Century Receives $8.8 Million Wastewater System Loan; Nearly $8 Million To Be Forgiven
October 31, 2022
The Town of Century has been awarded an $8.8 million loan for wastewater system upgrades, and they won’t be required to repay nearly $8 million of it.
Century will receive a $8,865,336 loan from the State Revolving Fund Program (SRF) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Ninety percent of the principal — $7,978,802 — will be forgiven through the SRF and the Disadvantage Small Community Grants Program. Century will be required repay just 10% or $886,534.
“This is huge for Century,” Mayor Ben Boutwell said. “This means no more band-aids for our infrastructure.”
The state fund will be used for improvement and repairs at the Century Wastewater Treatment Plant, to the sanitary sewer pumping system including several lift stations, and to the master lift station at the Century Correctional Institution.
“This will bring our wastewater infrastructure into the 21st century and last us for the next 20 or 30 years,” Boutwell said.
Pictured: The Century Wastewater Treatment Plant. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Big Price Jump Likely As State Gas Holiday Expires On Tuesday
October 31, 2022
Florida gas prices are poised for an abrupt increase this week, when the state gas tax holiday expires on November 1st. The sales tax holiday called for a 25 cent discount at the pump throughout October. So it stands to reason that when the gas tax is reinstated on Tuesday, drivers will likely see about a 25 cent jump at the pump, according to AAA.
On Sunday, the state average price for gasoline averaged $3.29 per gallon.
In Escambia County, the average was $3.13 a gallon. A North Escambia low of $3.05 could be found at at least two stations on Highway 29 in Cantonment. In Escambia County, the per gallon price was as low as $2.87 at a Nine Mile Road station.
“While Halloween is traditionally a time for filling bags with candy, drivers may also want to fill their gas tank to take advantage of current prices at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Pump prices will likely rise 25 cents overnight, when the state gas tax expires on Tuesday morning.”
When the state sales tax holiday was implemented on October 1, gas prices declined a total of 22 cents within a couple of days, falling from $3.39 to $3.17 per gallon. Unfortunately for drivers, that discount was short lived. During the first week of October, OPEC announced plans to cut its oil production rate, which sparked a 17% oil price hike, raising the cost of producing gasoline. This ultimately dragged Florida gas prices back to where they were before the state’s gas tax holiday.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
New Dollar General Stores Open In Molino And Walnut Hill
October 30, 2022
Two new Dollar General stores have opened in North Escambia.
The Walnut Hill store is located at 7100 Highway 97, on the north side of the intersection of South Highway 99. The development was limited to 2.08 acres of a 4.12 acre property, including a 10,769 square-foot store with 43 parking spaces and a new driveway connection to Highway 97 directly across from South Highway 99.
The Molino store opened Saturday morning at 4430 North Highway 29. The 10,640 square foot Dollar General is located on a 1.5 acre parcel with driveway access to Highway 196, not Highway 29.
The first customer at the Molino store Saturday morning was Carson Spikes (pictured above), who purchased Nerd candy, gum and a Cherry Pepsi.
Pictured above and first below: The new Dollar General near Molino. Pictured bottom: The new Dollar General in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com and reader submitted photos, click to enlarge.
Thousands Participate In Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk
October 30, 2022
Thousands of people took part in the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in downtown Pensacola Saturday morning.
An estimated 7,000 people took part in the walk, many of which walked to honor loved ones fighting breast cancer or those that have lost their lives.
Pictured: Among the thousands taking part in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk Saturday morning were the Tate High School softball team and friends. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Killed After Falling Off Side Of Pickup Truck In Escambia County
October 30, 2022
A Georgia man died early Saturday morning in Escambia County after falling off a moving pickup truck to the roadway.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 33-year old man from Simmons Island, Georgia was hanging onto the left side of a pickup truck that was traveling southbound on New Warrington Road about 4 a.m.
Troopers said the man “fell from the outside of the pickup and collided with the roadway.”
The pickup truck continued without stopping. Troopers said criminal charges will be pending once the driver is found.
The FHP report does not offer any reason why the man was hanging onto the side of the pickup truck.
Pensacola Man Charged With Atmore Store Robbery And Assault
October 30, 2022
A Pensacola man has been charged in connection with the October 15 robbery of a downtown Atmore business
Paul McReynolds, 58, is charged with robbery first degree, assault first degree and unlawful imprisonment first degree.
Atmore Police said he was developed early as a suspect in the robbery of New York Fashions on North Main Street near the Atmore Chamber of Commerce.
“The victim was found by a customer who immediately called 911. Responding officers arrived on the scene and contacted the victim inside the business with a head wound. It appeared the suspect attempted to restrain the victim but was unsuccessful,” Atmore Police Sgt. Darrell McMann said following the robbery.
Officers from the Atmore Police Department and Poarch Tribal Police located McReynolds’ vehicle in the parking lot of the Wind Creek Casino. As officers approached, he attempted to flee the area on foot. He was taken into custody across Highway 21 near the Hampton Inn.
McReynolds was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center where he remained Sunday without bond.
UWF Defeats West Alabama 36-24 On Senior Day
October 30, 2022
The UWF football team rushed for 293 yards and got a school-record five field goals from Griffin Cerra to defeat West Alabama, 36-24, at Pen Air Field on Saturday.
UWF (7-1, 5-1 Gulf South) extended its winning streak to five games and completed its home regular-season with a 4-1 mark.
Peewee Jarrett passed for just 93 yards but ran for a game-high 114 yards – also a UWF quarterback record – on 15 carries with a touchdown to keep the Tigers potent run defense at bay much of the game.
“Peewee used his legs extremely well tonight and we needed it,” UWF head coach Pete Shinnick said.
Additionally, CJ Wilson rushed for 86 yards on 10 carries and Ra’veion Hargrove totaled 50 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown.
On Saturday, the Argonauts fell behind 10-7 early in the second quarter before getting three Cerra boots and a 23-yard touchdown run by Hargrove to go ahead 23-10 midway through the third.
UWA stopped the skid with a Bry Webb score from a yard out but it would be a very short celebration for the visitors.
CJ Wilson broke off a 27-yard run on first down before Jarrett went deep to David Durden on a dead sprint in the back of the end zone for a 48-yard bomb over the top that put the Argos ahead 30-17.
“I thought that throw and catch was spectacular,” Shinnick said. “We needed that. We had just had a CJ Wilson run prior to that so a two play, 75-yard drive was huge.”
The Tigers scored two minutes later, converting a double pass when Demetrius Battle found Darius Nalls in open space for a 57-yard touchdown that cut the UWF lead to 30-24.
But the Argos got Cerra field goals of 36 and 31 yards while chewing up a combined 9:58 off the clock in the final quarter. In between, the Tigers had a 3-and-out that halted any chance of momentum they might have had.
UWF had tremendous field position all game, with an average starting spot on its own 43 yard line. Durden had 94 of his 142 all-purpose yards on punt returns, including two huge returns of 38 and 21 yards that setup the Argos on the UWA side of the field. The ensuring Argo possessions both resulted in field goals as UWF regained momentum.
Cerra’s career day saw him tie the GSC record for made field goals, matching six previous kickers, including Colin Karhu of North Greenville last week against UWA. Cerra scored a career-high 18 points.
Cerra and Durden were just the tip of the iceberg for the UWF special teams on Saturday. Steve Dawson punted twice for a 48.5 average and Da’quan Bailey-Brown had kickoff returns of 51 and 21 yards.
UWA (4-5, 2-4) finished with 421 yards of total offense with 255 through the air. Tucker Melton was 14-for-27 for 198 yards with an interception.
UWF will now hit the road for its final two regular-season games, beginning next Saturday at Valdosta State (4-5, 2-4). Kickoff at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia is at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Photo: Morgan Givens
Missing, Endangered Woman Located
October 29, 2022
UPDATE: This missing an endangered woman has been located according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing and endangered woman.
Erica Michele Abel, 38, was last seen Friday around 6 p.m. driving a 2006 Nissan sedan, Florida tag # 56DAGL. She was last seen wearing white and black leggings, and white shirt with a multi-colored print.
Anyone with information is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 433-9620.
Northview Cruises To 9-0 With 57-14 Rout Of Atmore (With Gallery)
October 29, 2022
The Northview Chiefs powered to a 57-14 senior night win over the Escambia County Blue Devils of Atmore Friday night in Bratt.
With the win, Northview is 9-0 as they look for that elusive perfect season next week. In 2006, the Chiefs went 9-1 overall under coach Cody Keene, dropping the final game of that season at home 20-14 to Chipley. In 2012 when they won the only football state championship in school history, the Chiefs opened at 1-1, losing their second game to Marianna. They finished 2012 at 11-3.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
The Chiefs were a little slow out of the gate as the lead teetered back and forth, but they soon floored it on the way to the win.
“We’ve to fix that,” head coach Wes Summerford of the slow start. “When we get to the playoffs, we can’t make those mistakes. We’ve got to start fast.”
He said the offense “didn’t miss a beat”.
The Blue Devils were first on the big board at 8-0 with a 40-yard pass with just under 10 minutes to go.
A couple of minutes later Northview QB Kaden Odom found Wyatt Scruggs from 48-yards, and Odom was in for the two point conversion and an 8-8 ballgame. Northview moved on top with an 11-yard run touchdown rush from Jamarkus Jefferson.
ECHS returned the kickoff for a 72-yard touchdown, and Jefferson added another touchdown to round out the first quarter with a 22-14 Chief lead.
In the second quarter, Jefferson had touchdowns of 35, 34 and 2-yards. In the third, the Chiefs scored when Odom hit Scruggs for a 29-yard score, and Odom was in from 6-yards out. Kicker Brandon Ferguson was 7-7 on point after attempts Friday night.
The Escambia County Blue Devils season came to an end at 4-6.
The Chiefs (9-0) will host Bay next Friday night.
“It’s not going to be much different than Atmore,” he said.
The Chiefs will likely out the first week of the playoffs with a bye before starting their postseason trip toward Tallahassee on November 18.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The Legend: Tate Football Field Dedicated As ‘Carl Madison Field’
October 29, 2022
Friday night, the football field at Tate High School was dedicated in honor of high school sports legend Carl Madison.
The field inside Pete Gindl Stadium is “Carl Madison Field” in honor of the man that led the Aggies to a 1980 state championship and is one of the all-time winningest high school coaches in the nation.
“The best advice you can give people is play clean and hard, and be ready to back the next day,” Madison said shortly before tossing the coin for the Aggies Friday night game against Escambia.
Madison was surrounded at the ceremony by former players from his nearly five decades coaching, including members of the Aggies 1980 state championship team.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
Madison, who turns 92 in January, sits at number two on Florida’s all-time football coaching victories list with a 326-129-7 record and is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
In addition to winning a state title at Tate, he took the Pine Forest Eagles to two state championships in 1987 and 1988. The 1988 Eagle team was named as national champions by USA Today, and Madison earned the title of the National High School Football Coach of the Year. All in all, he coached at five different Florida High Schools including Ernest Ward, plus three out of state schools.
His football days began early at Escambia County High School in Atmore where he played tailback under Coach Herbert Barnes from 1945 to 1947, making him one of Atmore’s semi-famous “Barnes Boys” with 30 straight wins. After a stint in the Army, from 1950 to 1952, Madison played college ball for Texas Tech and Troy State Teachers College in the mid-1950s.
Fresh out of college, Madison coached for four years beginning in 1957 at Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill. He moved to Milton High in 1961, coaching them to a state championship and 34 straight victories. He then took a coaching job at a Georgia High School, losing a state championship game in 1968.
Madison joined the coaching staff at Tate in 1971 on his way to winning that 1980 state championship. He left Tate in 1983, heading to Pensacola High for a couple of years. Then it was off to Pine Forest and those back-to-back state championships. He coached at an Albany, Georgia, school, another 10 years at Milton High and another short period at PHS during the period from 1989 until 2002.
In 2002, he took the head coach job at the small Jackson Academy in Alabama. The then 71-year old took over a team that had gone 0-10 prior to his arrival. He lost his first two games at Jackson, but he went on to win the state championship. The following year, Jackson was undefeated and won another state championship.
In 2009, Madison briefly came out of retirement to once again take to the field at Tate, this time as an offensive consultant.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
