Weekly Escambia County Meeting Schedule
July 18, 2017
Here are Escambia County meeting scheduled for the remainder of the week:
Tuesday, July 18
Community Redevelopment Agency, Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, 9 a.m. (Agenda)
Committe of the Whole Budget Workshop Continued, Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, 9 a.m (Agenda)
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate, Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, 1:30 p.m. (Agenda)
Benefits Committee, Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, 2 p.m.
Pensacola-Escambia Promotion and Development Commission, 418 W. Garden St., Pensacola, 2 p.m.
Board of County Commissioners Public Forum at 4:30 and Regular Meeting at 5:30 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place (Agenda)
Wednesday, July 19
Development Review Committee, Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, 1 p.m. (Agenda)
Escambia County Disability Awareness Committee, Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, 3 p.m.
Thursday, July 20
Board of Electrical Examiners, Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, 3 p.m. (Agenda)
Update: Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested
July 18, 2017
Update: James Levoy Foster was booked in the Escambia County Jail about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man and his female accomplice in connection with several robberies.
James Levoy Foster A.K.A. “Skigge”, 45, has multiple outstanding warrants for robbery and theft, and he’s also wanted for grand theft of a motor vehicle. Deputies said he may be in a silver Chevrolet Impala.
Deputies are also looking for his accomplice; she’s described only as a white female. She was the getaway driver in two separate robberies.
Anyone with information on the duo or that recognizes the pictured vehicle should call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Tate Aggies Kick Off Youth Football Camp, Still Time To Join
July 18, 2017
Monday was the first evening of the Tate Youth Football Camp at Pete Gindl Stadium.
The camp continues 5-8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. According to organizers, there is room for more participants. To join the camp, be at the stadium at 5 p.m. Tuesday to register.
The camp is beingdirected by Tate football coaching staff with assistance from Tate football players. It is an opportunity for youth to work on fundamentals, practice agility, run through drills and learn about being part of a team. No football equipment will be needed. Cleats are recommended, but not required.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Beat Mississippi On #TeamBarrow Night At The Ballpark
July 18, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Josh VanMeter and Shed Long both belted pitches from Atlanta Braves top pitching prospect, Kolby Allard, out of Blue Wahoos Stadium to left field.
It was #TeamBarrow night for the Wahoos to benefit the Barrow family. The Barrows recently experienced the loss two family members to cancer — mother Joanna Barrow died on January 30 and son Zachary Barrow passed away on February 8. Monday night at the Wahoo’s game, Holly Weaver performed the national anthem, while first pitches were tossed by Ryne Barrow, Kevin Barrow and Lauren McCall. The Wahoos also presented a $1,000 donation to Byrneville Elementary School.
The long balls in the second inning Monday ignited the Blue Wahoos lineup that scored five runs or more for the first time in nine games to beat the Mississippi Braves, 5-2, in front of 4,363 on its home field. Pensacola also hit two homers in a game for the first time in 10 games.
In a series that has featured two 2-0 games, a 2-1 game and a 4-3 game, the live bats were welcomed by Pensacola manager Pat Kelly and nail-biting Blue Wahoos fans. The Blue Wahoos earned 10 hits and six walks.
“Those two lefties (VanMeter and Long) were the key,” Kelly said. “Long and VanMeter did a great job taking Allard the other way and were very successful.”
Left fielder VanMeter and second baseman Long, who are both left handed hitters, launched homers to the opposite field to put Pensacola ahead, 2-0.
VanMeter, who was 3-3 with a double, walk, run and two RBIs, has four home runs this season and leads Pensacola with 38 RBIs. He also had his 22nd multi-hit game this year.
Long, who has struggled at the plate hitting .162, has two home runs with Pensacola and 15 on the year counting his stint with the High-A Daytona Tortugas. Long recorded his first multi-hit game with Pensacola, going 3-3 with a double, walk, two runs and one RBI for seven on the season.
“He’s seeing better pitching every night,” Kelly said about Long’s slow start at the plate. “As much as you don’t want to admit it, they’re pretty good. I think it humbled him a little bit.”
Long said it humbled him enough to seek out Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin and star outfielder Eric Davis to help him this past week to start swinging the bat again like he was when he was in Daytona. He said their advice was invaluable.
“They’re a big part of my life, especially in baseball,” Long said. “It doesn’t get better than those guys. I was doing the same thing in Daytona and I’m starting to get that feeling back. That’s an awesome feeling. I just need to keep it going.”
Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan scored on a two-out wild pitch by Allard and VanMeter hit a bullet to right field that drove in Blue Wahoos first baseman Gavin LaValley to put Pensacola ahead, 4-0, after three innings.
Mississippi got a home run of its own when third baseman Austin Riley smacked his first Double-A homer for his first RBI on a solo shot to right center in the fourth inning to trail Pensacola, 4-1.
Pensacola got the run back to go ahead, 5-1, when pitcher Jose Lopez hit a slow roller to second base that allowed Long, who doubled to left center, to score from third base. It was the first professional RBI for Lopez.
Making his seventh start, the 23-year-old Lopez pitched his third straight solid outing, working six innings, giving up two hits, including Riley’s homer, walked one and struck out two. He improved to 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA.
“He was great,” Kelly said. “He’s throwing strikes and going after hitters.”
The right-handed Lopez pitched eight scoreless innings in his July 6 start and one run in seven innings in his July 11 start, while striking out a career-high 11. Over his last three starts, he has allowed two runs on eight hits and three walks in 21 innings and struck out 20. He has a 0.86 ERA and WHIP of 0.52 and limited opposing hitters to a .121 average against him.
Meanwhile, Allard, the 14th overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft by Atlanta and the organization’s No. 3 ranked prospect, dropped to 5-8 with a 3.31 ERA. The 19-year-old is 0-3 against Pensacola and has struggled in his last two starts giving up nine runs, eight earned, on 17 hits in 10 innings.
Pensacola third baseman Nick Senzel’s hitting streak ended at 16 games Monday when he went 0-5. He tied Jackson General’s second baseman Kevin Medrano for the longest hitting streak in the Southern League this season.
Meanwhile, Pensacola is 31-18 at home this season and 13-12 in the second half to regain first place in the Southern League South Division over the Mobile BayBears. The South Division first half champions improved to 53-42 overall.
Photos by Barrett McClean/Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Woman Killed In Highway 4 Crash
July 17, 2017
A two vehicle crash in Century claimed one life Monday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 77-year old Emmie Wilson of Century was stopped at a Campbell Road stop sign, facing south toward Highway 4. Wilson then proceeded to drive her 2001 Chevrolet Malibu south through the intersection and into the path of a 1999 Chevrolet Lumina driven by 38-year old Christoper Mooney of Mobile.
Both vehicles came to rest in the ditch following the crash.
Wilson was pronounced deceased at the scene after being extricated from her vehicle. Mooney was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FHP Targets Aggressive Drivers
July 17, 2017
Passenger vehicles and tractor trailers share Florida’s highways every day, but too often aggressive driving habits result in deadly crashes between the two. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) will begin Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT), a safety campaign dddhttp://www.northescambia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/fhpstock99.jpgaimed at educating motorists about the dangers of aggressive driving around large trucks and reducing commercial motor vehicle related crashes.
Motorists should protect themselves and their passengers by learning how to share the road safely. FHP offers these tips for driving around large trucks:
- Stay out of the No Zone: Be aware that large trucks have large blind spots (also known as “No Zones”);
- Pass trucks with caution: Pass on the left side for maximum visibility and maintain a constant speed;
- Do not cut trucks off: Be sure to leave plenty of room when you pull in front of a truck. Large trucks
Simply cannot stop as quickly as cars;
- Practice patience around larger vehicles that are not traveling at the same speed as your vehicle;
- Do not drive distracted: Anything that takes your full attention off of the road, even for a second, could
be deadly. This includes texting, changing the radio station, talking to passengers, and much more; and
Dial *FHP (*347) if you witness aggressive or dangerous driving.
Guy Harvey Mentors Ernest Ward Student, Aspiring Marine Artist
July 17, 2017
Nolin Godwin, an incoming sixth grader at Ernest Ward Middle School, recently spent time painting a mural at Sea World in Orlando with world renowned conservationist and artist Guy Harvey
Nolin, now 12, has been obsessed with the ocean, sharks and saving the environment since he was about two years old. The aspiring artist started drawing sharks at a very young ago. Four years ago, the Godwin family vacationed on Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.
Harvey has a home and an art gallery on Grand Cayman. Nolin met Harvey and showed him some of his paintings. Harvey invited Nolan to draw with him in his gallery, inspiring Nolan to continue his love for the ocean, drawing and learning to paint. The family has continued yearly summer vacations back to Grand Cayman to see Harvey. They spend two to three weeks at a time to allow Nolin time in Harvey’s gallery.
He has also participated directly with Harvey multiple years in a Sting Ray City project, tagging and researching the ocean creatures.
When Nolin broke his arm at age 8, his Aunt Ruth Harrell bought him paint and canvases. Nolin sold his paintings, raising enough to donate $1,000 of to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. With the money, Harvey tagged a Mako shark and named it Nolin.
Nolin was invited recently to help Harvey with the mako shark mural at Sea Wold. Nolin signed the painting, with Harvey signing below wince he helped with touch-ups.
Nolin is the son of Gordon and JoLynn Godwin.
For more photos of Nolin and Guy Harvey painting, click here for a gallery.
Pictured: Guy Harvey paints with Nolin Godwin, incoming Ernest Ward sixth grade student. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century’s Community Development Block Grant Citizen’s Advisory Task Force To Meet
July 17, 2017
The Town of Century’s Community Development Block Grant Citizen’s Advisory Task Force (CATF) will meet to discuss the Town’s CDBG Emergency Set-Aside Housing Program. The meeting will be held at the Century Town Hall, 7995 N. Century Boulevard at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 20.
For more information, call the Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
At The Library This Week: Cardboard Robotic Arms, The Magic Of Reading
July 17, 2017
Here’s a look at the summer programs this week at West Florida Library locations throughout Escambia County.
Summer STEAM Cardboard Robotic Arm
- Tuesday, July 18, 2 p.m. – Century Branch Library
- Wednesday, July 19, 10:30 a.m. – Tryon Branch Library
- Thursday, July 20, 2 p.m. – Westside Branch Library
Come get your build on and join the Summer STEAM team to build a cardboard robotic arm. Using a hydraulics and lever system that you build yourself, your robot will be capable of lifting and moving items – but no promises that you can train it to take out the trash.
Russell Davis – The Magic of Reading
- Tuesday, July 18, 11 a.m. – Southwest Branch Library
- Wednesday, July 19, 11 a.m. – Century Branch Library
- Wednesday, July 19, 3 p.m. – Pensacola Library
- Thursday, July 20, 11 a.m. – Molino Branch Library
- Thursday, July 20, 3 p.m. – Tryon Branch Library
Russell Davis brings his magic tricks and comedy to inspire a love of reading.
Rain Chance Higher Today
July 17, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 86. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.