2012 Escambia County Youth Farm Bureau Speech Contest To Be Held

August 21, 2012

The Escambia County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, in collaboration with Escambia County Extension, EscaRosa Young Farmers and Ranchers and the Escambia County Women’s Committee will hold the 2012 Escambia County Youth Farm Bureau Speech contest next month.

The topic of this year’s speech is “What role, if any, should agriculture play in addressing health and obesity issues?” The speech time limit is five minutes (plus or minus 30 seconds) and must be personally crafted.  Competitors must be at least 14 years old and not over 18 years old on or before September 14, 2012, and must be a resident of Escambia County, Florida, but do not need to be a member of Farm Bureau.  Judges reserve the right to ask questions not to exceed more than three minutes per contestant.

The Escambia County contest will be held Wednesday, September 5, at 4:00 p.m. at the Farm Bureau Building, 153 Highway 97, Molino. The winner of the county contest will be asked to compete in the district contest that will be held on September 12.

To participate contact Katrina Sanford at (850) 587-2135 by 4 p.m. on September 4 to schedule a time for the competition.  To access the application and more information, along with resources that can be used for the speech contest, visit http://www.floridafarmbureau.org/programs/youth_speech_contest.

For more information contact Libbie Johnson, Escambia County agriculture extension agent, at (850) 475-5230, or libbiej@ufl.edu.

Man Charged With Multiple Burglaries, Attacking 70-Year Old Clerk

August 21, 2012

A 51-year old Escambia County man is now behind bars on numerous burglary and theft charges and for allegedly beating a 70-year old store clerk.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Craig Lasalle Rutledge of Pine Forest Road made forced entry into the businesses — including Publix on University Parkway, Winn Dixie on Mobile Highway, and Murphy’s Gas on Pensacola Boulevard –to steal large quantities of cigarettes and liquor.

During one of these thefts he resisted the employee of the store, at which time he committed a battery on the 70 year old store clerk in an attempt to get away, deputies said.

In another business burglary, Rutledge allegedly entered David Bowen Sporting Goods and stole 20 pairs of tennis shoes.

“Rutledge even resorted to pretending to use a walking cane in order to appear disabled distracting the clerk’s attention and enabling him to commit the thefts,” Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesman for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Rutledge is charged with six counts of grand theft, five counts of burglary, battery on a person 65 years of age or older, resisting operator,  knowingly driving while license suspended, and for  bad checks.  He  is being held in the Escambia County jail with a total bond of $116,159.56.

‘10 Commandments Judge’ Roy Moore Addresses GOP Group

August 21, 2012

Roy Moore, conservative Republican candidate for the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, addressed the Escambia County (Ala.) GOP Monday evening in Brewton. Moore was elected chief justice of Alabama’s highest court back in 2000, but he was removed — and made national news — in 2003 when he refused to follow a federal judge’s order to remove a granite Ten Commandments monument that he had placed in Alabama’s judicial building. Photos by Jodi Peacock for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Blue Wahoos Postponed; Will Double Up With Biscuits Tuesday

August 21, 2012

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ contest with the Montgomery Biscuits on Monday evening has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Tuesday night consisting of two seven inning games, with the first contest beginning at 6:00 p.m. Tickets for tomorrow’s game are valid for both contests, with gates opening at 4:30 pm.

Blue Wahoos SS Billy Hamilton remains at 143 steals, which is two away from tying Vince Coleman’s record of 145, which was set in 1983. Tickets are still available for tomorrow and the remainder of the series, and can be purchased online at BlueWahoos.com or at the Hill Kelly Dodge Pickup Window at the front of the stadium.

Tickets for tonight’s game can be exchanged at the Hill Kelly Dodge Pickup window for future Blue Wahoos home game tickets of equal or lesser value, subject to availability. Each ticket must be exchanged at least 24 hours in advance of the desired game and exchanges must be made in person and cannot be processed via telephone, e-mail or facsimile.

LHP Tony Cingrani is expected to get the start in game one for the Blue Wahoos, while RHP Chad Rogers is slated to get the nod in the second game. LHP Kyle Lobstein is scheduled to toe the rubber in the first game for the Biscuits and RHP Matt Buschmann is expected to start for Montgomery in the second game of the twinbill.

By Andrew Green

10 Mile Road Intersection Closure Delayed Until Late Tuesday

August 20, 2012

The intersection of Motley Court and 10 Mile Road will experience short term closure beginning 11 p.m. on Tuesday August 21 until 5 a.m. Wednesday, August 22. This closure is necessary to accommodate a drainage project happening in the area, according to Escambia County officials.

The closure had originally been scheduled for Monday night but was delayed.

Mosquito Spraying Planned Tonight Off Nine Mile, Ten Mile, Hwy 29, University

August 20, 2012

The Escambia County Mosquito Control Division plans to spray in an area along and near Nine Mile Road tonight from 6:30 until 10:00.

Spraying will occur in two areas, bounded by:

  1. Nine Mile Road, Johnson Avenue, Zelda Street, Highway 29
  2. Nine Mile Road, Johnson Avenue, Scenic Highway, University Parkway
  3. Ten Mile Road/Greenbrier Blvd, Nine Mile Road, Latham Street/2nd Avenue, Chemstrand Road

The following information was released by the Escambia County Mosquito Control Division:

Mosquito control administration and operations teams have directed surveillance activity, identified target mosquito species and determined that today’s justified actions are warranted. Methods used to determine necessary fogging mission activity include dry ice-baited light traps, landing rate counts and receiving focally located service requests from the public.

Fogging mission hours vary by start and conclusion times, but generally adult mosquito pesticides are applied in the early evening hours. We ask residents to keep travel in these areas to a minimum during spray times.

For additional information or to request service, please contact the Mosquito Control Division during normal business hours at 937-2188.

Two Injured In I-10 Crash

August 20, 2012

Two people were injured when their vehicle overturned down an embankment Monday morning on I-10, tying up rush hour traffic.

The Florida Highway Patrol said 23-year old Ellen Lin Robinson of Panama City was eastbound on I-10 near the 10 mile marker when she lost control of her 2000 Crown Victoria and struck a guardrail. The vehicle became airborne and overturned down an embankment.

Robinson and her passenger, 17-year old Richard A. Villanueva of Panama City, were transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.

Robinson was cited for speed to fast for conditions. The FHP said it was not raining, but the roadway was wet at the time of the crash.

One Shot Overnight In Escambia County

August 20, 2012

An early Monday morning  drug related shooting in Escambia County is under investigation.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was alerted by a local hospital about an adult male gunshot victim about 3 a.m. The victim, 34-year old Ernest Lamar Finklea of Pensacola, told deputies that the shooting happened about 10 minutes earlier at the intersection of Texar Drive and Tarragona Street.

Deputies found a crime scene at that location and canvassed the neighborhood. Neighborhood witnesses reported hearing a disturbance and later shots coming from the area. The victim, who was transported to the hospital by a passerby, sustained a non-life threatening injury to his arm.

The shooting appears to be drug related, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.

Send Us Your Back To School Pictures

August 20, 2012

NorthEscambia.com will publish a gallery of back to school photos on Tuesday, and we would love to include your child. Email the photos to news@northescambia.com for possible inclusion in a photo gallery. Please include your child’s name and school.

A Recycled Campaign: ECUA’s Walker Practices What He Preaches

August 20, 2012

District 5 ECUA board member Larry Walker is one of those men that likes to practice what he preaches.

He first ran for office back in 1988 — winning a seat on the ECUA board by a margin of just 28 votes — partially  to see if he was right in all the college courses he had been teaching in public policy and public administration.

ECUA started voluntary curbside recycling for customers in January 2009.  But recycling wasn’t new for Walker. He had, in way, been running a recycled campaign for years.

By the time he ran for office again in 2000, Walker had decided that recycling was a good thing. His used campaign signs were stored away for the next election.

There were a few modifications to the campaign signs along the way. He ordered red bumper stickers with the word “Republican” to cover up the word “Democrat” after a party switch. Otherwise, many of the Walker campaign signs along the roadways in North Escambia in 2012 were the same signs as 2000.

It was not just an environmental green decision…Walker estimates he save about $4,000 per campaign by using the recycled signs.

Friday,  just three days after winning reelection, Walker was out in his pickup truck collecting campaign signs for storage. When asked if that meant he would be running again in 2016, he replied, “well, I’ve got to do something with all these signs”.

Pictured top: ECUA District 5 board member Larry Walker ready to remove a campaign sign from alongside Highway 4 in Bratt Friday morning. Pictured below: Walker talks about the recycled campaign signs in the back of his pickup at the Bratt Crossroad. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

« Previous PageNext Page »