Today: Benefit Car Washes, Yard Sale For Molino, NWE Teams

June 30, 2012

Two area teams will be working hard to raise money for playoff trips with car washes today:

The Northwest Escambia 12U boys will hold a car wash today from 8 a.m. until noon at Marvin’s Home Improvement in Atmore to raise money for a trip to the state tournament beginning July 6 in Alexander City, Ala. Donations are accepted.

The Molino Majors will hold a car wash and yard sale today from 8 a.m. until noon at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino. The car was is a minimum $5 donation. The team is raising funds for a trip to Brooksville, Fla., on July 13 for the Florida Dixie Youth Baseball Tournament.

Lambeth VFD Yard Sale, Boston Butt Sale Today

June 30, 2012

The annual fundraiser for the Lambeth Community Volunteer Fire Department is going on today.

Boston Butts are $25, Ribs are $20, combos are $5 and sandwiches are $3. Homemade ice cream will also be available.

There is also a yard sale going on from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Items include a table with four chairs, couch, jewelry, curio cabinet, baby items, clothes and other items.

The Lambeth Community Volunteer Fire Department is located at  4888 Upper Creek Road, north of Flomaton. For information or directions, call (850) 254-0079.

Congress Approves RESTORE Act

June 30, 2012

Florida and other Gulf states will share the bulk of any monies received from BP under the RESTORE act passed by Congress Friday.

The bill, which was part of a larger transportation measure, earmarks 80 percent of water pollution fines BP is expected to pay for restoration efforts in Gulf States, which bore the brunt of the damage from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

The company is facing fines of between $5 billion and $21 billion for violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

Voting against the measure in the House were Republican Reps. Sandy Adams, Bill Posey, Connie Mack, Richard Nugent and Dennis Ross. In the Senate, the Florida delegation split, with Democrat Bill Nelson voting in favor and Republican Marco Rubio voting against.

The RESTORE Act was included in a larger transportation bill. Also included in the bill was a continuation of low-interest rates loans for college students. The interest rates on guaranteed student loans were slated to double if no action was taken.

Kendrick Dortch

June 30, 2012

Mr. Kendrick Dortch, age 38 of Atmore, passed away Tuesday, June 26, 2012 in Atmore. He was a native of Atmore and had lived in Montgomery before returning to Atmore. He was a 1993 graduate of Escambia County High School and had attended Alabama State University. He was employed with Johnson Ford.

Mr. Dortch is survived by his mother, Barbara Davison Dortch of Troy and his father, McArthur Dortch of Atmore; one daughter, Madison Dortch of Valley, AL; one son, Tyler Dortch of Alley; three brothers, Carl Davison of Troy, Derek (Francella) Owens of Montgomery, and Alonzo Davison of San Diego, CA; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, July 3, 2012, at 1 p.m. at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church with Rev. Robert Davis, Pastor and Apostle Louis Banks, Pastor of El Bethel Holiness Church, officiating. Interment will follow at Stallworth Cemetery.

Public viewing will be Monday, July 2, 2012, from 2 until 8:30 p.m. at Turner Funeral Chapel, and his body will lie instate at the church one hour prior to the funeral service.

Turner Funeral Chapel, LLC of Atmore is in charge of all arrangements.

Dottie Mae Boutwell Harrelson

June 30, 2012

Dottie Mae Boutwell Harrelson,73 of Atmore, passed away Wednesday June 27, 2012, in Poarch. She was a homemaker, born in Huxford on October 22, 1938, to the late Jefferson William and Esther Oliva Ardis Salter, Sr.

She is preceded in death by three sisters, Elizabeth Boutwell, Dorothy Caraway and Lottie Lou Caraway.

She is survived by her husband, James Harrelson of Atmore; five sons, Donald Wayne Smith and wife, Connie of Uriah, James M. Smith, Jr and wife, Brandy, Jerry Smith and wife, Kimberly both of Atmore, Malcom Harrelson of Perdido and Mikey Harrelson of Bratt; six daughters, Janice Styron and husband, Don, Jeanette McGhee and husband, Russell both of Atmore, Angela Mosley and husband, Roy of Flomaton, Joyce McIlwain and husband, Glenn of Atmore, Donnie Sue Grantham and husband, Wayne of Brewton, and Shonda Lynn Stherl and husband, Eric of Huxford; three brothers, Charles Salter, Jefferson William Salter, Jr and wife, Angie both of Huxford, Dewayne Salter and wife, Linda of Poarch; two sisters, Mary Jane Caraway and husband Pete of McCullough and Shirley White and husband, Larry of Huxford; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Services will be Monday July 2, 2012, at 10 a.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Malcom Harrelson officiating. Interment will follow in McCullough Cemetery.

Family will receive friends Sunday evening July 1, 2012, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 5-8 p.m.

Wahoos Win 6-1

June 30, 2012

Blue Wahoos right-hander Daniel Corcino fired eight solid innings and gave up just one earned run, while center fielder Ryan LaMarre, third baseman David Vidal and left fielder Bryson Smith all homered to lead Pensacola to a 6-1 victory over the Jackson Generals in front of another sellout crowd of 5,038 on Friday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.

The win evens the series between the two teams at 2-2 and also bumps the Fish’s overall record up to 39-39, as well as 5-4 since the All-Star break. The defeat drops Jackson to a 47-32 mark in 2012, in addition to a 5-4 tally in the second half. The capacity crowd was the second straight for Pensacola in the series, as well as their 25th overall in 38 home openings this year as they maintained their lead in attendance in the Southern League.

In his first start in Pensacola since firing the first eight innings of the first no-hitter in team history just under two weeks ago, Corcino (8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO) was stellar again for the Fish, yielding just five hits and two walks while also fanning seven in his solid eight frames. Reliever Justin Freeman (1.0 IP, 1 SO) finished off the Generals with a perfect ninth frame, while Jackson starter Brandon Maurer (5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 5-2 after allowing four earned runs on five hits in five innings of work.

The Blue Wahoos jumped out to an early two-run advantage in the first frame with LaMarre starting the rally with a leadoff double. After walks from 2B Brodie Greene and 1B Beau Mills loaded the bases, LF Josh Fellhauer bounced a ground ball through the hole between shortstop and third base to plate both LaMarre and Greene.

LaMarre would increase the margin to 3-0 in the next inning, launching his third roundtripper of the year over the left field wall, while his run-scoring groundout in the fourth push the Blue Wahoos ahead 4-0. Pensacola then tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth with the longball. Vidal began the frame with his second big fly of the season, while Smith blasted his first homer of the year for Pensacola in just his second game since being promoted from High-A Bakersfield.

The Generals brought across their lone tally in the eighth to dash the Blue Wahoos’ shutout hopes. LF Kalian Sams reached with a base hit up the middle and moved to third on 1B Jharmidy De Jesus’ double, before he was sent home on an RBI groundout by SS Gabriel Noriega.

Smith (3-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) led all hitters with three base knocks in the contest, while LaMarre (2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI) also collected a multi-hit effort for the Blue Wahoos in the win. Jackson CF Denny Almonte (2-4) totaled two of the Generals’ five hits in the contest.

With the series even at 2-2, the two teams will square off in the rubber match on Saturday night, with first pitch set for 6:30 pm at the bayfront stadium. The Blue Wahoos are expected to send RHP J.C. Sulbaran to the mound, while Jackson is expected to counter with RHP Taijuan Walker, who was tabbed by Baseball America before this season as the top prospect in the Seattle Mariners’ organization.

By Andrew Green

Pictured: Daniel Corcino fired eight strong innings in the Blue Wahoos’ 6-1 win Friday. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Jimmy Lee Powell, Jr.

June 30, 2012

Jimmy Lee Powell, Jr., age 48, passed away on Thursday, June 28, 2012. He was born in Savannah, GA. Jimmie was a Desert Storm vet while serving in the United States Air Force. He served with several fire stations and was a fire chief in Mississippi. Jimmie was also a paramedic and training officer in Escambia County for over 10 years. He was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

Jimmie is survived by his loving wife, Terrie Powell; daughters, April Hart (Jason) and Shelby Lowell; son, Shannon Lowell; mother, Betty Carnley (Charles); father, Jimmie Powell (Elizabeth); grandmothers, Catherine Grantham and Vera Powell; three sisters, Sheri Blum (Fred), Kimberly Scott (James), and Lori Barrett (Mike); four grandchildren, Kaileigh, Elliana, Taylor, and Riley; nieces and nephews, Timothy, Jordyn, Austin, Cody, Joshua, Caleb; and numerous other aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Pallbearers will be members of Escambia County Public Safety.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or Covenant Hospice.

Visitation will be Monday, July 2, 2012, from 5-7 p.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South, 100 Beverly Parkway.

Funeral services will be on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, at 10 a.m. at Marcus Point Baptist Church with Pastor Ron Poulliot officiating.

For ‘Inspirational Message’ Bill, Few Immediate Effects

June 30, 2012

A controversial law that would allow student prayer at mandatory school events could have limited impact even after it goes into effect Sunday, both supporters and opponents of the “inspirational message” bill say.

The measure, signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott in March, paves the way for local school districts to approve policies allowing students to decide whether to have another student deliver an inspirational message at school events. But districts aren’t likely to approve any of the proposals because of the threat of costly litigation.

“On our advice, they are going nowhere with it,” said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association.

Blanton said only one school district in the state – Clay County – has even considered implementing one of the policies, and decided not to. He said the measure was “a political bill” aimed more at the November elections than the actual policy.

Even one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, said he didn’t expect school boards to leap into action right away. But Van Zant said he has heard from districts that are interested in the idea and might look into it early next year — after the November vote.

“I don’t think they’re going to do much of anything simply because there’s so much electioneering going on,” Van Zant said.

Looming over the entire bill is the threat of legal action against any district that tries to implement it. When Scott signed the bill, the ACLU of Florida, the Anti-Defamation League and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State each separately issued warnings to local school districts that going ahead with a policy could subject them to legal challenges.

The Santa Rosa County School District recently spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a costly series of lawsuits over the role of religion in public schools, sparked in part by prayers at school events.

Van Zant said districts shouldn’t be deterred.

“I told them the ACLU is going to threaten to sue them,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”

But in a statement issued Friday, ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon said he didn’t expect many districts to follow Van Zant’s advice.

“Fortunately, Florida educators are likely to be smarter than legislators,” Simon said. “I expect few if any school districts to be enticed by the Legislature’s invitation to adopt an unconstitutional policy and end up in inevitable litigation — and spend scarce tax dollars on lawyers in the courtroom rather than children in the classroom.”

By The News Service of Florida

Weaver Barlow

June 30, 2012

Weaver Barlow, age 87 of Gonzalez, rode his John Deere off to find more grass to cut on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. When he passes by, flag him down if you need anything fixed around the house.

Weaver served in WWII as an air policeman in the Army Air Corps. He retired from Monsanto after 28 years of service.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie Ernest and Donnie Amerson Barlow, and brother, Kermit E. Barlow.

Survivors include his wife, Joyce C. Barlow; children, Robert “Bob” Edward Barlow and wife Kay and Susan Barlow Page and husband, Paul; four grandchildren, Todd and Chuck Page and Phillip and Jake Barlow; five great grandchildren, Ben, Paula, Charlie, Megan and Evie due in September; sister, Elizabeth Eubanks and husband, Roy.

A small memorial service will be held Saturday, June 30, 2012 from 6-8 p.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North at 1000 Hwy 29 S. Cantonment.

Please make memorials to a charity of your choice.

High Speed Escambia Chase Ends In Alabama, Deputy Involved In Wreck

June 29, 2012

[Updated 10:15 a.m] A high speed police chase that began in Escambia County ended about 20 miles into Baldwin County Thursday evening, injuring one person and causing a wreck involving a deputy and private vehicle.

The driver, 31-year old Michael Joseph Heath of Johnson Avenue, Pensacola, is being held without bond in the Baldwin County Jail as a fugitive from justice. He is awaiting extradition to Escambia County on charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault, plus additional charges stemming from the pursuit.

Escambia County deputies responded to a disturbance on Mercer Lane about 6 p.m. Thursday. The victim told deputies that her Heath, her ex-boyfriend, had thrown her clothes in the road and left the area. Officers responded to his residence where they observed him drive away in a white Dodge Caravan. Deputies attempted a traffic stop, but Heath failed to stop. He led them from Mobile Highway, to I-10 and to West Kingsfield Road.

Witnesses reported over a half dozen Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies chasing  white Dodge Caravan along West Kingsfied Road at a high rate of speed a short time later. Escambia County EMS was dispatched to West Kingsfield Road after a passenger in the van, 33-year old Timothy Johnson of Pensacola, jumped from the moving van and complained of a shoulder injury. Johnson is not facing any charges.

A short time later an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy in a marked cruiser and the driver of a Nissan pickup were apparently involved in an accident near the intersection of Muscogee Road and River Annex Road in Cantonment, just a short distance from the Alabama state line.  That accident happened about 6:45 p.m.

A rear tire on the Grand Caravan began to come off, and Heath was finally stopped with the assistance of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and Alabama State troopers on Highway 112 near Holly Grove Road in Baldwin County, about 20 miles into Alabama. Heath then ran from officers on foot, but was soon apprehended.

Pictured above and bottom: A white Dodge Caravan was chased by Florida deputies into Baldwin County Thursday evening. Pictured  below: An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy was involved in a wreck on Muscogee  road near the Alabama state line. Pictured bottom inset: A pickup truck was also involved a Cantonment crash. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.

« Previous PageNext Page »