Lady Chiefs Drop Road Game
March 25, 2009
The Northview Lady Chiefs lost on the road Tuesday afternoon in high school softball action.
The Lady Chiefs were defeated by Washington High School in a close contest pitched by Miranda Burkett.
Washington won by the final score of 4-3.
The Lady Chiefs will take on Catholic in a district game Friday evening in Pensacola.
Another Escambia School Recommended For Closure
March 25, 2009
Another Escambia County school is slated for closure.
Tuesday, Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas recommended the closure of Edgewater Elementary School on the west side of Pensacola. Thomas had narrowed his decision to closing either Edgewater or Navy Point Elementary. If approved by the school board, the approximately 350 students at Edgewater would be transferred to three other elementary schools, including Navy Point.
The closure is expected to save the district about $400,000 per year. The school board will consider the closure at a special board meeting on March 30, with a final vote to come on May 11. The closure would be effective at the end of this school year.
The school board voted March 17 to close Carver/Century K-8 School at the end of this school year to save another $600,000 plus. Those students will be sent to Bratt Elementary and Ernest Ward Middle School.
The total savings from the two school closures is expected to top $1 million per year. Thomas said the district must cut about $30 million overall because of a decrease in funding from the state, partially due to economics and partially due to declining enrollment across the county.
Deadline Near To Apply For Share Of $40,000 In IP Grants
March 25, 2009
The deadline is near to apply for a share of $40,000 in foundation grants from the International Paper (IP) Pensacola Mill.
The deadline for all grant applications is next Wednesday, April 1.Grants are awarded by the IP Foundation out of Memphis, Tenn., which primarily focuses on environmental education, literacy, employee involvement, and new critical community needs. Applicants must be a registered 501c3 non-profit organization or qualifying federal entity to apply.
For additional information about the Foundation, visit www.ipgiving.com.
For more information, contact Jessica Morris at 850-968-4203 or via email at jessica.morris@ipaper.com.
Pictured above: Jessica Morris (L) from IP’s Pensacola Mill presents a $1,462 grant check to Carolyn Findley, reading coach at Ernest Ward Middle School last October. The money was used to purchase Interactive Readers for mid-level and advanced reading students. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Lady Chiefs Beat EA Cougars 13-3
March 24, 2009
Northview High School beat the Escambia Academy Monday afternoon on the softball diamond, coming off a heartbreaking 7-6 Friday.
The Chiefs traveled north to Canoe and beat the Cougars 13-3 in six innings.
EA took an early lead, getting the only point of of the first inning. Northview scored the only point of the second, and neither team scored in the third. But the Chiefs hit a hot streak in the fourth, outscoring the Cougars 6-1 in the inning. By the top of the fifth, Northview was up 7-4, and they never looked back — even scoring another four in the fifth.
Sophomores Emily Vickrey and Shawna Montgomery had three RBIs each for the Chiefs. Winning pitcher was sophomore Miranda Burkett, pitching all six.
On Friday, the Lady Chiefs lost a close district game to South Walton, 7-6 in eight innings.
The game was tied 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh, but South Walton picked up the only run of the eighth.
Colby Cobb had a triple in the fourth with three RBIs.
Produce Distribution Center For Wal-Mart Could Be Located In Century
March 24, 2009
Produce headed from Panhandle farms to Wal-Mart stores across the area could soon be making a stop in Century, bringing life to an empty building and much needed jobs.
Marketing cooperative Panhandle Fresh currently helps farmers across the Florida Panhandle and South Alabama sell their produce in the nation’s largest retailer.
Right now, it is a process that requires a farmer in Walnut Hill, for instance, to drive to each of the 22 Wal-Marts in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties where the produce is to be sold. It is hundreds of miles and many hours for a farmer to deliver, for instance, watermelons from Walnut Hill to Wal-Mart.
But Panhandle Fresh Executive Director Cindy Anderson has a better idea and hopes to put her idea into place in Century. She is applying for a federal grant to place a large walk-in cooler at Century’s Habitat Building, providing the farmers in Panhandle Fresh with a distribution center of their very own. The premise is simple: farmers would deliver their produce to the central distribution facility in Century, rather than driving to each of up to 22 Wal-Mart stores. Panhandle Fresh would then coordinate the produce delivery from Century to the retails stores.
“It looks to me like they have a lot of good ideas,” Walnut Hill farmer Steve Hiebert said. His Steve’s Sweet Corn is currently sold at Wal-Mart under an agreement with Panhandle Fresh. “It might make it more feasible for us to sell more product this way since we would not have to deliver to all of the stores.”
“If the producer does not have to drive to all of the retail stores but just to one central distribution center, it will make him more profit,” Anderson said. At this point in her plans, Anderson does not know how many jobs the Century distribution center would create, but that number is expected to be relatively small.
This was the second part of a NorthEscambia.com series on Panhandle Fresh. To read yesterday’s story, click here.
Pictured above: A field that will eventually grow watermelons for Wal-Mart is cultivated Monday afternoon in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Pictured below: Panhandle Fresh merchandise in an area Wal-Mart store. Submitted photo.
Sheriff Morgan Not Talking To County Administrator
March 24, 2009
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan says he and his office will no longer communicate with County Administrator Bob McLaughlin.
“I will communicate directly with the other duly elected officials in the Escambia County Government, working of course, within the applicable legal parameters,” Morgan said in a letter to Commissioner Chairwoman Marie Young. “All issues requiring the coordination of my office with the county government will be sent directly to you with informational copies to each commissioner.”
Morgan cited several reasons for his decision, citing what he said were complete misrepresentations on the part of McLaughlin.
“This is an unacceptable management style. One of which I will not tolerate nor participate,” Morgan said in the letter which was delivered to each of the other four commissioners, Clerk of Court Ernie Lee Magaha, Tax Collector Janet Holley, Property Appraiser Chris Jones and Supervisor of Elections David Stafford.
Morgan cited several specific incidents in his letter:
- Morgan said a new sheriff’s precinct in at Fairfield Drive and Mobile Highway in Pensacola would cost $350,000 to acquire and $100,000 for improvements using inmate labor. Morgan said McLaughlin represented the total amount of the project at $700,000.
- In reference to a March 13 leadership workshop, Morgan said “McLaughlin began the meeting with “the Sheriff is not reducing his budget”. But Morgan said that is not the case. “As I articulated during the meeting, we are looking at every aspect of our operations and will be presenting a detailed line-item budget to the BOCC. This is another complete misrepresentation,” the sheriff said.
- Morgan said he was not advised that the March 13 meeting he attended was to be a budget workshop. “We were not invited nor advised of the actual agenda for the meeting. Can you imagine our surprise to learn that ‘the Sheriff’s Office budget is one of the agenda items?’ What could possibly be the motive of dissecting a constitutional officer’s budget without the courtesy of advising them?” Morgan wrote.
To read the entire text of Morgan’s letter, click here.
What’s Hot: Ernest Ward Middle School’s Newspaper
March 24, 2009
From what’s hot, to what’s not; to the latest news around campus, students at Ernest Ward Middle School turn to the school’s newspaper Through the Eagles Eye.
“It gives us a chance to express our opinions,” Co-editor Anna Donald said. She likes to write stories about FFA and the Ernest Ward Drama Club, because “they are totally me”.
Over the years, the paper had evolved into a publication primarily by teachers with little input from students. Ernest Ward Middle School newspaper sponsor Sara McGinnis has worked to change that.
“We have returned over the past couple of years to student input. We have good group,” McGinnis said. “Every article is totally done by them, and they sell the paper during lunch.”
“It is more focused, not as random now,” staff member Dezarae Turner said.
Articles are, like at most schools, proofed by school staff to make sure they are appropriate. But McGinnis’ staff said that they work hard to play by the rules.
“We know that when she gives us ‘the look’, it is time to be good,” Donald said.
Turner said she enjoys writing articles about student life. “I like to hear what the student body has to say,” she said.
The students have also learned that in the newspaper business, the right story sells.
“We sell at least 20 extra copies with anything in it that is Twilight related,” Donald said.
(In case you don’t know: Twilight is the movie of 2008 that would be on the “hot” side of the what’s hot, and what’s not list at Ernest Ward or any middle school.)
Click here for a pdf of the January Ernest Ward Middle School newspaper. (This is 591Kb file that may be too large for readers on a dialup internet connection.)
Members of the newspaper staff at Ernest Ward Middle School are: Jazzlyn Franklin, Cheyenne Godwin, Dezarae Turner, Indigo Rodriguez, Jessica Warner, Isaac Dukes, Hannah Fiellin, Jeremy Stacey, Anna Donald and Angel Mitchell.
Pictured top: Ernest Ward Middle School students (L-R) Dezarae Turner, Jeremy Stacy and Anna Donald proofread the latest issue of the school’s newspaper. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Amerson Named Shining Star Caregiver
March 24, 2009
Davita, Inc. has named Felicia Amerson of Walnut Hill as the Shining Star Caregiver for their Atmore Dialysis facility.
DaVita’s Shining Star Caregiver program seeks to engage patients in their care by giving them the opportunity to recognize outstanding caregivers at their clinics, as well as a forum for them to share how their caregivers have positively impacted their lives. The honor is given to a caregiver in each clinic annually.
“Receiving an honor such as the Shining Star Caregiver gives me a deep sense of pride and fulfillment,” Amerson said. “It is so rewarding because it comes directly from the patients I work with every week.”
The Shining Star Caregiver program was founded in 2003, and promotes the company’s standards of high quality clinical care coupled with a personalized approach. Winners are given personalized scrubs with their name and the year embroidered on them. Atmore Dialysis held a center celebration, at which the facility Administrator shared the comments written by patients and presented Felicia with the prize.
Pictured. Felicia Amerson of Walnut Hill was named the Shining Star Caregiver at the Atmore Dialysis Center. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Clouds Roll In; Rain Wednesday – Saturday
March 24, 2009
Clouds will roll in today, and by tomorrow there is a good chance of rain all the way through Saturday night.
There is just a 20 percent chance of rain today and tonight. That rain chance increases to 70 percent for Wednesday.
Here is your complete North Escambia forecast:
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Southeast wind between 10 and 15 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind between 10 and 15 mph.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind between 10 and 15 mph.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 10 mph.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Sunday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 74.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 73.
A Six-Year Old Missing Person Mystery
March 24, 2009
Six years ago this morning, something went terribly wrong at a home on Kent Road north of Atmore. Melinda Wall McGhee, then 31, returned to her home about 8 a.m. after working the night shift as a nurse at a Bay Minette nursing home.
Her husband, Troy McGhee, was at work at Masland Carpets in Atmore. Their two children were at a babysitter, and Troy’s son from a previous relationship was at a dentist’s office. At about 8:30 the morning of March 24, 2003, Melinda McGhee spoke to her mother on the phone. It was the last time anyone known to Melinda would ever hear from her.
At about 4:00 that afternoon, husband Troy came home to find Melinda missing. There was blood and evidence of a violent struggle inside the home. He reported his wife missing.
Melinda’s vehicle was found parked near the house with her keys locked inside. Her purse and cellular phone were inside the residence. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.
Over the years, there have been several searches for Melinda’s body or clues into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
As recently as early March, authorities searched an area off Perry Lane in Wawbeek for clues in Melinda’s disappearance. Perry Lane is about a mile north of Highway 31 off Sardis Church Road near Old Atmore Road. The location is about three miles north of the Florida/Alabama line and North Escambia.
On the last day of January, authorities searched a water-filled gravel pit off Jack Springs Roads near the Judson Cemetery between Atmore and Poarch, but they did not locate a body.
Anyone with information on McGhee’s disappearance is asked to call the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Department at (251) 809-0741 or their local law enforcement agency.
Pictured above: Two photos of Melinda Wall McGhee who went missing in March 2003.