Lady Royals Lose In Tournament Play; Flomaton Boys Out; Lady ‘Canes Win
February 7, 2010
The Jay Royals lost on the road Saturday in district girl’s basketball action, but they still have a redeeming shot at a state title. For the Flomaton Hurricanes, their tournament were dashed by single point.
Ponce De Leon 40 Jay 30
Ponce de Leon defeated Jay Saturday 40-30. That gave Ponce de Leon the District 1-2A championship. but Jay’s not out of the running yet. The Royals (13-10) will advance to the regional quarterfinals on the road against Cottondale on Thursday.
Tessa Hendricks led the Royals Saturday with 14.
Jay — Ginger Jennings 5, Tessa Hendricks 14, Amber Steadham 5, Becca Calloway 2.
Jay 10 7 6 7-30 Ponce DL 17 10 6 7-40
Mobile Christian 52 Flomaton 51 (Boys)
Mobile Christian beat Flomaton 52-51 in the 2A Area 1t tournament in Red Level. Mobile Christian’s win came on a 3-point shot with just three seconds left in the game. Rhyeem Dixion led the ‘Canes with 23 points. Mobile Christian advances to play Red Level for the tournament title Monday.
Flomaton 34 Mobile Christian 32 (Girls)
The Flomaton Lady ‘Canes have captured in the 2A Area 1 tournament championship with a 34-32 win over Mobile Christian. The Hurricanes were paced by Paige Harwell with 11 points. The Lady ‘Canes (26-5) will be at home at 7 p.m. Thursday against Leroy in round one of sub-regional play.
Escambia’s Emmitt Smith Elected To Pro Hall Of Fame
February 7, 2010
Emmitt Smith of Pensacola was a first-ballot selection Saturday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Smith is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, with 18,355 yards. The Escambia High School graduate scored a record 164 rushing touchdowns. He won four NFL rushing titles and gained 1,000 yards in a record 11 straight seasons.
He was joined by guard Russ Grimm, linebacker Rickey Jackson, cornerback Dick LeBeau, running back Floyd Little, defensive tackle John Randle and wide receiver Jerry Rice to make up the Class of 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees.
The seven-man class was elected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee who met today in South Florida. The newest members of the Hall were selected from a list of 17 finalists who had been determined earlier by the committee.
The 2010 class will increase to 260 the number of all-time greats permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Enshrinement of the Class of 2010 will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network.
Pictured top: Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (left) laughs while talking to former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Quick Stats:
EMMITT SMITH
Running Back … 5-9, 207 … Florida … 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys, 2003-04 Arizona Cardinals … 15 playing seasons, 226 games … Selected by Dallas in first round (17th player overall) of 1990 draft … Rushed for 937 yards, 11 touchdowns to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors … Second season rushed for league-leading 1,563 yards … Won rushing crowns in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 … Led NFL in rushing touchdowns three times and accumulated 277 pass receptions during that same five-season period … In 1995, recorded career highs for rushing yards (1,773), rushing touchdowns (25), and receptions (62) … Major contributor to Cowboys Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII, XXX victories … Named first-team All-Pro 1992-95 … In 1993, named NFL’s MVP and MVP in Super Bowl XXVIII … After narrowly missing the 1,000-yard mark as rookie, embarked on a record run of 11 straight seasons with 1,000 yards rushing … Streak came to end in 2002 when he missed the 1,000-yard mark by 25 yards … On Oct. 27, 2002 in game vs. Seattle Seahawks, he supplanted Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time rushing leader … Named to NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s … Career totals of 18,355 yards and a 164 touchdowns rushing, 515 receptions for 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns … Born May 15, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida. 1987 graduate, Escambia High School.
Bratt Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For Sexually Abusing 5-Year Old
February 6, 2010
A 72-year old Bratt man has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing a five-year old North Escambia girl.
Jody Posey received the life sentence Friday afternoon from Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Williams. Posey was convicted Wednesday by an Escambia County jury on charges of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12. He was arrested March 5, 2009, for fondling a five-year old girl at his residence at 7100 North Pine Road in Bratt between November 2007 and January 2009.
The child victim took the witness stand and testified about Posey touching her underneath her clothes as she sat on his lap. The most recent molestation reported by the five-year old was January 9, 2009. The girl told officials that Posey said she would go to jail if she told anyone about the incidents.
The State Attorney’s office also presented testimony from another girl who testified that she had been molested by Posey between 2001 and 2006 at his home. Posey faces additional charges of lewd or lascivious molestation in that case.
Florida law required Posey to be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison.
Atmore Man Arrested For DUI After Highway 29 Crash (With Photo Gallery)
February 6, 2010
An Atmore man was arrested for driving under the influence following a Friday afternoon wreck in McDavid.
The Florida Highway Patrol says David Allen Pearson, 36, of Beck Street, Atmore, was southbound on Highway 29 when he struck the back of a box-type truck operated by a shredding company. The front passenger side corner of Pearson’s older model Oldsmobile Eighty-eight traveled all the way under the truck until it struck the truck’s tires. Pearson and the truck driver were able to pull to the side of Highway 29.
The accident happened within 10 minutes of a possible drunk driver being reported to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The driver was reported to be on Byrneville Road, a short distance from the accident site. Deputies were enroute to the area when the accident occurred.
Pearson refused treatment from Escambia County EMS. After a field sobriety test, Pearson was placed under arrest by Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Chris Chambliss. Pearson was booked into the Escambia County Jail where he was being held without bond. He is suspected of driving under the influence of prescription medication.
To see more photos from the accident and Pearson’s field sobriety test and arrest, click here.
Pictured top: Pearson rear-ended the truck to the left of the photo. Pictured top inset: Pearson is taken into custody by Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Chris Chambliss (left) as Escambia County deputy Kevin Harris looks on. Pictured bottom: Harris prepares to catch Pearson as he stumbles during his field sobriety test. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Funeral Services Held For Flomaton Woman Killed In Evergreen Wreck
February 6, 2010
Funeral services were held Friday for a Flomaton woman killed in an Evergreen, Ala., wreck Tuesday morning.
Degee Darlene White, 38, rear-ended a loaded log truck on Highway 84 near Highway 31. Evergreen Police said William Lee Henson, 64, of Red Level, had just pulled his truck out of a convenience store parking lot when the accident occurred. White’s 2007 Chevrolet Silverado ran directly into the logs.
White was on her way to Selma, Ala., as part of her job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. White was a native of Pensacola and had been a resident of Flomaton for the past 20 years. She was a 1989 graduate of Flomaton High School.
Friends and relatives remembered White for the years she spent working with children as a juvenile probation officer.
She is survived by her parents, Steve and Linda White of Flomaton, and a daughter, Kiele Cristin Smith of Brewton.
Caught On Tape: Deputies Looking For Burglary Suspects
February 6, 2010
Escambia County investigators are asking for the public’s help in finding the persons that burglarized a Cantonment convenience store.
In the early morning hours of January 14, a burglary occurred at the Bindu Food Mart on Highway 29 at the intersection of Muscogee Road. All the wires around the outside of the building had been cut, and access was gained through the rear of the store by a large hole cut through the brick and sheet rock, according to sheriff’s office reports. The suspects took a safe and the contents of one cash register.
The business was ransacked; the burglars even cut all of the wires inside the office and the electronics control room. Despite their efforts to disable the store’s cameras, several images of the burglars were captured by the surveillance system.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators say they are looking for as many as three suspects in the burglary.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact Investigator Frank Way at (850) 256-6196.
Pictured: Images from surveillance video taken during a burglary January 14 at the Bindu Food Mart in Cantonment. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Girls Fall In Semifinals; Aggie Boys Beat Choctaw; Jay Royals Win
February 6, 2010
Jay 57 Baker 50
The Jay Royals beat Baker 57-50 in a District 1-2A semifinal game Friday. Tessa Hendricks had 28 for the Royals and was 16 of 18 at the free throw line. Jay had 42 free throws during the game, hitting 27.
Jay–Ginger Jennings 10, Courtney Hammac 2, Tessa Hendricks 28, Danielle Skaggs 2, Candace Mulford 2, Amber Steadham 6, Becca Calloway 6.
Jay 9 19 10 18-56 Baker 17 6 10 17-50
Pine Forest 66 Tate 38
Pine Forest beat the Tate Aggies (12-11) in the District 1-5A semifinals Friday night in girl’s basketball. Courtney Brown led the Aggies with 21.
Tate — Kat Tucker 1, Meagin Briske 1, Avery Cobb 2, Chelsea Hall 5, Jasmine Baldwin 8, Courtney Brown 21.
Tate 5 15 7 11-38 Pine Forest 15 16 17 18-66
BOYS BASKETBALL
Tate 65 Choctawhatchee 57
The Tate Aggies improved to 17-8 with a win over Choctawhatchee Friday. Tevin Brown had 21 for Tate, and Chris Walden added 19.
Tate–Tevin Brown 21, Chris Walden 19, Dylan Anderson 10, Petey Jones 9, Adam Stumpf 4, Braxton Griffin 2.
Tate 13 13 18 21-65 Choctaw 13 22 8 14-57
Judge Denies Bond For Cantonment Man That Allegedly Made Up Shooting Story
February 6, 2010
On Friday, an Escambia County judge denied bond for the Cantonment man that reported multiple times that someone had been shooting at his home when deputies say he made it all up.
Judge Joel Boles ordered that John Horace Bryant, 33, be held with bound. Bryant told deputies and a local television station that someone had shot at his Sundance Lane home or his truck on at least eight different occasions in the past couple of months. In the televised report, Bryant even showed the reporter the bullet holes in his truck.
But deputies say he made up the stories in an attempt to frame his ex-wife. Bryant remains in the Escambia County Jail charged with aggravated stalking and obstruction of justice.
Grammy Award Winning Marty Raybon To Headline Northview Music Festival
February 5, 2010
A man that achieved legendary status in country music — 13 number one singles, 22 songs on the charts, a Grammy Award, and a CMA Vocal Group of the Year trophy — will headline an April concert in Bratt.
The Northview FFA Alumni Scholarship Fund and NorthEscambia.com will present the Northview FFA Bluegrass Festival featuring Marty Raybon on Saturday, April 3. Marty Raybon and a host of other area groups will perform two shows in the Northview High School Theater.
Marty Raybon is perhaps best known as the former lead singer of the country mega-group Shenandoah from 1985-1996. . He led Shenandoah to 22 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including thirteen number one singles, such as: “The Church on Cumberland Road” (1989), “Sunday in the South” (1989), “Two Dozen Roses” (1989), “Next to You, Next to Me” (1990) and “Butterfly Kisses” (1997). At the top of the charts, Raybon became known for his bluegrass and gospel-influenced semi-traditional country sound.
Raybon offers a full spectrum of vocal entertainment. His talents are unmatched, whether he’s singing country, gospel or his personal favorite, bluegrass. He has become one of country music’s busiest artists, performing over 100 shows per year between the United States and Canada.
He grew up in bluegrass and later earned acclaim in country music, so it should come as no surprise that the latest release from Marty Raybon and his band, Full Circle, bears the mark of both.
“I love bluegrass,” Raybon says with a passion, “and I love to see young people love it. I was younger than a lot of them are when I started playing, and I’d sit in school and try to draw Bill Monroe’s mandolin peghead. That’s how into it I was then–and I still am. When we go out there and see young people at our show, it makes us feel really good, and all we want to do, whether it’s at a show or on this album, is entertain them and let them feel good.”
All proceeds from the Northview FFA Bluegrass Festival will benefit the Northview FFA Alumni Scholarship Fund..
$22 Million: New EWMS Cafeteria, Work At Other Schools; No Field House For Northview
February 5, 2010
The Escambia County School District is set to begin $22 million in construction projects — including a nearly half million dollar expansion at Ernest Ward Middle, as well as projects at Bratt Elementary, Molino Park Elementary, Northview High, Ransom Middle and Tate High. Other items such as a $1.2 million field house at Northview High are not likely to be approved.
Each school principal in the district submitted their wish list for capital projects to be funded by half cent sales tax dollars. Each wish list item was reviewed by the district, the half cent sales tax watchdog committee and school board members. A final vote on the projects to be funded will be taken by the board on February 16.
The final draft document is expected to be released later today when the school board publishes its February board meeting agenda, but NorthEscambia.com has obtained an advance copy that details which projects were requested and which are recommended for approval.
District 5, which includes the north part of Escambia County, will receive $2,820,883.39 if the plan is approved per the draft. Projects in North Escambia that are recommended for approval include:
- Ernest Ward Middle, $480,000 — new construction to include cafeteria expansion
- Bratt Elementary, $98,617 — sitework to include pave parent drop off loop
- Northview High $105,706 — sitework to include pave parking lot west of main bldg. and several other areas
- Molino Park Elementary $63,670 — general renovations to include acoustic panels in gym, ceiling nets to keep out birds
- Tate High $99,000 — sitework to include covered walk from new gym to ESE building
- Ransom Middle $99,000 — sitework to include new covered walkway with student gate
- Jim Allen Elementary $29,799 — sitework to include replace covered walk from café to front door
The largest project recommended for approval in District 5 is $1.5 million for a dining room expansion and remodeling at Lipscomb Elementary.
District Five projects not expected to be approved by the school board include:
- Northview High School $1,238,606 — new construction to include field house
- Ernest Ward Middle $90,000 — sitework to include sidewalks to connect each building
- Molino Park Elementary $157,141 – sitework to include fence playground and new track
- Ransom Middle $1.1 million — new construction and renovations to include media center
- Jim Allen Elementary $949,379 — new construction to include Art and/or Music Suite
- Bratt Elementary $150,000 — sitework to correct drainage between buildings
- Tate High $475,000 — general renovations to include boys locker room and attached public restroom
The largest recommended projects district-wide at individual schools are $1.6 million for new construction to include a NJROTC building at Pine Forest High School and $1.4 million for renovations and HVAC replacement at the McMillan Center. The funds expected to be approved by the board in mid-February include $2.6 million in heating and cooling system upgrades across the district for increased energy efficiency.
The $22 million will be from $23,746,648.32 in available half-cent sales tax reserves.