Ralph Lee Cooley, Jr.
November 30, 2016
Ralph Lee Cooley Jr. was born in Sevierville, Tennessee on April 2, 1940. He served 23 years in the Army of which he retired SFC where he lived in Fort Rucker in 1977 until he moved in 1982 to Huxford, AL to open Lou’s Grocery in 1984.
He is preceded in death by his father, Ralph Lee Cooley Sr.; his mother, Anna R. Sellers; his sister, Betty Poulin; his daughter, Evelyn LeAnna (Lee) Cooley-Owens; and his grandson, Blake Michael-Allen Turner.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Lou Cooley of Huxford, AL; son, Ralph Dwayne Cooley (Beth) of Wilkesboro, NC; daughter, Michele Turner (Allen) of Huxford; granddaughter, Heather Lou Hagen of Huxford; grandson, Hayden Eugene Cooley of Gulf Shores; granddaughter, Allisar Cherrie Womack of Robertsdale; grandson, Josh Turner (Brooke) of Spanish Fort; grandson, Josh Owens of Excel; granddaughter, Tammy Vaczy of Excel; granddaughter, Clara Muse of Huxford; and his great-grandchildren, Kym, Emma, DJ, Blake, Raymond, Noah, Cynthia, Emma Catherine, Lizzie, Ford, Ellie, Mcghee, Karley, Lexi; and one great-great grandson, Ashton.
Funeral services will be Thursday, December 1, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Richard Daniels officiating.
Burial will follow at the Huxford Baptist Cemetery with full Military Honors.
Visitation will be Thursday, December 1, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. until service time at 2:00 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Dwayne Cooley, Allen Turner, Hayden Cooley, Josh Turner, Jason Victor and Buddy Godwin.
Honorary pallbearers will be Jimmy Stokes, Coop Wall, Mike Beech, Paul Thomas, Gerald Palmer and Mike Jay.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Cecil McGhee
November 30, 2016
Mr. Cecil McGhee, 82, passed away on Wednesday, November 30, 2016, in Atmore, Alabama.
Mr. McGhee was a native of Nokomis, AL, former resident of Gadsden, AL (15 years) and has resided in Atmore since 1996. Mr. McGhee was retired from Goodyear Tire Company and was of the Protestant Faith. He is preceded in death by his sister, Louise Turner; brother, Earlie McGhee; mother, Gladys McGhee; father, Norvie Lee McGhee; and great-grandson, Jaylen Hammett.
He is survived his wife, Betty McGhee of Atmore, AL; two sons, Cecil Gwinn McGhee of Nokomis, AL and Mark Steven McGhee of Atmore, AL; two daughters, Sharon Denise (Randall) Hammette of Altoona, AL and Sylvia Beth (Chris) Holloman of Altoona, AL; four brothers, Norvie Lee McGhee, Jr. of Gadsden, AL, Douglas McGhee of Spanish Fort, AL, Ronnie McGhee of Atmore, AL and Huey McGhee of Chicago, IL; three sisters, Eloise Ramer of Gadsden, AL, Betty Jean McVay of Booneville, MS and Hazel Albritton of Atmore, AL; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Saturday, December 3, 2016, at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Ray Ward and Bro. Colton Penrod officiating.
Burial was at the Antioch Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Rodney McVay, Tim Albritton, Jeremy McGhee, Matthew McGhee, Clint Ramer and Brian McGhee.
Honorary pallbearers were Olin Albritton, Allen Turner, Edward Turner, Eddie Ramer, Wyndel Ramer, Sammy McVay, Gary McVay, Jeffery McVay, Michael McGhee, Jason McGhee and Tashon Johnson (great-grandson).
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
No Injuries In Deputy Involved Crash In Cantonment
November 29, 2016
There were no injuries in a wreck involving an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Cantonment Monday night.
The accident happened about 7:15 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 297A and west Kingsfield Road. There were no serious injuries; both drivers refused medical treatment at the scene.
Further details have not yet been released by the Florida Highway Patrol as they continue their investigation into the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Tougher Texting While Driving Law Sought
November 29, 2016
A Broward County Democrat wants lawmakers in 2017 to toughen the state’s ban on texting while driving, though similar proposals in the past have repeatedly been rejected.
Rep. Richard Stark, D-Weston, filed a bill (HB 47) on Wednesday that would allow police to pull over motorists for texting while driving. Under current law, motorists can only be cited for texting while driving if they have been pulled over for other reasons — what is known as a “secondary” offense.
Also, Stark’s bill would double fines for texting while driving in designated school zones or school crossings. The bill is filed for the session that will start in March.
Pedestrian Struck And Killed in Escambia County
November 29, 2016
A pedestrian was struck and killed Monday night in Escambia County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 67-yaer old Deborah Leigh Askegren of Pensacola was northbound on Pace Boulevard south of Godfrey Street. A pedestrian, identified as 61-year old Richard Johnson of Pensacola, was crossing Pace Boulevard when he was struck by Askegren’s GMC Yukon.
Johnson was pronounced deceased on the scene following the 6 p.m. crash.
No charges were filed against Askegren.
In Escambia Case, Appeals Court Backs Notifying Minor’s Parents Before Abortion
November 29, 2016
With one judge pointing to a lack of “sufficient maturity to make this critical decision,” a state appeals court Monday rejected a minor’s attempt to get an abortion without her parents being notified.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld an Escambia County circuit judge’s decision to refuse to grant a waiver from the state’s parental-notification law. The ruling did not detail the age or the hometown of the minor, identifying her only as “Jane Doe 16-A.”
Florida voters in 2004 approved a constitutional amendment that requires parents to be notified before their minor daughters can have abortions. But that amendment and subsequent laws created a process for minors to go to court to prevent the notification — a process known as a judicial bypass or waiver.
Monday’s ruling said the minor based her request on two legal grounds: that she was sufficiently mature to decide whether to have the abortion and that the notification would not be in the “best interests of the petitioner.”
In a four-page opinion written by Chief Judge Clay Roberts and joined by judges M. Kemmerly Thomas and Scott Makar, the appeals court said it could find “no abuse of discretion” in Escambia County Circuit Judge Coleman Lee Robinson’s decision to reject a waiver from the notification requirement.
“In considering the denial of a petition for judicial waiver, this court looks to whether the circuit court abused its discretion and may not reweigh the evidence presented below in order to reach a different result from the circuit court,” Roberts wrote. “Our review on appeal is highly deferential to the circuit court, due, in large part, to the confidential, non-adversarial nature of the proceeding below. The circuit court sits in a far better position to assess a minor’s demeanor and credibility than this court can upon review of the transcribed hearing.”
Makar wrote a more-detailed concurring opinion, saying that the minor’s testimony “fell short of the clear and convincing standard required to obtain a judicial order that her parents not be notified she is seeking to terminate her pregnancy.”
“Among many evidentiary deficiencies, the minor did not know what the medical procedure involved (and had no plan if post-surgical complications arose), had accepted little or no responsibility for ‘anything at all’ in her life, and planned on her parents paying for the procedure,” Makar wrote. “The limited evidentiary record paints a portrait of an emotionally overwhelmed young woman lacking sufficient maturity to make this critical decision independent of her parents for whom she expressed only a generalized fear about their possible reaction.”
The ruling does not prevent the minor from having an abortion but requires that a physician notify her parents before it can be performed.
The parental-notification law has been controversial, but a footnote in Makar’s concurring opinion suggested that judges rarely turn down requests for waivers. The footnote said 89.5 percent of petitions were granted in 2013, 90.5 percent in 2014 and 94.7 percent in 2015.
Deputies Seek Man On Firearms, Narcotics Charges
November 29, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating 23-year old Kewauntez Antonio Matthews. Matthews is wanted for firearms and narcotics offenses.
The Sheriff’s Office said he is to be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or 911.
Rain! First Real Rain In Three Months Falls, More Expected
November 29, 2016
For the first time in about three months, measurable rain fell across the North Escambia area Tuesday morning, and more rain is expected through Wednesday.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms before noon, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between noon and 3pm, then a slight chance of showers after 3pm. Temperature falling to around 61 by 5pm. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 38. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 52. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.
Escambia School Board Installs Members For Coming Year
November 29, 2016
The Escambia County School Board held an Installation Ceremony Monday night for newly re-elected Superintendent Malcolm Thomas (pictured above) and board members Kevin Adams, District 1 (below); Bill Slayton, District 5 (below middle); and Patty Hightower, District 4 (pictured bottom).
The board recently elected Linda Moultrie as chairman for 2016-2017 and Gerald Boone as vice-chairman. Regular board meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the J.E. Hall Center, Room 160.
Photos by Kim Stefansson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Winners Circle Brush Fire
November 29, 2016
Firefighters were called to battle a brush fire about 10:00 Monday night in the 2000 block of Winners Circle. The fire was contained to a wooded area bounded by Winners Circle, Filly Road and East Kingsfield Road. It took firefighters over an hour to extinguish the fire as they battled against a strong wind that was pushing the flames. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
