Century Man Injured In Collision With Log Truck Passes Away
November 29, 2019
A Century man critically injured in a collision with a log truck in Century earlier this month has passed away.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 86-year old Jim Burl Day was traveling south on Old Flomaton Road approaching East Highway 4 on November 11. He failed to make a complete stop with his 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup and pulled into the path of an approaching log truck. Wilford Kenneth Hancock, age 66 of Baker, was unable to avoid a collision, with the front of his semi striking the passenger side of Day’s pickup. Day’s pickup came to rest in the edge of a wooded area, and the log truck jackknifed into a ditch.
Day was extricated from the vehicle and airlifted to a Pensacola Hospital by LifeFlight helicopter with serious injuries. He passed away this week. Hancock suffered minor injuries and was treated on scene by Escambia County EMS.
Day was ticketed by the FHP for failing to stop at the stop sign following the crash.
Funeral services for Day are set for Friday. Click here for his complete obituary.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Shot In The Groin In Escambia County
November 29, 2019
A man showed up at the hospital Thanksgiving day with a gunshot wound he suffered Wednesday night in Escambia County.
The incident happened on North Loop Road near Blue Angel Parkway.
The man arrived at a Baldwin County hospital Thursday with a gunshot wound to his groin. He told deputies he was shot about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, but he provided multiple stories on exactly what happened, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He first told deputies his girlfriend caught him cheating and shot him, but he later said someone else shot him.
There was no word of any arrests.
Nine Mile Crash Claims Life Of Motorcyclist Thanksgiving Night
November 29, 2019
A motorcyclist will killed on Nine Mile Road Thanksgiving night.
Phillip Woodruff, 57, of Pensacola was traveling east on Nine Mile Road on his Harley Davidson about 6:16 p.m Thursday. The Florida Highway Patrol said 24-year old Tyler Kendrick of Pensacola was stopped at a stop sign on Bowman Avenue when he failed to yield the right of way. Troopers said he pulled into the intersection and into the path of Woodruff’s motorcycle.
Any charges are pending the outcome of a traffic homicide investigation, according to FHP.
Council On Aging Seeks Support For Ramp Building Program
November 29, 2019
Wheelchair-bound, dependent on a cane or walker, and literally unable to leave their front steps because of disability, clients of Council on Aging of West Florida’s ramp-building program receive hope and independence, as well as a safe, functional way to leave their home. The program functions entirely on the backs of our volunteer team and supplies are purchased solely from community donations. As part of Giving Tuesday 2019 on December 3, the Council on Aging seeks to grow our wheelchair ramp fund in order to serve those who need this program. Currently, individuals are placed on a waitlist until funds are available.
The ramp program not only creates a way for wheelchair-bound clients to leave their home; it also serves as a bridge from homebound boredom and fragility to opportunities and experiences in the outside world. This program has served dozens of senior adults in the two-county area and demand continues to grow. Currently, more than five disabled elder adults are eagerly awaiting their day of freedom.
“I used to have to be home all day,” said Roger Hurlbutt, a veteran for whom the Council on Aging recently installed a wheelchair ramp leading out of his rural home. “It’s great being able to go out now. It’s been a big help. Council on Aging has helped me so much.”
All donations given toward this goal on Giving Tuesday will be matched by the Home Instead Senior Care Foundation, but individuals must give via https://www.give65.org/rampteam. This year marks the third year in a row Council on Aging has partnered with both the Home Instead Senior Care Foundation and the local Home Instead Senior Care office to raise money for areas of acute need in our elderly community. In 2018, Council on Aging raised over $8,000 for Meals on Wheels, and in 2017 the agency raised $3,800 for our general fund. This year, the goal is $5,000, but thanks to matching dollars, the local community needs to only contribute $2,500 of that.
“According to Home Instead Senior Care Foundation, ‘less than 2 percent of our nation’s largest grant-makers are specifically focused on seniors,’” said Stacy Robello, owner of the local Home Instead Senior Care office. “Giving to the Council on Aging of West Florida with our foundation’s matching funds will help seniors age with dignity and independence. Something as simple as having a ramp will allow seniors to successfully age in place as long as possible in their own home.”
Giving Tuesday is December 3 and the fundraising initiative continues for 24 hours. All donations will be matched.
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Defense Building On UWF Foundation For Saturday’s Playoff Game
November 29, 2019
Maybe the most defining moment in the University of West Florida football season occurred in the fourth game, just when an emotional edge had switched to the opposite sideline.
Mississippi College had used a 13-play, 89-yard drive in the final 3:39 to forge a 21-21 tie on a running play as time expired. UWF was now facing its first overtime game in team history.
Head coach Pete Shinnick never hesitated. He sent the Argos defense back on the field.
“I looked at them and said, ‘Hey we’re going to stick our defense back out there.’ That’s how much I believed in them,” Shinnick said.
Faith was rewarded. The Argos got a quarterback sack and stop. No points. The Argos took their possession and won the game 27-21.
Since then? Six wins in seven games, leading into Saturday’s NCAA Division II Super Region Two semifinal game at 1 p.m. (EST) in a road rematch at No. 1 ranked, unbeaten Valdosta State.
“I think that was a signature stop for us,” said UWF defensive coordinator Darian Dulin, the architect behind a defense which has progressed with the infancy of the program. “That last drive our guys were really upset about giving up that score.
“From that moment on, they kinda took the attitude that, hey, we can control our destiny from here on what this going to look like. And we’re going to play with a different mindset. From that point on they have really been playing good football.”
Just as the Argos improbable and magical 2017 run to the D-2 national title game was buoyed by defensive prowess, this season includes similarities.
Even with the lone aberration in the 48-37 shootout win against West Alabama – a game two weeks ago when the teams’ offenses combined for 1,091 yards – UWF’s defensive numbers stand among national leaders in several categories.
UWF is eighth nationally in scoring defense, yielding 15.3 points per-game. The Argos are tied for 10thin red-zone defense, giving up just 11 touchdowns in opponents’ 31 trips inside the 20. They are 16thin passing efficiency defense, which includes 10 interceptions.
“You gotta have a great defense to compete,” Shinnick said. “And I have felt great about our defense. It’s been that way all season.”
The Argos (9-2), fresh off a 38-17 playoff win at Wingate where they led 31-3 in the fourth quarter, face a repeat challenge against Valdosta State (10-0), which ranks No. 4 nationally in total offense, averaging 523.2 yards-per game.
In the first meeting Nov. 9, the Blazers amassed 526 yards against UWF, but were held to just two touchdowns through three quarters in their eventual 26-21 victory. After scoring touchdowns in two of their first three possessions, UWF later forced field goals with stops at their own 2 and 3, which changed the entire game for the second half.
“It kept us in the game,” Shinnick said. “So that was huge. But we also kept (UWF defense) on the field a long time. We’ve got to get them off on some third downs, we’ve got to get them off, earlier.”
Led by junior quarterback Rogan Wells, who has passed for 2,315 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for 680 yards and six scores, the Blazers have one of the most dynamic, dual-threat, quarterbacks in Division II.
He has triggered a offense which carried the Blazers to a 14-0 record in 2018 and the D-2 national title.
“It’s probably going to go down as one of the better offenses in the history of Division II, two years in a row averaging over 500 yards a game,” Shinnick said. “That’s tough to do at any level, at any place. (Wells) is going to go down as an All-American, a Harlon Hill finalist (the D-2 version of Heisman Trophy).
“I think this is a unique collection of players that Valdosta has. What they have done offensively to average the yardage they have over the last 25 games… not many people can do that.”
UWF, however, rallied from a 20-0 deficit at halftime of the previous game to have a chance to take a lead in the fourth quarter.
The Argos’ defense has been a reflection of its coach, third-year defensive coordinator Darian Dulin, whose impact has helped UWF make rapid progression with a roster that has gone through natural.
Defensive back Trent Archie, one of the charter members from UWF’s inaugural season, has joined with linebacker Andre Duncombe to help bridge the transition. Archie has embraced Dulin’s defensive philosophy and his constant intensity on the sideline.
“If you have a defensive coordinator that is not fired up, are you really going to get fired up on the field?” said Archie, who was the team’s third leading tackler in 2017 and now second-leading tackler in 2019. “I think coach Dulin really adds to that. Once we see him get hyped, we get hyped and we feed off that. I think that leads to success.
“He’s been a very aggressive coach. He likes to bring pressure. Likes to get in your face as a defense. We like that.”
Archie can remember how all of this started, back when UWF was just trying to have introductory practices on converted intramural fields with a post-practice therapy area at the Skeeter Carson Tennis Center.
From that basic start, the program four years later is back in the playoff field in Division II.
“We were just some young’uns out there, just trying to play, having a dream,” Archie said. “Now the dream has come true.
“Coach Shinnick had a big impact on it. When he came in, he made us believe in his culture and everything with it, along with having integrity.”
Both Shinnick and Dulin had a sense in the summer this team’s defensive group could be special, provided injuries were at a minimum and newcomers could make smooth transitions.
“I think you always hope, and you pray, that’s what you’re going to have when you put it together,” Dulin said. “We felt like we did a good job recruiting. We got some guys we felt fit our needs and some guys we had coming back who we knew could be great.
“But you always worry about how this is all going to jell together. Are these guys going to pick up our system and all that stuff? I think our guys have done a great job of getting better every day and playing hard.”
Shinnick, who had not coached with Dulin prior to hiring him, has seen Dulin’s influence for three seasons.
“He’s been a great ambassador for UWF and what we believe in and what we are trying to do,” Shinnick said. “Great energy. Great excitement. He takes every rep serious and our guys know that and they want to go out and play well for him.
It’s led to UWF preparing for another playoff game on Thanksgiving week.
“Nothing better than that. In D-2 football, to be practicing on Thanksgiving is a great thing,” Shinnick said.
Cantonment Rotary Provides Thanksgiving Meals For Nearly 1,400 People
November 28, 2019
Over 1,500 people can enjoy a complete Thanksgiving meal this year thanks to the members and friends of the Cantonment Rotary Club.
Wednesday the club distributed everything for a turkey meal to 272 families North Escambia area, including Quintette and Carver Park. The recipients were chosen with the help of local school guidance counselors who helped identify families that might need a little help this time of year.
The Cantonment Rotary project continues to grow each year. In 2017, they provided meals for 545 people, and in 2018 it was 988 people.
The Publix at Nine Mile provided generous support for the Cantonment Rotary project.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Accidentally Shot In Molino
November 28, 2019
A woman was accidently shot in Molino Wednesday night.
It happened about 8 p.m. at a home on Sunshine Ridge Court, in Sunshine Hill Estates, a new subdivision off Sunshine Hill Road. The woman was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to a Pensacola hospital.
The accidental shooting occurred after the gun was removed from a gun safe by another person that believed it was not loaded, according to Sgt. Melanie Peterson, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The person pulled the trigger, accidently shooting the adult female.
Peterson said she is expected to recover. No charges were filed.
In addition to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
Pictured: LifeFlight lifts from an accidental shooting Wednesday night in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Thanksgiving Dinner Costs About The Same This Year, Farm Bureau Says
November 28, 2019
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 34th annual survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $48.91, or less than $5.00 per person. This is a 1-cent increase from last year’s average of $48.90.
The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables – the turkey – costs slightly less than last year, at $20.80 for a 16-pound bird. That’s roughly $1.30 per pound, down 4% from last year. The survey results show that retail turkey prices are the lowest since 2010.
The shopping list for Farm Bureau’s informal survey includes turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10 with plenty for leftovers.
Although the overall average cost of the meal was about the same this year, there were some price changes for individual items. In addition to turkey, foods that showed slight price declines include cubed bread stuffing and canned pumpkin pie mix. Foods showing modest increases this year included dinner rolls, sweet potatoes and milk. After adjusting for inflation, the cost of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner is $19.13, down slightly from last year.
The opinion poll revealed that 90% of Americans celebrate the holiday with a special meal and turkey remains a staple for 95% of consumers, while half serve both turkey and ham at their Thanksgiving meal. In recognition of changes in Thanksgiving dinner traditions, the Farm Bureau price survey includes ham, potatoes and frozen green beans. Adding these foods to the classic Thanksgiving menu increased the overall cost slightly, to $62.32 or just over $6 per person.
Despite the growing popularity of prepared foods, the vast majority of Americans, 92%, celebrate Thanksgiving at home or at a family member’s home and most cook their entire meal at home, according to the survey.
More than 250 volunteer shoppers checked prices at grocery stores in 38 states for this year’s survey. Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals.
Miracle League Holds Annual Turkey Fry
November 28, 2019
The Miracle League of Pensacola held their annual turkey fry fundraiser Wednesday at their park on East Nine Mile Road.
Volunteers with the Miracle League spent their day frying turkeys for a minimum donation, with all of the proceeds going to benefit the Miracle League.
The Miracle League provides physically and mentally challenged children a safe and spirited program in which they can hit, run, and catch on a baseball field – just like other kids. MLP offers a unique and memorable opportunity these children would not otherwise have. It is a place where every player plays, every player hits, every player gets on base, every player scores, and every player wins – every inning.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With DUI After Crashing Into Escambia County Deputy
November 28, 2019
An Escambia County man was charged with DUI after collided with an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy Wednesday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 64-year old Glenn Warren Hofmann of Pensacola failed to yield to oncoming traffic on New Warrington Road near West Jackson Street and hit the deputy’s cruiser and a second vehicle shortly after 8 p.m.
Hofmann was booked into the Escambia County Jail for driving under the influence. and was also cited for failure to yield right of way.