Sunshine Continues, High Near 80
April 18, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 82. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
Cantonment Man, 70, Killed In Early Morning Wreck
April 17, 2023
A 70-year old Cantonment man was killed in a single vehicle crash early Monday morning.
The man was northbound on Highway 95A just south of Quintette Road when he failed to negotiate a curve at 1:49 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The car left the roadway sideways and struck a fence and a tree.
He was pronounced deceased at the scene .
FHP said it did not appear any other vehicles were involved.
Big Pothole Causes Big Problems On West Roberts Road
April 17, 2023
A big pothole caused big problems for several drivers on West Roberts Road before being fixed Monday morning.
The pothole was in the eastbound lane of West Roberts Road just past the railroad crossing, approaching Highway 29.
Sunday night, multiple damaged vehicles were in the parking lot of the nearby Circle K. The Florida Highway Patrol responded after drivers reported damage including flat tires, broken and bent rims, broken axles, and vehicle body damage from hitting the unmarked hole. Reports indicated that over a dozen vehicles were damaged.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office blocked the roadway, and the Escambia County Road Department placed traffic barriers around the hole.
The roadway was repaired by Escambia County Monday morning (first photo below).
For more photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Winner Claims $1 Million For Scratch-off Lottery Ticket Sold In Cantonment
April 17, 2023
A $1 million 500x The Cash scratch-off lottery ticket was sold at a Cantonment convenience store.
Alex Mendoza Moreno, 22 of Auburn, claimed his prize at the Florida Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $820,000.00.
He purchased the ticket at Food Mart at 710 North Highway 29 in Cantonment.
The $50 game features a top prize of $25 million.
Sunday Night Winning $41K Fantasy Five Ticket Sold In Molino
April 17, 2023
Someone is over $41,000 richer today after purchasing a winning Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 ticket in Molino.
The quick pick ticket sold at the Tom Thumb at Highway 29 and Highway 97 was one of three winning tickets sold in Sunday night’s drawing and is worth $41,299.95. The other winning tickets were sold in Altamonte Springs and Boca Raton.
The 178 tickets matching four numbers won $112 each. Another 5,495 tickets matching three numbers are worth $10 each, and 55,432 ticket holders won a free ticket for picking two numbers.
Sunday night’s winning numbers were 2-10-11-15-34.
A Sunny Week Ahead, No Rain Until Friday (And It’s Just A Small Chance)
April 17, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 73. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 48. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 15 mph.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
Cantonment Man Charged With Aggravated Stalking Of His Ex-girlfriend
April 17, 2023
A Cantonment man was charged after allegedly calling and repeatedly texting his ex-girlfriend, threatening to show up with firearms at her home to harm her, and being found near her residence with multiple weapons.
Quintin Bryce Rutherford, 18, was charged with felony aggravated stalking domestic violence.
A neighbor called the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office on April 8 after someone was discovered wearing a ski mask and plaid green shirt a patio, crouched under an air conditioner. The neighbor’s boyfriend said the man reached into his waistband as if he was pulling out a firearm.
An arriving deputy found Rutherford at the apartment complex, wearing a green plaid shirt, sitting in a Toyota Avalon, according to the ECSO, and Rutherford said he was there just trying to scare his girlfriend. A search of the vehicle following a K-9 alert located a .22 caliber rifle, a pink and purple 9 mm High Point 995, and a .40 caliber Glock 22, and a ski mask.
Rutherford told deputies that he put on the ski mask because of cold weather, went to the nearby apartment and crouched under the air conditioner, according to the report.
The victim provided deputies with “unwanted, repeated, threatening and harassing text messages and phone calls from Rutherford”, the arrest report states, and told deputies that she received a Snapchat from Rutherford showing him holding a firearm and parked outside her apartment complex. His phone was seized as evidence, as were the weapons and vehicle.
An emergency temporary domestic violence injunction was issued by a judge and served on Rutherford five minutes later. He was released from jail on a $2,500 bond
Gas Prices Slip Pennies; AAA Says Increase Likely After Oil Price Hike
April 17, 2023
Florida gas prices slipped a couple cents last week, but could get more expensive soon, as global supply concerns caused oil prices to rise again last week.
Gas prices across Florida averaged $3.56 per gallon on Sunday. The state average is two cents less than the 2023 high of $3.58 per gallon and 44 cents less than this time last year.
The average in Escambia County was $3.45. In North Escambia, a low of $3.39 was available at a Highway 29 station in Cantonment, while Pensacola prices bottomed out at $3.21 at the warehouse clubs.
The U.S. price of crude only rose 2%, but it was enough to reach a new 2023 high of $83.26 per barrel. Ultimately, it amounts to what could be a 5 cent increase at the pump.
Crude prices rose last week on the belief that easing U.S. inflation could lessen the pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, which could ultimately be bullish for gasoline demand. Also propping up prices is a report from the International Energy Agency which forecasts global fuel supplies may not be able to keep pace with global fuel demand, due to OPEC’s decision to cut oil production by more than 1 million barrels per day starting next month.
Blue Wahoos Get 4-2 Win Over Shuckers In Series Finale
April 17, 2023
Nasim Nuñez showcased surprising power for the second time in four days, hitting a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning to lead the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 4-2 victory over the Biloxi Shuckers on Sunday afternoon.
Nuñez, who had homered twice in his professional career entering the week, took Justin Jarvis (L, 0-1) deep off the right field scoreboard to break a 2-2 tie and sent the Blue Wahoos to a split in their six-game road series.
Biloxi struck first against Blue Wahoos starter M.D. Johnson, as Tyler Black hit a two-run homer in the first inning. The Pensacola righty settled in after that, completing 4.0 innings without another run allowed.
Paul McIntosh got the Blue Wahoos on the board in the third with an RBI single, and scored on a Troy Johnston double two batters later to tie the game 2-2. After Nuñez’s homer in the fifth inning, the Blue Wahoos added an unearned run in the sixth on a Victor Mesa Jr. double, pickoff error, and Will Banfield sacrifice fly.
Four Pensacola relievers covered the final five innings, as Josan Méndez (W, 2-0) was followed by Austin Roberts, Cristian Charle and Sean Reynolds (S, 1). Reynolds fanned three in a perfect six-up, six-down appearance to close out the win.
After an off day Monday, the Blue Wahoos welcome the Birmingham Barons to town for a six-game series starting Tuesday.
by Erik Bremer
Saturday Storms Damage Homes, Down Trees, Leave Thousands Without Power
April 16, 2023
Saturday afternoon storms damaged homes, downed trees, and left thousands without power.
Just north of Flomaton, wind ripped the roof off an older mobile on Pecan Grove Lane (above). The occupants were not injured.
On Sunshine Hill Road just off Highway 97 in Molino, Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a call of a tree falling onto a car. The vehicle’s driver was not injured. Nearby, residents reported several small pine trees were snapped a few feet off the ground.
Just off Highway 297A in Cantonment, walls and trusses were blown down at a house under construction (pictured left. Further south on Jackson Street in Myrtle Grove, a home was heavily damaged by a falling tree.
Over 1,600 Escambia River Electric Cooperatives customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties lost power. At midnight Saturday, EREC reported that electricity had been restored for all members in Escambia County, but 529 in Santa Rosa County were in the dark, with most of those along and east of Munson Highway.
Florida Power & Light reported several thousand lost power in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, with 337 customers in Escambia County without electricity at midnight.
High winds snapped and downed trees in several areas across the county, and flash flooding was reported on several roadways.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
