Superintendent Seeks Public Input Into School District Future
November 24, 2008
New Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas wants your input into the future of the county’s school system.
The survey ask participants what they believe is best about the county’s schools, what should be changed immediately and has an area for open additional comments.
“It is important that a wide range of Escambia citizens participate and provide feedback,” Thomas said in an open letter. “Realizing that we can accomplish more working together, I am asking that you join our team.”
The survey, which should be complete by December 5, can be accessed by clicking here.
Man With Molino Relatives Hailed As A Hero In Iraq
November 23, 2008
Sgt. Keith Fuqua, a Milton man with relatives in Molino, is among a group of men being called heroes after capturing a wanted Iraqi.
Marines with Company C, Task Force 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, conducted a cordon and search operation recently, which led to the detainment of the battalion’s number one High Value Individual.
Muhammad Ayid Fayyad is suspected of being involved with individuals who planned and executed attacks against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces.
The company learned Fayyad was in the vicinity of a local barbershop in Khalidyah and quickly responded by establishing a cordon around the area.
Marines with 4th Platoon, Company C, set up blocking positions on the main roads leading in and out of the cordon where the company’s Personal Security Detachment provided security for the closed off area.
Lance Cpl. Chelsey Wilson, a 24-year-old assaultman from Pensacola, Fla., was a vehicle commander in 2nd Platoon, which was responsible for the assault and search of the area.
Wilson said as he and two other Marines patrolled near the barbershop they began to notice suspicious behavior.
“There were four men cutting hair inside the shop at the time,” Wilson recalled. “Some of them tried to leave when they saw us, but we held them in the shop.”
The Marines realized one of the four men in the shop was indeed Fayyad after questioning the men and then took him into custody.
Fuqua, a 25-year-old squad leader from Milton, Fla., said it was no surprise Fayyad did not resist being detained.
“The operation was successful due to the precision in which it was executed,” Fuqua said. “Every element came together and we got this guy off the streets. The Iraqis are safer.”
Fayyad was immediately taken to the battalion’s Detainee Collection Point for questioning, and then was transported to a higher command for follow-on questioning.
The operation was successfully completed with no casualties to Marines, local nationals or Fayyad.
Story and photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Schmidt
Person Found Injured In Highway 97 Ditch Early Sunday Morning
November 23, 2008
An injured person was found lying by the side of Highway 97 in Davisville early Sunday morning, and authorities did not know how the person got there.
The male was found in the ditch alongside Highway 97 south of Pine Forest Road a few hundred feet north of a bridge. Authorities say the male had a slight head injury, but the injuries did not appear to be severe. The victim appeared to be intoxicated, authorities said. He was transported by Atmore Ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital.
A search was made of the area by members of the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department for a possible wrecked car, but nothing was located.
The victim was found by a passerby about 1:50 Sunday morning.
Pictured above: Emergency workers treat a person found lying in a ditch by Highway 97 about 1:50 Sunday morning. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Fort Walton Beach Man Shot Saturday In North Escambia
November 23, 2008
A Fort Walton Beach man was accidentally shot off Quintette Road Saturday afternoon.
The incident happened about 1:30 Saturday afternoon at the Escambia River Muzzle Loader’s shooting range on Quintete Road. John Henson, age unavailable, suffered what was described as an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Henson was transported by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. He was listed in serious condition Saturday night.
The incident is under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.
West Fraser Cuts More Jobs
November 23, 2008
Two weeks after announcing it was shuttering its McDavid mill, West Fraser Timber Co, Ltd. continues to cut jobs.
West Fraser has announced that it is cutting the last 69 production jobs at its sawmill in Citronelle, Alabama, and completely idling the facility. That announcement comes about three weeks after the Canadian company cut the Mobile County plant’s second shift.
The shut down of the McDavid mill cost 75 people their jobs.
Like the McDavid facility, the one in Citronelle will operated on a limited basis the next several weeks to process timber remaining on site. West Fraser has shut down or had large scale layoffs at 12 of 15 U.S. lumber mills.
The annual capacity at the Citronelle mill was 70 million board feet, but the plant was operating at about 43 million board feet per year, manufacturing 2×4 and 2×6 lumber.
The McDavid mill produced Southern Yellow Pine lumber and had an annual production capacity of about 200 million board feet. The mill had been running just one shift, producing about 75 million board feet.
West Fraser reported a lost of $2 million, or about a nickel a share, on sales of $848 million in the third quarter of 2008. The company reported losses for the first nine months of of 2008 $68 million, or $1.58 per share.
Fire Damages Wood Shed
November 23, 2008
Fire damaged a wood shed on Wiggins Lake in Walnut Hill late Saturday night.
Fire units were called to 5100 block of Wiggins Lake Road about 10:50 Saturday night for a wood shed on fire. The homeowner told firefighters that children had been roasting marshmallows in the backyard near the shed prior to the fire. He had partially extinguished the fire with a garden hose before firemen arrived.
Most of the wood in one side of the double sided shed was damaged by the fire, as was the shed itself. No other structures were threatened, and there were no injuries.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue responded to the call.
Pictured above: Firemen work to extinguish a smoldering fire in a Walnut Hill wood shed Saturday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
DirecTV Blimp Spotted Over North Escambia
November 23, 2008
The DirecTV blimp was spotted over North Escambia about noon Saturday.
It’s real name is the DirecTV Starship (not blimp). It is operated by the Lightship Group, a company that operates almost every non-military blimp in the country except for the three Goodyear blimps.
The Starship is equipped with the world’s largest screen at 30 feet by 21 feet. That’s 2100 square feet, 33,600 pixels, of football bliss, if you are counting. It’s the largest blimp screen in the world, capable of displaying full motion TV quality video day or night. It is 30 feet longer and 40% larger in volume (Helium content) than the Goodyear blimp.
At 178 feet long, the Starship is filled 170,000 cubic feet of purified helium. It has no steering wheel, just two foot pedals for up and down.
The blimp is equipped with a high definition camera for sporting events.
The Starship was headed west toward Baldwin County.
These photos were taken from Highway 97A near Enon School Road. The blimp was about two to four miles away when the photos were taken.
Pictured above and below (scroll down to see all photos): The DirecTV blimp over North Escambia Saturday about noon. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
‘A Meal For Amelia’ Raises Funds For One Year Old
November 23, 2008
The Friendship Circle of Aldersgate UMC in Molino is held a Spaghetti Lunch – ” A Meal for Amelia” Sunday.
This lunch was held to raise money to help the family of Amelia Lane Ruth. Amelia was diagnosed with Leukemia, AML, M7, at seven weeks old and started chemotherapy June 19th.
Amelia recently celebrated her first birthday. She has been undergoing treatment in Tennessee, which while hopefully lifesaving, has created a significant financial burden on her young family. If you were not able to attend, the church asks that you please send your prayers for this wonderful little girl. Any questions, please call the church at 587-5294.
Barrineau Park Veterans Wall Of Honor Surpasses 100 Photos Of Veterans
November 22, 2008
The Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center surpassed 100 photos this week, with each photo honoring a veteran from around the small community.
“In a way, it makes me sad,” Nancy Fillingim, the local resident that proposed the wall, said. The picture of her husband, Aubie Fillingham, was one of the first photos on the wall. He spent 20 years in the Navy as a boiler technician and a criminal investigator. Pictures of his four brothers are also on the wall.
Having the boys up there that have been killed,” she said, “makes me real said.” Five of those on the wall were killed in action.
Marine Thomas Edward Jones was killed in Korea in 1950. Army CPL Joseph N. Landry, III was killed in action in 2007. Terry Beasley died in service in 1965. CPL Jonathon Ross “J.R.” Spears died in Iraq in 2005. LCPL William “Trey” Yuhasz died while serving his country in 2004. Rollin Golightly also died in service and is honored on the wall.
The wall was a project of the Barrineau Park Historical Society. Nita Berry, president of the organization, said the community has been very supportive of the project by providing the pictures. “It was something we could do to honor our veterans,” she said. “It’s a very small thing compared to what they did for us.”
When NorthEscambia.com visited the Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center last week, Steve Jogan was hard at work on the office laptop.
“I’m trying to get this program to get rid of the background so the face stands out,” Jogan said as he worked hard in his graphics program to improve a photo. “Sometimes it takes a lot of work with these old photos to make them look good.”
Jogan himself is on the Wall of Honor; he’s retired Nav, with 27 years of service.
“We are going to have to raise the Wall of Honor sign,” Berry said. Organizers never knew there would be over 100 photos on the wall, so their sign had to be moved to make room for more photos.
For more information on the Wall of Honor, contact Nancy Fillingim at 587-2266.
For a complete photo gallery from the Barrineau Park Wall of Honor, click here.
Pictured above: The Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Pictured below: Nita Berry (left) and Nancy Fillingim at the Wall of Honor. Fillingham’s husband Aubie Fillingham is in the picture by her shoulder. Pictured above middle: Steve Jogan works on a new photo for the Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
NWE Holds Football Banquet
November 22, 2008
The annual Northwest Escambia Football League held their annual football banquet Friday night.
The Mites, Mini-mites and midgets were honored, along with the Mini-mite and Mite cheerleaders.
The NWE Mite cheerleaders recently traveled to Pace to compete in the GCYFA Cheerleading competition. The girls competed in the non-mount medium category along with five other teams. Each team was given 2 minutes and 30 seconds to perform one cheer, one chant and a dance routine.
The talented young ladies from NWE took home the third place trophy for their performance that day. Jennifer Peebles, head coach, commented, “All of these girls worked very hard to make sure their motions, jumps, everything, were timed just right.”
Coaching along side Jennifer were Lisa Byrd, assistant coach, and Taylor Byrd, a J.V. cheerleader from Northview High School. The 2008 NWE Mite Cheerleaders are:
Memory Peebles, Kylie Brooke, Kristen Byrd, Danielle Robinson, Liberty Peebles, Jasmine Walker, and Jordan Parham.
Pictured above: The NWE Midgets. Pictured below: The NWE Mini-mites, Mites, Mini-mite cheerleaders and Mite cheerleaders. Submitted photos by Leah Gifford for NorthEscambia.com.
