International Paper Employees Scholarship Foundation Awards $6,000 In College Scholarships
June 25, 2026
The I.P. Pensacola Employees Scholarship Foundation, Inc. has announced the recipients of its annual college scholarships. This year, three outstanding high school seniors have been awarded scholarships to support their higher education pursuits.
The foundation awarded three scholarships of $2,000 each to:
- Landon Haveard, Troy University
- Rylee Mohler, University of South Alabama
- Brody Neal, University of West Florida
For more than 40 years, these scholarships have been awarded to high school seniors who demonstrate academic excellence. Eligibility criteria include being a child of a current or retired employee of the International Paper Pensacola Mill, acceptance into an accredited institution of higher learning, and submission of an application accompanied by a qualifying ACT score.
“We are proud to invest in the future of our employees’ families by awarding these scholarships,” said Hamilton Hewlett, president of the I.P. Employees Scholarship Foundation. “It reflects our commitment to honoring the contributions of our workforce.”
Pictured top: Brody Nea, Landon Haveard, and Rylee Mohler. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECUA Appoints New Executive Director
June 25, 2026
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has appointed Jason Yarborough as its next executive director following an extensive interview process. Yarborough is expected to begin serving in the role on Monday, July 6.
He replaces Bruce Woody, who retired after nearly six years in the position.
Yarborough brings more than 30 years of local government executive and operational experience, including senior leadership responsibility for water, wastewater, reclaimed water and solid waste services. His career includes service as a city manager, deputy city manager and utilities director in Florida communities experiencing rapid growth, infrastructure demands and complex public service needs.
Prior to joining ECUA, Yarborough served as deputy city manager for the City of North Port, Florida, for the past eight years. In that role, he oversaw the utilities, public works and developmental-services departments, supervising more than 400 employees and managing a $182 million budget.
Accepting the role as ECUA’s executive director serves as a homecoming for Yarborough. He grew up in Pensacola, graduated from Escambia High School and later returned home to earn a Master of Public Administration from the University of West Florida.
“Serving as executive director of ECUA is both a professional responsibility and a personal honor,” Yarborough said. “I grew up in Pensacola, and I understand how important reliable water, wastewater, sanitation and environmental services are to the quality of life in this community. My focus will be on supporting the board’s priorities, listening to employees and customers, strengthening operations and ensuring ECUA continues to provide dependable, cost-effective service.”
Yarborough’s professional background includes extensive work with elected and appointed boards, employee teams, developers, regulators, regional partners and community stakeholders.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University, and completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is a credentialed manager through the International City/County Management Association (ICMA-CM).
FHP: Cantonment Woman Claims Meth In Her Purse Was Witchcraft Healing Crystals
June 25, 2026
A Cantonment woman claiming to possess healing “crystal rocks” used in “witch craft” was arrested on felony drug charges following a June traffic stop in Cottage Hill.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol arrest report, a trooper initiated a traffic stop on a white Nissan four-door near McKenzie Road and Highway 95A. The vehicle’s license plate was found to belong to a 2000 black Ford pickup truck.
While conducting a vehicle inventory, the trooper discovered a methamphetamine bong in plain view on the front passenger floorboard, an item the passenger, Haley Victoria McLemore, 32, would have had to step over to exit the vehicle, the report states. A subsequent search of the back seat revealed a purse containing a glass methamphetamine pipe with residue and a small baggie of a crystal substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
When questioned about the illegal contraband, McLemore denied knowledge of the drugs and insinuated they belonged to the driver. However, when asked about separate rocks found within two suede bags inside her purse, McLemore offered an unusual defense, explaining to the trooper that they were “crystal rocks” which held healing powers and that she used them in her “witch craft” practices, according to the report.
McLemore was booked into the Escambia County Jail and charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $3,000 bond
The driver of the vehicle, 46-year-old Anthony Roberts, faces misdemeanor traffic charges including driving with a suspended license, failure to register a motor vehicle, and operating a vehicle without liability insurance. He was released on a $1,500 bond.
River Levels Dropping: Escambia River Crests, Perdido Falling
June 25, 2026
The Escambia River has crested, and the Perdido River is falling without significant additional rainfall.
Escambia River
A flood warning continues through Sunday morning for the Escambia River at Century as minor flooding is still occurring.
Wednesday night, the stage was 18.1 feet, and the river is forecast to fall below flood stage of 17 feet early Sunday morning and continue falling to 15.7 feet Monday evening.
Perdido River
All warnings have expired for the Perdido River at Barrineau Park.
Wednesday night, the stage was 5.08, below flood stage of 9 feet, and continuing to fal
Ibarra’s Big Night Lifts Lookouts Over Wahoos
June 25, 2026
Despite homers from Cam Cannarella, Dillon Lewis and Aiva Arquette, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos were outslugged by Ruben Ibarra and the Chattanooga Lookouts in a 13-5 loss on Wednesday night.
Ibarra hit a pair of three-run homers, a game-tying blast in the third inning and a go-ahead shot in the fifth, to help the Lookouts overcome an early deficit and even up the weeklong series at one game apiece.
The Blue Wahoos jumped ahead 1-0 in the first without the benefit of a hit. Cannarella drew a leadoff walk, took second on a wild pitch from Lookouts starter Johnathan Harmon (W, 8-2), and scored on a Juan Matheus sacrifice fly. In the third, Emaarion Boyd hit an RBI single and Cannarella blasted a solo homer for a 3-0 Blue Wahoos lead.
Ibarra tied the game with one swing in the third against Blue Wahoos starter Alex Williams (L, 4-6), launching a tape-measure homer to even the score 3-3. Lewis countered in the fourth with a solo homer, his league-leading 17th of the season, to briefly put the Blue Wahoos back in front 4-3.
Williams almost got through the bottom of the fifth inning with the lead intact, but issued a two-out walk to Cam Collier to bring up Ibarra once more. Reliever Luis Palacios then served up Ibarra’s second three-run homer in three innings, putting the Lookouts ahead 6-4.
Things got out of hand in the sixth, as the Lookouts scored five more against Palacios and Christian MacLeod. They tacked on two additional runs in the seventh against Josh Hejka with a Carlos Jorge two-run triple.
Arquette went deep in the top of the ninth for the Blue Wahoos, but it was not nearly enough as Brody Jessee finished off a 13-5 Lookouts victory.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Lookouts on Thursday night.
FHP Traffic Stop Leads To Drug, Evidence Tampering Charges For Cantonment Man
June 24, 2026
A Cantonment man is facing multiple charges after a traffic stop by the Florida Highway Patrol.
According to an arrest report, a state trooper pulled over a silver Nissan near Highway 95A and Neal Road after noticing the driver was not wearing his seatbelt properly. Instead of stopping immediately, the driver continued traveling at a slow rate of speed while moving around inside the vehicle. Before coming to a complete stop, the driver threw a baseball-sized plastic baggie containing 16 grams of marijuana out of the front passenger window, the report states.
The driver, identified as 37-year-old Jeremy Tramine Moore, was detained at the scene. A subsequent vehicle search revealed a digital scale and a small bowl containing marijuana residue inside a backpack, FHP said. Authorities also discovered that Moore had a driver’s license with an extensive history of suspensions. Moore admitted to troopers that he was selling marijuana from his residence, the report states.
Moore was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, destruction of evidence, and driving with a suspended license. He remained in jail Wednesday morning with bond set at $13,500.
Former Congressman Matt Gaetz Appointed to Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors
June 24, 2026
Former Northwest Florida congressman Matt Gaetz is returning to public service.
He has been appointed to the board of directors for Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. Triumph is a non-profit corporation that oversees about $1.5 billion Florida received from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which has about $690 million remaining to allocate.
Gaetz was appointed on Tuesday by Daniel Perez, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. The appointment is effective July 1 and expires on June 30, 2030.
Gaetz resigned from Congress in November 2024 after President Donald Trump announced he would nominate him as attorney general. He later withdrew from consideration.
Multiple Escambia River Recreation Sites Closed Due to Flooding
June 24, 2026
Multiple Northwest Water Management District recreation sites are temporarily closed until further notice due to flooding.
Escambia River
- Bluff Springs – entire site closed
- Williams Lake – entire site closed
- Keyser Landing – entire site closed
- Webb Landing – entire site closed
- Cotton Lake – entire site closed
- Mystic Springs — reopened
Perdido River
- Otto Hill -reopened
Now-Former ECSO Colonel Charged With Multiple Felonies After Alleged Domestic Incident
June 24, 2026
A now-former Escambia County Sheriff’s Office colonel has been charged with several felonies in Santa Rosa County. The case involved her husband and his alleged female partner.
Mindy Marie Von Ansbach Young, 48, resigned just before her arrest in Escambia County on a Milton Police Department warrant for felony criminal mischief, two counts of aggravated stalking, harassing a witness and misdemeanor breach of the peace. Von Ansbach Young went to a woman’s home where her “soon-to-be” ex-husband was staying around 3:30 a.m. on June 11.
According to an arrest report, she “beat on the doors and windows” while screaming and cursing, demanding both of them come outside. She then allegedly went over to the woman’s vehicle and caused “deep scratches and etching with letters that appear to spell the word ‘whore.’” Damages were estimated at $1,800.
The report also states Von Ansbach Young had also previously called the woman and said that “she would kill [her husband] and [the woman] if [her husband] attempted to get a divorce,” before adding that she “is not scared to go to prison.”
Von Ansbach Young allegedly approached her husband on June 13 and told him, “If you do not have [the woman] drop charges, it will be a nasty divorce, and I will bleed you dry of money.” However, the woman still chose to pursue criminal charges.
Von Ansbach Young was in the Escambia County Jail for 22 minutes before being released on a $15,250 bond, according to jail records.
She had worked for the ECSO since 1999, most recently leading the mental health unit.
Beulah Middle School FFA Honored At State Convention
June 24, 2026
The Beulah Middle School FFA chapter was awarded atthe state FFA convention, bringing home multiple state championships, top-five finishes, and premier chapter recognition.
Leading the charge for Beulah Middle were Piper Flory and Cheyenne Armstrong, who were crowned State Champions in Agriscience.
The chapter’s leadership and teamwork were also on full display as the Parliamentary Procedure team finished as the State Runner-Up. In addition, the Conduct of Chapter Meetings team excelled on the state stage, finishing as a Top 12 team overall in Florida.
Individual accolades continued with Caleb Pitts, who earned a impressive fourth-place finish in the state in the Prepared Public Speaking competition.
Beulah Middle FFA was also honored collectively with the prestigious Premier Chapter Award and secured a fourth-place finish in Agricultural Advocacy. The chapter’s specialized teams showed deep strength across multiple disciplines, with the Floriculture, Vegetable Judging, and Aquaculture teams all earning recognition for finishing in the Top 5 in the state.
The event also marked significant milestones for older students connected to the program. Bella Trivison, a West Florida High School intern working with the chapter, was awarded her State FFA Degree.
The chapter celebrated Beulah Middle School alumnus Isabelle Jenkins as Jenkins concluded a year of service as the State FFA Secretary.
Over the next few days, NorthEscambia.com will bring stories and photos from other North Escambia area school that took part in the 98th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo in Orlando.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
