Rain Moving In Friday
April 9, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 64. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Saturday
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 76. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 79. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 67. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 79. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Tuesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Wednesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Wednesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Thursday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Citizens Targets 45.5K Policies For ‘Takeout’
April 9, 2015
Another 45,500 policies have been approved to move to the private insurance industry from the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
The Office of Insurance Regulation this week approved the latest round of private-insurer “takeouts” by two companies — Heritage Property & Casualty and Mount Beacon. The takeouts are scheduled to occur in June.
Based upon prior takeouts, not all the targeted residential and commercial-residential policies will change hands. Policyholders are allowed to reject the takeout offers. Citizens reported that it had 631,879 policies as of January 31, a vast decline from a high of 1.5 million policies in 2012.
Freddy Leon Mooney
April 9, 2015
Freddy Leon Mooney, 83 of Oak Grove, passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2015, in Pensacola. He was retired after 40 years of service with International Paper Company. He was born in Oak Grove on April 19, 1931, to the late Everette H. and Emily Odie Godwin Mooney. He was a member of the Oak Grove Baptist Church and served in the United States Navy. He was an avid farmer and had owned and operated the Davisville Country Market.
Freddy is preceded in death by his wife of 43 years, Joan Rene’ Milstead Mooney; siblings, Margarite McNair, Junior Mooney, Clarence “Punken” Mooney, Patsy Beasley and Bill Mooney.
Survivors include a special companion of 11 years, Betty Mooney of Oak Grove; one son, Eddie (Eunice) Mooney of Oak Grove; three daughters, Teresa (the late Mike) Etheridge of Walnut Hill, Tina (Frankie) Marsh and Teelya Whitehead, all of Oak Grove; one sister, Peggy (Elvin) Pugh of Oak Grove; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Services will be Saturday, April 11, 2015, at 2 p.m. from the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Butch Brown officiating.
Interment will follow in the Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.
Active Pallbearers will be Leslie Mooney, Casey Mooney, Michael Etheridge, Jr., Harrison Whitehead, Brannon Whitehead, Bradley Whitehead and Kyle Bazzelle.
Family will receive friends, Friday, April 10, 2015, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Mattie Mae Gray
April 9, 2015
The Lord called our beloved Mattie Mae Gray home on Monday, April 6, 2015. She was born on May 3, 1928, in Atmore, to the late Walter Pierce and Arena Montgomery Pierce. On August 26, 1946, she was joined in holy matrimony to the late Willie James Gray.
At an early age, she move to Cantonment. Mattie was a faithful member of New Hope Baptist Church (currently known as Greater First Baptist Church) and later united with First Pentecostal Church of Pensacola where she remained a member until her passing. She was employed by the Escambia County Education system for 34 years as a dedicated school bus driver.
Those she leaves behind to cherish the memories and honor the life she lived include her daughter, Gladys (Joe) Floyd; two sons, Tommy (Lynn) Gray and Christopher (Tonyse) Gray; daughter-in-law Debbie Gray; sisters, Carlee Donald and Arleane Gray; and sisters-in-law, Eunice Pierce and Helen Pierce.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2015, at First Pentecostal Church with Reverend Brian Kinsey officiating.
Burial to follow in Holy Cross Cemetery in Pensacola.
Family will receive friends from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2015, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Freddie Thomas Hadley
April 9, 2015
Mr. Freddie Thomas Hadley, 78, passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in Monroeville, AL.
Mr. Hadley was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore. Mr. Hadley attended the Church of the Living God.
Survivors include his daughter, Corrie Hadley of Atmore; brother, Robert Hadley of Uriah, AL; and three grandchildren, Tyler Vickery, Loren Jordan and Anthony Jordan.
Funeral services will be Saturday, April 11, 2015, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Riley Ferney officiating.
Visitation will be Saturday, April 11, 2015, from 9 a.m. until service time at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC, is in charge of all arrangements.
Wanda Ruth Brown Biggs
April 9, 2015
Wanda Ruth Brown Biggs 90, of Bay Minette, passed away April 9, 2015, at her residence. She was born August 28, 1924, in Beaumont, TX. to the late Gane Hamilton and Libby Louise Byerly Brown. She was a member of the First Assembly of God Church in Bay Minette. She was a nurse for 26 years and worked 25 years with a print shop in Bay Minette and was currently working up until her sickness.
She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jessie L. Biggs; one son, Jessie Allen Biggs; and her siblings, Floyd Allen Brown, Alfred Brown, Keel Brown, Willard Brown, Dale Brown, Elma Hall and Grace Lanell Brown.
She is survived by her two sons, Joseph L. Biggs and John W. Biggs, both of Bay Minette; daughter, Barbara McElveen of Bay Minette; siblings, Charles (Sandra) Brown of Pensacola, Louise Byerly of Beaumont, TX, Betty Mooney of McDavid, Margaret (Allen) Jones, Patsy Morgan, Gail (Ebb) Ebbesen, all of Pensacola; Shirley Black of McDavid, Charles (Sandra) Brown, June (William) Turner and Joy (Richard) Calhoun, all of Pensacola; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, April 12, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. from the First Assembly of God Church in Bay Minette with Bro. Brian Calhoun and Bro. William Lutz officiating.
Burial will follow in Bay Minette Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Daniel Biggs, Greg Biggs, Korey Biggs, Russell Black, Donnie Bell, David Bell and Keegan Biggs.
Visitation will be held Sunday, April 12, 2015, from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. from the First Assembly of God Church in Bay Minette.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Dorothy Ann Harrison Milstead
April 9, 2015
Dorothy Ann Harrison Milstead, 61 of Atmore, passed away Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at her residence. She was born in Atmore on November 9, 1953, to the late Elzie Lee and Luverne Rutherford Harrison. She was a sales associate with Kmart. She was a fun loving, creative, with great sense of humor and a people person that truly loved the Lord. She attended Atmore First Assembly of God Church and was a huge Alabama fan.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Scott Milstead; siblings, Harold Harrison, Alice Ruth Harrison, Verna Mae Harris and Sarah Frances O’Leary.
Survivors are one daughter, Brandy Nicole (James Kevin) Dunlap of Atmore; four brothers, Earl Harrison and Robert (Faye) Harrison, both of Atmore, Donald (Barbara) Harrison of Martinville, AL and David (Vialva) Harrison of Brewton; three sisters, Mary Helen (Charlie) Jones of McCullough, Faye (Eddie) Odom of Nokomis and Kaye (Kenny) Robinson of Atmore; two grandsons, Noah Jackson Dunlap and Dylan James Dunlap; numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be Saturday, April 11,2015, at 10 a.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Earl Harrison, Bro. Robert Harrison and Bro. David Harrison officiating.
Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Matthew Robinson, Brent Culwell, Derek Smith, Billy Wayne Harrison, Eddie Dunlap and Jim Crawford.
Family will receive friends on Friday, April 10, 2015, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc is in charge of all arrangements.
John Wesley Graham
April 9, 2015
John Wesley Graham passed away on April 7, 2015, after a brief illness. He was born June 11, 1934, to the late Paul Taylor Graham and Gladys Lee Graham.
He was preceded in death by grandchildren, Margery Elizabeth Graham and John Barry Graham.
John is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary Helen Bowab Graham of Atmore; three sons, John Wesley Graham, Jr. (Jennifer), Anthony Scott Graham (Jose) and Paul Thomas Graham (Evelyn); seven grandchildren, Andrew Julian Graham, Anne Cadman Graham, Carl Thomas Graham, and Samuel Taylor Graham all of Mountain Brook, AL, and George Gonzalez Graham, Jack Martin Graham and Thomas Bowab Graham all of Atlanta, GA. He is also survived by a sister, Evelyn Graham Woodson of Magnolia Springs, AL.
An Atmore native, John graduated from Escambia County High School in 1952 and the University of Alabama in 1956 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He served in the United States Army and Army Reserves prior to embarking on a career in the construction business as owner of Graham Contractors, Inc. He retired in 2008.
A memorial service will be held at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel in Atmore on Friday, April 10, 2015, at 3 p.m. with Monsignor Timothy Deasy officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the favorite charity of the donor’s choice.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Deputy Arrested On Additional Charge
April 8, 2015
A former Escambia County senior deputy has been arrested on an additional charge.
Mark Smith was arrested last month and charged with felony sexual assault and misdemeanor battery. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that an additional victim was identified, and Smith was arrested on an additional charge of battery.
Deputy Walter Michael Thomas, Jr., was also arrested last month and charged with felony sexual assault.
Douglas Albert Manning, 47, and Leah Giannotti Manning, 40, (pictured left) were arrested and charged on outstanding warrants for sexual battery and child neglect.
The original case, investigators said, involved sexual offenses with subjects under the age of 18.
Package Thief Arrested
April 8, 2015
An Escambia County man has been charged with stealing packages from doorsteps after they were dropped off by a delivery man.
John Clifford Wilson IV was charged with grand theft and multiple burglary counts.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators obtained surveillance video from two of these thefts that showed a dark blue SUV pulling up to the residence and two males removing packages that was posted on social media. Another citizen recognized the vehicle driving through his neighborhood, captured the vehicle on video and wrote down the tag number before contacting deputies. Wilson was identified from the information and arrested
Additional arrests are expected, according to the Sheriff’s Office.