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ECFR Responds To Reported Structure Fire In Cottage Hill

Escambia County Fire Rescue (ECFR) responded to a reported structure fire in Cottage Hill late Saturday night.

ECFR arrived at the small wood frame home in the 600 block of Williams Ditch Road about 11 p.m. to find smoke coming from the attic.

There were no injuries reported and no word on the cause of the fire.

The main fire was reported to be knocked down by about 11:20 p.m.

Photos for NorthEscambambia.com, click to enlarge.

ECSO: Stabbing Death Investigated As Self Defense

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says a Friday night stabbing death appears to be self defense.

Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance on 66th Avenue about 9:30 p.m.

They arrived to find  a female with a stab wound to her arm. Inside the residence, a male was located deceased from a stab wound.

Further details were not released.

Tate Cheerleaders Sweep Gulf Breeze High School Cheer Competition

It was a clean sweep Saturday for the Tate High School Cheerleaders at the Gulf Breeze High School Cheer Competition.

Ice Flyers Have Another Special Saturday Crowd On Mardi Gras Night, But Fall In OT Against Macon

by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers Correspondent

For so much of Saturday night, the good times rolled and reverberated through all levels of the building on the annual Mardi Gras Night.

Unfortunately for the Ice Flyers and their loyal fans, there was silence at the end.

For more photos, click here.

In another gut-punch to a team struggling for a turnaround, the Macon Mayhem got a tying goal with less than four minutes left in regulation play, thwarted an Ice Flyers power play late in overtime, then won the shootout for a 3-2 victory before a crowd of 7,032 at the Pensacola Bay Center.

“I feel bad for the boys, they deserved a better outcome,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “We put a lot of effort out there and can’t find a way of winning games. We keep finding ways of losing games. Again, we dominated the play, dominated the scoring chances, we were disciplined, won the special teams battle.

“You do everything you are supposed to do to win hockey games.”

Right now, it just hasn’t happened. The Ice Flyers sustained their ninth loss in the past 10 games. Macon (8-18, 5 OT losses), battling to get out of last place in the Southern Professional Hockey League standings, rebounded after a 7-3 home loss Saturday against Roanoke – the team the Ice Flyers will face next week on the road.

But the element which has continued to shine all season for Pensacola is the crowd support at the Bay Center. This was the third consecutive Saturday home game where the Ice Flyers have drawn crowds of 7,000-plus fans for a non-discounted game. It has never happened before in the 15-year history of the franchise.

It began with the 7,159 on Dec. 30, then a new franchise record of 7,243 a week ago.

“It has been great,” Graham said. “The thing is, we went on that record streak here (9-0 start at home) early on in the year, and now we can’t get the job done, which is disappointing. We spoiled the fans a little early on, and now we’re not coming through, so it’s always disappointing when the crowds are great, and you want to play great in front of them.

“I do think our team has played good these last couple games. We’ve played hard. For three straight (home games), I feel like the guys have really given the effort and I hope the fans recognize that.”

Once again, the Ice Flyers had to battle from early adversity.

Macon scored just 19 seconds into the game and before much of the crowd had even settled into seats. The Mayhem’s Michael McChesney deked his way past an Ice Flyers defenseman and wristed a shot past goaltender Kaden Fulcher, who was playing his first game back for the Ice Flyers since November when he was called up to the higher level ECHL.

At one point in the opening period, the Ice Flyers had an 11-1 edge in shots on goal and finished the period with a 14-6 advantage without a goal.

That changed with 12:45 remaining in the second period when Lucas Herrmann got a terrific pass from Reggie Millette and got the shot past Macon goaltender Jimmy Poreda, who wound up stopping 34 of 36 shots, along with all five attempts in the overtime shootout.

“He came up big for them,” said Herrmann. “I thought we had a lot of good chances on him. This week we just have to work on bearing down and getting more stuff to the net.

“Coach (Graham) was preaching that after the game that we needed to start funneling more pucks and crashing the net harder when we’re on a skid like this. We have to create our own luck.”

Midway through the third period, Herrmann’s older brother, Zac, gave the Ice Flyers a 2-1 lead and sent an explosive roar through the crowd when his slap shot from inside the blue line on a power play chance went through a screen in front of Poreda and into the net.

“Our power play has been moving around really well lately, and it was nice to see one finally go in there,” said Lucas Herrmann.

But Macon tied the game with 3:54 left in regulation play when Mayhem newcomer Lane King scored his first goal for the team after a shot block bounced his way.

“Their tying goal was a tough break for us,” Lucas Herrmann said. “We had a really good shot block there and just an unlucky bounce. But I thought we did a lot of good things tonight and we do appreciate the crowd. I wish we could have pulled that out for them.”

The Ice Flyers were in position to pull it out when Macon’s Billy Jerry was whistled for a holding penalty with 1:14 left in the overtime. The Ice Flyers had several good looks, several hard shots, but Poreda made the stops.

And then in the five-player shootout, Macon’s Alex Laplante, the team’s first shooter, wristed a shot through Fulcher’s pads. All five Ice Flyers shooters were thwarted to end the game.

“Guys are here to do a job. If you’re paid to be offensive, you put those guys out there on the ice… and we have some guys with dry spells right now,” Graham said. “We’ve got to try and change some things up and maybe move some lines around.

“I hate doing that, but at this point as a coach, you have to entertain all things to get the team going in the right direction.”

For more photos, click here.

WHAT’S NEXT?

WHO: Ice Flyers vs. Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

WHEN: Friday-Saturday (Jan. 26-27), both games at 6:05 p.m. CST.

WHERE: Berglund Center, Roanoke, Va

Man Revived, Then Arrested With Fentanyl At Flomaton McDonald’s

A  man was revived, then arrested with a quantity of fentanyl at the Flomaton McDonald’s.

Friday morning, the Flomaton Police Department responded to McDonald’s in reference to a subject who appeared to be having a medical emergency.

“Life saving measures were performed and the subject was successfully brought to consciousness,” police said.

FPD said the man, identified as  28-year old Dillon K. Hollis of Panama City was under the influence of narcotics and was found in possession of a loaded syringe of fentanyl, along with three grams of pure powder fentanyl, 4 Xanax pills, and 14.3 grams of methamphetamine.

Hollis was medically cleared and then booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center.

Honeysuckle Garden Club Joins Statewide Arbor Day Celebration With Tree Planting In Barrineau Park

Honeysuckle Garden Club in Molino joined garden clubs across Florida on Friday to plant a Styrax americana native tree to celebrate Florida Arbor Day and the 100th anniversary of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC). More than 150 garden clubs from Molino to Miami simultaneously planted trees on Friday.

After a brief ceremony, Honeysuckle Garden Club planted the native tree at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Craig Exner, the “unofficial” mayor of Barrineau Park presented a proclamation and the history of Florida Arbor Day was read.

Photos for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.

Century Asks Rep. Matt Gaetz To Support Federal Funding For Water, Wastewater Improvements At State Prison

The Town of Century has turned to the federal government seeking funds to make needed water well and wastewater improvements to town infrastructure serving the state’s Century Correctional Institution.

Florida’s last budget approved by the state Legislature included $628,500 to replace the Town of Century’s Well No. 3, which exclusively serves Century Correctional Institution, half of the $1.297 million that was requested. After multiple problems, the well suffered a catastrophic failure  and no longer provided water to the prison for staff and inmates. A shaft shattered into a dozen or more pieces and fell to the bottom of the well.

Late, service was restored through a permanent interconnect from Central Water Works to the Century water system that was completed in late May 2020 to provide a dependable water supply to the prison. The interconnect was installed after the town’s water well that was the sole water supply for the prison suffered a irrepairable failure. That forced the town to use two-inch fire hoses from a Central Water Works fire hydrant on the south side of Tedder Road to the prison on the north side of the road until a permanent solution was in place and the well was repaired.

A temporary pump provided some water, but it must be supplemented by water from the two wells that supply the town’s citizens or from the Central Water Works interconnect. “Operation of these additional supplies is manually controlled and subject to interruptions,” according to Rep. Michelle Salzman’s funding request.

This week, Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. sent an email to two staffers in the office of U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz seeking “$1,408,500 to replace several deep injection wells, which are crucial for our wastewater management and environmental sustainability” and seeking support for an application for fiscal year 2024 federal Community Project Funding.

“This project is a wise investment of taxpayer funds, aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability and public health, “Gomez wrote.

The mayor also requested a 30-minute meeting or a facility tour with Gaetz to discuss the funding and “the urgent need for water and wastewater improvements at Century Prison.”

Last October, Gomez addressed members of the Escambia County Legislative Delegation – Sen. Doug Broxson, State Rep. Alex Andrade and State Rep. Michelle Salzman, but he did not ask for any additional state funding.

Pensacola Council Approves Red Light Cameras For These Intersections

Thursday night, the Pensacola City Council officially improved the installation of red light cameras to several intersections to monitor for violations.

The cameras will be installed at:

• 9th and Bayou on the north, south, east and west approaches.
• 9th and Airport on the north, south, east, and west approaches.
• 9th and Fairfield on the east and west bound approaches.
• 9th and Gregory on the west bound approach.
• Davis and Fairfield on the east and west bound approaches.

These intersections were selected based on crash data collected over the past 10 years.

The infractions that will be enforced will be traveling straight through a red light and making a left turn on a red light.

Here Are The Road Work Construction Spots To Watch Next Week

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

Escambia County:

• U.S. 29 (North Century Boulevard) Resurfacing between Henry Street and Cottage Street in Century – Northbound and southbound traffic on U.S. 29 (North Century Boulevard) is shifted to one outside travel lane in each direction between Rudolph Street and Green Street. The shift will be in place through the spring as crews perform drainage improvements. Signage will be in place to safely direct drivers through the work zone.
• Lillian Highway (State Road (S.R.) 298) Resurfacing from north of U.S. 98 to east of Fairfield Drive (S.R. 727) and Lillian Highway at Blue Angel Parkway (S.R. 173) – Drivers will encounter daytime lane closures and intermittent nighttime lane closures, between U.S. 98 and Blue Angel Parkway, Monday, Jan. 22 through Friday, Jan. 26 as crews perform concrete and striping work.
• County Road (C.R.) 4 over Canoe Creek Bridge – C.R. 4, between Byrneville and Bratt, will be closed until fall 2024 as crews replace the Canoe Creek bridge. Traffic is directed through a 5.6-mile detour using Bratt Road to Pine Barren Road, then back to C.R. 4.
• Scenic Highway (U.S. 90) Resurfacing from north of Interstate 10 (I-10) to Davis Highway- Drivers will encounter intermittent nighttime lane closures, between I-10 and Davis Highway, Sunday, Jan. 21 through Thursday, Jan. 25 from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. as crews mill and pave the roadway.
• Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) Resurfacing from Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90A) to west of Pine Forest Road (S.R. 297) – Drivers may encounter daytime lane closures, between Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road, Monday, Jan. 22 through Friday, Jan. 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as crews pave the roadway.
• I-10 Routine Utility Maintenance from the Alabama state line to Exit 22 (Avalon Boulevard) – Motorists will encounter intermittent nighttime lane closures Tuesday, Jan. 23 through Thursday, Jan 25 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to repair overhead lights.

Santa Rosa County:

• U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Motorists will encounter the following traffic impacts:
  • Median and turn-lane closures from Bayshore Road to Tiger Lake Drive.
  • Intermittent lane closures and additional median closures between Bayshore Road and Tiger Lake Drive Sunday, January 21, through Friday, January 26, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for stormwater drainage improvements and paving operations.
• S.R. 87 Resurfacing from Hickory Hammock Road (C.R. 184) to Technology Avenue – Drivers may experience intermittent S.R. 87 single-lane closures, between Hickory Hammock Road and Technology Avenue, Monday, Jan. 22 through Friday, Jan. 26 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. for turn lane construction and paving operations.
• S.R. 89 Resurfacing from North of S.R. 87 to Highway 178 – Drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures, between S.R .87 and Hwy. 178, Monday, Jan. 22 through Friday, Jan. 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. as crews perform turnout widening and paving work.
• I-10 Westbound at Blackwater River Resurfacing – Drivers will encounter the following traffic impacts Sunday, Jan. 21 to Thursday, Jan. 25, from the Ward Basin Road on-ramp (Exit 28) to the Blackwater River Bridge eastern approach:
  • Intermittent single-lane closures from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for milling and paving operations and to place low-profile barrier wall.
  • A slight shift of the I-10 westbound travel lanes toward the inside of the roadway. The new configuration will provide space for crews to work in the construction zone behind the barrier wall and is expected to be in place through Feb. 2024.

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.

Ice Flyers Sustain Tough Setback After Huntsville Havoc Rally In Third Period

by Bill Vilona IceFlyers Correspondent

None of the Ice Flyers previous losses this month stung quite like this one.

The Huntsville Havoc scored three goals in the final period for a 4-3 comeback, road victory Friday at the Pensacola Bay Center that further emphasized the Ice Flyers recent challenges to overcome misfortune.

“It seems like this year, it’s bizarre during this stretch that we’ve been on, that other teams are just so opportunistic,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham, whose team had snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win last Saturday. “I mean it’s just wild.
“We’ll have two breakaways, three breakaways, can’t score and all of a sudden a bounce comes off somebody’s stick and it’s in the back of the net. It’s been that type of last month and a half.

“And even when it was 3-1 (after two periods) I felt like we should have put a dagger in them. We had some grade-A chances that we missed the net on, some breakaways we could have capitalized on, and you kind of let teams hang around and hang around and you leave yourself open to stuff like that.”

It turned into The Riddler on Batman™ Night where the Ice Flyers wore specialty Batman™ jerseys that were auctioned after the game. Replica jerseys were sold at merchandise stands on both concourses.

For two periods, the crowd of 4,425 at the Bay Center saw the Ice Flyers take a 3-1 lead and seemingly headed for a second straight win. But the Havoc got back into the game just 53 seconds into the third period when Eric Henderson’s wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle hit goaltender Stephen Mundinger’s chest, squirted loose and rolled behind his back just across the goal line.

“It was a tough start, bad bounce, and seems like it has been happening a lot to us lately,” said Ice Flyers winger Zac Herrmann, who scored a go-ahead goal in the second period. “We have to figure out a way to find our game again and get going.
“We played 40 good minutes…. But the beautiful thing about hockey is we get to do it again (Saturday)”

The Ice Flyers will play the Macon Mayhem, the last-place team in the league, on Saturday for the annual Mardi Gras Night at the Bay Center. Based on advanced ticket sales, the Ice Flyers could have a crowd surpassing 7,000 for a third consecutive Saturday.
“We have to flush it quickly,” Graham said. “We’ve got to get points this weekend. We talked about this homestand and how important it was. The group knows it. We have some good dudes in that (locker) room.”

The game was tied 1-1 after a first period where the Ice Flyers had an 18-4 edge in shots on goal. The Havoc scored with their first shot that didn’t happen until nearly 7 minutes, 30 seconds into the game.

Havoc winger David Thomson rifled a wrist shot past Mundinger on a wing rush inside the faceoff circle. Through two periods, the Ice Flyers had a 31-11 advantage with shots on goal and finished outshooting Huntsville 37-16.

“(Mundinger) hadn’t seen a shot at that point and he sees a laser beam up over his shoulder,” Graham said, “For Dinger, those games are very challenging at the pro level when they are seeing no action, no pucks,” Graham. “There were a couple random shots that it looked like he was struggling with in the second period and that’s normal when the goalies aren’t seeing a lot of action. You’re only seeing three shots, six shots and so those games can be challenging.

“He hadn’t seen a shot at that point, and he sees a laser beam up over his shoulder. So, lot of times with a goalie when they get in a flow of the game and start seeing some shots.”

The Ice Flyers got the tying goal in the first period when Dale Deon got his first goal in an Ice Flyers uniform by knocking in a rebound near the crease. He was one of the three players acquired in a trade from Peoria. The Ice Flyers finished the period killing off a penalty.
The Herrmann brothers then gave the Ice Flyers a lead with their goals three minutes apart early in the second period.

Zac Herrmann’s goal came off a face-off with his wrist shot into the top corner of the net, less than five minutes into the third period, on an assist from Ivan Bondarenko.

Younger brother, Lucas Herrmann, then finished a 2-on-1 rush while on a penalty kill. Malik Johnson broke free made a nifty move across the crease to get Havoc goaltender Matt Petizian on his back and Lucas finished the rebound into the net for a 3-1 lead with 12:07 remaining in the second period.
“It’s pretty cool (both scoring),” Zac Herrmann said, “Obviously, on the flip side, you want to win the game. My dad’s brother is here, first time he has seen us play in a while, so it was pretty cool.”

Huntsville (16-11, 3 OT losses, 36 points) opened an eight-point lead on the Ice Flyers (14-16, 28 points) for fifth place in the Southern Professional Hockey League standings.

The Havoc got its tying goal less than four minutes into the third period when George Thurston from behind the net off a bounce. It was his first goal for the Havoc. Craig McCabe followed with his first goal for the Havoc off a rebound from an odd-man rush.

The Ice Flyers called a timeout with 1:39 remaining and pulled Mundinger for an extra attacker but weren’t able to generate a good scoring chance against the Havoc defense.

“It wasn’t in the cards,” Graham said, “But you have to tip your hat to Huntsville. They kept working, they found a way. And all the credit to them and their coaching staff.”

“They blocked a lot of shots. That team is by far the biggest shot-blocking team. They put a soccer wall in front of the net. You have to be patient and manipulate around and deliver pucks at different trajectories.”

WANT TO GO?
WHO: Macon Mayhem vs. Ice Flyers
WHEN: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center

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