Ribbon Cutting Set For New Head Start Program In Molino
October 6, 2014
The Community Action Program will celebrate the opening of their newest Head Start location Friday in Molino
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry will attend a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. at the Molino Community Complex at 6450 Highway 95A.
Head Start and Early Head Start Programs provide comprehensive, developmental services for low-income pre-school children ages birth to five and support services for their families. The purpose of the Head Start programs is to promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of health, educational, nutritional, social and other services. The cornerstone of the program is parent and community development.
For more information on this event or how to register your child into the Head Start program, call (850) 432-2992 or visit CAPC-Pensacola.org.
Florida Prison Boss Initiates Mental Health Reforms
October 6, 2014
Florida inmates with severe mental illnesses will have an ombudsman to represent them, and prison staff will undergo more training under the latest reforms initiated by Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Michael Crews.
Crews announced the changes, including the creation of a “mental health ombudsman” position. The ombudsman, the first in the country according to a press release issued by Crews’s office, will serve as a liaison for about 1,000 mentally ill inmates in inpatient units and will report to the department’s director of mental health services, Dean Aufderheide, who made the recommendations.
Up to 20 percent of the 100,000 inmates in Florida prisons have diagnosed mental conditions requiring treatment, Crews said in the release.
“We are committed to ensure our actions are reflective of the department’s mission to promote public safety and the safety of our staff and our inmates by providing them appropriate security, supervision, and care,” he said.
The mental-health care reforms are among a slew of initiatives launched by Crews in the wake of reports earlier this year by The Miami Herald about inmate deaths. Darren Rainey, a mentally ill inmate at Dade Correctional Institution, died in 2012 after guards allegedly forced him to stand under scalding water for hours.
On Friday, Crews also announced that the department has expanded crisis-intervention training for correctional officers to help them better understand and cope with mentally ill inmates. More than 2,700 officers have received the training so far, according to Crews.
by The News Service of Florida
Molino Program To Share Secrets Of Escambia County Ghosts
October 6, 2014
You can learn which famous downtown Pensacola building has ghosts with English accents, whose DJ booth was once a pulpit and the locations of other ghostly apparitions in Escambia County during a special “Pensacola Ghost Stories” program Tuesday night in Molino.
Pattie Krakowski, owner of Pensacola History and Hauntings, will share the results of her own local paranormal investigations during the 6 p.m. at the Molino Branch Library.
Ernest Ward Cross Country Takes On TRM Challenge (With Gallery)
October 6, 2014
The Ernest Ward Middle School Cross County team joined about 400 other runners Saturday morning at the T.R. Miller Cross Country Challenge in Brewton.
Top finishers for Ernest Ward were:
Girls
- Payton Jackson 17:01
- Addison Albritton 17:11
- Hayley Black 18:19
- Anna Sullivan 18:32
- Lexxi Baggett 19:21
Boys
- Brandon Sheldt 14:58
- Bryce Korinchak 16:43
- Keaton Brown 19:25
- Shane Hardin 19:48
- Alexander Floyd 19:58
Photos by Charity Sheldt for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tony L. Bryant
October 6, 2014
Mr. Tony L. Bryant, 63, passed away on Saturday, October 4, 2014, in Atmore.
Mr. Bryant was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore. Mr. Bryant was in the Atmore Antique Car Club and Manager of Montgomery Industrial Gasses of Brewton. His parents, Eulie and Audrey Bryant and a brother, Lynn Bryant, precede him in death.
Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Linda K. Bryant of Atmore; three sons, Chris (Missy) Bryant of East Brewton, John (Kelly) Bryant of Canton, GA, and Kevin (Michelle) Bryant of Covington, GA; three brothers, James (Carole) Bryant of Flomaton, Wayne (Ann) Bryant of Silver Springs, FL, and Jimmy (Vickie) Bryant of Russellville, AR; one sister, Darlene (Phil) Weaver of Maplesville, AL; and six grandchildren – Lexi, Joseph, Jasmine, Eli, Eason and Jerry.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Bro. John Mathis and Elder Bobby Willis officiating.
Burial will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be Monday, October 6, 2014, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Ouida Lee McCauley
October 6, 2014
Mrs. Ouida Lee McCauley, 82, passed away on Saturday, October 4, 2014 in McDavid.
Mrs. McCauley was a native of Marianna and a lifelong resident of McDavid. Her brother, Larry Lee, precedes her in death.
She is survived by her husband, Clifton McCauley of McDavid; one son, Steven (Karen) McCauley of McDavid; one daughter, Anita C. (Wayne) Godwin of McDavid; one brother, James Lee of Cottondale, FL; two grandchildren, Jonathan (Katie) Godwin and Casey Godwin; and two great-grandchildren, C.B. and Addison Godwin.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 8, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Ted Bridges officiating.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, October 8, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. until service time a 11:00 a.m.. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore
Pallbearers will be Jeff Steadham, Danny Steadham, David Steadham, Jeffery Steadham, Lee Jernigan and Jim Flannigan.
Honorary pallbearers will be Alfred Jernigan, Don Word, Barry Lee, Eddie Baker and Doug Harrison.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Man Dies After Being Hit By Santa Rosa Deputy’s Vehicle In Century
October 5, 2014
[Updated 8:15 a.m.] A Century man died early Sunday morning after being struck by a deputy’s vehicle in Century.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Deputy James L. Miller, 38, was traveling eastbound on East Highway 4 near Freedom Road in Century. He was driving a marked patrol car that was in emergency mode when the left front of his vehicle collided with an eastbound bicyclist in the center of the roadway “for unknown reasons”, according to the FHP.
The bicyclist, 26-year old Paul Martin Upton, was transported as a trauma alert by Escambia County EMS to the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and transferred to LifeFlight. Due to the patient’s condition, he was then airlifted to Jay Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
Miller’s injuries were minor; he was not transported to the hospital.
Miller was responding to an emergency call in Jay at the time of the crash, troopers said. Any charges in the crash will depend on the outcome of an ongoing Florida Highway Patrol traffic homicide investigation.
No information has been released as to why the Santa Rosa County deputy was in Escambia County prior to the crash. According to Deputy Rich Aloy, spokesperson for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, his department is unable to provide any information on the accident because the FHP is the lead investigative agency.
Any additional details will be posted as they become available.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Thousands Flock To Jay Peanut Festival (With Photo Gallery)
October 5, 2014
The weather was perfect Saturday as tens of thousands of people attended the first day of the Jay Peanut Festival at Brenda Gabbert’s 56-acre farm near Jay.
“I describe it to people as being like an old-fashioned county fair, without the carnival rides,” said Gabbert, who has coordinated the festival with her husband, Gene, for 25 years.
“It’s all about farming and rural life. That’s what we try to show people,” she said. “It’s good for the whole family. There is something for everybody. We really cater to the kids.”
About 70,000 people are expected to have attended the festival by the time it closed Sunday evening.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The festival site is a functioning farm, with 40 acres of peanuts – which is managed by a farmer who leases it from the Gabberts – and 16 acres that includes the couple’s home and a field of hay.
Their property also includes two museums – a farming museum and replica of a 1940s style John Deere dealership – as well as a fleet of restored classic tractors. All of that is incorporated into the festival.
“My husband has all of these tractors he’s restored himself,” Gabbert said. “We let other people bring their stuff if they want to show it.”
At the festival, the Jay Volunteer Fire Department has exclusive domain over the sale of boiled peanuts. The department uses the money raised to help supplement its modest public funding. Other vendors will offer green peanuts – the kind patrons take home to boil for themselves – roasted peanuts, fried peanuts, peanut brittle, baked goods with peanuts and many of the other forms the protein-packed snack can take.
The festival offers pony and horse rides, stage coach rides, hay rides, a rock climbing wall, a bungee jump, a mechanical bull, train rides and inflatable attractions.
Admission and parking at the festival are free, a point of pride for Gabbert. The festival is funded solely through vendor fees.
“We get letters from people who tell us this is the only thing they can afford to come to,” she said. “They have kids and they don’t have the money to go to things that have admission. They can come here and not spend a penny if they don’t want to.”
The Jay Peanut Festival dates to 1990 when the Gabberts started the event in memory of their daughter, Melissa, a 19-year-old who died earlier that year from cancer.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Saturday at the Jay Peanut Festival. Photos by Nikki Golden Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Great Weather Continues
October 5, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Sunday Sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Light south wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday Sunny, with a high near 85.
- Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
- Friday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
- Friday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Saturday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.
Hospice Volunteers Needed; Free Training Available
October 5, 2014
There is a shortage of hospice volunteers in the North Escambia area. Covenant Hospice will hold a new volunteer workshop at the Century Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, October 11.
Covenant Hospital volunteers help with:
- patient and family support
- honoring veterans
- children’s programs
- faith- based initiatives
- teen volunteers
- ambassadors
- fundraising and special events
- community events
- bereavement services
- Alzheimer’s family services
- administrative projects
The training will take place from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday at the chamber office, 7811 North Century Boulevard. RSVP to Sharon Oakes at (850) 380-0356.