Two Vehicle Crash On Highway 97 In Walnut Hill Monday Afternoon
February 26, 2008
Two people were injured in a Monday afternoon accident on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. The accident happened about 5:10 along Highway 97 just south of County Road 164.
The Florida Highway Patrol says 22 year old Jade Supapo of Pensacola was traveling southbound on Highway 97 in a 2008 Nissan Altima when she failed to negotiate a curve south of County Road 164 and spun into the southbound lane.
Northbound Brenda Ekstrom, 58, of Walnut Hill drove her 2005 Lincoln Aviator into the ditch in an attempt to miss the spinning vehicle. The rear of the Altima struck the front of the Aviator. in the ditch The Altima continued about 100 feet in one direction, while the Aviator came to rest about 100 feet in the other direction.
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department was forced to use the Jaws of Life to free Supapo from the Altima. She was transported to Atmore Community Hospital by ambulance. Her injuries were minor, according to the FHP.
Ekstrom suffered minor injuries and was taken to Atmore Community Hospital by a private vehicle. There were three passengers, ages 8, 10 and 11, in Ekstrom’s vehicle. They suffered only very minor injuries.
Charges are pending according to the FHP. All occupants of Ekstrom’s vehicle were wearing their seatbelts, but Supapo was not, according to the crash report.
Pictured above: Firefighters work to remove the Jade Supapo from her 2008 Nissan Altima following a two car collision on Highway 97 Monday afternoon. Pictured below: The Lincoln Aviator and the Altima landed some distance apart. Pictured bottom of page: Damage to the Altima was extensive. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos. Click to enlarge.
Molino Churches View Tornado Video Sunday AM
February 24, 2008
A week after a devastating EF-1 tornado hit Molino, things were continuing to return to normal as much as possible Sunday morning. Hundreds of worshipers at Highland Baptist Church and Victory Assembly of God in Molino viewed a video Sunday morning looking back at images from last week’s tornado.
The twister passed over Highland Baptist Church last Sunday just as their morning worship service was ending, ripping the steeple off the top of the sanctuary and slamming it into parked cars in the parking lot.
Exactly a week later, worshipers at Highland ended this Sunday morning’s service by gathering together at the altar to view the video. Some cried. Some hugged others around them. Some raised their hands in praise as the video played.
The soundtrack to the video was “Praise You In This Storm” by the Christian group Casting Crowns. It included dozens of NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos shot shortly after last week’s tornado as well as during the week. There were also NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos of the actual tornado and photos by Highland Baptist in the video.
The theme of the video was praising God in spite of the storm. It was produced by NorthEscambia.com. It can be viewed by clicking on the image above.
Hundreds Attend Annual Ruritan Farm Auction
February 24, 2008
The annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club farm equipment auction was held Saturday in Walnut Hill. Items sold included farm equipment, lawn and garden equipment, vehicles, household items and more. The sale is held each year on the last Saturday of February. About 200 buyers registered for the event.
All proceeds benefit the Ruritan’s community service projects in the Walnut Hill area.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
Century Teaspoon Festival Celebrated Heritage Saturday With Bands, Choirs And Ballet
February 24, 2008
The second annual Teaspoon Heritage Festival was held Saturday in Century. There were live choirs, bands, special shows by Ballet Pensacola, food and more.
The festival celebrated the heritage of African slaves that escaped from Colonial plantations in the Carolinas and Georgia to settle in the community of Teaspoon, now modern day Century.
The free festival was sponsored by The Teaspoon Foundation and New Life Baptist Church.
For a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery of the Teaspoon Festival, click here.
Dogwood Park Baptist Holding Weekend Revival, Youth Event
February 23, 2008
A weekend revival will continue Sunday at Dogwood Park Baptist Church with Evangelist Rick Ingle, and music by Paul and Christy Newberry.
Ingle has a Doctorate of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Seminary. He has conducted of 1,300 revival campaigns, including revivals at five of the top 10 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Ingle is the author of seven books, including If I Had Ministry to Live Over I Would…”. His testimony has been broadcast worldwide on over 400 radio stations.
Since 1981, the Newberrys have ministered through music at over 1,000 churches throughout the United States. They spent 42 of the 52 weeks of 2007 on the road in their ministry.
Sunday services will be at 10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
For more information, contact Dogwood Park Baptist at 587-2617. The church is located on Highway 97, about six miles north of Highway 29.
Molino Boys Play Soccer In Recent Pensacola Classic
February 22, 2008
Ryan Mims (right) and Matt Urbanavage (left) from Molino play soccer for the Pensacola Football Club. This picture was taken at the Pensacola Classic February 16-17. They are on the U10 Academy team. Submitted photo from Sherri Mims.
You too can submit photos and stories by emailing them to news@northescambia.com
Northview High School Holds Black History Month Programs
February 22, 2008
“Rising above our obstacles” was the theme of the annual Black History Month program Friday at Northview High School.
“Everything one learns in the classroom will help later in life”, Greenville, Alabama, Councilman Jeddo Bell told the Northview freshmen and sophomore classes. “Are you setting goals for what will happen tomorrow?”
Bell (pictured left) read a list of prominent and historic black Americans to the students…Martin Luther King, Jr., George Washington Carver, Tiger Woods, Booker T. Washington and others.
He said he once asked a student who the student would like to “be like” as an adult. The student pointed out that no one had yet cured cancer or found the solution to world peace.
“‘I don’t want to be be like anyone else, I want to be myself’,” Bell quoted the student.
“You might not want to be like someone else; you might want to be like yourself,” he said. “The ball is in your court. You can be whatever you want to be. You just have to make up your mind to do it.”
Bell is a retired educator from the Butler County (Alabama) Schools, where he taught alongside Northview Principal Gayle Weaver. He currently works at LBW Community College and serves as vice mayor for the City of Greenville.
Earlier in the day, the junior and senior classes at Northview attended a similar program with Jarl T. Young, CIO and regional information technician for the Gulf Power division of the Southern Company. Young joined Southern Company in 1989 in the marketing organization at Gulf Power. Since then, he has held a variety of leadership positions in the marketing organization and was Gulf Power’s Pensacola district manager before assuming his current role.
Both programs included a variety of entertainment, including poetry reading, a slide show presentation, a mime show and a live music video. The annual event was sponsored by Northview’s Minority Culture Club under the direction of Annie Gilmore.
For more photos from Friday’s program, click here.
Ernest Ward FFA Students Serve Breakfast Friday Morning
February 22, 2008
FFA members at Ernest Ward Middle School celebrated National FFA Week Friday morning by cooking breakfast for the faculty and staff.
“Blue Jackets, Bright Futures” is the theme of National FFA week this year. It embodies the best about FFA members, from the most recognizable symbol of the organization, the blue corduroy jacket. More than half a million members across the nation will participate in National FFA week this week.
Students prepared a breakfast of eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits, French toast sticks and sausage for the Ernest Ward faculty and staff.
The FFA began in 1928 as the Future Farmers of America.
Commission Extends Volunteer Fire Department Contracts, Changes Rules
February 22, 2008
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday night to extend their contract with the county’s volunteer fire departments for another year, along with forgiving overpayments and changing the rules on firefighter certification letter requirements.
The volunteer firefighter association’s contract for the 15 volunteer fire departments in the county expires on September 30. The vote extended that contract until September 30, 2009, at which time a unified county fire department is expected to be in place.
The commission also forgave $24,575 in stipend overpayments to individual firefighters, under the condition that the Escambia Volunteer Firefighters Association provide the county with a “memorandum of understanding” supporting a consolidated fire department “with a unified command”.
The county also changed the way the county requires firefighter certification. Currently a firefighter without formal training but an adequate level of experience can obtain an exemption letter from the State Fire Marshal. That exemption letter is currently the equivalent of Firefighter I certification, but that was changed Thursday night. The amount of the monthly stipend that firefighters are eligible for is based on their certification level.
“Any volunteer holding an exemption letter on the date of the adoption of this policy shall be permitted to collect a stipend at the level of Firefighter I until September, 30, 2008,” the county said. “Any volunteer receiving an exemption letter after the date of adoption of this policy shall only be entitled to receive a stipend at the level of Firefighter Trainee until the volunteer has met the state certification requirements of Firefighter I.”
The Thursday night vote follows a recommendation that the county developed and voted in support of at their Committee of the Whole meeting back on February 12. To read NorthEscambia.com’s report from that meeting, click here. The commissioners made no comment on the issue at their Thursday night meeting.
Four Legged Officers Visit Century Library
February 22, 2008
Two Escambia County Sheriff’s Department K-9 officers and their dogs paid a visit to the Century Branch Library Thursday afternoon.
Deputy Ricky Taylor and his K-9 Sam (pictured bottom of page), a full blooded American German Shepherd, and Deputy Reggie Bruster and his K-9 Gunner explained police dog work to children at the library.
Sam is trained as a explosives detection dog. His job is to sniff out explosives and sit. His reward is a rolled up towel and a game of tug of war with Taylor. Sam’s resumé is impressive…hundreds of hours of training and countless hours on the job. He even worked to secure the motorcade route for President George Bush’s last visit to Pensacola. When he’s not working, Sam enjoys catching footballs, basketballs, jumping on his trampoline and playing with his cat Cuddles.
Sam, who will be three years old in June, demonstrated his bomb finding abilities to the children at the Century Branch Library by finding a hidden explosives detonation cord (there were no actual explosives in the library).
Sam wears a collar with an Escambia County Deputy badge inscribed with his name and is afforded many of the same protections under Florida law as his handler.
Deputy Bruster introduced Gunner, age 2, to the boys and girls at the library. He explained that Gunner (pictured top of page with Deputy Bruster) is still in school and has not yet earned his police badge. He will finish his training in about a month.
Gunner, a full blooded Labrador mix, is a trained narcotics detection dog. Once he finishes his training, Gunner and Deputy Bruster will be assigned to drug searches in the county’s schools.
There are currently 18 K-9 officers in the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. Besides narcotic and explosive detection dogs, other dogs are trained as patrol and apprehension dogs. The patrol dogs are also typically cross trained in narcotics detection.
For a photo gallery from the K-9 visit to the Century Branch Library, click here.
