Escambia Sex Offender Sentenced To Federal Prison For New Child Porn Offenses
July 1, 2024
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to online receipt of child pornography.
Donovan Eugene Whidden, 21, was sentenced this week.
In September 2023, authorities received cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that led back to Whidden’s residence. Law enforcement was aware that Whidden was on state court probation for a conviction for Promoting Sexual performance by a child in 2022. A search warrant was obtained for his residence, and law enforcement located evidence of Whidden utilizing the media platform Discord to upload and obtain child pornography. Whidden also used a cloud storage platform to maintain his child pornography.
“Protecting innocent children from sexual predators remains one of our highest priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody. “I commend our law enforcement partners and prosecutors who work tirelessly to identify these predators and bring them to justice so that they may never exploit a child again. Due to their collective efforts, our community is safer, and this repeat offender is exactly where he belongs – behind bars.”
Whidden’s prison sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to all sex offender conditions.
4th of July Gas Prices Likely To Be Higher Than Last Year, AAA Says
July 1, 2024
Florida gas prices jumped nine cents last week. The state average then reversed course, declining seven cents per gallon through the weekend, AAA said.
Sunday’s state average was $3.38 per gallon. That’s 12 cents per gallon more than what holiday travelers paid on Independence Day in 2023.
Escambia County’s average was $3.16 Sunday night, with a low of $2.93 at a station on East Nine Mile Road. In North Escambia, a low of $2.96 was available Sunday night at one station on Highway 29 in Cantonment.
“Gas prices remain pretty volatile as 3.9 million Floridians prepare to take a road trip for Independence Day,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Although we have seen some price swings in recent weeks, it’s not likely significant enough to impact people’s travel plans. Oil prices have flattened out, which should limit any significant jumps at the pump in the coming days.”
Childers Won’t Appeal Order Keeping Him Out Of Supervisor of Elections Race
July 1, 2024
Attorney Bruce Childers announced on social media that he will not appeal a judge’s decision on Friday that will keep him off the ballot for Escambia County supervisor of elections.
Circuit Judge Jennifer Frydrychowicz denied his emergency motion to him back on the ballot after he was disqualified by incumbent Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender for failing to file a full public financial disclosure Form 6 by the close of qualifying.
Childers said he never received a call about any issues, which is something he claims should have been done, according to the Florida statute that states a qualifying officer shall make every reasonable effort to notify the candidate of missing or incomplete items.
“I do not find any basis in law for taking such a bold step as to overrule the supervisor of elections,” Frydrychowicz said as she issued a verbal order.
Childers said he would not appear because, “by the time it got to the appellate court, be a moot issue”.
“While I had hoped for a different result, I must accept this court’s decision and move on with my life,” Childers wrote on Facebook. “I want to say thank you for all of your support, your prayers, your kindness, and for being there with us. It may sound counter-intuitive to say, but right now I feel I am a very lucky man to be a part of this community.
Bender is automatically elected as the only qualified candidate for Supervisor of Elections.
Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Split Road Series With Biloxi
July 1, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (41-33) closed out a week on the road on a positive note with a 5-1 victory at Biloxi on Sunday night.
After a rain delay pushed the game’s start back by over two hours, the Wahoos and Shuckers (33-40) played a seven-inning series finale. Despite the dreary conditions, Pensacola’s bats thundered out of the gate versus Biloxi starter Jacob Misiorowski (L, 2-3).
With one out in the top of the first inning, third baseman Jacob Berry smacked his second home run in as many swings – including Saturday’s go-ahead blast in the ninth inning – with a solo shot put the Wahoos in front 1-0. In the second inning, left fielder Tanner Allen provided power of his own with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 3-0. The blast was Allen’s first since April 18. Biloxi answered with a run in the home second, but Wahoos catcher Joe Mack got Pensacola back on the board in the following half-inning with the Blue Wahoos’ third home run in as many innings. Mack’s solo homer was his 14th on the year, tying him for the Southern League lead.
The early power surge was more than enough for Wahoos lefthander Jonathan Bermúdez (W, 3-3), who turned in his third quality start of the year in a Pensacola uniform (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K). Righthander Matt Pushard closed out a scoreless seventh to lock down the 5-1 win and send the Wahoos back home with a road series split.
The Blue Wahoos return home on Monday, July 1 to face the Montgomery Biscuits. First pitch from Blue Wahoos Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
440 Lot Development Planned For Highway 29 Near Cedar Tree Lane
June 30, 2024
A new residential development is planned for Highway 29 between Cedar Tree Lane and Neal Road, west of Highway 29 in Cantonment.
A development proposal submitted by a Pensacola engineering firm with a total of 440 lots on 131 acres to be constructed in three phases.
If approved, plans call for construction to begin in the fall of 2024 on the first phase with 130 lots on 40.5 acres, a second phase to begin the spring of 2025 with 96 lots on 40.2 acres and a third phase started in the summer of 2025 with 214 lots of 50.4 acres. Each phase is estimated to take about one year for completion of construction.
The final application went before the Escambia County Development Review committee last week. The master plan was tabled for the county to meet with the engineers to discuss a few remaining issues, according to the county.
NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
Rep. Salzman To Host Constituent Services Day July 9 With Multiple Officials, Agencies
June 30, 2024
The office of Florida House Representative Michelle Salzman, in partnership with local, state, and federal officials will host in-person mobile office hours on July 9 to assist constituents with casework issues. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of the district offices a more convenient way to receive county, state, and federal casework assistance.
In addition to elected offices, the event will include representatives from the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Pensacola Vet center, and VA services from the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System.
“I am excited to host this upcoming community outreach event. It gives elected officials the opportunity to reach out to our constituents and help with their government related issues,” Salzman said.
The Constituent Services Day event will take place July 9 from 2-4 p.m. at “The Table” located at 275 West Airport Blvd, Unit B in Pensacola.
Pictured: Rep. Michelle Salzman hosted a Constituent Services Day last June at Beulah Freewill Baptist Church. File photos.
Uber Driver Killed, Two Navy Sailors Seriously Injured In Escambia County Crash
June 30, 2024
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 60-year-old Uber driver died and two U.S. Navy sailors were seriously injured in a crash Saturday morning in Escambia Count.
FHP said the Uber driver was in a Subaru sedan with two sailors as passengers — a 28-year-old New York man, and a 22-year-old Iowa man — just after 4 a.m.
Troopers said as the Uber was traveling south on Navy Boulevard, a Hyundai driven by a 19-year-old Pensacola woman on Gulf Beach Highway failed to stop at a red light.
“According to multiple witnesses, this driver had a steady red traffic signal which the driver failed to obey,’ FHP Said.
The front of the Hyundai collided with the right side of the Subaru.
The driver of the Subaru was pronounced deceased at the scene. The passengers were both transported by ground ambulance as trauma patients. The driver of the Hyundai was also transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
U.S. Navy command from Pensacola NAS were notified about the sailors.
FHP Traffic Homicide Investigators are continuing their investigation.
File photo.
UWF Earns Highest Marks In University History In Key Board of Governors’ Metrics
June 30, 2024
The University of West Florida displayed a strong performance in metrics measuring retention, median wages upon graduation and high-impact practices in the Florida Board of Governors’ 2023-24 performance-based funding model. The results, announced at a Board of Governors meeting today, showed UWF earned some of its highest marks in University history and landed in the top three in three metrics among all Florida State University System metric-participating institutions.
“The University of West Florida has distinguished itself as an institution where students can earn a high-quality education in a state that is ranked No.1 in the country for higher education and land a competitive job upon graduation,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders.“We have worked hard to advance student success and our efforts are paying off.”
UWF achieved its highest academic progress rate in University history. Metric 5 measures the second-year retention rate with a GPA above 2.0. UWF’s progress rate improved by 3.3 percentage points, totaling 86.8%. The University has put a laser-focus on supporting students in their first year of college, not only through academic support but also helping them develop a sense of belonging through welcome events such as Argo Arrival. One of the most popular events, put on by the Office of Student Engagement, is “Beach Bash” on Pensacola Beach. Many other areas within the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Affairs, including Housing and Residence Life, International Affairs, and The Kugelman Honors Program, offer special orientation events and social activities for new and returning students. These events help improve student retention by connecting them with their peers, faculty, and student support staff.
UWF also earned high marks in Metric 10 which measures the percentage of baccalaureate graduates completing two or more types of high-impact practices, such as internships or undergraduate research. The University increased to 60.6%, which is well above the 51% benchmark for excellence. UWF provides students with various HIPs inside and outside of the classroom that build early professional experience and encourage networking. 28% of undergraduate students are engaged in faculty research.
“Our excellence in Metric 10 is a reflection of our world-class faculty and their dedication to engaging our students with research and high-impact practice opportunities, setting them up for success when they graduate,” said Dr. Jaromy Kuhl, UWF provost and senior vice president.
Results of the performance-based funding metrics showed UWF graduates earned a median wage of $53,000 in 2021-22 which sets a new record for the University and is an increase of $4,200 since last year’s metrics. Metric 2 measures median wages of bachelor‘s degree-earning graduates employed full-time one year after graduation. UWF graduates’ median salary is higher than almost all metric-participating SUS institutions, trailing only to Florida Polytechnic University and University of Florida.
More than 79% of bachelor’s graduates are employed or furthering their education one year after graduation. This is a five percentage point increase from last year and landed UWF at No. 2 in the Florida State University System for Metric 1.
UWF earned a total of 84 points out of 100 on the Board’s performance-based funding model results, two points higher than the institution’s score last year.
Under the performance-based funding model, the Board of Governors scores each of Florida’s 12 public universities based on 10 metrics designed to incentivize university excellence and improvement. These metrics establish a minimum acceptable level of performance on issues such as graduation and retention rates.
Tate Aggies Host Baseball Camp
June 30, 2024
The Tate High School Aggies held their baseball camp last week with over 70 participants.
The camp for ages 7-14 was held at the Tate Baseball Complex.
The camp covered the fundamentals of baseball including throwing, hitting, fielding and base running. Team fundamentals were also covered, including bunt defenses, pop up priority, cuts and relays.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Berry’s Dramatic Homer Lifts Wahoos to 4-2 Win Over Biloxi
June 30, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
Jacob Berry hit a go-ahead three run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, sending the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 4-2 win over the Biloxi Shuckers on Saturday night.
Berry’s third homer of the year, and first since late April, turned a 2-1 deficit into one of the most memorable wins of the season for the Blue Wahoos. It caps a resurgent month for the club’s top prospect, who is now batting .299 in June with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBI.
The Blue Wahoos jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning with an opposite-field home run from Joe Mack against Shuckers starter Shane Smith. It was Mack’s 13th Double-A homer, putting him just one shy of a tie for the Southern League lead.
In his Blue Wahoos debut, Pensacola starter Tristan Stevens turned in a quality start. The righty went 6.0 solid innings, allowing two runs in the fourth on an RBI triple to Carlos Rodriguez and RBI single to Ernesto Martinez as the Shuckers took a 2-1 lead.
The Pensacola bullpen kept the game within reach, holding Biloxi hitless after the fifth inning. Raffi Vizcaíno (W, 3-1) worked a spotless eighth, and the Blue Wahoos turned a Bennett Hostetler walk and Dalvy Rosario single into a last-gasp threat against Shuckers closer Justin Yeager (L, 2-5).
The Blue Wahoos had gone 0-for-9 with men in scoring position on the night, but Berry lifted a Yeager offering over the left-center wall for the biggest hit of his season. It was the second two-out, three-run homer Yeager had allowed to Pensacola in the series after Harrison Spohn took him deep on Tuesday.
Austin Roberts (S, 13) breezed through the ninth to earn his league-leading 13th save.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Shuckers on Sunday. First pitch from Keesler Federal Park is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.