DeSantis Taps New Environmental Secretary; Century Hopes His Local Connection Is A Plus
September 5, 2021
A man with deep Northwest Florida ties has been appointed secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Century officials hope that’s a plus for the small town.
Shawn Hamilton served as director of the Northwest District of FDEP from January 2011 until February 2020 before serving as interim secretary and deputy secretary of Lands and Recreation.
In September 2019, Hamilton was among a group of state and local officials that met at Century’s sewage plant to brainstorm how to fix a facility suffering from neglect in its old age.
In some small way, Century’s interim town manager, Vernon Prather, hopes Century will be remembered with Hamilton at the head of FDEP.
“I think it’s a fortunate that someone who as actually been to Century and seen Century is at the cabinet level,” Prather said. “They know that Century is not just a dot on a map.”
“I am pleased to appoint Shawn Hamilton as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection,” DeSantis said. “Secretary Hamilton brings a strong, proven record of environmental stewardship and management of award-winning state parks and conservation lands. I am confident in his ability to continue leading DEP and building on the foundations laid before him in our mission to protect and restore Florida’s environment and natural resources.”
Mostly Sunny For Sunday, Maybe A Few Showers
September 5, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Labor Day: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 87.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 88.
Sacred Heart COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing Closed Until Tuesday
September 5, 2021
Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing center on Bayou Boulevard in Pensacola will be closed through Monday for the extended Labor Day weekend.
Testing will resume on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Normal hours of operations are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. No appointments are needed. Sacred Heart is offering the commonly used PCR testing, which requires 24 hours to process.
File photo.
UWF Football Gets Season Opening D1 Win over McNeese State (With Photo Gallery)
September 5, 2021
Austin Reed threw for 380 yards and the Argonaut offensive and defensive lines were as battle-tested in the trenches as ever before to lift top-ranked UWF past Division I FCS McNeese State, 42-36, at a sweltering Cowboy Stadium Saturday in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
UWF (1-0) won its season opener for the fourth time in five seasons and improved to 2-0 against Division I programs. McNeese (0-1) lost for the first time in seven seasons when opening up at home and dropped its first game to a non-Division I opponent for the first time in its last 22 meetings dating back to 1990.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
The game was played in temperatures in the low 90s with heat index of low 100s.
The Argos finished with 466 yards of total offense on 56 plays for a school-record 8.3 yards per play. The previous mark was 8.2 ypp against West Alabama in 2019.
Reed completed 19-of-36 passes to seven players and four touchdowns. His 380 passing yards are tied for the sixth-most in program history.
His favorite target was junior David Durden, who totaled 172 yards on six catches, which included a 44-yard scoring strike that got the Argos on the board and a 74-yard play that marked the second-longest play from scrimmage in UWF annals. His 28.67 yards per reception average ranks sixth at UWF. Durden also took a direct snap and scored on a 6-yard run that put UWF ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter as they never trailed the rest of the contest.
But it was still a back-and-forth game with each team answering the other drive after drive.
Cody Orgeron tossed the first of his two passing TDs but the Cowboys missed the first of three extra points to keep UWF ahead at 14-13.
UWF scored on its third-consecutive possession midway through the second quarter when Reed found senior Ka’Ron Ashley on a 26-yard hookup. After the Argos missed a field goal, the Cowboys got one of their own to pull within 21-16 going in to halftime.
The teams each had a non-scoring possession to start the third before UWF extended the lead to 28-16 on a Reed to senior Rodney Coates 4-yard pass. Orgeron scored on a fourth down run from the one to answer the Argo score.
The teams had two touchdowns apiece in the fourth quarter. The running game came alive on each drive for UWF, with sophomore Shomari Mason scoring on a 17-yard rush to stretch the margin to 35-22. After a Cowboy score, it was sophomore Ra’veon Hargove’s turn to stuff the stat sheet. He opened the Argonauts’ final scoring drive with a 22-yard run and ended it with a 9-yard catch out of the backfield for a 42-28 lead.
McNeese scored with 2:44 left and got within six points after a 2-point conversion but was unable to execute the onside kick. UWF rushed three times for a first down and was able to take a knee for the victory.
Four of UWF’s six scoring drives were at least 75 yards long and four were between four and six plays long.
Orgeron threw for a career-high 367 yards on 31-of-47 with two touchdowns.
UWF sacked Orgeron four times and hurried him four times. Senior safety D’Anthony Bell led the Argos with six tackles, one for a loss and two pass break-ups. Grad transfer Stephon Williams had five stops, a hurry and a tackle for loss in his first game at UWF.
UWF will return to action next Saturday, Sept. 11 when it plays host to Southwest Baptist (0-1) at Pen Air Field on-campus. The game will kickoff at 6 p.m. and be the first on-campus game in UWF history.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos: Morgan Givens/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Traffic Alert: What To Expect This Week (After A Labor Day Weekend Break)
September 5, 2021
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities. Due to the Labor Day holiday weekend, there will be no lane closures or other activities that impede traffic on major state roads until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Escambia County
- Pensacola Bay Bridge (U.S. 98) Replacement - Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and lane shifts on the Pensacola Bay Bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Saturday, Sept. 11. Crews will be using lanes on the current bridge as a platform to pour concrete decks for the westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) structure. Additional work will include installation of pier lighting.
-
- 17th Avenue interchange construction – The Pensacola Bay Bridge off-ramp to 17th Avenue northbound will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Thursday, Sept. 9. Drivers exiting the Pensacola Bay Bridge should detour using Ninth Avenue northbound and U.S. 90 (West Cervantes Street) eastbound to reach 17th Avenue.
- North Ninth Avenue (State Road (S.R.) 289) Carpenters Creek Bridge Replacement- All travel lanes are temporarily shifted to the northbound side of the bridge as crews replace the southbound portion of the structure. In addition, drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures as crews mobilize materials and equipment.
- U.S. 29 Resurfacing from South of Muscogee Road (County Road (C.R.) 184) to Atmore Highway (S.R. 97) – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Friday, Sept. 10 as crews perform striping operations and signal work.
- West Cervantes Street (U.S. 90) Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project – Drivers will encounter inside lane closures between North Pace Boulevard and approximately D Street as crews perform median improvement work. Motorists are reminded the speed between Dominguez Street and A Street is 30 mph.
- Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90) Widening from Pine Forest (S.R. 297) to U.S. 29 – Drivers will encounter intermittent east and westbound traffic shifts between Pine Forest Road and U.S. 29 to allow crews to pave driveway tie-ins and place the final layer of asphalt.
- Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90) Widening from Beulah Road to S.R. 297 (Pine Forest Road) – Drivers will encounter alternating and intermittent east and westbound lane closures and traffic shifts between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. for paving operations and other construction activities.
- Sorrento Road (S.R. 292) Intersection Improvements at the Innerarity Point (C.R. 292A)–
Motorists can expect daytime shoulder closures the week of Tuesday, Sept. 7 as crews place a watermain.
- U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90) – Paving operations and construction activities continue. Drivers can expect the following construction related traffic impacts between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.:
- Nighttime intermittent lane closures and shifts between I-10 and Nine and Half Mile Road and on Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 interchange.
- The on- and off-ramps at the U.S. 29/Nine Mile Road interchange may be reduced to a single lane.
- U.S. 98 (East Garden Street) Routine Underground Utility Maintenance at Jefferson Street Intersection – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures the week of Tuesday, Sept. 7 as crews perform underground utility maintenance.
Santa Rosa County
- Pensacola Bay Bridge (U.S. 98) Replacement - Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and lane shifts on the Pensacola Bay Bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Saturday, Sept. 11. Crews will be using lanes on the current bridge as a platform to pour concrete decks for the westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) structure. Additional work will include installation of pier lighting.
- U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Crews continue utility relocations, clearing, excavation, drainage improvements, and pond construction. There are anticipated traffic impacts.
- I-10 Resurfacing East of S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard) to East of S.R. 87 – Motorists can expect intermittent lane closures on the Blackwater River bridge 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Thursday, Sept. 9 as crews perform paving operations.
All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Escambia County (AL) School Board Member David Nolin Passes Away
September 5, 2021
Escambia County School Board member David Nolin has passed away.
Nolin, who represented District 6, was a 1966 Flomaton High School graduate.
He was former principal at A.C. Moore Elementary School in Atmore. At Flomaton High, he was a former teacher and head football, basketball and baseball coach. As baseball coach for the Hurricanes in 1976, he won one of two baseball state championships in the history of Flomaton High School.
Blue Wahoos Pitching Critical in 2-0 Win Over The Biscuits
September 5, 2021
One batter in, Pensacola has a 1-0 lead. Nine innings later, the Blue Wahoos had their fourth shutout of the season.
Pensacola’s pitching had all they needed thanks to Kameron Misner’s leadoff homer as the Wahoos shutout the Montgomery Biscuits 2-0 on Saturday night at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium.
Jeff Lindgren (W, 5-8) continued to dominant run of form with five shutout innings in his 18th start of the season. After the Biscuits had runners in scoring position in the first three innings, Lindgren wriggled out of trouble and ultimately stranded seven batters throughout the course of his start.
Offensively, the Blue Wahoos needed two pitches to take the lead. Alex Valverde (L, 2-4) surrendered a no-doubter to right off the bat of Misner for his first career Double-A home run. It was the first leadoff home run since former Wahoos and current Minnesota Twin Alex Kirilloff homered to begin the 2019 Southern League South Division Championship Series against Biloxi on September 7th, 2019.
In the top of third J.D. roped a one-out single, which extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Misner reached later on an error from Xavier Edwards before both runners advanced on a groundout from JJ Bleday. Orr doubled the Wahoos lead when he scored on a wild pitch, winning the footrace to the plate over Valverde.
With Pensacola leading 2-0 after Lindgren’s five innings, the bullpen dominated the rest of the way. Cody Carroll fired two more shutout innings and struck out three along the way. Matt Pobereyko pitched a scoreless eighth inning. In the ninth, the Blue Wahoos brought in Colton Hock (S, 17) for the second night in a row. After yielding a leadoff single, Hock retired the next three, including the final two batters via the strikeout.
Pensacola now leads the series 3-2, and trails Montgomery by 1.0 game for the second and final playoff spot. LHP Antonio Velez (1-0, 1.50) will get the start in the finale for the Blue Wahoos. He will be opposed by RHP Jack Labosky (0-4, 4.76).
Randy Darrell Holt
September 5, 2021
Mr. Randy Darrell Holt, age 69, passed away September 2, 2021.
Mr. Holt was born in Brewton on November 14, 1951, and had been a life-long resident of Flomaton. He was baptized at the First Pentecostal Holiness Church in Pensacola, was a 1971 graduate of Flomaton High School and was honorably discharged from the Army National Guard in 1977. Randy owned and operated Randy Holt Construction Co. for thirty-seven years, winning two Outstanding Home Awards in the Northwest Florida Home Builders Association’s Parade of Homes. After his homebuilding career he established Lower Alabama Claims Service which has been in business for the past twenty-four years. His greatest joys in life were spending time with his family, bass fishing and Alabama football. He has always been known for his witty personality, positive outlook on life and sense of humor.
Mr. Holt was preceded in death by his father, Donnie Holt.
He is survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Marilyn Bell Holt; daughters, Rachael (Kevin) Fillmore of Barnett Crossroads, AL, Melissa (Steve) Willard of Mobile, AL; two grandchildren, Weston Fillmore, and Raeleigh Fillmore; mother, Betty Holt; and brothers, Danny (Judie) Holt, Larry (Donna) Holt; sister, Rhonda Holt, all of Pensacola, FL; and other family members and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 6, 2021 at 3:00 P.M. from the chapel of Flomaton Funeral Home with Kevin Fillmore officiating. Interment will follow in Hollywood cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Flomaton Funeral Home on September 6, 2021 at 2:00 P.M. until service time at 3:00 P.M.
Pallbearers are Steve Willard, Gerald Cofield, Randy Roberson, Earl Garrett, Donald Godwin, and Steve Flowers.
Pianist Julie Newton.
DeSantis Announces Escambia County Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Site
September 4, 2021
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced a new monoclonal antibody treatment site in Escambia County.
The site will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bayview Community Center at 2001 East Lloyd Street in Pensacola.
During a Thursday morning Escambia County Commission meeting, the commission asked Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore to make a request to the Florida Department of Emergency Management to open a site in the county, By Thursday night, Gilmore delivered the news that a site was approved by the state.
Monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 can prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death among high-risk individuals.
The key to this is getting it early,” DeSantis said at the Florida Department of Health Escambia County.
Online registration is available at patientportalfl.com.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO, Federal Task Force Arrest 70, Including Four Murder Suspects, During Fugitive Round Up
September 4, 2021
Four homicide suspects were among 70 people arrested in a three day Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and U.S . Marshals Fugitive Task Force round up.
The task force targeted violent felony offenders with warrants ranging from homicide, aggravated assault, weapons offenses, robbery and sex offender violations.
Carlos Antione Holloway, Dewitt Charles Echols, Jaylan Madison Marshall and Tavares Jones were all four picked up on homicide charges.
Holloway and Echols were arrested in Mississippi for a homicide that occurred on August 23 on North Loop Road in Escambia County
Marshall was arrested for an attempted homicide that occurred on October 22 on Seminole Trail. Jones was arrested for a Florida Highway Patrol warrant for a traffic homicide.
Ten firearms were also seized during the operation.
“We appreciate our partnerships with other law enforcement agencies. This reinforces our commitment to bringing violent felons to justice. We are a safer community today,” said Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.
The task force is made up of officers from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Panama City Police Department and members of the U.S. Marshals Service.
