Annie Edna Tillery
January 9, 2015
Annie Edna Tillery, 91 of Atmore, passed away Thursday, January 8, 2015, in Atmore. She was retired from Vainty Fair Mills as a seamstress. She was born in Garland, AL on May 2, 1923, to the late Nathan Taylor and Mandy Lou Ather Gilmore Sirmon. She was a charter member of McRae United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Tillery was preceded in death by her husband, William “Bill” Tillery and daughter, Jean Tillery.
Survivors include three sons, William Lamar (Elise Mae) Tillery of Magnolia Springs, AL, David (Judy) Tillery of Atmore and Fredrick Taylor Tillery of Stockton; three daughters, Jane (James) Gulsby of Seminole, AL, Debbie (Van) Woods of Atmore, and Pam (Jeff) Rehorn of Fairhope; 16 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be Sunday, January 11, 2015, at 2 p.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Bill Hodges officiating.
Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Randy Melvin, Rodney Melvin, Lamer Tillery, David Tillery, Daniel Tillery, Christopher Woods, John Rehorn, Nicholas Rehorn and Patrick Woods.
Family will receive friends, Sunday, January 11, 2015, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 1 p.m. until service time.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Betty Faye Crawley Stuckey
January 9, 2015
Mrs. Betty Faye Crawley Stuckey, age 82 of Century, passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2015, at Century Health and Rehabilitation Center.
Mrs. Stuckey was born in Century and was a lifetime resident of the community where she was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church of Century. She was preceded in death by her parents, J.B. and Irene Findley Crawley, Sr.; daughter, Sandy Stuckey; brothers, Bill Crawley and J.B. Crawley, Jr.; sisters, Wileen Taylor and Ruby Jewel Yaden.
She is survived by her husband, Mr. Orria Stuckey of Century; sons, Kenny (Dinell) Stuckey of Bratt and Larry (Cindy) Stuckey of Byrneville; daughters, Judy Howell of Byrneville and Nan (Johnny) Odom of Flomaton; 14 grandchildren, 38 great grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2015, at Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel at 10 a.m. with Bro. Bill Stuckey officiating.
Interment will follow in Byrneville United Methodist Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Will Stuckey, Clay Stuckey, Sam Pierce, Bryan Pierce, Yancy Odom and Cody Nall.
Flomaton Funeral Home directing.
No Injuries In Kingsfield Train Versus Car Crash
January 8, 2015
There were no injuries in a collision between a train and passenger car Thursday afternoon in Cantonment.
About 1:30 p.m., a CSX engineer reported that his train had struck an occupied vehicle at the East Kingsfield Road crossing at Highway 95A. Ryan Collier, age 22 of Pensacola, had stopped his 2013 Dodge Avenger in traffic on East Kingsfield while waiting for the red traffic light at Highway 95A. The Dodge was not on the railroad crossing, but it was not fully clear from the path of the northbound CSX train, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The train clipped the back bumper of the vehicle, causing relatively minor damage to the Dodge. Collier continued to a nearby parking lot. He was not injured.
Any charges in the crash are pending, according to the FHP. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Escambia County EMS, and the Cantonment and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos (above) by Kristi Price and (below) by Heather Murphy, click to enlarge.
Three Injured In Highway 29 Crash In Molino
January 8, 2015
Three people were injured in a two-vehicle rear-end type collision Thursday afternoon in Molino.
The accident happened about 12:30 on Highway 29 near Duxbury Avenue. The driver of a pickup truck apparently rear-ended a SUV in the southbound lane of Highway 29. The pickup truck then left the roadway and came to rest in an open area off the highway.
The injured were transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola with injuries that were not considered life threatening.
Further details have not yet been released by the Florida Highway Patrol as they continue their investigation. The Molino and Cantonment Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Photos: Icy Morning
January 8, 2015
It was cold, and in some instances, icy Thursday morning in North Escambia. On Highway 168, these trees were iced over using a sprinkler.
Do you have icy or cold photos to share? Email news@northescambia.com
Photos submitted by Terry Emmons for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Shed, Fence
January 8, 2015
Fire destroyed a detached shed and a privacy fence Thursday morning. The fire was reported about 9:25 in the 500 block of Templehill Street, near the intersection of East Kingfield and Chemstrand roads. There were no injuries and no damage to any adjacent homes reported. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Traffic: Expect Delays Today On Highway 29 Near McDavid
January 8, 2015
Drivers on Highway 29 south of McDavid can expect delays today.
There will be intermittent land restrictions from 9 a.m. until noon as crews perform joint repair work on a bridge over Pine Barren Creek, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Cold Continues: Low 20’s Tonight
January 8, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday A 20 percent chance of rain after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. North wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 314. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. East wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night A 40 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 47. East wind around 5 mph.
- Monday A 50 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 62.
- Monday Night A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.
- Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63.
- Tuesday Night A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.
- Wednesday A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59.
Winning $57K Fantasy Five Ticket Sold In North Escambia
January 8, 2015
Someone is almost $57,000 richer this morning after purchasing a winning Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 ticket in Davisville.
The ticket sold at the Grey Goose Liquors, 11330 Highway 97, was one of four winning tickets sold for Wednesday night’s drawing worth $56,900.34. Other winning tickets matching all five numbers were sold in Jacksonville and Miami.
The 265 tickets matching four numbers won $138.50 each. Another 8,473 tickets matching three numbers are worth $12 each, and 87,204 ticket holders won a free Quick Pick ticket for picking two numbers.
Wednesday’s winning numbers were 15-20-28-32-34.
Senate Looks To Cut Back On Test Taking In Florida Schools
January 8, 2015
With parents complaining about a glut of tests in public schools and the Florida Department of Education investigating how much time students spend on exams, senators appear ready to refocus how the state assesses learning gains.
After members of the Senate Education PreK-12 Committee spent about an hour Wednesday hearing from and grilling Education Commissioner Pam Stewart about tests, the panel’s chairman said legislation addressing the issue was likely during the Legislature’s spring session.
“I’ve got a message very clearly from our members that they’re interested in doing something,” said Chairman John Legg, R-Lutz.
But as for the details of the would-be bill, Legg conceded that “I don’t know what it looks like yet.” Issues that might be addressed range from which grades of students should be tested, to how many tests should be administered, to whether “assessments” required by the state necessarily have to be tests at all.
Even lawmakers who spearheaded the state’s accountability movement, which led to many of the testing requirements now on the books, are beginning to rethink things.
“Here’s what I’ve learned today: We don’t know how much time is consumed by state-mandated tests. We don’t know how much money it costs to perform state-mandated tests. We don’t know whether tests that are performed by state mandate are valid and reliable,” said Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who has long backed education reform. ” … That troubles me as someone who believes in measurement and believes in accountability.”
Gaetz, a former Okaloosa County schools superintendent, referred to statements by an organization founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush — the father of Florida’s school accountability system — that Florida needs “fewer tests” and “better tests” as it moves forward.
“Given the things that we don’t know, and the time that’s overtaken us, are we headed in the direction of fewer tests and better tests, and if so, when will we get there?” he asked.
“In order to have fewer tests, it will take legislative change,” Stewart responded.
According to the Department of Education, the number of hours students will spend on the state’s main tests in many grades in 2014-15 is actually lower than the number of hours students faced seven years ago. But testing time this school year will be longer than in 2013-14, by more than two hours in several cases.
And that doesn’t include other assessments required by the state that are administrated by districts. Stewart has asked districts for information on those tests and plans to report her findings to lawmakers before the legislative session begins in March.
Meanwhile, some legislators are saying they should look at themselves when trying to determine who is responsible for the number of tests Florida students take.
“We passed all these laws, and then we call you in to yell at you,” Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, told Stewart.”I mean, it’s almost ludicrous.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida