Year In Review North Escambia’s Biggest Stories Of 2008: June

January 1, 2009

NorthEscambia.com is looking back at 2008 with our “Year in Review” series. Each day, we will review the biggest stories of 2008. Today, we take a look at the biggest stories of June 2008.

A Flomaton teen died a in fiery crash in Bryneville. Cody Ray Gafford, 16, of Flomaton died in the crash (pictured above). Read more…

The Town of Century will greatly reduce a Century woman’s $3,000 sewer bill, but only because they had to do so. The council said Leola Robinson would have to pay up$624. The council also voted not to help pay for Fourth of July fireworks in Flomaton. Read more… The Century council also turned down an offer by Allied Waste to feed the entire town. Read more…

Molino Park Elementary fourth grade teacher Sharon Smith was set to retire Friday, June 6. She stood outside the school, waving goodbye on the last day of school to her students. She turned back toward her Molino Park Elementary school and lost her breath. Sharon Smith, 57, passed away a short time later. Read more….

Escambia County School Board Member Jeff Bergosh received a handwritten letter from a Carver/Century K-8 School student opposed to closing the school, and he responded with a handwritten letter of his own. Bergosh explained why he felt Carver/Century K-8 School should be closed. Read more…

Byrneville Elementary School has scored an extra ten grand for its P.E. department compliments of the governor. James “Coach Mac” McDaniel, Byrneville’s physical education teacher, received a $10,000 check from Governor Charlie Crist as part of the Governor’s Fitness Challenge. The money will be used to purchase new P.E. equipment for the charter school. Read more…

Century businessman Georges Van Nevel and council member Henry Hawkins got into a verbal argument at a Century Town Council meeting, calling each other “crooked” and “corrupt”. Read more…

Smoke could be seen from miles away the first Friday afternoon of June as an accidental fire raged through a harvested wheat field on Highway 164 near Oak Grove. It made for interesting pictures. Read more and see the photos…

Mike Whitehead stepped down as chairman of the Escambia County Commission Thursday night before District 5 Commissioner Kevin White had the chance to call for his removal because of his “arrogance”. Read more…

The space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station were visible June 7 as they moved across the skies of North Escambia. We had the photo…

About 1,500 people attended a 39 team softball tournament in Molino. Read more…

Closing ceremonies were held for Northwest Escambia Little League. Read more…

Many North Escambia churches held Vacation Bible Schools. Read more…

An apparent lighting strike sparked an electrical fire at a well house belonging to the Walnut Hill Water Works. The fire was confined to the power meter and electrical box on the outside of the building. The outside of the concrete block structure was blackened by the fire, but was otherwise undamaged. Read more…

About 70 Century residents rallied behind Carver/Century K-8 School at a public forum. Read more…

Escambia County voted to makea $2 million offer to purchase the old Wedgewood Middle School property in Pensacola and the old Molino Elementary School. Plans call for the old Molino school to become a community hub, possibly including a 5,000 square foot library, a museum highlighting Molino history, a small health clinic, a business incubator, renovation of the gym and one additional building for community events and private party rental along with other uses. Read more…

Perhaps the most “a-maize-ing” entertainment in the North Escambia area in June was in Bratt, and it is a challenge that few could meet. It was just plain “cornfusing”. “Bratt’s A-maize-ing” cornfield maze is once again open on Highway 4 near Bratt. It was an elaborate maze cut into a six acre cornfield. Read more…

NorthEscambia.com was the first media to break the story that Carver/Century K-8 School would not be closing for the 2008-2009 school year. Read more…

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation recently honored the restoration project of the old Walnut Hill School House. During the Trust’s 2008 Preservation Awards ceremony, the Walnut Hill School House project was awarded Outstanding Achievement in the Restoration/Rehabilitation Awards category. Read more…

A local pastor was among the 7,000 gathered at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, where the man nominated by another Escambia County preacher was named president of the 16 million member group. Read more…

Rather than going to court, Century decided to settle a billing dispute with the Florida Department of Corrections for about $282,000, far less than the $569,000 they had originally hoped to receive. Read more…

An Escambia County deputy was involved in a two vehicle accident in Bratt, slamming his patrol car into a power pole while trying to avoid another vehicle. Read more…

It was the end of an era in late June at Cooper’s Store in Bratt as the store’s gas pumps and tanks were removed. Read more…

A girls’ week in New York City ended with a North Escambia woman getting a surprise complete makeover on national television Friday morning. Cheryl Golson of Davisville was selected from the crowd at Rockefeller Plaza in New York for a “Plaza Ambush Makeover” from NBC’s Today Show. Cheryl received a complete makeover…hair, makeup and new designer dress. Read more…

Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church named a new pastor. Read more…

The first weekend of summer was not be one that emergency responders in the area soon forgot. In the span of less than 72 hours, four people died and at least 13 were injured in vehicle accidents and a structure fire in the North Escambia area. Read more…

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library kicked off in Century, with plans to provide a free book every month for every child under five years old. Read more…

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News