Escambia Schools Have Just 47 Open Teacher Positions
August 1, 2023
The first day of school is less than two weeks away, and the Escambia County school district says they are in good shape on teacher hiring.
With classes beginning on August 10, there are just 47 teacher positions open in the Escambia County Public Schools. Administrators say they’re confident those remaining positions would be filled by the time students return to the classroom.
At the end of the last school year, ECPS projected they would need to fill 340 teacher vacancies before the end of the summer.
“Our hiring process is ongoing and robust,” said Melia Adams, director of Human Resource Services for ECPS, adding “we have a strong pool of substitute teachers ready to step in as needed to fill any remaining vacancies.”
The district is also filling vacant bus driver positions, even as many school districts across the state and nation struggle to do so.
Darlene Hart, director of Transportation for ECPS, said last week that the district had just 11 routes without drivers.
People from the community as well as people in other positions throughout the district are helping us to make sure that students are transported to school,” she said. “On the first day of school, we’re going to be covered.”
Affidavit Details Allegations Against Cantonment Woman Arrested For Impersonating FDLE Agent
August 1, 2023
A Cantonment woman has been charged with impersonating a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Office, and agents say there may be more victims.
FDLE agents arrested 35-year old Bobbie Lei Sales of Novak Road on one felony count of falsely impersonating a police officer.
According to a FDLE warrant affidavit obtained by NorthEscambia.com, FDLE said Sales went to a residence on Pauline Street in Cantonment in May wearing a gun on her right hip with a silver badge on the other that said “FDLE”. The resident told investigators that Sales stood with her hand on the firearm, advising that she was watching the house.
“Sales then advised (the victim) that his house was going to be raided in one week and that she was coming inside to find out what he does for a living,” an FDLE arrest warrant affidavit states. “Sales then accused him of being a drug dealer and told (the victime) she was going to get him shut down.”
The victim called FDLE the following more to report the situation, leading to the investigation and arrest.
Last year, Sales went to the FDLE Pensacola Regional Operations Center and provided a special agent with six different addresses and narcotics related information, the report states. FDLE conducted “several hours of surveillance in the areas” and found no evidence of narcotics activity.
In June 2023, an FDLE agent received a call from a local car dealership service department reporting that Bobbie Hazelbaker, later positively identified as Bobbe Lei Sales, brought her Tahoe in for service and stated that she worked for FDLE. The car dealership employee is a former law enforcement officer. The employee asked if she knew a certain current FDLE employee, but she stated she did not.
The employee “said that Sales asked him to remove her tag from the vehicle while it was there and to check it for tracking devices”.
Sales was not charged with the incident at the car dealership, but it was noted in the warrant affidavit.
FDLE said the agency believes there could be more victims. Anyone that may have been approached by Sales identifying herself as a law enforcement officer is asked to contact FDLE in Pensacola at (800) 226-8574.
And The Survey Says: FHP Has America’s Best Looking Cruiser
August 1, 2023
The votes are in, and the Florida Highway Patrol won the America’s Best Looking Cruiser Competition.
FHP took the top spot with 39,000 more votes than the competition. In second place was California Highway Patrol, followed by Nevada Highway Patrol, Indiana State Police in fourth, and Kentucky State Police in fifth.
The FHP picture submission was taken by retired FHP Lieutenant Jeff Frost and featured a 2019 Dodge Charger at Gatorland in Orlando and featured a 15-year-old, 8.5 ft long, 180-lb female American alligator named Tamale.
Get Free Reblended Paint From Escambia County On Thursdays
August 1, 2023
Escambia County offers free reblended paint in five gallon buckets.
The paint is available every Thursday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Perdido Landfill on Beulah Road. It is offered to the public for free in exchange for a new five gallon bucket with a lid (available at local hardware stores). Available colors may include beige, black, blue, brown, green, gray, orange, pink, purple, red, yellow and white.
Citizens can also dispose of up to 20 gallons of latex and oil-based paint at a time at the landfill at no charge. Latex paint is screened twice, reblended and put into new five-gallon buckets.
Call (850) 937-2160 for additional information and color availability.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia, Florida, Man Charged With DUI, Cocaine Possession In Atmore
August 1, 2023
An Escambia County, Florida, man was arrested on drug and DUI charges in Atmore.
The Atmore Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for no headlights.
The officer suspected that the driver, 44-year old Eric Donell McClain, was under the influence, and he failed a field sobriety test. Officers reported finding one gram of a substance that field tested positive for cocaine on McClain’s person.
McClain was charged with possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
Burning Pole Causes About 150 Customers To Lose Power In Bratt
July 31, 2023
About 150 Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers lost power Monday morning for about two hours due to a burning power pole in Bratt.
The pole on North Highway 99 about 1,000 feet north of O’Farrell Road nearly burned in two near the top before EREC cut the power to replace it.
North Highway 99 was temporarily closed while the pole was burning.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue responded.
According to EREC, most of those that lost power were in the area of North Highway 99, Breastworks Road, Perdue Road and North Pine Barren Road.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Driver Crashes Into Highway 168 Bridge Guardrail
July 31, 2023
A driver escaped injury when he crashed into a bridge guardrail Monday morning on Highway 168 near Bratt.
The driver of a Chevrolet Uplander was eastbound on Highway 168 about four-tenths of a mile west of Pine Barren Road. He drifted out of the travel lane and slammed into the guardrail before spinning out of control onto the bridge. The vehicle came to rest across the bridge, blocking both lanes of traffic.
The adult male declined medical treatment.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue responded, and the Florida Highway Patrol investigated.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Driver Crashes Into Bratt Park, Drives Through Park And Runs Through Another Fence To Exit
July 31, 2023
A driver crashed through a fence at a park in Bratt early Monday morning, drove through the park and exited by running through another fence.
The hit and run driver was westbound on Bratt Road when they failed to negotiate a sharp curve at the intersection with Ashcraft Road. The vehicle left the roadway, traveled through a ditch and went sideways through a fence into the back of Travis Nelson Park.
The unknown vehicle traveled about 700 feet through the park and exited into the parking lot by crashing through another fence before driving through a ditch and back to Bratt Road.
A nearby security camera showed what appeared to be the crash at 2:36 a.m.
The curve the driver missed is marked by signage at 25 mph.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
County Considers Widening 2.17 Miles Of Dangerously Narrow Highway 164 For $2 Million
July 31, 2023
Escambia County is considering widening about 2.17 total miles of dangerously narrow Highway 164 in two locations for $2 million.
Highway 164 has been the scene of several near head-on crashes and swideswipes attributed to the narrow roadway. Some of the roadway has 8-foot travel lanes — not wide enough for large vehicles like Engine 9 from the nearby McDavid Fire Station (pictured below).
The project would widen Highway 164 to 11-foot wide travel lanes two-thirds of a mile east from Highway 97 and a 1.5 mile stretch that is three-quarters of a mile either side of the Pine Barren Road intersection. (See maps below.) Highway 164 is about 11.5 miles long from Highway 97 to Highway 29.
According to Escambia County Engineering, the two areas have had seven sideswipes and other accidents between May 2018 and May 2023– the highest concentration areas on Highway 164. NorthEscambia.com has covered several other crashes on Highway 164 outside the proposed widening zone — including a fiery two pickup crash last April, and a pickup truck and school bus last year (detailed in photo descriptions below).
The Escambia County Commission will consider the $2 million in funding from Local Option Sales Tax monies at their next meeting on Thursday, August 3.
Pictured above and first below: A near head-on crash in April 2023 on Highway 164 about a mile west of Pine Barren Road — outside the area currently proposed for widening. Pictured second and third photos below: A pickup truck overturned in February 2022 after sideswiping a school bus on Highway 164 1.3 miles east of Pine Barren Road — outside the area currently proposed for widening. Pictured bottom two photos: A school bus and ECUA sanitation truck sideswiped in June 2022 jsut east of Pine Barren Road — our records do not indicate the exact distance from Pine Barren Road, but it was very near the three-quarter mile mark. NorthEscambia.com photos and graphics, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Kingsfield Road Crash
July 31, 2023
There were no injuries reported in a two vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on Kingsfield Road.
The wreck was reported about 10:50 Sunday morning on East Kingsfield Road near Ryales Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
