Northview School Advisory Council Meeting Rescheduled
April 17, 2012
The Northview High School School Advisory Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday has been canceled.
The meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 3 at 3:45 p.m. in the Northview Media Center. The meeting is open to the public.
Century Council: Support Jay Relay This Weekend
April 17, 2012
In an unusually short — just 4.5 minutes long — regular meeting Monday night, the Century Town Council issued a proclamation urging residents to join with them at this weekend’s Relay for Life at Jay High School.
The town, which no longer has a Relay for Life Event, has formed The Century Centurions Team to take part in the Jay Relay. Mayor Freddie McCall called for Century citizens to join the team in Jay for at lease a portion of the Relay event.
The 2012 Jay Relay for Life begins at 6 p.m. Friday at Jay High School and continues until closing ceremonies at 9 a.m. Saturday. Everyone is invited and urged to attend.
Pictured: Participants in last year’s Century Relay for Life. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
UWF Issues Statement On Nooses Found On Campus
April 17, 2012
The University of West Florida has issued the following statement concerning two nooses found on their campus in the past week.
Since Wednesday, April 11, two nooses were found on the University campus. These incidents were reported to University Police, and an investigation is ongoing. This type of speech will not be tolerated. The University strives to create and maintain a community that is free of harassment, intimidation and/or humiliation for all students, faculty and staff.
Students were informed of the first incident via email by the vice president of student affairs on Saturday. The person(s) responsible may be subject to multiple criminal charges and, if the perpetrator is a student, disciplinary action by the University, up to and including expulsion.
The University Police Department has increased police patrols on campus and is actively looking for anyone behaving suspiciously.
UWF faculty, staff, students and visitors are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the University Police Department at 850-474-2415. Those with information may also submit an anonymous report via the UWF Police Department Silent Witness service online at http://uwf.edu/uwfpolice/silentwitness.cfm.
Locals Run Boston Marathon
April 17, 2012
Several North Escambia area runners took part in the Boston Marathon Monday, with the locals led by Eric Kujawski of Pensacola and Matthew Dobson of Jay.
Kujawski, 37, finished 1,338th overall in the 116th Boston Marathon with a time of 3:14:52. Dobson, 42, finished at number 1,480 overall, with a time of 3:16:32. Dobson is no stranger to the event; he finished the 2004 Boston Marathon 49th overall out of 20,000 runners and was the 16th fastest American.
The overall winner was Welsey Korir, a citizen of Kenya and resident of the United States, with a time of 2:12:40.
North Escambia area runners taking part in Monday’s Boston Marathon were:
- 1338 — Eric Kujawski, 37, Pensacola, 3:14:52
- 1480 — Matthew Dobson, 42, Jay, 3:16:32
- 1828 — Jeremy Lloyd, 32, Pace, 3:20:10
- 1836 — Paul Epstein, 46, Pensacola, 3:20:10
- 3799 — Mark W. Rice, 51, Atmore, 3:35:32
- 4643 — Scott Winnier, 44, Pensacola, 3:40:20
- 9649 — Hank Colburn, 46, Cantonment, 4:05.16
- 10,601 — Jeannette Boyum, 43, Pensacola, 4:10.12
- 10,602 — Rodney D. Boyum, 43, Pensacola, 4:10:12
- 11,263 — Wayne A. Bennet, Jr., 54, Milton, 4:13:41
- 12,150 – Marguerite Mogul, 42, Pensacola, 4:18.28
- 14,092 –Gail Fry, 44, Pensacola, 4:29:32
- 14,095 — Michael Fry, 64, Pensacola, 4:29:33
- 19,635 — Deena M. Crooke, 50, Pensacola, 5:31:04
Lady Chiefs Out Of District Tourney; Jay Royals Play Tonight
April 17, 2012
The Northview Lady Chiefs lost Monday to the Chipley Tigers, 1-0, in the FHSAA Class 1A District 2 Tournament at Baker School.
Chipley advances to play the No. 1 seed Jay Lady Royals (9-1 in district play) at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The winner advances to the championship game Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Lady Chiefs finished the season at 10-9 overall, 4-6 in regular season district play.
Jacksonville Tops Wahoos 5-4 In 13 Innings Monday Night
April 17, 2012
Jacksonville center fielder Jose Duarte scored from third on a wild pitch in the 13th inning as the Suns defeated the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 5-4 in front of 4,457 on Monday night at Pensacola’s multi-use stadium.
Duarte led off the frame with a single before first baseman Jaime Ortiz reached on a base knock and left fielder Jake Smolinski walked to load the bases with no outs. After retiring the first two batters, catcher Kyle Skipworth went down in the count 0-2 before a wild pitch sent in Duarte for what proved to be the game-winning score.
The Blue Wahoos got off to a hot start, grabbing a 4-1 lead with five consecutive hits to begin their half of the first frame, thanks in part to a two-run double from third baseman Henry Rodriguez and an RBI double from Mike Costanzo. Costanzo extended his hit streak to seven games with the knock and has also reached base in ten straight contests.
The Suns chipped away at the deficit with a pair of longballs, including a two-run homer from second baseman Paul Gran in the sixth, and a solo shot from third baseman Shawn Bowman in the following frame. Gran recorded five hits in the contest after entering the game with seven hits in his first nine games of the season.
Pensacola reliever Luis Atilano (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 0-1 after allowing an earned run on two hits in three innings of relief, while Jacksonville LHP Wade Korpi (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 SO) earned the victory to improve to 1-1 on the year after giving up just one hit in his scoreless frame. RHP Chris Squires (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO) notched his first save of the season, yielding just one hit in the last inning.
The Blue Wahoos and Suns will meet again Tuesday night for the third game of the five-game series, with first pitch set for 7:00 pm. Pensacola is scheduled to send RHP Daniel Corcino to the hill, while RHP Zach Neal is expected to toe the rubber for the Suns.
By Andrew Green
Two Charged With Century Woods Apartment Burglary
April 17, 2012
Two Century residents have been charged in connection with recent burglary at Century Woods Apartments.
Kiauna Shanne Grice, age 21 of Highway 4A, and Lonnie Cartell Gardner, age 19 of Robert Road, were both charged with burglary and grand theft.
A resident of Century Woods Apartments discovered that her backdoor was standing open and that her apartment had been burglarized when she returned home late last Friday afternoon. She discovered $50 in cash missing from her daughter’s wallet and piggy bank. She also found that a tablet computer and several items of jewelry worth about $675 were missing.
As of Tuesday morning, Grice remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $5,000. Gardner was also behind bars, with his bond set $6,000.
Sparta Downs Atmore Christian
April 17, 2012
Atmore Christian School lost to Sparta of Evergreen, Ala., on Monday, 11-4. The junior varsity game between ACS and Sparta was canceled due to rain.
Pictured: Atmore Christian School takes on Sparta in Evergreen, Ala., on Monday. Submitted photos by Alisa Hart for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pensacola To Host Florida College Softball Championship
April 17, 2012
The Pensacola Sports Association (PSA) in coordination with the City of Pensacola Department of Neighborhood Services, and Pensacola State College will host the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) Women’s Fast Pitch Softball Championship. This is the second year of a four-year contract.
From April 27 to April 29, 16 teams from across the state who have qualified for the state tournament will make their way to Pensacola to compete for the opportunity to advance to the national tournament. This championship actually consists of two district tournaments and a state championship game. The two district champions will advance to play for the national championship in St. George, Utah.
“We are again excited to host this event. We have one year of experience under our belts and we are using that experience to further enhance the event for both the student-athlete and the spectators,” said PSA Executive Director Ray Palmer. “I also predict an even larger crowd of family and friends traveling to support the teams as we heard a lot of very positive comments from the teams last year, many who had never visited our part of the state and who were looking to returning and telling their friends and families about our area.”
Exchange Park will host all the games at its newly renovated four-field complex. Recent upgrades including new field fences, expanded field lengths, dugouts, paint, field work, and remodeled air-conditioned bathrooms.
“The City of Pensacola welcomes the 16 best Florida state college softball teams on April 26-29 at the newly renovated Exchange Park Softball Facility,” commented Pensacola Athletic Superintendent Buddy Connelly. “Being the host City of this prestigious tournament is an honor for our City and our Department of Parks & Recreation. We hope everyone enjoys our efforts to make this tournament the best of an already memorable year for these Schools. The City Staff looks forward to serving all participants and making this tournament a lifetime memory for these young women.”
In addition to the competing teams traveling to Pensacola, the FCSAA Executive Director Jeb Blackburn and staff and college administrators will be in attendance for conference meetings and to watch the great softball action.
“We are looking forward to returning to Pensacola for the Florida College System Activities Association State Fast-Pitch Softball tournament,” said Blackburn. “We received wonderful comments about the tournament last year and the staff of the Pensacola Sports Association and the City Parks staff have been awesome. We hope to fill the stands to watch some great competition.”
Fans are sure to be entertained as they watch some of the best collegiate softball in the country. Teams already qualified include Florida State College at Jacksonville, Seminole State College, Santa Fe College, Daytona State College, Indian River State College, Miami Dade College, Brevard Community College, Chipola College, Tallahassee Community College, Gulf Coast State College, Northwest Florida State College, State College of Florida, St. Petersburg College, Polk State College, and Hillsborough Community College. A playoff will be played between St. John’s River State College and College of Central Florida to determine the 16th and final team.
Group Offers Ideas For Langley Bell 4-H Center Sale, Purchase Of Molino Bayer Property
April 16, 2012
A group called the “Friends of 4-H” has been formed to represent Escambia County 4-H as a group as they vote later this month on the sale of their Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal, the largest credit union in the world.
The concerned citizens, parents, 4-H alumni and supporters are in favor of the sale of the Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal, but not as currently being proposed.
“We feel that economic development in Pensacola is a top priority for our growing county. We want the 4-H youth to vote yes to sell the Langley Bell 4-H Center as long as their needs are being met properly,” according to a proposal authored by the Friends of 4-H.
The current offer on the table is $3.6 million from Navy Federal along with 23 acres near the Extension Office on Stefani Road. A small portion of the sale proceeds would complete the Extension Office site, while the remainder, likely about $3 million, would go into an endowment trust fund, supporting 4-H off the interest. The building would not be for the exclusive use of 4-H.
But the Friends of 4-H have other ideas.
“We are trying to bring a win-win-win to the table. A win for Navy Federal Credit Union and Escambia County Economic Development, a win for the Extension Service and a win for the Escambia County 4-H program,” the group says in their plan.
The group’s big idea is for Escambia County 4-H to receive comparable land acreage to the Langley Bell 4-H Center, which is 240 acres adjacent to Navy Federal in Beulah. And the group believes they may have found the perfect location in Molino.
They are proposing the purchase of the the former Bayer Crop Science Facility on Crabtree Church Road in Molino. The 250 acres stretches from Crabtree Church Road north to Highway 97 near Molino Park Elementary School.
The Bayer property is ready-made for 4-H use, according to Whitney Vaughan Fike, a member of the Friends of 4-H and a 4-H alumnus. It includes 4,100 square feet of greenhouses, three irrigation ponds, three buildings, three storage barns, a weather station and complete fencing with a security gate.
“We feel the facility is already set up for hands on demonstrations and the property and functioning of the land are in line with the core reasons Dr. M. Langley Bell donated the original 400 acres. The facility will come with a complete environmental study to insure there are no environmental issues, as a phase one environmental study is currently in process,” according to the Friends of 4-H.
The Bayer property would lead to economic development, Fike said. The facility could also be used for events such as a revival of the Blueberry Jamboree, farming, agricultural projects, gardening, horse trails and rides, livestock shows, fishing, education camps and more. The facility would also allow greenhouses for the Escambia County Master Gardeners and provide a location for GCA/NRA livestock programs, held for 19 years at Langley Bell, to continue.
The estimated cost of the Bayer facility would $1.3 to $2.1 million, paid for out of the $3.6 million sale of the Langley Bell 4-H Center.
“While the Friends of 4-H strongly support the economic growth and development of Escambia County through the expansion of Navy Federal Credit Union we also firmly believe that other options should be placed before the Escambia County 4-H youth for consideration,” the group states. “Friends of 4-H want to continue forward with the 4-H program, rather than taking steps backwards. We seek a compromise that allows growth for Navy Federal Credit Union, potential businesses, growth in Pensacola and for Escambia County 4-H.”
If Escambia County won’t agree to the purchase of the Bayer property or similarly sized property for 4-H, the Friends of 4-H are asking for $1.5 million in Local Option Sales Tax monies for an additional building at the Extension office plus 23 acres and a voice in the use of the new building on Stefani Road.
“Above all, this compromise will meet the needs of current and future 4-H youth by providing a place to continue personal growth, leadership and citizenship development through 4-H clubs using this facility for generations to come,” the Friends of 4-H stated.
The 4-H County Council, comprised of members age 8 to 18 that represent each of the individual 4-H clubs in the county, will meet this week to talk about their options. They will vote on the sale of the Langley Bell 4-H Center next week.
Pictured: The Langley Bell 4-H Center in Beulah. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.