NEP 8U Softball Wins GCGSA All-Star Tournament
June 14, 2023
NEP 8U softball took first place in the GCGSA All-Star Tournament last weekend.
The NEP All Stars went 3-0 on Saturday, defeating Pace Blue 15-14, Molino 12-11 and Pace Red 10-0. On Sunday they started the day with a 9-0 loss to Navarre then beat Pace Blue 11-10 and Navarre 10-0 to force the title game. They topped Navarre 13-9 in five innings to claim the title.
Sadie Jones was named the 8U Tournament Defensive Player MVP.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Win 12-9 Over Mississippi
June 14, 2023
Cody Morissette and Dalvy Rosario created a hit-making, run-scoring tsunami Tuesday, power-surging the Blue Wahoos into a 12-9 victory against the Mississippi Braves to open their six-game series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Morissette became the second Blue Wahoos player in less than two months this season to hit for the cycle – one of the game’s rarest feats – after it had been done just once before in franchise history.
Rosario, meanwhile, continued to wow. Playing just his fourth game for the Blue Wahoos, he went 3-for-5, including his third home run. He joined the team Friday from the Beloit Sky Carp, the Miami Marlins’ High-A affiliate, and promptly ignited his future with a walk-off homer.
The Blue Wahoos (36-22), who maintained a six-game lead against Biloxi in the Southern League division race, led 12-4 into the ninth inning, before the M-Braves got five runs off reliever Zack Leban. He recorded the final two outs.
Morissette, who went 4-for-6 with three RBI, was part of the Blue Wahoos’ season-high 18 hits. The infielder started with a run-scoring double in the third inning.
He then hit a solo homer in the fourth, tripled to lead off the sixth and spun a infield single in the seventh to get the four different hits for the cycle. Donald Lutz in 2014 was the only other Blue Wahoos player to get the feat prior to this season.
Victor Mesa Jr. hit for the cycle on April 18 against the Birmingham Barons. That game was a 10-4 loss.
This one was a middle-inning explosion for the Blue Wahoos. They scored a combined 10 runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Four other players had multiple hits.
With their win, the Blue Wahoos put Montgomery and Mississippi – the other two teams in the division – further back in the rear-view mirror at 8 and 8.5 games back respectively. There are now 11 games left in the first-half schedule to determine a playoff spot.
Troy Johnston began the scoring barrage with his solo homer in the first inning. He went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. After the M-Braves took a 3-1 lead in the third inning, the Blue Wahoos responded with 11 runs in the next four innings.
Rosario, 22, a centerfielder and Dominican Republic native, hit a 2-run, 2-out homer in fourth inning to regain the lead for the Blue Wahoos and change the game. It started with Cobie Fletcher-Vance taking a high pitch on a 3-2 count to reach base.
From there, four runs ensued. After Rosario’s bomb, Nasim Nunez tripled and Morissette blasted a ball into the right center berm.
In the fifth inning, Norel Gonzalez and Will Banfield led off with singles. Griffin Conine followed with a monster blast over the batter’s eye in center field. Conine and Johnston both had RBI singles in the sixth as the lead continued to build.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Escambia Woman Charged With Setting Another Woman On Fire
June 13, 2023
An Escambia County woman has been charged with setting another woman on fire.
On June 6, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 9000 block of Holsberry Road of Nine Mile Road in reference to an armed disturbance.
Deputies located a female victim with significant burns on her arms, neck, and back. The victim was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Darneque Darshay Jones, 24, had been in an argument with the victim when Jones poured lighter fluid on the victim and lit her on fire, according to the ECSO.
Jones was arrested Monday for aggravated battery and criminal mischief. She remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $252,000.
NWE Little League Treasurer Now Facing 11 Felony Charges In Alabama
June 13, 2023
The former treasurer of Northwest Escambia Little League in Walnut Hill has been arrested on multiple felony charges in Alabama, days after Florida prosecutors dropped all charges for “jurisdiction reasons”.
Atmore Police have charged 48-year old Paula Star Pugh with nine counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument third degree, and one count each of theft by deception first degree, and theft by deception second degree. All of the charges are felonies.
Pugh surrendered at the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center on Tuesday and later released.
According to court documents, the Office of the State Attorney First Judicial Circuit of Florida dropped prosecution in the case for “jurisdiction reasons”. The Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office then turned their investigative files and evidence over to the Atmore Police Department late last week.
According to the ECSO, Pugh was the elected treasurer/bookkeeper since 2017 for Northwest Escambia Little League with the alleged thefts taking place from July 26, 2021, until December 9, 2022.
“During this time Pugh wrote checks on NWE’s account which she cashed for personal use, completed unauthorized debit transactions for personal use, and completed numerous ATM withdrawals for personal use,” the ECSO investigator wrote in his report, adding that Pugh had no receipt or explanation for the transactions.
According to the Florida warrant affidavit, many of the allegedly fraudulent transactions included numerous transactions on the NWE account at the First National Bank and Trust in Atmore. It is those offenses for which Atmore Police brought charges.
NWE first reported the misuse of funds to law enforcement on December 20, 2022, and an investigation was launched by the ECSO. Over the next several weeks, an ECSO investigator and ballpark officials examined the league’s financial records and built a ledger of transactions attributed to Pugh with no receipt or explanation, the report states. Deputies said the NWE board attempted at least twice to meet with Pugh and obtain receipts, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said numerous attempts were made by phone and in person by the investigator to contact Pugh with no result, until she returned contact on March 7, 2023
Florida authorities alleged the following transactions were fraudulent, according to court documents. Pugh is not currently charged with all of these transactions.
Residential Recycling Is Back. Here’s What To Recycle (And Not).
June 13, 2023
Recycling is back for ECUA customers for the first time since it was temporarily halted back in April due to a “staff turnover”.
So that brings up the question: What can I recycle?
A list of what can, and what cannot, be recycled below. ECUA also offers the Recycle Coach app.
What Can I Place in My Recycling Can?
- Glass; any color
- Paper newspaper & Inserts
- Cardboard
- Boxboard (cereal, cake & cracker boxes, etc.)
- Plastic bottles
- Plastics No. 1 & 2
- Plastic Milk Jugs; 2-Liters
- Aluminum Cans & Lids
- Tin and Steel Cans & Lids
- Metal Pots, Pans & Cookie Sheets
- Pet food cans (no plastic liner)
What Can I NOT recycle in my can?
- Plastic bags
- Polystyrene products (Styrofoam)
- Pet food cans that have a plastic liner
- Pet food bags
- Ice cream cartons
- Waxy/paper milk cartons
- Aerosol cans
- Juice boxes or bags
- Garbage or yard waste
- Garden hoses
- Window blinds
- Tarps
- Bedding or linens
- Carpeting or rugs
- Construction materials
- Tin foil or foil baking pans
- Plastic chairs
- Residential Medical Waste
- Bubble Wrap
- Food Waste
- Propane Tanks
- Plastic or metal hangers
Bulk Recycling Available
Current customers can call ahead (850) 476-0480
- Car or truck batteries
- Tires (no commercial equipment tires)
- Limit of 5 tires
- 20 lb. propane tanks
- Large Appliances/White Goods
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Stoves
- Washers & Dryers
- Large amounts of cardboard (please empty and flatten all boxes)
Driver Crashes Into A Field Along Highway 97 Near Walnut Hill
June 13, 2023
A driver was transported to the hospital following a crash Monday afternoon on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
Authorities said a medical emergency may have led to a man crashing his van into a field near Howell Road. The side of the van had significant damage, but it was not immediately clear when or how it occurred; it did not appear that the damage happened as the van traveled off the road and into the field.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
The crash was not believed to be related to another nearby wreck.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
About 900 Lose Power During Monday Evening Storms
June 13, 2023
About 900 Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers lost power in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties as a line of storms moved through the area Monday night.
Approximately 400 of those without power were in Escambia County, including 235 in the Bratt area and 161 in McDavid.
The McDavid outage, which lasted over three hours, started about 7:20 p.m. when a tree fell onto a power line in the area of Highway 29 and Welch Road (pictured above). The McDavid Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue was dispatched as a precaution.
There were no damage reports from the North Escambia area.
Pictured: A semi-truck passes on Highway 29 in McDavid as a power line arcs due to a fallen tree Monday evening. NorthEscambia.com reader submitted image by Terry Coyne, click to enlarge.
Tate Grad Participates In Mass Casualty Drill On Guided Missile Cruiser
June 13, 2023
A Tate High School graduate participated in a drill on a guided missile carrier recently. Pictured above, sailors secure Seaman Jayden Owens, from Cantonment, to a rescue sleeve as he simulates a casualty during a mass casualty drill aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) in the Philippine Sea on June. Antietam is assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70, and is forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, to support the security of the U.S. and its Allies in the Indo-Pacific. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryre Arciaga for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Serious Injuries Reported In Highway 97 Wreck
June 13, 2023
There were no serious injuries reported in a single vehicle crash on Highway 97 south of Walnut Hill Monday afternoon.
The driver of an older model Hyundai Elantra lost control, ran off the roadway and struck a culvert.
The driver and passenger were not seriously injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
The crash was not believed to be related to another nearby wreck.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino 12U Teams Take First And Second At All Star Tournament
June 13, 2023
Molino Ballpark 12U teams brought home first and second places in this past weekend’s All Star Tournament. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.