Big Events Today: Barrineau Park 4-H Centennial; Molino Back To School Splash
September 13, 2014
Here is a look at big events going on today in the North Escambia area:
Barrineau Park 4-H Club 100th Birthday Celebration – To commemorate the Escambia County’s Barrineau Park 4-H Club’s centennial, UF/IFAS will host a public celebration for Barrineau Park 4-H Club alumni on Saturday at the Barrineau Park Community Center, 6055 Barrineau Park School Rd, Molino, from 2 to 4 p.m. [Read more...]
Molino Back To School Splash — Water slides, water balloon games, a cookout and more will be part of the Aldersgate Back to School Splash. Everything is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring a ream or two of copy paper for Molino Park Elementary School. Saturday, 3-6 p.m. at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Highway 29 just south of Highway 97, Molino.
Pictured above and below: The 2013 Back to School Splash at Aldersgate UMC in Molino. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Two Seriously Injured In Pine Forest Road Crash
September 12, 2014
Two people were severely injured in three-car pileup Friday morning on Pine Forest Road just north of Five Flags Speedway.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Jason McDaniel, age 41 of Cantonment, was southbound on Pine Forest Road and slowed to turn into a paved median break about 6 a.m. His 1995 Chevrolet pickup was rear-ended by a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu driven by 31-year old Casey Williams of Pensacola.
About a minute later, Williams’ disabled Malibu was rear ended by a 2006 Ford pickup driven by 30-year old Shayla Riley of Cantonment.
Riley was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition, while Williams was transported to Sacred Heart also in serious condition. Williams’ 2-year old passenger was no injured. McDaniel received minor injuries and was not transported to a hospital.
Charges against Williams are pending, and Riley was cited for careless driving, according to the FHP.
Photos by Chris Johnson, WEAR 3, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Second Time In A Week: Pygmy Rattlesnake Bites Victim Near Walnut Hill
September 12, 2014
For the second time in less than a week, someone has been bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake near Walnut Hill and airlifted to a Pensacola hospital.
A 28-year old Flomaton man told first responders that he was along Pineville Road outside Walnut Hill with friends early Thursday evening when he was bitten on the finger by a pygmy rattlesnake, commonly called a Florida ground rattlesnake. Exactly what the man was doing when he was bitten was not clear.
He was driven several miles from Pineville Road to Escambia Grain on Arthur Brown Road where he met first responders. He was then transported by Atmore Ambulance to the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and airlifted by LifeFlight to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.
The man and his friends were unable to retrieve the snake for species identification; however, his symptoms reportedly were consistent with a pygmy rattlesnake bite. His name and condition were not available Thursday night.
Saturday, 49-year old Sandy Marsh of Walnut Hill was bitten by a rattlesnake while pulling weeds at her home on Highway 97A outside Walnut Hill. For more on that story, including an interview with Marsh and photos of the snake, click here.
Pictured top: A rattlesnake victim was airlifted from the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue Thursday evening. Pictured below: The man was first driven by friends to Escambia Grain on Arthur Brown Road before being flown to Baptist Hospital. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida’s Oldest: Barrineau Park 4-H Club Celebrating 100 Years
September 12, 2014
In 1914, cattle in Escambia County grazed in open fields. The fledgling aviation industry, with its flimsy bi-planes and open-air cockpits, got the first United States Navy flight school in Pensacola. Air-conditioning was mere rumor. And University of Florida Extension agent Ed Finlayson started the Barrineau Park 4-H Club.
A century later, 3,500 head of cattle enjoy Escambia’s fenced-in pastures. Pensacola Naval Air Station trains jet fighter pilots. Escambia residents marvel that anyone ever survived summer without air-conditioning, and Barrineau Park 4-H celebrates its status as Florida’s longest continuously operating 4-H club – and one of the nation’s oldest.
A public celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Activities include alumni sharing their 4-H memories with current members.
“It is such a historic event to support and one where the community can join all 4-H club members in the celebration,” said Brian Bell, president of the Escambia County 4-H Foundation. “The Barrineau Park 4-H program has bragging rights and we want the world to know how proud we are of the club and the people who made this possible.”
The club is also celebrating in true 4-H fashion by helping others. Members have been busy performing 100 hours of community service, gathering magazines to donate to nursing homes, collecting shoes for needy families and food for area food banks, baking cookies and cupcakes to give to the local fire department (pictured) and writing thank you cards to military personnel.
According to Barrineau Park Historical Society member Nita Berry, about 10 boys joined in 1914. They held their meetings in homes, church fellowship halls, Gindl’s Store and Barrineau Park School and Community Center. They learned to grow tomatoes and corn, garden, sew, and raise poultry and livestock.
Over the years, hundreds of boys and girls have joined the Barrineau Park 4-H club. Today, 23 students are active in everything from leadership, citizenship, livestock, horses, food and nutrition, environmental education, marine science, shooting sports and public speaking. The club has become known for raising and showing prize-winning hogs.
“They have traditionally had strong 4-H leaders and parents who support the educational activities selected by the members,” said Pamela Allen, Escambia County Extension director. “Over the years, youth in this club have excelled in county, district, state and national 4-H events and activities.”
Tena Gindl, a ninth-grade algebra teacher at Tate High School, is the club’s current leader. The family of her late husband, Bobby Gindl, who famously encouraged students that “your best is yet to come,” has been involved in the club almost since its inception.
Gindl’s 91-year-old aunt, Dorothy Gindl Casey, joined the club in the early 1930s, learning to sew and to can fruits and vegetables. Gindl’s father-in-law, Francis Gindl (pictured), now 86, joined in the 1940s and eventually led the club, as did Tena Gindl’s husband, who excelled at public speaking. Their three grown daughters were members. Beth and Kellie Gindl showed hogs; Kellie won grand champion two years in a row and Beth placed first in her class. As a high school freshman, Carrie won the Florida 4-H Congress public speaking contest.
While today’s 4-H maintains its traditional programs, it also has modern flair, with clubs that concentrate on computers and robotics or global-positioning satellite programs. But the best reason to join, Gindl said, is the interaction with other people.
“The experiences that you get in 4-H are just positive experiences and you never know where it’s going to take you and lead you in your life,” Gindl said. “Many kids have come back and said, ‘If it wasn’t for 4-H, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
To learn more about 4-H, the Escambia County Extension office at 850-475-5230.
Pictured top: Top 4-H corn producers in Escambia County (year unknown). Pictured (L-R): Kenneth Reemer, eighth place with 88.4 bushels per acre; Lamar Wheeler, ninth place with 77.2 bushels; Craig Exner, seventh with 89.9 bushels; “Skippy Lambert”, third with 103.1 bushels; Jacky Cunningham, fourth, 99.4 bushels; Douglas Lamb, sixth, 95.2 bushels; Mike Godwin, second with 107.5 bushels; David Lamb, fifth, 99.3 bushels; Steve Lamb, tenth, 73.5 bushels; and John Godwin, first, 111 bushels. Pictured middle inset: Current members of the Barrineau Park 4-H Club. Pictured below: County 4-H officers (year and names unavailable). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
District 5 Commissioner Barry To Hold Walnut Hill Town Hall Monday Night
September 12, 2014
District 5 Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry will hold a joint town hall meeting and Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the Walnut Hill (Ruritan) Community Center at 7850 Highway 97, just north of Ernest Ward Middle School.
Six Department Of Corrections Staff Arrested And Fired
September 12, 2014
Six Florida Department of Corrections employees have been arrested and fired for alleged wrongdoings at a Panhandle facility.
The DOC announced Thursday that five members of its staff, Sergeant William Finch, Sergeant James Perkins, Sergeant Robert Miller, Sergeant Christopher Christmas, and Sergeant Dalton Riley, were arrested by the Office of Inspector General for charges of felony battery on an inmate, and a sixth staff member, Captain James Kirkland, was arrested with additional charges of official misconduct.
The staff worked at Northwest Florida Reception Center in Chipley. All six have been dismissed from DOC as a result of their actions.
“These arrests and terminations send a very clear message: we have zero tolerance for criminal activity by our staff. I expect everyone to do what is right and I have restated my commitment to hold those who do not to meet our expectations accountable for their wrongdoing. Our staff should be held to the highest standards, and those who fail to do the right thing will no longer work for this agency. As I have emphasized to our staff in my meetings around the state, we will not let the bad actions of a few undermine our culture of professionalism and tarnish the reputations of all the hard working men and women in our department,” DOC Secretary Mike Crews said.
Crews Crews and Deputy Secretary Tim Cannon met today with the command staff at Northwest Florida Reception Center as part of Crews’ commitment to personally visit every Department of Corrections institution to emphasize his expectations for transparency, accountability and professionalism.
Reimagine Century Event Offers Free Clothes, Food And More Saturday
September 12, 2014
After months of planning, a huge event where everything is absolutely free will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in Century at Showalter Park, just off Hecker Road and Highway 29.
The one-day community outreach event known as “Reimagine Century: will offer local families in need from Century and surrounding areas the opportunity to stock up on free clothing, tons of free food, free resources and much more…with absolutely everything at the vent free. There will also be free medical screenings, free toys, free laundry detergent, a chance for numerous children to win a free bicycle, and free activities including live music and children’s events.
Saturday’s Reimagine event is supported by a $25,000 grant from State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a youth-led philanthropic program that empowers individuals of all ages to identify the issues they feel are the most important to their communities. Reimagine Pensacola, sponsored by Doers of the Word Ministry in Escambia County,will receive their check during a special presentation at noon
“It is awesome to have an organization like State Farm offer communities the opportunity to meet a real need,” said Linda English, director of Doers of the Word Ministry. “Our goal is to connect families in need with the community resources and tools that can help them break the cycle of poverty, all the while offering a day of hope and fun. An event like Reimagine provides the church community, business community, and community agencies to combine efforts to be a part of a venue that is safe, fun, and shows a particular impoverished area that there are those who care and want the best for each one who attends.”
Reimagine Century is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured bottom inset: Linda English.
Senator: Make Florida Students Pass Financial Literacy Class To Graduate
September 12, 2014
A Port Orange senator has announced that she will introduce legislation during the 2015 session that would require Florida students to take a half-credit course in financial literacy.
The proposal by Sen. Dorothy Hukill is intended to help students better manage their money and, if signed into law, would become a graduation requirement.
“Requiring a personal finance course will prepare our high school students heading to college or entering the work force with the tools and insight they need to be well-equipped to handle their personal finances,’” Hukill said in a press release. A similar effort in the 2014 session failed to advance beyond the Education Committee, where it received approval on a 6-3 vote.
by The News Service of Florida
Century Camp Fire Youth Learning Center Kids Observe 9/11
September 12, 2014
The children of the Camp Fire Century Youth Learning Center took the time to gather around their American flag to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing “God Bless America” Thursday in observance of 9/11. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Football: Wins For Tate JV, Ernest Ward Middle
September 12, 2014
The JV Tate Aggies and the Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles both recorded wins on the road Thursday night.
The junior varsity Tate Aggies beat Escambia 22-20 in a come back win at Emmitt Smith Field. The JV Aggies (2-1) will host Pine Forest September 25.
In middle school action, Ernest Ward beat the Bay Minette Middle School Tigers 38-20 in Bay Minette. Ernest Ward will be on the road again Tuesday against the Hurricanes of Flomaton. The Eagles will play their first home game on Thursday, September 25 at 6 p.m. as they host Spanish Fort.