Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
December 21, 2021
Tate High School recently named Students of the Month for November. They are Evan Meyer and Shyla McRoy. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Fire Capt. Craig Ammons Retires After 41 Years Of Service
December 20, 2021
Escambia County Fire Rescue Capt. Stephen Craig Ammons has retired after 41 years of faithful and dedicated service as a first responder, with the last 36 years of his career with Escambia Fire Rescue.
Ammons began his career with Escambia County as a paramedic in 1985 and moved to the fire department in 2000 where he began as a firefighter and worked his way through the ranks to captain.
During his career with Escambia County, he has worked through emergencies that included hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, floods, the oil spill, the recent pandemic and more.
“We joined Craig and his family in celebration of a long and successful career in public safety today,” said ECFR Deputy Chief Paul Williams during a retirement ceremony last Friday. “We want thank all of our special guests, other agencies, and first responders who came out to celebrate with us and wish Craig well. ECFR and Escambia County were fortunate that Craig established roots here with our community, and we wish him and his family a bountiful and healthy retirement.”
During the retirement ceremony, Rep. Michelle Salzman presented a certification of recognition to Ammons. He was honored with a proclamation presented by Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender, with Commissioner Steven Barry also in attendance.
“I’m honored today that everybody took the time to come by,” Ammons told those in attendance. “I wish everyone good luck, be safe, enjoy what you have and keep making progress to protect the citizens of Escambia County.”
Northview High Names Students Of The Month
December 20, 2021
Northview High School recently named their November Students of the Month. They are Chase Pugh and Doria Beach. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wreaths Across America Held
December 19, 2021
Thousands of Christmas wreaths were placed on graves at Barrancas National Cemetery on NAS Pensacola and other area cemeteries on Saturday.
The wreaths were placed as part of the national event “Wreaths Across America”, a tradition that began over 20 years ago at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington. The wreaths were placed to remember and honor veterans through the placing Remembrance Wreaths on the graves of our country’s fallen heroes and the act of saying the name of each veteran aloud.
There were 26,000 wreaths placed throughout Barrancas National Cemetery.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Santa Makes Fire Truck Run Through Century And Byrneville
December 19, 2021
Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the Century and Byrneville areas Saturday morning with a little help from the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, including a special stop to visit with the residents of the Century Center for Rehabilitation & Healing. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘It Will Be OK’ – Rosco, The NorthEscambia Rescue Kitty, Passes Away
December 17, 2021
We wanted to share some really sad news from our NorthEscambia.com family.
Our beloved cat Rosco passed away suddenly and unexpectedly Tuesday morning at the age of five. He received the very best veterinary wellness care, and he had no known serious issues and not been sick.
We decided to share our grief with you because thousands of our readers have come to know Rosco over the past 2.5 years since we first published his adoption story. He’s been our photo model for several stories on NorthEscambia.com and has appeared many, many times on our social media channels. We get asked about him all the time.
Rosco has been a sounding board for story ideas and right by my side waiting for bed as I wrote those 2 a.m. breaking news stories. He knew that certain tones on the fire scanner would mean dad might be leaving, and he would often wait by the door for my return. At night, he would wait for me to finish writing or take a break. In our free time, he would snuggle next to me on the couch, just wanting the reassuring touch of my hand on his back. He really was part of our NorthEscambia.com operation.
We adopted Rosco and another kitty named Oreo, now age 7, from the Escambia County Animal Shelter in May 2019. At the time, Rosco had been at the shelter longer than any other cat because he had over-stimulation aggression. When we first met, he bit me. I bled. I tried to pet him again. He bit me again. I bled again. We fell in love. (You really should read that first adoption story.)
We don’t know his backstory before he arrived at the shelter. But we set out to give him a “furever” home, not knowing that furever would be just 2.5 short years.
He became a big sweetie, often by my side. He loved those couch cuddles and being held. He was a purrfect friend.
Some days, Rosco and Oreo had their little scuffles over the best spot of sunshine on the bed. For a couple of animal shelter cellmates turned brothers, they had an obvious love for one another. Oreo goes to bed around 10:00 each night. Later as we finished our late night NorthEscambia.com work, Rosco would walk me to the kitchen and ask for treats. He would not eat them, opting instead for his favorite food. Rosco would go to the bedroom and “tell” Oreo. “Little brother, I got you some treats. They are in the kitchen.” Oreo would head to the kitchen for his late night snack. Best bros look out for each other.
Little Oreo is lost now. He’s still looking for Rosco, and spending extra time wanting to be held.
Rosco would want you to know that he was a tough, brave little dude but inside he had the biggest of hearts. If dad offered a reassuring look and a “it’s OK”, he would stand strong against the loud noises of vacuum cleaners, power tools, anything. If dad said it was OK, all was well.
I held him Tuesday morning and told him it was OK. He made little kitty biscuits as he took his last breath.
Thank you for allowing us to share Rosco with you over the past 2.5 years. Please consider adopting a cat or dog from the Escambia County animal shelter if that fits your family situation. Or consider a financial donation to the Friends of the Escambia County Animal Shelter (click to donate). Tell them Rosco sent you, and he wants all the shelter animals to know before Christmas that…
It will be OK.
Pictured top: Rosco by a NorthEscambia.com camera bag waiting on the next big story. Pictured first below: Part of Rosco’s 2021 Christmas photoshoot. Next two photos: Rosco and Oreo sharing a spot of sunshine, and looking out a window. And bottom: More of his Christmas photoshoot. He didn’t trust the gnome, but dad said it would be OK. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
And The Kingsfield Elementary Teacher Gingerbread Contest Reader Favorite Is…
December 17, 2021
The teachers and staff of Kingsfield Elementary School held a gingerbread contest, and we took votes yesterday on social media for NorthEscambia.com Reader’s Choice Award.
The winner with 253 votes was number nine…a complete scene with a gingerbread house, ice rink and more. The winner gets bragging rights for a year. (Unfortunately, we were not provided the name of the creator.)
Our readers didn’t just vote; they commented on the top entry:
- “Love that you added a fence with decorations. We have had a outdoor fire with our gingerbread houses.”
- “This one is more original but the other ones are great they all did a great job!!”
- “I say this one has the most details and should win!”
Second place with 138 votes in our informal just-for-fun contest was number 3….a gingerbread Starbucks with several extra shots of Christmas trees and gumdrops.
Third place with 112 votes was number 12 with a tropical gingerbread beach scene.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Beulah Middle FFA Veggie Team Places Fifth, Tool Team Sixth In State
December 15, 2021
Beulah Middle School FFA members recently competed in vegetable identification and tool identification events.
In vegetable identification, Abby Vernier, Colin Shelton, John Zervasky and Yulian Perez placed fifth among 21 other middle schools from across the state. The students will accept their award during the state conference next June.
In tool identification, Miller Richards, Lawson Theison, Gabriel Flores and John Zervasky placed sixth among 22 other middle schools across the state. Out of 83 total students who participated in tool identification, Richards placed first in the state. Richards will attend the state FFA conference in June 2022 to accept an award, and his teammates will be there to cheer him on.
Byrneville Elementary School Names Students Of The Month
December 15, 2021
November Students of the Month have been named at Byrneville Elementary School.
The students are:
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Dedria’s Gift Makes Donation To Century Nursing Home Residents
December 15, 2021
St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Century recently donated to Dedria’s Gift. Dedria’s Gift then made a donation to benefit the residents of the Century Center for Rehabilitation and Healing.
Dedria’s Gift honors the memory of Dedria Robinson, who was killed in a 2005 automobile accident at age 11.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.