Eddie Wayne Gregson
August 7, 2012
Mr. Eddie Wayne Gregson, 46, of Poarch passed away Friday, August 3, 2012. Eddie was a loving father, brother, uncle and friend. He lived for his sons Steven and Corey and his granddaughters “Papa’s babies” Ella and Jaelyn. He was excited for the arrival of his first grandson, Tucker. He was a proud member of the Poarch Creek Indians. Coaching baseball was his passion; he coached for nearly 30 years at N.E.P. and Poarch. Eddie was avid Alabama fan. Please dress casual or wear your favorite sports attire in honor of him.
He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Edward Gregson; his mother, Daisy Bell Rolin; his aunt, Letha McGhee and granny, Gertrude Rolin.
Survivors include his two sons, Steven (Claire) Gregson and Corey Gregson; two brothers, Charles (Cheryl) Gregson and Tim (Heather) Gregson; four sisters, Sherry Ann Phillips, Robin Gregson (Larry), Cecilia Nobles and Melanie Gregson.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, August 8, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the Friendly Holiness Church with Rev. Steve Ward and Rev. Gill Caudle officiating. Burial will follow at New Home Cemetery.
Visitation will be Tuesday, August 7, 2012, at Faith Chapel North in Cantonment from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., and also from 8 a.m. until funeral time at Friendly Holiness Church.
Pallbearers will be Pete Walker, Robbie Wells, Robbie Browning, Paul Jones, Larry Barlow and David Morris.
Honorary pallbearers will be Bryan Gregson, Aaron Gregson, Lil’ Jerry Sanchez, Justin Davis, DaKota Barlow, Michael Gregson and Eddie “Dinky” Jackson, as well as the players he coached in baseball over the years.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC in charge of all arrangements, Atmore, Alabama
Myron “Tom” McCall
August 7, 2012
Myron “Tom” McCall was born Friday, September 18, 1942, and passed away Friday, July 13, 2012.
Tom was a gentle, caring, refined man with great dignity, character, and a delightfully understated sense of humor. A voracious reader, Tom devoured books on every conceivable topic. He loved to travel and counted the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica as his favorite destinations. He was blessed with a brilliant mind and a quick wit, but those touched by his life remember above all his incredible kindness and patience. He was a loving father to daughters Laura (Evanston IL), Sarah (Pueblo, CO), and son Michael (Washington, DC).
Tom was invited to join Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Florida, where he met his wife of 45 years, Barbara. He went on to receive a PhD from the University of North Carolina in physical-organic chemistry. A two year post-doctoral post at Cal Tech led to a position at the Martin Marietta Research Laboratories in Baltimore, MD. His career continued as Vice President of Research at Sodyeco in Charlotte, NC, followed by Senior Executive Vice President at Master Builders in Cleveland, OH. His career culminated as President/co-owner of Tamms Industries in Kirkland, IL, from which he retired in 2006.
Tom was born on September 18, 1942, in Century, FL to Myron and Nathia McCall. He died at the age of 69 on July 13, 2012 after a two year battle with multiple myeloma.
He was preceded in death by his father. Besides his mother, wife and children, he leaves behind two brothers, Sid (Brenda) and John (Michelle); three nephews, Bryan (Shellie), Matt (Katie) and John (Vanessa); three nieces, Jessica (Jordan), Molly, and Andrea; five grandnieces, and two grandnephews.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the non-profit organization, Center for Independent Futures, 743 Main Street, Evanston, IL 60201.
A graveside service will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, August 8th at the Boca Raton Mausoleum. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, August 11th at the First Methodist Church in Jay, Florida.
Man Killed In Hwy 90 Crash Escambia Woman Dies In Okaloosa Crash
August 6, 2012
Two crashes in Northwest Florida claimed two lives over the weekend.
Man Killed In Hwy 90 Crash
A Milton man was killed in a wreck early Sunday morning on Highway 90.
The accident happened about 4:15 a.m. near Smith’s Fish Camp Road when Jose Alfredo Montero-Jimenez, 40, lost control of his 2001 Ford F150 and overturned multiple times. He was not wearing his seat belt, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, and was ejected onto the highway.
Alfredo Montero-Jimenez was then ran over by a second vehicle. That vehicle, described as possibly a 1999-2002 Saturn, continued without stopping.
Anyone with information on the second vehicle is asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at (850) 254-1402 ext. 8.
Escambia Woman Dies In Okaloosa Crash
An Escambia County women died in a crash in Okaloosa County Sunday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 51-year old Lisa N. Noyes of Pensacola was westbound on I-10 before she lost control of her 2004 Ford Expedition and overturned numerous times. She was pronounced deceased as a result of her injuries.
Her passenger, 18-year old Zachary A. Noyes of Pensacola, was ejected. He was transported by Okaloosa County EMS to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola in serious condition.
Man Steals Century’s Rose Bushes, Hauls Away Loot In Baby Carriage
August 6, 2012
A Century man has been charged after allegedly stealing rose bushes from the Town of Century and hauling away his loot in a baby carriage.
Arthur Walker, 41, was charged with second degree petit theft and later released from the Escambia County Jail on a $250 bond.
Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez told Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies that she witnessed Walker walking down the sidewalk pushing a baby carriage with two rose bushes inside of it. As she arrived at the Century Town Hall, she noticed that two rose bushes had been dug up and removed from the town hall driveway. An employee of the nearby Century Branch Library told deputies the same information.
A warrant for Walker’s arrest was issued after Century Mayor Freddie McCall told deputies that he wished to pursue charges. McCall said he had met with Walker twice before after he allegedly stole chain link fence from town property, and Walker said he would not longer steal from the town.
Walker is due to make his first court appearance in September.
Expanded Weekly Yard, Bulky Waste Program Begins For ECUA Customers
August 6, 2012
Tuesday will mark the first day of enhanced and bulky yard waste pickups for North Escambia area ECUA customers.
The weekly bulky waste collection service includes pick-up of furniture and other household items that are too large to fit in the automated can for disposal.
“The unique feature of these improvements is customers will no longer have to call to schedule the pick up. They will simply place their items(s) at the curb, before 5:30 a.m., on their regular collection day. It’s just that simple,” said Gary Dean, ECUA sanitation collection manager.
According to ECUA, any materials remaining in the right-of-way on the regular collection day may be mistaken for a bulk waste item — so customers should be careful not to place items that are not intended for disposal in the collection area to avoid inadvertent pick ups.
Bulky Waste Program Guidelines
- Items accepted are: furniture, such as: couch, mattress, desk, chairs, dresser; rugs and carpets; vacuum cleaners; bicycles; bags of clothes; grills; and toilets.
- Customers are not required to call-in to schedule or receive a pick-up. Items should be placed at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on the regular collection day, but no sooner than 48 hours before the collection day.
- Pile the bulky waste items(s) at curbside, in an area that is free of over hanging tree limbs and/or wires, being careful not to block traffic.
- ECUA will collect two 6’ W x 6’ D x 6’ H piles of bulk items weekly.
The once-weekly yard waste collection service is also provided to all residential sanitation customers. Customers are encouraged to place all yard waste at the curb prior to 5:30 a.m. on the regular yard trash collection day.
Yard Waste Program Guidelines
- Do not use your garbage or recycling can for yard waste. Yard waste is collected separately from household garbage.
- Place bagged, bundled, or canned yard waste within two feet of the curb and away from the street/road.
- Small yard waste, leaves, pine straw and grass clippings must be contained in standard garbage containers or plastic bags that do not exceed 32 gallons in size or weigh more than 40 pounds when full. The ECUA will collect up to 20 plastic yard trash bags or cans each week.
- Cut limbs should not exceed six feet in length or 40 pounds in weight, and must be bundled in two piles of no more that two 6’ W x 6’ D x 6’ H piles.
Yard waste, as defined by the ECUA Sanitation Program, includes: leaves, pine straw, grass clippings and small prunings.
School Orientations Scheduled
August 6, 2012
Escambia County school students return to class in two weeks, on August 20. Students will have the opportunity to attend orientation sessions, pick up schedules and drop off supplies in advance.
(Looking for a school supply list? Click here.)
Orientations have been scheduled at schools across the North Escambia area:
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
- Bratt
- August 16, 9-10:30 a.m., Pre-K and K
- August 17, 9-10:30 a.m., Grades 1-5
- Jim Allen
- August 17, 9-10:30 a.m.,
- Molino Park
- August 16, 9-10:30 a.m., Pre-K and K
- August 17, 9-10 a.m., Grades 1-5
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
- Ernest Ward
- August 16, 2 p.m., 6th and new students
- Ransom
- August 16, 2 p.m., 6th and new students
HIGH SCHOOLS
- Northview
- August 15, 8:30 a.m., Seniors
- August 15, 10 a.m., Juniors
- August 15, 1:30 p.m., Sophomores
- August 16, 9 a.m., Freshmen
- Tate
- August 9, 8 a.m.-noon, Freshmen
- August 16, 1-2:30 p.m., Grades 10-12
- West Florida
- August 11, 9 a.m., Freshmen
- August 16, 10 a.m., Juniors
- August 16, 1 p.m., Sophomores
- August 16, 6 p.m., Seniors and parents
For schools in Escambia County not listed above, click here.
NASA Rover Lands On Mars; Beams Back First Photos
August 6, 2012
NASA’s newest Mars rover, Curiosity, landed on the Red Planet early Monday. The rover’s entry and descent was nerve-wracking for NASA engineers, compounded by a 14-minute delay as the rover’s signals travel to Earth from Mars. Curiosity became the seventh NASA spacecraft to land on the Red Planet.
Shortly after landing, Curiosity beamed two images back to earth — one showing a wheel on the Martian soil and the other showing the vehicle’s shadow on the surface (pictured top).
“No photo or it didn’t happen? Well lookee here, I’m casting a shadow on the ground in Mars’ Gale crater,” Curiosity posted on Twitter after the landing. “It once was one small step… now it’s six big wheels. Here’s a look at one of them on the soil of Mars.”
Curiosity is the centerpiece of the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, launched in November aboard an Atlas V rocket. It’s traveled some 560 million kilometers toward its destination, the Red Planet.
Curiosity was traveling at about 20,000 kilometers per hour when it hits the Martian atmosphere. It had only seven minutes to reduce its speed for a soft landing but NASA engineers were not able to control or even witness the events in real time. They called this period “seven minutes of terror.”
Its descent-stage retrorockets fired, guiding it to the surface. Nylon cords lowered the rover to the ground in the “sky crane” maneuver. When the spacecraft sensed touchdown, the connecting cords were severed, and the descent stage flew out of the way.
Curiosity is a “Mars scientist’s dream machine,” said Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada ahead of its launch. “This rover is not only the most technically capable rover ever sent to another planet, but it’s actually the most capable scientific explorer we’ve ever sent out,” he said.
Curiosity is the size of a small car and has 17 cameras. It’s much larger than previous rovers and can travel as far as 200 meters per day. It’s a nuclear-powered mobile laboratory.
The remote-controlled vehicle can gather samples of soil and rocks and analyze them using instruments onboard.
The goal is to see if the area ever had environmental conditions that could have supported microbial life, explains Vasavada. “This mission is really about looking for those habitable environments, and not detecting life itself,” he said.
A team of space agency scientists selected the landing site, the foot of a mountain within a deep, 150-kilometer-wide depression called Gale Crater. Each layer of rock contains clues about the planet’s evolution.
Curiosity will investigate Martian geology, weather and radiation levels during the mission, which is expected to last about two Earth years. . .the equivalent of one Martian year.
Pictured top: The first images back from Curiosity, showing a shadow of the rover on Mars (left) and a wheel on the dusty red planet (right). Pictured top inset: This artist concept features NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. Pictured below: The Mars Science Laboratory team reacts early Monday morning after learning that the Curiosity rover had landed safely on Mars.. (NASA/JPL-Caltec)
Fall Ball Registrations Set For NWE, Molino, Cantonment
August 6, 2012
NWE Bradberry Park
NWE will pursue the park’s first Fall Ball program for the Walnut Hill, Century, and Atmore area. Baseball is for children 5 to 15, and softball is open to ages 7 to 16. Games will run mid-September until the end of October.
Players will be registered at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill with no money collected at the time of registration. A $50 registration fee will be collected when teams are created; the fee will cover park expenses and a player team shirt. Each team will also raise $5 per player, per game for umpire fees
NWE Fall Ball registraition will be held:
Friday, August 11, 10 a.m. – noon
Friday, August 17, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 18, 10 a.m. – noon
Saturday, August 25, 10 a.m. – noon
For more information, call (850) 327-4579 after 5 p.m.
Molino Ballpark
Sign ups are underway for Fall Ball at the Molino Ballpark.
Registration will take place every Saturday in August from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the board room at the ballpark. Fall ball is for all ages — tee ball, baseball and softball. $35 per player.
Cantonment Ballpark
Fall Ball registration will be held Saturday, August 11 from 10 a.m. until noon.
Registration is $40 per player for all ages, no birth certificate needed, at the ballpark on Well Line Road. The Fall Ball parent meeting will be held Monday, August 13 at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, call (850) 417-0673.
Watching The Tropics, Rainy Monday
August 6, 2012
The tropics are still active with Tropical Storm Ernesto. And Florence has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone and is not expected to redevelop.
Details on Tropical Storm Ernesto are in the graphic above, while the final advisory on Tropical Depression Florence is in the map below. (Click maps to enlarge.)
Here is your local North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Tuesday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Wednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Wednesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Thursday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Thursday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Friday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Saturday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Saturday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Sunday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Sunday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Escambia County’s Justin Gatlin Takes Bronze
August 6, 2012
It’s wasn’t the gold he had hoped for, but Escambia County’s Olympian took the bronze Sunday.
Justin Gatlin of Pensacola finished third in the men’s 100m dash at London’s Olympic Stadium. Gatlin’s personal best time of 9.79 was 0.16 behind Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, who posted a time of 9.63 seconds, which broke the Olympic record. Bolt’s teammate, Yohan Blake, took the silver in 9.75 seconds.
Tyson Gay (Lexington, Ky.) was fourth, 0.01 behind Gatlin, while Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, Calif.) was fifth in 9.88 seconds.
Gatlin had waited eight years to get back on the podium. The 2004 Olympic 100-meter champion, Gatlin served a doping ban.
Gatlin, 30, said he was inspired watching Bolt and Blake as the Woodham High graduate served his suspension, and then worked his way back to the top.
“I went out there to challenge a mountain,” Gatlin said. “I went out there to challenge the odds, not just what I’ve been through, but the legacy of Usain Bolt. I went out there to be fearless.”
Choking up, he said, “Just to be part of an epic race, I just wanted to get on the podium and be there for my country. There were a lot of people in the audience with flags so I wanted to be there for them.
Gatlin’s next event will be the 4 x 100 relay for Team USA on Friday.