Abducted Mobile Baby Found Safe
June 17, 2018
UPDATE: This AMBER alert has been canceled; the child was found safe and in good health.
Previous Story:
An AMBER Alert has been issed by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency for 5-week-old Christina Sara Hagler.
Authorities say Christina was abducted around 3 p.m. Saturday at 3168 Airport Boulevard in Mobile. Authorities said she is believed to be in extreme danger.
Christina has brown hair and blue eyes.
Authorities believe her abductor is a white male that goes by the name of Shawn. He has red hair and is believed to be in his mid-30s.
They are believed to be traveling in a 2003 black Cadillac Escalade with an Alabama tag 2BW5517.
Anyone with information should call 911.
Photos courtesy Alabama Law Enforcement Agency for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Reaching To God: I Thought You Would Call Me ‘Father’
June 17, 2018
Today, NorthEscambia.com is introducing a new weekly column entitled “Reaching to God,” by R.A. Mathews. The Rev. Mathews is an attorney, columnist, and the author of “Reaching to God: Great Truths from the Bible.” The column runs in several large newspapers. NorthEscambia.com is the first online-only newspaper to publish the popular column.
I’m about to blow your socks off. If you want to hold onto your britches, pull them up tightly.
Here we go: God is all-powerful and all-knowing, but God doesn’t have everything He wants.
This is a great truth.
What God longs for most eludes Him—it has since the beginning of time. You see it in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and you see it today.
What is that?
Let me tell you a story. Two parents lost their boy somewhere in a crowded city. For three days and two nights they searched for him, obviously frantic.
Mary and Joseph finally find Jesus in the temple. Remember what Jesus says to them: “Didn’t you know I’d be in My Father’s house?”
And what do they say? “Ah, yes, we should have known.”
No, they don’t. Scripture says they don’t understand Jesus. Luke 2:51
Isn’t that odd? Mary and Joseph knew Jesus was conceived by God. On top of that, hadn’t the angels announced to them that Jesus was the Son of God?
Well, let’s look.
Joseph had four dreams about Jesus. In one, Jesus is referred to as God’s son. When Gabriel speaks to Mary, he says it twice: Jesus will be the “Son of God” and “Son of the Most High.”
So Mary and Joseph not only had the virgin birth, but also angelic pronouncements that God is the Father of Jesus. Apparently that’s not enough because they don’t understand their 12-year-old son when He says, “Didn’t you know I’d be in my Father’s house?”
Here’s why—for a Jew to refer to God as “my Father” was blasphemy. In fact, two decades later those words will get Jesus into big trouble. The Jews will burn with anger, seeking to kill Jesus for saying “my Father.” They’ll say He’s making “Himself equal with God.” John 5:18
Honestly, the first time I saw this blasphemy charge, I immediately turned to the Old Testament.
It didn’t make sense. Clearly Jews from Abraham to Jeremiah had called God “Father.” Right?
Wow—get ready for this.
According to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, “Father” is used for God only 15 times in the Old Testament. You can count them on your fingers and toes.
Even worse, generally those passages are talking about God’s nature—only one person in the Old Testament actually speaks to God calling him, “Father.” That’s Isaiah, and he only does it twice.
I was surprised.
Obviously, this is not good and God knows it. Listen to His words as the Old Testament marches to a close. I’ll warn you, these words are painful. God says, “I thought you would call me ‘Father.’”Jeremiah 3:19
That verse always moves me deeply. It’s the yearning of a parent for the love of a child. The all-powerful, all-knowing God longs for His children, wants them to know Him intimately, to call Him “Father.”
Now do you see what I mean? Some 2,000 years have passed from Abraham to the birth of Christ, and God doesn’t have what He wants most.
So the New Testament opens, God becomes flesh, and the Gospels proclaim Jesus. But before that, I’m certain Father God in heaven spoke with Jesus.
“Make sure they know me,” God must have told Jesus. “Make sure they call me ‘Father.’”
What then happens?
Oh-ho. Jesus knocks that ball out of the park—Jesus calls God “Father” over 165 times!
See how important this is to God?
And I wish I could say Jesus settled the matter. But, no—to this day God longs to be called “Father”; He will forever want His children more than anything, seeking those who walk away, knowing
many will never love Him.
God doesn’t have what He wants most. And He never will.
This Father’s Day, pray with your children. Lead them to know God intimately, to call Him “Father.”
© 2017, 2018 R.A. Mathews The Rev. Mathews is an attorney, columnist, and the author of “Reaching to God: Great Truths from the Bible.”
Contract Worker Killed In Accident At Ascend Plant In Cantonment
June 16, 2018
A worker was killed in an industrial accident at Ascend Performance Materials in Cantonment.
“We are aware of an incident at our facility in Cantonment,” Alison Jahn, senior director of Global Communications for Ascend, told NorthEscambia.com Friday night. “The incident involved a contract employee working for a company called KTN. We are currently working with local authorities to investigate the incident and will provide additional details as we have them.”
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Henley said the death appears to be an accident.
Something reportedly fell on the victim. An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigator and a crime scene unit responded to the plant about 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Further details, including the name of the victim, have not been released. There were no other injuries reported to Escambia County EMS.
Pictured: Ascend Performance Materials. File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Saturday Showers Likely
June 16, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
NTSB Releases Report On Plane Crash Outside Atmore
June 16, 2018
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued their preliminary report on a plane crash May 11 outside Atmore.
The pilot, identified by FAA records as Matthew Scott Newton of Flomaton, was seriously injured. The plane crashed on Darryl Dawe Lane about a mile from the Robinsonville Baptist Church, and about 4.5 miles from the Alabama/Florida state line.
The plane was an experimental amateur-built Kolb Firestar 2was registered to the pilot about one year before the accident, but he was not the builder, according to the FAA. The plane came to rest inverted on the lawn of a private residence, and the tail boom and right wing were substantially damaged. There was no apparent pre-impact damage, and the plane still had fuel.
Search Continues For Baldwin County Man Missing For A Month
June 16, 2018
The search is continuing a month after a Baldwin County man was reported missing.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued a Missing Senior Alert for Steve Keszthelyi.
Keszthelyi is a 79-year old white male and may be suffering from a condition that may impair his judgement. He was last seen wearing red shorts , white t-shirt and a red hat at his residence in Elberta on May 16. Anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of Steve Keszthelyi is asked to contact the Elberta Police Department at (251) 986-5300 or call 911.
The search has included areas in Escambia County, FL.
This Hydrangea Loves A Sunny Landscape
June 16, 2018
Love hydrangeas but have a sunny landscape? There is a beautiful hydrangea that will work in sunnier locations, according to Escambia Extension.
Limelight hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’) is a large deciduous shrub that is a show piece in the summer garden. Large light green flowers form on new wood and cover the shrub.
But if there is not enough room for this hydrangea that gets 8-feet tall and wide, consider ‘Little Lime’ which grows about 4-feet tall and wide. Both can be purchased in local nurseries.
Images courtesy Escambia Extension for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Teen Pleads No Contest To Threatening To Shoot Teachers, Bringing Gun To School
June 16, 2018
An Escambia County teen has pleaded no contest to charges that he brought a a gun to school after he threatened shoot school staff.
Terrance Anton Harris, Jr.,16, entered a plea of no contest to possession of a weapon on school property, carrying a concealed firearm, and possession of a firearm by a minor.
On November 30, 2017, Harris threatened to shoot multiple staff members at the Camelot Academy if he saw them outside of school grounds. He was subsequently expelled from the academy and then was accepted into George Stone Technical Center.
On January 25, 2018, Harris was sent to the guidance office at George Stone when he was disrupting class. When Harris’ belongings were asked to be sent to the office, the classroom teacher opened the backpack to confirm it belonged to Harris. She then found a loaded .38 calibur firearm in the backpack.
Circuit Judge Gary Bergosh scheduled sentencing for August 10. Terrance Harris faces a maximum of 10 years in state prison.
Karen Powell Named Escambia Sheriff’s Volunteer Of The Year
June 16, 2018
Karen Powell of Cantonment has been named the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Volunteer of the Year.
Powell has volunteered three years with the Escambia County Mounted Posse and has helped with the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy, Neighborhood Watch Academy and Camp Friendship.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Beat BayBears
June 16, 2018
Keury Mella pitched five no-hit innings in Pensacola’s 5-0 victory against the Mobile BayBears Friday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. This is the Wahoos third straight win and series win.
The Wahoos came out hot in the first inning as Nick Longhi hit a sac fly to center fielder Brennon Lund that scored Shed Long to give the Blue Wahoos an early 1-0 lead. Brian O’Grady came to the plate and doubled on a fly ball to Lund that allowed Narciso Crook to score which increased the Wahoos lead to 2-0.
Pensacola would strike again in the bottom of the seventh inning with a Taylor Sparks ground-rule double on a line drive to left field that scored O’Grady and Luis Gonzalez making the score 4-0. A wild pitch by Dario Beltre allowed Sparks to cap the scoring at 5-0.
Great pitching had been a key for success for the Wahoos in this series. Mella (W, 6-3) was stellar over five shutout innings of no-hit ball. His only jam was in the second, when he walked the bases loaded. Mella pitched out of the trouble with no damage. He finished with three walks, and five strikeouts for his second consecutive win. Robinson Leyer and Joel Bender would allow only one hit over the final four innings to secure the Wahoos victory.
Pensacola looks for a season-best four straight wins in Saturday night’s game. Southpaw Victor Payano, (0-1, 3.80) will take the mound for Pensacola, and BayBears RHP Jesus Castillo (4-4, 5.23) will take the hill.