Acetylene Tank Catches Fire In Construction Area At Tate High School
May 9, 2022
Firefighters responded to Tate High School Monday afternoon for a reported acetylene tank fire.
The tank for an acetylene torch caught fire in the construction zone for the new Agriscience Building in front of the Fryman Gym.
“Since we cannot turn off the tank (due) to the burned-off valve, we’re waiting for the fire to burn out,” Escambia County Fire Rescue spokesperson Davis Wood said just after 3 p.m. “We have two units and a battalion chief standing by monitoring the situation.”
The fire was reported to be extinguished just before 4 p.m.
There were no structures threatened and no injuries reported. Everyone was evacuated from the immediate area.
Common construction uses for an acetylene torch include heating, cutting and welding.
Pictured: An acetylene tank fire Monday afternoon at Tate High School. Firefighters were unable to turn off the tank because the valve burned off before they were called. But they were able to remove a second tank (pictured below). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Teens Charged After Vehicle Stolen During Armed Robbery Is Wrecked In Cantonment Yard
May 9, 2022
Two teens have been arrested for an armed robbery Saturday afternoon in Brownsville that ended with the car wrecked in the front yard of a home on Highway 297A in Cantonment.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 1200 block of Z Street about 2:10 p.m. after a woman reported she was being robbed in front of her home at gunpoint.
Investigators said surveillance video from outside the home showed the incident as Zacharias Jackson-Holley and Shawn Albert, both aged 17, took the victim’s wallet and phone while displaying what appeared to be an “AR-style” rifle . The suspects then took her 2020 Dodge Charger out of her driveway.
The ECSO later received reports of the Dodge Charger being driven recklessly in the area of Pine Forest Road and Highway 297A.
Responding deputies arrived shortly after the stolen vehicle hit a tree and flipped into the yard of a home on Highway 297A and Sandicrest Lane, near the Heritage Baptist Church. Southard said deputies had not pursued the vehicle prior to the crash.
Albert was found lying next to the upside-down stolen Dodge Charger, according to deputies, and the gun was also found. It was determined to be a BB gun.
For more photos, click or tap here.
The suspects were taken into custody and then transported to area hospitals for their injuries.
Jackson-Holley, who was previously adjudicated as an adult was charged with armed carjacking and criminal mischief. Albert was charged with sudden snatching, armed carjacking and criminal mischief. The sheriff’s office is recommending Albert to be tried as an adult.
Jackson-Holley (pictured) remained in the Escambia County Jail Monday afternoon with bond set at $105,000. Information on Albert’s status was not available.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the vehicle crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
State Investigators Charge Two After Disabled Elderly Man’s IRS Check Is Stolen
May 9, 2022
State investigators have charged two women after the theft of a local disabled elderly man’s $5,142.19 check from the IRS.
Kayla Shyanne Macks, age 33 of Walnut Hill, was charged with felony exploitation of an elderly adult, uttering a forged instrument and grand theft. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $7,500 bond.
Kayla Ann Otto, age 18 of Century, was charged with uttering a forged instrument. She was released from the Santa Rosa County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
The victim told a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) investigator that he was hospitalized and on a ventilator due to COVID-19 when the check arrived. He said he was dependent on the check and had no other income while hospitalized.
FDACS said Macks stole the check, and Otto deposited it into her credit union in Pace.
The relationship between Macks, Otto and the victim was not evident from a highly redacted arrest report.
Pictured: Kayla Shyanne Macks (left) and Kayla Ann Otto (right).
Expect Lanes Closures Tuesday On Highway 4 Escambia River Bridge
May 9, 2022
Drivers can expect possible delays on the Highway 4 Escambia River Bridge between Century and Jay on Tuesday.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, motorists will encounter intermittent east and westbound inside lane closures from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday as crews perform routine bridge maintenance.
Pictured: The eastbound approach from Century to the Highway 4 Escambia River Bridge. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Over 400 Escambia Students Take Part In ‘Battle Of The Books’ (With List Of Winners)
May 9, 2022
Over 400 students on 83 teams from 36 schools took part in a virtual Escambia County Battle of the Books competition recently.
Participating students read up to 15 titles from this competition year’s Sunshine State Young Readers book lists. Teams met before, after, and during school with their coaches to discuss the books’ themes, characters, settings, and main events. The competition included four rounds of ten questions each, culminating with a final Lightning Round to break ties for first, second or third place.
Third Grade
- 1st Place: Beulah Elementary, Team A. Coach: Dana Sharp. Students: London Farrior, Emma Nguyen, Olivia Nunn, Luke Wiggins, and Ally Wilson
- 2nd Place: A. K. Suter Elementary. Coach: Paula Stillman. Students: Tenley Brannen, Chance Evans, Rowen Gosse, Emory Henry, and Ella Hill.
- 3rd Place: Pleasant Grove Elementary. Coaches: Kristi Suarez, Kaylin Roy, Dyana Blackmon, and Juliel Simons. Students: Maycee Forbes, Sadie Sharaway, and McKenna Shedd.
Fourth Grade
- 1st Place: Bratt Elementary, Team A. Coaches: Shonna Gilmore, Sherri Carter, and Mandi Carter. Students: Zoe Jantz, Rylan Johnson, Brennan Keenan, Brylynn McGhee, and Dillan Stuart.
- 2nd Place: Cordova Park Elementary, Team A. Coaches: Darcy Morgan-Roy and Mary McDaniels. Students: Ava Florence, Quinn McKern, Corinne Saenz, Berkeley Shumpert, and Lauren Tarnosky.
- 3rd Place: Ferry Pass Elementary. Coach: Heather Horn. Students: Elizabeth Castleberry, Jaedyn Hill, Joslin Lee Wilson, and Jacob Sepe.
Fifth Grade
- 1st Place: Cordova Park Elementary, Team B. Coach: Julie Glucroft. Students: Caroline Broussard, Max Harrison, Miral Shaheen, and Aaliyah Smith.
- 2nd Place: Cordova Park Elementary, Team A. Coach: Julie Glucroft. Students: Mason Barrow, Sophia Callaway, Olivia King, and Myles Wilson.
- 3rd Place: McArthur Elementary. Coach: Jennifer Beal. Students: Adyssen King, Hadley Krantz, Christopher Peralta, Kemar Wilkie, and Aubi Wilkins.
Middle School – 6th-8th Grades
- 1st Place: Bellview Middle, Team 3. Coaches: Leigh Shannon and Michelle Lingo. Students: Jacob Glass, Olivia Moore, and Melody Nguyen.
- 2nd Place: Beulah Middle, Team 1. Coach: Hazel McCormack. Students: Colin Duarte, Tamia Smith, Cheyenne Taft, and David Thompson.
- 3rd Place: Bellview Middle, Team 1. Coaches: Leigh Shannon and Michelle Lingo. Students: Isabella Le, Milan Nguyen, and Deriona Ross.
High School – 9th-12th Grades
- 1st Place: Booker T. Washington High. Coach: Patricia Ervin. Students: Amiya Boyd, Anwyn Butler, Tychianna Coleman, Skyler Dellisanti, and Carmen Mayorga.
- 2nd Place: Pine Forest High. Coach: Lori Miller. Students: Lucian Brown, Cricket (Elizabeth) Kurland, Gianna Penaloza-Jones, and Casey Wooten
Pictured: Battle of the Books teams from Beulah, Bratt, Byrneville and Jim Allen elementary schools. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary Students Create Winning EREC Meeting Posters
May 9, 2022
Fifth graders at Byrneville Elementary School took part in a poster contest to promote Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting.
The winning students received a cash award, and their posters were displayed at the meeting.
Pictured above (L-R) are first place winner Ethan Carter, second place winners Jacob Bolen and Dylen McCaw, a poster by third place winner Oliva Levins (not pictured) and EREC CEO Ryan Campbell. Pictured below: Carter’s winning poster. Photo (above) for, and photo (below) by NorthEcambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gas Prices Rebound
May 9, 2022
Florida gas prices rebounded over the weekend, returning to the highest price in over a month.
Sunday’s state average was $4.20 per gallon, an increase of two cents from a week ago.
The average price per gallon in Escambia County was $4.11, putting Pensacola at the lowest metro price average in the state.
The lowest price to be found Sunday night in North Escambia was $3.99 at three stations in Cantonment. In Pensacola, prices were as low as $3.95.
“There were some noteworthy gains in both oil and gasoline futures last week, which could result in additional gains in prices at the pump this week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Oil prices rose last week after the European Union announced plans to phase out their use of Russian oil by the end of the year. And yet, the oil price gains paled in comparison to what happened with gasoline. Gasoline futures soared to a new record high last week. The increase is blamed on a combination of steady weekly declines in gasoline supplies, and expectations that summer fuel demand will far outpace what we saw last year.”
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
NEP Teams Place In Mid-Season Tournament
May 9, 2022
NEP Softball placed seven teams in the top three of their division in the recent GCGSA Mid-Season Tournament.
Blue Angels took the top award, winning the 10U A bracket scoring 23 runs while giving up just three runs.
10U A
Blue Angels Champions
8U A
Charmers 2nd place
10U A
Renegades 3rd place
16U
Red hots 2nd place
8U B
Swing rays 1st place
10U B
Lady rockies 3rd place
12U B
Vengence 2nd
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
M-Braves Top Blue Wahoos, End Series With Split
May 9, 2022
Jeff Lindgren delivered a quality start in his 2022 Pensacola Blue Wahoos debut, but a four-run seventh gave the Mississippi Braves a 6-3 win in Sunday’s series finale.
The Blue Wahoos will settle for a series split and a 6-6 road trip as they return home to Pensacola with a 12-15 record.
It was a pitchers’ duel early, as neither Lindgren nor M-Braves starter Darius Vines allowed a hit through three innings. Luke Waddell broke the ice in the fourth with a two-run homer to give Mississippi a 2-0 lead, and the Blue Wahoos didn’t manage a baserunner until a Luis Aviles Jr. double in the sixth.
Trailing 2-0 in the seventh, the Blue Wahoos got a big three-run homer from Griffin Conine to take a brief 3-2 lead. Tyler Ferguson (W, 1-0) stranded a runner at third base to prevent further damage, and Mississippi took advantage of a Hayden Cantrelle error to score four unearned runs against Josh Roberson (L, 0-1) in the bottom half of the inning. Andrew Moritz tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and an RBI single from Riley Delgado and a two-run triple from Justin Dean put the Braves back in front.
Indigo Diaz (S, 2) walked and hit a batter in the ninth, but struck out Bubba Hollins as the potential tying run to end the game.
After an off day on Monday, the Blue Wahoos return home for a six-game series against the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Tuesday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Missing Man Found; Senior Alert Canceled
May 8, 2022
UPDATE: LEO DOIDGE HAS BEEN SAFELY LOCATED.
A Florida Silver Alert has been issued for a missing Escambia County.
Leo Edward Doidge, 74, was last seen about 8 a.m. Sunday in the 900 block of Springmier Place, east of Chemstrand Road. He was wearing a gray pullover with a white collar and blue jeans, and he may be wearing glasses.
He may be traveling in a 2010, green Honda CRV FL tag number NXVZ53. Authorities said he may now be in Alabama.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.