ESCO: Sex Offender Failed To Register For Five Years
October 4, 2023
An Escambia County sex offender was arrested after failing to register in the last five years.
Lonnie Paul Rowland, 68, was charged with seven felony sex offender violations for failing to register as required and with a probation violation in a 2017 failure to register case. .
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Rowland was required to register twice per year with the Florida Sex Offender Database, but the last time he did was in November 2018. Deputies said he missed seven required registration dates.
Rowland was convicted of sexual battery in Indiana in 2013 and first registered in Florida in December 2017.
Northview Chiefs Sweep The Hoboes On Senior Night (With Photo Gallery)
October 4, 2023
Northview High School volleyball honored their seniors Tuesday night and swept three straight from the visiting Laurel Hill Hoboes.
The Chiefs defeated Laurel Hill 25-16, 25-16, 25-23.
Before the match, the Lady Chiefs recognized seniors Bailee Wiley, Kendal Beasley and Kayleigh Jay, along with manager Ja`Niya Hooks.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (Look for extra senior night photos at the end of the gallery.)
The Northview Chiefs (11-4, 2-3) will finish the regular season on the road in a district game at Central (6-11, 4-1) next Thursday at 5 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Register Now For Oct. 13 Northview Homecoming Parade
October 4, 2023
The Northview High School Homecoming Parade will take place Friday, October 13.
For free entry to participate in the parade, click here for an entry form and release (pdf). Registrations are due by Friday, October 6.
The parade will line up at noon and roll at 12:30 p.m. from Northview High School. It will travel east on Highway 4 before turning on Bratt Road by the Travis Nelson Park, around the park to Ashcraft Road to Highway 99, travel north past Bratt Elementary School, turn back onto Highway 4 and end at Northview. (Note that Ashcraft Road has a very narrow shoulder with no place to park.)
Some changes to this years parade schedule:
- Only parade participants will be allowed to enter Northview’s campus
- Students will return to 7th Period Following the parade festivities.
- Parents picking up parade participants from NWE, Ernest Ward, or other youth organizations outside of Northview may park behind the baseball field to retrieve the child.
- No one but parade floats should be entering through the bus loop at the end of the parade.
- Parade floats that park on campus will not be allowed to leave till after the buses leave.
Pictured: The 2022 Northview High School homecoming parade. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
$810K FEMA Drainage Project Planned For McElhaney Road in Bratt
October 3, 2023
Escambia County is set to soon begin a Hurricane Sally FEMA project to improve drainage structures on McElhaney Road just south of the state line in Bratt.
The $810,715.45 project will replace the drainage structures at 7200 and 8000 McElhaney Road. FEMA will fund $770,179.68 (95%) of the cost, while Escambia County will be responsible for $40,535.77 (5%).
The work includes clearing of all hurricane debris, removing damaged existing culvert pipes and riprap, installing a new pipe/box culvert, restabilizing and reconstructing the roadway pavement, and replacing riprap within the ditch bottom. Minor ditch regrading, resetting existing fence, and installing concrete ditch pavement will be required.
The project is anticipated to start in October and take about 180 days to complete.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary Names Students Of The Month
October 3, 2023
Byrneville Elementary School has named their September Students of the Month.
They are:
- Kindergarten: Haven Lambeth and Jani’la Durant
- 1st Grade: Ava Culliver and Emma Cash
- 2nd Grade: Kipton Little and Sieanna Lambeth
- 3rd Grade: Evin Levins and Jonah Levins
- 4th Grade: Jonah Coleman and Connor Levins
- 5th Grade: Kallie Ikner and Kinsley McKinnon
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lady Aggies Sweep FWB On Senior Night (With Photo Gallery)
October 3, 2023
Tate High School volleyball honored their seniors Monday night and swept three straight from the visiting Fort Walton Beach Vikings.
The Lady Aggies easily defeated FWB 25-7, 25-2, 25-12.
Before the match, the Lady Aggies recognized seniors Chloe Biggs, Lauren Durham, Payton Garrett, Alyssa Moodie, Riley Robbins and manager Caroline Armstrong.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (Look for extra senior night photos at the end of the gallery.)
On Tuesday, the Lady Aggies (15-6) will visit Pensacola Catholic (4-16) at 6:30 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
IT ‘Security Event’ Impacting Circuit Courts For ‘Extended Period’
October 3, 2023
An “information technology security event” has impacted courts in the First Judicial Circuit.
Trial Court Administrator Kasey Watson said the “event will significantly affect court operations across the Circuit, impacting courts in Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties, for an extended period”. In addition, email and phone service may be disrupted.
The court system is prioritizing and conducting essential court proceedings but may cancel and reschedule other proceedings and pause related operations for several days. Judges in the four countie will contact litigants and attorneys regarding any hearings scheduled to be held this week.
All court facilities remained open.
The incident is under investigation.
Former Senator Don Gaetz Launches Campaign For District 1 Seat
October 3, 2023
Former Sen. Don Gaetz has announced he is seeking the Republican nomination for State Senate District 1. The seat is currently held by Sen. Doug Broxson, who is leaving office in 2024 due to term limits.
Gaetz, father of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, represented Northwest Florida in the Senate from 2010 to 2016 and served two years as Senate president. Former State Rep. Frank White, who has been a candidate for the Senate seat, withdrew Monday to support Gaetz.
“I have a passion for public service,” White said. “It’s been my privilege to serve in the Florida House and I intend to continue my community service in the future. Now, however, Northwest Florida has an opportunity to be represented by Don Gaetz, a proven champion for our area and for our values. I am pleased to endorse him, and I will do all I can to secure his victory next November.”
“Frank White is a leader for the new Florida. He is a job-creator and business developer with a wonderful family and a deep commitment to his community,” Gaetz said. “I am proud to be his friend and have his endorsement. He has many supporters here and in Tallahassee whose confidence I hope to earn. I know that Frank will serve in elected office again and I look forward to working closely with him and supporting him.
Broxson, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined White in endorsing Gaetz. “Frank White has a bright future in public service,” Broxson said. “And Northwest Florida will be very well served with Don Gaetz back in the Senate. As a former presiding officer, Senator Gaetz has the skill and experience to be effective on day one. I’m delighted to endorse him and look forward to helping him win.”
Gaetz recently concluded five years as chairman of Triumph Gulf Coast where he presided over $300 million in grants to support job creation, career technical education and economic development in Northwest Florida. Gaetz authored and passed the legislation that created Triumph Gulf Coast which will be making an additional $1.2 billion in grants in the area over the next decade.
He is also vice cjair of the Florida Commission on Ethics and a board member of the Florida Education Foundation.
Gaetz is former superintendent of Okaloosa Schools and a long-time business owner in Northwest Florida. He co-founded VITAS Healthcare Corporation, the nation’s largest and leading provider of hospice care. Don and his wife, Vicky, have two adult children – Erin, a digital media producer and Matt, United States Congressman for Northwest Florida.
Northview Beats Pine Forest 3-1
October 3, 2023
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The 1A Northview Chiefs defeated the 5A Pine Forest Eagles 3-1 in high school volleyball Monday in Pensacola.
Northview won 25-23, 22-25. 25-17, 25-15.
Last month, Northview defeated Pine Forest 2-0 in Bratt in a match played without officials due to a scheduling problem.
Northview (10-4, 1-3) will host a district match against Laurel Hill (3-15, 0-5) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Century’s Buck Showalter Out As New York Mets’ Manager
October 3, 2023
Century’s Buck Showalter is out as manager of the New York Mets.
“I want to make sure I get this right,” Showalter said early Sunday afternoon, his voice catching, before revealing that his tenure was coming to an end. He read a prepared note he had written on a piece of paper.
About an hour later, as Showalter approached home plate to exchange his lineup card for the final time as Mets manager, dozens of his players and staff members spilled out of the dugout to applaud him. The Citi Field crowd followed suit, offering Showalter a standing ovation. Showalter exchanged the card then turned, put his head down and walked quietly back to the dugout, where he watched the Mets lose 9-1 to the Phillies in their season finale.
That dugout office, where Showalter has spent more time than all but 18 men in history, is no longer his home. Following Saturday’s penultimate game of the season, Mets general manager Billy Eppler informed Showalter that he could either resign or be fired. Showalter, who had one year left on his contract, chose the latter route.
“I think the players know I would never quit or resign,” Showalter said.
Owner Steve Cohen considered the move necessary out of fairness to David Stearns, whose hiring as president of baseball operations will become official on Monday. The Mets’ owner did not want to disempower Stearns by forcing him to keep an incumbent manager, regardless of how popular that manager may have been.
“Buck did everything we wanted him to do,” Cohen said. “Not everything went right this year, and yet he kept an even-keel. The players loved him. These are always hard things to do.”
“I can’t tell you right now if it’s the right or wrong decision,” shortstop Francisco Lindor added. “Do I like it? No. It doesn’t feel good to have a man that I love, that my family loves, be without a job.”
As a manager, Showalter’s legacy is complicated. Of the 838 men to manage in the Major Leagues, only 18 of them won more games than him. But only 16 lost more games than Showalter, whose managerial career began in 1992 at the helm of a rebuilding Yankees team. Following a disappointing playoff performance in 1995, Showalter was dismissed, only to watch the Yankees win the World Series four times under Joe Torre. He moved onto a D-backs team that also won its first title a year after Showalter left.
Brought back to New York years later to resurrect the Mets, Showalter lasted two seasons, going 175-148.
Overall, he has produced a .509 winning percentage over 22 years and 3,393 games as a manager. Showalter has won just one postseason series, plus a Wild Card Game with the Orioles. Only Gene Mauch managed and won more MLB games without a pennant, which does not leave Showalter with a bitter taste.
“Baseball has been very fair to me, all things considered,” he said.
One of Showalter’s best chances to break through occurred last year, when he guided the Mets to a 101-win season but saw the NL East title slip out of his grasp with days to go. Rather than enjoy a bye, the Mets lost in the Wild Card Series to the Padres before faltering again this summer. They produced a sub-.500 record despite the largest payroll in Major League history.
“When things aren’t going well in New York, things happen,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. “And they happen quickly. It’s just our job as players to try and not let these things happen again.”
What the future looks like for Showalter remains to be seen. At 67, Showalter was already one of the game’s oldest managers, but he indicated he has a desire to remain in the dugout if another team will have him. Before joining the Mets, he spent time as a broadcaster, which could call to him again. Or, Showalter could simply retire home to Dallas, where he and his wife Angela have lived for years.
Showalter’s family moved to Century in the late 1950’s. His father served as a teacher, coach and principal at Century High School and Carver Middle in Century for 23 years. Buck Showalter, know as “Nat” to the locals, played Little League ball in a thriving program in Century, and he graduated from Century High School. Century’s modern day Showalter Park bears the family name in honor of his father.
Courtesy MLB/New York Mets
