Superintendent Encourages Jim Allen Elementary Students To Always Do Their Best
April 27, 2019
Friday, Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas visited Jim Allen Elementary School to inspire third, fourth and fifth grade students to do their best. Thomas shared his life story, including his time as a Jim Allen student. He encouraged the students to work hard on the upcoming state assessments and challenged them to always put forth their best effort at all times. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jackson Beats The Pensacola Blue Wahoos
April 27, 2019
Since returning from the injured list following a quad strain, Jaylin Davis has been nearly unstoppable at the plate, raising his average on the season from .259 to .351, second best in the Southern League, with a torrid 13-30 stretch over the past seven games. After knocking three hits last night, including a go-ahead three-run home run in the tenth inning, Davis picked up where he’d left off in tonight’s game against the Jackson Generals, becoming the first Blue Wahoo to have four hits in a a game since Gabriel Guerrero did over a year ago in April 2018.
Unfortunately for Pensacola, Davis’ big night wasn’t enough to propel them to victory in a 12-7 loss to the Generals.
The Blue Wahoos continued their streak of early scoring, scoring first for the 17th time this season with two runs in the first and an additional run in the second inning. In the first, Tanner English drilled a one-out triple and came in to score on a double from Davis. Travis Blankenhorn, in his first Double-A at-bat, singled home Davis.
In the second, Mitchell Kranson extended Pensacola’s lead by singling home Drew Maggi, who had doubled.
The lead wasn’t safe, as Jackson scored three times in the home half of the third. After cruising through the first two innings and striking out four consecutive hitters, including K’ing the side in the second inning, Jorge Alcala ran into trouble in the third.
He walked the lead off batter in the inning and the allowed a double to Ryan Grotjohn. A balk brought home the first runner and an RBI single by Galli Cribbs Jr. cut Pensacola’s lead to 3-2. After a walk, Jamie Westbrook hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
The wheels came off for Alcala in the fourth, as he allowed the first four batters in the inning to reach base before being replaced by Tyler Jay. All four of Alcala’s runners scored in the inning, leaving him with a final line of 3.0 innings pitched, six hits, seven runs (six earned), three walks, and four strikeouts.
Jay threw 2.0 innings of relief, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks while Jackson took a 9-3 lead.
The Blue Wahoos offense didn’t quit despite the deficit. Drew Maggi reached on a hit by pitch in the sixth, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Luis Arraez.
An inning later, the Wahoos added another run, using a lead off double by Davis and RBI ground out by Caleb Hamilton to cut Jackson’s lead to 9-5.
The Wahoos scored twice in the eighth to make the ballgame tight. Arraez walked and English doubled to lead off the inning. A Kranson ground out scored Arraez and Davis plated English with a single, making it 9-7.
Jackson used three hits, two walks, and a fielding error to score three times in the home half of the eighth off reliever Sam Clay. and put the game out of reach, sailing to a 12-9 win with former Twins farmhand Michael Kohn’s league-leading fifth save of the season.
The loss drops Pensacola’s record to 15-7 while Jackson improves to 12-8 as the two team’s prepare for game three of their five-game series Saturday evening.
Need A Job? Escambia County (AL) Schools Holding Job Fair Saturday
April 26, 2019
The Escambia County (AL) School System is hiring.
They will hold a job fair Saturday as they look to hire for a variety of positions, including administration, teachers for all grade levels, special education teachers, career tech teachers and bus drivers.
The job fair will be held from 9 a.m. until noon April 27 at Escambia County Middle School at 1565 North Highway 21 in Atmore
Two Candidates Withdraw From Consideration For Escambia Administrator, Six Remain
April 26, 2019
Two of the eight finalists for Escambia County administrator have withdrawn their names from consideration in advance of interviews that are set for Monday.
Ricardo Mendez of Miami withdrew due to a family emergency, and Kimberly Washington of Molino removed her name from the list last week. Both were added to the list last week by Escambia County Commission Chairman Lumon May. Mendez was most recently finance director in Sweetwater, FL, and previously served as COO/CFO of Harrisburg, PA. Washington is currently engineering manager with Mississippi Power.
The six candidates remaining on the list, in no particular order, are:
- Craig Coffey from Flagler Beach, FL. County administrator in Flagler County from 2007-2019, has 20 years experience as a city/county manager with extensive Florida county government experience and 11 years additional local government experience.
- Patrick Thompson from Woodbury, MN. County administrator in St. Croix County, WI. Over 36 years local government experience.
- David Strahl from O’Fallon, MO. County administrator in City of O’Fallon, MO. 30 plus years local government administration experience, none in county government.
- Christopher Martin from Gulf Breeze. He served as the commanding officer of Pensacola Naval Air Station and spent 27 years in the Navy.
- Janice Gilley from Molino. She has held the position of vice president of External Affairs at the University of West Florida for 10 years. She served one year as the national policy director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, one year as deputy chief of staff for the Florida House of Representatives and served as policy director and deputy policy director for year in the Executive Office of the Governor in Florida. She served as an Escambia County commissioner from 2002-2004.
- Cedric Alexander from Pensacola. He has 13 years government experience including deputy chief in the Office of the Mayor in Rochester, NY, public safety director in Dekalb County, GA, and a federal security director for the Department of Homeland Security.
The commissioners will meet with candidate one-on-one Monday morning, April 29 before the candidates appear before the entire board in the afternoon.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Tate Aggie Freshmen Finish Season Undefeated
April 26, 2019
The Tate Aggie Freshmen finished their season undefeated at 13-0-1. The team had a .378 team batting average and a team ERA of a 1.95. Pictured are (bottom row, L-R) Manager Dawson Guy, Tucker Griffin, Wiley Griffin, Chase Lombardo, Brent Vinson, Cam Larocca, Dagan Guy, Paul Whitson, (top row, L-R) Head Coach Robb Whitfield, Jaxson Stafford, Caleb Murph, Waren Henke, Kirk Mosley, Saxon Hill, Luke Gandy, Conner Wright, Josiah Glodfelter, Assistant Coach Brett Weeks. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Middle’s Book Club Gets Surprise Thank You Visit From Healing Paws For Warriors
April 26, 2019
Veterans and service dogs from Healing Paws for Warriors surprised Ransom Middle School students this week to thank them for all their hard work in collecting 366 pairs of shoes for the organization.
They had set a goal to collect 100 pairs of shoes to benefit Healing Paws for Warriors, a group that rescues shelter dogs and trains them to become service dogs for veterans.
But the shoes just kept walking in. Pair after pair after pair during the February shoe drive.
When the counting was done, the 35 students that started Kicks for a Cause had collected 366 pairs of shoes.
“These kids, two counties away, saw this and thought, we can make a difference and their difference was huge,” said Shelia Hale, director of operations and co-founder of Healing Paws for Warriors. “What they did by collecting shoes, a goal of 100 (pairs), that they tripled if not more, and then they opened the door for other schools to do the same thing.”
Kicks for a Cause is a shoe drive created by librarian Crystal Roberts and her student book club members for Acts of Kindness Week. Healing Paws will receive $10 for every 25 pairs of donated shoes, helping the organization with the $5,000 cost to train a service dog.The donated shoes will also be used to help needy people in 24 Third World countries.
“I think that (the students) understood the facts about why we did the shoe drive,” Roberts said during the visit, “but today I think they got to see the faces behind the reason we did the shoe drive.”
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Courthouse Closed Early Friday Due To Active Shooter Drill
April 26, 2019
An active shooter drill will be held Friday from noon until 5 p.m. at the the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building in downtown Pensacola. The event is designed to assess how court leadership, stakeholders, staff, and law
enforcement agencies respond to an active shooter scenario within the courthouse, and is part of a continuing effort to both ensure a safe forum for the resolution of legal disputes and protect employees and the public.
Perimeter streets will not be closed, but members of the public should be aware that traffic on the surrounding streets (Government, Spring, Baylen, and Main) may be affected for the duration of the exercise. The public may conduct regular court business from 8 a.m. to noon; however, the courthouse will be closed to the public at noon. Signs will be clearly posted to inform of any temporary road closures and additional important information.
The Pensacola Crawfish Festival is also scheduled for April 26 at the nearby Vince Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park. As a result, extra time may be needed to navigate the area surrounding the courthouse.
Beginning at noon, the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court will have limited staff available on the first floor of the Board of County Commissioners Building, 221 Palafox Place, for the filing of emergency matters only, specifically, petitions for domestic violence injunction and Baker Act and Marchman Act petitions. E-filing of documents will not be affected by the closure.
Extension Service Hosting Open House, Plant Sale
April 26, 2019
The Escambia County Extension Service is celebrating Earth Day week with an open house at 3740 Stefani Road in Cantonment.
Escambia Extension will host an Open House and Plant Sale on Saturday, April 27. The event will feature gardening demonstrations, an introduction to various 4-H youth programs, a healthy eating seminar, cooking demonstrations, discussions about coastal sustainability practices and livestock management, and a vegetable plant sale. Attendees will also learn about training sessions, volunteer activities and the role of Extension in the community.
Best Of The Class Of 2019 Honored From Escambia High Schools
April 26, 2019
The top students from the Class of 2019 from Escambia County’s high schools were recognized Thursday night as the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation hosted the 2019 Senior Academic Awards program at Washington High School.
The Senior Academic Awards recognized outstanding academic achievement, represented by the top five students from each school with the highest GPAs at the end of the first semester of their senior year and the top student from each of the six academic disciplines. Students received a personalized medallion and a Congressional certificate.
Honorees are listed below under a photo from each school, scroll down, click to enlarge.
Escambia High School
Ava Alfaro-Barber – Top Five
Cameron Downey – Top Five
Angel Goldsby – Top Five
Laney Jernigan – Top Five
Austin Skinnner – Top Five
Sydney Helms – Career & Technical
Kara Muscha – English
Alena Freyhofer – Foreign Language
Jha’Keariyon Wright – Math
Niki Correa – Science
Hannah Aman – Social Studies
Northview High School
Rebecca Nicole Dunn – Top Five
Mikayla Payton Jeneske – Top Five
Seth Hammac Killam – Top Five
Sara Delaney Reynolds – Top Five
Valen Taylor Shelly – Top Five
Ashlan Kaile Harigel – Top Five (early graduate)
Gabrielle F.N. Kline – Career & Technical
Bristol Cade Allen – English
Olivia Grace Porter – Foreign Language
Aaliyah R. Tucker – Math
Austin J. Adams – Science
Justin Alan Cruce – Social Studies
Pensacola High IB Program
Fairchild M. Davis – Top Five
Jacob P. Ferris – Top Five
Gorham D. Partington – Top Five
Ami A. Patel – Top Five
Connor R. Zameska – Top Five
Zachary O. Sahin – Career & Technical
Minh Kieu Thi Tran – English
Parker G. Beverly – Foreign Language
Andrew J. Penton – Math
Andre C. Archer – Science
Savannah Jayne – Social Studies
Reid Harwell – National Merit Finalist
Allee McDonald – National Merit Finalist
Ami Patel – National Merit Finalist
Lillian Wiggins – National Merit Finalist
Pensacola High School
Caitlin Abigail Jennings – Top Five
Liam Ross Kennedy – Top Five
Olivia C. Overvold – Top Five
Richard A. Pope – Top Five
Ifasade Elewa White – Top Five
Kaelynn A. Tanksley – Career & Technical
Adam Jeffrey Davis – English
Anselma Antonio – Foreign Language
Reid M. Sellars – Math
J’Rod Ja’Lynn Nobles – Science
Maya Willliams – Social Studies
Pine Forest High School
Katherine Marie Lupton – Top Five
Noelle E. Matzinger – Top Five
Khanh Quoc Nguyen – Top Five
Jacob Anthony Ward – Top Five
Zialynn M. Wilson – Top Five
Noah Drake Miller – Career & Technical
Kaylie R. McKinney – English
Brianna J. Peters – Foreign Language
Michael D. Gibson – Math
DeAndre T. Williams – Science
Jose Adrian Guerra – Social Studies
Tate High School
Lauren Li Brown – Top Five
John David Dixon – Top Five
Jazmine M. Endress – Top Five
Aaron H. Harberson – Top Five
Briana E. Sabin – Top Five
Jordana R. Jernigan – Career & Technical
Kyler Jayce Nielsen – English
Michael McPherson – Foreign Language
William A. Burns – Math
Bradley Troy Edgar – Science
Cassilyn Owens – Social Studies
Booker T. Washington High School
Kate Bradley – Top Five
Addison Cronk – Top Five
Julia O’Sullivan – Top Five
Walker Parra – Top Five
Johnny Austin Thompson – Top Five
Samuel Jackson – Career & Technical
Kody Kimberl – English
Madeline McCulley – Foreign Language
Joshua Fortune – Math
Jacob Paullin – Science
Madeline Markham – Social Studies
West Florida High School
Maxwell Alderman – Top Five
Mackenzie Schmidt – Top Five
Sara Siler – Top Five
Sage Spiess – Top Five
Phillip Washburn – Top Five
Jasmine Paynter – Career & Technical
Hannah Grace Smith – English
Kaylee Beasley – Foreign Language
Jonathan Hestres- Rivera – Math
Jordan Randall – Science
Sarah Gontarski – Social Studies
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sunshine For Days
April 26, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 49. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.