Motorcyclist Killed In Escambia Crash
October 19, 2016
A motorcyclist was killed in a traffic accident Tuesday night in Escambia County.
About 9:40 p.m., David William Hill, age 35 of Pensacola, was traveling eastbound on Sorrento Road on a 2004 Honda motorcycle. He failed to maintain control of the motorcycle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, and laid the bike down on its side as he fell into the roadway.
Hill was ran over by a 2008 Mazda driven by 46-year old Cynthia Michelle Roberts. Hill was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Any charges are pending the outcome of a traffic homicide investigation, according to the FHP.
Century’s Splash Pad Opening Delayed Again
October 19, 2016
Century’s new splash pad is still not operational, weeks after it was installed.
In early September, the splash pad was operational at times, but it was turned off awaiting the installation of a new part. The replacement part was installed, but did not function properly. Now, another replacement part is on order and is on its way from Israel, Century Mayor Freddie McCall said.
Once the splash pad is up and running, a grand opening and official hours will be announced.
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.
Pictured: Century’s new splash pad was operational for just a short period of time in September, but it failed to operate properly. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bill Clinton To Campaign In Pensacola On Saturday
October 19, 2016
Former President Bill Clinton will campaign in Pensacola and other Florida cities this weekend for his wife, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, her campaign announced Tuesday.
Bill Clinton will start the “Stronger Together” bus tour Friday in Orlando, with public stops planned that day in Jacksonville and on Saturday in Bay County and Pensacola.
The former president “will discuss Hillary Clinton’s plans to build an economy that works for all, not just those at the top, and lay out her vision for an America that is stronger together,” the campaign said, using two frequent descriptions of such visits.
Clinton will be at E.S. Cobb Community Resource Center, 601 E. Mallory St., from 3:45-5 p.m.. Doors will open at 2 p.m.
Clinton was supposed to travel across North Florida on behalf of Hillary last month — but that trip was canceled when Clinton flew to Israel for the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres. North Florida is a reliably Republican area, but Democrats can draw votes in places like Jacksonville and Tallahassee, and Clinton has pushed into red areas nationwide as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s polling numbers have sunk.
Survey Points To Support For Arming School Employees
October 19, 2016
A majority of Floridians believe “trained staff” should be able to carry firearms on school grounds, according to the latest data from the Sunshine State Survey conducted by the University of South Florida and The Nielsen Company.
Among those polled, 56 percent favor some school employees having guns, while 40 percent oppose it. Floridians also overwhelmingly support requiring elementary schools to give students 20 minutes of recess each day; 81 percent said doing so would be a step in the right direction.
The Florida House approved a bill earlier this year with the recess requirement, but the proposal died in the Senate. Support for more school choice earned the support of 58 percent of Floridians, essentially unchanged from the last two years, while 57 percent of those surveyed said the state’s education system is at least “moderately successful” at getting students ready for the economy.
However, 40 percent said it was “not very successful,” an increase of 10 percentage points from a year ago. The survey data released Tuesday also shows that a majority of Floridians, 57 percent, support increasing the smoking age from 18 to 21; 83 percent oppose government funding for sports stadiums for privately-owned teams; and a plurality of 47 percent support accepting federal funding to expand Medicaid.
One of the most popular ideas in the poll was increasing fines for texting while driving, something that 87 percent of those surveyed said would be a step in the right direction. The 2016 Sunshine State Survey interviewed 1,248 Florida residents from Sept. 1 to Sept. 19, with a margin of error of 2.77 percentage points.
The poll results are rolled out over a period of time; the release on education, health care and transportation is the fourth so far. A fifth batch of results, focused on issues like state leadership and trust in government, is set to be released next week.
by The News Service of Florida
Not Funny: Town Bans Clown Costumes For Halloween Event
October 19, 2016
A south Alabama town that had schools on lockdown and arrests stemming from clown threats has banned clown costumes from their annual harvest festival and trick-or-treat event.
Mayala Smith, age 22 of Flomaton, was charged with making a terrorist threat in connection with “Flomo Klown” Facebook pages that prompted the lockdown of multiple schools in Escambia County (AL) in September. Several juveniles were also implicated.
Now, according to public post by the Flomaton Police Department, no clown costumes will be permitted during the Harvest Festival and Trick-or-Treat Around the Block “due to security purposes”. The family friendly event will be held Thursday, October 27 from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. in the downtown streets. Flomaton High School will also hold a pep rally at 7 p.m. at the downtown stage.
Bratt Elementary School Releases Honor Roll
October 19, 2016
The following students were named to the honor roll for the first nine weeks at Bratt Elementary School.
A Honor Roll
- Rabekah Abbott
- Raegan Abbott
- Landon Allcock
- Desiray Bagwell
- Wade Bailey
- Sarah Bailey
- Haydn Baker
- Lexi Bingham
- Gabrielle Boatwright
- Jackson Bridges
- Luke Bryan
- Christian Caraway
- William Classen
- Addison Classen
- Colton Criswell
- Carlie Davis
- Jamarreai Davison
- Riley Dawson
- Logan Diller
- JaCee Dortch
- Carsyn Dortch
- Jacobi Dougall
- O’Neshia DuBose
- Noah Faulkner
- Aliyah Fountain
- Parker Ganey
- Elizabeth Gilley
- Jamison Gilman
- Sawyer Gilmore
- Maggie Godwin
- Cathryn Greenwood
- Ashlynn Gregson
- Talise Gregson
- Ava Gurganus
- Brody Hall
- Lori Hall
- Berklee Hall
- Leah Hetrick
- Mary Hughes
- Camden Jacobson
- Presley Johnson
- LanDon Johnson
- Allyson Jones
- Laura Laborde
- Kaylee Long
- Savannah Lowry
- John McAnally
- Mikayla McAnally
- Samantha Minchew
- Austin Minchew
- Carley Moore
- Jaquez Moorer
- Madison Mosley
- Alexis Moya
- Kayleb Nicholson
- Jakel Phifer
- Alivia Pierce
- Madalynn Pittman
- Colby Pugh
- Dakota Richardson
- Ally Richardson
- Makinzi Roley
- Maggie Scott
- Jackson Sellers
- Braylan Shelly
- Jackson Simmons
- Miles Smith
- Adalynn Southard
- Wyatt Spence
- Jacob Spence
- Cassandra Stilwell
- Emily Stilwell
- Avery Stuckey
- Jaimee Taylor
- Kameryn Thompson
- Bentley Van Pelt
- Kennedy Ward
- Raycer Watson
- Kaylee Wilson
A-B Honor Roll
- Lauren Abbott
- Ellie Adkins
- Govan Alexander
- Tyler Amerson
- Claire Amerson
- Sara Amerson
- Elijah Amerson
- Kendal Ard
- Margaret Baker
- Montgomery Baker
- Marquis Banks
- Kasei Barlow
- Ethan Bingham
- Kyle Blanton
- Isaiah Boatwright
- Nevaeh Bush
- Amara Campbell
- Addison Carpenter
- Kaedence Carter
- Aaron Chambless
- Luke Chavers
- Kinslee Coker
- James Condrey
- Edward Conway
- Chloe Criswell
- Tristan Crumm
- Crimson Davis
- Kylar Davis
- Payton Daw
- Mary-Clayton Dawson
- Jordan Dawson
- Samuel Dettling
- Braxton Dinc
- Jacob Dove
- Tyteanna Dubose
- Nolan Eady
- Mayson Edwards
- Addison Eicher
- Gage Eicher
- Scotty Elliott
- Richard Emmons
- Evelyn Esparza
- Noah Fehr
- Zachary Flowers
- Zykuria Fountain
- Raleigh Gibson
- Hayden Gipson
- Shelby Greenwell
- Aubrey Hadley
- Sandra Hall
- Ashleigh Harris
- William Heard
- Jackson Helton
- Joshlynn Helton
- Graysen Hubbard
- Anthony Johnson
- Tristan Johnson
- Jessica Jowers
- Shanae’ Knight
- Jaivion Kyles
- Sarah Long
- Khloe Mason
- Michael McGhee
- Anyla McNeir
- Anija McNeir
- Adannaya Mondaca
- Landon Mooney
- Logan Morris
- Chloe Morris
- Caleb Nezovich
- Caleb Nichols
- Bryson Odom
- Hunter Parker
- Levi Peters
- Makayla Plato
- William Plato
- Brooklyn Reynolds
- Christian Roberts
- Jamie Roberts
- Annsleigh-Nikole Rodriguez
- Bryson Sanders
- Chloe Satterwhite
- Angel Schoonover
- Breah Shelly
- Ethan Shiver
- Zakyla Smith
- Sydney Snow
- Noah Spence
- Bryce Stabler
- Maggie Stewart
- Jonathon Stilwell
- Jake Taylor
- Raleigh Warr
- Melissa Wilson
- Mya Wilson
- Je’niyah Woods
- Jasmine Zisa
Rep. Bradley Byrne Urges Support For Trump, GOP Ticket
October 19, 2016
U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne said Tuesday that he plans to support the entire Republican ticket on November 8, Donald Trump included.
The Alabama Republican was quick to issue a news release October 8 that said Trump was “not fit” to be president, and called for him to step aside and allow vice presidential candidate Mike Pence to lead the Republican ticket. The statement was issued hours after the release of an 11-year old video in which Trump is heard bragging in vulgar terms about grabbing women and unwanted advances.
“I think there was a way for Mike Pence to win the election,” Byrne said during a town hall meeting in Flomaton Tuesday afternoon. “What he (Trump) said was strongly offensive, and as someone of principal, I was going to say something.”
“But I will vote the complete Republican ticket top to bottom, and I encourage others to do the same.”
Byrne said Trump still remains the obvious choice over Democrat Hillary Clinton, and he had a warning for those that might choose to vote for an independent candidate.
“There are two people running at the top and not voting for one of them is throwing away your vote,” he said. “Neither of them is perfect.”
Pictured: U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) speaks during a town hall meeting in Flomaton Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fire Department Thanks School District For Training Assistance
October 19, 2016
An Escambia Fire Rescue representative offered a public thanks to the Escambia County School Board for an agreement that allowed firefighters to have extra hands-on training.
The Escambia County School District purchased the former Coastal Airport on Nine Mile Road in Beulah to construct a new Beulah Middle School. The school board allowed the Beulah Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, along with firefighters from across the county, to use the buildings on the property for training purposes.
Tuesday night, Lt. Justin Dukes of the Beulah Station of Escambia Fire Rescue thanked Superintendent Malcolm Thomas the board for supporting their training. Dukes also present a plaque to Thomas.
A groundbreaking is planned at the site at 9 a.m. on October 28 for the new Beulah Middle School.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Just A Couple More Warm Days
October 19, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Areas of fog after 4am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 48. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 48. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
ECSO: Cantonment Man Robs Convenience Store, Chokes K-9, Fights With Deputies
October 18, 2016
A Cantonment man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly robbing a Mobile Highway convenience store, fighting with deputies and choking a K-9.
Napoleon Bonaport Grandison, age 44 of Webb Street, was charged with aggravated assault, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, robbery with a firearm, two counts of resisting an officer with violence and giving a false name to law enforcement. He remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $296,000.
Grandison allegedly entered the Circle K at 5050 Mobile Highway early Sunday morning and robbed the clerk of $92 after placing his hand under his shirt as if he had a weapon.
Deputies caught up with Grandison a short distance away. He allegedly pushed two deputies off of him as they attempted to detain him. He is also accused of kick and striking a third deputy and physically placing his arm around the neck of and choking Escambia County K-9 Alek. The K-9’s handler reported that he heard and saw his dog choking.
Deputies were able to recover $84 of the missing funds. Grandison was treated and released from Baptist Hospital before being taken into custody.
Pictured: Napoleon Bonaport Grandison’s Escambia County Jail booking photo.