Pelicans Return To Winning
July 18, 2009
The Pensacola Pelicans earned a victory as the Saints came marching into Pensacola Friday night. St. Paul put up two runs early, but Pelicans’ starter Randy Beam shut down the Saints through the eighth inning. Hunter Davis picked up his thirteenth save by pitching a scoreless ninth as the Pelicans scored five runs in the game to win.
Josh Alley singled in the top of the first and then stole second base. With one out, Jake Butler hit a base knock as well, and Brent Krause followed with a double that scored both runners.
Pensacola cut the Saints’ lead in half with a run in the bottom of the third. Antoin Gray led off with a single, and Francisco Leandro hit one too that moved Gray to third. Mark Moriarty hurled a wild pitch that allowed Gray to score and the Pelicans were on the board.
The Pelicans tied the game and more in the bottom of the fifth. Chase Burch hit his team-leading thirteenth double on the year to lead off the frame. He moved to third on a groundout to the shortstop by Marcos Rodriguez, and scored when Luis Guance hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
The Pelicans used a two-out rally to take the lead when Rafael Alvarez walked and scored on a Lester Contreras two-bagger. Adam Deleo followed with a base hit to score Contreras and the Pelicans led 4-2.
Pensacola added another run in the bottom of the eighth. Former Major-Leaguer Kerry Ligtenberg allowed Adam Darby to reach first and second base on an error by the first baseman. Darby was held at third on a single by Francisco Leandro, but scored on a sacrifice fly by Chase Burch.
Randy Beam pitched eight innings, allowing both earned runs on five hits, striking out six and yielding just two walks. Hunter Davis walked one and struck out one in the top of the ninth.
The Pelicans had three batters collect multiple hits, as Leandro and Burch went 2-3, and Adam Deleo finished the evening 2-4. Burch and Contreras each hit a double, and Luis Guance stole two bases. Alvarez and Darby also had a swiped-base each.
The Pelicans and Saints return to action on Saturday, as the 6:05 p.m. first pitch will pit LHP Jason Navarro against the Saints’ RHP Tom Buske. After Saturday’s game is concluded, the Pelicans will host a fireworks extravaganza above Jim Spooner Field at Pelican Park. Tickets are available at Pensacola-area Circle K locations and start as low as $7. Tickets are also available online at www.pensacolapelicans.com, and in-person at Pelican Park on the day of the game.
Unemployment Rate Jumps; 6,000 More Out Of Work In Escambia Over Last Year
July 18, 2009
Escambia County’s unemployment rate has jumped to 10 percent, with nearly 6,000 more people out of work in June 2009 than June 2008.
Not since October 1975, when unemployment reached 11 percent, has the jobless rate exceeded last month’s tally, released Friday by the Agency for Workforce Innovation. The June figure also reflected a 0.3 percentage point increase from May.
The continued increase in the percentage of people seeking jobs is bad news for economy watchers who are looking for at least a leveling off as a sign of an improving overall economy. Some economists have projected that it will continue upward for at least a couple more months, and for more hopeful forecasters looking for an end to the increases, Friday’s news was disappointing.
In Escambia County, the 10 percent June unemployment rate represented 14,127 people out of work, up from 9.5 percent in May. One year ago, Escambia’s unemployment rate was 5.9 percent, or 8,301 people.
In Santa Rosa County, the unemployment rate for June was 9.6 percent, or 6,713 jobless. That is up from 8.6 percent, of 5,953 unemployed in May.
Florida’s June rate was 4.6 percentage points higher than the June 2008 rate and 1.1 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate for June of 9.5 percent.
Fort Walton Beach had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 7.1 percent while Palm Coast – in an area where employment had been boosted heavily by the building boom, now just a memory – captured the highest jobless spot with 15.5 percent.
Losses in the construction industry, which led the current unemployment trend, have slowed somewhat and are now being eclipsed by losses in professional services and trade. Tourism and leisure employment is also down, especially in restaurants and bars.
“All major industries except private education and health care services have lost jobs,” said Rebecca Rust, AWI economist.
Florida was among 15 states to post jobless rates in excess of 10 percent, the U.S. Labor Department reported earlier this month. Over the month, jobless rates increased in 38 states.
The national jobless rate rose for the ninth straight month in June, when it hit another 26-year high. Nearly 3.4 million jobs have been lost during the first half of 2009, more than the 3.1 million lost in all of 2008.
Still Florida’s 10.6 percent rate placed it fifth in the nation, well behind Michigan, which is staggered by having 15.2 percent of its working population unemployed.
Meanwhile, state economists said Friday the housing market won’t recover for the foreseeable future as residential housing starts – while up a bit – are not expected to really pick up until the second quarter of 2010.
Coupled with continued tight credit and sluggish consumer spending, fears are that employment growth won’t come this year.
Three out of four state estimates show unemployment not dipping below 10 percent until the second quarter of 2011.
Crossroads In Concert In Molino
July 18, 2009
Christian music group Crossroads will be in concert during the 10:30 worship service Sunday morning at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino.
Crossroads is Kristen Sorrells, Lyndi Hardy and Brad Adkinson. They have been together just over a year, and they were quickly singing at churches across Santa Rosa County and a few churches in Alabama and Escambia County, Florida.
They have performed at the 100th Anniversary of the Southern Baptist Association, Relay for Life in Mobile and at a recent company celebration at Solutia.
Brad is a member of First Baptist Church in Milton. He and his wife Mindy have two children. Lyndi and her husband Robbie are members at Pine Terrace Baptist Church in Milton. Lyndi is also a teacher at Milton High School. Kristen and her husband Phillipp are members at Pine Terrace Baptist Church. They have three children, and she is a stay at home mom.
Aldersgate is located on Highway 29, just south of Highway 97 in Molino. Everyone is welcome to attend.
NWE Football Registration Today
July 18, 2009
Registration for the 2009 season of Northwest Escambia Football will be held today and next Saturday.
Football registration will be held today and July 25 at the Ernest Ward football field from 10 a.m. until noon both days.
Charles Williams, NWE president, said that it is important for all age groups to register before August.
“With all the preparation involved for the upcoming season, we must know how many kids to provide equipment and uniforms for prior to August 6th,” Williams said. “NWE will being playing games earlier this year.”
The first NWE Football practice will be August 3. The Jamboree is August 22, and the first game is August 29.
For more information about NWE Football, call Charles Williams at 327-4603.
Sheriff Confirms Contents Of Murdered Couple’s Safe
July 17, 2009
The contents of the Billings’ safe have been verified by Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.
Morgan said the safe contained personal paperwork such as adoption papers, passports, prescription medication and heirloom jewelry. The medication was prescribed to family members, he said.
“Our investigators knew the contents of this safe since the inception,” he said. Keeping that information from the public was necessary to have the upper hand over those being investigated, the sheriff said.
The safe was buried in the backyard of a home owned by Pamela Long Wiggins, according to Morgan, and was covered by bricks.
The safe was described as having electronic access controls.
A family attorney was the first to divulge the contents of the safe at a morning press conference.
Billings Safe Contents Announced At Family Funeral
July 17, 2009
The only items in the safe stolen from the Billings’ home were jewelry, children’s prescription medications and important family documents.
The jewelry was described as having sentimental value.
That is what the family’s attorney, Crystal Spencer, said at the Beulah couple’s funeral Friday morning.
“Hopefully this will put to rest the intense speculation and rumors that are swirling about the Billings family,” Spencer said.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan has declined to say what was in the safe.
“Today is the day to celebrate Bud and Melanie’s lives,” Ed Brock, Melanie Billings’ brother said during the brief press conference. “Bud and Melanie will live on in our hearts forever.”
The brief announcement was made, Spencer said, the put an end to the rumors surround the death of Bud and Melanie Billings and any possible motives for the crime.
Accused Donkey Killer In Court; JB The Donkey Doing Just Fine
July 17, 2009
Kyle Mason Driver, the 17-year old accused of shooting the mother of JB the donkey in May, was back in court this week. Meanwhile, JB continues to do well.
Driver appeared before Judge Kenneth Williams who set a late September trial date in the case.
Driver, 17, was originally charged as a juvenile, but he now faces charges as an adult in Escambia County Circuit Court on three charges related to the May 2 shooting death of the donkey on River Annex Road near Jacks Branch Road. The shooting happened within minutes of the birth of J.B., a white donkey that became a local media celebrity of sorts.
Driver is now facing adult charges of felony animal cruelty, using a weapon during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a minor.
Driver turned himself in to the Escambia County Jail May 6 about two hours after NorthEscambia.com published his photo and a plea for the public’s help in locating him from the Sheriff’s Department. He was released from jail on $6,000 bond.
Deputies say Driver confessed to the crime, and a witness provided deputies with the .22 caliber weapon used in the shooting.
Diane Lowery of Panhandle Equine Rescue, the non-profit group that took custody of J.B. after his mother was shot, provided us the following update on J.B.s condition:
J.B. is two months old now and quite a little character. He has his own paddock and stall and is eating foal pellets free choice along with getting his baby formula four times a day. He is surrounded by adult horses, but is still too small to join the herd. We are probably going to receive a donkey back into our care that was adopted out last year and must be returned. We plan on putting her in with J.B. so she can teach him how to be a “donkey”.
When he is weaned and eating grass, they will both join the herd on 15 acres of pasture with lots of oak trees to provide shade for leisure time and naps. J.B., a.k.a. Burrito has been adopted by his foster mom, Lindley Barden. She really loves him and will give him a great forever home.
We appreciate everyone’s support during the first two months of his life. It started out rough for him, losing his mother so tragically, but Panhandle Equine Rescue will make sure that the rest of his life will be happy and he will be well cared for. We thank Lindley for all she has done and will continue to do to ensure that all his needs will be met, including plenty of love and attention!
Murder Suspect Arrest Reports Provide Details; Read The Original Reports
July 17, 2009
The original arrest reports of the suspects in the Billings double murder case provide a little more insight in the events that unfolded in their Beulah home on July 9.
NorthEscambia.com has obtained copies of the arrest reports for the suspects arrested in both Escambia and Okaloosa counties. We have requested a copy of the arrest report for Donnie Stallworth, the man who turned himself in and was arrested in Escambia County, Alabama. Authorities in Brewton have not responded to our request.
Click each name below to see the complete arrest reports in pdf format. The reports contain identifying information on each suspect, places of employment and a narrative that describes that person’s alleged involvement in the crime.
- Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr
- Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Sr
- Wayne Thomas Coldiron
- Gary Lamont Sumner, Jr
- Frederick Lee Thornton, Jr
- Rakeem Chavez Florence
- Pamela Long-Wiggins
No Injuries In Highway 97 Semi Vs. Pickup Wreck
July 17, 2009
There were no injuries in a Highway 97 wreck involving a semi-truck and a pickup late Thursday night.
The accident happened on Highway 97 just south of Highway 4 in Davisville about 10:55 Thursday night. The driver of the southbound semi said that the driver of the pickup truck pulled out of in front of him at Highway 4. After the collision, the semi came to rest in a ditch alongside Highway 97. The driver of the pickup continued south of Highway 97 about 400 feet before running off the road.
There were at least two people in the pickup that were uninjured. The driver of the semi was also uninjured.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue, Atmore Ambulance, Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, Atmore Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol all responded to the crash.
The accident is still under investigation by the FHP.
Pictured above: The persons in this pickup where not injured in a collision with a big rig late Thursday night. Pictured below: The driver of this semi was also uninjured. Pictured bottom: The pickup came to rest off Highway 97. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sid Wheatley To Be Northview’s Head Football Coach
July 17, 2009
Sid Wheatley is the new interim head football coach at Northview High School.
Wheatley will fill the position left open when Cody Keene announced earlier this week that he was resigning to take a head coaching job at Hooper Academy in Montgomery. He has served as Keene’s assistant coach since the 2005 season, most recently coaching the offensive line and defensive backs last season.
Wheatley has served as Northview’s baseball team since 2005, and he also teaches history at the school. Wheatley attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he received a Bachelor’s degree in coaching and sports administration.
This is not the first time Wheatley has served as a head football coach — he led Loyd Star High School in Brookhaven, Miss. from 2002 to 2003. He’s also served as an assistant football coach at various other schools in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.