McGahan Signs Cross Country Scholarship With Southeastern University
April 11, 2016
Northview High School senior Moriah McGahan has signed a cross country scholarship with Southeastern University in Lakeland. She is the daughter of Greg and Candy McGahan of Molino. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
April 11, 2016
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- I-10/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements- The right lane of I-10 eastbound near U.S. 29 (Exits 10A and 10B) will be closed Tuesday, April 12 through Thursday, April 14 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews perform widening work.
- S.R. 10 (Nine Mile Road)- Intermittent westbound lane restrictions west of I-10 near Heritage Oaks Drive 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday, April 13 and Thursday, April 14 as crews perform construction activities.
- U.S. 29, Escambia County – Intermittent and alternating lane closures within the town of Century and from Champion Drive north continue.
- Interstate 10 (I-10) Widening- Intermittent and alternating lane closures, between S.R. 291 (Davis Highway/Exit 13) and U.S. 90 (Scenic Highway/Exit 17), from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the week of Monday, April 11 as crews perform construction activities.
- U.S. 98 (Garden Street) – Eastbound outside lane closed at Spring Street from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, April 11 and Tuesday, April 12 as crews perform underground utility work.
- U.S. 98 (Garden Street) – Westbound outside lane closed between 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday, April 13 and Thursday, April 14 as crews perform underground utility work.
- U.S. 98 (Garden Street) – Westbound inside lane closed between Tarragona and Palafox Streets from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, April 14 and Monday, April 18 as crews perform underground utility work.
- State Road (S.R) 196 (Bayfront Parkway)- Temporary road closure between Tarragona Street and 14th Avenue from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, April 9 for the Navy Federal 5K Run/Walk. Traffic will utilize signed detour.
Santa Rosa County:
- I-10 Widening- Alternating lane closures on I-10, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, April 10 through Thursday, April 14 as crews place barrier wall. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange during this time as crews perform bridge work.
Pictured top: Lane closure just south of Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Clinch Five Game Series Over Braves
April 11, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly likes his talented young starters but one of his hurlers that stood out to him before the season started was 21-year-old Jackson Stephens.
Stephens put himself on the radar of Blue Wahoos fans by striking out a career high nine batters Sunday to lead Pensacola to a 4-2 victory at Trustmark Park in Pearl, MS. The right hander’s first victory in his Double-A debut helped the Wahoos to a 3-1 lead to clinch its season-opening five-game series with the Braves that ends Monday.
Stephens, who’s from Oxford, Ala., and has fished Pensacola’s waterways in the past, tied his career high in strikeouts in the fourth inning with eight when he whiffed Mississippi left fielder Dustin Peterson to start the inning. He then set a new career high at nine when he struck out Braves center fielder Sean Godfrey three batters later.
Stephens struck out the side in order in the second inning and then recorded three more strikeouts in the third inning. He left the game in the 5th inning having allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks.
In a shaky first inning in which the first two batters singled off him, Stephens benefited from Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson, who threw out both runners trying to steal second base. Hudson entered the season as the Cincinnati Reds best defensive catcher by Baseball America.
Blue Wahoos third baseman Eric Jagielo, who hit Pensacola’s first home run of the season Sunday, gave Pensacola a 4-2 cushion in the ninth inning when his sacrifice fly scored Beau Amaral from third. Amaral started the inning with a double.
Pensacola went ahead, 3-2, in the sixth inning when pinch hitter Brandon Dixon drove in right fielder Sebastian Elizade, who was hit by a pitch, on a deep fly ball to center field.
The Blue Wahoos scored first when third baseman Eric Jagielo smacked a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to put Pensacola up 2-0. Jagielo’s homer to center knocked in shortstop Zach Vincej, who had singled to shortstop and advanced to second on a throwing error by Ozzie Albies.
The Braves evened up the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the fourth inning when catcher Willians Astudillo doubled to center with two outs to drive in first baseman Jacob Shrader and third baseman Carlos Franco. Schrader was hit by a pitch and Franco walked.
The Blue Wahoos bats have come alive in the series, with 11 hits on Saturday and nine on Sunday. Leading Pensacola at the plate Sunday were Jagielo who was 2-4 with three RBIs, second baseman Tony Renda who went 3-4 and Amaral who was 2-5 with a double and scored a run.
The Pensacola bullpen also performed well against the Braves. El’Hajj Muhammad threw two hitless innings and struck out two in relief of Stephens. Meanwhile, Blue Wahoos reliever Carlos Gonzalez allowed one hit in two innings of work and set the Braves down 1-2-3 on strikeouts in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Electric Coops Celebrate National Lineman Appreciation Day
April 11, 2016
Monday, Escambia River Electric Cooperative honored the hard working line crews who often work in challenging conditions to keep the power on. America’s electric cooperatives have designated the second Monday of April as National Lineman Appreciation Day.
“Today, we honor our linemen for their hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Our guys are often called in to work power outages and they have to miss their son’s ballgame, their daughter’s piano recital or a get together with friends,” said Clay Campbell, general manager/CEO. “But they do it and they don’t complain. Because it’s who they are, it’s what they do. And for that we thank them.”
Line crews are “the first responders of the electric cooperative family, getting power back on and making things safe for all after storms and accidents”, according to a resolution adopted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
One Airlifted After Wreck At Foot Of Escambia River Bridge
April 10, 2016
One person was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital following a wreck at the foot of the Escambia River Bridge in Century Saturday night.
A man in his 50’s lost control of his pickup truck and rotated several times on East Highway 4, striking a guardrail. The man was found on the ground next to the truck, but it was not immediately clear if he was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported by ambulance to the nearby EMS Post in Century and then airlifted by Lifeguard helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
It appeared the the crash may have been related to a medical condition.
Traffic on the Escambia County side of the bridge was reduced to one lane for well over an hour following the 8:25 p.m. accident.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Residents Report Series Of ‘Explosions’
April 10, 2016
Multiple residents across a portion of the North Escambia area reported hearing and feeling multiple strong “explosions” Saturday night.
The explosions or booms were felt or heard between about 8:30 and 10:40 p.m., with most reporting the largest event at 10:40 p.m. NorthEscambia received the most reports from the Byrneville area, with additional reports from Century (particularly the south side of town and around the prison), the Christian Home community, Gandyville and Bratt. In addition to residents, reports were also received from members of Escambia Fire Rescue.
Residents reported their homes and the ground shaking or rattling, items on walls being moved and even vehicle alarms being activated.
Seismic data did not indicate any earthquake activity in the area.
No explanation for the reports was found Saturday night.
Pictured: Most of the reported “explosion” sounds Saturday night were centered in the area of Byrneville Elementary School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Support The Miracle League
April 10, 2016
The Tate High School Lady Aggies showed their love and support Saturday morning as they served as “buddies” for the players at the Miracle League of Pensacola. The Miracle League is for disabled and special needs persons of all ages. Some of the players are in wheelchairs and walkers. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com., click to enlarge.
Escambia Fire Rescue Offers Free Smoke Detectors
April 10, 2016
Free smoke alarms are available from Escambia Fire Rescue.
Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. According to the National Fire Protection Association, a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. The Escambia County Commission has purchased 800 smoke alarms since January in hopes of helping communities reach the goal of every home in the county having a working smoke alarm.
For information about obtaining a home smoke alarm, call (850) 595-HERO (4376).
No Injuries In Highway 29 Wreck Near Tate School Road
April 10, 2016
There were no injuries in this single vehicle accident Saturday morning on Highway 29 between Tate School Road and Kingfiled Road. The Florida Highway Patrol has not released details on the crash, NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge
Wahoos Pull Out 5-4 Win in 13 Innings
April 10, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos came from two runs down to overcome the Mississippi Braves, 5-4, Saturday in 13 innings at Trustmark Park in Pearl, MS.
Minor league veteran Ray Chang scored the winning run for Pensacola in the top of the 13th inning, showing rare speed for a 32-year-old as he scored from second base. Chang led off the inning with a line-drive single to centerfield and scored when Pin-Chieh Chen smacked a ball to left field that was mishandled by Mississippi’s Dustin Peterson.
The Blue Wahoos now lead the five-game series, 2-1.
It looked as if Pensacola would win the game in the 12th inning when Tony Renda, Baseball America’s No. 12 prospect in the Washington Nationals’ chain last season, lined a two-out double into right field. He drove in both centerfielder Beau Amaral and shortstop Zach Vincej to give Pensacola a 4-2 lead over the Braves.
But Mississippi came right back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the 12th off of Pensacola reliever Kyle McMyne. Braves center fielder Matt Lipka scored when Renda committed an error on first baseman Levi Hyam’s grounder to second.
Mississippi’s third baseman Emerson Landoni then singled to left field to score Peterson to tie the game again, 4-4.
But with the bases loaded and one out, Blue Wahoos reliever Kyle McMyne got a strike out and ground out to work out of the 12th inning. Mississippi stranded 31 runners on base during the Southern League game.
McMyne ended up getting the win, his first of the season, and Alejandro Chacin was credited with his first save for the Blue Wahoos.
The Blue Wahoos had tied the score, 2-2, in the sixth inning to send the game into extra innings. First baseman Ray Chang smashed a grounder up the middle to center field that scored second baseman Tony Renda, who hit a ground-rule double to left center.
Mississippi got on the scoreboard first in the first inning when right fielder Jody Lara hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored shortstop Ozzie Albies from third base.
The Braves upped its lead, 2-0, in the third inning when Lipka doubled to center field and then scored on Hyams’ groundball to shortstop.
But the Blue Wahoos fought back to score a run and cut Mississippi’s lead to, 2-1, in the fifth inning when center fielder Beau Amaral singled sharply to right field to score Pin-Chieh Chen, who walked, from second base.
Sal Romano, the Cincinnati Reds No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America, pitched 5.1 inning and allowed two runs on nine hits and two walks. He struck out three batters.
Meanwhile, Mississippi starter Sean Newcomb gave up one run in five innings on four hits and two walks, and he struck out five.