EREC Walnut Hill Office Reopens for Business
July 30, 2025
The Escambia River Electric Cooperative Office in Walnut Hill reopened Tuesday after being closed for nearly a year due to mold.
The utility office will operate weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., observing a lunch break from noon to 1:00 p.m. The office offers services that include bill payment and service requests for both electricity and water.
The contract post office remains at the location, but full postal services are not yet available. Old mail that was previously held at the McDavid Post Office was boxed Tuesday, but additional mail will not be delivered until a new contract is in place.
The EREC Walnut Hill office is located on Highway 99A next to Ernest Ward Middle School. The office had been closed since August 2024 due to mold; remediation has since been completed.
Pictured top: EREC employee Kim Lambert boxes old mail Tuesday afternoon in contract post office inside the EREC Walnut Hill office. Customers had been required to pick up their mail at the McDavid Post Office for nearly a year. Pictured below: After being closed about a year, the EREC Walnut Hill office reopened Tuesday. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Name 2025 Volleyball Teams
July 30, 2025
Following tryouts Monday and Tuesday, Tate High School Volleyball named their teams for the upcoming 2025 season.
Varsity
- Grace Best
- Torrie Garrett
- McKenna Lister
- Bailie Merritt
- Ella Merritt
- Apple Moodie
- Brelynn Morris
- Niaviya Qualls
- Gianna Smart
- Jacey Stuart
- Jayla Templeman
- Laila Whitley
Junior Varsity
- Kiley Adams
- Jada Archer
- Brayley Cayton
- Ansleigh Crutchfield
- Grace Gaulden
- Lexi Hardy
- Carly Kimbro
- Harper Leopard
- Laila McNair
- Sarah Mitchell
- Bentley Wartman
- Kassidy Weiss
Freshmen
- Laura Ave
- Ayslie Bouie
- Laina Daughtery
- Emma Dubuc
- Callie Fechter
- Ryleigh Goolsby
- McKenna Jones
- Makylie Lewis
- Kelly McCabe
- Reese Ray
- Clara Stinnett
- Jordan Suarez
Escambia County School Orientations Begin (But Most Are Next Week)
July 30, 2025
Orientation sessions have began for public schools in Escambia County, but most are next week.
Pensacola High School held orientation on Wednesday, while Escambia High School orientation will be Thursday. Other schools in the county will hold orientation next week.
Here is the schedule:
ORIENTATIONS
Elementary
- All Schools: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Middle School
- 6th Grade Orientation (except Ernest Ward): Wednesday, August 6, 2025 – 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Ernest Ward Middle School – Thursday, August 7, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
High Schools
- Tate High 9th grade – Thursday, August 7, 2025 – 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Northview High – Thursday, August 7, 2025 – 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Pensacola High – Wednesday, July 30, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
- Escambia High — Thursday, July 31, Last names A-M from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. and last names N-Z from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Booker T. Washington High 9th grade – Monday, August 4, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
- Pine Forest High – Saturday, August 9, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
- West Florida High 9th grade – Saturday, August 9, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Pensacola Ice Flyers Announce Full 2025-26 Season Schedule
July 30, 2025
The Pensacola Ice Flyers on Tuesday announced their 2025-26 full season schedule, which includes an expanded lineup of 29 home games at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The Ice Flyers will drop the puck on their season Saturday, October 18, 2025, when they welcome the Macon Mayhem to “The Hangar”.
“We’re thrilled to offer our fans additional Ice Flyers hockey this season with our expanded schedule,” said Brenden Arney, Ice Flyers director of Marketing and Operations. “From our home opener against Macon to our creative theme nights, the 2025-26 season is set to be our most entertaining yet.”
- Macon at Pensacola: October 18, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Huntsville: October 24, 7:00 PM
- Birmingham at Pensacola: October 25, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Birmingham: October 30, 7:00 PM
- Macon at Pensacola: November 1, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Knoxville: November 7, 6:30 PM
- Pensacola at Knoxville: November 8, 6:30 PM
- Fayetteville at Pensacola: November 14, 7:05 PM
- Fayetteville at Pensacola: November 15, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Huntsville: November 21, 7:00 PM
- Pensacola at Huntsville: November 22, 7:00 PM
- Huntsville at Pensacola: November 26, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Birmingham: November 28, 7:00 PM
- Birmingham at Pensacola: November 29, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Birmingham: December 4, 7:00 PM
- Roanoke at Pensacola: December 5, 7:05 PM
- Roanoke at Pensacola: December 6, 7:05 PM
- Huntsville at Pensacola: December 11, 7:05 PM
- Huntsville at Pensacola: December 20, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Macon: December 21, 2:00 PM
- Birmingham at Pensacola: December 23, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Huntsville: December 26, 7:00 PM
- Huntsville at Pensacola: December 27, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Macon: December 31, 7:00 PM
- Roanoke at Pensacola: January 2, 7:05 PM
- Roanoke at Pensacola: January 3, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Quad City: January 9, 7:10 PM
- Pensacola at Quad City: January 10, 7:10 PM
- Pensacola at Quad City: January 11, 2:10 PM
- Evansville at Pensacola: January 16, 7:05 PM
- Evansville at Pensacola: January 17, 7:05 PM
- Macon at Pensacola: January 18, 4:05 PM
- Pensacola at Knoxville: January 23, 6:30 PM
- Pensacola at Knoxville: January 24, 6:30 PM
- Fayetteville at Pensacola: January 30, 7:05 PM
- Fayetteville at Pensacola: January 31, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Macon: February 5, 6:00 PM
- Knoxville at Pensacola: February 6, 7:05 PM
- Knoxville at Pensacola: February 7, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Roanoke: February 13, 6:05 PM
- Pensacola at Roanoke: February 14, 6:05 PM
- Macon at Pensacola: February 15, 4:05 PM
- Pensacola at Fayetteville: February 20, 6:00 PM
- Pensacola at Fayetteville: February 21, 5:00 PM
- Pensacola at Macon: February 26, 9:30 AM
- Birmingham at Pensacola: February 27, 7:05 PM
- Birmingham at Pensacola: February 28, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Peoria: March 6, 7:10 PM
- Pensacola at Peoria: March 7, 7:10 PM
- Pensacola at Peoria: March 8, 3:15 PM
- Macon at Pensacola: March 13, 7:05 PM
- Macon at Pensacola: March 14, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Birmingham: March 20, 7:00 PM
- Pensacola at Birmingham: March 21, 7:00 PM
- Quad City at Pensacola: March 27, 7:05 PM
- Quad City at Pensacola: March 28, 7:05 PM
- Pensacola at Evansville: April 3, 7:00 PM
- Pensacola at Evansville: April 4, 7:00 PM
Early Trouble Sends Wahoos to 7-3 Loss to Shuckers
July 30, 2025
written by Bill Vilona
Alex Williams has encountered his roughest outings this season against the Biloxi Shuckers.
The latest occurred Tuesday night on a weather-plagued series opener, after the Blue Wahoos righthander struggled to find an early-game groove, leading into the Shuckers’ eventual 7-3 victory at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The game’s start time was delayed 1-hour, 11 minutes, followed by a 41-minute rain delay in the bottom of the fourth to make it an even longer night.
When the game began, Williams ran into instant trouble. A low pitch nicked the game’s leadoff batter, Luis Lara. After one out, the next three batters recorded hits, including a pair of RBI singles that scored Lara and the Shuckers’ highest-rated prospect, shortstop Cooper Pratt, who had doubled.
A throwing error in the second inning by Pensacola first baseman Nathan Martorella led to a third Shuckers run. In the third inning, Biloxi’s Jheremy Vargos broke the game open with a bases-loaded, 3-run double for a 6-0 lead. The rally was set up by a catcher’s interference call and another hit batter charged to Williams.
It became the shortest of Williams’ three starts since moving into that role on July 12.
Williams’ previous two times facing Biloxi this season came in relief. He allowed four runs on five hits July 4 in Biloxi in 2.1 innings pitched.
The Blue Wahoos produced three runs in the seventh on a solo homer by Johnny Olmstead, then an RBI double by Shane Sasaki and a balk to score Sasaki.
The six-game homestand continues Wednesday with the Blue Wahoos’ Jake Brooks, a former UCLA star pitcher, making his Double-A debut after being called up from the Beloit Sky Carp, the Miami Marlins High-A affiliate. He was an 11th round pick of the 2023 draft.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos.
WHEN: Wednesday Thru Sunday. Gametimes on Wednesday through Saturday games are 6:05 p.m. start time and Sunday’s game will start at 4:05 p.m..
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Train Collides With Agricultural Sprayer Stuck On The Tracks In Atmore
July 29, 2025
A train collided with an agricultural sprayer Tuesday morning in Atmore.
The sprayer was stuck on the tracks at 21st Avenue due to a broken hydraulic hose, according to Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles. The sprayers are hydraulically propelled and cannot move with a broken hose.
The driver was able to exit the sprayer before the collision and was not injured. Peebles said the train engineer was able to see the sprayer on the tracks and attempted an emergency stop, but due to the weight of the train it did not stop until well after the collision.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The train was damaged by the crash but did not derail. It was apparent that the handrails were ripped off and several covers on the side of an engine were damaged or missing.
The crash blocked crossings from Second Avenue to Chapman Road, a distance of almost three miles.
There were no injuries on the train.
The Atmore Fire Department applied absorbent material to clean up the hydraulic fluid. The agricultural chemicals in the John Deere sprayer did not leak.
Photos by Tristan Gehman and Frisco Gehman for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Guns, Homemade Explosives, Target List Found During Walnut Hill Accidental Shooting Investigation
July 29, 2025
The man who accidentally shot himself last week near Walnut Hill is now facing multiple felony firearms and explosives charges, including charges related to multiple improvised homemade explosives. Authorities say he also had a potential target list.
Joshua Deen Hardy, 26, was charged with three counts of making or possession of a destructive device, using a firearm during a felony and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed. He remains in the Escambia County Jail Infirmary.
During a video appearance Monday, Judge Kerry Smith set Hardy’s bond at $65,000. If he makes bond, he will be required to stay in his home or on his porch, leaving only to go to doctor’s appointments. He is also not allowed to possess weapons, firearms, explosives or flammable substances. He was also ordered to stay away from fireworks shops, gun shops, or any place that sells substances or components related to explosives items. He is due back in court on August 22.
Last Wednesday, the man — now identified as Hardy — accidentally shot himself shortly after 3 a.m. while walking in the woods on family property at 5000 Sandy Hollow Road, just off West Highway 4. His grandmother told deputies that she received a call about 3:15 a.m. from Hardy who said he had tripped while walking on their property with his rifle and he had shot himself in the leg. She picked him up and drove him to Atmore Community Hospital.
She stated that “their old house on their property had burned down a while ago and they believe it to have been arson. Since then, Joshua Hardy will randomly get up early in the morning and ‘patrol” their property with his rifle,” an arrest report states. NorthEscambia.com reported on the fire on January 31, 2025.
At the emergency room in Atmore, Hardy told deputies that he often walks their 22-acre property because he does not like people there, the report states. He said he stepped in a hole and dropped his rifle, accidentally grabbing it as it fell by the trigger and shot himself. He was adamant that he was not shooting at anyone and had no intent of harming himself.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Hardy suffered a serious gunshot wound that shattered his tibia and fibula and nearly took his left big toe.
Deputies responded to the property later in the day after receiving a tip, and they followed a trail of blood from the county right of way and into the woods and located the spot where Hardy shot himself. They reported finding a spent 7.62×39 AK-47 round next to a bloody area. A relative told deputies that the gun and other items that Hardy had with him at the time of the shooting were on top of a freezer in a shed on the property. They were given permission to search by the property owner.
- In a shed behind a vacant doublewide mobile home, deputies reported finding:
- Camo tactical vest with front and back armor plates and a handgun holster that contained a loaded 9mm pistol. The vest had two pistol magazine holders that contained loaded 9mm magazines. The vest had a medical pouch with supplies attached and “what appeared to be some kind of homemade incendiary device with a long fuse”.
- AK-47 style rifle Kevlar helmet AK-47 drum magazine loaded with live rounds
- A total of 49 live 9mm rounds in the magazines and gun
- A total of 118 live 7.62×39 AK-47 rounds in the magazines
- Cigarette lighter
- Cigarette pack containing one cigarette
A Florida Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division bomb disposal unit and the ECSO bomb disposal unit responded, secured the alleged incendiary device and rendered it safe, according to the arrest report.
Relatives told deputies that Hardy has paranoid and manic episodes and feels like people, including law enforcement, are out to get him, the report continues.
The homemade device was described by state officials as being a destructive device found in the vest was essentially a cardboard tube with flash powder like obtained from consumer fireworks and a hobby fuse.
A search warrant was later served and deputies reported finding multiple items in Hardy’s room:
- Destructive device taped to plastic bottles on the bedroom floor
- A .22 calibre revolver with the serial number and model obliterated
- Black duct tape
- Silencer in a box on the top shelf of the closet multiple journals and notebooks
- A hobby fuse
- Destructive device with screws in a dresser drawer
- Plastic container of screws in a nightstand Cardboard box of screws in the closet
- Pouch containing multiple SD cards and USB drives found in a closet
- Apple iPhone, two Apple iPads, Verizon tablet, and an Amazon tablet in the closet
- A backpack with magazines and ammunition
- 12-gauge shotgun
- mixed Tannerite in the closet
- Ruger .300 caliber rifle with 20 rounds of ammunition
- Browning .270 caliber rifle with four rounds of ammunition and an ammo sleeve with seven rounds of ammunition
- ammunition can with additional ammunition
- hand drawn map of the property
Deputies also reported finding an OPFOR list of names in Hardy’s bedroom. OPFOR is a term commonly used in military training and exercises that is short for “Opposing Forces” to represent an enemy.
Investigators recovered two mortar plugs from the front yard and an unknown manufacturer or caliber firearm with wooden stock from a shed.
The bomb squad took custody of the destructive devices, a mortar and pestle with black powder and mixed Tannerite.
The ECSO report states that all three devices (one from the tactical vest and two from Hardy’s room) were “viable destructive devices”, based upon the training and experience of the state bomb technician.
Florida’s Month-Long Back To School Sales Tax Holiday Begins Friday
July 29, 2025
Florida’s month-long back to school Sales Tax Holiday is coming. It will will run from Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 31, giving families a full month of savings on essential school supplies and more.
“Proud to deliver additional sales tax holidays, including the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday that begins on August 1. With the new school year just around the corner, Florida families can save on back-to-school shopping during the tax holiday for the entire month of August,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday in Panama City. “By cutting taxes, empowering parents, and growing our economy, we’re making it easier for people to live, work, and thrive in the Free State of Florida.”
The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday includes exemptions for:
School supplies selling for $50 or less
- Binders
- Notebooks
- Pens and pencils
- Lunch boxes
Clothing, footwear, and apparel priced at $100 or less
- Backpacks
- Pants
- Shoes
- Shirts
- Sweaters
Learning aids selling for $30 or less
- Interactive Books
- Puzzles
- Flashcards
Personal computers and accessories priced at $1,500 or less (for noncommercial home or personal use)
- Laptops
- Flash drives
- Printers
- Headphones
Man Sentenced For Smuggling 46 Pounds Of Marijuana Into Pensacola Airport
July 29, 2025
An Oregon man has been sentenced for trying to smuggle 46 pounds of marijuana into Pensacola through the airport.
Tony Do, 30, was sentenced to one year in state prison followed by a decade of probation after he pleaded no contest to charges of marijuana trafficking and marijuana smuggling.
Do flew into the Pensacola International Airport from Portland, Oregon, on September 10, 2024.
The DEA Northwest Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area had received a tip that Do was flying in under “suspicious circumstances” and met him. He told the agents that he had no return flight and was visiting a friend before giving consent to search his two suitcases.
Both suitcases contained clothes with a “heavy masking agent odor of laundry detergent and dryer sheets”, according to an arrest report. Agents reported finding 40 vacuumed-sealed bags of marijuana that had a total weight of 46 pounds.
‘Threads of Hope’ To Provide School Clothes For Needy Kids. Here’s How To Help.
July 29, 2025
Waterfront Mission has launched Threads of Hope. The community initiative aims to provide clothing assistance to homeless and at-risk students across the Gulf Coast as they prepare for the new school year.
The program encourages community members to purchase Waterfront Thrift gift cards, which are distributed directly to local school districts, including Escambia and Santa Rosa. The districts then distribute gift cards to families in need, allowing them to purchase suitable clothing for their children.
Each gift card purchase supports Waterfront Mission’s broader programs that provide meals, shelter, and recovery services to individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction.
“We first learned about the urgent need for clothing from our partners at Escambia County Homeless Student Services,” said Mark Isbell, vice president of PR and Development. “As we spoke with them, we realized just how powerful our community could be if we came together. With the support of our generous thrift shoppers and the communities surrounding each of our seven stores, we knew we could expand this outreach across every school district we serve.”
The program has a goal of $15,000 in gift cards for the campaign by September 1. The gift cards can be purchased online at WaterfrontThrift.org or at any of the seven store locations in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Mobile, or Foley.