No. 1 Pace Defeats The Tate Aggies 5-2 (With Gallery)
April 1, 2023
The Pace Patriots, ranked No. 1 in the state, defeated the Tate Aggies 5-2
Pace pushed their lead to 5-0 with a three run homer from Owen Land in the
With the bases loaded with Aggies in the bottom of the seventh, Ethan McAnally had a double, scoring Frank Randall and Brayden Touchstone.
With bases loaded again in the bottom of the seventh, Caden Kelly was called out on strikes (pictured first below) on a below the knees ball.
Rilee Lowery went for three on the mound for Tate, allowing two runs, two hits and striking out three. Gabriel Patterson was on the mound for four, allowing three hits, three runs and striking out three.
For more photos, click or tap here.
The Tate Aggie will host Navarre on Tuesday.
NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Santa Rosa County Soldier Among Nine Killed In Army Helicopter Crash
April 1, 2023
One of the nine 101st Airborne Division Soldiers killed in a helicopter crash near Fort Campbell, Kentucky on Wednesday is from Santa Rosa County.
Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton was among the casualties.
“This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division. The loss of these Soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come,” said Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell. “Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen Soldiers.”
An Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Ala. is investigating the accident.
Northview Takes Double Header Over J.U. Blacksher (With Gallery)
April 1, 2023
The Northview Chiefs took both games of a double header over J.U. Blacksher Friday in Bratt.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
Northview 4, J.U. Blacksher 0
In the first game of the twin bill, Carson Burkett pitched a complete game shutout as Northview beat Blacksher 4-0.
Burkett had seven strikeouts and walked just one.
Kaden Burkett led the Chiefs going 2-3 at bat. Luke Bridges, Rustin Pope, Jamarkus Jefferson, Josh Landis and Ethan Collier all had a hit for Northview.
Northview 7, J.U. Blacksher 3
In the nightcap, Northview defeated Blacksher 7-3.
Jarmarkus Jefferson went five and a third innings, allowing three hits and three runs while striking out seven. Grayden Sheffield threw one and two thirds innings, allowing no hits and no runs while striking out three.
At the plate, Northview had hits from Jefferson, Kaden Odom, Luke Bridges, Rustin Pope, Josh Landis and Tyler Shaw.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sci-Fi Movie Filmed In Molino, Including Jimmy’s Grill (With Gallery)
March 31, 2023
A new sci-fi thriller filmed recently in Molino and Pensacola may be coming to a big screen, or a streaming platform, soon.
“Serus” was filmed at Panhandle Alarm & Telephone on Industrial Boulevard, Jimmy’s Grill in Molino and a machine shop on Fairground Road in Molino.
In Serus, “two retirement-ready clandestine agents are ordered to find the entity responsible for an ambush on their colleagues. Their colleagues attempted to secure tech that enables stealing all global natural resources, so the agents must lead an operation back to the ambush site.”
The first season, or the trilogy, of a film series, follows black ops assets tasked with discovering who is responsible for the loss of a squadron. After the enemy tracks a survivor back to their base, they learn that the enemies are not part of any government or enemy group. But seismic technologies hang in the balance, and humanity’s global survival is at stake.
For more photos, click or tap here.
A future trilogy or series spinoff will explore an arms race extending into space.
Serus is written, created, and produced by Pensacola native Brad Blanchard and Alton James, owner of a metro Detroit production company.
The idea for Serus arose from a conversation between Blanchard and James, both passionate about the prepper world and storytelling. Together, they saw the opportunity to produce a meaningful story of human unity.
“We just work well together,” James said while filming scenes inside Jimmy’s Grill with Blanchard. The movie is being filmed in 3D and Dolby Atmos sound using two iPhone 14s.
“It’s being done so that it can be released as a film, or broken into episodes for streaming,” he said. “Once it’s done, we will shop it around, and we will be back for local screenings.”
Pictured: Scenes for “Serus” are filmed at Jimmy’s Grill in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECUA Conducting Controlled Burn At CWRF Near Gonzalez
March 31, 2023
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) will be conducting prescribed burn operations on their property near the Central Water Reclamation Facility (CWRF), starting on Friday, weather permitting.
Conditions will be evaluated each morning and ECUA’s burn-certified contractor will conduct the burn operations, which are scheduled to begin at approximately 9 a.m. for several days. The burn activities are a part of ECUA’s management plan for the ecological restoration of forest lands at the CWRF site.
The ECUA’s CWRF property is in the Gonzalez community and mostly lies south of Becks Lake Road near the Escambia River. A small amount of ECUA’s property north of Becks Lake Road will be included in the prescribed burn operation. ECUA said every effort will be made to ensure smoke will not affect roadways, drivers should exercise caution in the event smoke does lead to reduced visibility on the area’s roads.
Take Stock in Children Accepting Scholarship Applications Through Area Middle Schools
March 31, 2023
Escambia County middle schools are now accepting requests for applications for Take Stock in Children, a program offering “scholarships, mentors & hope” to qualified students.
Students must be in the sixth or seventh grade, be eligible for free or reduced lunch, a U.S. citizen, and have grades of C or better with good attendance and behavior. Most middle schools have a deadline of early April to request the application and then several weeks for applications to be submitted for consideration.
Take Stock in Children was established in 1995 as a non-profit organization in Florida operating locally under the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation. The program provides a unique opportunity for deserving low-income students to escape the cycle of poverty through education. Students are selected through a need-based application process in middle school, and comprehensive services continue through high school and include the students’ transition into college. Students receive college scholarships, caring volunteer mentors, college readiness skills, and hope for a better life.
Scholarships are funded through a unique public-private fundraising model in which local scholarship donations are matched by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation when scholarships are purchased each year.
Currently, there are 141 students in grades 7-12, over 70 students in college, and there have been 133 college graduates thus far from the program.
For more information, Contact Take Stock in Children Coordinator Sally Lee at (850) 496-5458 or slee@ecsdfl.us.
Stuckey Throws Shutout As Northview Beats Escambia 10-0 (With Gallery)
March 31, 2023
Aubrey Stuckey threw a complete game shutout as the Northview Chiefs beat the Escambia Gators 10-0 in five innings Thursday evening in Bratt.
The Chiefs jumped out to a six-run lead in the first inning.
Jamison Gilman went 2-3 to lead the Chiefs at the plate. Stuckey, Emma Gilmore, Ry Brooks, M Golson, A Flowers and B Hall each added a hit for Northview.
Stuckey allowed two hits and no runs in five innings while walking one.
For more photos, click or tap here.
The Chiefs recorded seven stolen bases Thursday, including two each from Gilman and Chloe Ragsdale.
The Lady Chiefs will travel to Baker on Tuesday.
In junior varsity action, Northview beat Escambia 7-6 Thursday.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Forest Tour Near Walnut Hill Focuses On Preparing For Natural Disasters
March 31, 2023
The Florida Forest Service, in partnership with the Florida Land Stewardship Program, recently held a workshop for hurricane preparation and recovery of forested lands.
The program was on the Chris Jones property on Highway 97A in McDavid.
Topics included selecting the right tree species and planting stock, improving the stand to enhance forest health and wildlife habitat, preparing for and recovering from hurricanes and other natural disasters as well as information on the sources of technical and financial assistance available to landowners.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com click to enlarge.
Tate High Lockdown Prompted By ‘Rumors’, ECSO Says
March 30, 2023
Tate High School was on lockdown for over an hour midday Thursday due to a threat the ECSO called a “false alarm”. The lockdown was lifted about 1 p.m. and students returned to class.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, school officials received information that a student had threatened to come to the school with a gun and open fire.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons, who was at the scene, said the school was placed on the lockdown as a precaution while deputies investigated the alleged threat. Simmons stood outside a closed gate to the school and reassured parents that their children were safe. Parents are not allowed to access the campus at any school in the county during an elevated security level.
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there were no arrests.
Photos we received from inside the school showed ECSO deputies with long guns watching over students in the cafeteria (above).
The ECSO said the incident was due to rumors among students, not “swatting” where false calls are made from somewhere across the country.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Causing Highway 97 Wreck, Robbing Victim Of $8,000 In Casino Winnings
March 30, 2023
An Escambia County man has been charged with allegedly causing a wreck and then robbing a victim at gunpoint on Highway 97 in Davisville in December.
Edward Jerome Butler, Jr., 45, was booked into the Escambia County Jail this week on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault on a person over age 65, grand theft, grand theft of a firearm, battery and fraudulent use of a credit card.
The victim left the casino in Atmore and traveled south into Florida. On Highway 97 near the Piggly Wiggly in Davisville, Butler deliberately rear-ended the victim’s vehicle, causing just minor damage, according to an arrest report. The victim stopped on the side of the road. Butler then approached the vehicle wearing a red hoodie and red shoes, opened the passenger door, pointed a gun at the victim, and told him to give him the money or he would shoot him, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said.
The victim attempted to draw his personal firearm to defend himself, but deputies said Butler took the victim’s gun away. Butler then forcefully grabbed the victim’s leg and pulled at his boot, which is where he was hiding his winnings from the Wind Creek Casino. Deputies said Butler took about $8,000 from the boot before fleeing with another unknown suspect in their vehicle.
About an hour later, Butler was seen entering a convenience store on Chemstrand Road in Pensacola and withdrawing $600 in three separate transactions from an ATM, the report states, along with $64 from another one of the victim’s other cards. Surveillance video showed the person withdrawing the money to be wearing a red hoodie.
The vehicle that left the convenience store was located in early January, and an ATM receipt was located inside that matched the victim’s account and the amount withdrawn, plus a $3 transaction fee. The owner of the vehicle said he picked up Butler, who paid him $20 for transportation.
Butler was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on March 17 and extradited to Escambia County where he remained in jail Thursday morning with bond set at $117,500.
