Century Hosts Goblins And Ghouls At Roadside Park
October 31, 2008
The Town of Century sponsored trick-or-treating at the town’s Roadside Park Thursday evening.
Boy and “ghouls” that stopped by in costume received a bag of sugary goodies from town officials.
Both Century and Flomaton officially observed Halloween Thursday night.
For more photos from Century’s Halloween event, click here.
Pictured above: Margie McCall (left), Edna Earle Barnes and Century Mayor Freddie McCall talk to a little witch that stopped by the town’s Roadside Park Thursday night. Pictured below: “Trick-or-treat!” NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Names Fall Festival King And Queen
October 30, 2008
Bratt Elementary School named their king and queen for their Fall Festival today.
Queen Ashtyn Presley collected $278, and King Cole Lambert collected $72 in the annual King and Queen Fall Festival Contest fund raiser.
The students collected pennies for votes, with one penny equaling one vote. Presley and Lambert were named to the royal court for collecting the most votes.
Bratt Elementary’s annual Fall Festival was held this afternoon and evening at the school. We’ll have complete photo coverage Friday morning.
Pictured above: Bratt Elementary Fall Festival Queen Ashtyn Presley and King Cole Lambert. Pictured below: Bratt students who also collected votes. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Dog Fighting Charges Are Dropped Against Two Century Men
October 30, 2008
Charges have been dropped against two Century men that were accused of dog fighting in Santa Rosa County.
Jeffery Jay, 34, and Michael Anthony Jones, 38, both of Century, were charged with training or baiting animals for fighting.
A judge has tossed out the case against Jay and Jones because animal control officers accidentally euthanized pit bills that belonged to the two men. Only the dogs that belonged to a third man were supposed to be destroyed.
Raymond Eugene Teamer, 42, of Milton was charged with 35 counts of training or baiting animals for fighting and two counts of possessing or selling dog fighting equipment, all third degree felonies, in connection with a raid on his property in Milton back in November of last year. He was sentenced in court Friday to 15 years in state prison.
The Century men were arrested in early November following a traffic stop as they left Teamer’s Milton home. Two fighting dogs were found in the back of their truck, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department. Other items that are used in the dog fighting community were also found in the vehicle. Both were released on $10,000 bond each the same day.
That traffic stop led to the search of Teamer’s home.
Investigators have been investigating Teamer for months in an effort to break up a large scale operation in which Teamer was breeding high dollar pit bulls for fighting other dogs in multiple states.
A search warrant was then obtained for Teamer’s residence. When the search warrant was executed, investigators found approximately 30 pit bull dogs located on the nine acre parcel of land owned by Teamer. These dogs were spread throughout Teamer’s property, chained fast to steel posts embedded in the ground with heavy industrial chains. The majority of the dogs had wounds, both fresh and healed, that are consistent with dog fighting activities. The investigation revealed that Teamer breeds these dogs specifically for the purpose of fighting. Numerous records, trophies, and other items were located on Teamer’s property that document Teamer’s activity of breeding, selling and fighting these dogs.
Multiple agencies and entities assisted with the investigation, including the collection and removal of the dogs from the property. The Flomaton Police Department as well as the Flomaton Animal Shelter also assisted in the investigation, due to the majority of the dog fights occurring in their jurisdiction.
Former PTO President Sentenced On Theft Charges
October 30, 2008
The former president of the Jay Elementary School PTO has been sentenced in connected with the theft of more than $1,500 from the organization.
Jennifer Wolters, 31, entered a plea of no contest on grand theft charges for using a school debit card to obtain over $1,500 that she then spent, among other things, at casinos in Biloxi. She was sentenced to 18 months probation and 100 hours of community service.
Wolters was arrested on the charges back in March. She had already repaid the money to the PTO at the time of her arrest.
Ernest Ward FFA Elects Officers, Wins At The Fair, Sells Sweet Potatoes
October 30, 2008
Students at Ernest Ward Middle School are only about a quarter of the way into the school year, and it has been a busy one so far for members of the school’s FFA chapter.
EWMS Reporter Courtney Solari contributed the following report for NorthEscambia.com:
This year has been off to a great start for the Ernest Ward Middle School FFA Chapter. So far, we have about 60 members and have just recently selected our 2008 – 2009 officers which include Harley Caraway – president, Devin Bell – vice president, Shelby Lewis – secretary, Chelsea Ward – treasurer, Courtney Solari – reporter, Anna Donald – sentinel, Cody Chapman – 1st parliamentarian, Tyler Roley – 2nd parliamentarian, Nathan Waters – chaplain, Sandy Rainwater – historian, and Marisa Penland and Katelyn Zisa – photographers .
The FFA members recently finished the Pensacola Interstate Fair booth and placed second. This is a major accomplishment because Ernest Ward was the only middle school competing against four high schools. The theme was “ Wearing Official FFA Dress is Priceless!!!!” We also had to include various agricultural products including a jar of honey donated by our own beekeeper, Aden Davis, a sixth grader at EWMS.
Also at the fair, EWMS students Marisa Penland and Devin Bell each showed various livestock.
Our annual sweet potato sale will be November 3rd through November 14th. We will be selling twenty pound bags for $7.00 each, and they will be available in white or red. Bags of potatoes can be ordered from any EWMS FFA member. Call the school for more information, 327-4283.
Pictured above: The Ernest Ward Middle School FFA booth at the Pensacola Interstate Fair. Pictured below: FFA members work on the fair booth. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Call Him Lucky: McDavid Man Wins Eight Florida Lottery Price Packages
October 30, 2008
A McDavid man won not one, but eight second chance drawings from the Florida Lottery on Wednesday.
Gary Smith of McDavid won eight Indiana Jones second-chance packages from the final drawing for the Florida Lottery scratch-off game.
There were 2,100 prize packages valued at $583 each awarded. Each included an Indiana Jones 100% wool brown fedora hat, a long-sleeve Explorer shirt, a genuine cowhide leather jacket, a leather satchel and an Indiana Jones t-shirt.
There were a few others that won more than once, including a Tampa man that won five of the prize packages.
In the Indiana Jones scratch-off games, players could enter the second chance drawing by entering their losing ticket numbers online.
Is Your Heating System Safe?
October 30, 2008
Most North Escambia residents turned on the heat for the first time this season during the past couple of days. For most, it was just flip the thermostat and enjoy as the warm air began to flow. But many of those people, even though they were warm and cozy, may have missed an important step…a heating system inspection.
“An inspection is important to make sure the system is clean and all of the safety features are working,” Durwin Unruh, owner of Casa Heating and Cooling in Walnut Hill, said. “You can rest assured at night after an inspection that your system is safe and running properly.”
It’s not just really old systems that can become unsafe. He said on Wednesday he inspected a system that was just seven years old that had a rust problem that could have been a serious safety problem for the owner.
An inspection, Unruh said, can be especially important on a gas system to make sure there are no carbon monoxide issues.
A system that is running properly can also save energy –and money — during the winter months.
“And if the system is over 10 years old, it’s time to start thinking about a new one,” Unruh said. “Systems today have a come along way in terms of safety and efficiency that can make replacing an old system worthwhile.”
Heating system inspections should be done by qualified companies that can be found in the local phone book. Unruh and Casa can be reached at 327-4684 or online at www.casaair.com.
Early Voter Turnout “Remarkable”
October 30, 2008
Over 32,000 people have now cast their ballots in early voting in Escambia County.
Escambia Supervisor of Elections David Stafford told NorthEscambia.com that the early voting turnout has been “remarkable”. He said that by the time the four early voting locations in the county closed Wednesday night, a total of 32,259 people had cast their ballots.
Early voters can cast their ballots through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Early voters can choose any one of the four sites:
- Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, second floor.
- Supervisor of Elections branch office, 292 Muscogee Road, Cantonment.
- Lucia M. Tryon Branch Library, 5740 N. Ninth Ave.
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway.
Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. next Tuesday.
A Story Of Hope: Century Relay For Life Holds Kickoff
October 29, 2008
A team kickoff rally for Century’s 2009 Relay for Life was held last night with about a dozen teams represented.
“We are fired up and getting ready for Relay,” Paula Jernigan, event organizer, said.
Jernigan, who announced that Tuesday night that she had been cancer free eight years to the day, is in her second year as organizer. She said that her first experience with Relay was inspired by Dillon Diamond (pictured left), a young man that she introduced.
‘I was diagnosed in November 1999,” Diamond said. “And as you see I am standing here now. It’s because of what Relay does.”
Century’s Relay for Life runs from noon Saturday, April 25, 2009, until 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 26. For more information or to sign up a team, visit CenturyRelay.com
Teams already registered for this year’s Century Relay include: Byrneville Elementary, Carver/Century K-8 School, Century Branch Library, Century Correctional Institute, Town of Century, Critter Gitters, Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church, Northview High School, McDavid Fire Department, Walnut Hill Fire Department and NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured above: Glow sticks light a “Hope” bag in a dark cafeteria at Carver/Century K-8 School Tuesday night. Each glow stick was placed in the bag in memory of, or in honor of, someone with cancer. Pictured below: The silhouette of Relay team members walking a Relay “lap” around the cafeteria, which was lit only by lights outside the building. Pictured bottom: Jacke Johnston of the Byrneville Elementary School team accepts a spirit award. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Area Woman Featured On International TV, Watch Video Here
October 29, 2008
An area woman was featured on international television Tuesday night.
Olvena Smith, a 92 year old poll worker from Canoe, Alabama, (that’s just across the state line from North Escambia) was featured on BBC World News on BBC America. BBC is the British Broadcasting Company.
The BBC featured Smith’s 55 year tenure as a poll worker in Alabama.