Escambia County Tops Miller In OT; Tate Falls To West Florida; Clarke Beats Escambia Academy
August 28, 2010
Friday night was the first regular season games for Escambia County High School and Escambia Academy in Alabama, and the Tate Aggies played a little preseason football in Florida.
Escambia County 35 T.R. Miller 34 (OT)
It was a nail-biter in Atmore Friday night as the Escambia County High School Blue Devils beat the T.R. Miller Tigers 35-34 in overtime.
The Blue Devils took the lead 7-0 in the first with a five-yard run from Rico Stallworth. But Miller answered with an Anthony Herbert touchdown to even it up at 7-7 in the first. Herber scored again, and with a missed point after, the Tigers held a 13-7 lead. The Blue Devils would strike again just before the half with Chris Smith in for six for one yard out. A good extra point, and the Blue Devils were up 14-13 heading into halftime.
Stallworth added another TD in the fourth. A good extra point, the Blue Devils were back on top 21-13. The Tigers picked up a two-yard touchdown and missed the two-point conversion to make the ECHS lead 21-19 . Smith was in again with about two minutes to go in the ballgame from a couple of yards out. After a missed extra point, ECHS was on top 27-19.
But it was not over, as the Tigers scored again and made a two point conversion to tie the game 27-27 with under a minute on the clock.
In overtime, T.R. Miller drove to the one and was in for six. The kick was good, and Miller was up 34-27. The Blue Devils took possession and drove to the one. On fourth down, Stallworth was in again for a one-yard touchdown. It was Stallworth again for the two-point conversion, and the Blue Devils took the win 35-34.
For the T.R. Miller Tigers, it was their first game without Coach Donnie Rotch on the field or in the stand. Rotch, who died in a traffic crash earlier this month in Brewton, was honored by his beloved Tigers with special helmet decal.
For Escambia County High School, Friday night was the regular season coaching debut for former Northview High School Coach Mark Heaton.
Escambia County will be on the road next Friday against B.C. Rain while the T.R. Miller Tigers will travel to Bayside Academy.
West Florida 21 Tate 20
The regular season in Florida does not start until next Friday night, but the West Florida Tech Jaguars and the Tate Aggies met in a Kickoff Classic Fiday night at Woodham Middle School. The Jaguars came out on top, 21-20.
Defense was not the name of the game for either team; both teams scored on every drive before the clock ran out. Antawn Carter scored for the Jags on 76-year, 10-play drive. Then it was Tate’s turn, with quarterback Nathaniel “Thumper” Grice with a 34-yard TD run. A missed two-pointer, and the Jags were up 7-6.
The Jags drover it in again, capped by a touchdown pass from Kyle Faxlanger to Jake Morris. 14-6. It was Tate’s turn to score again, with Lorenzo Long, a running back, with a 27-yard run. On West Florida’s next drive, Faxlanger tossed to Jake Morris for another TD. The Aggies answered after a 14-play drive ending with a three-yarder running back Josh Dees. Long got the two point conversion.
Last year, the Aggies won the matchup 35-0.
The Aggies will be at Washington High School next Friday night at 7:30 in a non-district game.
Clarke Prep Academy 51 Escambia Academy 30
It was a tough night on the road for the Escambia Academy Cougars as they lost to Clarke Prep Academy 51-30. It was the first regional game of the year for the Cougars (1-1, 0-1).
The Gators had just over 500 yards on the ground in their defeat of the Cougars, who were ranked ninth in the Alabama Independent School Association going into the game.
Escambia Academy will be at home in Canoe, Ala., next Friday night as they host Jackson.
Walnut Hill Community Mourns Loss Of Royce Ward
August 28, 2010
The Walnut Hill community is mourning the loss of Royce Ward, 78.
Ward was a longtime member of the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, and served as the group’s president when the club organized the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department in 1965. A farmer and cattleman, he also served four years in the U.S. Navy achieving the rank of lieutenant.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m., Sunday, August 29 at the Walnut Hill Baptist Church with Rev. Ted Bridges, Rev. LaDon Hall, Rev. James Boyd and Rev. Jerry Peebles officiating. Interment followed in theWalnut Hill Baptist Church cemetery. Visitation was held Saturday at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home in Atmore.
For the complete obituary, click here.
Pictured: Royce Ward was honored in November, 2009, by the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department for his part in organizing the agency. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Former Cop Pleads Not Guilty To Burglarizing Pharmacy With His Brother
August 28, 2010
A former Alabama cop arrested for allegedly helping his brother burglarize a pharmacy has entered a not guilty plea. The brother was arrested earlier this year at a Pensacola motel.
Matthew Kirk, 36, of Brewton was arrested August 17 after being indicted by an Escambia County (Ala.) Grand Jury. The former East Brewton Police Department lieutenant (pictured left) is charged with two counts of third degree burglary, one count of second degree theft of property and one ethics violation.
Authorities believe Kirk aided his brother in the burglary of a Fred’s pharmacy in East Brewton on March 23. Kirk was the only police officer on duty in the small Alabama town at the time the burglary occurred.
Kirk, who is free on a $100,000 bond, entered the plea in Escambia County (Ala.) Circuit Court.
The police officer’s brother, Jason Daniel Kirk, 30, of Flomaton, was arrested in April in Escambia County, Fla., with just under a half pound of illegal pills.
Members of the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at Kirk’s room at the Value Place Extended Stay hotel on Scenic Highway in Pensacola. During the search of the room, deputies found a lock box that contained quantities of Xanax, oxycodone, methadone, morphine and hydrocodone, according to the arrest report. One bag of hydrocodone weighed in excess of 200 grams (0.44 pounds), the report stated.
The room also contained sales and inventory figures for the illicit narcotics, and the key to the safe was located on Kirk’s person, deputies said. Kirk (pictured left) admitted to ownership of the narcotics, according to the Sheriff’s Office report.
Investigators said at the time that they believed the pills were from the East Brewton pharmacy burglary. Jason Kirk later told authorities that his brother Matthew Kirk was his accomplice.
Matthew Kirk resigned from the East Brewton Police Department in April.
Jason Kirk remains in the Escambia County (Fla) Jail on $307,500 bond. He has entered a not guilty plea on all charges and is set for trial in September. At the time of his arrest, Jason Kirk was also charged with negotiating a $57.45 worthless check at the Southern Pit Stop, Inc. in Century. He pleaded guilty to writing the bad check and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.
Crash Slows Friday Highway 29 Travel
August 28, 2010
At least one person was reported injured in a two vehicle accident on Highway 29 Friday night. The accident involving a SUV and a pickup truck was reported about 10:15 p.m. on Highway 29 just north of Ten Mile Road. The accident is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details were not available.
Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
See news? Email your photos to news@northescambia.com
Woman Wanted In Check Cashing Scheme
August 28, 2010
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a woman that is wanted in connection with a fraudulent check cashing scheme.
Pamela Kay Quarles of Tampa is wanted for questioning in connection with the scheme, according to the Sheriff’s Office, but warrants have not been issued for her arrest. Investigators believe she is traveling in a black Jeep and may be is possession of checking printing equipment.
Ten other suspects in the scheme are in custody, according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
“It is unclear how long this group has been in the area but it believed this ring of thieves had just arrived. Due to the quick thinking of business owners/employees and law enforcement, it is believed that this group was not able to get established and begin to steal from businesses,” Roy said.
Further details about the scheme or those in custody were not released.
Anyone with information about Quarles should contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Roses: A Knock Out Performer
August 28, 2010
Knock Out roses are the hottest plants to hit the market in years. Gardeners love these colorful shrub roses because they bloom profusely with minimal care.
These shrub roses usually bloom like gangbusters for the first two to three years. Then, you may notice a decrease in their bloom set. But don’t despair; they may just need some attention.
Remember that roses need three things to perform their best: sun, water and fertilizer.
All roses prefer full sun. They perform and bloom best with eight hours of direct sun daily. While Knock Out roses can survive with less, some people will push the limit and place them in shady areas of the landscape. Less sun will result in leggier plants with fewer blooms.
Roses need a lot of water during the warmer months, but they don’t like “wet feet”. When watering, try to keep the water off the foliage. Reducing the shrub’s exposure to overhead watering prevents leaf spot and disease.
Even though these roses are good, easy-to-grow plants, they still need properly prepared beds when planting. If your area does not drain well, consider improving drainage by making raised beds.
The soil pH requirement for all roses is around 6.5. This indicates a slightly acid soil. Always follow recommendations of a soil test when modifying soil pH.
Mulch your roses with pine straw or a similar organic material in spring and add new mulch in late summer or early fall. Two to three inches of mulch are great for roses.
Because Knock Out roses bloom so profusely, you may want to fertilize them regularly to keep them looking their best. Fertilize them with commercial rose food according to the product instructions. Water the soil thoroughly before you feed the roses to keep from burning the roots. Stop fertilizing late in the season so the plants can prepare to slow down or go dormant during the winter.
Sometimes low potassium (the third number on the fertilizer bag) can contribute to blooming problems. Differences in soil consistency may account for differences in plant responses to equal fertilization. Take soil samples to make sure your nutrient levels are appropriate in all flower beds.
Prune in mid-February by removing two-thirds of the plant’s height. Also, prune again late August to early September by removing about one-third of the shrub’s height. It is important to eliminate some older interior wood when pruning two to three year-old and older plants.
Knock Out roses don’t have to be deadheaded. While not needing to deadhead roses is a good quality, it can also slow down the ability of the rose to bloom again quickly. If you want to keep your Knock Out roses blooming as often as possible, snip off the old blooms. Even though they will eventually drop their dead blossoms, you can get ahead of the game by helping them out.
Knock Out roses, as well as many other shrub-type roses, have five to seven bloom cycles between April and November. So take care of your plants properly, and you can enjoy blooms for the vast majority of the year.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Fireman Facing Criminal Charges For Abandoning Rescued Dogs, Theft, Obstructing Justice
August 27, 2010
An Escambia County volunteer firefighter may be facing criminal charges for allegedly abandoning three dogs that were reported to be “rescued” by the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue last Sunday.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has submitted an arrest warrant for judicial review charging the firefighter with a felony count of grand theft, and misdemeanor charges of abandonment of animals and obstruction of justice. As a matter of policy, NorthEscambia.com generally does not identify suspects until they are formally charged by a judge signing the arrest warrant.
The Century Station of Escambia-Rescue responded to a reported motor vehicle accident Sunday on North Century Boulevard just south of Tedder Road. They discovered that there was no accident; rather, a motorist had stopped after seeing the three dogs nearly in the road. Both the fire department and the Sheriff’s Office requested that Escambia County Animal Control respond, but the agency refused stating that it did not meet their call-out criteria.
Rather than leave the dogs beside the road, they were taken back to the Century firehouse as firefighters worked to determine what to do with the canines. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the suspect said, “Put them in my truck. I have a pen at my house”.
A Century Volunteer Fire Department officer emailed NorthEscambia.com Sunday night, providing photographs of the dogs and asking for help in find the dogs’ owner. NorthEscambia.com published that story Monday morning.
After the article was published on NorthEscambia.com, the dogs’ owner contacted the fire department. According to the ECSO, the owner confronted the suspected firemen at the Century fire station Tuesday evening and asked the whereabouts of his dogs. The suspect, according to the incident report, “refused to respond and acted like he didn’t know what (the victim) was talking about”.
On Wednesday, the dogs’ owner went to the suspect’s residence on Highway 4A and spoke with the suspect’s father. The father was helpful but said that he did not see the dogs or know where his son had put them, the victim told deputies.
The suspect told a fire department officer that he had found a good home for the dogs in Walnut Hill, and the officer contact NorthEscambia.com with the information. Based on that information from the fire department, a followup story was published by NorthEscambia.com on Thursday, reporting that a home had been found for the dogs.
On Thursday, deputies met with both the suspect and his father. The suspect told deputies, according to their report, that he had given the dogs to a man he met. The suspect told a deputy that he did not know how to contact the man and that the deputy should call his friend. The friend told the deputy by phone that “he did not want to be involved and that he was not going to tell a lie to keep (the suspect) out of trouble”. He said the suspect contacted him Sunday night and “asked him to cover for him if asked the whereabouts of the missing dogs”. The friend told the deputy that the suspect told him that he took the dogs and dropped them off at the intersection of North Pine Barren Road and Highway 168.
When contacted by phone, the deputy said the suspect admitted to putting the dogs out of his vehicle on Pine Barren Road on Wednesday. About 30 minutes later, the deputy called the suspect again to advise him that he was going to face charges over the dogs. “He advised me that he didn’t kill them or sell them and that he put them out on Sunday,” Deputy David Bashore wrote in his report.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Pictured top: These cellphone photos show three dogs found early Sunday evening on North Century Boulevard just south of Tedder Road. The firefighter partially in the photograph is not the firefighter suspect in the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the disappearance of the dogs. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘Canes Open Season With 35-0 Win Over W.S. Neal
August 27, 2010
The Flomaton Hurricanes won their season opener at home Thursday night, shutting out the W.S. Neal Eagles 35-0.
The Canes took an early 7-0 lead when Ryheem Dixon fought his way through a crowd of defenders into the end zone. On the next play of the game, Dixon handed off to Neiko Robinson who was in for another touchdown. A good point after, the Hurricanes had 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
The second brought another Cane’s touchdown. The point after attempt failed, and Flomaton held a 20-0 lead at the half. The Cane’s struck again in the third with a touchdown and a two point conversion to expand their lead to 28-0. But the Hurricanes were not done, adding another touchdown in the fourth to seal the 35-0 win.
The Hurricanes racked up over 300 yards against the Eagles, with only about 50 yards in the air.
Flomaton will be on the road next week against South Choctaw.
Century Correctional Institution Donates School Supplies To Byrneville Elementary
August 27, 2010
The Century Correctional Institution donated a large amount of school supplies to Byrneville Elementary School, just in time for the first week of school. Century CI holds the school supply drive each year, with employees generously donating to the children of the community. Pictured above: Carrie Bryan, Officer Lyons, Grace Gray, Officer Sheffield, Warden Halley and Officer White. Pictured below: Byrneville Elementary School Principal Dee Wolfe Sullivan, Carrie Byan and Michele Edwards. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
School Board Lobbys For Amendment 8, Against Strict Class Size Law
August 27, 2010
Public schools throughout Florida started the first day of school Monday under a law that will only permit so many students in an individual classroom, while the Escambia County School Board held a special workshop at Northview High School to push for a change.
Lawmakers and school administrators are pushing a proposed constitutional amendment that would relax the class size requirement put into the constitution by voters in 2002. As of Monday, individual classes were capped at 18 students for kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school, with the limits having been phased in since the amendment was passed.
The proposed amendment on the November ballot would allow class sizes to be calculated in a more lenient fashion. If passed, the class size would be calculated at a grade-level average, not an individual classroom cap, allowing some classes to go above the limit.
“Please, please help us by getting the word out that Amendment 8 is a yes; please help us help the students,” District 5 School Board Member Bill Slayton (pictured right) said Thursday during the board workshop at Northview High.
The school district is facing several financial “pressure points”, according to Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, for the upcoming the 2011-2012 school year. Coupled with declining property values made worse by the oil spill’s impact on coastal property and the class size amendment, the district will no longer receive federal stimulus dollars — which currently funds $13 million in teachers’ salaries.
“The last pressure point is class size,” Thomas said. The district has added 489 teachers and spent about $26.4 million for their salaries despite 3,200 fewer students since the class size regulations went into effect in 2003-2004. For the current school year, Escambia County added 49 teachers, spent $2.9 million and put another $1 million in reserve to ensure class size compliance.
The change has been felt by students in other ways — smaller classes have been eliminated with students taking courses online, part-time teachers have hired, multi-level classes have been combined into one, some teachers are paid to work through their planning periods and class choices have been reduced.
“We are not going against the will of the people of Northwest Florida,” Slayton said, adding that local voters were against the original amendment that he described as a way for south Florida schools to reduced class size at the expense of the state.
“I don’t like it, but it is the law,” said Board Member Jeff Bergosh. “We’ve got to hope the voters will pass the amendment.”
Board Member Linda Moutrie agreed, saying that people should get out and vote “yes” on Amendment 8. “That’s what you can do for your community,” she said.
Administrators across the state say the hard caps are too cumbersome and allow for no flexibility. They say they fear schools will either be in violation of the law or face financial consequences if all of their classrooms are at maximum capacity and a new student moves into the district. They also say that with the economic downturn, schools just can’t afford to implement the class size requirement as originally envisioned.
The Florida Education Association has filed a lawsuit to toss the proposal from the November ballot, arguing that it is misleading. Arguments in circuit court are slated for September 8. If the court rules in favor of the FEA, it is likely that the state could appeal immediately to the Florida Supreme Court for final judgment. Until then, the group is mounting a public campaign against the amendment.
Pictured top: Escambia School Board members (L-R) Gerald Boone, Patty Hightower and Linda Moultrie and School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas listen to an audience member Thursday evening during a board workshop at Northview High School. Pictured top inset: Board Member Jeff Bergosh, left, listens as Bill Slayton asks for support for Amendment 8. Pictured bottom inset: Century resident Lina Showalter addresses the board. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.