Wahoos Rally Falls Short
July 8, 2016
Pensacola Blue left fielder Phillip Ervin smacked a two-run homer in the ninth inning with no outs to pull Blue Wahoos within one run but fell short in its comeback attempt.
The Mobile BayBears held on for a, 4-3, victory Thursday over Pensacola at Hank Aaron Stadium.
The winning hit ended up being first baseman Rudy Flores two-out solo homer to right field off of Pensacola closer Carlos Gonzalez in the eighth inning that gave the BayBears a 4-1 lead.
Mobile jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning Thursday. It was the fourth game in a row that the BayBears scored first against Pensacola. In the five-game series, the BayBears led 5-0 Monday, 7-0 Tuesday and 3-0 Wednesday.
Pensacola, which scored 10 runs on 16 hits Wednesday, managed just four hits in Thursday’s game, two coming in the ninth on center fielder Jeff Gelalich’s single and Ervin’s home run.
Mobile third baseman Travis Denker walked to lead off the second inning and first baseman Rudy Flores singled to left field. Then Sal Romano struck out the next two batters. But with two outs, left fielder Chuck Taylor doubled to drive in both Denker and Flores for a 2-0 lead. BayBears pitcher Taylor Clarke then helped himself with a single to center field that scored Taylor to go up, 3-0.
Pensacola finally scored off of Mobile starter Taylor Clarke in the eighth inning to pull within, 3-1. Blue Wahoos third baseman Taylor Sparks scored on a wild pitch after striking out but reaching first when the third strike got past Mobile catcher Oscar Hernandez.
The BayBears righty, who was making his seventh start for Mobile, worked a season-high eight innings, giving up one run on two hits and struck out a season-high 10 batters. Clarke improved his record to 3-4 with a 3.80 earned-run average.
Mobile clinched the five-game series, going up 3-1. The BayBears also evened their second half record to 7-7 (39-45). Pensacola, which won the first half Southern League South Division title, fell to 5-9 (46-38) and last place in the South.
Meanwhile, Blue Wahoos starter Sal Romano pitched 6.1 innings, his longest outing since he pitched seven innings against the Birmingham Barons on May 26. He gave up three runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out seven. Romano fell to 1-10 with a 4.81 ERA on the season.
Troy Allen Presley
July 8, 2016
Troy Allen Presley, 39 of Nokomis, AL, passed away Wednesday, July 6, 2016, in Mobile. He was an electrician. He was born on March 23, 1977, to Edward and Debra Strawbridge Presley. He enjoyed Alabama football, hunting, fishing, cutting grass, and spending time with family.
He is preceded in death by his grandfather, Ronald Strawbridge; father, Edward Presley; and niece, Gabriella Casey.
Survivors include his wife, Wendy Wall Presley, mother, Debra Presley; son, Troy Edward Presley, all of Nokomis, AL; step-children, Jacob Ahern, Josh Wall, Claire (Sakair) York and Colby Burkett, all of Atmore; two sisters, Allison (Guy) Wynn and Anna Presley (Colton Casey), all of Nokomis, AL; step-grandchildren, Jebell, Jaxton and Sakair, Jr.; and many nieces, nephews, family and friends.
Services will be Sunday, July 10, 2016, at 2 p.m. from the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel, with Bro. James Hill officiating.
Interment will follow in Nokomis Baptist Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Eric Roberts, Brandon Strawbridge, Brian Strawbridge, Travis Daniel, Josh Daniel, and Olan Albritton.
Honorary pallbearers will be Stevie Carpenter, Guy Wynn, Colton Casey, and Walt Maddox.
Family will receive friends Sunday, July 10, 2016, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 1 p.m. until service time at 2 p.m.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Escambia School District Support Services Job Fair Today
July 8, 2016
The Escambia County School District is partnering with CareerSource ESCAROSA to hold a Support Services Job Fair today until 1:00 p.m. in the J.E. Hall Center in Room 160.
Departments represented will include: Food Services, Maintenance Service, Custodial Services, Instructional Technology (IT), and Exceptional Student Education. The Transportation Department will also be represented for those interested in discussing a new career as a bus driver or for diesel mechanics.
Positions available are both full-time and part-time and can be anywhere in Escambia County.
Those offered positions will go through a background check (fingerprinting) and a drug test. All full-time positions also require passing a tobacco/nicotine screening. Those interested should bring copies of their resume and be prepared to meet possible future employers.
CareerSource ESCAROSA staff members will also be on hand to help interested parties find assistance with career hunting steps (ex. Access to help with resumes and interview skills as well as help with the finances involved in applying for positions, such as the cost of fingerprints or a specific license). So, if you have questions about job hunting, bring them with you as well.
The Escambia County School District is the second largest employer in the county.
Franklin Leroy Peebles
July 8, 2016
Mr. Franklin Leroy Peebles, 75, passed away on Sunday, July 3, 2016, in Bratt.
Mr. Peebles was a native and lifelong resident of Bratt. Mr. Peebles was a past head Deacon. He was well known in Escambia County Alabama and Florida for his painting and he was a member of the Bratt Assembly of God. He is preceded in death by his parents, Gip and Ola Peebles; three brothers, Silas Peebles, Wilburn Peebles and Henry Peebles; and two sisters, Irene Godwin and Katherine Stewart.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Bonnie Peebles of Bratt; three sons, Tony (Rhonda) Peebles of Robinsonville, Darin Peebles of Bratt, and Phillip (Cynthia) Peebles of Red Level, AL; four brothers, Vernon Peebles of Cantonment, Paul Peebles of Cantonment, Lester Peebles of Lottie, and Raymond Peebles of Christian Home; two sisters, Nancy Luverne Diamond of Wawbeek and Ruth Elaine Spender of Sharon, MA; one grandson, Justin Peebles; three granddaughters, Nastasha, Ashley and Kayley Peebles; and one great-grandson, Colton Peebles.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 9, 2016, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Rick McHarry and Rev. Ronald Hall officiating.
Burial will follow at the Godwin Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Willie Peebles, Keith Peebles, Jason Peebles, Justin Peebles, Paul Spender and Rick Pickard.
Honorary pallbearers will be Randal Hollingshead, Shannon Peebles, Anthony Peebles, Lamont Godwin, Paul Lee and Jim Riggs.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Teen Injured In Hwy 29, Barrineau Park Road Crash
July 7, 2016
One juvenile was injured and four other people uninjured in a two vehicle crash Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Highway 29 and Barrineau Park Road.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 93-year old Jess W. Milstid of Cantonment was northbound in the left turn lane of Highway 29 when he turned his 1999 Ford F150 into the path of a southbound Toyota Corolla driven by 15-year old Madelyn Lathan of Molino. Lathan, her front seat passenger 45-year old Amy Lathan, and 15-year old passenger Mallory Lanthan were not injured. A fourth passenger in the Corolla, 15-year old Morgan Lathan, was extricated by firefighters before being transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries.
Milstid, who was not injured, was cited for turning left in front of approaching traffic.
The Molino and Cantonment Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Arrest Warrant Issued For Cantonment Hit And Run Driver, Vehicle Owner Arrested
July 7, 2016
UPDATED: This story was updated 8:30 a.m. on 7/8/2016 to reflect the arrest of the vehicle owner.
An arrest warrant is outstanding for a Cantonment man involved in a May 31 hit and run crash in Cantonment, and the vehicle’s owner has now been arrested.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 25-year old Colby Chase Myrick was traveling northbound on Wegner Avenue approaching Mintz Lane when he failed to stop at a yield sign and struck a Toyota Avalon driven by 71-year old Elizabeth Harris of Cantonment.
The Toyota left the roadway and struck a concrete table and landscaping at 302 Wegner Avenue, while Myrick fled fled the scene in the Dodge Ram northbound on Wegner Avenue. Harris and her six-year old passenger suffered minor injuries.
Over two weeks later, the Dodge Ram was located on Well Line Road and positively identified as the vehicle involved in the crash.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Myrick for leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, driving while license revoked habitual, reckless driving with injuries, driving while license expired more than six months and tampering with evidence. He also faces a citation for failure to report a crash and failure to provide insurance in a crash.
The owner of the Dodge Ram, 32-year old Priscilla Kaye Plott, was arrested for permitting an unauthorized person to drive. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
Anyone with information on the thee whereabouts of Myrick is asked to call *FHP from a cell phone or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
The 1996 Dodge Ram driven by Myrick was identified by a piece of the front grill left behind at the crash scene with a chrome skull with two guns mounted to the front.
Pictured inset: Wanted suspect Colby Chase Myrick in a January 2016 mugshot. Vehicle photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Gets 15 Years For Tree Branch Beating
July 7, 2016
A Milton man has been sentenced to prison for beating another man with a tree branch in Escambia County.
Circuit Judge Jennie Kinsey sentenced Terrance Leroy McCrea to 15 years after a jury convicted him of aggravate battery with a deadly weapon.
On May 5, 2015, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Circle K on Pace Boulevard where they found a man on the ground covered in blood. McCrea was located at the scene with a four-foot tree branch and made incriminating statements to deputies.
Deputies spoke with a witness who observed McCrea attack the victim without provocation and strike him numerous times with the branch. EMS responded and transported the victim to the hospital where he remained for a week before being released.
ECUA’s Composting Program Wins National Award
July 7, 2016
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) announces that Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) has been named the winner of the 2016 SWANA Gold Excellence Award in the composting category.
ECUA is taking home the Gold trophy for its entry, “Emerald Coast Utilities Authority Biosolids Composting Facility.” The award will be presented during an August conference in Indiana.
“ECUA is utilizing yard trash and biosolids to create an environmentally beneficial compost. This eliminates the need to landfill yard trash and biosolids and provides a valuable compost resource to residents and businesses in the ECUA service area,” said Randy Rudd, ECUA deputy executive director.
ECUA began offering garbage and yard waste sanitation collection in Escambia County in 1992. Curbside recycling service was introduced in January 2009, and in 2015, the Biosolids Composting Facility (BCF) opened. The BCF composts weekly about 400 tons of biosolids (about half of ECUA’s biosolids) and 500 tons of yard waste and will produce approximately 15,000 tons of finished compost annually. Plans are underway to double its capacity. ECUA is using the Modified Static Aerobic Pile method.
Emerald Coast bloom, “The Most in Bio-Compost,” is certified under the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance program, a nationally recognized compost testing program.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Summer Reading Program Brings ‘Wizard Of Oz’ To The Library
July 7, 2016
The Summer Reading Program is continuing at local West Florida Library branches. Wednesday, the Hampstead Stage Company presented their adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz” at the Century Branch Library. The program was also presented Thursday morning at the Molino Branch Library.
The Summer Reading Program will feature a reptile program next week: Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Southwest Branch Library; Wednesday at 11 am. at the Century Branch Library; Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Main Library; Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Molino Branch Library; and Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Tryon Branch Library.
Photos by August Whorff for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Latest Evers Giveaway: A Chance To Shoot Machine Guns
July 7, 2016
State Sen. Greg Evers, running in a crowded Republican primary for a Northwest Florida congressional seat, will hold a fund-raising event where donors can pay up to $2,700 for a chance to shoot a variety of military-style machine guns. Evers, a Baker Republican, will also give a prize to the shooter who “kills” Osama Bin Laden, a news release said.
Evers drew heat last month over his decision to give away an AR-15 assault rifle, similar to a gun used in the Orlando nightclub attack that left 49 people dead and dozens more injured.
“Since some folks don’t understand the difference between an AR-15 and a real assault rifle capable of automatic fire, we’re going to show them,” Evers said. “I think people will get a big kick out of seeing what a real assault rifle can do, and they’ll have even more fun shooting up simulated terrorists.”
Evers, who frequently sponsored National Rifle Association-backed legislation in the Legislature, will hold the event at the Pensacola Indoor Shooting Range on July 23. The event will feature six fully automatic machine guns, including two military-grade M-16 assault rifles and four varieties of submachine guns. According to the press release, the weapons are “extremely restricted,” but it is legal to fire them on a supervised gun range.
Evers is among the candidates in Congressional District 1, which became open when longtime U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller announced he would not seek re-election this year.
by The News Service of Florida