World Renew Assessment Team Visits Century Tornado Zone
August 4, 2016
On Wednesday, a reconstruction assessment team from World Renew toured facilities capable of housing teams of up to 20 skilled reconstruction volunteers in Century.
The World Renew regional managers, project managers and construction managers began their assessment with a tour led by Mayor Freddie McCall. The outcome of the assessment could lead to a commitment by World Renew to deploy volunteer teams by fall to support recovery assistance to low income survivor families in Century and North Escambia with the assistance of the Escambia Long Term Recovery Group, with coordination by BRACE.
World Renew is a member of the National Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster and widely recognized for its efforts to assist survivors following disaster. Services of World Renew include disaster response, needs assessment, reconstruction assessments and recovery reconstruction. The organization establishes up to five reconstruction sites simultaneously to support communities recovering from disaster. World Renew reconstruction sites are typically established for a year or longer hosting volunteers with teams rotating every three weeks.
Greg Strader, executive director for BRACE said, “the Escambia Long Term Recovery Group is thrilled that World Renew is considering our request that it establish a reconstruction site in Century”. World Renew partnered with BRACE and the Escambia Long Term Recovery Group to assist 113 low income homeowners in their recovery following the 2014 flood that impacted over 10,000 families in Escambia County.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Eugene Jacob Smith
August 4, 2016
Eugene Jacob “Jake” Smith was born to the late Ike and Rhoda Unruh Smith on January 19, 1922, in Copeland, Kansas. He went to his eternal home on July 29, 2016, at the Atmore Nursing Center, his earthly home for the last year and two months, reaching 94 years of age. His passing was quiet and peaceful with his wife and family surrounding him. He was very clear in his mind to the end, responding to his son, Larry, when he arrived from Arizona as though he was waiting for him, and then within minutes, quietly slipped away. He was a member of the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church. He was a farmer, hard worker, talented carpenter and assisted in building many of the homes and dairy barns.
He was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law; one son-in-law, Kale Schneider; one grandson; two great-grandsons; one brother; three brothers-in-law; and four sisters-in-law.
He leaves to mourn his loving wife of 74 years, Eunice Eicher Smith of Brooksville, MS as they were married on June 14, 1942 in Summerdale, AL; one son, Larry (Karen) Smith of Surprise, Arizona; three daughters, Donna Schneider of Bratt, Patricia (Mark) Johnson and Marilyn (Royce) Schneider, all of Walnut Hill; 17 grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren; four brothers-in-law, Ward and Dolly Eicher, Willie and Lois Eicher , Wallace and Judy Eicher and Wendell and Mary Eicher; two sisters-in-law, Althea Dyck, and Imo and Wilbert Peters as well as many nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.
Services were held Wednesday, August 3, 2016, from the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church with ministers, Carlos Koehn, Mike Koehn, Wilbert Peters, and Galen Harms officiating.
Interment was in Walnut Hill Memorial Gardens.
Active pallbearers were Ronnie Schneider, Anthony Schneider, Clifton Smith, Mervin Smith, Perry Schneider, and Greg Schneider.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Roy Darby
August 4, 2016
Mr. Roy “Wine” Darby, 73, passed away on Saturday, July 30, 2016, in McDavid.
Mr. Darby was a native of Pensacola and a resident of McDavid for most of his life. Mr. Roy was an avid fisherman and hunter. He was a member of the Bratt First Baptist Church. He is preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Darby.
He is survived by fiancée, Beverly (B.K.) Williams; one son, Roy Bryan (Butch) and Pamala Darby; two daughters, Barbeline McCaw and Vicki Darby; one brother, Tommy Darby; one sister, Elaine Darby; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Thursday, August 4, 2016, at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Delbert Redditt officiating.
Burial was at the Crary Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Richard McCaw, Kevin Williams, Ed Gilman, Buddy Trawick, Terry Bryan and Romeo Coleman.
Honorary pallbearers will be the Senior Adult Men’s class.
In lieu of flowers memorials maybe made to the Bratt First Baptist Church or the American Heart Association.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Wahoos Loads Bases In Ninth But Drop 3-2 To Mississippi
August 4, 2016
One thing about the Pensacola Blue Wahoos this season, you can never count them out until the very last out.
Mississippi reliever David Peterson loaded the bases by walking three Blue Wahoos with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning but allowed just one run to give the Braves a 3-2 victory Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The teams are tied, 2-2, headed into the final game of the five-game series Thursday.
In all, Mississippi’s four pitchers walked nine batters and lead all of Double-A with 437 walks but Pensacola, which added two hits, failed to capitalize.
“Without getting any hits it’s tough to take advantage of nine walks,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly, whose team has a franchise record 10 walk-offs this season.
Pensacola and Mississippi are 1, 2 with the best earned-run averages in the Southern League at 3.17 and 3.21, respectively.
The Mississippi Braves twice threatened to go ahead and both times Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Sal Romano thwarted them.
However, Mississippi’s best pinch hitter Levi Hyams delivered a two-out, two-run triple on a fly ball in the right center gap off of Pensacola reliever Carlos Gonzalez in the seventh inning to put the Braves up, 2-1. Hyams is 5-12 as a pinch hitter this year and 2-2 in this series.
Romano came out with a cramp in his right hamstring in the top of the seventh after allowing a single to Mississippi first baseman Carlos Franco and getting ahead on the count 0-2 against Braves right fielder Joey Meneses.
Franco’s run counted against Romano. It was the first earned run off of the big righty in his last four starts going back to July 17 against the Jacksonville Suns. Romano has allowed one unearned run in 22.2 innings.
The No. 17 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization turned in six innings, giving up one run on six hits, walking none and striking out six. He retook the Southern League lead in strike outs with 112 on the season. After starting the season 1-10, Romano has won three of his last five starts by pitching inside more effectively and relaxing before the game, Kelly said.
“I have a sour taste in my mouth that I didn’t get the win,” Romano said. “All of our starters are in a really good groove right now.”
Pensacola’s Romano was coming off his best game of the 2016 season when he threw 6.2 perfect innings the Montgomery Biscuits. He ended up throwing seven scoreless innings with one hit and seven strikeouts.
“It was nice. I got to dwell on it one day,” Romano said. “Then I had to pitch in the bullpen and get ready for this start. You can’t have that kind of outing every day.”
The Blue Wahoos scored its first run in second inning when Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej singled sharply back up the middle to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo got the other hit for Pensacola when he doubled in the sixth.
Vincej went to third when Mississippi pitcher Lucas Sims threw the ball past the first baseman on a pickoff attempt and it rolled into the bullpen. Pensacola third baseman Taylor Sparks then hit a fly ball to the warning track in right field to score Vincej easily.
Pensacola clung to that 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Mississippi threatened to score with base runners on second and third with one out. Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson reached third base on left fielder Dustin Peterson’s Southern League-leading 34th double.
But Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo leaped to his right to catch a rocket off of the bat of the Braves Franco. Pensacola’s Romano then struck out Joey Meneses looking and pumped his fist as he walked to the dugout.
Again in the fifth inning, Mississippi third baseman Johan Camargo doubled off the left center wall and reached third with two out. And again, Romano ended the inning by striking out Mississippi second baseman Ozzie Albies — who is ranked No. 18 in MLB.com’s Top 100 and who has reached base in 37 straight games.
Mississippi added another run when center fielder Connor Lien hit his third homer this series and fourth home run in seven games, drilling the ball just right of center field. Lien now has five homers on the year and 11 RBIs in 34 games.
Groundbreaking Held For New Splash Pad In Century
August 3, 2016
The Town of Century held an official groundbreaking Tuesday afternoon for a new splash pad.
Installation of the splash pad at Showalter Park should begin by next week and be completed within another two weeks, if the weather cooperates. The splash pad will have hours of operation that are yet to be announced, but will likely follow a schedule along the lines of sunrise to sunset. A motion sensor will allow children to start the water flowing during operational hours.
Town officials had hoped that the splash pad would be up and running by the start of summer, but they said an EF-3 tornado that struck the town in February delayed the process. Town workers were busy with tornado clean up, leaving no time to install the water and sewer lines for the splash pad.
A $50,000 Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grant was awarded to the town last October to fund the splash pad. The competitive grant program provides state funds to develop lands for public outdoor recreational use, such as building or renovating sports facilities or playgrounds. Century was the only recipient of the grant last year in Escambia County.
Showers, Thunderstorms Likely For Wednesday
August 3, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
August 3, 2016
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending July 28 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling in the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when he observed a woman and three men sharing a cannabis cigarette while watching their children play in the river. All four were charged with possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis and three were issued citations for possession of alcoholic beverages.
Officers Allgood and Cushing spent three days on the Fincat working offshore with FWC biologists from Pensacola to Panama City with a focus on the Madison-Swanson Marine Reserve. During their patrol, they assisted the biologists in retrieving and deploying 26 monitoring stations. They also issued federal citations for fishing in the Marine Reserve, for possession of red snapper and greater amberjack during the closed season and charter fishing in federal waters without a permit.
Officers Allgood and Cushing worked offshore on the Fincat in federal waters off the coast near the Florida/Alabama line. Fishermen on five different vessels were found to be in violation. Federal citations were issued for persons in possession of red snapper and gray triggerfish during the closed season, failure to maintain whole condition (gray triggerfish), and undersized king mackerel.
Officer Cushing observed a commercial shrimping vessel in Pensacola Bay trawling with three nets. Trawling with more than two nets is a violation. A notice to appear was issued to the owner/operator.
Officers Cushing, Jernigan and Jones responded to a boating accident involving two personal watercraft (PWC) in the Santa Rosa Sound. The PWC were being operated illegally at night without lights, and when the operator of the lead jet ski stopped, the following jet ski struck him. The operator of the first PWC was transported to the hospital for his injuries while the operator of the second PWC was arrested for Boating under the Influence (BUI) and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail by Officer Cushing. Charges are pending on the operator of the first PWC.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Lewis was on patrol in the area near Blackwater River State Forest when he observed a convoy of Jeeps heading toward the forest. Since it had been raining all day, Officer Lewis thought the group was likely to go “wheeling” in the forest. Officer Lewis waited about 20 minutes, then made his way to an area where vehicles have been known to go off-roading. Officer Lewis located 12 Jeeps in the area, six of which were being operated off the established road. Officer Lewis issued each driver of the six Jeeps a citation for operating a vehicle off the established road in a state forest. Officer Jernigan came to assist Officer Lewis and in doing so observed a subject operating an ATV in the state forest. He issued the driver of the ATV a citation for operating an ATV in a state forest.
Officer Jones responded to a B.O.L.O. from the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office for a stolen truck, possibly in the Escribano Point WMA, and went to the Bayside Campground where he located an abandoned and vandalized Suzuki vehicle. The campsite had been ransacked, and the registration on the abandoned vehicle returned to a female from another state. Witness reports and information from WMA employees led investigators to be concerned that a mother and child previously seen with a man might be endangered. Officer Jones, along with several other FWC officers, attempted to locate the registered owner or others who may have information on their whereabouts and were able to contact the father of the vehicle’s registered owner. He provided information about his daughter and her boyfriend and said the infant child was his granddaughter, whose custody was granted to them by local court. After exhausting all efforts locally, Officer Jones received a call several days later stating that the couple were arrested in another state in connection with the stolen truck. The authorities contacted the grandfather of the child and he traveled to that state to take custody of the infant child.
Officer Hoomes was a guest speaker at the monthly meeting for the Milton Kiwanis Club. Officer Hoomes discussed the responsibilities and duties of an FWC officer. He also talked about ideas to reduce human and black bear encounters and the upcoming Family and Mobility Impaired hunts held on the Blackwater State Forest.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
One Person Injured In Molino Wreck
August 3, 2016
One person was injured in a wreck in Molino Tuesday afternoon. The accident happened about 4:50 p.m. on McKinnonville Road when the driver of a Mitsubishi lost control, ran off the roadway and struck an embankment. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Bond Denied For Escambia Man Charged In Federal ISIS Investigation
August 3, 2016
Bond has been denied for an Escambia County man suspected of supporting ISIS and then lying out it to the FBI.
A federal judge ruled that Robert Blake Jackson, 31, was a danger to the community and would not likely appear at future court hearings. He was arrested on a charge of making materially false statements in a federal investigation.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, on several occasions in 2014 and 2015, Jackson made Facebook postings expressing support for extremist terrorist groups and stating a desire to assist the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL). The affidavit also alleges that, in January 2015, a Pensacola telemarketing business reported it had fired Jackson for viewing ISIL and other terrorist-related websites and videos on his work computer. It is further alleged that, when FBI agents interviewed Jackson in June 2015, he denied all these activities.
The punishment for the crime alleged is a maximum of five years in prison.
Tate’s Freeman Commits To The Air Force Academy
August 3, 2016
Tate High School long snapper Raymond Freeman committed to the United States Air Force Academy. The 6-foot 3-inch, 210 pound senior also had an offer from West Point.
Freeman was recently picked as the best overall at the Rubio Long Snapping Camp in Kennesaw, GA. Freeman beat out approximately 70 participants from 11 states as Snappers gathered to learn from the best and get the most exposure possible to college coaches.
Off the field, Freeman also shines academically at Tate, ranked high in his class with a 4.63 GPA on a 4.0 scale.