Blue Wahoos Rally Late For Win Over Shuckers
June 2, 2023
For the second night in a row, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos overcame a late deficit to beat the Biloxi Shuckers on Thursday. Trailing three different times, the Blue Wahoos scored eight runs in the final four innings on their way to a thrilling 8-6 win.
After tying the game twice on home runs from Dane Myers and Norel González in the sixth and seventh innings, the Blue Wahoos took the lead for good with a three-run eighth. Will Banfield delivered the eventual game-winning hit, a go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the inning.
Pensacola starter Evan Fitterer labored through 4.0 innings, allowing nine hits and a walk, but only allowed three runs. Tristen Lutz and Ethan Murray went deep in the second inning to give the Shuckers an early 3-0 lead.
The Blue Wahoos managed just a single over their first five innings against Biloxi starter Christian Mejias, but broke through in the sixth when Myers launched a game-tying three-run homer off the batter’s eye in center field.
Biloxi quickly responded to claim the lead back in the bottom of the sixth, as Carlos Rodriguez scored on an Isaac Collins double play grounder. Norel González tied the game back up in the seventh at 4-4 with a solo homer, his second in as many nights, but once again Biloxi pushed a run across in the bottom of the seventh on a Lutz RBI single against Cristian Charle (W, 2-1) to claim a 5-4 edge.
The Blue Wahoos got a pair of baserunners in the eighth as Zach Vennaro (L, 1-2) issued walks to Nasim Nuñez and Victor Mesa Jr. José Devers tied the game with a two-out RBI double, and Banfield delivered the big blow with his two-run single.
Troy Johnston added some insurance with an RBI single in the ninth, and Zack Leban (S, 1) struck out the side in order in the ninth to lock down the save.
The Blue Wahoos increased their lead in the South Division to 6.0 games ahead of second-place Biloxi and Montgomery with 21 games to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Shuckers on Friday.
written by Erik Bremer
Lane Closures To Last Another Month On $4.7 Million Highway 29 Project In Century
June 1, 2023
Work on a $4.7 million Highway 29 construction in Century remains delayed weeks discovery of an unmapped water pipe that must be relocated.
Early this year, two northbound travel lanes and the center turn lane were closed between Hatties Boulevard and East Cottage Street with traffic shifted into just two lanes. The Florida Department of Transportation said a normal four-lane traffic pattern would return by the end of April, but that was put on hold until about the end of May. And now, FDOT says the target date has been pushed out to the end of June to reopen all four lanes.
The total project has an anticipated completion target date in January 2024. FDOT will also upgrade traffic signals, drainage structures, pavement markings, and driveways, while also improving curb ramps and sidewalks to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
What the Florida Department of Transportation termed an “unknown Town of Century water main” was discovered under the roadway during excavation. Century’s engineer said the problem pipe is a 2-inch water main, and there were no service disruptions anticipated during the work.
Pictured: Highway 29 traffic in Century remains at two lanes in a construction zone. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Had Psychedelic Mushrooms During Traffic Stop, ECSO Says
June 1, 2023
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said a Cantonment man has psychedelic mushrooms in his possession during a traffic stop.
Sheldon Lee Blackburn, 43, was charged with possession of a Schedule I narcotic (psilocybin), possession of drug paraphernalia and knowingly driving with a suspended license.
A deputy stopped Blackburn for an expired tag at a convenience store on Highway 29 at West Roberts Road. K-9 Ray was deployed and positively alerted on the vehicle.
A backpack containing 9.9 grams of mushrooms that field tested positive for psilocybin was found in the vehicle, according to an arrest report. Deputies said a digital scale with presumptively positive cocaine residue was also in the vehicle; the powder was submitted for further testing.
Blackburn told deputies he does not use psychedelic mushrooms “and that he doesn’t even eat mushrooms on his pizza”, the ECSO report states. He said the backpack and mushrooms were not his and that the backpack had been used by his roommate.
Blackburn remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $4,500.
From Arlene To Whitney, These Are The 2023 Hurricane Names
June 1, 2023
Hurricane season began Thursday, and the National Weather Service is predicting a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic basin.
The 2023 tropical cyclone names are:
- Arlene
- Bret
- Cindy
- Don
- Emily
- Franklin
- Gert
- Harold
- Idalia
- Jose
- Katia
- Lee
- Margot
- Nigel
- Ophelia
- Philippe
- Rina
- Sean
- Tammy
- Vince
- Whitney
Rosters Announced For All-Star Softball, Baseball Games. See Who Made The Teams.
June 1, 2023
The Pensacola Sports High School All-Star Series baseball and softball team rosters have been announced.
West teams are comprised of just-graduated seniors from Escambia County. West teams are players from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
Softball begins at 6 p.m. and baseball at 6:30 p.m. on June 8 at Pensacola State College. For each game, tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students from GoFan.
West Baseball
Head Coach: Justin O’Quinn, Washington High
Zachary Beaver — Pine Forest — SS/P
Allen Beasley — Pine Forest — 1B
Tate Sanders — Escambia — 1B/3B
Tait Anderson — Escambia — C/OF
Jacob Smith — Escambia — RHP
Chandler Gither — Escambia — RHP/C
Blake Clonts — Escambia — 2B/3B/OF
Drew Reaves — Tate — SS/RHP
Frankie Randall — Tate — 2B
Rilee Lowery — Tate — RHP
Ethan McAnally — Tate — 1B/RHP
Jay Davis — Tate — OF/RHP
Tyler Pinney — West Florida — 1B/P
Gavin King — West Florida — 3B/2B
Jay Henderson — West Florida — CF
Anthony Longo — Washington — C
Avanti Anderson, Jr. — Washington — 3B/2B
Mike Smith Jr. — Catholic — CF/OF
Will Barter — Catholic — C
Zack DeJesus — Catholic — LF/OF
Will Krehely — Catholic — P/OF
Jonah Cook — Catholic — P/1B
Rustin Pope — Northview — C
Kaden Odom — Northview — SS
Jamarkus Jefferson — Northview — 3B/1B
East Baseball
Head Coach: George Sands, Rocky Bayou High
Brock Marello — Niceville — SS/OF
Kai Bailey — Niceville — 1B
Jackson McKenzie — Pace — 1B
Alex McCranie — Pace — SS/2B/P
Ty Humphreys — Pace — RF/1B
Matthew Musgrove — Pace — C
Josh Senterfitt — Laurel Hill — 1B
Javin Shoemaker — Crestview — C/SS
Bryson Martin — Crestview — OF/RHP
Robby Kopp — Crestview — OF
Aiden Justice — Crestview — CF
Eli Lowry — Jay — P/OF
Kade Gilbreath — Jay — 2B/SS
Brayden Dykes — Milton — RHP
Deyton Powell — Milton — OF
Hudson Bartolomei — Rocky Bayou — OF/P
Ben Cline — Rocky Bayou — CF/OF
Donovan Monsees — Choctaw — RHP/1B
Ashton Wasielewski — Choctaw — C/RHP
Alex Kruse — Fort Walton Beach — P/CF/1B
Josh Noll — Fort Walton Beach — P
Troy Coughlin — Gulf Breeze — 1B/2B
Seth Frantz — Gulf Breeze — RF/CF
Jacob Pinardo — Gulf Breeze — C/2B
Quinton Renfroe — Gulf Breeze — 1B/P
West Softball
Head Coach: Holly Brown, Catholic High
Alissa White — Pine Forest — OF/INF
Patrice Rudolph — Pine Forest — SS/3B
Rheanna Bourgeois — Escambia — SS
Abbie McNair — Escambia — 2B/OF
Trinity Brown — Escambia — OF
Belle Clark — Escambia — OF/1B
Leah Smith — Escambia — OF
Aubrey Stuckey — Northview — P/1B
Emma Gilmore — Northview — P
Mariah Golson — West Florida — OF
Karah Barajas — West Florida — Utility
Amissa McDaniel — West Florida — 3B
Charli Vinson — Tate — 1B/3B
Mackenzie Cook — Tate — 3B/2B
Caitlyn Cameron — Washington — P/1B
Kelly Cameron — Washington — 1B/P
Rachael Ludwig — Catholic — P/1B
Victoria Bruder — Catholic — 3B/1B
Kimsey Lawrence — Pensacola — 2B/SS
East Softball
Head Coach: Chelsea McGehee, Gulf Breeze High
Morgan Kronlage — Gulf Breeze — 1B/OF
Kaylee King — Gulf Breeze — SS/3B
Erika Earl — Gulf Breeze — CF/OF
Kamille Lucas — Milton — OF/P
Audrey Luedtke — Milton — C/1B
Ashley Leach — Laurel Hill — SS
Riley Forbes — Pace — OF/CF/LF
Bethany Dean — Pace — 2B/OF
Mary Owens — Niceville — 3B/C
Grace Langston — Niceville — CF/SS
Halaigh Sallee — Niceville — 3B/P
Alaynah Smith — Baker — P/RF
Jolee Sloan — Baker — SS
Caitlyn Gavin — Jay — 2B/SS
Kassidy Nevels — Jay — RF/OF
Jenna Toups — Jay — P/1B
Cailyn Cooke — Navarre — C/OF
Harmony Stafford — Navarre — SS/OF
Jessi Farrer — Navarre — OF/P
Alyanni Enriquez — FWB — SS/2B/OF
Tess Tolliver — FWB — 1B/3B
Alex Carrol — Crestview — C
Riley Bowles — Crestview — CF
Late Homers Lift Blue Wahoos To 4-3 Win Over Shuckers
June 1, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got back in the win column on Wednesday night, beating the Biloxi Shuckers 4-3 thanks to some late heroics.
Trailing 4-3 in the eighth, Will Banfield led off the inning with a game-tying homer against Robbie Baker (L, 2-1) and Norel González followed with a go-ahead blast to put Pensacola ahead for good.
The home runs made a winner out of Luis Palacios (W, 3-1), who set new personal Double-A highs with 7.0 innings and eight strikeouts. The lefty allowed three runs, two earned, to tie Pensacola’s longest start of the season.
Biloxi took a 1-0 lead in the second as Lamar Sparks doubled and scored on a Nasim Nuñez fielding error. Pensacola answered back in the top of the third, as Dane Myers walked, stole second base, and scored on a Victor Mesa Jr. double. Mesa’s liner deflected off the head of Shuckers starter Tobias Myers, who finished the inning but made an early departure from the game.
Troy Johnston led off the fifth with a solo homer, his team-leading ninth of the year, but the Shuckers responded in the bottom of the fifth on an Isaac Collins RBI single.
Felix Valerio gave the Shuckers a brief 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single in the seventh, but Palacios wriggled out of any further trouble by stranding two runners in scoring position with a strikeout of Biloxi outfielder Jackson Chourio.
After Pensacola’s two homers in the eighth, Sean Reynolds (S, 
got the final six outs to earn his league-leading eighth save.
The Blue Wahoos increased their lead in the South Division to 5.0 games ahead of second-place Biloxi with 22 games to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Shuckers in Biloxi.
written by Erik Bremer, photo/Blue Wahoos
Molino Utilities Issues Boil Water Notice Along Jacks Branch Road
June 1, 2023
THIS BOIL WATER NOTICE WAS LIFTED ON SATURDAY, JUNE 3.
Molino Utilities has issued a precautionary boil water notice along Jacks Branch Road.
The notice is in effect until further notice for all Molino Utilities customers from the 2000 block of Jacks Branch Road south of Lavanda Lane.
The water in the area was off during a scheduled outage Thursday morning for a leak repair.
The utility is advising, as a precaution, that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative bottled water may be used.
This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
For any additional information, contact the utility at (850) 587-5538.
Do You Have What It Takes? Take The Firefighter Physical Abilities Test
June 1, 2023
Escambia County Fire Rescue will hold a physical abilities test Saturday, June 3 and Monday June 5.
The tests will take place at Pensacola Fire Department Station 4, at 1 North “Q” Street at 8 a.m. and is open to anyone interested in joining Escambia County Fire Rescue. Participants should arrive 30 minutes early to sign in.
Click here to apply for the certified firefighter or cadet positions.
In order to become an Escambia County Firefighter, participants must pass the test. Interviews for those who pass the test will take place the following day.
The certified test consists of:
- 1 3/4″ charged hose pull in 27 seconds
- Keiser sled in 60 seconds
- Tower evolution in six minutes
The cadet test consists of:
- 25 push-ups in two minutes
- 40 sit-ups in two minutes
- Run 1.5 miles in 15 minutes
- 1 3/4″ charged hose pull in 27 seconds
- Keiser sled in 60 seconds
- Tower evolution in six minutes
Certified Escambia County Firefighters receive a starting pay of $41,698 and numerous benefits including a $2,000 sign-on bonus, competitive pay and health benefits, a 48/96 schedule, 14 paid holidays, special teams’ incentive pay, and more.
Sonic Boom From Returning SpaceX Capsule Rattles Escambia County
May 31, 2023
A sonic boom heard and felt across Escambia County and surrounding areas Tuesday night was caused a SpaceX Dragon capsule and Ax-2 crew returning to earth. After passing over the area, the capsule successfully slashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off Panama City.
After the boom rattled the area shortly after 10 p.m., Escambia County 911 operators took a large number of calls, and NorthEscambia.com received hundreds of messages from Northwest Florida and South Alabama. Our readers reported what they thought was an explosion.
The capsule was caught in a NorthEscambia.com photo (above) streaking across the sky over Highway 164 west of Highway 29, between McDavid and the Christian Home community.
Pictured above: A SpaceX Dragon capsule streaks across the night sky above Highway 164 between McDavid and the Christian Home community Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Photos below courtesy SpaceX.
Escambia Schools Name Keith Leonard As Interim Superintendent
May 31, 2023
The Escambia County School Board voted unanimously in an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon to appoint Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Keith Leonard as interim superintendent.
Tim Smith’s contract as superintendent ends Wednesday after the board voted earlier this month to terminate him.
Leonard will serve as interim superintendent until June 30, 2024, unless that board terminates his contract earlier. The exact details of the contract are still being finalized; it will go before the board for approval in June.
Leonard told the board he is ready to get to work.
“We are going to give our students the best opportunity we can, and we are going to treat and support our employees every day like they are doing God’s work. You can rest assured of that,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do; we have a very diverse community, and all of their points are important and need to be listened to…Making certain that our students have the opportunity to be successful in life.”
“We are going to work on the foundation of the Escambia County School District. You can count on it now; you can count on it tomorrow,” Leonard said. “Thank you for the opportunity, and you’ll be proud of the work we do in the Escambia County School District.”
Leonard was a finalist for the appointed superintendent position that ultimately went to Smith. Multiple members of the public spoke in his favor Tuesday, while others voice support for Deputy Superintendent Sheena Payne and displeasure that she was seemingly passed over the job.
After a couple of hours of public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, Payne spoke to the board on her own behalf.
“We’ve got work to do. I can serve,” Payne said. “I’ll serve under Mr. Leonard. I’ll serve under whoever you put there.”
“God is holding us accountable for what we do from this day forward,” Payne said. She ended on a standing ovation by saying that the district must do things “on one accord”. She will remain in the deputy superintendent position.
