Traffic Stop Outside Church Leads To Drug Arrest
March 18, 2024
A traffic stop led to the arrest of an Escambia County man on drug charges outside a local church.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies attempted a traffic stop at Pinestead Road and Pensacola Boulevard for a traffic violation. The driver pulled into a nearby church parking lot, but before deputies made contact, he tried to drive off. Deputies blocked the suspect’s car from leaving the lot, at which time the suspect fled the vehicle on foot.
After a short foot pursuit, deputies apprehended the driver, later identified as 34-year old Larry Ashley. During the apprehension, a bag containing methamphetamine was located. K-9 Hura then searched the suspect’s vehicle and located another bag of methamphetamine (totaling over 20 grams).
Ashley was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a place of worship with intent to deliver the substance to another, tampering with evidence, resisting an officer without violence, and possession of marijuana.
Florida Gas Price Up An Average Of 10 Cents Over Last Week
March 18, 2024
Florida gas prices sprung higher last week. The state average rose 10 cents, setting a new 2024 high of $3.48 per gallon on Friday. Sunday’s state average was $3.47 a gallon.
The average per gallon price in Escambia County was $3.28. In North Escambia, a low of $3.19 could be found Sunday night at stations on Highway 29 in Cantonment. In Pensacola, the low price at $3.07 at one station on Pine Forest Road.
The U.S. price of crude rose 4% last week, reportedly due to concerns over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries. Thursday’s closing price of $81.26/b was the highest since Halloween. Meanwhile, gasoline futures jumped 19 cents last week, finishing 11 cents higher than the previous 2024 high. The increase is reportedly driven by weekly domestic gasoline supply numbers that were lower than the market expected.
Showers, Thunderstorms Likely Sunday As Cold Front Drops Temps
March 17, 2024
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. High near 70. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 49. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Areas of frost before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 60. North wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 70.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
30,000 Pounds of Food, Over 100 Car Seats Distributed
March 17, 2024
Rep. Michelle Salzaman and community partners hosteda food and car seat giveaway Saturday at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church.
Over 350 cars sent through the line in 2 hours as over 600 of food were provided — 30,000 pounds of food in total.
Over 100 free car seats were provided.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Play Ball! NWE Celebrates Opening Day (With Photo Gallery)
March 17, 2024
Saturday was Opening Day at Northwest Escambia Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Killed In Four-Vehicle Crash in Escambia County
March 17, 2024
A four-vehicle crash claimed a life Saturday afternoon on Beverely Parkway in Escambia County.
A 43-yer old Pensacola man was traveling west in a sedan on Beverly Parkway when he crossed the center line near Concordia Boulevard and collided with three other vehicles, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. He was pronounced deceased at the scene; his 68-year old male passenger was critically injured.
An 18-year old female and 30-year old female were seriously injured in the other vehicles. Three other suffered minor injuries, and one person was uninjured.
File photo.
Early Voting Ends With Turnout Approaching 15%
March 17, 2024
Early voter turnout for the Republican Presidential Preference Primary in Escambia County neared 15% as polling places closed Saturday.
There are 94,864 eligible Republican voters in Escambia County, and as of Tuesday turnout was 14.48%, or 13,732.
The Presidential Preference Primary was only available to voters registered in the Republican party. Florida is a closed primary state, which means voters could only vote in the party in which they are registered for primary elections.
The Presidential Preference Primary is Tuesay, March 19, 2024, with polls open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
This Week’s Century Council Meeting Rescheduled Due To Primary Election
March 17, 2024
The Century Town Council has rescheduled their regular meetings this week due to the upcoming March 19 Presidential Primary Election.
The council normally meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month.
The Tuesday, March 19 meeting has been rescheduled to the following day, Wednesday, March 20, because the council chambers is a polling location.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
UWF Announces $5 Million Gift From Bear Family Foundation To Name College of Business
March 17, 2024
University of West Florida President Martha D. Saunders announced Friday a gift of $5 million from The Bear Family Foundation to name the UWF College of Business. The college is slated to be named the Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business, contingent on UWF Board of Trustees approval at its quarterly meeting in June. This is the third college to be named in the University’s history.
“Lewis Bear’s service and support to the University of West Florida was exceptional and will continue to impact UWF for many years to come,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders. “Many students have already benefited from his generosity and hard work, and many more will also through this legacy gift. We are forever grateful for his commitment to UWF.”
The gift will provide scholarship support for undergraduate and graduate students as well as operational support which will enhance the ability of the Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business to deliver a world-class teaching and learning environment.
“We are thankful to the Bear family for such a transformative gift,” said College of Business Dean Richard Fountain. “This gift will make a tremendous impact on the lives of students, ensuring that we put them on paths to successful careers.”
Bear was the long-time president and CEO of The Lewis Bear Company, a beverage distributorship founded in 1876 in Pensacola. Bear and his company founded The Bear Family Foundation in 2002 which has awarded millions of dollars in grants to more than 118 local nonprofit organizations that serve the citizens of Northwest Florida.
Bear was an avid supporter of UWF. He was a former UWF Board of Trustees Chairman, UWF Foundation board member and UWF Foundation Fellow. Bear served on the University’s Board of Trustees for more than a decade and played a major role in the development of the University’s infrastructure, academic programs and processes. Before his passing, Saunders awarded Bear with an honorary doctorate for his character, achievement and contributions to the region. The honorary doctorate degree recognizes distinguished performance and is regarded as the highest form of recognition a university can bestow.
Bear served on other community boards such as the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Escambia County, chairman of the Pensacola Museum of Art, and trustee of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.
“What a wonderful day to celebrate Lewis Bear, Jr. and the University of West Florida,” said David Bear, Lewis Bear Jr.’s son and CEO of the Lewis Bear Company. “Investing in education is about building a legacy of prosperity for future generations. There is no better way to honor his love for our community and the impact of his life’s work than to make this enduring gift in his memory, ensuring that his contributions will continue to benefit others for years to come. Our family is sincerely grateful to the University for the opportunity.”
An AACSB accredited business school, UWF’s Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business prepares students for successful careers by providing high-impact, student-focused courses, relevant and innovative research and real-world experiences. The college is consistently ranked and awarded for its programs and houses five centers that offer programs for the community including the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership, the Center for Entrepreneurship, the Center for Supply Chain Management Excellence, the Florida Small Business Development Center at UWF and the Louis A. Maygarden Center for Financial Literacy.
Ice Flyers Celebrate Weekend Sweep, Franchise Attendance Record
March 17, 2024
by Bill Vilona Ice Flyers correspondent
The Ice Flyers broke from their traditional, center-ice, salute to fans for a victory lap around the ice after their grinding, 2-1 victory against the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday that swept the weekend pair of games from the Havoc at the Pensacola Bay Center.
For a photo gallery, click here.
It further elevated a festive setting on St. Patrick’s Celebration Night at the arena, which included a pregame party outside and the team wearing specialty green jerseys on the ice. What’s more, the Ice Flyers surpassed last year’s franchise record attendance with a crowd of 4,867 that pushed season attendance to 134,127 and three more home games left at the end of the month.
A year ago, the Ice Flyers drew 130,024 for 28 home games.
Against an opponent ahead them in the standings, the Ice Flyers responded from their three road losses last weekend to put themselves on the doorstep to clinching a playoff spot.
The win kept the Ice Flyers (23-23, 3 OT losses, 49 points) four points ahead of Evansville in seventh place, but most importantly, Pensacola is now 13 points ahead of ninth place Knoxville Ice Bears with each team having seven games left in the season.
So essentially, the Ice Flyers can seal a playoff spot with the next game, which will be against last place Macon next Friday in Macon, GA.
The Havoc (25-18, 7 OT losses, 57 points before Saturday) clinched a playoff spot weeks ago and are battling for a top tier finish. They ended Saturday’s game in fifth place, three points behind Fayetteville for fourth place.
The game recap:
FIRST PERIOD
The game began with one of the most contentious opening periods of the season. It also was a sign of how this game would evolve.
Less than four minutes into the period, Huntsville’s Eric Henderson delivered a hard check with an elbow along the boards that injured Troy Button. Teammate Sean Gulka immediately raced to the Havoc bench and was ready to drop gloves with any player. He slugged one player before a linesman grabbed him.
But after benches calmed, the Ice Flyers were on a power play. A minute later, they had the game’s first goal.
Garrett Milan made the perfect pass to Joseph Widmar, who buried a one-timer shot into the net for his 17th goal of the season.
With 8:15 left, the Havoc thought they had the tying goal, after a shot by Buster Larsson slipped through the pads of Ice Flyers goaltender Stephen Mundinger. But the Ice Flyers’ Nick Leitner swept the puck out of the goal area as the puck straddled the goal line.
After stopping play, the officials reviewed the play for several minutes before signaling no goal. The Ice Flyers later exited into intermission with 1-0 lead.
SECOND PERIOD
The Havoc tied the game with 13:50 left when Cole Reginato flicked in a loose puck on a scramble in front of the net. With Mundinger on his back and players battling, Reginato got a blade on the puck and scored.
But Milan and the Ice Flyers quickly answered 70 seconds later and it changed the game.
Milan broke free on the wing, came across the ice near the net, and flicked in a backhand shot between goaltender Brian Wilson’s pads for the 2-1 lead.
With nine seconds left in the period, Reginato was given a five-minute major, then a match penalty after decking the Ice Flyers Malik Johnson with a sucker punch. The Ice Flyers’ Lucas Herrmann left the bench to handle Reginato and was tossed from the game.
But that sequence further reinforced the Ice Flyers ability to answer with their own fists when Huntsville triggered a fight.
THIRD PERIOD
No scoring, but there were three power play chances. The Ice Flyers got two opportunities, but couldn’t cash in. Huntsville had a chance midway through the period.
The Havoc pulled Wilson with 1:38 remaining, then called a timeout nine seconds later. They kept the puck in the Ice Flyers zone, but never had a chance to set up for a clear shot. In the final seconds, the Ice Flyers kept the puck and battles along the board to kill more seconds.
Mundinger was hugged as the horn sounded. It was his 13th win this season.
QUOTABLES:
Ice Flyers Coach Gary Graham: “Special teams was big tonight and that’s really what the game boiled down to. Dinger (Mundinger) made some big saves in the second period when we weren’t at our best. (Havoc) made a good push and they were clearly the better team in the second period and Dinger bailed us out several times.”
On Setting Attendance Record: “We’ve talked about it all year about how fans have embraced it and what we’re doing as an organization to put not only a fun produce on the ice, but the environment off the ice. I went out today and see the front parking lot (pre-game party) and it was unbelievable. Hearing Colm play in the stands and the bagpipes… they just really rolled out the red carpet for the fans in this event and I think that’s why the community is really rallying around the team and coming out to support even more because of what we are doing.”
On The Team Bouncing Back: “It was a grind last weekend. It was a coin-flip game last Friday against Peoria. We were not good on Saturday (vs. Peoria) and Evansville…we were the better team and lost with 16 seconds left, so it was disappointing to not get points. It was a long week. We dealt with a lot of adversity, roster changes and stuff, but I thought again this week… you are going to deal with that at the SPHL and ECHL level… you are going to have those weird weeks where it seems you can’t buy a break and we couldn’t last week. This week, we were able to reset, get some new guys in and they did a great job. We had a couple of good practices and got rewarded.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NEXT FACEOFF
WHO: Ice Flyers vs. Macon Mayhem
WHEN: March 22-23
WHERE: Macon Centreplex, Macon, Georgia.
