$500 Scholarship Available For Senior Student Athletes
April 2, 2016
Pensacola Sports and Whataburger will present scholarships at the Pensacola Sports Senior Scholar Athlete Banquet on May 10.
In total more than $120,000 in scholarships will be awarded to nearly 30 senior athletes during the event.
For the fourth consecutive year, Whataburger and Pensacola Sports will award one male and one female student-athlete with a $500 scholarship to be used toward their first semester’s book expense. Additionally, the two awardees will win “Whataburger for a Year.” Any senior in Escambia or Santa Rosa county is eligible to apply.
The annual banquet recognizes over 200 senior athletes from Escambia and Santa Rosa county schools based on their academic performance combined with the student’s athletic skills. It is common for several of the nominees to be a school’s valedictorian or in the top five percent of their respective class.
Senior student athletes can visit www.pensacolasports.org/whataburgerscholarship/ to complete and submit the scholarship application form. The selection committee is looking for individuals who have performed well in the classroom, participated in a varsity sport(s), and have contributed to their community through volunteer hours and extracurricular activities and clubs. April 26 is the deadline to submit a scholarship application.
Century Man Killed In Head On Traffic Crash
April 1, 2016
A Century man was killed in a two vehicle crash outside Century late Thursday afternoon.
David Michael Mathis, 35, was northbound on Cox Road about 5:40 p.m. in a 2003 Dodge Dakota. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Mathis crossed the center line into the direct path of a 2014 Toyota Tacoma driven by 21-year old Skyler Ashton Macks of Century, causing the two vehicles to collide head-on.
Mathis, was who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Macks was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition.
Any charges in the crash are pending the outcome of a traffic homicide investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The Top Of The Class Of 2016 From Eight Escambia Schools Honored
April 1, 2016
The top of the Class of 2016 from Escambia County’s high schools were recognized Thursday as the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation hosted the 2016 Senior Academic Awards program.
Eighty-eight of Escambia County’s high school seniors were selected as recipients of the 2016 Senior Academic Awards and were honored for their academic achievement during an awards ceremony at Washington High School.
Honorees included the top five students in each graduating class (listed in alphabetical order), as well as a student from each of the following disciplines: Career & Technology, English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Honorees are listed below under a photo from each school, scroll down, click to enlarge.
Escambia High School: TOP FIVE: Brody Cecil, Avery C. Lockett, Brianna McKinzie, Amirah Yasmeen Allah Muhammad, Kenneth G. Oleson DISCIPLINES: Lauren Walker, Career & Technology; Robert Naylor Groton, English; Madelynn Chase, Foreign Language; Riley Muscha, Math; Isabel Lynn Guerra, Science; Tate Willson Willger, Social Studies.
Northview High School: TOP FIVE: Jessica Amerson, Moriah McGahan, Bethany Reynolds, David Thorpe, Madison Weber DISCIPLINES: Haylee Weaver, Career & Technology; Bradley Van Pelt, English; Lawrence Douglas, Foreign Language; Jensyn Warner, Math; Jessica Amerson, Science; Jada Tucker, Social Studies.
Pensacola High School IB Program: TOP FIVE: Owen Christopher Battel, William Langhorne, Scott A. McGaugh, Philip Tran, Tristan Wu DISCIPLINES: Keegan McMenamin, Career & Technology; Alyssa Marie Nielsen, English; Matea Molina, Foreign Language; Anish Gupta, Math; Ben Southwick, Science; Trevor Odom, Social Studies.
Pensacola High School: TOP FIVE: Alissa Addison, Destinee Brundidge, Max Buchanan, Katherine Engelmeyer, Yutong Liang, Poonam Patel DISCIPLINES: Thao Nhan, Career & Technology; Kierstan Johnson, English; Ty’Drick King, Foreign Language; Na Pham, Math; Kayla Davis, Science; Joseph Earlington, Social Studies.
Pine Forest High School: TOP FIVE: Veronica Christgau, Brittany Makayla Hawkins, Danielle Hoyer, Nina Lance, Jordan Riddle DISCIPLINES: Zachary Goodwin, Career & Technology; Jay Ayer, English; Austin Gunnell, Foreign Language; Alicia Faller, Math, Brittany Makayla Hawkins, Science; Martel Emerson, Social Studies.
Tate High School: TOP FIVE: Kayla Armstead, Angel Chu, Thomas Cummins, Lauren Kirkland, Justin Shelton DISCIPLINES: Megan Ogle, Career & Technology; Abigail Johnson, English, Ashley Mueth, Foreign Language; Hadley Starratt, Math; Madison Tourney, Science; Madison Nelson, Social Studies.
Washington High School: TOP FIVE: Michael Berryman, Emily Dawson, Julia Grissett, Madison O’Toole, Emily Parra DISCIPLINES: Alexis White, Career & Technology; Indica Mattson, English; Jordyn Burt, Foreign Language; Michael Hopko, Math; Sierra Hobbs, Science; Sydney Allen, Social Studies.
West Florida High School: TOP FIVE: Kathryn Reneé Harvell, Noah Tyler Lott, Andy An Phu, Kayla Jordan Romero, Kevin Sanders DISCIPLINES: Mary Margaret Byrd, Career & Technology, Elizabeth Shin, English; Lynn Ruth Arthur, Foreign Language; Lane Markham Isbell, Math; John Allan Facer, Science, Madeleine Annette Hutchison, Social Studies.
In addition National Merit finalists Jessica Amerson from Northview High School, and Scott A. McGaugh and Anish Gupta from Pensacola High School’s IB Program, were recognized.
Flash Flood Watch Continues, Heavy Rain Possible
April 1, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Low around 53. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 69. North wind around 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 45. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 47. West wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 75. West wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. West wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. North wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 67.
Area Code Now Required For Landline Phone Users In Walnut Hill, Bratt, Molino
April 1, 2016
Frontier Communications landline users in Walnut Hill, Bratt and Molino must now dial the area code when placing a local call. The mandatory dialing procedure became effective April 1.
Due to the addition of a new telephone exchange number in McCullough, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, the new dialing procedure will require Molino and Walnut Hill callers in the 327 and 587 exchanges to use 10 digits (i.e., the area code plus the regular telephone number) for all local calls. Currently, these numbers can be dialed using seven digits. The 10-digit dialing procedure does not make the call a toll call.
For example, when calling Northview High School, customers in the 327 and 587 phone exchanges previously dialed 327-6681, but with the change will now dial (850) 327-6681.
Since February 1, customers in Molino, Bratt and Walnut Hill have been able to use either seven digits or the new 10-digit dialing procedure to place a call from the 850 area code. However, as of April 1, the new 10-digit dialing procedure will be required. Calls placed without using the new 10-digit dialing procedure will not be completed, and a recording will instruct customers to hang up and dial again.
Frontier is reminding customers to reprogram all services and automatic dialing equipment currently set to dial a seven-digit number to include the area code. Examples include life-safety systems or medical devices, PBXs, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, alarm and security systems/gates, speed dialers, mobile phone contact lists, call-forwarding settings and voicemail services.
Frontier customers should also check their websites, business stationery, advertising materials, personal and business checks, contact information and personal/pet identification tags to ensure the area code is included.
New Cingular Wireless PSC, LLC, a mobile voice and data communications service provider, obtained a new telephone exchange and forced the change, not Frontier Communications.
Missing Brewton Teen Found Safe In Georgia
April 1, 2016
There’s a happy ending to the nearly two month search for a teen missing from Brewton.
On Thursday, the Brewton Police Department said 16-year-old Brooke Bridges had been found safe and sound in her home state of Georgia. However, officials stressed she was not found in her hometown.
She was found thanks to tip police received on social media Thursday. Police have not confirmed if she was abducted or ran away, but they said she was ready to return to her family in Brewton.
FBI officials said their investigation into the matter is not over; there is no word yet if anyone will face in charges in the case.
Bridges had been missing since she was last seen at the family home in Brewton about 11 pm. on Sunday, February 7.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Supreme Court Sets Arguments In Slots Case
April 1, 2016
The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments June 7 in a case involving a Gadsden County horse track that could have widespread implications for pari-mutuels throughout the state.
The court will decide whether Gretna Racing, a tiny horse track with a card room west of Tallahassee operated by the Poarch Creek Indians of Atmore, should be allowed to have slot machines without the express permission of the Legislature.
The court accepted jurisdiction in the case after a split appellate court ruled in October that the track cannot have slot machines without the authorization of the Legislature, even though voters in the county approved slots in a referendum. The 1st District Court of Appeal sided with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Gov. Rick Scott’s administration and also asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue of whether pari-mutuels can have slot machines if local voters approve, or if the games require the express say-so of the Legislature.
A ruling in the Gretna case could affect five other counties — Brevard, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach and Washington — where voters have also approved referendums authorizing slots at local pari-mutuels.
The Gretna case hinges on a semantic analysis of a 2009 law establishing eligibility for slot machines at pari-mutuels. The 2009 law, which went into effect the following year, was an expansion of a 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment that authorized slot machines at seven existing horse and dog tracks and jai-alai frontons in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
The 2009 change allowed a Hialeah track, which wasn’t operating at the time the amendment was approved, to also operate the lucrative slots. The law in question consists of three clauses, including one that deals with counties outside of Broward and Miami-Dade.
State regulators denied the Gretna track a slots license, arguing the Department of Business and Professional Regulation was “not authorized to issue a slot machine license to a pari-mutuel facility in a county which … holds a countywide referendum to approve such machines, absent a statutory or constitutional provision enacted after July 1, 2010, authorizing such a referendum.”
Florida Lottery Warns Of Email Scam
April 1, 2016
The Florida Lottery is warning citizens of a lottery scam in which scammers are sending emails to the public in an effort to obtain personal and financial information.
The email includes the Florida Lottery logo and uses the Florida Lottery headquarters’ address as part of the letterhead. In further efforts to appear legitimate, the email references other companies, including: LinkedIn and Microsoft. The 
email states that the recipient has won a prize and should contact the listed “Contact Person” to claim his or her prize. The email asks the individual to provide general information required to claim the prize. The email does not ask the individual to pay or provide financial information, but once he or she responds to the “Contact Person”, the scammers will then request financial information and/or that a tax or fee be paid to claim the prize.
The Florida Lottery does not contact players to inform them that they have won a prize unless they have entered a promotional game or second chance drawing on the official Florida Lottery website or social media pages. Individuals who receive an email similar to the one attached should not respond to the email. For more information and to find other tips to protect yourself, please visit flalottery.com. To report a lottery scam, consumers should contact the Florida Lottery’s Division of Security at (850) 487-7730.
License Free Fishing This Weekend In Florida
April 1, 2016
Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, will be a license–free freshwater fishing weekend for Florida residents and visitors.
Governor Rick Scott said, “License-free fishing weekends are a great way for Floridians and visitors to enjoy the fishing capital of the world and to experience every fishing opportunity Florida has to offer. I hope everyone enjoys springtime in our state and takes advantage of license-free fishing this weekend.”
“This is a great opportunity to expose new anglers to Florida’s rich fishing heritage,” said FWC Chairman Brian Yablonski. “We hope residents and visitors alike are inspired to enjoy a weekend on the water here in Florida, the Fishing Capital of the World. We want hooked fish and hooked anglers!”
This free fishing weekend is a part of the four total license-free fishing weekends 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.
Raymond Ernest Robinson, Jr.
April 1, 2016
Raymond Ernest Robinson, Jr, 58, of Fairhope, passed away Monday, March 28, 2016, at his residence. He was employed at Chuck Stevens Automotive as a salesman. He was born on December 9, 1957 in Crestview to the late Raymond E. and Margene Still Robinson, Sr. He was an avid fisherman.
He is preceded in death by his brother, Scott Louis Robinson.
Survivors include one son, Samuel Scott (Ruth) Robinson of Atmore; one sister, Donna Faison Rock of Daphne; two grandchildren, Mary and Lydia Robinson; two nieces, Brandi and Leia; two nephews, Jacob and Austin; one great-nephew, Jackson; and one great-niece, Anberlyn.
Memorial services were held Friday April 1, 2016, from the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Bruce Hooks and Pastor Gene King officiating.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Sav-A-Life.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.