One Injured In Highway 29, Highway 97 Crash
May 13, 2016
One person was injured in a crash involving a pickup truck and a semi late Friday morning at Highway 29 and Highway 97.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 27-year old Bert Walker of Cantonment was traveling north in the left turn lane on Highway 29. The semi truck, driven by 59-year old Mark Lambert of Atmore, was southbound on Highway 29. Walker then turned his 2007 Chevrolet Colorado pickup into the direct path of the semi, the FHP said.
Walker was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries. Lambert was not injured.
Walker was cited for failure to yield the right of way.
This was the first injury crash with significant property damage at the intersection since a traffic light was activated in June 2015.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Attempted Murder Suspect Busted; Escambia River Searched For Shotgun
May 13, 2016
An Alabama attempted murder suspect was found in Jay, and now authorities hope to find the weapon he used at the bottom of the Escambia River.
Steven Lloyd Billiot, age 21 of Flomaton, is being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond awaiting extradition back to Escambia County, AL, to face an attempted murder charge for allegedly shooting a man with a shotgun early Wednesday morning.
The Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic disturbance in a mobile home park on Highway 31 about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday in the small community of Canoe, just east of Atmore. They arrived to find a man critically injured by a shotgun blast to his arm. The man allegedly got into an argument over a female with Billiot before Billiot shot him. The victim was transported to a local hospital and then transferred to the USA Medical Center in Mobile.
Billiot fled the scene and was captured several hours later after a short foot pursuit from the Farmer’s Market in Jay with the assistance of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals.
According to Escambia County (AL) Chief Deputy Mike Lambert, Billiot told authorities that midday Wednesday he tossed the shotgun off the Highway 4 bridge between Century and Jay.
Thursday afternoon, multiple law enforcement agencies took part in a search for the weapon in the Escambia River below the spot on the bridge Billiot said he thew out the weapon. Volunteers walked an area of the river that was about 4-5 feet deep, and magnets were pulled along in hopes of snagging the gun. The search was unsuccessful.
Authorities are expected to continue to search the river on Friday.
Pictured top and below: Authorities search the Escambia River below the Highway 4 bridge for a shotgun used by an attempted murder suspect. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sunny And Warm Through The Weekend
May 13, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. West wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84.
New School Names: Beulah Middle And Kingsfield Elementary
May 13, 2016
Beulah Middle School and Kingsfield Elementary School are the names for two new schools in Escambia County. The names were presented at a school board workshop on Thursday from a naming committee; a final vote on the names will take place at a regular school board meeting.
The new middle school property, likely to be named Beulah Middle School, is located at 6001 West Nine Mile Road. The new elementary, likely to be named Kingsfield Elementary School, will be located at 900 West Kingsfield Road.
Both schools will be completed in the spring of 2018.
Man Charged With DUI, Hit And Run After Hitting Ambulance
May 13, 2016
An Escambia County man was charged with DUI after hitting an Escambia County EMS ambulance Thursday.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 31-year Joshua L. Horne pulled out of a parking lot on New Warrington Road into the path the ambulance about 11:25 a.m.. Horne then fled resulting crash in his Honda Civic and was later apprehended by troopers on Pine Forest Road.
Horne was charged with DUI, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, reckless driving and turning left in front of approaching traffic..
The two people in the ambulance, 30-year old Erin Waldner and 43-year old Michael Mcardell, were not injured.
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Is Saturday
May 13, 2016
Escambia and Santa Rosa Letter Carriers will once again join forces to help Stamp Out Hunger in our community. In its 24th year, the annual food drive has grown to be the largest national single-day effort that benefits millions of Americans who struggle to put food on the table.
Residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag of non-perishable foods, such as canned soups, fruits, vegetables, or meat, dried pasta, rice, beans and cereal next to their mailbox prior to their regular mail delivery on Saturday.
Escambia and Santa Rosa letter carriers will collect food donations for five local organizations including Manna Food Pantries.
“Please give generously this year, so we can help provide food to those who are less fortunate,” said Phillip Skipper, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Northwest Florida Branch 321.
Despite generous support, the need is still great in our community. Last year, Manna Food Pantries helped a total of 20,303 individuals through all of their pantries and programs in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Of those, 34 percent were children.
“This is such an important food drive because it comes at a time when donations are typically low and the need has increased,” said DeDe Flounlacker, Manna Food Pantries’ executive director. “During the school year, many children get a healthy meal through the free or reduced breakfast and lunch programs. During the summer, those programs aren’t available. The donations from Stamp Out Hunger allow us to provide nutritious food to hungry families and children throughout the summer months.”
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Northview’s Perritt Places In Law Week Student Essay Contest
May 13, 2016
Northview High School student Sarah Perritt won third place in this year’s Law Week Student Essay Contest. Her prize included a $50 award and a certificate from the Northwest Florida Paralegal Association.
Perritt was encouraged to enter an essay by James Moretz, who teaches U.S. government, economics, sociology and physiology at Northview.
This year’s Law Week Essay Contest centered on the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Miranda v. Arizona. Students were tasked with preparing a case brief essay which focused on the factual findings in the juvenile case of J.B.D. v. North Carolina and “Miranda.”
Moretz said Perrittis a highly motivated self-starter and is very deserving of the recognition she earned from the Northwest Florida Paralegal Association. Additionally, Moretz said he is encouraged that her success will inspire others to participate in next year’s contest.
Pictured: Law Week Student Essay Contest third place winner Sarah Perritt and teacher James Moretz. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Play: ‘You Can’t Take It With You’
May 13, 2016
The Greater Escambia Center for the Arts (GECA) will present “You Can’t Take It With You” this weekend.
Showtime are 7 p.m. Saturday, with a Sunday matinee performance at 2 p.m.
Set in pre-World War II 1930’s, the story is about two very different families with one thing in common – their youngest members are in love. It is up to the lovers to bring the two families together and find common ground. In the process, chaos ensues and both tempers and fireworks flare as a compromise is sought.
Admission is $10 per person, $7 for GECA members, at 100 South Trammel Street in Atmore. Advance tickets are available at the Atmore News Office on South Main Street, call (251) 368-6397.
Pictured: (L-R) Pam Dees, Sandy Helton, Tom Wolfe and Sharon Poulsen in “You Can’t Take It With You”. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott To Go Hunting For Jobs In Lousiana
May 13, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott intends to wade into Louisiana — now that the Pelican State has a Democrat in the governor’s mansion — as he expands his search for business owners who want to relocate to Florida.
Fresh off a business-development mission to California, Scott announced this week he will head to Louisiana sometime in the summer to go job hunting.
“The last governor was a good friend of mine, Bobby Jindal,” Scott said Wednesday while at an Enterprise Florida Board of Directors meeting at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.
“Bobby tried to cut taxes, balance the budget, tried to grow jobs, stop the outflow of people … tried to build a better business climate,” Scott continued. “Gov. (John Bel) Edwards got elected in November. He’s already raised taxes 14 times. Taxes are going up just from the time period April 1 to June 30, $300 million. The taxes that we’ve cut, for like manufacturing, he’s raising. For telecommunications, he’s raising. And he’s talking about raising taxes again for next year.”
Scott also sent out of series of tweets Wednesday saying, “Louisiana elected officials are clearly not focused on creating new opportunities” and that “LA leaders don’t understand raising taxes hurts job creators & families. In FL, we have cut taxes 50 times & saved taxpayers $5.5 billion.”
Edwards’ office quickly responded in an email, saying Scott omitted the larger part of the narrative — that Jindal’s efforts left the state facing a $1 billion deficit for the current year that, without any corrections, would grow to $2 billion next year.
“While (Scott) supported Bobby Jindal’s plans that have crippled our state and led to two credit downgrades, Gov. Edwards has worked night and day to stabilize our state from the reckless policies Gov. Scott’s coming to promote,” Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said in the email. “He’d be best served staying in Florida to tend to the business of his own state. Louisianans and Floridians would prefer productive dialogue over more gimmicks from slick-talking politicians.”
Edwards took office in January after defeating Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter in the race to replace Jindal.
Scott, who last year undertook similar job-hunting trips to New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Kentucky and California, recently went on his second business-poaching trip to the Golden State. When Scott went to the states, they were all headed by Democratic governors, though Kentucky is now run by a Republican.
The California trip, along with media exchanges in which Scott and California Gov. Jerry Brown talked past each other, remained on Scott’s mind this week.
On Wednesday Scott jokingly said he loves Brown.
“I think he’s doing a great job as governor out there,” Scott said before criticizing a letter he received from Brown because it “did not talk at all about jobs for people.”
Before and during the trip, Scott talked about a climate for jobs. Brown focused on the need to address climate change.
“California is the 7th largest economic power in the world,” Brown wrote. “We’re competing with nations like Brazil and France, not states like Florida. If you’re truly serious about Florida’s economic well-being, it’s time to stop the silly political stunts and start doing something about climate change.”
Scott, who reached out to business owners in California by noting Florida’s minimum wage stands at $8.05 an hour while California has moved to increase its rate to $15 an hour by 2022, continued to contend this week that the minimum-wage hike will cost jobs for Brown’s state.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Win 5th Series Of The Season
May 13, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos first baseman Donald Lutz took out some of his frustrations at the plate against Chattanooga this series at AT&T Field.
Lutz went 2-4 and drove in three runs and stole a base, as Pensacola clinched the five-game series with a 5-4, victory Thursday that was delayed by rain an hour and 20 minutes in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Blue Wahoos clinched the series to move to 5-2 this season. However, the Blue Wahoos are still chasing the Biloxi Shuckers, who over took them April 19. The Shuckers came from behind to beat the Jacksonville Suns, 8-6, Thursday and now are 21-12. Meanwhile, Pensacola improved to 21-13, a half-game behind the Shuckers.
In two games against Chattanooga this series, Lutz has feasted on the Lookouts pitchers going 4-8 with two doubles and raising his average to a season-high .200. Lutz, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has one homer and 11 runs batted in this season and it was his second three RBI game of the year.
He drove in the go-ahead runs in the fifth inning when he singled up the middle to score second baseman Zach Vincej and third baseman Alex Blandino, which put Pensacola on top, 4-1.
Chattanooga scored two in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it a 4-3 game. The No. 8 hitter Stuart Turner and the No. 9 hitter Shannon Wilkerson hit back-to-back solo shots to left field off of Pensacola starter Nick Travieso.
Pensacola added a run in the top of the sixth inning when Vincej hit a soft grounder to shortstop to score Blue Wahoos catcher Chad Wallach for a 5-3 lead.
Chattanooga went up, 1-0, in the first when Ryan Walker singled to center field to score Zach Granite.
The Blue Wahoos then came back to take the lead, 2-1, by scoring in the second and third innings. In the second, Wallach grounded into a double play that scored Pensacola right fielder Brandon Dixon. In the third inning, Lutz hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Vincej.
Pensacola starting pitcher Travieso, the Cincinnati Reds No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America, allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks in 5.1 innings, while striking out five. In his longest outing of the season, he improved to 2-2 with a 5.96 ERA.
Bottom of the sixth inning Travieso struck out second baseman Levi Michael and then walked D.J. Hicks. As he was being replaced by Pensacola reliever Barrett Astin, it started to rain at about 8:30 p.m. and the game was finally resumed at 9:50 p.m. Thursday.
Pensacola shortstop Calten Daal went 1-4 to push his hitting streak to 11 games. He is hitting .425 (17-40) in 11 games.
In addition, Tony Renda, who batted leadoff and played left field, was 1-5 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. His batting average is now .317 on the season.