Commission, School Board Work To Redraw Voting Districts
July 12, 2011
The Escambia County Commission and School Board left a Monday meeting with proposed redistricting maps.
Following the recent release of 2010 Census numbers that show a population shift into the Cantonment area of the county, both the Escambia County Commission and the School District were forced to redraw district boundaries.
Escambia County is divided into five different voting districts, each represented by a county commissioner and school board member.
According to County Administrator Randy Oliver, the districts must be redrawn in such a manner that the population difference between the smallest district and the largest district is no more than five-percent.
All of the districts will be predominantly white, with the exception of District 3, which will remain predominantly black.
The ideal district, with one-fifth of the population, would have 59,524 residents. Districts 4 and 5 will be slightly larger than “ideal” by about 1,000 people.
Both the school board and commission will hold public hearings on the proposed changes later this month.
Data released earlier this year by the U.S. Census Bureau showed a population shift into the area between Barrineau Park and 9 Mile roads. That area, called the Cantonment Census County Division, saw a population increase of 15.8% (6,901 people) while the other three divisions in the county saw a population decrease of 1.4 to 3 percent. Overall, the county experienced a very slight 1 percent increase during the decade as the population increased from 294,410 in 2000 to 297,619 in 2010.
Sen. Evers Schedules Town Hall Meetings
July 12, 2011
Senator Greg Evers (R-Baker) has announced the dates and times for his Senate District 2 town hall meetings for the month of July.
The purpose of these town hall meetings is to provide the district with information on recent legislative changes, and discuss key issues facing Northwest Florida communities and the state going into the 2012 Legislative Session.
In the North Escambia area, meetings will be held:
Friday, July 15, 2011
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT
Jay Community Center
5259 Booker Lane
Friday, July 29, 2011
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT
Hadji Shrine Temple
800 W Nine Mile Rd
Town Pauses To Remember Late Council Member
July 12, 2011
The Century Town Council paused during their regular meeting Monday night to honor and remember Councilwoman Nadine McCaw who passed away last Thursday night. A black ribbon was placed on her empty chair at the council table.
At their next meeting on July 18, the council will begin the process of appointing a replacement for McCaw.
Pictured top: A black ribbon adorns the empty chair of Nadine McCaw at Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council. Pictured inset: Mayor Freddie McCall watches as the ribbon is placed on the chair. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Women Robbed At Gunpoint Outside Pensacola Walmart
July 12, 2011
Two women were robbed at gunpoint Monday afternoon in an Pensacola Walmart parking lot, and a transient is now facing multiple charges in connection with the crime.
The suspect – Karl Hill, 21, no permanent address – was charged with armed robbery, grand theft, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. outside Walmart at 2650 Creighton Road.
Pensacola Police Officer David Huhn said the two women were in a parking lot outside Wal-Mart when Hill approached them.
Huhn said Hill, who lives on a wooded trail leading to the business, pointed a handgun at the women, ordered both of them to get onto their knees, and held the gun to the back of their heads while he demanded their possessions.
After getting a purse and wallet from the women, Hill fled toward a church. Hill was taken into custody a short time later behind a nearby car wash and booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $68,000.
Former Molino Resident Gindl Cycles In Nashville Sounds Win
July 12, 2011
Former Molino resident Caleb Gindl hit for the cycle — a single, double, triple and a homer — Sunday night for the minor league Nashville Sounds.
Gindl became the third and most recent Sound to accomplish the feat in the team’s 34-year history. The right fielder ripped a triple in the second, homered in the third, doubled in the eighth, and completed the feat with a single in the ninth. Gindl went 4-for-5 with three runs scored to join J.R. House (2004) and Tike Redman (2001) as the only players to hit for the cycle in a Sounds uniform.
The victory gave Nashville (41-49) a 2-2 series split with Albuquerque.
Gindl, a 2007 Brewers’ fifth-round pick, played high school ball for the Pace Patriots. Before moving to Santa Rosa County, he lived in Molino, playing at both the Molino and Cantonment ballparks. He spends much of his off-time in North Escambia, where he still has family in Molino and Walnut Hill.
For video, click here.
Pictured top: Caleb Gindl at bat for the Nashville Sounds in Albuquerque Sunday night. Photo by Mike Stasinger, The Nashville Sounds for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Escambia Shooting
July 11, 2011
Two Escambia County men were injured this afternoon in a shooting in the Mayfair community.
The shooting occurred in the area of Belair Road and Rochelle Drive at around 12:59 p.m. Monday.
Shortly after the shooting, two men showed up at the Sacred Heart Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. One suffered a gunshot wound to the head, the other suffered gunshot wounds to the legs.
Deputies identified the men as Rayford Richardson III, 21, and Kamarcus Ldryan Jones, 20 (picture not available).
According to deputies Richardson and Jones were riding to the hospital in a 2010 Jeep Cherokee when it ran off the road on Bayou Boulevard near Springfield Street. The two were then picked up and driven to the hospital by a passing motorist.
Deputies seized a large amount of crack cocaine, marijuana and cash that was located in the vehicle.
“The investigation into the shooting is ongoing,” said Deputy Chris Welborn, Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “But the victims and witness are not cooperating and are refusing to assist us.”
Charges are pending against both the victims and a witness in this case, according to Welborn.
Anyone who may have information related to this case is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at 850-436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Butcher Knife Violence: Man Arrested After Manhunt
July 11, 2011
A man that allegedly tried to attack another person in his household with a butcher knife was arrested after a brief manhunt in Century Sunday night.
Wyndell Dean Lowery, 49, was charged with aggravated assault and battery by strangulation after the domestic violence incident just before 10 p.m. near Lake Stone. Lowery reportedly ran into a wooded area behind his residence in the 1000 block of West Highway 4 to avoid behind arrested. A K-9 unit from Century Correctional Institution was called in to search for Lowery, and he was taken into custody a short time later.
Lowery was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
There were no serious injuries reported in the incident.
Two Sentenced In Lake Meth Lab Case
July 11, 2011
Two Century men have been sentenced in connection with a case in which meth — not fish — was being cooked at a Century lake.
Mitchell Herman Dunsford, 25, of Else Davis Road, was sentenced to 30 days in jail with credit for time served, 24 months probation and ordered to pay $1,143 in court costs. Adjudication was withheld after Dunsford pleaded guilty to charges of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to sell, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Shaunathon Wayne Qualls, 26, of Campbell Road, was also sentenced to 24 months probation and 50 hours community service. He pleaded no contest to charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a listed chemical.
In early April, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered an active methamphetamine lab in a wooded area on the shore of a gravel lake at the end of Cedar Street, just south of Old Flomaton Road. A portion of the meth lab — the bottle used in the actual manufacturing process — was tossed into a nearby stream.
Dunsford reportedly ran from deputies, leading to a brief, unsuccessful manhunt. While the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit was working to test and remove the meth lab, Dunsford returned to the scene with a relative.
Along with the drug paraphernalia, deputies also discovered fishing equipment — rods and reels and live bait.
Pictured top: Deputy David Bashore works to remove a bottle that was allegedly part of a meth lab thrown into a stream that feeds a gravel lake in Century. Pictured inset: The alleged active meth lab. Pictured below: Some of the items believed to have been used in connection with meth lab. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Funeral Service Held For Century Councilwoman
July 11, 2011
Funeral services were held today for Nadine McCaw, a Century council woman that passed away last Thursday.
McCaw was born March 31, 1954, and was a lifelong resident of Century. She was elected to the Century town council in 2007, taking office in January 2008. She was an employee of the Century Branch Library, and active in Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society, and the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society. McCaw was a member of the First Baptist Church of Century.
“Town Council Member Nadine McCaw will be remembered for her dedicated service to her community. My condolences go to Nadine’s family and the town of Century,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Friday.
“Her day job was her work with the Century Branch Library, but Nadine’s passion was service to others. She worked to better the lives of those in her community. My wife Vicki and I offer our prayers for her husband, Eddie, her children, and her entire extended family. She will be missed by all of us,” Congressman Jeff Miller said.
To read more tributes to McCaw, click here.
McCaw is survived by her husband of 39 years Eddie McCaw of Century; two daughters, Juanita McCaw and Felicia McCaw, eight grandchildren, three brothers and six sisters.
Pictured: Nadine McCaw at her first Century Town Council meeting in January 2008. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
NWE Senior Girls Win Sectional Softball Championship
July 11, 2011
The Northwest Escambia senior girls softball teams has claimed the sectional championship, and they are headed to state later this month.
NWE defeated Niceville 11-9 and 9-6 Saturday to claim the sectional title in Florida Section 1 Senior League Softball. They are the first Senior League team from Section 1 to make the state tournament.
Members of the NWE Senior Girls All-Star Team are Penny Banda, Kristen Byrd, Courtney Peebles, Kendal Cobb, Kyndall Hall, Danielle Steadham , Addy Lee, Samantha Bethea, Makayla Flowers and Cheyenne Schoonover. The team is managed by Ronald Peebles and coached by Jarrod Peebles and Danny Hall.
Northwest Escambia 11 Niceville 9
In the first match-up of the double elimination tournament, Northwest Escambia beat Niceville 11-9.
Scoring for NWE: Courtney Peebles and Cheyenne Schoonover each had a double and run; Makayla Flowers had a single and a run; Kristen Byrd added two singles, a double and three runs; Kendal Cobb and Danielle Steadham both had a single and a run; Addy Lee added a double, a triple and two runs; and Penny Banda had a single, two doubles and one run.
Peebles pitched all seven for Northwest Escambia, striking out nine and allowing just three walks.
Northwest Escambia 9 Niceville 6
In the second game, Northest Escambia beat Niceville 9-6.
For NWE, Cheyenne Schoonover had three singles and a run; Courtney Peebles added three singles, a double and a run, Kendal Cobb had two singles and two runs; Danielle Steaham had three singles,a double and three runs; Kyndall Hall contributed one single and one run; and Samantha Bethea had a single and a run.
Hall pitched the full game for NWE, striking out one and walking two.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.