Guy Harvey Mentors Ernest Ward Student, Aspiring Marine Artist
July 17, 2017
Nolin Godwin, an incoming sixth grader at Ernest Ward Middle School, recently spent time painting a mural at Sea World in Orlando with world renowned conservationist and artist Guy Harvey
Nolin, now 12, has been obsessed with the ocean, sharks and saving the environment since he was about two years old. The aspiring artist started drawing sharks at a very young ago. Four years ago, the Godwin family vacationed on Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.
Harvey has a home and an art gallery on Grand Cayman. Nolin met Harvey and showed him some of his paintings. Harvey invited Nolan to draw with him in his gallery, inspiring Nolan to continue his love for the ocean, drawing and learning to paint. The family has continued yearly summer vacations back to Grand Cayman to see Harvey. They spend two to three weeks at a time to allow Nolin time in Harvey’s gallery.
He has also participated directly with Harvey multiple years in a Sting Ray City project, tagging and researching the ocean creatures.
When Nolin broke his arm at age 8, his Aunt Ruth Harrell bought him paint and canvases. Nolin sold his paintings, raising enough to donate $1,000 of to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. With the money, Harvey tagged a Mako shark and named it Nolin.
Nolin was invited recently to help Harvey with the mako shark mural at Sea Wold. Nolin signed the painting, with Harvey signing below wince he helped with touch-ups.
Nolin is the son of Gordon and JoLynn Godwin.
For more photos of Nolin and Guy Harvey painting, click here for a gallery.
Pictured: Guy Harvey paints with Nolin Godwin, incoming Ernest Ward sixth grade student. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century’s Community Development Block Grant Citizen’s Advisory Task Force To Meet
July 17, 2017
The Town of Century’s Community Development Block Grant Citizen’s Advisory Task Force (CATF) will meet to discuss the Town’s CDBG Emergency Set-Aside Housing Program. The meeting will be held at the Century Town Hall, 7995 N. Century Boulevard at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 20.
For more information, call the Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
At The Library This Week: Cardboard Robotic Arms, The Magic Of Reading
July 17, 2017
Here’s a look at the summer programs this week at West Florida Library locations throughout Escambia County.
Summer STEAM Cardboard Robotic Arm
- Tuesday, July 18, 2 p.m. – Century Branch Library
- Wednesday, July 19, 10:30 a.m. – Tryon Branch Library
- Thursday, July 20, 2 p.m. – Westside Branch Library
Come get your build on and join the Summer STEAM team to build a cardboard robotic arm. Using a hydraulics and lever system that you build yourself, your robot will be capable of lifting and moving items – but no promises that you can train it to take out the trash.
Russell Davis – The Magic of Reading
- Tuesday, July 18, 11 a.m. – Southwest Branch Library
- Wednesday, July 19, 11 a.m. – Century Branch Library
- Wednesday, July 19, 3 p.m. – Pensacola Library
- Thursday, July 20, 11 a.m. – Molino Branch Library
- Thursday, July 20, 3 p.m. – Tryon Branch Library
Russell Davis brings his magic tricks and comedy to inspire a love of reading.
Youth Can Still Ride ECAT For Free Until Labor Day
July 17, 2017
The Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) Summer Wheels Pass program is now in effect, allowing youth to ride ECAT free all summer.
The pass will allow youth 18 and under to ride ECAT through Labor Day, September 4 at no charge.
The Summer Wheels Pass can be obtained with an application and a parent or guardian at the ECAT administrative office on Fairfield Ave. To download the Summer Wheels Pass application, please visit GoECAT.com or call Tonya Ellis at 850-595-3229.
Northview Football Youth Camp Begins Tuesday
July 17, 2017
Northview Football Youth Camp begins Tuesday, and there is still time to register.
The camp will be held July 18 and 20 from 5-7 each evening for players entering kindergarten through the eighth grade. Players will receive instruction from Northview High School Chief players and coaches. Participants will be coached in offensive and defensive position groups. There will also be daily drills and competitions.
Camp fee is $25; all participants will receive a camp t-shirt.
Click here for a registration form (pdf).
For more information, contact Coach Marshman at (850) 377-2504.
Wahoos Tie Series With Mississippi
July 17, 2017
Nick Senzel smacked his first walk-off base hit in a Pensacola Blue Wahoos uniform, when he hit a sharp single back up the middle to score Joe Hudson with the winning run.
Senzel, the top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization, said he was “lucky” to hit the fourth straight slider he saw from Mississippi Braves reliever Devan Watts that gave Pensacola a, 4-3, victory Sunday in front of 4,123 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“I wanted to put a good at-bat together,” Senzel said. “They were all sliders. The best pitch I got to hit was his first one. That’s his go-to pitch. The last one, I put the barrel on it and luckily it went through.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly felt comfortable having the Blue Wahoos’ hottest hitter at the plate with the outcome of the game on the line. His 22-year-old third baseman Sunday tied Jackson General’s second baseman Kevin Medrano for the longest hitting streak in the Southern League this season with 16.
“The right guy was up at the right time,” Kelly said. “Watts has good stuff. He had four tough sliders. That last one was up and Senzel got it through that hole.”
The second walk-off this series, after Tyler Goeddel hit one Friday, and fifth this season tied the five-game series, 2-2, with the final game played at 6:35 p.m. Monday.
“This has been a fun series,” Senzel said. “That’s a good club on the other side and they will be ready to play every day and so will we.”
The ninth inning rally started with a sizzling ground ball single to right field by left fielder Josh VanMeter with one out. Hudson followed with a walk and then centerfielder Tyler Goeddel drilled the first pitch into center field to score VanMeter and tie the game, 3-3.
It was the fourth time since Tuesday that Goeddel, who is hitting .249, has come through with a clutch hit. He has two-game winners and two hits that have tied the game against the Chattanooga Lookouts and Mississippi.
Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan followed Goeddel with a walk to bring up Senzel. The second overall pick in the 2016 draft is hitting .383 (23-60) during his hitting streak with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs.
Mississippi loaded the bases in the seventh inning on Pensacola middle reliever Alex Powers, who threw a wild pitch with two outs that allowed center fielder Connor Lien to score and put the Braves on top, 3-2.
In the eighth inning, Hudson kept Mississippi off the bases when he fired to Blue Wahoos first baseman Gavin LaValley to pick off Braves left fielder Tyler Neslony at first after his base hit. Mississippi second baseman Travis Demeritte reached first on an error by Trahan, Pensacola’s shortstop, but was gunned down by Hudson. This year, Hudson has thrown out 16 of 39 runners, or 41 percent, trying to steal on him this season.
Another big hit in the game came when Pensacola right fielder Gabriel Guerrero hit a two-out, line drive double to the opposite field in right that drove in Trahan and third baseman Senzel to tie the game, 2-2, in the sixth inning. Guerrero hit 3-4 for his 27th multi-hit game and it is the sixth time this season that the 23-year-old Dominican has had three hits total. He leads the ballclub with a .272 batting average.
Kelly said that Mississippi was trying to keep Guerrero from getting a pitch to hit.
“I don’t think you can pitch around Guerrero,” Kelly said, chuckling. “That ball was a foot outside and he hit it to right field.”
Mississippi scored two runs in the fourth to go up, 2-0. Neslony doubled to the wall in right center to drive in third baseman Austin Riley. Demeritte hit a high fly ball to right field that allowed Braves first baseman Joey Meneses tag up from third and score.
In the third start for Rookie Davis in Pensacola, who started the season in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation, he pitched his most innings (five) and threw his most pitches (85).
Davis stood in the tunnel leading to the Blue Wahoos clubhouse after the game and gave all of his teammates a high-five. A Pensacola starter last season, he is 0-0 with a 4.61 ERA. Davis has pitched 13.2 innings total and allowed 12 hits, seven earned runs, walked six and struck out 11.
The 24-year-old retired 10 of the first 11 Mississippi batters he faced before running into trouble when he gave up two runs on four hits, including three in a row in the fourth inning. Davis, who has filled a void as one of Pensacola’s five starters, retired the side in the fifth inning.
“He’s getting better,” Kelly said. “It still comes down to fastball command. For him to be effective, he’s got to get the ball down.”
Pensacola evened its record at 12-12 in the second half. The South Division first half champions are 52-42 overall. Mississippi fell to 6-17 in the second half and 40-53 overall.
Driver Flips Over Nokomis Road Railroad Tracks
July 16, 2017
There was no driver with an overturned truck found on Nokomis Road Sunday morning.
The driver was apparently eastbound on Nokomis Road when they lost control approaching the railroad tracks near Highway 97. The vehicle left the roadway, overturned into a ditch, went airborne over the railroad tracks and flipped into a ditch before coming to rest in an upright condition.
The accident was reported about 5:30 a.m.; there was no word on the time of the crash.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance also responded to the scene.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Driver Arrested After Pedestrian Killed In Hit And Run Crash
July 16, 2017
A driver was arrested for a fatal hit and run pedestrian crash Saturday night on Highway 29 in Ensley.
The pedestrian was struck by a vehicle about 10:30 p.m. in the 5800 block of Pensacola Boulevard, near the Motel 6. The pedestrian, identified as 52-year old Tina Baker Cain of Linden, AL, walked into the path of a 1994 Chevrolet C1500 driven by 45-year old Charles Otto Bodie of Pensacola.
Cain was thrown about 100 feet from the collision and was pronounced deceased on the scene.
Bodie fled the scene, according to the FHP, with a witness following him to his address. Bodie was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death by the Florida Highway Patrol. His bond was set at $100,000.
File photo.
Century Council To Consider A Police ‘Excessive Force Policy’
July 16, 2017
Monday night, the Century Town Council will consider an “excessive force policy” that protects individuals that take part in non-violent civil rights demonstrations.
It’s policy under a 1974 federal law that was amended in 1990 that is required of entities receiving federal housing funds. It requires the adoption of a policy of enforcing state and local laws against physically barring entrance to or exit from a facility or location that is the subject on a nonviolent civil rights demonstration.
The Town’s policy, adopted under the federal standards, will “prohibit the use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies within its jurisdiction against any individuals engaged in nonviolent civil rights demonstrations, to enforce…laws against physically barring entrance to exit from a facility or location which is the subject of such nonviolent civil rights demonstration,” according to a resolution to be considered by the council.
Also Monday night, the council will ensure that there is no conflict of interest such as family relationship between council members and persons to be considered for emergency housing funds, and hear an update on the establishment of a CRA — community redevelopment area — in the town.
The Century Town Council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in council chambers at the Century Town Hall. The meeting is open to the public.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Charged With Death Of Man Pushed Out Of Business
July 16, 2017
An Escambia County man has been arrested in connection with death of man last December outside a Pensacola bar.
Donny Ray Dearmon, 38, was charged with negligent manslaughter.
Pensacola Police Department Detectives Chris Grantham and Marcus Savage determined Dearmon caused the death of Lester MacDonald, 52, of the 1200 block of Scenic Highway, Pensacola, after he pushed him out the door of a local business late last year, and MacDonald’s head hit the pavement.
The incident occurred just after midnight December 4 at Sir Richards Bar, 2719 E. Cervantes Street, after the two men exchanged words inside the business.
MacDonald died later that day at his residence.
Dearmon remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $250,000.