Semi Hauling 14 Crushed Vehicles Crashes On I-10
October 5, 2023
A semi hauling 14 crushed cars crashed on I-10 just west of Pensacola Boulevard Thursday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 61-year old Mobile man lost control of hs semi and crashed in the median. The trailer became separated from the truck, causing the trailer to overturn multiple times into the median — depositing 14 crushed cars into the median.
There were no injuries, but traffic was delayed for the cleanup.
New $2.7 Million Locker, Multipurpose Building Completed At Ashton Brosnaham Park
October 5, 2023
Construction is complete on a new $2.7 million multiuse locker room facility at Ashton Brosnaham Park.
The two story facility will serve as additional locker room space for the SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament and other sporting events. Features at the facility include restrooms and showers for team sports use, an open space with sliding walls on the first floor, and meeting and office spaces on the second floor. The open space on the first floor will be available for rent and can be used for meetings, birthday parties and other events.
“We have an incredible team in our Parks department who understand the value recreation brings to our quality of life in Escambia County,” said Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes. “Contractors and our staff have worked hard to finish this new building in time for the 2023 SEC tournament, and I am incredibly proud we could meet this timeline. Additionally, we have made improvements to our soccer turf that will not only fit the needs of the elite athletes in the Southeastern Conference but will also benefit the local soccer players along with our local colleges.”
The Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex will serve as the location for the Southeastern Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament for the second year in a row, October 29 through November 5. The 2022 event saw record-breaking attendance numbers and generated $2.5 million in local economic impact.
“I’m thrilled with the work our Parks department has done at Ashton Brosnaham over the last year,” said District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry. “I want to thank Michael Rhodes and his team for their diligent work to make Ashton Brosnaham one of the best parks in Escambia County. I also want to thank Ray Palmer and Pensacola Sports for their strong partnership and advocacy in bringing high-level sports to our county. District 5 looks forward to welcoming the SEC again in the coming weeks.”
“We are thankful to Escambia County and Pensacola Sports for providing a tremendous venue to conduct our SEC Soccer Championship,” said SEC Associate Commissioner/SWA Tiffany Daniels. “Their proven commitment to this event with the addition of this building promises to provide lasting memories for our student-athletes and an outstanding experience for SEC soccer fans from across the region.”
A ribbon cutting for the new building will be held in about two weeks.
Photos for and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Names Students Of The Month
October 5, 2023
Ernest Ward Middle School has named their September Students of the Month. They are Audrey Franklin, Kyndal Hadley and Emily Maughon. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Six People, Including Three Children, Injured In Escambia County Wreck
October 5, 2023
Six people, including three children, were injured in a serious wreck Wednesday afternoon in Escambia County.
The driver of a black Buick failed to yield the right of way and turned in front of another vehicle on Highway 98 near Fairfield Drive, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Two passengers were ejected from the Buick.
The 75-year old Buick driver and passengers — ages 12 years, two years, and an infant under age one — were all seriously injured. The 18-year old driver of the second vehicle received minor injuries while his 18-year old passenger was seriously injured.
Troopers said the infant and 2-year old were not in proper child restraints.
The FHP is continuing their investigation.
File photo.
Winning Fantasy 5 Ticket Worth Over $22K Sold In Beulah
October 5, 2023
Someone is over $22,000 richer after purchasing a winning Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 ticket in Beulah.
The ticket sold at the SP Food Mart at West Nine Mile Road and Bridlewood Road was one of six winning tickets in the Wednesday evening drawing and is worth $22,614.39. The five other winning tickets were sold in Orlando, Palm Harbor, Fort Pierce, Port Saint Lucie and Miami.
The Wednesday evening winning numbers were 7-11-17-21-25.
Good Sports: Tate, Northview Volleyball Honor Their Opponents On Senior Night
October 5, 2023
Call it good sportsmanship. Call it Southern hospitality. Call it class.
Call it what you like, but it’s just the way things are done in the Aggie Nation and Northview Chiefs land.
Like tens of thousands of high school volleyball teams across the nation, the Lady Aggies and the Lady Chiefs celebrated their senior nights this week.
It’s a happy moment. And a few tears are shed as players, and a lot of times moms and dads, realize their time on the court is coming to a close.
At both Tate and Northview, seniors were announced one by one, escorted onto the court by family. There are those tears, smiles, hugs and lots of flowers. Many of the seniors’ favorite moments were shared (so what was up with the Tate bus breaking down by the road a few years ago?).
But before the hometown seniors were recognized, there was a moment at both schools we think you should know about.
Tate and Northview recognized the visiting seniors from their opponents — flowers and all.
It was a small gesture that says big things about the Lady Aggies, the Lady Chiefs and good sportsmanship.
Pictured top: On their senior night, the Northview Lady Chiefs recognized the seniors from opponent Laurel Hill. Pictured below: The Tate Lady Aggies recognized the seniors from opponent Fort Walton Beach. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECSO Expanding Mental Health Co-Responder Unit Program Using State Grant
October 5, 2023
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is set to expand their Mental Health Co-Responder Unit.
The unit was formed in October 2022, and now the department has received the first $100,000 of a $549,245 state grant for the expansion.
Since August of 2022, the mental health unit has provided internal services to members of the ECSO. The unit has already provided approximately 135 sessions to members of the agency, and they look to stand up the external co-response portion in January.
The unit will work alongside mental health professionals for mental health-related calls and will provide immediate care and resources for community members in their time of need. Not only will the unit provide a co-response to mental health calls for service, but it will also provide mental health-related services within the agency.
The program is one of only two in the state to combine sworn law enforcement deputies with mental health clinicians.
The ECSO will utilize two career law enforcement officers who hold master’s degrees in mental health counseling for this program. In addition to these sworn law enforcement officers, the ECSO plans to field three units, each consisting of a sworn deputy and a mental health clinician, to respond to calls involving mental health complaints. This unit will be both proactive and reactive.
“We have been working on this program for a couple of years now and we’ve already seen the benefits of the internal portion. Now we are at a point where we can move forward with the external portion of this program,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said. “Mental health is becoming more and more important when providing law enforcement services. Our unique co-responder unit allows us to provide services to our employees, as well as free patrol deputies to answer other calls for service. This is a huge step in the right direction, and we are hopeful that we can continue to build on this model. We are being progressive about changing the cultural viewpoints and perspectives of law enforcement regarding mental health response.”
“Co-responder units are the gold standard for providing street-level mental health services in our community,” said Davis Josephs, clinical director at Lakeview Center. “I appreciate the opportunity to partner with Sheriff Simmons on this initiative.”
Fire Destroys Large Shed At Funeral Home In Century
October 4, 2023
Fire destroyed a large shed behind a Century funeral home late Wednesday morning.
The fully involved fire behind the Jackson-McMurray Funeral Home on West Hecker Road was reported just before 11:30 a.m. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the structure fire and a small brush fire.
There were no injuries reported.
The 24×24 shed fire was reportedly sparked by a small outside fire that spread to the building. The main funeral home building was not involved.
The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Flomaton Fire Department and the Jay Fire Department were among those initially dispatched to the fire. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com show the blaze before firefighters arrived on scene, click to enlarge.
Century Inks $1.257 Million Grant Agreement To Replace Freedom Road Bridge
October 4, 2023
We now have a timetable for the replacement of the failed Freedom Road Bridge in Century that has been closed for nearly four years.
And it may be nearly another three years before the first traffic crosses the bridge.
The 2023-24 Florida budget included $1,257,000 Legislative appropriation to replace a town-owned bridge on Freedom Road. Tuesday night, the Century Town Council voted to execute the funding agreement with the state.
A timetable calls for 30% of the design plans to be done by mid-January 2024 with the design mostly complete and ready for bids by May 2024. There are 273 days allocated for permitting. As of now, it’s expected construction will begin by May 2025.
The anticipated completion date is currently in June 2026.
On January 29, 2020, the town suddenly closed the bridge on Freedom Road, just east of Jefferson Avenue. Photos obtained by NorthEscambia.com a few days later showed the dangerous conditions that led to the emergency closure. Several pilings under the wooden bridge were no longer properly supporting the structure, and some of the pilings were split or had extreme deterioration (pictured left and below).
The closure turned Freedom Road into a cul-de-sac with one way in and one way out for residents, including the Camellia Gardens apartment complex.
According to the Legislative funding request by Rep. Michelle Salzman, replacing the bridge will improve emergency vehicle access, provide a shorter and more direct route to the nearest hospital in Jay for some residents, and provide better access for residents in the area.
It is anticipated that the $1.297 million will cover construction and other costs like engineering and surveying with no matching funds required from the town.
Photos/graphics for and by NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gilmores Named Escambia County Farm Family Of The Year
October 4, 2023
The Gilmore family has been named the Escambia County Farm Family of the Year.
The award was presented to Ronnie and Debbie Gilmore along with Jacob and Carla Gilmore at the recent Escambia County Farm Bureau annual meeting at Molino Park Elementary School.
Debbie gifted Ronnie with their first heifer in 1992 and has grown to about 120 momma cows in the herd since then. They have served on various boards from Florida Cattlemen’s Association to Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association. They have both retired from the family business and now enjoy traveling with their twin granddaughters and their horses to shows.
Jacob has been involved in the family cattle operation since it began in 1992. Jacob was very active in both 4-H and FFA. Along the way, he met Carla, and they married in 2005. That began their journey into agriculture.
Together they represented Escambia County through the Young Farmers and Ranchers leadership program with Florida Farm Bureau. Carla has served on the 4-H Foundation board and numerous other committees. Jacob is currently serving as vice president of purchasing and finance for Gilmores and is currently on the board of directors for Farm Credit. He is active with the 4-H Foundation.
Jacob and Carla are the proud parents of twin girls Ella and Sydney. The twins are both active in 4-H and are very involved with horse shows and work on the farm.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
