PHS Spoils Tate Homecoming
October 15, 2011
Homecoming was for the Tate Aggies was spoiled Friday night by Pensacola High School 63-13.
Tate’s only scores of the night came early in the third quarter and late in the fourth. David Moorehead passed to Tay Samuel for a 39-yard touchdown with 10:15 on the clock in the third. With Hagen Mancuso’s good kick, the Aggies were down 54-7.
Hagen Mancuso scored on a one-yard run with 2:35 remaining in the game.
Tate (0-7, 0-4)) will host Pace (5-2, 3-1) next Friday night in a district game.
For more photos — including Homecoming Court pictures, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Carnley, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Donates 7,800 Meals To Manna
October 15, 2011
Gulf Power donated 7,800 meals to Manna Food Pantries Friday to help the agency with their critical food supply shortage.
“After learning about Angel Food Ministries closing and that Manna only had a one-month supply of food on hand, we realized we had an opportunity to help our community,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power communications supervisor.
Gulf Power delivered 10 pallets of MREs to the agency on Friday.
“As part of hurricane preparations we maintain supplies such as MREs to feed the many workers who help restore electricity after a hurricane,” said Rogers. “Thankfully, it doesn’t look like we will need these this year, so we are donating them to Manna. We hope these meals will help those less fortunate in our community.”
Jay Beats Cottondale
October 15, 2011
The Jay Royals stung Cottondale 32-12 Friday night to spoil the Hornets’ homecoming.
The Royals took the lead with 4:30 to go in the first quarter on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Tate Upton to Sammy James. A good extra point, and the Royals were up 7-0. Then, with just over 30 seconds to go in the first, Dakota Smith punched it in from 6-yards out.
The Royals scored again in the second on a 13-yard scramble from Upton to increase their lead to 20-0 over Cottondale.
Upton and Smith led the Royals with a combined total offense of 335 yards.
The Jay Royals (3-4, 0-1) will travel to Baker (5-2, 0-1) in a district game next Friday night.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Beats Millry
October 15, 2011
The Flomaton Hurricanes bounced back from a loss last week to beat Millry Friday night in Flomaton, 28-7.
The night’s touchdowns were split two each between Neiko Robinson and Hunter Bonds. Robinson scored in the first half on 41 and 5-yard runs, racking up 113 yards on seven carries. Bonds scored with a 10-yard run and returned an interception 55 yards.
The Flomaton Hurricanes (7-1, 5-1) will travel to Choctaw County next Friday night.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Wear Flip-Flops Or Go Barefoot: Meagan Wilburn Funeral Service Today
October 15, 2011
Funeral services will be held today for Meagan Wilburn, the nine-year old Bratt Elementary student who died Tuesday after an ATV accident in Walnut Hill. And her mom is asking family and friends to wear flip-flops or go barefoot for the funeral.
“Meagan never liked to wear shoes, and she will be buried barefoot,” her mother, Rebekah Wilburn, said. “It’s all about her and how she would want things.”
Funeral services will be at 3:00 Saturday afternoon at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore with the Rev. Ted Bridges officiating. Burial will follow at the Dry Springs Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the funeral home one hour prior to service time.
For related stories, click the links below:
- Fourth Grader, Age 9, Dies After ATV Accident
- A Silly Little Rhyme: A Mother Remembers Her 9-Year Old Daughter Killed In ATV Crash
- Bank Account Established To Help With Funeral For Bratt Student
- Obituary: Meagan Hope Wilburn
U.S. Marshals Arrest Man After Threats To Kill Wife, Cops
October 15, 2011
U.S. Marshals have apprehended a man who, according to police reports, said he would kill his wife, her family and law enforcement should they try to stop him.
According to Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office report, James Walter Robinson told his wife, “…tell them cops to come on, I have lots of guns and if they come over here someone is going to die.”
Robinson, 34, was advised by deputy to stop sending harassing and threatening messages to his wife from whom he is separated. Robinson reportedly continued to send her messages which included one where he allegedly stated “…I have nothing to lose, game on, I’m packing a .44 Caliber revolver…” Later on that night Robinson supposedly entered his wife’s grandparents home while they slept. It is also reported that Robinson had sent his wife a photo of her parent’s home out of state and said he “…had been outside their house”.
The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force received information around noon Friday that Robinson might be at his father’s house in Pace. Members from the Task Force from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County Sheriff’s offices, the State Attorney’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and deputies from Santa Rosa County then converged on the home on the 5000 Block of Todd Street.
The Task Force was unable to determine if Robinson was in fact inside the house. During their investigation they also learned that Robinson liked to spend a lot of time in the woods behind the home. While trying to determine if Robinson was inside, Task Force members also began concentrating their focus on the woods. Around 4 p.m. Robinson emerged from the woods and was immediately spotted by officers who arrested him without any incident. No weapon was found on or near Robinson.
Robinson was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail on charges of aggravated stalking, cyber stalking w/death or injury, harassing communication, burglary of an occupied dwelling, criminal mischief and petty theft. Robinson was being held without bond.
Photos: Hundreds Attend Molino Park Fall Carnival
October 15, 2011
Hundreds attended the annual Molino Park Elementary School Fall Carnival Friday evening at the school. The event featured games, food, entertainment and lots of great family fun.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
High School Football Scores
October 15, 2011
Here’s a look at high school football final scores from around the area Friday night:
Florida
- Pensacola High 63, Tate 13 [Story, photos...]
- Jay 32, Cottondale 12 [Read more...]
- Pine Forest 35, Washington 28
- Pace 42, Escambia 0
- Gulf Breeze 31, Milton 21
- OFF: Northview, West Florida
Alabama
- Flomaton 28, Millry 7 [Read more...]
- T.R. Miller 14, Trinity 7
- Thomasville 42, WS Neal 8
- Jackson 49, ECHS (Atmore), 7
- Escambia Academy 20, Wilcox Academy 18
Photos: SUV Driver Runs Up Power Pole Guy Wire
October 14, 2011
A Friday afternoon hit and run crash left a SUV suspended up in the air on a power pole guy wire.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Mary Vickers Workman, 34 of Pensacola, was rear-ended by an unknown vehicle as she turned from Chemstrand Road onto Ten Mile Road about 2 p.m. The force of the collision send Workman’s 2006 Dodge Durango up the guy wire. The driver that struck Workman’s vehicle fled the scene.
According to Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power spokesman, no one lost power at the time of the crash. However, power was cut for about 450 customers about 4:20 as a wrecker service removed the vehicle. Power was expected to be restored by 5 p.m.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Gets Involved After Numerous Frontier Phone, Internet Outages
October 14, 2011
Frontier Communications — which provides landline telephone and internet service in Walnut Hill, Bratt, Molino and Atmore — has experienced several outages this year. That has prompted Escambia County officials to question the company and file complaints, while prompting the company to make some improvements and additional promises.
The first major outage of the year was March 22-23, with Frontier customers unable to call outside their exchange, including a loss of 911 service. The company provided no explanation for the outage which they termed “toll isolation”.
A five-hour outage occurred June 24, leaving Walnut and Molino Frontier customers unable to call outside their exchange and unable to reach 911. The cause of that outage, according to Frontier, was a fiber optic equipment failure in Walnut Hill or Molino.
During the 911 outages, Escambia County has responded by staffing the Walnut Hill and Molino fire stations with paid and volunteer personnel and made announcements through the media that persons with emergencies could go directly to a fire station for help if they did not have an available cellular phone.
Following the June 24 Frontier failure that isolated North Escambia Frontier customers from 911, Escambia County Administrator Randy Oliver sent a letter to Rhonda Lutzke, a senior vice president at Frontier, asking how the company would address the problem.
“This loss is a major concern and one which negatively impacts the ability of our citizens to have immediate access to assistance during an emergency,” Oliver wrote in his letter to Frontier. “Our county is committed to providing this service, including a professionally staffed state-of-the-art Public Safety Answering Point, and it is hoped that Frontier is as equally committed.
“I am requesting any information you can provide attesting that the causes of these outages are being addressed,” Oliver concluded.
In late September, Oliver (pictured) wrote complaint letters to the Florida Public Service Commission. He received a reply from Steven J. Stolting, Public Service Commission inspector general, stating that the PSC had no authority to investigate. The Florida Legislature stripped the Public Service Commission’s regulatory authority of most telephone company functions as of July 1.
“I have shared your letter with our managers responsible for resolving complaints directed to the Commission and for our regulatory activities over the telecommunications industry,” the PSC inspector general wrote.
“We understand your concerns with the interruption of 9-1-1 service,” Daniel M. Hoppe, PSC director, stated in a written reply to Oliver on October 7. Hoppe said Frontier told the Commission that an alternative AT&T fiber route had been installed to provide a second route to Escambia County’s 911 call center.
According to Karen Miller, a spokesperson for Frontier, the New York headquartered company has since installed a second fiber optic route to virtually eliminate the telephone line outages and ensure Frontier customers can reach 911 in Escambia County.
Frontier has also been plagued by numerous area-wide outages for their high speed DSL and dialup internet customers — the most a recent a six-hour internet outage this past Monday. Some outages have lasted as much as 12 hours.
The company has said most of the outages were not their fault, blaming the downtime on AT&T, which provides Frontier’s internet connections. Two of the outages — September 1 and October 3 — were blamed on construction crews cutting an AT&T fiber optic cable between Atmore and Bay Minette.
All of the Walnut Hill, Bratt, Molino and Atmore DSL and dialup services provided by Frontier are connected to the rest of the internet by a single fiber optic line between Atmore and Atlanta. When that line goes down, there is currently no backup, Miller said.
But she said Frontier is working to install a second independent route to the internet from Atmore, preventing a single fiber cut from cutting the North Escambia and Atmore areas off from the internet. q
“We are close to finishing an engineering study to get a second route to get traffic from Atmore to Atlanta,” Miller said. “It won’t be that long before it happens.”
Once that second connection is installed, Miller said, it will provide a backup to keep internet traffic flowing from the area.
“Hopefully Frontier will see this as an indication that the county is serious about reliable telephone service for this area of the county,” Oliver said about his letters to the Public Service Commission and Frontier management.
Pictured top: Escambia County’s 911 dispatch center. Pictured bottom inset: Frontier’s Molino central office on Highway 29.