Saturday Is Registration Deadline For Miss Blueberry Pageant
May 1, 2009
Applications are being accepted until Saturday from girls that wish to complete in the first Miss Blueberry Pageant on June 12 at the county’s Blueberry Jamboree in Barrineau Park.
A Miss Blueberry Blossom will be named from girls in the sixth to eighth grade, and Miss Blueberry will be named from competitors in grades 9 to 12. Girls must be residents of Escambia County.
Applications and non-refundable $30 entry fees must be submitted in person on Saturday, May 2 between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. at the Barrineau Park Community Center at 6055 Barrineau Park School Road at which time applicants will receive information packages. Checks and money orders should be made payable to Escambia County Recreation. Event coordinators will explain judging procedures, rules and regulations, and answer questions at 9 a.m. Alternative arrangements are available for applicants who cannot attend registration by calling pageant coordinators prior to May 2.
Miss Blueberry is expected to participate in the Blueberry and Bluegrass Jamboree festivities on Saturday, June 13. She must also attend the 2010 Miss Blueberry crowning and will be asked to attend several other local community events. Miss Blueberry Blossom is exempt from mandatory attendance at community events.
The Blueberry and Bluegrass Jamboree is sponsored in part by Escambia County Neighborhoods and Community Services Bureau, University of Florida IFAS Extension Services, NorthEscambia.com, EREC, Escambia County Farm Bureau Insurance and A&N Blueberries.
For more information and registration contact pageant coordinators, Stacey Ward at (850) 336-0223 and Sarah J. Miller at (850) 341-9767 or click here.
Dept. Of Justice Probe Leads Sheriff To Take K-9 Units Off Streets
May 1, 2009
The Escambia County Sheriff has pulled his department’s K-9 units off the streets following findings released in a Department of Justice investigation.
“The problem was not so much with the K-9 officers,” Morgan told NorthEscambia.com. “It was as much or more with the administration at the time not following up on bites and other other paperwork.”
Sometimes, Morgan said the DOJ investigation found, the previous administration would treat it “like it was just a dog bite, a part of the apprehension. The documentation was not done as it should be.”
The K-9 stand down includes the use of dogs for both suspect apprehension and drug searches. But that does not mean Escambia County is totally without the assistance of K-9 officers.
Morgan said the City of Pensacola has offered the assistance of their K-9 officers when needed. In North Escambia, he said deputies can still request the assistance of the K-9 unit from Century Correctional Institute.
The sheriff said the K-9 unit will remain off the streets for three to six weeks. The dogs and handlers will continue to train during that time. He said that training will include new policies and procedures to avoid the types of problems that led to the DOJ findings. The 14 K-9 handlers in the department will also patrol the streets during the down time without their dogs.
“I am very confident that we can quickly handle the corrections and get the K-9’s back to work,” Morgan said, promising a top to bottom investigation into the K-9 program.
The DOJ investigation into the sheriff’s department, which the DOJ announced three days after Morgan was sworn into office, stemmed from allegations of excessive force during the administration of former Sheriff Ron McNesby.
Chiefs Fall To Catholic; Jay Royals Win In Playoffs
May 1, 2009
Catholic High defeated the Northview Chiefs Thursday night, while the Jay Royals beat Ponce de Leon.
The Chiefs lost to the Crusaders 13-3 on the road in Defuniak Springs in the District 1-3A Championship.
Catholic (24-3) will host the runner-up in District 2-3A, while the Northview Chiefs will travel to Bonifay on Tuesday to play the Holmes County Blue
Devils in the first round of the Class 3A State Playoffs. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Hitters for Northview were Scooter Hamilton, Patrick McPherson, Brad Foster and Dakota Stuckey.
Catholic took an early 4-2 lead by the end of the first. The Crusaders scored three runs in the second and half a dozen in the third for a 13-2 lead going into the fourth. The Chiefs had one more fun in the fourth, making the score 13-3.
Also Thursday night, the Jay Royals beat Ponce de Leon in the District 1-2A Championship in Freeport.
Jay (17-4) will host Sneads on Tuesday in the regional quarterfinals
Sheriff Plans To Re-open Walnut Hill Precinct
May 1, 2009
Escambia County’s sheriff says he’s ready to re-open the department’s Walnut Hill Precinct.
The precinct on Highway 97 in front of the Walnut Hill Community Center has sat empty since it was rebuilt following Hurricane Ivan.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said furniture has been ordered for the building. The sheriff plans for the precinct to be open about three days week once the furniture arrives.
North Escambia Men Honored As Fathers Of The Year
May 1, 2009
Two North Escambia men where honored Thursday night as Fathers of the Year.
Gary Killam was named Father of the Year in the 9th-12th grade division of the Pensacola Fatherhood Initiative’s 10th annual Father of the Year essay contest. An essay about Killam was submitted by his daugther, Northview High School tenth grade student Sara Killam.
Allen Stacey was named Father Figure of the Year in the 3rd-5th grade category. An essay about Stacey was submitted by his great-nephew Tristan Qualls, a third grade student at Byrneville Elementary School.
There were other nominees from North Escambia, including third grader Jarrid Davidson of Carver/Century K-8 School who wrote about his father Sherman Davison. In the grandfather category, Michael Jones, also a third grader, wrote about Michael Jones, Sr. From Byrneville Elementary, first grade student Skyler Busbee wrote about his deceased father Johnny Busbee.
The awards were presented at a banquet Thursday night at New World Landing in Pensacola.
Ice Hockey To Return To Escambia County — Maybe
May 1, 2009
The Escambia County Commission approved a deal in a special meeting Thursday to return hockey to the civic center — but there is one little catch.
For the agreement to continue, hockey organizers must sell 1,250 season tickets in a 90 day period beginning May 15. Without the advance season ticket sales, the commission says the deal is off.
Under the agreement approved unanimously by commissioners Thursday, the Southern Professional Hockey League will bring hockey back to the Pensacola Civic Center, which was known as the “Hanger” for 12 years while it hosted the Pensacola Ice Pilots.
The majority owner of the team would be former winger for the Philadelphia Flyers Tim Kerr. Kerr owned the Ice Pilots for two years before it was sold in 2005. Kerr says he will write a $1 million check to get the team started.
Each time less than 2,500 fans attend a game, the Civic Center will get $1. In addition, the franchise owner will pay $2,000 for each game, considerably less than the $3,500 paid by the Ice Pilots per game.
The return of ice hockey to the Pensacola Civic Center is not without a price tag for the county; it will cost about $250,000 to upgrade Civic Center equipment for ice hockey.
Florida Sports To Continue; Alabama Games Canceled Over Swine Flu Fears
May 1, 2009
The Alabama High School Athletic Association has suspended all high school sports, including playoff games, over swine flu fears. In Florida, the Florida High School Athletic Associations says that high school sports will continue for now.
The AHSAA canceled all high school sporting events until at least Tuesday after two swine flu cases were found in North Alabama and a third was identified in Montgomery.
The FHSAA says that games will go on since there are no confirmed swine flu cases in Florida.
“The Association is in contact with the state health department, and will address the issue if/when a case(s) are confirmed,” according to FHSAA. “The FHSAA understands the severity of the situation and wants to keep the student-athletes, coaches, officials and spectators safe.”
Northview FFA’s Food For America Program Named One Of Florida’s Best
May 1, 2009
The Northview High FFA was named Thursday as one of ten finalists for Florida’s best Food For America program.
The local Food for America Program, sponsored the National FFA Organization and conducted by the Northview FFA in March, gave the students a chance to learn about agriculture firsthand as they got up close and personal with farm animals, farm equipment and more. About 800 elementary school students and 200 volunteers took part in the program.
The program is designed to encourage FFA members to participate in Agricultural Literacy and Awareness projects on the local level. The overall program winner will be awarded on stage during the 6th General Session of the 81st Florida FFA State Convention on Thursday, June 11.
The Northview FFA has participated in the program for 14 years, placing second in the state two years ago. Northview has placed in the top five in the state for the last ten years.
Pictured above: Students from Jay Elementary School learn about grinding corn meal at Northview High School’s FFA Food for America program. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Morgan Discusses Hot Topics At Molino Town Hall Meeting
May 1, 2009
From budget differences with county commissioners, to the the number of deputies on the roads in North Escambia to the improper use of turn signals, Escambia Sheriff David Morgan fielded questions at a town hall meeting in Molino Thursday evening.
Morgan told about 50 people gathered at Fran’s Diner that five new deputies will be added in North Escambia soon. Three will be assigned to Molino and two will be assigned to Century as soon as they graduate from the academy. Overall, the sheriff said his department has gone from 238 to about 260 sworn deputies on the county’s roads.
Also in North Escambia, Morgan said people have noticed an increase in traffic patrols by the Sheriff’s Department. In December 2008, the month prior to Morgan taking office, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department wrote just 29 traffic citations. Morgan’s deputies have written nearly 4,000 since he took office in January.
While that might sound like the ECSO is running speed traps to fund the department, Escambia’s top cop said that is not the case. He said just $2 from every ticket goes into a state law enforcement trust fund. Otherwise, Morgan said his department does not receive any funds from traffic tickets that they write.
Crime in the Molino area, the sheriff said, has remained at a steady level over the past year with no increases like have been seen in some areas. The low crime rate in the Molino area Morgan attributed to Sgt. Kevin Vickrey, Lt. Tony Jordan and the other deputies that patrol Molino.
“You have some of the best,” Morgan said of the deputies that work in and around Molino.
A handful of residents at the meeting at Fran’s Diner Thursday evening expressed displeasure with the way Transfield Services, a contractor hired by the Florida Department of Transportation, handled events the morning of Molino’s floods in late March. Chief Deputy Bill Chavers said he would investigate the allegations of mistreatment of the public by Transfield employees.
The Escambia County Commission wanted Morgan to cut another $4 million from his budget before it is submitted to the BOCC for approval, but the sheriff says he has cut all that he intends to cut. And if the commission does not approve his budget, Morgan says he is taking it to the governor.
On the subject of his impasse with County Administrator Bob McLaughlin, Morgan told the Molino town hall meeting Thursday night that he’s still not speaking to McLaughlin.
“I will deal with all of the other constitutional officers,” Morgan said. “Bob McLaughlin does not work for me, and I most certainly don’t work for Bob McLaughlin. I work for the people and the governor.”
Pictured above: Sheriff David Morgan (left) talks with Molino residents Jacqueline and Richard Freisinger following a town hall meeting Thursday evening at Fran’s Diner in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Southern Family Markets To Purchase Food World, Bruno’s Stores
May 1, 2009
Southern Family Markets, with area stores in Atmore and Brewton, has made a bid to purchase bankrupt Food World and Bruno’s stores, including three in Pensacola.
Southern Family has bid on 31 stores in South Alabama and Northwest Florida. C&S Wholesale Grocers, the owners of Southern Family, would close many of the stores.
Food World locations on Davis Highway, Lillian Highway and Pine Forest Road in Pensacola would be among the 31 stores to remain open. About 25 stores would be closed, including the Food World in Monroeville, Ala. and and the Bruno’s in Gulf Breeze.
The C&S purchase of the bankrupt Bruno’s and Food World stores would have no impact on the Southern Family stores in Atmore or Brewton.