BBB Accepting Applications For $1,000 Scholarship
January 22, 2011
The Better Business Bureau Foundation of Northwest Florida is currently accepting applications for the 2011 Student Ethics Scholarship.
The Student Ethics Scholarship Award is given to college-bound students within the BBB Northwest Florida service area who demonstrate overall personal integrity and ethical behavior.
A total of nine high school junior and senior students will be granted $1,000 Student Ethics Scholarships this year. Three students in each of the BBB’s three districts will receive a $1,000 scholarship toward the accredited college or university of their choice.
Local leaders from businesses and academia will serve as judges and award scholarships based on criteria including leadership, community service, academic achievement and an essay response on building character.
The Student Ethics Scholarship will be awarded in conjunction with the Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics and the Customer Service Excellence Award. The Torch Award was created to recognize businesses and charities that insist on exceptionally high standards of behavior in dealing with customers, vendors and employees. The Customer Service Excellence Award recognizes employees who go above and beyond in their customer service activities.
The application deadline is March 18, 2011. Scholarship recipients will be recognized and asked to read their essay at a luncheon in their district to be held in May.
For entry forms and guidelines please visit www.nwfl.bbb.org/TorchAward or call (850 429-0002 or (800) 729-9226.
2,200 Trees Given Away
January 21, 2011
About 2,200 trees were scheduled to be given away Friday at two locations as part of an Arbor Day Celebration.
The Honeysuckle Garden Club of Barrineau Park held a tree giveaway Friday morning at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Each person was allowed to choose two free native bare-root trees, choosing from Southern crabapple, mayhaw, blackgum, Shumard oak, sawtooth oak, green ash and bald cypress.
Honeysuckle Garden Club members, UF IFAS Escambia County Extension personnel, and Escambia County Master Gardeners were also on hand to answer questions about the trees and tree planting in general.
The second event was held at Lexington Terrace Park and Community Center on old Old Corry Field Road in Pensacola.
Pictured above and below: A tree giveaway at the Barrineau Park Community Center Friday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Man Arrested On Six Animal Cruelty Charges
January 21, 2011
A Century man was arrested Thursday afternoon on six animal cruelty charges in connection with the December seizure of several malnourished dogs and horses seized from his property in December.
Willie Lee Jones, 54, was charged with three counts of confinement of animals without sufficient food, water or exercise, and three counts of cruelty to animals. He remained in the Escambia County Jail early Friday morning with bond set at $15,000. Judge John Simon also ordered that he possess no animals if he is released on bond.
On December 22, Escambia County Animal Control, Panhandle Equine Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized at least six dogs and four horses from the home at 6420 North Century Boulevard, just south of Tedder Road.
One of the dogs, a pit bull, was found chained to a piece of post, according to the Sheriff’s Office incident report. Another, also a pit bull, was found in a cage by itself with open sores on its body. A female pit bull was found with three puppies. The puppies were playful and appeared to be of reasonable health, according to the reporting deputy, but the mother’s ribs and hips were clearly visible.
Two of the pit bulls were euthanized due to their poor health, according to Escambia County Animal Control. The other animals are all recovering after receiving veterinary care.
One of the horses was stabled by himself in what deputies described as “an old dilapidated building”.
“The horse was standing on a thick layer of manure that coated the entire floor of the stall,” according to the Sheriff’s Office report. There was no food or water for the horse.
A man that lives on the property told deputies that he had fed and watered the horses Wednesday morning, but it was the last of the food. He said that Jones was due to purchase more food and hay for the horses the following day.
Deputies found another horse in small enclosure standing in a pile of manure that was several inches thick. None of the horses on the property had food or hay, and several lacked adequate water, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Pictured above and below: A Century man is facing six animal cruelty charges in connection with these animals seized in December. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Race To The Top: Escambia Schools Awarded $8.37 Million
January 21, 2011
The Escambia County School District was notified Thursday that it will receive $8,373,647 in Race to Top funds.
Escambia County was one of five districts to be awarded Thursday, bringing the total number of districts receiving full approval of their Race to the Top grant to 35, with the combined amount of funding awarded now at more than $142 million.
In August 2010, Florida won $700 million in funding through the federal Race to the Top competition. Half of the funds will be distributed to approved school districts to carry out locally developed education reform plans.
The other half of the funding is being used by the state to develop a broad array of programs and strategies that will directly aid all school districts in areas that include improving their lowest performing schools; recognizing and rewarding their highly effective teachers; and increasing the academic achievement of all students.
Hwy 99 Bridge Reopened After 6 Week Closure
January 21, 2011
There’s some good news for many North Escambia drivers — a North Highway 99 bridge opened Friday after being closed for six weeks.
The 55-year old bridge over North Pine Barren Creek, just north of the Oak Grove Park, was closed for emergency repairs on December 9 after a routine inspection revealed a deterioration of concrete at the southern end of the bridge. A portion of the repair included the installation of steel piers and a steel truss (pictured above) to support that end of the bridge.
The project was delayed because it was too cold for the contractor to pour concrete and too cold to apply the necessary joint sealants. Repairs to the wood and concrete bridge were done by DKE Marine under an emergency Escambia County purchase order not to exceed $100,000.
The roadway is heavily traveled and is a primary route for school traffic to and from Bratt Elementary, Ernest Ward Middle and Northview High schools.
Pictured: A new steel truss supports part of the Pine Barren Creek Bridge on North Highway 99 in Oak Grove. Pictured below: The bridge was once again open to traffic Friday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Clean Out Your Closets For Children’s Hospital Kids
January 21, 2011
There is still time to clean out your closets to benefit a great cause.
Saturday, Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital will host ”Clean Out Your Closets 4 Kids Day” from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Greenhut Auditorium at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
Area kids and their parents are asked to go through their closets and bring new and gently used items to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and other area children’s charities.
Items needed include DVDs, video games, books, gently-used plastic toys and board games, winter coats, and art supplies.
Once the donations have been brought in, volunteers will sort through the items and designate them for a variety of pediatric departments at Sacred Heart, including the Autism Center, Miracle Camp, Child Life, Pediatric Rehabilitation, and the Pediatric Care Center. Donations will also be given to other area child charity organizations and area Escambia County elementary schools.
For a complete list of needs, click here.
For more information on how to get involved, please call Cat Ellis at (850) 416-1156.
Ernest Ward Students Explore Past With National History Day Projects
January 21, 2011
History came alive through the eyes of students at Ernest Ward Middle School Thursday evening as they displayed weeks of work on projects for National History Day.
The History Fair in the school’s gym capped off a project in which EWMS students were required to do research into a topic. The research was presented in exhibit form, much like the typical science fair, or as a drama or web presentation. Students complete projects either individually or in teams.
For a photo gallery of projects, click here.
This was the second year Ernest Ward has participated in the national program, with the top projects from Ernest Ward headed next to a district competition. Those winners were:
GROUP
- Samantha Sharpless and Tamara Wise — Women’s Rights
- Hannah Gibson and Morgan Ward — Poarch Creek Indians
- Jason Perritt and Tyler Houston — Atomic Bomb
- Amy Murph and Jessica McCullough — 9/11 Debate
INDIVIDUAL
- Tristan Barrett — Cuban Missile Crisis
- Ben Linam — Iran Hostages
- Logan Lee — Atomic Bomb
- Tristan Brown — Ping-Pong Diplomacy
PERFORMANCE
- Abbie Johnson, Harmoni Till and Brittney Ward — Holocaust Drama
WEB
- Kelton Wooten and Jaylen Parker — Iran Hostage Crisis
- Shania Ward and Julie Hester — Women’s Suffrage
- Danielle Suggs and Penny Banda — Lincoln-Douglas Debates
- Joshua Borrelli and Murphy Bryan — Atomic Bomb
National Junior Honor Society At Ernest Ward Middle Adds New Members, Officers
January 21, 2011
About 40 students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society Thursday night at Ernest Ward Middle School.
The NJHS is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle school students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship and character.
Students must have and maintain a 3.5 GPA for honor society membership.
For a photo gallery from the induction ceremony, click here.
New seventh grade National Junior Honor Society Members at Ernest Ward are: Kaitlyn Abbott, Jadlyn Agerton, Tristan Barrett, Katelyn Born, Haley Brown, William Brown , Hunter Connell, Nathan Donald, Jacob Dunsford, Amber Freeman, Nathan Galvan, Hanna Ging, Christopher Grant, Dariane Guy, Jordan Helmken, Abbie Johnson, Tonie Johnson, Kendral Langford, Trevor Levins, Thomas Moore, Jason Ogle, Brianna Parker, Liberty Peebles, Ben Preston, Bethany Reynolds, Savanna Roux, Jamilia Smiley-Knight, Jordan Taylor, David Thorpe, Harmoni Till, Bradley Van Pelt, Brittney Ward, Haylee Weaver, and Courtney Weekley.
New eighth grade members inducted Thursday night are: Autumn Ates, Annie Bobo, Kristen Byrd, Kendal Cobb, Christian Gould, Jessica McCullough and Tristan Portwood.
New officers were also installed. They are: Tamara Wise, president; Samantha Sharpless, vice president; Danielle Suggs, secretary; Austin Cunningham, treasurer; Ben Linam, reporter; Kelton Wooten, parliamentarian; and Jaylen Parker, historian.
Other eight grade members of the National Junior Honor Society Members at Ernest Ward are: Penny Banda, Megan Bryan, Tiffani Cruce, Leann Fillingim, Hannah Gibson, Kyndall Hall, Auden Lassitter, Aaron McDonald, Madison McGhee, Amy Murph, Mallory Ryan, Chelsea Turner and Morgan Ward.
Pictured: About 40 students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society Thursday night at Ernest Ward Middle School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Ink Softball Scholarships
January 21, 2011
Two Tate High School seniors signed softball scholarships Thursday afternoon.
Shelby Myers committed to Northwest Florida State College, and Maleah McCombs signed with Pensacola State College.
Pictured top: (L-R) NWF Coach Taryn Gray, Michelle Myers, PSC Coach Horn, Maleah McCombs, and PSC Coach Brenda Pena. Pictured below: (L-R) Mitchell Myers, Shelby Myers, Matt Holland, NWF Coach Taryn Gray, and signing Shelby Myers. Pictured bottom: PSC Coach Brenda Pena, Roger McCombs, Debbie McCaskill and Maleah McCombs. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Takes On Northview In Girl’s Weightlifting
January 21, 2011
The Tate Aggies defeated the Northview Chiefs in girl’s weightlifting 42 to 30.
The following girls placed in their weight category:
- Georgia Goetter -1st Northview
- L. Chavers -2nd Tate
- Burk -1st Tate
- Kasie Braun -2nd Northview
- Raven McGhee -1st Tate
- Madalyn Coon -2nd Northview
- Jordan McGowan -1st Tate
- Laneica Gomez -2nd Northview
- Sarah Killam -1st Northview
- Misty Doran -2nd Northview
- Myers 1st Tate
- Cheyenne Garnett -2nd Northview
- O. Newsome -1st Tate
- J. Paige -2nd Tate
- B. Barnes -1st Tate
- Naomi Cooler-2nd Northview
- J. Ujuari -1st Tate
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.