Jays Tops Northview In 11
April 11, 2018
Jay 8, Northview 3 (11 in.)
The Jay Royals topped the Northview Chiefs 8-3 in 11 innings Tuesday night in Bratt.
The Chiefs took an early three-run advantage after one, while the Royals added two in the fourth and one in the fifth for a 3-3 tie headed into extra innings. The Royals took the win in the 11th after a go head squeeze bunt in the eleventh from Dutch Burkhead.
Blayne Miller allowed one hit while striking out two in 4.1 innings to earn the win for Jay, while Josh Majors went 6.2 innings allowing four hits, three runs and striking out 10.
Northview junior Seth Killam went 6.1 innings, striking out 12, allowing two hits and three runs. Trevor Singleton pitched four innings with four hits, four runs, four strikeouts while walking four.
Jay (8-4, 6-0) will host Chipley (4-10, 1-4) on Friday. Northview (12-6, 2-4) will travel to Freeport (11-4, 4-2) Friday.
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Traffic Stop Leads To Arrest Of Molino Man On Meth Trafficking Charge
April 10, 2018
A bad brake light led to a traffic stop and a drug trafficking charge against a Molino man.
John Homer Docherty, 36, was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and two counts of possession a controlled substance without a prescription, all felonies.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with a passenger brake light out on W Street in Pensacola. Docherty was a passenger in the car, and a K-9 alerted on the vehicle. Deputies recovered a total of 27.1 grams of meth from under the passenger seat and glove box, according to an arrest report. They also reported finding 1.5 tables of Xanax and two Oxycodone tablets. All items were within Docherty’s control, according to the report.
Docherty remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $130,000.
The driver was issued a citation for no seat belt.
Tate FFA Wins State Horse Judging Title, Northview FFA Places Best Ever
April 10, 2018
The Tate and Northview high school horse judging teams brought home big wins from Gainesville, including a state championship for the Tate FFA.
The Tate High School team (pictured above) placed first in the state. This was the first time in over 20 years for a Tate team to win state in the event. Members of the Tate FFA Horse Judging Team are Kaelin Brinker, Molly Graham, Raven Hollis and Victoria Kelson. Kelson led Tate’s team coming in as the highest scoring individual in the state. Team members Graham, Hollis and Brinker all finished in the top 25 in the state.
The Tate team was coached by advisor Erin Lawall, a former Texas A&M Horse Judging team member and 2010 National NRHA Futurity winner.
The Tate team members practiced non-stop since August to prepare for this competition. They will travel to Indianapolis, IN, in October to compete at the national level.
The Northview High School team (pictured below), placed seventh in the state. This was the first time a Northview Horse Judging team has made it to the state finals. Members of the NHS FFA Horse Judging Team are Autumn Williams, Brooke Doolittle, Destiny Cleckler, Olivia Porter and Coach Stephanie Solari. Individually, Porter place 13th in the state, and Williams placed 14th.
In the Horse Evaluation Career Development Event, students evaluate and rank horses based on breed characteristics, conformation and performance then proceed to write and memorize oral reasons and present them to judges.
Pictured top: The Tate High School FFA Horse Judging team. Pictured below: The Northview High School FFA Horse Judging team. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott Blasts Washington As He Begins U.S. Senate Campaign
April 10, 2018
Beginning what is likely to be a costly, negative campaign, Gov. Rick Scott on Monday opened his challenge to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson by slamming “career politicians” and calling Washington, D.C., a “disaster.”
Clad in a blue, long-sleeved shirt and wearing his signature Navy baseball cap, Scott made his long-anticipated announcement at an Orlando construction company.
Scott, a two-term Republican governor, never mentioned Nelson, a three-term Democratic senator, by name. But he repeatedly criticized “career politicians” and said he would push for term limits for members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
“We have to all acknowledge that Washington is a disaster. It’s dysfunctional. There is a lot of old, tired thinking up there,” Scott said. “This concept of career politicians has got to stop. We have to have term limits on Congress.”
Nelson, 75, who is the only Florida Democrat holding statewide office, said he is ready to face Scott, 65.
“I’ve always run every race like there’s no tomorrow — regardless of my opponent,” Nelson said in a statement. “While it’s clear that Rick Scott will say or do anything to get elected, I’ve always believed that if you just do the right thing, the politics will take care of itself.”
Scott, a wealthy businessman from Naples who never held a political office before he was elected governor in 2010, struck an “outsider” theme Monday that was similar to his first gubernatorial campaign, when he ran against the Tallahassee “insiders.” Scott’s Senate announcement came on the eighth anniversary of starting his initial bid for governor.
Scott said his agenda as governor, which focused on job creation, lower taxes and fewer regulations, met resistance from the Tallahassee establishment.
“They (said) governor you just don’t fit into Tallahassee. You know, I think that’s true,” Scott said. “I never intended to fit into Tallahassee. And guess what? I’m not going to fit into Washington either.”
Scott also recounted Florida’s recovery from the recession under his leadership, pointing to job creation, tax cuts, a reduction in state debt and a record numbers in tourism.
“Now we’ve got to take that same mission to D.C.,” Scott said.
Scott also talked about his early life in a family that “struggled for money” and lived in public housing. He credited his late mother and the opportunities provided by living in the United States for his rise as a lawyer who founded the Columbia/HCA health conglomerate.
“It seems to be fashionable now to attack and badmouth this country. I’m sick of it,” Scott said. “There is no place like America. And we need to thank God every day for this country and our opportunity to be here.”
Scott made no mention of President Donald Trump, although Scott has been a consistent supporter of the president. He also did not mention the Republican majority that controls the U.S. House and Senate.
Scott, however, made several references to his “let’s get to work” slogan, which he has used since his first bid for governor in 2010.
“We must change Washington. We will change Washington. Together let’s get Washington to work,” he said.
When he ran in 2010, Scott initially was known for his public awkwardness, stumbling through speeches and insisting on a buffer between himself and crowds.
There was no evidence of that Scott on Monday, though. Scott confidently delivered a speech, warmly smiling at supporters who cheered him on, including state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, at least a dozen state lawmakers, Associated Industries of Florida President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Feeney and prominent insurance lobbyist Fred Karlinsky.
When the speech was finished, Scott’s wife, Ann, placed her hands on his waist, guiding him through the crowd, helping negotiate an exit and avoiding reporters.
Scott was introduced at the event at ODC Construction company by the lieutenant governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Rivera-Marin, who said the island would be “forever grateful” for Scott’s help in recovering from a series of damaging hurricanes.
Scott also made a few concluding remarks in Spanish.
The negative tone of the campaign is already well underway, with Republicans launching a nomorenelson.org website, which calls the incumbent a “career politician,” and the Democrats having a selfservingscott.com website, which criticizes the governor’s economic record.
Scott won his two gubernatorial campaigns in expensive, highly negative races where he edged out Democratic opponents. In 2010, he beat Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, capturing 48.9 percent of the vote to her 47.7 percent.
In 2014, Scott beat former Gov. Charlie Crist by a margin of 48.1 percent to 47.1 percent.
However, heading into the Senate race, Scott’s popularity numbers are his best since he emerged on the Florida political scene.
In a February poll from Quinnipiac University, Scott had a 49-40 percent approval rating from voters, the highest since Quinnipiac began tracking him in 2011. Nelson had a 48-34 percent approval rating in the same poll.
In recent years, Florida governors have had mixed success in making U.S. Senate bids.
Crist, a former Republican governor who is now a Democratic member of Congress, lost a 2010 Senate race while running as an independent. Gov. Bob Graham, a two-term Democratic incumbent, beat U.S. Sen. Paula Hawkins, a Republican, in the 1986 Senate race.
Four Scott opponents stood outside Monday’s event, with motorists occasionally tooting horns or giving thumbs up as they drove past.
“Our street poll is great,” said 40-year-old Wes Hodge of Winter Park.
A two-time cancer survivor whose Hodgkin lymphoma has been in remission for five years, Hodge held a sign that read “healthcare is not a luxury.”
“If not for the Affordable Care Act I would not have access to quality health care,” he said, adding, “we are not unaware that health care is hanging.”
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
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Man Gets 30 Years For Threatening Judge, FDLE Employee
April 10, 2018
An Escambia County man is headed to prison for threatening a judge, a state law enforcement employee and others.
Tomorryow Hughley was sentenced by Judge Wade Mercer to 30 years in state prison.
An Escambia County jury convicted Hughley of two counts of making written threats to kill or do bodily injury to multiple persons, and their families, including an Escambia County Circuit judge, and an expert witness formerly employed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
At the sentencing hearing, Assistant State Attorney Edgar asked the Court to give Hughley an enhanced sentence because Hughley was a habitual felony offender, and becauseHughley made threats to kill or do bodily injury to a sitting judge and a witness.
FHP Seeks Witnesses, Others On Scene Of Crash That Killed Worker On Highway 29
April 10, 2018
The Florida Highway Patrol issued an appeal Monday afternoon for information in a traffic crash last Friday that claimed the life if a highway worker.
The FHP said 60-year old Sharon Odom of Century was southbound on Highway 29 when her 2006 Ford Mustang traveled off the roadway onto the west shoulder, colliding with worker Maceo A. Perkins, 41, of Pensacola and an unoccupied Dodge Ram truck that was off the roadway.
Odom was trapped in her vehicle and was extricated by firefighters before being airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola with serious injuries. Perkins was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The FHP is asking for any witnesses or anyone that helped at the scene of the crash to contact Corporal David Todd at (850) 544-5990.
ll charges are pending the outcome of a traffic homicide investigation, according to FHP.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Announce 2018 Football Schedule
April 10, 2018
The Tate High School Aggies have released their 2018 football schedule (reprinted below). The Tate Crimson and Grey game is set for May 11, and the spring game will be at Pine Forest on May 17.
Northview Lady Chiefs Beat Chipley 17-1 On The Road
April 10, 2018
The Northview Lady Chiefs dominated Chipley 17-1 Monday night on the road.
Tori Herrington pitched a complete game with 12 strikouts while going 2-4 at the plate. At the plate for the Northview: Ashley Ragsdale 3-6, Valen Shelley 3-4, Aubree Love 4-6, Kendall Enfinger 1-2, Linda Smith 3-5.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Take Series With 5-4 Over BayBears
April 10, 2018
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Mobile BayBears 5-4 to take the season opening series 3-2.
Gabby Guerrero made his 2-for-5 night at the plate seem forgettable by throwing out two would-be Mobile runs at the plate in the ninth inning to save the series finale for the fish.
Wyatt Strahan (W, 1-0) in his first career Double-A start turned in five strong innings and the offense jumped on the BayBears early making the win seem all but inevitable. However, Strahan’s win was in serious jeopardy up until the final out was recorded.
With the Wahoos leading 5-1 in the eighth inning, Brennan Bernardino came into the game trying to build upon his strong start to the season. After retiring the first two batters, Brennon Lund walked and Taylor Ward singled. That set the stage for Hutton Moyer to smack his third homer of the series, making it a 5-4 game.
Jody Davis then opted to bring in his closer in the eighth, and Ariel Hernandez (S, 1) fought his way towards his first save of the season. He retired Michael Bearish to close out the eighth before running into danger in the ninth.
Connor Justus led off the ninth inning with a double to right. Wade Wass immediately followed by rifling a single into center and the only thing that prevented the BayBears from tying the game was Guerrero’s perfect throw to the plate to hose Justus.
Guerrero wasn’t finished there.
Wass took second base on the throw to plate, and the next batter, Zach Gibbons, singled right back up the middle and in déjà vu fashion, Guerrero came up firing and again threw out Wass at the plate for his second outfield assist in as many plays. Hernandez then induced Brandon Sanger into a more conventional groundout to seal a hard-fought victory for the Wahoos.
Offensively Nick Longhi set the pace for the Wahoos once again with his second three-hit game of the series, extending his hitting streak to 10 games dating back to last season.
Pensacola dealt most of their damage in the third inning with a three-run rally off righty Dylan Unsworth (L, 0-1). Alfredo Rodriguez led off the inning with a single, and after a Shed Long groundout, Longhi singled to center to make it 1-1. Gabby Guerrero followed with his first of two hits before Josh VanMeter scored both he and Longhi with his second double of the season to make it 3-1.
Pensacola tacked on valuable insurance runs in the seventh and the eights to make it 5-1.
At first glance, it looked like it could be a long night for Strahan and the Wahoos. In the bottom of the first inning, Mobile had runners on the corners after just three batters. Moyer lifted a sac fly to left-field to make it 1-0, and Strahan rebounded nicely by retiring Bearish to limit the damage.
Strahan enters this season fully healthy for the first time since the 2015 season while pitching with Dayton. The former USC standout injured his right elbow in 2016 while with the Tortugas and missed almost the entire year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. After a strong showing last season with the Tortugas, Strahan figures to be an important figure in the Blue Wahoos starting rotation moving forward.
Outside of the late-inning drama, the Blue Wahoos bullpen continued to build upon their strong start to 2018. Dean Kiekhefer and Robinson Leyer combined to pitch two more scoreless innings while striking out a pair.
Cantonment Man Wins $1 Million In Florida Lottery Scratch Off Game
April 10, 2018
A Cantonment man won a $1 million prize in the Florida Lottery’s $10,000,000 World Class Cash scratch-off game.
Beverly “Lawrence” Miller, 66, claimed his prize at the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee, choosing to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $748 thousand.
Miller purchased his winning ticket for $25 from CMP Food Mart, located at 400 North Highway 29 in Cantonment. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.