Charles Warren Phillips

December 27, 2013

Charles Warren Phillips, 61, of Atmore, passed away December 26, 2013. He was born June 21, 1952, in Atmore. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Ruby Bryars Phillips and siblings Gary, K.C, Ramona, Lance, Gail, David and Linda. Charlie will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

He is survived by two daughters, Catina (Scott) Francis of Walnut Hill and Regina (Steven) Ross of Atmore; brothers, Lynn Phillips of Flomaton, Murray Phillips of Perdido and his sister, Carmer Jean Lewis of Perdido; and grandchildren, Amber (Elliot) Ross, Lindsey Francis, Alexia Ross and Abby Ross.

Memorial services will be held Monday, December 30, 2013, at 11 a.m. from the First Baptist Church of Atmore with Bro. Malcolm Harrison officiating.

Family will receive friends Monday, December 30, 2013, from 10 a.m. until service time at 11 a.m. from the First Baptist Church of Atmore.

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dorothy Nell (Dot) Crews Penton

December 27, 2013

Dorothy Nell (Dot) Crews Penton, age 82, of Hollandtown passed away on December 24, 2013. She was a long time member of Pine Level Baptist Church. She retired from Monsanto after more than 20 years. Dot loved gardening, canning, and visiting with friends and family. She will be greatly missed by the community.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Julian I. Crews and Annie Ruth Byrd Crews; husband, O.T. Penton; brothers, Emory O. Crews and Roy M. Crews; son-in-law, Lamar Lewis; brother-in-law, Edward Sutton; sister-in-law, Pauline Penton (T.H.) Fulmore and a special friend, G.W. White.

She is survived by her daughter, Paulette Penton Lewis; grandsons, Timmy (Michelle) Lunsford and Jonathan Holland; granddaughter, Lori (Rusty) Lunsford Lee; great-grandsons, Kody, Brant, and Trevor Lunsford and Connor and Tanner Lee; sister, Betty Crews (Sammy) Simmons; sisters-in-law, Helen West Crews and Norma May McCurley; special friends, Louise Arnette, Patty McGraw, and Rex Wayne Smith and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, December 29, 2013, from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. at Pine Level Baptist Church. Funeral services will begin at 2 p.m. with Brother Earle Greene and Nephew David White officiating services.

Burial will follow at Harmony Cemetery in Hollandtown.

Active pallbearers will be Timmy Lunsford, Jonathan Holland, Rusty Lee, Kody Lunsford, Brant Lunsford, Trevor Lunsford, Connor Lee, Tanner Lee, and Rex Wayne Smith.

Honorary pallbearers will be her Sunday school class.

Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Joyce R. Malphurs Kelly

December 27, 2013

Joyce R. Malphurs Kelly, 82, of Pensacola, passed away on Tuesday, December 24, 2013, at a local hospital.

She is preceded in death by her parents, James and Genie Malphurs; her loving husband of 40 years, George H. Kelly, Sr.; two daughters, Teresa Ann Braxton and Barbara Sue Green; one granddaughter, Regina Anna Harrell; two brothers and two sisters.

She is survived by her children, Regina Johnson (Allen), George H. Kelly, Jr. (Mary) and Chris Kelly (Nancy); grandchildren, Christopher Johnson, Michael Johnson (Stacey), Wes Braxton, Samuel Green, George H. Kelly, III (Lidia), Samantha Rigby (Stephen), Brandee Hutson (Jamie), Georgina Ward (Daniel) and Jasmine Maher; great-grandchildren, Grady Bryant Rigby, Spencer Tate Johnson , Haiden James Johnson, Tyler Ward, Alexis Ward and Harley, Brendon Braxton, Jalen Brashear, and soon to be George H. Kelly, IV; and one sister, Gloria Broome.

Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., Monday, December 30, 2013, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, December 31, 2013, at 11 a.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South.

Interment will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery.

Faith Chapel Funeral Home South is in charge of arrangements.

Sunshine Until Saturday

December 26, 2013

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
  • Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. North wind around 5 mph.
  • Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
  • Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
  • Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
  • Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
  • Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. North wind around 5 mph.
  • Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 55.
  • Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
  • Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 56.
  • Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
  • New Year’s Day: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 59.

Christmas Day Fire Heavily Damages Bratt Home

December 26, 2013

A Christmas afternoon fire heavily damaged a home in Bratt, displacing one adult.

The 1:55 p.m.  fire was mostly contained to the attic of the small wood frame home in the 5100 block of West Highway 4, near the Bratt Assembly of God Church. The home suffered heavy smoke and water damage throughout.

Preliminary information pointed to a wood burning heater and a chimney as the cause of the fire. There were no injuries.

The Walnut Hill, McDavid and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance responded to the fire. The American Red Cross is assisting the adult resident of the home.

Pictured: A Christmas Day fire caused heavy smoke and water damage in a Bratt home. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Updated 5 p.m. — Only one adult was displaced by the fire; one adult and two children had recently moved, according to new information provided.

It’s Easy To Recycle Your Wrapping Paper, Boxes In North Escambia

December 26, 2013

You can “go green” with those piles of Christmas wrapping paper and boxes by recycling them at one of several drop-off locations around North Escambia or in your weekly ECUA pickup.

Christmas wrapping paper, along with other household paper, plastics, steel and aluminum can be placed in your recycling container on your normal ECUA pickup day. For complete information on the ECUA recycling program, click here.

The Escambia County Division of Solid Waste Management has drop-off recycling locations in or near each of the larger communities in North Escambia.  North of Nine Mile Road, recycling bins are located at:

  • Ashton Brosnaham Park, 10370 Ashton Brosnaham Drive
  • Billy G. Ward Courthouse, 7500 North Century Blvd., Century
  • Escambia County Extension Service, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
  • John R. Jones Athletic Park, 555 E. Nine Mile Road
  • Molino Fire Department, 1459 Molino Road (behind fire station)
  • Oak Grove Citizen’s Convenience Center, 745 North Highway 99
  • Perdido Landfill, 13009 Beulah Road, Cantonment
  • UWF, John Martin Hall, 11000 University
  • UWF, ParkwayParking Lot #10, Campus Dr.

Items eligible for recycling at the drop-off locations are aluminum cans, steel cans, glass food and beverage containers, plastic containers (#1-#7), cardboard, junk mail (including Christmas wrapping paper), paper, magazines, and newspapers.

For more information on drop-off recycling in North Escambia, visit EscambiaRecycles.com.

Saturday Is License Free Fishing Day In Florida

December 26, 2013

This Saturday will be the last freshwater license-free fishing day in Florida  for 2013.

Governor Scott said, “With families already together for the holidays, this will be a great opportunity for loved ones to head to Florida’s freshwater bodies and try out those new rod and reels they got during the holiday season. These license free fishing days are a great way to promote the Sunshine State, while supporting our communities that rely on fishing.”

According to the American Sportfishing Association, Florida had 1.2 million non-resident anglers visit the Sunshine State in 2011, the next highest state was Michigan with 347,029 visiting anglers.

Although no fishing license is required, all other fishing and boating rules and regulations still apply.

Beginning in 2014, there will be eight license-free fishing days that will fall on the same weekend days from year to year. This will allow anglers to plan fishing trips in advance and businesses and nonprofit groups to create events around these fishing license holidays.

Nominate North Escambia Persons Of The Year

December 26, 2013

NorthEscambia.com will honor several North Escambia residents as North Escambia Persons of the Year as 2013 comes to a close, and we need your help.

We are asking our readers to nominate individuals that they believe made a difference in North Escambia during 2013. We will choose several of them to be named as a 2013 North Escambia Person of the Year. The awards are our way of saying thanks to those that have worked to improve our lives in the North Escambia area during the past year.

We are not necessarily looking for a person with a long list of accomplishments. We are looking for people that have given of themselves — often quietly — to help others and the communities of North Escambia during  the past year.

To nominate someone, please email their name, contact information (if known), and the reason why you believe they should be a Person of the Year. The person must either be a resident of North Escambia, work in North Escambia or otherwise have significantly impacted North Escambia in some way. For the purposes of this award, we will define North Escambia as being Cantonment north to the Alabama line in Escambia County, Florida

Entries should be emailed to news@northescambia.com by Saturday, December 28. We need your email and phone number just in case we have questions, but your name and contact information will not be published.

Please make your nominations by email; do not use the story comment form below.

The 2013 North Escambia Persons of the Year will be named next year.

Stamps Going Up To 49 Cents

December 26, 2013

The Postal Service is raising the price of a first class stamp by 3 cents to 49 cents as of January 26, a move approved Tuesday.

It’s a temporary rate hike, up to two years, aimed at helping the post office recover from decreased mail volume brought on by the economic downturn that began in 2008.  The postal service needs to recoup $2.8 billion in losses.

Forever stamps, good for first class postage regardless of the future rate, can be purchased at 46 cents until January 25.

Salvation Army’s Kettles Help Hundreds In Escambia, Santa Rosa

December 26, 2013

The Salvation Army of Pensacola ended the season just a little short in those little red red kettles this year, but they were still able to help hundreds of local families in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

Over 400 families received food, clothing and other needs. At last report on Christmas Eve, the Salvation Army of Pensacola was about $20,000 away from their $300,000 goal for the season.

Pictured: A Salvation Army red kettle outside Cordova Mall. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

« Previous PageNext Page »