Jay Resident A Passenger In Fatal Saturday Morning Crash
April 18, 2009
A Jay resident was a passenger in a wreck that left a motorcyclist dead early Saturday morning in Pensacola.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Henry Strehle, 47, of Pensacola, was traveling in the wrong direction on Nine Mile Road on Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycle when he was hit head-on by a 2003 Ford F150 driven by William D. Wolfe, 23, of Milton.
Strehle was pronounced dead on the scene.
Wolfe was not injured. The passenger in his truck, Ashley D. Baxley, 26, of Jay, was also uninjured.
Troopers say Wolfe attempted to stop as soon as he noticed Strehle’s motorcycle traveling toward him, but he was unable to do so in time.
The accident happened at 12:55 Saturday morning on Nine Mile Road near Camberwell Road. Camberwell is between University Parkway and Davis Highway.
The FHP says alcohol tests on Strehle are pending. Wolfe was not under the influence at the time of the crash, troopers said.
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.
Lady Chiefs Scalp Pine Forest
April 18, 2009
The Northview Lady Chiefs scalped the Pine Forest Eagles 11-1 Friday night in Pensacola.
After a scoreless first inning, the Lady Chiefs took care of business in the second, putting 11 on the board. Pine Forest managed a second point in the third, making the final score 11-1.
Junior Candice Greenwell had 3 RBIs and a home run, and sophomore Emily Vickrey was 3-3 on the night with two RBIs. Sophomore Ashley Digmon had a pair of RBIs and Hayley Simpson, who is also a sophomore, had an RBI.
The winning pitcher was Miranda Burkett, pitching five innings.
Four People Homeless After Early Morning Fire
April 18, 2009
Four people were left homeless after an early Saturday morning house fire in Molino.
The fire was reported at about 4:25 a.m. in the 6200 block of Cedartown Road. The first fire units arriving reported the small wood frame home to be fully involved in flames. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
The American Red Cross was called to assist the three adults and the teenager left homeless by the fire.
There were no injuries reported in the fire. The state fire marshal was called to the scene to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Fire units from the Molino, McDavid, Cantonment, Century and Beulah stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call, along with Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.
Pictured above and below: Fire destroyed this home on in the 6200 block of Cedartown Road early Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Cancer Society Relay For Life Season Gets Underway
April 18, 2009
The Relay for Life season to benefit the American Cancer Society got underway Friday night in Jay and Saturday in Atmore. Several more Relays are scheduled in the coming weeks across the area.
The Jay Relay for life began at 6:00 Friday night and continued through noon Saturday at the Jay High School Football Stadium. Teams from Dura-Med, EREC, Jay Elementary, Jay First Baptist Church, Jay Hospital, Jay Medical, Jay United Methodist Church, Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church, Quantum Resources and more participated in this year’s Jay Relay.
Atmore’s Relay for Life was held at Tom Byrne Park from noon to midnight Saturday. Teams from United Bank, FNB&T, Atmore First Assembly, Atmore Family Medicine, Atmore Community Hospital, Gulf Winds and many more participated in fund raising for this year’s Atmore Relay.
Century’s Relay for Life will be held from noon Saturday until 6 a.m. Sunday at Kayo. Stanton Stadium at the old Century High School. Participating teams will include the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society, Bryneville Elementary, Carver/Century K-8, Century Branch Library, Century Correctional Institute, Century Pharmacy, Critter Caregivers, Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church, Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department and NorthEscambia.com.
The North Pensacola Relay for Life will be held May 1 at Tate High School. Teams will include Aldersgate UMC, Molino Park Elementary and many more.
Visit CenturyRelay.com for more information on the Century Relay for Life,
Visit www.relayforlife.org for information on the other the other Relays.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Spaghetti Supper Tonight In Walnut Hill To Benefit Relay For Life
April 18, 2009
A spaghetti supper to benefit Relay for Life is planned for tonight at the Walnut Hill Fire Department.
A $6 donation to Relay for Life provides a meal that includes spaghetti with sauce, bread, tea and dessert.
The supper will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 at the Walnut Hill Fire Department at 7760 Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. Advance tickets are available now at Shirley’s Country Collections and the Walnut Hill Farm Supply.
In Court: Men Involved With Shooting In Elderly Molino Woman’s Home
April 18, 2009
The man that allegedly fired a rifle into an elderly woman’s house Wednesday after he became upset that he purchased $40 of fake cocaine made his first appearance in court Friday.
Robert Grant Piehl, 41, of Wilder Road, Molino, appeared before Circuit Judge Joyce Williams by video feed from the Escambia County Jail. Williams official set Piehl’s total bond at $165,000 on six felony charges — aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, using a firearm during a felony, two counts firing into the dwelling, criminal mischief and robbery with a firearm.
Piehl is scheduled to be back in court for an arraignment hearing on May 8.
The man with Piehl at the time of the incident, Harry Langhorne Nowlin, 42, of Chance Road, Molino, also appeared before Jude Williams Friday. Williams affirmed Nowlin’s $105,000 bond and also set him for an arraignment hearing on May 8.
Both men were appointed a public defender, and both men remained in the Escambia County Jail Saturday morning.
To read the original story about the incident that led to the charges, click here.
Pictured above: Robert Grant Piehl (L) and Harry L. Nowlin were charged in connect with shooting into a Molino home. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blog: Have You Seen Susan Boyle? You Can’t Judge A Book By…Well, Just Watch The Video
April 18, 2009
If you’ve missed the TV news or all the email forwards the past few days, you might have missed Susan Boyle.
Who is Susan Boyle, you say, and what does she have to do with North Escambia? A few days ago she was an unknown, simple looking woman from a village in Scotland that’s about the size of North Escambia. Today, she’s been on every news show because of a surprise performance in Britain’s Got Talent, an American Idol like show across the Pond.
The crowd laughed and Simon Cowell, a judge on both American Idol and Britan’s Got Talent, rolled his eyes when Susan first took the stage. Judging the book by the cover, as the old saying goes, Susan’s performance was going to be laughable. Jumping to conclusions will come back to bite you sometimes.
When Susan Boyle opened her mouth, it was nothing short of amazing. Enough describing it…watch the entire by clicking here to visit YouTube. We at NorthEscambia.com wanted you to hear it and join the millions that have heard and been amazed Susan Boyle.
And by the way…we know that most NorthEscambia.com readers are American Idol fans. We can actually see our traffic drop on Tuesday and Wednesday nights when Idol is on, with little spikes during the commercials. So go ahead and laugh at Simon.
Rain Possible Today, Likely Sunday; River Flood Warning Continues
April 18, 2009
The National Weather service has updated Saturday’s forecast to include a 50-50 shot of rain, and the flood warning continues for the Escambia River near Century.
The National Weather Service says there is a 50 percent chance of rain for Saturday and Saturday night. Otherwise, it will be partly sunny today with a high around 75.
The rain chance increases to 70 percent for Sunday and 40 percent for Sunday night, and the weather severe says that some storms may be severe.
By next week, the rain will be gone. Daytime highs will be in the upper 70’s and low 80’s and overnight lows will range from 48 to 55.
The flood warning for the Escambia River near Century continues until late tonight. Early Saturday morning, the river stage was at 17.3 feet; flood stage is 17 feet. Some minor lowland flooding will continue until the river drops below 13 feet.
Unemployment Continues To Rise; 19,000 Out Of Work In Escambia, Santa Rosa
April 18, 2009
Florida’s unemployment rate jumped to 9.7 percent in March 2009, the highest since 1975. That’s just one-tenth of a percentage point higher than last month, but nearly double the number of people out of work from a year ago.
In Escambia County, the unemployment rate for March was 9.5 percent, or 13,115 people out of a job. In Santa Rosa County, the unemployment rate was 8.5 percent, or 5,865 people.
Statewide, 893,000 were jobless out of workforce of 9,210,000.
State officials said stimulus money was working to improve the job outlook for unemployed Floridians.
“More than $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds are flowing into our state to assist unemployed Floridians,” said Agency For Workforce Innovation Interim Director Cynthia Lorenzo. “These funds are providing enhanced unemployment compensation benefits and expanding job placement and job training programs to help bolster the economic recovery of Florida’s families.”
Florida’s workforce system is benefiting from $165 million in federal economic stimulus funds that the state and local workforce boards are using to provide training for unemployed Floridians and help businesses improve their workers’ skills. Those funds include $43 million for youth services, including summer jobs for several thousand young people statewide ages 14-24.
The Agency also has available nearly $1.4 billion in federal stimulus funds for Florida’s unemployment compensation program including increased benefits for unemployment compensation recipients. Payments of an additional $25 weekly in Federal Additional Compensation were initiated on March 19, 2009. To date, $55 million in Federal Additional Compensation has been paid to Florida’s recipients.
Century’s 108th Birthday Bash Today
April 18, 2009
There will be a really big “Birthday Bash” to celebrate the 108th birthday of Century, and you are invited to attend the day-long free festivities today.
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society will present Century’s 108th Birthday Bash beginning at 8:30 Saturday morning at the Historical Park in Century’s Historical District on Jefferson Avenue.
The event will feature several musical and entertainment groups including Sons of the Pines, Atmore’s Southern Pride Dancers, Rolling Tide’s Old-Timey Music, the Pilgrim Lodge Youth Choir and more.
There will also be civil war re-enactors, displays from the Flomaton Area Railroad Museum, Indian artifacts on display, crafts, yard sale items and more.
A complete selection of food will be available for purchase, including barbecue sandwiches, hot dogs, homemade fudge, cold soft drinks and more.
For more information, call (251) 765-2629.