M-Braves Walk-Off Homer Sends Blue Wahoos To 6-3 Loss
July 9, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos were walked off by the Mississippi Braves for the second straight game on Friday night, falling 6-3 on a three-run home run from Drew Lugbauer in the bottom of the ninth.
Jeff Lindgren fought through shaky command to complete four innings of one-run ball, but the Blue Wahoos couldn’t solve Mississippi starter Darius Vines in the early innings. Vines struck out eight batters over 4.0 perfect innings before Norel González finally gave Pensacola a baserunner with a single in the fifth.
The Blue Wahoos finally broke through in the sixth, getting an RBI double from Griffin Conine to tie the game 1-1 and a two-out, two-run single from Victor Victor Mesa to take a 3-1 lead.
Mississippi tied the game 3-3 in the seventh as Anthony Maldonado surrendered a solo home run to Cade Bunnell, followed by a two-out RBI single from Yariel Gonzalez.
Pensacola made four outs on the bases in the span of three innings, squandering opportunities to add to their run total. Justin Maese (W, 1-4) worked out of a jam in the top of the ninth to keep the game tied before Dylan Bice (L, 1-1) walked a pair in the bottom half and served up Lugbauer’s walk-off blast.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the M-Braves on Saturday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Escaped Inmate From Atmore Prison Recaptured After Nearly A Month
July 8, 2022
An inmate that escaped from the Fountain prison in Atmore has been recaptured nearly a month later.
Inmate Edward Williams, 41, escaped from the Fountain Correctional Facility about 9:20 a.m. Sunday, June 12, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.
He was recaptured Friday morning in Birmingham.
Williams was one of three inmates reported as having escaped from Fountain within the last month. One was recaptured a few hours later by U.S. Marshals. Another inmate, Corey Daniel Gable, was reported as escaped and then recaptured, but NorthEscambia.com found that he had actually been released by mistake.
Sheriff: Cantonment Man Killed His Daughter’s Dogs By Locking Them In A Hot Car For Days
July 8, 2022
A Cantonment man is accused of killing his daughter’s dogs by locking them in a hot car for days while she was out of town.
Felton Charles Henderson, 72, was charged with felony animal cruelty causing death, pain and suffering. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail Friday morning with bond set at $45,000.
According to Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons, a woman left her three dogs while she went out of town for a few days. She left behind water and food, and did everything appropriately, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“When she returned after a couple of days, she asked where her dogs were,” Simmons said. “Henderson takes her to a blue Toyota Camry, he opens the doors, and he pulls out three dead dogs.” Henderson did not say anything before gathering a few items from the garage and leaving, according to an arrest report.
The sheriff said it was apparent he locked the dogs in the car despite the summer heat over the past few days.
“You can imagine the suffering they (the dogs) probably went through,” Simmons added.
Traffic Crash Claims Life Of 23-Year Old Man
July 8, 2022
An Escambia County traffic crash has claimed one life.
About 6 p.m. Thursday, a white sedan driven by a 21-year old Pensacola man failed to yield at the intersection of Mobile Highway and Boulder Avenue. He pulled out in front of a gray Ford pickup driven by a 23-year old Pensacola man, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
State troopers said the driver of the pickup truck passed away as a result of his injuries.
School Grades Are Out For Escambia County. How Did Your School Do?
July 8, 2022
The Florida Department of Education has released school grades for 2021-2022, the first full data release since 2019 due to the pandemic.
The Escambia County School District maintained an overall grade of B.
Nine schools received an A — Molino Park Elementary, Hellen Caro Elementary, N. B. Cook Elementary, Cordova Park Elementary, A. K. Suter Elementary, Pensacola Beach Elementary, Brown Barge Middle, West Florida High School, and Escambia Virtual Academy.
There were two F schools — Oakcrest Elementary and O.J. Semmes Elementary.
Warrington Middle School received an “I”, or “Incomplete” from the state. District officials are currently reaching out to the State Department of Education for clarification.
Individual school grades in Escambia County were as follows:
Tate High Guidance Counselor Ashley Turner Flies With The Blue Angels
July 8, 2022
Tate High School guidance counselor Ashley Turner had a chance to fly with the Blue Angels on Thursday.
“It was like an out of body experience; it really was,” Turner said. “He did start easy and once you do two G’s and you do three and four, and you start building your confidence. I couldn’t believe I didn’t feel bad. It was a once in a lifetime experience for sure. I’ll treasure it forever.”
Turner pulled a high of 7.4 G’s during the flight, and she did black out for a moment.
Pictured: Tate High School guidance counselor Ashley Turner flew with the Blue Angels on Thursday. Photos by WEAR 3 and NewsRadio 1620 (with framed photo below) for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Increased Public Trolley Services for Pensacola Beach Air Show
July 8, 2022
To help alleviate traffic congestion for the Pensacola Beach Air Show, the Santa Rosa Island Authority is extending public transportation hours along the island on Friday, July 8, and is adding extra buses to the schedule on Saturday, July 9.
On Friday, July 8, the SRIA’s three, free open-air trolleys will begin transporting customers starting at 7:30 a.m. and extend their service to Park East, located a mile east of Portofino Resort, until 6 p.m. Following that, the regular route will resume until midnight.
On Saturday, July 9, starting at 6:30 a.m., the SRIA will have seven buses in addition to the three open-air trolleys running and will extend their service area to Park East until 6 p.m. Following that, the three open-air trolleys will resume normal operations until midnight.
On Friday and Saturday, buses and trolleys will service passengers from Park East and Park West to Casino Beach throughout the day. Post-show, trolleys servicing Portofino Resort/Park East will be staged on Via de Luna directly across from Santa Rosa Island Authority (facing east). Trolleys servicing Park West will be staged on Ft. Pickens Road adjacent to The Sandshaker (facing west).
Due to extreme traffic and congestion buildup on Friday and Saturday, trolley service to the access road stops (Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach and the Boardwalk) will be temporarily suspended until 6 p.m.
The SRIA wants to remind all passengers that they will only be picked up and dropped off at designated trolley stops.
Passengers who wish to get back to their vehicles as soon as the air show ends need to be on the first fleet of buses leaving Casino Beach post show. Due to the gridlock that occurs immediately following the air show, riders should expect to wait as long as 90 minutes for the trolleys or buses to return to Casino Beach if they are not on the first trip out.
Former Baker Fire Chief Indicted For First Degree Murder Of Escambia Businessman
July 8, 2022
The former Baker Fire District chief was indicted Thursday for the first degree murder of a 63-year old business owner in Escambia County.
Brian Keith Easterling, age 52 of Baker, is accused of the shooting death of Michael Evers on June 2.
Pensacola Police received a call to check on the welfare of Evers at his home because he had not been seen in several days. Officers entered the home and found blood on the floor, but Evers was not inside. They responded to his shop in the 3900 block of Creighton Road.
Inside the shop, an officer tripped over an item under a car cover, exposing the victim’s right elbow. Officers said Evers was face down on the floor, obviously deceased with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. His 2011 Chevrolet 2500 was not at either location.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report, surveillance video from 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 2 showed a man later identified as Easterling arrive at the shop with Evers. The victim entered the building and Easterling is seen standing outside the door looking around nervously.
“Easterling actually turns a complete circle looking all around, before entering the building. Within minutes of entering the building, Easterling walks up behind (the victim),” the report states. The victim “then falls immediately to the ground. Easterling can be seen on video getting a car cover and covering (the victim).”
Evers allegedly owed Easterling money, according to the ECSO.
Easterling remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
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Chance Of Showers And Storms For The Weekend
July 8, 2022
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 106. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 87. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 83. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 84. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
Here’s the 2022 Blue Angels Air Show Schedule
July 8, 2022
It’s time for the annual Pensacola Beach Air Show with a full dress rehearsal today and the official show on Saturday.
In addition to the Blue Angels, there will be a host of world-class military, aerobatic and stunt plane performers, as well as interactive exhibits, military recruitment stations and all types of vendors on the ground.
Friday, July 8, is the Pensacola Beach Air Show dress rehearsal where a handful of flight demonstrations and civilian aerobatic performances begin at approximately 11 a.m., with the Blue Angels to be overhead at 2 p.m.
Saturday, July 9, marks the official Pensacola Beach Air Show, and follows exactly Friday’s dress rehearsal schedule.
Julian MacQueen will lead off the civilian acts portion of the air show in his big, flying seaplane, a vintage 1943 Grumman Widgeon starting around 11 a.m.
Next up the Veteran’s Flight team will be over the Gulf. Organized by Pensacola attorney and pilot Roy Kinsey, about a dozen vintage Stearman bi-plane pilots from all over the Southeast will be flying World War II and Korean War veterans over Pensacola Beach on Friday and Saturday as a way to pay tribute to them, and give the tens of thousands of beach spectators a glimpse at aviation history.
Next, a U.S. Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue demonstration will take place near the beach pier from an MH-65D Dolphin medevac helicopter. The SAR aircrew consists of two pilots, one flight mechanic and a rescue swimmer. Depending on the nature of distress, the rescue swimmer deploys via freefall or hoist to provide assistance.
Following that, watch solo pilot Kevin Coleman push the limits of his bright yellow Extra 300 SHP stunt plane to create a visual spectacle like no other over Pensacola Beach.
Next up, pilots Ken Rieder and Adam Baker with Redline Aerobatic Team take to the skies in their signature red and black stunt planes to perform opposing stunts and inverted maneuvers and formations.
Stunt pilot Skip Stewart will then wow the crowds with high-skill passes and jaw-dropping maneuvers in his famous red, white and black-checkered bi-plane, Prometheus.
New to the show this year, Patty Wagstaff, the first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic champion and a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team, will take the sky over Pensacola Beach. Her breathtaking performances give air show spectators a front-row seat view of the precision and complexity of hard-core aerobatics.
Closing out the civilian acts, solo pilot Gary Ward will zip overhead in his green and purple MX2 aircraft, showcasing an aerobatic act packed with breathtaking maneuvers that range from zero speed hovers to dives in excess of 250 mph.
Following the civilian stunt pilot performances, there will be about a 35-minute window for spectators to cool off and take a dip in the Gulf before lifeguards clear the water again in anticipation of the start of the Blue Angels show.
At 2 p.m., look to the Gulf horizon as a famous C-130J aircraft, affectionately known as Fat Albert, followed by six signature blue and gold F-18 Super Hornets, make their way over Pensacola Beach. For the next 50 minutes, spectators will get a glimpse of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels aeronautic maneuvers like the Diamond Dirty Loop, the Double Farvel, the Vertical Pitch, the Fleur-de-Lis, the Opposing Knife-Edge pass, and the crowd-favorite Sneak Pass. These are just a few of the mind-blowing displays of choreographed precision flying the Navy’s flight demonstration team has perfected over the past 75 years.