Molino Residents Left Without Power After Wreck
June 4, 2016
About 500 Gulf Power customers in the Molino area were left without power early Saturday morning after a truck hit a power pole.
The accident happened about 4 a.m. on Highway 29 near the Tom Thumb. The driver had left the scene in a private vehicle prior to the arrival of first responders.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely Today, Sunday
June 4, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 86. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Monday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 91.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 93.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 92.
IP Awards $75K In Grants To Local Schools, Groups
June 4, 2016
In honor of its 75th anniversary, International Paper Pensacola Mill awarded $75,000 in foundation grants to local community organizations. Grants are awarded by the IP Foundation in Memphis, Tenn., which focuses on environmental education, literacy, employee involvement and critical community needs.
“We are privileged to be able to assist our local community organizations in their efforts to make a difference in the lives of the residents and children of Northwest Florida,” said Janice Holmes, communications manager. “Their efforts serve to strengthen our community.”
Local community organizations and their projects that were awarded grants for 2016 are:
- Autism Pensacola “Kids for Camp Summer Learning Lab”
- Ballet Pensacola, “Discover Dance”
- Council on Aging of NWFL, “Big Green, Little Green Hydroponics!”
- Creative Learning Academy “Enhancing Libraries”
- Ernest Ward Middle “Eagles Read” and “Fruit Trees 101”
- Escambia County Extension 4-H “4H Natural Resources and Environmental Education Program” — Escambia County 4-H is an educational program focused on learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills through experiential training in various fields including science, technology, agriculture and livestock, and arts. The grant funds a program that includes a series of camping events. Each event focuses on a particular theme related to natural resources and environmental conservation.
- Escambia County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, “Literacy and Environmental Classroom Grants”
- Every Child a Reader in Escambia “Project Ready 2016”
- Greater First Baptist Church, “Community Literacy Mentoring and Tutoring Program” — The grant funds materials and supplies for a continuum of supplemental reading and writing activities, including reading and writing materials for their tutoring, homework assistance and mentoring program.
- Jim Allen Elementary School, “Let’s Get EGGS cited about Reading!” — The grants funds materials and supplies including Reading Egg literacy modules.
- J.M. Tate High School “Reservations for Preservation” — The grants funds specimen collections, as well as specimen slides for microscopes.
- National Flight Academy “STEM Saturday Program”
- Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center “STEM Sea Turtle Education Models”
- Partnership for Community Programs “Bay Day 2016” and “Stormwater Estuary Education Program
- Pensacola Mess Hall “MicroEye Microscope Station”
- Pensacola Opera “From Words to Music”
- Pensacola Promise Chain Reaction “Chain Reaction Service Learning”
- Quintette Community Park Association “Senior Citizen and Youth Programs” — The grant will help the Quintette Community Park Association to promote the safety, beautification, and well being of the Quintette/Cantonment community, and strives diligently to eradicate those elements that degrade the neighborhood by encouraging the enforcement of the original restrictive covenants; promoting good, clean and environmentally safe streets, anti-littering campaigns, neighborhood crime watches, and other avenues we deem necessary in order to enhance the quality of life in our community.
- The Global Corner “China and Activity Book for Children”
- UWF Foundation, “UWF Community Garden,” “Emerald Coast BEST Robotics Hub,” “Summer Institute for the National Writing Project,” and “Summer Camps for Environmental Literacy”
Cantonment Woman, 92, Helps Raise Hundreds For Century Tornado Victims
June 4, 2016
Connie Gooden of Cantonment, age 92, collected funds for Century tornado victims through mission work at the Gonzalez United Methodist Church. Friday, she presented a check for $800 to Century Mayor Freddie McCall. She said she told church members that she wanted to help the people of Century, and they were happy to donate. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Take Stock In Children Awards $215K In Scholarships To Local Students
June 4, 2016
Take Stock in Children and the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation awarded $215,000 in scholarships at the June 2 “Graduation & Unsung Hero Celebration”. The event honored 17 graduating seniors who received four-year tuition scholarships. In addition, each graduate received a laptop computer.
The 2016 Take Stock in Children graduates are:
Escambia High: Ashleigh Bell, Shelby Butts, Austin Travis:
Northview High: Ureil Codrington, Amber Freeman, Carly Ward;
Pensacola High: Destinee Brundidge, Savion Henderson, Jazmin Womack;
Pine Forest High: Tara Vanderburg;
Tate High: Brianna Holmquist, Alicia Presswood;
Washington High: Alyssa Barnes, Courtney Greene, Donald Vaughan;
West Florida High: Nikita Babkin, Mariah McMullen
Take Stock in Children was established in 1995 as a non-profit organization in Florida that provides a unique opportunity for deserving low-income students to escape the cycle of poverty through education. Students receive college scholarships, caring volunteer mentors, and hope for a better life. Students are selected through a need-based application process in middle school and comprehensive services continue through high school and include the students’ transition into college. Scholarships are funded through a unique public-private fundraising model in which local scholarship donations are matched by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation when scholarships are purchased each year. Each student is matched with a volunteer mentor who meets with the student weekly at school.
Pictured: 2016 Escambia County Take Stock in Children graduates (front, L-R) Carly Ward, Courtney Greene, Nikita Babkin, Savion Henderson, Ureil Codrington, Destinee Brundidge, Jazmin Womack, Shelby Butts, (back, L-R) Donald Vaughan, Alyssa Barnes, Ashleigh Bell, Austin Travis, Tara Vanderburg, Mariah McMullen, Alicia Presswood and Amber Freeman. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO Placing The Number ‘6′ On Vehicles To Honor Blue Angel Pilot
June 4, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will honor fallen Blue Angel Capt. Jeff Kuss by place the number “6″ on the back of patrol vehicles.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Capt Kuss and with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels crew,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
License Free Fishing Weekends
June 4, 2016
This weekend, June 4 and 5, is a license-free saltwater fishing weekend, and June 11 and 12 will be a license-free freshwater fishing weekend for Florida residents and visitors. On these weekends, a fishing license is not required.
Governor Scott said, “Florida is the fishing capital of the world, and I am excited to announce two license-free fishing weekends this month that include both saltwater and freshwater fishing opportunities. As children get out of school for 
the summer break and more tourists visit our state, I encourage every family to take advantage of these weekends to enjoy Florida’s great outdoors with their loved ones.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting these four license-free fishing days near National Fishing and Boating Week, a national celebration of fishing and boating. The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s www.TakeMeFishing.org website offers information on events sponsored by businesses and communities during National Fishing and Boating Week, as well as locating fishing sites, identifying recreational species and finding fishing tips.
This free fishing weekend is a part of the eight total license-free fishing days the FWC offers each year. All bag limits, closed areas and size restrictions apply on these dates. To learn more about license-free fishing days, visit MyFWC.com/License.
Convicted Man Faces Up To Life For 2014 Beulah Murder
June 4, 2016
An Escambia County man has been found guilty of a 2014 murder in Beulah and is facing up to life in prison.
Terrance Soles was convicted by an Escambia County jury of second degree murder in the killing of Skky Shine.
On November 10, 2014, Soles was driving a white Toyota Avalon with the victim Skky Shine in the front passenger seat. Soles made a 911 phone call at approximately 1:30 a.m., and in that phone call Soles can be heard telling the victim, Shine to put his hands on the dash and not to move. Before the call ends, victim Shine can be heard saying “don’t shoot me.” Within minutes, Soles calls 911 back requesting law enforcement to his mother’s home and eventually says on that 911 call “we were going through it here in the car and I shot him.”
Sheriff’s deputies responded to Soles’ mother’s home where Soles drove up flashing his lights and was found to have a 9mm pistol in his lap. The victim, Shine was in the passenger seat with a single gunshot wound to the head.
In the Toyota Avalon, crime scene technicians found one spent 9mm casing and one projectile. FDLE confirmed that the casing was fired from the weapon that the defendant had in his lap. FDLE was also able to identify Shine’se DNA on the 9mm pistol and casing. It was later determined that Soles purchased the 9mm pistol in 2012 from a dealer in Louisiana. During the autopsy, the Medical Examiner determined that the gun was fired from a close range of two inches or less by the presence and location of gunpowder particles on the victim.
Circuit Judge John Miller ordered a presentence investigation and set sentencing for July 12. Soles is facing a minimum sentence of 25 years with a maximum sentence of life in state prison under Florida’s 10-20-Life statute.
Dixon Homers Again, Mobile Still Beats The Wahoos
June 4, 2016
Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon keeps sending pitches out of the ballpark and Friday his solo shot in the sixth inning into the left field berm at Hank Aaron Stadium tied the game, 3-3.
However, Mobile BayBears’ relief corps shutout Pensacola over the last 3.1 innings, which allowed right fielder Gabriel Guerrero to hit a one-out, bases-loaded, walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Mobile a 4-3 victory.
Pensacola stayed in first place, although its loss dropped them to 32-22 in the Southern League South Division. The BayBears improved to 24-30. The Blue Wahoos and Mobile are now tied, 2-2, in the five game series.
Dixon’s blast saved Nick Travieso, who simply struggled through four innings. Travieso, the Cincinnati Reds No. 7 prospect, walked a career-high seven batters. Of his 92 pitches, he threw 44 for strikes. A hit batter and error meant half of the 24 batters he faced reached base.
“It’s amazing he held them to three runs,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said after the game. “He never got into a rhythm but he battled.”
Remarkably, Travieso left the game down just one run, 3-2, to Mobile. The BayBears had trouble scoring leaving 11 base runners stranded through the first five innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the first and fourth innings. They got its leadoff hitter on base in eight of the 10 innings Friday.
Dixon went 2-4 with a homer, single and walk and is now 13-20 (.650) in his five-game hitting streak. He has six home runs and 15 RBIs during that span. His slugging percentage on the year is .583, and since May 1, Dixon leads all of minor league baseball with a .779 slugging percentage.
“That (homer) was nice,” Kelly said. “It got Travieso off the hook and gave us a chance.”
Dixon now has nine homers on the year, which is third in the Southern League. He has driven in 34 runs, good for fourth in the Southern League. He is batting .319, which ranks third in the league.
The utility player hit two homers in back-to-back games May 29 against the Birmingham Barons and May 31 against Mobile and now has homers in the past two games against the Mobile BayBears.
Pensacola left fielder Tony Renda, 2-5 with one run scored Friday night, put Pensacola on top, 1-0, when he led off the game with a line drive single to left field and crossed home plate when Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth hit a deep sacrifice fly to center field. Blue Wahoos center fielder Phillip Ervin, who walked, scored to make the game, 2-0, when shortstop Alex Blandino knocked a single through the left side of the infield.
However, Mobile came right back with two runs of its own when BayBears center fielder Evan Marzilli singled and scored to pull the team within, 2-1. Dixon likely saved two runs from coming in by making a diving stop of a hard hit grounder by catcher Michael Perez and making a heads up play by turning to get the lead runner, Guerrero, forced out at second base.
Mobile first baseman Kevin Cron then doubled in the bottom of the first inning to score shortstop Ildemaro Vargas to tie the game, 2-2.
But it Dixon’s misplay in the bottom of the 10th on a high pop up to shallow center field just behind second base that allowed Mobile shortstop Ildermaro Vargas to reach first base. Instead of going after the catch, he headed to second base to wait for a throw from Ervin from center fielder and the ball fell between them.
Mitchell hit the next batter and then Guerrero hit his walk-off single to left.
The BayBears had gone ahead, 3-2, in the third inning when Guerrero walked, stole second base and took third on a sacrifice fly. Cron then hit a deep fly ball that scored Guerrero, who has hit two solo home runs off Blue Wahoos’ pitching this series.
“The last two years, (Guerrero) has hit .200 in this league,” Kelly said. “He has hit .500 off of us. Obviously, we haven’t pitched him well.”
Click It Or Ticket Seat Belt Campaign Continues This Weekend
June 4, 2016
The Florida Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies are wrapping up a two-week “Click It or Ticket” crackdown this weekend. The campaign, which runs day and night, is designed to increase seat belt use and decrease motor vehicle fatalities across the county.
“Although wearing a seatbelt is the law, the department’s data shows that the consequence of not wearing a seat belt is deadly,” said Colonel Gene Spaulding, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “FHP is committed to raising awareness and enforcement regarding the importance of wearing a seat belt to help ensure motorists arrive alive.”
In 2015, more than 43 percent of those who were killed in crashes in vehicles where seat belt use is required chose not to wear their seat belts. FHP reminds everyone that Florida law requires the use of seat belts by drivers, passengers in the front seat and all children under the age of 18 in a motor vehicle.
“Safety is our top priority at the Florida Department of Transportation. We know that safety belt use is the most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes,” said FDOT Secretary Jim Boxold. “We want to remind everyone to always buckle up.”
The FHP offers the following tips:
Buckle up, every time. A seatbelt is your vehicle’s best safety feature. Set the example.
- Drive sober. One drink is one too many.
- Make sure your rear-seat passengers are also buckled. They are more likely to injure themselves and other passengers in a crash, if not buckled up.
- Obey all speed limits. Traffic congestion and construction zones may require driving more slowly.
- Seat belts plus air bags provide the greatest protection for adults. However, air bags are not a substitute for seat belts.
- Don’t drive distracted: Anything that takes your full attention off of the road, even for a second, could be deadly.