Ball Registration In Molino And Walnut Hill Today; Last Day For NWE
February 21, 2009
Registration was held at two area ballparks today, including Bradberry Park where today was the last day to register.
It was the last day of registration for Northwest Escambia Little League at Walnut Hill’s Bradberry Park. Registration is also going on at for the Molino Recreation Association at Don Sutton Park. Details for both parks are below.
Registration for Northwest Escambia Little League baseball continues each Saturday until February 21 from 10 a.m. until noon at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
The cost is $35 for the first child from a family, $25 for the second child and free for each additional child. A copy of each child’s birth certificate is required for registration.
This year, NWE will offer Wee Ball for children ages 3 and 4 on the brand new “Drew’s Field”
- Wee Ball — ages 3 & 4
- Tee Ball — ages 5, 6 & 7
- Minor and Major League Baseball — ages 8 to 12
- Minor and Marjor League Softball — ages 8 to 16
- Junior and Senior League Softball –ages 13 to 16
- Junior and Senior Leage Baseball — ages 13 to 16
- Machine Pitch Baseball — age 8
For more information, call 327-6722 or 327-6155 after five p.m.
Registration will be held each Saturday for the Molino Recreation Association at Don Sutton park in Molino. Registration will continue each Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. through February 28. The annual draft will be February 28 at 3 p.m.
Registration fees have been reduced this year due to the economy. This year, registration fees are $50 for the first child, $45 for the second, $40 for the third and free for additional players from the same family. A birth certificate copy is required to be on file for each child.
Teams for the Molino Recreation Association will include:
- Wee Ball –ages 3 & 4
- Tee Ball — ages 5, 6 & 7
- Baseball — ages 8 to 15
- Girls Softball — ages 8 to 16
If you would like to coach or just help out on your child’s team, you can sign up on the day your child is registered. For more information, call 587-4090.
Another 9 Mile Road Area Assault
February 21, 2009
Another assault on a young female has occurred in the 9 Mile Road area of Pensacola, but this time deputies caught their man.
At about 7 a.m. Friday, Escambia County Deputies responded to the Publix Shopping center at 9 Mile Road and University Parkway where a young female victim told deputies that she had packed her vehicle on the side of the grocery store. Before she could exit her car, a while male wearing only a T-shirt walked up to her vehicle, opened the door, grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him as if trying to get her to touch him, according to Sgt. Ted Roy with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies followed up on a possible tag number that was provided by a witness, and that led them to their suspect.
Keith William Smith, 44, of Pensacola was arrested at a relative’s home about noon Friday. Deputy Phillip Martin, who took the original report, went to a residence in the Fox Run subdivision off 9 Mile Road to follow up on the tag number. At the residence, the owner of the vehicle stated that she had no driven the vehicle, but a relative who was staying with her had driven it. Contact was made with Smith, and he matched the physical description given by the victim and witnesses.
Smith said he had driven the vehicle, but denied the incident, Roy said. The victim positively identified Smith as the man that attacked her.
The incident is not believed to be connected to the cop impersonator incidents that have occurred in the past few weeks in the area.
The University of West Florida Police were notified of the incident due to the proximity to the campus and then issued an “Argo Alert” to student and faculty who have signed up for the service. An E-mail was also sent out to students and faculty.
Atmore 100 MPH High Speed Chase Ends In North Escambia
February 20, 2009
A high speed police chase out of Atmore ended in North Escambia Thursday afternoon with the suspect escaping.
The chase began about 4:45 Thursday afternoon in Atmore when an Atmore Police Department officer attempted to stop a black motorcycle for a traffic offense.
The chase wound through streets in southeast Atmore, including Pine Street and Medical Park Drive. It headed south on Medical Park Drive and cross into Florida and onto Greenland Road. The chase reportedly hit speeds of about 100 mph before Atmore officers called off their pursuit in the area of Dortch Road. Atmore Police reportedly did not notify Florida authorities of their pursuit, and Florida officers were not involved.
The motorcycle driver was not apprehended.
$22 Million Training Facility On 684 Acres Near Molino Won’t Happen
February 20, 2009
Escambia County is officially out of a $22 million deal to purchase 684 acres north of Molino near the Camp O’ the Pines for a regional police, fire and EMS training facility after Sheriff David Morgan said he wanted out of the deal.The Escambia County Commission voted 5-0 Thursday night to end the joint project between the county, Pensacola Junior College, The PJC Foundation and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. The entities entered into an interlocal agreement in 2006 to purchase the land from RMS Timberlands, LLC for $3,278,400. That sale was to be closed by December 18 on the Highway 29 property.
$11 million of the total $22 million price tag for the facility was to be contributed by the sheriff’s department via the county from local option sales tax money. The other $11 million was to come from a state grant obtained by PJC. Morgan said he was not convinced that the facility was needed.
Funds contributed by the various parties toward the project will be returned.
Plans called for the facility to being as a state-of-the-art firing range for PJC students and area law enforcement. It was to expand into a fire and emergency medical service training facility.
The original agreement was entered into by former Sheriff Ron McNesby.
Done Deal: County To Provide Code Enforcement In Century
February 20, 2009

Escambia County has added their approval to an agreement that will bring code enforcement back to Century.
The Escambia County Commission approved the agreement with Century last night. The Century Town Council had ratified the agreement at the end of January.
The agreement calls for Escambia County to provide code enforcement for both county and town ordinances within the town limits. Sandra Slay, Escambia County’s code enforcement manager, told the town council that the enforcement will be “proactive”, The code officers will not respond to citizen complaints within the Town of Century; rather, the officers will seek out violators.
The written agreement states that “the parties expressly agree that no performance standards, other than those that are generally applicable to similar actives by the county elsewhere outside the corporate limits of the Town, are intended of should be inferred.”
Under the agreement, the Town of Century will be responsible for removing nuisance violations, such as tearing down buildings that owners do not repair.
The county will provide a monthly report of all enforcement activities in Century to the town.
The county’s enforcement activities will be funded by a Community Development Block Grant. The county will receive all fines and fees collected from Century violators.
Previously, Century ended an agreement with Escambia County to provide code enforcement in the town. Under that agreement, the county’s code enforcement officers worked Century and wrote citations that were turned over to the town for abatement. The services were provided by the county at no charge to Century.
The arrangement came under fire, with allegations that the county’s officers provided selective enforcement, citing some people but no others. That prompted the council to sever the relationship with Escambia Code Enforcement. Currently, there is no code enforcement at all in the town.
McDavid Man Involved In Fatal Santa Rosa Crash
February 20, 2009
A McDavid man was involved in a three vehicle accident in north Santa Rosa County Thursday morning that left a Pace man dead.
The Florida Highway Patrol says William Fillingim, 55, of McDavid was was northbound on Chumuckla Highway south of Archies Way in a 2000 Mack log truck when he drifting into the southbound lane. Fillingim struck the rear of a 2005 Dodge pickup truck and a flatbed trailer driven by Ernest D. Evans, 30 of Pace.
Fillingim’s log truck then struck the left front and side of a 1986 Ford pickup driven by Randal L. Touchton, 47, of Pace, pushing the truck onto the shoulder. The log truck continued off the highway into a wooded area.
Touchton, who was not wearing a seat belt according to the FHP, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by helicopter. Touchton was pronounced dead at the hospital at 7:07 a.m.
Evans was not seriously injured in the crash. Fillingim, who also was not wearing a seat belt according to the FHP, recieved minor injuries in the crash.
The accident in still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. No charges have been filed.
Century Employee Enters ‘Not Guilty’ Plea In Fight Case
February 20, 2009
The Town of Century employee that reportedly left a state prisoner unattended in a store parking lot while he got into fight inside the store has entered a plea of not guilty in Escambia Circuit Court.
Robert Allen Powell, 56, of Century entered the not guilty plea along with a request for a jury trial through his attorney. Powell had been scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
Powell’s jury trial is scheduled for April 13.
Powell reportedly got into a fight with Randall Keith Grimes, 47, of Century at the town’s Dollar General store.
Powell stopped at the Dollar General in a town truck along with a prisoner from the Century Correctional Institute that was on work detail for the town. Powell reported went into the store to purchase cold medication, leaving the prisoner unattended in the parking lot. Inside the store, Powell ended up in the altercation with Grimes.
Their stories differ on what happened. Powell told deputies that Grimes called him names and then punched him. Grimes said Powell called him a “retard” and a “bastard” before Powell punched him in the face. Powell told deputies the entire incident stemmed from Grimes’ involvement with his ex-wife.
The report says store surveillance video shows that Powell threw the first punch, according to the ECSO report. Powell was arrested on a battery warrant, and released on a $2,500 bond.
Powell filed for a restraining order to keep Grimes away from him, but that order was denied by Circuit Judge Kim Skievaski.
The only action the Town of Century took against Powell for leaving the prisoner unattended was a verbal reprimand, according to Mayor Freddie McCall.
Kids Race To Fun At The Library
February 20, 2009
Boys and girls raced to the Century Branch Library Thursday afternoon for a racing story time, the chance to sit in a real race car and a high speed box car derby.
For a complete photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured above: Ready…set…go! A box car race at the Century Branch Library Thursday afternoon. Pictured below: Children had the chance to sit in a real race car. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Spay, Neuter Program For Low Income Pet Owners
February 19, 2009
Throughout the month of February, Concerned Citizens for Animal Welfare, a local animal welfare organization, will pay for half the cost of spay or neuter procedures for eligible low income pet owners during “Spay and Neuter Month” at the Escambia County Animal Shelter.
“We’ve sponsored spay and neuter programs since 1988,” said Dorothy Kaser of Concerned Citizens for Animal Welfare. “It’s very important that we do everything possible to reduce the number of unwanted animals being born.”
“The spay and neuter assistance program is available to qualified citizens year-round, but providing these services at half price during Spay and Neuter Month is a huge benefit, not just to the low income pet owner, but – in the long run – to all residents of Escambia County,” said Animal Shelter Manager Candace Stordahl.
For information on low cost spay and neuter services, call the Escambia County Animal Shelter at 595-3075 or visit the shelter at 200 West Fairfield Drive in Pensacola, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Litter From ECUA Trash Trucks?
February 19, 2009
As more and more North Escambia residents begin to use the ECUA residential waste and recycling services, we have received more and more complaints here at NorthEscambia.com about trash/litter along the roadways apparently left behind by ECUA trucks.
The big problem, according to Larry Walker, District 5 ECUA board member, is loose bags placed into the recycling containers.
Walker tells us that this past Tuesday he investigated the problem following an ECUA truck on its route from Cedartown Road and through Molino.
“I again observed that debris sometimes blew out, or floated out, of the truck, but only after particular cans had been emptied into the truck,” Walker told NorthEscambia.com. “Most litter from the trucks blew out immediately after certain cans were emptied–sometimes before the truck began to move, even. ”
Plastic bags like those the daily newspaper is delivered in, and the grocery store type of plastic bags were the most common litter coming from the ECUA trucks observed by Walker.
“The moral is, to reduce roadside litter from the garbage trucks, ‘bag your bags’,” Walker said. “Don’t toss individual plastic bags into the garbage can; instead, stuff other bags into one bag and tie it up. Better yet, put a bottle or some other weightier item into the bag. The same rule holds true for lightweight paper items. Tie them up inside a bag or sack before putting them in the can.”
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