Century Long Term Tornado Recovery Meeting Set For Today
April 6, 2016
A Century Long-Term Tornado Recovery meeting will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Century Community Center on West Highway 4.
The planning meeting will bring together community members and concerned citizens to formulate a plan to help tornado victims in the long term.
This meeting is for those wishing to help in the recovery effort, not for those needing assistance to apply for any services.
For more information, call Pastor Janet Lee at (850) 256-3503.
Flomaton Mourns Loss Of High School Student In Wreck
April 6, 2016
The Flomaton community is in mourning today following the loss of a local high school student.
Flomaton High School junior Courtney Pridgen passed away Tuesday evening as the result of a traffic crash Tuesday afternoon in Brewton.
Pridgen, 17, was airlifted to the USA Medical Center in Mobile following the 1:30 p.m. crash on Highway 31 near the Southern Pine Electric Cooperative in Brewton. One other person was injured and transported to a Brewton Hospital.
The accident remains under investigation by the Brewton Police Department. They have not yet released any details on the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Flomaton High School was expected to make grief counseling available to students on Wednesday.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Slight Chance Of Rain Tonight
April 6, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west after midnight.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 73. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 71. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 71.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 75.
Power Substation Fire Damage Was Extensive; Repairs To Take Weeks
April 6, 2016
Fire damage to a power substation that serves the Jay area was extensive, Escambia River Electric Cooperative said Tuesday.
A regulator and circuit breakers failed Sunday morning, creating an arc which spread to other equipment causing the fire and power outage for about 2,500 customers. So far, technicians have not been able to determine which piece of equipment failed first and caused the chain reaction.
“The equipment was damaged to the point that it may be impossible to tell which piece of equipment failed first,” Sabrina Owens, marketing manager for EREC said Tuesday.
So far, there is no dollar figure estimate on the amount of damage to the substation owned by PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, which is EREC’s generation and transmission facility. PowerSouth brought in a mobile substation which they installed Sunday along with EREC line crews, restoring power by 5:45 p.m. Sunday. the mobile unit will remain in place until the permanent substation has been repaired, which may take up to six weeks because of the extensive damage.
“Our members will incur no extra cost because of this event. Response to events such as this is part of the business of power delivery to our system,” Owens said. “The mobile substation is fully capable of providing the same reliable electric service to our members as the permanent Jay substation.”
Pictured top: This mobile substation is now providing power to about 2,500 EREC customers in the Jay area following a Sunday morning substation fire, pictured below. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Below: Another photo of the mobile substation:
Northview Beats Jay; Tate Tops West Florida; NHS Softball Rounds Out Season
April 6, 2016
Northview 8, Jay 4
The Northview Chiefs defeated the Jay Royals Tuesday night by a score of 8-4.
The Royals struck first with two runs in the second inning. Northview battled back with a run in the fourth inning and a run in the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2. The Chiefs exploded for five runs in the sixth inning to take a 7-2 lead, but Jay tacked on two in the bottom half of the sixth for a 7-4 game heading into the final inning, where Northview added one more insurance run for the 8-4 victory.
Leading hitters for the Chiefs were Thomas Moore (3-3, RBI); Jared Aliff (2-4, 2B, RBI); Seth Killam (2-3, 2 runs); Quentin Sampson (1-4, 2 RBI, SB, run); Roman Manning (1-4, 2 RBI); Josh Neese (1-2); Zach Payne (1-4, 2B, RBI); Jacob Dunsford (1-3, run). Luke Ward scored two runs for the Chiefs, while Devin Stabler and M.J. Jones each added one run.
Josh Neese earned the win in relief for Northview, throwing 5 1/3 innings, giving up two unearned runs on only one hit with two strikeouts. Daniel Mascaro pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on one hit and three strikeouts. The duo combined to only allow two hits all night.
Logan Dobson was the losing pitcher for Jay, throwing six innings, giving up seven runs on 11 hits while striking out two batters. Brandon Covan (1-3, run) and Connor Moye (1-4) recorded the only hits for the Royals.
With the win, Northview improves to 6-8 overall and 3-6 in district, while Jay falls to 5-11 and 3-6 in district. Northview plays Wednesday night at home aganst Corbin (KY) High School.
Tate 3, West Florida
The Tate Aggies beat the West Florida Jaguars Tuesday 3-1 .
Hunter Nesmith was 2-3 with a double in the second inning and a single in the fourth as Tate earned the win at home.
Madison Lockman earned the win in relief for the Aggies with two innings on the mound with no runs and striking out two. Trace Penton pitched two for the Aggies, allowing one run and walking one. Jake Davis also pitched two for Tate, striking out three with no hits, no runs and no errors. Logan McGuffey pitched one inning for Tate, striking out three with no hits, no runs and no errors.
The Tate Aggies scored one in the second inning, matching West Florida’s lone score. Josh Kea hit a sacrifice fly for the score. In the fourth inning, Tate scored a couple on a two-run single from Mason Land.
SOFTBALL
Gulf Breeze 10, Northview:
The Northview Lady Chiefs lost their final game of the Regular season at the Gulf Breeze Dolphins 10-4.
Tori Herrington took the loss in 6 innings while striking out 4, walking 2, allowing 8 hits, 10 runs and 7 earned runs.
Batting for the Lady Chiefs were Hannah Ging: 1-2 with a walk and 2 runs. Tori Herrington: 1-2 with 2 walks and 2 runs. Aubree Love: 1-4 with 3 RBI’s, Jamia Newton: 1-4. Kendall Enfinger 1-4.
The Chiefs will begin the district tournament Monday at Northview. Opponent and time TBD.
Molino Program To Discuss Historic Uses For Farm Feed Sacks
April 6, 2016
The West Florida Public Libraries and the Molino Mid-County Historical Society will present a program on the farm feed sack and its many diverse uses Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Molino Community Complex.
Coletta Stejskal Bailey, textile coordinator at the Baldwin County Heritage Museum, will discuss the cotton bag’s origin from the late 1840’s to its impact during the Depression and World War II.
This event is being held in conjunction with “The Way We Worked,” a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition on display until April 30 at the Lillian F. King Museum, located in the Molino Community Complex. Viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekly, closed Sundays, and open during the feed sack presentation from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
“The Way We Worked” has been made possible in Molino by the Florida Humanities Council. “The Way We Worked”, an exhibition created by the National Archives, is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and State Humanities Councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.
Pictured: Feed sack clothing in the 1930’s in Florida. Courtesy State Archives of Florida.
Prosecutor: ‘We Need To Talk About Demand’ To Curb Human Trafficking
April 6, 2016
A Washington state prosecutor told a Florida panel charged with fighting human trafficking that it must crack down on men who seek to buy sex from prostitutes.
Val Richey, a senior prosecutor in King County, Wash., told the legislative committee of the Florida Statewide Council on Human Trafficking that his jurisdiction — which includes Seattle — vigorously prosecutes buyers and pimps.
“How do you expect to uproot a tree when all you’re doing is ripping at the leaves?” Richey, appearing by video, asked the panel. “If we really want to end commercial exploitation, then we need to talk about demand.”
The prosecutor said his office had changed its approach to sex trafficking after studying the characteristics of pimps, buyers and victims in King County, which has a population of about 2 million.
The buyers were overwhelmingly white — 79 percent — and upper class, Richey said. The victims were overwhelmingly poor and members of a minority, and many lived on the street. Many had been sexually abused before they were trafficked. Many had mental illnesses.
“This crime just disproportionately hammers these vulnerable communities,” Richey said.
But prosecutors also found that prostitutes were being arrested at 25 or 50 times the rate of buyers. That raised ethical and moral questions, Richey said — and it also didn’t work.
“I don’t know anybody, anywhere in the country, who feels that they have a grip on the problem of trafficking,” he said. “We’re all doing our best, we’re all coming up with innovative responses — but nobody’s got it under control.”
Richey said the demand is vast, with tens of thousands of men buying sex and 100 websites selling it in his jurisdiction alone. Prosecutors quickly found that taking pimps off the streets didn’t affect demand.
“Traffickers, like drug dealers, are not deterred by other traffickers getting prosecuted,” Richey said. “They’re enabled. And that really taught us something about what our focus needed to be. And that, namely, was the buyer.”
In 2015, no King County juveniles were arrested for prostitution, down from 50 in 2009. But during that time, 140 men who bought sex from minors were prosecuted.
Buyers who are sentenced in King County must participate in a 10-week program called “Stopping Sexual Exploitation.” They have to pay for it, Richey said, and the money goes straight to victim services.
Additionally, men in the program learn about the high rate of violence against prostitutes by buyers, not just pimps and traffickers. Richey said 73 percent of prostitutes in his jurisdiction had been physically assaulted, 64 percent to 83 percent had been threatened with weapons, and 53 percent to 62 percent had been raped. Nearly 80 percent want out of the life.
Richey also noted that the peak time for buyers to solicit sex is 2 p.m. — usually from work, setting up dates for after work. Some even have sex on the grounds of their workplace. That’s why 18 King County businesses with 125,000 employees are collaborating with prosecutors in cracking down on buyers of sex.
“They do not want the liability,” Richey said. “They do not want the loss of productivity.”
After Richey’s presentation, Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Mike Carroll said it was the most comprehensive he’d ever seen on the subject.
“We’ve got to get upstream on the demand for this,” he said.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Waylin Daryl Mothershed
April 6, 2016
Mr. Waylin Daryl Mothershed, 45, passed away on Friday, April 1, 2016, in Atmore.
Mr. Mothershed was a native of LaGrange, GA and a resident of Atmore for the past 30 years. He attended the Peterman Baptist Church. He is preceded in death by his biological parents, W.D. Mothershed and Judy Laney; and his adoptive parent, Carl Mothershed.
He is survived by his mother, Ruth Mothershed of Atmore; wife, Jennifer Mothershed of Atmore; two sons, Matthew (Brittney) Mothershed of Atmore and Justin Mothershed of Seattle, WA; one step-son, Grant Everette of Montgomery; two daughters, Katlin Stabler and Breann Rolin, both of Atmore; one sister, Tina (James) House of Atmore; three grandchildren, Noah, Braylee and Evan; one niece, Kaja House; and one nephew, Trevor Lowry.
Funeral services will be held Friday, April 8, 2016, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Don Davis officiating.
Burial will be at the Mothershed Cemetery.
Visitation will be Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Tommy Rolin, Jason Johnson, Bubba Jeter, Wesley Chunn, Paul Fralick and Jay Drew.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Doyle H. Simmons
April 6, 2016
Doyle H. Simmons Sr., 77, passed away, Sunday April 3, 2016, in his home surrounded by his family after a long fight with Alzheimer’s disease. Doyle was born March 28, 1939, in Gadsden, Alabama to Benjamin and Fannie Mae Simmons. He was married to the love of his life, Jacqueline R. Crenshaw for 60 years. He served his country in the United States Air Force for over 20 years and retired in Fort Walton Beach where he then started a new chapter as a firefighter and EMT at the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department. Doyle returned to school, graduating with honors from Troy State University on June 8, 1984, majoring in fire science. He retired as a Captain and moved to Pensacola to be near his family.
Doyle was a man that lived his life for his family. His hobby was playing and teaching his children and grandchildren about life. He gave them the most precious thing in life, his time. He would never fail to be the first to volunteer to help you if you needed him.
He was preceded by death by his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline and his two children, Doyle Simmons Jr. (Donna) and Angela Wilcox (Mike); six grandchildren, Keith Simmons (Crystal), Jennifer Simmons, Christopher Rawson (Melissa), Kayla Bodree (Dakota), M.T. Wilcox, Kristi Wilcox; and 10 great-grandchildren, Gary, Carter, Emry, McKenna, Bryant, Jolie, Blakely, Hadley, Kamden, Braxton. He is also survived by his brother and sisters, Doris Cox, Carol Banks (Parks), Steve Simmons (Deborah), Jean Byers; and 13 nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at Hillcrest Baptist Church, Nine Mile Road on April 7, 2016. Visitation begins at 9:30 a.m. followed by the service at 10:30 a.m.
The Fort Walton Beach Fire Department Honor Guard will be honoring Capt. Simmons during the service and the procession to Barrancas National Cemetery where the United States Air Force will take over and provide burial with full military honors.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to Covenant Hospice, who were incredible to our family and the Alzheimer’s Association. (http://act.alz.org/goto/ironbugman)
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Carolyn G. Parks
April 6, 2016
Carolyn G. Parks passed away peacefully on April 3, 2016, at West Florida Covenant Hospice. She was born on October 18, 1943, in Florence, SC. She was the daughter of John Alonzo and Gladys McGill. Carolyn was known by many different names such as Jo and Red, but her favorite was Mimi because the love for her grandchildren was immense.
She is proceeded in death by her parents; husband, Kenneth Parks; brothers, Lonnie and Richard McGill.
She is survived by her son, Michael Parks; daughter, Tammy (Glenn) Welford; grandchildren, Devic, Dustin (Samantha) and Chelsi; sister, Barbara Wave; brother, Frankie McGill and Donnie Roy (Barbara) McGill; and many nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Devic Welford, Dustin Welford, Shane Wave, Grady Sowards, Greg Parks and Marvis Boswell.
Visitation will be Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North.
Funeral services will be held Friday, April 8, 2016, at 9 a.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North.
Interment will be at Barrancas National Cemetery.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.