout from Brayden Taylor to strike out Barrios, ending the game with the tying run at third and the winning run at second.
In game two, the Blue Wahoos played as the home team to make up a postponement in Pensacola from the opening weekend of the season. Montgomery’s Ryan Spikes and Pensacola’s Garret Forrester traded solo homers in the third inning for an early 1-1 tie game.
Emaarion Boyd put the Blue Wahoos ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly against Kyle Whitten (W, 2-0), but the Biscuits rallied back in the top of the sixth against Stephen Jones (L, 1-1). With two outs, Kenny Piper hit a game-tying RBI single before Barrios dropped a bloop double down the left field line, taking the lead when Boyd’s return throw deflected into foul territory. Horvath capped the rally with an RBI triple for a 4-2 Montgomery lead.
Pensacola threatened in the bottom of the seventh against Owen Wild (S, 2), as Green doubled and Forrester walked, before Boyd and Ian Lewis Jr. flied out to end the game.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Friday.
written by Erik Bremer
Highland Baptist Jambalaya Fundraiser and Bake Auction Is Saturday In Molino
April 24, 2026
Highland Baptist Church will host a jambalaya fundraiser and bake auction this Saturday, April 25, from 5:- 7 p.m. to benefit Operation Christmas Child.
Plates are $10 and include jambalaya, rice, cornbread, dessert, and a drink. Meals will be available to eat on the lawn at the church or as take-out plates. The event will also feature a bake auction, with all proceeds going toward bringing Christmas presents and the gospel to children worldwide through the Samaritan’s Purse project.
Tickets are available by calling the church office at 850-587-5174. Highland Baptist Church is located at 6240 Highway 95A North in Molino.
Century Borrowing $7 Million For Water System, But Will Only Pay Back $700K
April 23, 2026
The Town of Century will borrow just over $7.06 million for drinking water projects, but they will never be required to pay back most of the loan.
Total project costs come in at nearly $8.95 million, and the town has received over $1.88 million in grants, leaving a total loan balance of just over $7.06 million.
Due to Century’s state economic designation by FloridaCommerce as a Rural Community, Century will receive 90% principal forgiveness, requiring total payments of about $706,000 on the State Revolving Fund loan.
With principal forgiveness and grants, the $8.95 million in drinking water system improvements will only cost the town approximately $706,000 over time.
A vote by the town council this week authorizes Mayor Ben Boutwell to execute the loan paperwork.
The drinking water system improvements include:
Well Improvement Projects
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Well No. 1 Improvements Constructed in 1963, this facility has not seen significant upgrades since its original build. The planned rehabilitation focuses on modernizing the wellhouse structure, replacing the electrical system, piping, and treatment equipment, and installing a SCADA system to improve overall reliability.
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Well No. 2 Improvements Built in 1983, Well No. 2 requires similar structural and technical modernization. While the town is currently using a Legislative Appropriation and a Pilot grant for specific needs like lime equipment and electrical work, they intend to use SRF funding to supplement these grants as bid pricing dictates.
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Well No. 3 Improvements This well, which exclusively serves the Century Correctional Institute, has been out of service since failing in 2023. The project involves drilling a new well and rehabilitating the existing structure and equipment to ensure the 1,350 inmates have a reliable primary water source.
System-Wide Infrastructure Projects
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Tedder Road Booster Pump Station Intended as a backup for the prison, the existing station failed in late 2023 and the current replacement is undersized. The town proposes installing a new, sufficiently sized duplex skid-mounted system equipped with SCADA to properly coordinate operations with Well No. 3.
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Water Service Renewals The town’s system is plagued by significant water loss due to old copper, galvanized, and polybutylene service lines that frequently leak. This project aims to replace these aged services throughout the entire system with new tubing and modern connections to the water mains.
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Utility Billing Software Century’s current billing software is obsolete and unable to track water production or reconcile non-revenue water. Replacing this system is considered critical for meeting SRF program goals, enhancing fiscal accountability, and improving asset management reporting.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Prom Promise Demonstration Shows High Schoolers The Reality Of Drunk Driving
April 23, 2026
A realistic DUI crash demonstration involving students gave Flomaton High School students a dose of reality on Wednesday morning.
One student, the DUI driver, was arrested. Two were transported to the hospital — one by helicopter in critical condition and one by ambulance.
One student did not survive. A mother screamed in agony.
The demonstration was all part of the school’s Prom Promise program, encouraging the students to not drink and drive.
Multiple agencies took part in the student demonstration Wednesday, including the Flomaton Fire Department, Flomaton Police Department, Century Station of Escambia County (FL) Fire Rescue, Newman’s Ambulance, MedStar Aircare 2, Brewton Fire Department, Williams Funeral Home, and others.
Photos by Katie Fowler and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hands-On Earth Day: Local Students Tackle Environmental Issues
April 23, 2026
Wednesday, students across North Escambia were busy on taking part in Earth Day hands-on projects designed to protect the environment.
At Jim Allen Elementary School, Ms. Cole’s class worked hard to keep the school — and the planet– clean.
At Tate High School, Stephanie Gzybowski’s class brought learning to life with a hands-on oil spill simulation. Students explored real-world environmental challenges by using floating oil booms, skimmers, absorbents, and dispersants to clean up a simulated spill.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
The activity gave students the opportunity to think critically, problem solve, and better understand how science is used to protect our oceans and environment.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
