ECSO Seeks Man For Stealing Tools From Work Truck
September 28, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man they say burglarized a company work vehicle in the 8900 block of Pensacola Boulevard, stealing miscellaneous tools.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
Lil Aggie Cheerleaders To Cheer At Friday Night’s Game
September 28, 2021
The annual Lil Aggies Fall Cheer Clinic was held Saturday. The Lil Aggies cheerleaders will cheer during the first quarter of Friday night’s game against Pace.. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Football Team Members Recreate ‘Varsity Blues’ Photo For Homecoming Week
September 28, 2021
In Bratt, Florida, football reigns supreme. Much like the fictional town of West Canaan, Texas, in the 1999 movie Varsity Blues.
And for Northview High School’s homecoming week movie character day, five members of the Chiefs football team recreated an iconic photo from the movie.
Pictured are: (L-R) John Michael Ward, Wyatt Scruggs, Kaden Odom, Luke Bridges and Jamarkus Jefferson.
Northview’s homecoming parade will travel from Bratt Elementary School to Northview beginning at 1 p.m. Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. against the Jay Royals.
Top photo courtesy Varsity Blues/Paramount. Bottom photo courtesy Mandy Griffis for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wendt Family Named The 2021 Santa Rosa Farm Family Of The Year
September 28, 2021
The 2021 Santa Rosa County Farm Family of the Year was awarded to Wendt Family Farm and Nursery, which has three generations of hard workers and over three decades of experience.
The 2021 Farm Family includes Earl and Janet Wendt, parents to William Wendt and Vickie Shiver. William Wendt is married to Joy and they have five children and four grandchildren. The Wendt’s are joined with other family members who also work on their farm, Wayland Nowling and Angela Nowling. The family enjoys participating in the Farm to City program that provides produce for families at Thanksgiving.
Wendt Farm and Nursery, a Santa Rosa County landmark, has been growing wholesome and delicious vegetables for 35 years. It was once located on Chumuckla Highway before urban sprawl encroached upon the farm caused the family to move it 15 miles north into rural Santa Rosa County On the farm, three generations of the Wendt family work side-by-side to produce some of the best locally grown sweet corn, peas, butterbeans, tomatoes, cantaloupe and watermelon, and other fresh produce to area customers both wholesale and retail.
The Wendt’s commitment to provide the best locally products coupled with the desire to better serve their customers resulted in building and opening a seasonal market located on the original farm site, 5191 Chumuckla Highway in Pace.
Growing 50 acres of vegetables in the Florida panhandle is not for the faint of heart, and the Wendt Family has demonstrated their commitment to providing nutritious vegetables regardless of what weather conditions are thrown at them.
Beyond the vegetables grown on the farm, the Wendt Family also operates a two-acre greenhouse nursery where they have provided seasonal color for over three decades to the area. Wendt Farm and Nursery is known for growing Christmas poinsettias, Easter lilies, fall garden mums, and spring flowering plants, but few likely know that they also grow wholesale commercial vegetable transplants that are shipped to commercial vegetable farms all over the region.
The latest endeavor at the nursery is hydroponic lettuce production where they produce the freshest leafy greens available at local retail produce markets.
Blue Wahoos Ink New Lease For Another 10 Years In Pensacola
September 28, 2021
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos plan to stick around and call Pensacola home for the next decade.
The Wahoos have renewed their lease with the City of Pensacola for two five year terms for the Community Maritime Park.
“The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are such an integral part of Community Maritime Park and downtown Pensacola, and I’m thrilled that they have decided to stay in Pensacola for another 10 years,” Mayor Grover Robinson said. “We are so fortunate to have Minor League Baseball here in the City of Pensacola, offering opportunities for residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy a beloved American pastime while experiencing Pensacola’s beautiful waterfront views. I look forward to enjoying many more Wahoos games over the next decade.”
“We are very appreciative to the fans that are so supportive of Blue Wahoos Stadium and our team,” team co-owner Quint Studer said. “What was uninhabitable land not too long ago is now a cornerstone in the revitalization of Pensacola. We’re grateful for the opportunity to continue to provide affordable family-friendly fun in downtown Pensacola for the next decade.”
Entering its 10th season, Blue Wahoos Stadium is widely considered one of the premier facilities in Minor League Baseball. A two-time recipient of Ballpark Digest’s Best Double-A ballpark and four-time winner of the Southern League Ballpark of the Year, Blue Wahoos Stadium has welcomed over 2,500,000 fans through its first nine baseball seasons.
ECSO Mounted Unit’s Shannon Enderson Named ‘Volunteer Of The Year’
September 28, 2021
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit member Shannon Enderson has been selected as Florida Crime Prevention Association’s Volunteer of the Year.”
“I love helping where it is needed. I enjoy meeting new people in the community and meeting the children all around our county,” Enderson said. “The children of the future is in our hands in the present. It is our responsibility to help them grow and show them the right way. This is a big part of why I volunteer, to show our youth that it is OK to do good things for free.”
Enderson also volunteers with the ECSO Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy and the Neighborhood Watch Academy.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Older Adults Seriously Injured In Highway 29, Highway 97 Crash
September 27, 2021
Two adults in their 80s were seriously injured in a two vehicle wreck Monday morning a the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
One was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to an area hospital, and the second was transported by Escambia County EMS. The driver of the second vehicle suffered injuries that were not immediately considered serious.
The crash closed northbound Highway 29 and Highway 97 east of Highway 29.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. The Cantonment Station of Escambia Rescue responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Vehicle, But Firefighters Save Home Just A Few Feet Away
September 27, 2021
Fire destroyed a vehicle early Monday morning that was parked just feet away from a two-story house, but firefighters were able save the home with minimal damage.
Escambia Fire Rescue answered to the 4:27 a.m. call on Niall Drive, just off Frank Reeder Road, and found the vehicle fully engulfed in flames. They were able to quickly bring the fire under control.
The vinyl siding on the front of the home was damaged by the blaze.
There were injuries reported.
The Bellview, Ensley, Cantonment, Osceola and Beulah stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the fire.
Escambia County School District Websites Go Down
September 27, 2021
The main Escambia County School District website was down for several hours Monday. Many, websites for individual schools and centers were also down.
The district is worked with the website host to correct the problem. The problem was reported before 10 a.m., and the sites were still down at 1 p.m. Service appeared to be restored when we checked about 1:45 p.m.
The normal district site can be accessed at:
http://ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/
The district established temporary website for use during the outage:
http://www1.escambia.k12.fl.us/
Body Of Pensacola Murder Victim Found In Wooded Area North Of Flomaton
September 27, 2021
The body of a Pensacola Murder victim was found north of Flomaton Sunday night.
Giles Curt Jones, 38, is charged with the premeditated first degree murder of 40-year old Latonya Antionette Baxter, and police have previously said they believed the body was dumped in the Century area on September 11.
Monday morning, Pensacola Police said the body was positively identified as Baxter.
Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Heath Jackson confirmed the body of adult female was found in a wooded area along Highway 113 about 4.5 miles north of the Flomaton city limits. He said the body was discovered by a passing motorist that pulled over and stepped into the woods to go to the bathroom.
A street sign and maps indicate the area is Carol Lane; however, It’s not a roadway, just a small dirt drive. The area is sparsely populated, but there is a house almost directly across Highway 113 from Carol Lane.
NorthEscambia.com was there Sunday night as investigators worked the case, including officers from the Pensacola Police Department.
According to an arrest report, Jones’ gray 2009 Nissan Maxima was caught on a camera as he headed north on Highway 29 through Century at 12:19 p.m. on Saturday, September 11. At 1:54 p.m., police say he took a photo on his phone of Baxter, who was deceased with obvious signs of trauma. At 3:09 p.m., his Nissan was again seen on camera it headed back south on Highway 29 in Century.
The distance from the spot Jones’ vehicle as seen on camera in Century September 11 to the location where the body was found Sunday night is just under nine miles. Driving near the speed limit Sunday night, the direct trip took our reporter about 12 minutes.
Baxter was reported missing on September 12 by her daughter, who stated that an air mattress and Baxter’s purse were missing. Investigators located blood in Baxter’s bedroom and other locations on the property, as well as in Jones’ vehicle, according to police.
Acting on a tip, Pensacola Police, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and KlaasKIDS searched an area along Highway 168 east of Pine Barren Road in Bratt last Monday and Tuesday, but northing was found.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
