Multiple Departments Contain Grass Fire Near Jay
January 25, 2018
A grass fire in the 6200 block of Old Pollard Road in Jay threatened several structures Thursday afternoon. Firefighters from Berrydale, Jay, Century, Flomaton and the Florida Division of Forestry were able to contain the fire and prevent and structural damage. There were no injuries reported. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Brush Fire Threatens Structures, Vehicles
January 25, 2018
A brush fire in Molino threatened several structures and vehicles Thursday afternoon.
The fire was reported about 1:30 p.m. on Cedar Tree Lane. Firefighters from the Molino, Cantonment and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue worked to bring the fire under control with no structural damage.
There were no injuries reported.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Respond To Brush Fire On Shady Lane In Century
January 25, 2018
Firefighters responded to brush fire at residence in the 9500 block of Shady Lane in Century about noon Thursday. The fire reportedly started when a trash fire got out of control. It was quickly brought under control before reaching a wooded area. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Small Chemical Explosion Forces Evacuation At UWF Building
January 25, 2018
A small chemical explosion led to the evacuation of a building at the University of West Florida this afternoon.
The chemistry lab explosion in Building 58 occurred about 12:15 p.m. There were no students in the lab at the time of the explosion. The science building was evacuated as firefighters worked to clear smoke from the building.
There were no injuries.
Building 58 was set to remain closed with all classes and labs in the building canceled until 4:30 p.m. The rest of the UWF campus remained operational as usual.
Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO Warning Of Man That Tried To Lure Kids Into Car With Cash
January 25, 2018
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is warning parents about a man that allegedly tried to lure children try to lure children into his car from a school bus stop Thursday morning.
Deputies responded to the 8800 block of Sonnyboy Lane in reference to a suspicious person.
Deputies were told a group of children were approached by a black male who offered them money to get in his car. The children say he was driving a white four-door car, described as being dirty with tinted windows. The black male was described to be possibly in his 30’s or 40’s, with short dreads, a little bit of facial hair and was wearing all black.
The children did not accept his offer and did not enter the vehicle.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Sonnyboy Lane is located just north of Johnson Avenue in Ensley, between Chemstrand Road and Airway Drive.
FHP Seeks Highway 29 Hit And Run Driver
January 25, 2018
The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for a hit and run driver after a traffic crash Wednesday night in Ensley.
The hit and driver was turning from southbound Highway 29 onto Hood Drive near Walmart about 6:10 p.m. when they turned into the path of a car traveling northbound on Highway 29. The 23-year old driver of that car was not seriously injured.
No description of the hit and run vehicle was available, but it will have significant damage to the passenger side.
Anyone with information on the hit and run crash is asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at *FHP or (850) 484-5000.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Stolen Debit Card Leads To Felony Drug Charges Against Cantonment Man
January 25, 2018
A alleged stolen debit card led to felony drug charges against a Cantonment man.
Jeffrey Ervinton Rivers, 35 was accused of using a debit card stolen from his cousin at a Cantonment Tom Thumb to make a $9.28 purchase and a $400 ATM withdrawal.
When deputies went to an address on Deauville Way in Pensacola to arrest Rivers, they reported finding him asleep on a couch with the stolen debit card in his pocket. Deputies also reported finding three bags of marijuana, 10 Ecstasy pills, snf two pieces of crack cocaine in his pants pockets.
Rivers was charged with three counts of possession of marijuana, possession of crack cocaine, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, fraudulent use of a debit card, petty theft of a debit card and grand theft. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $8,000.
Sunny And Pleasant Today, Rain By Saturday
January 25, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 62. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 63. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 62. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 53. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 63. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind around 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 60.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 36.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 58.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 63.
Pictured: Blue sunny skies over the Century Chamber of Commerce Office Thursday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Town Planner To Return To Century; Councilman Wants Position Oversight
January 25, 2018
Town officials have announced that Town Planner Debbie Nickles is returning to Century following her resignation, but one council member wants more position oversight.
Nickles worked with the town for decades, until calling it quits December 29 over moral and ethical issues, and concerns about the town’s credibility.
At the town’s last council meeting in December, Nickles expressed grave concerns regarding the town’s decision to bill an apartment developer $180,250 to establish water and sewer service as opposed to $63,500 based upon a 2015 verbal agreement that she and then-mayor Freddie McCall made with the Paces Foundation. The 2015 agreement was based upon then-current published rates. [Read more...]
“I feel like this is a moral, ethical thing to me. I feel like we made a commitment to them and the town should honor that commitment,” she said addressing the town council in December.
The council voted 4-1 in early January to attempt to lure Nickles back, with council member Louis Gomez voting against.
This week, Gomez expressed concerns over the power held by the town planner. He cited comments on stories about Nickles on NorthEscambia.com.
“Mrs. Nickles has been serving the town for 30 years; she’s a big part of Century and a big part of the past of Century. But I was looking at if from the standpoint of if Mrs. Nickles fell ill or decided to retire,” he said of his vote against bringing her back to the planner position. “Some of the comments I read made it seem as though Century should just fold up, pack up and just take a bulldozer and go ahead and level this place without her. In my opinion, just opinion now, is that’s too much power for one person.
“I want to be 100 percent behind Mrs. Nickles, but my recommendation is someone needs to work hand in hand with her at a city government level in order that we won’t be held hostage by one person leaving or staying.”
“If it’s something to do with Century, I want to know about it,” Gomez said. “I don’t want to come up later and say it’s done because she had the authority to sign off on it because I want to see what is happening.”
“The downside to everything to going to come before the council is time with us only meeting twice a month” Council President Ann Brooks said. “For example, if somebody came in and needed a new roof, she has to sign off on that, it’s a land use, before they can get a permit to put a new roof on. Are we going to hold up a roof on someone’s home?”
“Yes,” Gomez replied. “We are gonna hold it up, but we are going to expedite the permit.”
“Until we have the next council meeting, you would like to hold off on anyone getting a roof?” Brooks asked.
“I don’t care,” Gomez said. “There’s people been waiting two years to get their house built over here. They don’t even have a house, let a lone a roof. If you are going to do stuff and be transparent, all I’m saying is I’m on this seat and I want to see it.” Or, as alternative, he said a person should be elected or appointed to “follow up” on anything that has to do with Century.
“I don’t want anybody to come back and say that this administration we have in place now let nothing slip through the cracks,” he said. “…Part of the problem was the way they did business in this past, not the person, not Mrs. Nickles.” He claimed that not all business by “a previous administration” was done “on top of the table”.
Mayor Henry Hawkins said, “I need to be aware of what’s going on….the council will be assured that not one person is doing everything with that authority. I’m in the loop; because I’m in the loop, you’ll be in the loop.”
“If something goes wrong in Century, I guarantee you they ain’t going to be saying Mrs. Nickles done it. Who they gonna say, who gonna be on the page on NorthEscambia and Tri City Ledger? The town council. If something goes wrong in Century, some money gets lost or whatever the case may be, a grant goes bad, they are going to blame (council members) Ann Brooks, Mr. Riley, Mr. Boutwell, Mr. Gomez and Mayor Hawkins. If my name is on the line, I just want it up on top. It’s no vengeance against no one.”
The council tabled any action on any additional oversight over Nickles’ position until a February workshop meeting.
Pictured top and bottom: Century council member Louis Gomez. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Who Will It Be? Escambia Schools To Name Teacher Of The Year Friday Night
January 25, 2018
The Escambia County School District’s Teacher of the Year will be named Friday night at the Golden Apple Awards.
The five finalists for the award are:
- William Broome — Woodham Middle School
- Shana Brown — Molino Park Elementary School
- Megan Carroll — Northview High School
- Suzanne Hollingsworth — Beulah Elementary School
- Carla Ross — Washington High School
Each teacher has been selected by their peers and they represent ingenuity, dedication, compassion, organization, and so many other traits shared by teachers in their schools. They teach various subject areas and how to use technology, but they also teach life skills and employability skills such as teamwork, time management, and social responsibility.
The winner will be in the running for the Florida Teacher of the Year.
The Golden Apple Awards will also honor all Teachers of the Year for each school in the district. Those teachers are:
Alternative Education — Mercedes Musto
Jim Allen Elementary — Cheryl Massey
Jim C. Bailey Middle — Bobby White
Bellview Elementary — Katie Trier
Bellview Middle — Paulette Brown
Beulah Academy of Science — Rodney Story
Beulah Elementary — Suzanne Hollingsworth
Blue Angels Elementary — Donna C. McKay
Bratt Elementary — Kim Ryan
Brentwood Elementary — Mrs. Scotti Mason
Brown-Barge Middle — David Mellor
Byrneville Elementary — James McDaniel
Camelot Academy — Barbara Belvin
Hellen Caro Elementary — Amy Blamires
N. B. Cook Elementary — Kim Anthony
Cordova Park Elementary — Julios Dewberry
Ensley Elementary — Myra L. Palmer
Escambia High — Keitha Jenkins Brown
Escambia Westgate — Barbara McGill
Ferry Pass Elementary — Nikki Cole
Ferry Pass Middle — Dustin Brenton
Global Learning Academy — Clarence Myles, Jr.
Reinhardt Holm Elementary — Tonya Gron
Lakeview School — Sherry King
Lincoln Park Primary — Jamila Richardson
R. C. Lipscomb Elementary — Patti Payne
Longleaf Elementary — Rena Croker
L. D. McArthur Elementary — Elizabeth Benoit
McMillan Pre-K — Lillian Welch
Molino Park Elementary — Shana Brown
Montclair Elementary School — Catherine Gritsavage
Myrtle Grove Elementary — Angela Carver
Navy Point Elementary — Dawn Paulus
Northview High — Megan Carroll
Oakcrest Elementary — Lori Martin
Pensacola High — Thelma Mullin
Pine Forest High — Jeffrey Lance
Pine Meadow Elementary — Vanessa Taylor
Pleasant Grove Elementary — Alison Schultheis (Sarah)
Ransom Middle — James Jackson
Scenic Heights Elementary — Melissa Thompson
O. J. Semmes Elementary — Cole Harper
Sherwood Elementary — Alexis Quick
George Stone Technical Center — Susan Shockley
A. K. Suter Elementary — Susan Anderson
J. M. Tate High — Alton “Dale” Gilmore
Title 1 — Wendy Ellis
Ernest Ward Middle — Jennifer Luker
Warrington Elementary — Keri Buck
Warrington Middle — Anne Laurenzi
Booker T. Washington High — Carla Ross
C. A. Weis Elementary — Jennifer Kemp
West Florida High — Shawn Walker
West Pensacola Elementary — Tereasa Newton
W. J. Woodham Middle — William Broome
J. H. Workman Middle School — Milagros Sessions
Escambia Charter, Jacqueline Harris Prep. Academy and Pensacola Beach Elementary did not submit names for the list.