Atmore Publisher, Reporter Indicted For Reavealing Grand Jury Secrets
December 2, 2023
An Escambia County, Alabama School Board member, who is a weekly newspaper owner and publisher, and one of her reporters have now officially been indicted by a a grand jury.
Atmore News Publisher Sherry Digmon, 72, and Don Fletcher, 69, were each indicted by an Escambia County Grand Jury on charges of “revealing evidence of the grand jury”.
Both were set to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing, but that hearing was canceled after the indictment was returned. They are no longer eligible for a preliminary hearing after being indicted.
Digmon is co-owner and publisher of The Atmore News which reported October 25 that the local district attorney was investigating COVID funds paid to school system employees. The paper also revealed that Digmon’s phone and that the phone of another school board member had been seized under a search warrant. Both had recently voted against renewing an employment contract with Superintendent of Education Michele McClung.
Football Playoffs: Pensacola Catholic Season Ends With OT Loss In State Semifinals
December 2, 2023
Pensacola Catholic, the last remaining North Escambia area team in the playoffs, lost to the Bradford Tornadoes 22-21 in overtime Friday night in the Region 1-2S state semifinal game.
Catholic’s season ends at 11-3, while Bradford will take on Cocoa for the 2S crown.
Ice Flyers Erase Early Deficit, Stay Unbeaten On Teddy Bear Night
December 2, 2023
By Bill Vilonam Ice Flyers Correspondent
When Gary Graham coached the Ice Flyers to their first championship 10 years ago, there wasn’t this kind of rivalry with Peoria.
There is now, of course.
For more photos, click or tap here.
That’s why the Ice Flyers 7-4 victory against the Rivermen Friday night, after the game was tied 3-3 at second intermission, carried extra meaning for the players and the crowd of 3,877 at the Pensacola Bay Center on Teddy Bear Toss Night.
Seven different players scored and the Ice Flyers had a 47-23 edge in shots in a game that started the wrong way for the home team, but ended with Pensacola keeping its unbeaten record (7-0) on home ice.
“I wasn’t part of it before,” said Graham, smiling afterward about the matchup with Peoria. “I’ve seen it first hand now. They tried to get us off our game early with the physicality side of things.
“And I thought our guys did a really good job of taking some punishment, going on the power play and basically making them beat themselves.
“Any time you can score seven goals with seven different guys, that doesn’t happen often. I thought the guys did a good job keep sticking with it.”
The Ice Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs last year by Peoria. They also won their most dramatic SPHL title against Peoria with a last-second goal to clinch the championship. This weekend’s pair of games are the only two in Pensacola this season.
The Ice Flyers trailed 2-0 midway through the first period. And then the game changed.
“It’s a big game for us. We don’t like them and they don’t like us. It’s a great rivalry,” said the Ice Flyers Mitch Atkins, named the game’s No. 1 star Friday with a goal and two assists.
The third period became the most eventful.
Less than four minutes into the period, veteran Peoria captain Alec Hagaman, who was part of the Ice Flyers last championship team in 2021, was thrown out of the game on a match penalty for slew-footing. The penalty is called when a player either kicks, grabs or knocks another players’ feet from behind.
It gave the Ice Flyers a 5-minute power play. Less than 90 seconds into the power play, Ice Flyers captain Garrett Milan scored on a one-timer shot from near the face-off circle after a perfect feed from Mitch Atkins.
It gave the Ice Flyers a 4-3 lead.
“I saw it out of the corner of my eye. The referee didn’t see it, but the linesman saw it,” Graham said. “A lot of times slew footing happens behind the play, because players are smart, they know where the ref’s looking.”
Seven minutes later, Malik Johnson put the Ice Flyers up two goals with his quick wrister.
But Peoria got a shorthanded goal with 5:07 remaining and now the game had a different kind of feel. That is until Atkins had the pivotal goal with a defender draped on him, who he shed and caused to take out Peoria goaltender Brendahn Brawley. Atkins regained control of the puck and made a whirl around move to wrist the puck into the open corner of the net.
“We came out (of Ice Flyers end) with a lot of speed,” Atkins said. “Once we got in the (Peoria) zone, Bondee (Ivan Bondarenko) has such a great vision and he made a great seam pass.
“It jumped my stick and I felt if I wrapped it the other way there wouldn’t be a lot still in the net. It was a fun goal and a good pass by Bondee to open things up there.”
Fittingly, Bondarenko scored the Ice Flyers final goal on an empty-netter while killing a penalty. Peoria pulled Brawley with 1:52 remaining to get a 6 on 4 situation. But when Rivermen defenseman slipped and fell inside the blue line, the puck was free and Bondarenko sealed the game.
Peoria led 2-1 at first intermission. The game began with a crowd-pleasing fight at the 7:40 mark between the Ice Flyers Sean Gulka and Spencer Kennedy. Both traded a flurry a punches for nearly a minute as the crowd roared and both teams saluted.
The Rivermen then got a pair of goals four minutes apart from Braydon Barker and Kennedy, two players who recently joined the team.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Barker, who played last season for Peoria, got his first goal this season on an assist from long-time veteran Alec Hagaman. The goal occurred with 10:12 left in the period.
Kennedy, who began the season in Roanoke, scored his first goal for Peoria with 6:58 left. Both Barker and Kennedy were playing in their third game for the Rivermen.
“They are a veteran group,” Graham said. “They capitalized on the very few chances they had. We made a couple mistakes and… boom it’s in the back of net. They are a team that can score very quickly, and we knew we had to keep the pace with them.”
But the Ice Flyers answered 27 seconds after Kennedy’s goal when Lucas Herrmann got his third goal of the season. The moment the goal lamp was lit, the stuffed animals were tossed across the ice from all sides as the signature part of Teddy Bear Toss Night for the first Ice Flyers goal in the game.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Peoria Rivermen vs. Ice Flyers
WHEN: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center
Missing Infant Located
December 1, 2023
UPDATE: Ny’Ariyah Robinson Smith has been located
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing infant that may be with her parents.
A court order was issued to find the child, ECSO said.
They are looking for 3-week-old Ny’Ariyah Robinson Smith who may be with her mother, Tiffany Leigh Smith, or her father, David Cordele Robinson.
The sheriff’s office said they may be in Florida, Georgia, or Alabama.
Anyone that has any information on Ny’Ariyah’s whereabouts, is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850)-436-9620.
Byrneville Elementary’s Ty Hagan Wins Second In Sandy Sansing Spelling Bee
December 1, 2023
Correctly spelling words like “parallel”, and “anxious”, Byrneville Elementary School fifth grader Ty Hagan took second place in the annual Sandy Sansing Spelling Bee Thursday night. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season Ends As 4th Busiest For Most Named Storms In A Year
December 1, 2023
The above-normal 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ended Thursday, Nov. 30, was characterized by record-warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures and a strong El Nino.
The Atlantic basin saw 20 named storms in 2023, which ranks fourth for the most-named storms in a year since 1950. Seven storms were hurricanes and three intensified to major hurricanes. An average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Hurricane Idalia was the only U.S. landfalling hurricane in 2023. It made landfall as a category-3 hurricane on Aug. 30 near Keaton Beach, Florida, causing storm surge inundation of 7 to 12 feet and widespread rainfall flooding in Florida and throughout the southeast.
Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall as a strong tropical storm with 70 mph winds on Emerald Isle, North Carolina, on Sept. 23 causing widespread heavy rainfall, gusty winds and significant river and storm surge flooding in portions of eastern North Carolina.
Hurricane Lee made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone in Nova Scotia, Canada, on Sept. 16. Swells generated by Lee caused dangerous surf and rip currents along the entire U.S. Atlantic coast. Strong winds with hurricane‑force gusts from Lee caused extensive power outages in Maine and in parts of Canada.
“The Atlantic basin produced the most named storms of any El Nino influenced year in the modern record,” said Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center — a division of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “The record-warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic provided a strong counterbalance to the traditional El Nino impacts.”
The eastern Pacific basin hurricane season was also above normal with 17 named storms, of which 10 were hurricanes and eight of those major hurricanes. From Aug. 16 to 21, Tropical Storm Hilary brought widespread heavy rainfall and flooding to Southern California, with some areas receiving up to 600% of their normal August rainfall. Hilary resulted in the first ever issuance of Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings for the Southern California coastline by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. In addition, the Center distributed key hazard focused messages for Hilary in Spanish through the agency’s new language translation project.
Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, on Oct. 25 as a category-5 hurricane with sustained winds of 165 mph. Otis holds the record as the strongest landfalling hurricane in the eastern Pacific after undergoing rapid intensification in which wind speeds increased by 115 mph in 24 hours.
This season, NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew 468 mission hours to collect atmospheric data that is critical to hurricane forecasting and research, passing through the eye of a hurricane 120 times and deploying over 1,400 scientific instruments. Since 2020 through this 2023 season, NOAA’s two Lockheed WP-3D Orion have flown 40% more hurricane mission flights than the preceding four years (2016-2019).
Another Cantonment Business Burglary Reported At Back To The Rack Thrift Store
December 1, 2023
Another Cantonment business burglary is under investigation.
Someone forced their way into the Back to the Rack Thrift Store in the 400 block of Highway 29. A door to the business was pried open.
Wednesday, we reported about burglaries at Pittman’s Cantonment Building Materials in Cantonment.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 850-433-STOP or the ECSO at 850-436-9620.
Escambia Opioid Abatement Funding Survey Now Open
December 1, 2023
Escambia County’s Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board is seeking public input for uses for funding from the National Opioid Settlement. The public is asked to share their opinion by completing a survey no later than end of day Wednesday, Dec. 20.
The survey can be completed online or printed and emailed to homelessness@myescambia.com. Complete the survey online at MyEscambia.com/OpioidAbatementFundingSurvey. Click here to access a printable version of the survey. Surveys can also be completed and dropped off at the below Escambia County libraries and community centers:
- Southwest Library – 12248 Gulf Beach Hwy., Pensacola
- Pensacola Library – 239 N. Spring St., Pensacola
- Westside Library – 1301 W. Gregory St.. Pensacola
- Tryon Library – 1200 Langley Ave., Pensacola
- Molino Library – 6450-A Hwy. 95A N., Molino
- Century Library – 7991 N. Century Blvd., Molino
- Beulah Senior Citizens Center – 7425 Woodside Dr., Pensacola
- Felix Miga Sr. Citizens Center – 904 N. 57th Ave., Pensacola
- Lexington Terrace Community Center – 700 S. Old Corry Field Road, Pensacola
- Marie Ella Davis Community Center – 16 Raymond St., Pensacola
- Mayfair Community Center – 701 S. Madison Dr., Pensacola
- Brownsville Community Center (Boys and Girls Club) – 3200 W. Desoto St., Pensacola
- Dorrie Miller Community Center – 2819 N. Miller St., Pensacola
- Englewood Community Center – 2751 N. “H” St., Pensacola
- Marie K. Young-Wedgewood Community Center and Park – 6405 Wagner Road, Pensacola
- Ebonwood Community Center – 3511 W. Scott St., Pensacola
- Englewood Neighborhood Center – 2749 N. “H” St., Pensacola
- Barrineau Park Community Center and Historical Society – 6055 Barrineau Park School Road, Molino
- Byrneville Community Center – 1707 County Road 4-A, Century
- Carver Park Resource Center – 208 Webb St., Cantonment
- Molino Community Center and Historical Museum – 6450-A Hwy. 95A N., Molino
- Quintette Community Center – 2490 Quintette Lane, Cantonment
- Walnut Hill Community Center and Ruritan Club – 7850 Hwy. 97-N, Walnut Hill
Funding is intended to be used for programs that will benefit the community. The four main categories are identified to help address the opioid epidemic:
- Criminal justice: Prevention efforts with monitoring drug trafficking, treatment in jail or prison, and, upon release, referral to treatment after release; drug courts that by require services or treatment as a condition of probation;
- Harm reduction: Support efforts to prevent or reduce overdose deaths or other opioid-related harms through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs or strategies;
- Prevention: Strategies to prevent all levels of substance use, including services for individuals, families, communities and general society; and
- Treatment and recovery: Designed to help people stop using substances, remain sober and drug free, improve health and wellness, and strive to reach their full potential. Recovery is a lifelong process.
Junior League To Host Free Diaper Drive-Up Distribution This Weekend
December 1, 2023
The Junior League of Pensacola will host a diaper drive-up distribution event on Sunday, December 3, 2023, outside the Junior League of Pensacola office, 2016 West Garden Street in Pensacola.
The event will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, while supplies last.
To ensure participant safety, this event cannot accommodate walk-up participants. No registration is needed to receive diapers and wipes during this drive-up event. Parents and caregivers will have the option of choosing the size of diapers (size newborn – size 7) while supplies last. The group is unable to accommodate special requests in diaper brands. Pull-ups, training underwear, or adult size diapers will not be available at this event. Each parent and caregiver will be given 50 diapers and a pack of wipes per child. The child does not need to be present.
16th Felony Conviction Gets Escambia Man 15 Years In Prison
December 1, 2023
A 44-year-old Escambia County man with 15 previous felony convictions has been sentenced to 15 years in prison as a habitual felony offender.
Bunny Hodart Brown III was convicted of fleeing and eluding law enforcement in May 2022.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputies attempted to stop Brown but he fled from law enforcement at a high rate of speed. Prosecutors said he drove at speeds in excess of 65 miles per hour through a residential neighborhood and failed to stop at several stop signs. He eventually fled on foot where law enforcement officers located him hiding behind a fence. Brown was subsequently arrested and booked into the Escambia County Jail.
During sentencing, the state argued that the defendant was a danger to the community and that his actions warranted a severe punishment. Judge Jones took note of the defendant’s extensive criminal record and his lack of regard for the law.