Driver Uninjured In Highway 97 Crash
October 9, 2016
A driver avoided injury late Saturday morning when he crashed his recently purchased car on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
The driver lost control of his Chevrolet Camaro on Highway 97 at Howell Road. The vehicle came to rest against several trees on Howell Road. The driver refused medical treatment. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Atmore Ambulance and the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Sheriff’s Office Seeks Robbery Suspect
October 9, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a Saturday robbery suspect. The man, see here in a surveillance photo, robbed the Advance America Check Cashing store in the 400 block of Navy Boulevard, the ECSO said. Anyone knowing his whereabouts should call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Gonzalez UMC Holds Annual Fall Festival (With Photo Gallery)
October 9, 2016
Gonzalez United Methodist Church held their 8th Annual Fall Festival on Saturday.
The family-friendly event featured an indoor arts and crafts show, a variety of free outdoor activities for kids, a hayride and live music.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
UWF Argos Win At Mississippi College
October 9, 2016
Led by another strong offensive performance and a stingy first-half defense, the University of West Florida improved to 4-2 on the season after a 42-28 victory over Mississippi College on Saturday.
The receiving trio of Antoine Griffin, Ishmel Morrow and Caleb Robinson helped quarterback Kaleb Nobles go 22-for-32 passing with 282 yards and four touchdowns. Griffin, Morrow and Robinson each posted at least 60 yards receiving, with Griffin leading the way with eight receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Trent Archie led the way with seven solo tackles and his team-leading third interception of the season. UWF limited MC to 186 yards of offense in the first half, and posted five tackles for a loss and two sacks in the contest.
UWF (4-2, 2-1 GSC) made the most of its first drive, as Nobles connected with Griffin with a 52-yard strike to jump out to a 7-0 lead after a four-play, 54-second opening drive.
Mississippi College (2-4, 0-4 GSC) appeared to have something working on the next drive, but an ill-advised throw from Sharone Wright was picked off by Archie and returned 52 yards to the MC 22-yard line.
West Florida would make the most of the turnover, needing six plays to eventually post its second Nobles-to-Griffin connection to put UWF up 14-0 just over halfway through the first quarter.
As the first quarter was winding down, Chris Manning was able to intercept a Nobles pass and return it 27 yards for the Choctaws’ first touchdown of the contest.
The second quarter followed a similar script for UWF, as a 35-yard pass interference penalty gave the Argos prime field position at the opponent’s 21 yard-line. Nobles would connect with Morrow on back-to-back plays, including a drive-capping 15-yard touchdown to put UWF up 20-7.
Before the end of the half, Andrew Bogaenko split the uprights on a 32-yard attempt to send the teams into the locker room with a 23-7 Argonaut lead.
Bogaenko converted on another field goal shortly into the third quarter, and after MC responded with a touchdown to make the score 26-14, Marcus Clayton returned it 73 yards to give the Argos prime field position at the 11-yard line.
With that field position, UWF used a two-play, 36-second yard drive that was finished with Anas Hasic’s GSC-leading seventh receiving touchdown of the year. Nobles recorded his fourth scoring pass of the game with the nine-yard strike to Hasic.
With the score at 36-21, Grey Jackson led an eight-play, 83-yard drive using that took off 4:51 on the clock. Jackson, who posted a 23-yard run and a 31-yard pass to Caleb Robinson during the drive, pushed the score to 42-21 after he scampered for his first rushing touchdown of the year on a 13-yard run to the end zone.
Mississippi College would take it to the end zone with just under two minutes remaining, but the 14-point advantage proved to be too much after Clayton recovered a Choctaw on-side kick at the UWF 49-yard line.
West Florida scored in all six of its red zone attempts, which totaled 32 points for the Argonauts. UWF went 11-for-14 in third down attempts, while holding MC to an 8-for-13 success rate.
Clayton was a dynamic presence on special teams, totaling 143 yards on four kick returns. West Florida held Mississippi College to less than half that average, as the Choctaws only accumulated 15 yards per kick return.
UWF’s 499 yards of total offense is just a single yard shy of the team’s season best. UWF utilized 170 yards on the ground, led by Jemari Ford who rushed for 70 yards on 18 attempts. Jackson had six rushing attempts, including his touchdown, and garnered 41 yards for a 6.8 yards per carry average.
West Florida returns to the state of Mississippi next weekend, looking for its third consecutive GSC win when it faces Delta State (3-3, 2-2). The Argos and Statesmen are set to kick off at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 in Cleveland, Miss.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘This Is Football’ — Tate’s Markus Baxley Scores Touchdown Of A Lifetime
October 8, 2016
Friday night was an emotional dream come true for Tate High School senior Markus Baxley, his football brothers and the entire Aggie Nation.
Markus has cerebral palsy and has spent his high school career as an honorary member of the Aggies team. He’s never scored a touchdown, made a tackle or even played a single down. But he embodies that Aggie spirit, and has always provided the support his team needs. Now his team has stepped up to make his dream of playing a reality.
Friday night, he was out of his wheelchair leading his team onto the field as he’s done before. But it was a night like never before at Pete Gindl Stadium. Markus played a special pre-game down, running with help from his team for a 10-yard touchdown. That sent his Aggie teammates rushing onto the field to celebrate the play, which will earn Markus his letter in football. (Video below.)
Click here for a photo gallery.
Not bad for a young man that doctors said would never walk and never talk.
“It was awesome,” Markus said after the play that left thousands with tears in their eyes.
Before the Aggies took the field, and before his big play, Markus fired up his teammates in his usual fashion.
“This ain’t about me,” he said in a pre-game huddle. “It’s a family effort. I’ve known you for God knows how long. Y’all don’t stop until those quarters are done. After the quarters are done, then we can celebrate…This ain’t no pretty girl pageant…This is football. Go out there and show them boys we have more heart than they do.”
Click here for a photo gallery.
For a game summary, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Matthew: Florida Begins Hurricane Recovery Process
October 8, 2016
Hurricane Matthew killed at least four residents and left some 1.2 million homes and businesses without power, as the storm began moving away from the state’s northeastern coast on Friday evening.
In a visit to the Volusia County emergency operations center, Gov. Rick Scott said he was still worried about the impact of flooding and storm surges in the Jacksonville area from the Category 2 storm, whose center was some 40 east of Jacksonville Beach early Friday evening.
“We are very concerned about storm surge,” Scott said, adding that he has been in constant contact with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry about the situation. He said the state would try to use pumps to relieve the threat once the high winds subside in the Duval County area.
Volusia emergency officials reported the death of a woman killed by a falling tree during the hurricane. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office reported the death of a woman who was killed when a tree crushed a camper trailer. St. Lucie County officials reported two hurricane-related deaths, when emergency crews were unable to reach a 58-year-old woman and a man in his 80s, both of whom died from medical complications.
As of early Friday evening, about 1.2 million Florida homes and businesses were without electric power, according to data compiled by the governor’s office. More than one in 10 Florida electric customers were unable to turn on their lights, run their air-conditioners or keep food refrigerated as a result of the hurricane.
There was a 92 percent outage in Volusia County, where 258,000 customers were without power.
There were 196,000 customers without power, representing a 47 percent outage, in Duval County, according to the Jacksonville Electric Authority.
Another 197,000 homes and businesses in Brevard County were without power, representing a 64 percent outage.
Flagler County reported a countywide outage, impacting about 57,000 customers.
Other counties with major outages as of Friday evening included Indian River (51 percent), St. Johns (72 percent), Putnam (62 percent), Nassau (38 percent), Seminole (33 percent) and St. Lucie (33 percent).
Florida Power & Light had the most customers without power at 681,000, with municipal utilities reporting 273,000 outages and Duke Energy having 164,000.
But there were also signs of Florida returning to normality after an extensive coastal brush with a storm that approached the state as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds.
Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, which shut down, were scheduled to reopen for normal operation hours on Saturday.
The Orlando International Airport, which handles some 900 flights a day and had been closed since Thursday evening, was also scheduled to reopen Saturday morning.
Scott, who toured hurricane damage in Brevard County on Friday afternoon, said state and local officials were working to restore coastal communities that had been hardest hit by the storm, including having the Florida Department of Transportation inspect bridges to ensure their safety.
“As the storm passes north, we’re getting DOT to focus on the bridge assessments so people can get back to their communities,” Scott said.
But Scott also said the state still had more than 180 emergency shelters open on Friday, with 23,800 people staying there.
As part of the state’s response to the storm, Scott earlier Friday said he will continue to push for food, water, tarps, generators, water pumps, search and rescue teams, hazmat assessment teams, cots, blankets, food distribution vehicles and helicopters from the federal government.
“For our local communities that need more resources, we will continue to make more requests as needed,” Scott said at the state Emergency Operations Center.
A day earlier, President Barack Obama signed an order to coordinate supplies and equipment for Florida in advance of Hurricane Matthew.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Obama promised “strong cooperation” between federal, state and local governments.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday afternoon that 10 urban search and rescue task force teams have been sent to Florida and Georgia. The federal agency also reported that more than 476,000 liters of water, 536,000 meals, 25,000 blankets and 20,000 cots were ready to be deployed.
As part of the post-storm recovery, no issues were found from an inspection of the 143-mile-long Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday.
However, with the water level up to 15.9 feet, more detailed inspections were underway.
“Our initial reports indicate the dike has weathered the storm well,” said Col. Jason Kirk, Jacksonville district commander, in a release. “However, we want to conduct more thorough inspections to identify any issues as early as possible.”
Meanwhile, “as much water as practical” is again being released from the lake towards the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, a process that drew concerns last summer over toxic discharges.
Water managers had estimated that the storm could push the lake up to 16.5 feet, which would be the highest in a decade.
“We anticipate inflows to the lake will increase as a result of Hurricane Matthew,” said Kirk. “Therefore, we must maximize outflows in order to slow the rise in the lake and be as prepared as possible for additional hurricane season uncertainty.”
Scott said Thursday that concerns have been expressed about the state of the dike, particularly as forecast tracks show Matthew could swing back to South Florida next week as a depression or tropical storm.
“It’s too early to say whether that occurs with this event, but it is something we will continue to monitor,” said Corps spokesman John Campbell.
by The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott tours storm damage in Brevard County on Friday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Multiple Injuries In East Kingsfield Road Crash
October 8, 2016
A two vehicle crash Friday night near Tate High School injured multiple people.
The accident happened about 10:25 p.m. at the intersection of East Kingsfield Road and Pompano Street, just west of Highway 29. Preliminary reports indicated that three people were injured including a two-week old, three-year old and an adult. A total of six people were reported to be in the two vehicles.
At least one person was temporarily trapped in their vehicle following the crash, forcing firefighters to remove a vehicle door.
Further details, including the conditions of those injured, have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Ensley and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office were also dispatched to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Matthew: Gulf Power Crews Deploy To Help Restore Power
October 8, 2016
As residents in the state of Florida and along the Eastern Seaboard are feeling the effects of Hurricane Matthew, a life-threatening Category 3 storm, Gulf Power crews are deploying to help restore power to the storm-affected areas. Much of east Florida is already under a hurricane watch or warning as residents brace for the biggest storm to hit Florida in 10 years.
A 76-person storm team will depart Saturday morning to Georgia to aid crews in storm restoration after a state of emergency has been declared in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. A team is also available to travel to affected areas in Florida if needed.
In Florida, mandatory evacuations have been ordered along the coast with Governor Rick Scott urging residents to prepare for the deadly storm. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.
“Matthew has already proven itself to be a powerful and deadly storm,” said Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. “It’s going to be a monumental effort restoring power to customers affected, but once it’s safe, our crews will be ready to help our sister company Georgia Power and other Florida utilities get the power back on.”
This is the second time in less than six weeks that Gulf Power crews have been deployed to help in storm restoration. Over the Labor Day weekend, crews were dispatched to Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida following the destruction left behind by Hurricane Hermine. Crews worked day and night alongside Tallahassee and other assisting crews to help restore power to more than 100,000 residents.
“Our crews are well trained and prepared to restore power quickly and safely, whether here at home or for our neighbors,” added DelaHaya. “Our crews have traveled more than 30 times since 2008 assisting power restoration efforts across the country after storms such as Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and after the devastating tornadoes that hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 2011.”
With crews deployed and the potential for widespread outages across Florida and the Southeast, the Line Worker Expo scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 8 has been postponed.
“Our line worker crews are first responders and their focus right now will be power restoration for our neighbors in need,” said DelaHaya.
Tate Pounds Pace
October 8, 2016
The Tate Aggies beat the Pace Patriots riday night, 55-34.
On the first play of the game, senior running back Corey Moorer was in on a 65-yard touchdown run for a quick 7-0 Aggie lead.
On the next possession for Tate, quarterback Jack Henry found Corey Young for a 35-yard touchdown, 14-0 Aggies with 9:36 in the first. And Henry put the Aggies up 21-0 on a 21-yard quarterback keeper. The Patriots were on the board in first as the Aggies answered with another touchdown from Henry to end the first quarter 24-6. By the half, Tate was up 31-6.
The Tate Aggies (6-1, 1-0) will host the Escambia Gators (3-5, 2-0) next Friday night at Pete Gindl Stadium.
For a story, photos and video from Markus Baxley’s big touchdown, click here.
A photo gallery from Friday night’s game will be posted by Monday.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Matthew: EREC Sends Line Crews To Restore Power After Hurricane
October 8, 2016
Escambia River Electric Cooperative is sending equipment and manpower to assist with power restoration following Hurricane Matthew.
EREC has sent line crews to Clay Electric Cooperative in Keystone Heights, FL. Clay Electric is one of the cooperatives in Hurricane Matthew’s path. EREC linemen will work together with other crews from various parts of the southeast to make repairs to damage incurred at Clay Electric by this dangerous storm.
Pictured top: EREC line crew heads to Clay Electric to assist with Hurricane Matthew power restoration. Pictured (back, L-R) David Deese, Brandon Smith, Kent Calloway and Gary McCaskill; (kneeling) Jeremiah Daugett, Jonathan Tutt and Tony Moody. Pictured below: EREC crews roll out of the company’s headquarters in Jay to assist with power restoration in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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