Late On The Rent: Escambia County To Dispose Of RV Left Behind At Lake Stone
October 21, 2024
Escambia County will dispose of a dilapidated recreational that was abandoned at Lake Stone near Century after the owner did not pay rent.
Back in September, Escambia County Parks and Recreation asked Code Enforcement to assist with the removal of an abandoned camper that had been stored at the Lake Stone Campground since August 2024. Officials said the owner of the camper was two months behind on rent, and the owner, as identified by the vehicle registration, was mailed two notices.
Last week, the Escambia County Commission voted to remove and dispose of the RV. Staff noted that the rental agreement for the Lake Stone Campground states that any abandoned camper will be removed after 31 days.
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Photo Gallery: A Night Of Creepy Crawlies At Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
October 21, 2024
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center held its annual “A Night of Creepy Crawlies” Friday night from 5:30 until 8:00. Located at 1300 Tobias Road in Cantonment, Florida,
The family-friendly event at the offered visitors a chance to explore the world of insects and reptiles up close.
Attendees could meet creepy crawlers with the Sunset Wildlife Connection, observe birds of prey with the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, and get hands-on with the center’s resident reptiles. The event also featured educational opportunities, such as examining microscopic critters and discovering aquatic creatures in the “Beach House.”
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center is an Escambia County Public Schools facility on Tobias Road in Cantonment
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Community Donations Fund Lipscomb Elementary Book Vending Machine
October 21, 2024
Lipscomb Elementary School has a new book vending machine thanks to community contributions.
Designed to foster a love for reading in the school, contributions funded the purchase of the machine and stocking it with books.
“This will encourage younger kids to read because it is rewarding good behavior with the tokens,” one student told the contributors. “They will read more.”
Lipscomb said the project was funded by the Lipscomb PTA, Escambia County Commissioners, Steven Barry, and Ascend Cares.
A lucky student from Mrs. Whitfield’s class was randomly chosen to be the first student to get a book from the new vending machine.
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Here Are This Week’s Road Construction Delay Spots
October 21, 2024
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:
- State Road (S.R.) 296 (Michigan Avenue) Construction from Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) to North Palafox Street (U.S. 29) – The week of Sunday, Oct. 20, drivers may encounter outside lane closures on Michigan Avenue, from Mobile Highway to North Palafox Street, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., while crews perform concrete work.
- Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) Resurfacing from Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90A) to west of Pine Forest Road (S.R. 297) – Drivers will encounter a 24-hour single-lane eastbound closure on Mobile Highway near the intersection of 8 Mile Creek Road, the week of Monday, Oct. 21, for utility work and guardrail installation. During the closure, traffic will be reduced to one lane with traffic flaggers directing drivers through the work zone.
- U.S. 98 (Gregory Street) Resurfacing from North Palafox Street to east of 14th Avenue – Drivers may encounter U.S. 98 (Gregory Street) westbound outside lane closures, from North Tarragona Street to North Palafox Street, Monday, Oct. 21 through Thursday, Oct. 24, between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., while crews perform concrete work.
- North Palafox Street (U.S. 29) Resurfacing from Cervantes Street to Brent Lane (S.R. 296) – The week of Sunday, Oct. 20, drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on North Palafox Street, between Cervantes Street and Brent Lane, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for milling and paving operations
- Interstate Circle Bridge Over Eight Mile Creek Construction – Interstate Circle is closed at the Eight Mile Creek Bridge through mid-2025 while crews replace the bridge. Signage is in place to detour drivers around the work zone using Pine Forest Road, Longleaf Drive and Wymart Road.
- Interstate 10 (I-10) at U.S. 29 Interchange (Exit 10) Construction – Drivers will encounter the following construction-related traffic disruptions the week of Sunday, Oct. 20:
- I-10, between U.S. 29 and I-110, is reduced to two travel lanes in each direction.
- Sunday, Oct. 20 through Thursday, Oct. 24, drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on I-10 near U.S. 29 between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- North Palafox Street, near Hope Drive, will be reduced to one lane beginning Monday, Oct. 21 at 8 a.m. and lasting until approximately 5 p.m., as crews perform a watermain crossing. Flaggers will be on site to direct drivers safely through the work zone.
- The U.S. 29 northbound ramp to I-10 eastbound is closed. U.S. 29 northbound drivers are being detoured to make a U-turn at Broad Street onto U.S. 29 southbound to access I-10 eastbound.
- A new, temporary on-ramp for U.S. 29 southbound drivers accessing I-10 eastbound is now open. Detouring traffic to the temporary ramp will allow crews to continue work to reconstruct the I-10/U.S. 29 interchange.
- U.S. 29 (North Century Boulevard) Resurfacing between Henry Street and Cottage Street in Century – Drivers will encounter a lane shift to the southbound travel lanes, between Rudolph Street and Green Street. One travel lane in each direction remains open as crews reconstruct the adjacent northbound lanes. The traffic shift is expected to remain in place through late 2024. The speed limit is reduced to 25 mph, and signs are in place to safely direct drivers through the work zone.
Santa Rosa County:
- U.S. 90 Resurfacing from west of Avalon Boulevard to east of Stewart Street – Drivers may encounter intermittent U.S. 90 lane closures, between Avalon Boulevard and Stewart Street, Sunday, Oct. 20 through Thursday, Oct. 24, from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., for milling and paving operations.
- U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Motorists will encounter the following traffic impacts:
- Median and turn-lane closures from Bayshore Road to Tiger Lake Drive.
- Intermittent lane closures and additional median closures between Bayshore Road and Tiger Lake Drive Sunday, Oct. 20, through Friday, Oct. 25, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for stormwater drainage improvements and paving operations.
- S.R. 87 Routine Bridge Inspection over Yellow River – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures south of I-10 Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for routine bridge inspection.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
AAA: FLorida Gas Supplies And Prices Stabilize
October 21, 2024
Florida gasoline supplies have stabilized and pump prices are holding steady. The state average price on Sunday was $3.09 per gallon. That’s one cent less than a week ago, 5 cents less than last month, and 16 cents less than this time last year, according to AAA.
“Conditions are much improved compared to this time last week, when retailers struggled to keep their gas pumps stocked, due to the spike in demand from Hurricane Milton,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Just one week later, gasoline supplies are much more stable around the state and Floridians do not have to look far to find fuel.”
The average in Escambia County was $2.88 per gallon. In North Escambia, a low of $2.71 was available Sunday at a station on Highway 29 in Cantonment, while Pensacola prices were as low as $2.67 at several stations.
Crude oil and gasoline futures prices dropped late last week. The U.S. price for a barrel of crude was $69.22 on Friday – down more than $6 (8%) from the week before, and the lowest daily settlement since late September. This should help keep a ceiling on prices at the pump in the near future.
Visit GasPrices.AAA.com to view state and local average gas prices
Huntsville Havoc Spoil Ice Flyers Season Opener
October 21, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers Correspondent
The Ice Flyers knew their season-opener Saturday night would provide a gauge, facing a veteran team that reached the league’s championship series a year ago.
The results were mixed.
Amid the positive elements with a group of rookie players, the Ice Flyers couldn’t answer the Huntsville Havoc’s second period lead and wound up in a 4-1 loss, before a crowd of 6,032 for the season debut at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The crowd and the energy were among the best for an opening night in franchise history. Included in the crowd was former Ice Flyers great Adam Pawlick, one of the franchise greatest players, who began a new element with a drum beat before the game.
“It was a great showing from our fan base again,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “What an environment for our guys to see. We obviously know the elephant in the room… we have a lot of new players this year and I think that was a great example of what this town is and how exciting it is to be an Ice Flyer and play here.
“I thought everything was great on that side of things. I loved our first period. I thought with only having a couple days with practice for a lot of these guys, I thought we came together pretty quickly.
“What I didn’t like, we had two wide open, back-door goals in the first period that should have been goals. A two on one in the second period and we don’t get a shot off. We started trying to get too cute with the puck and we talked about this last year. We are not going to put up with that this year. We have to be a team that constantly shoots and gets to the net.”
The game’s defining moment occurred seconds after the Ice Flyers had killed off a penalty. As Troy Button exited the penalty box, the Havoc’s Jack Jaunich skated into the Ice Flyers zone and got a wrist shot through traffic above the faceoff circles that found the net.
That goal with 15:05 left, “I think someone must have skated in front of (Ice Flyers goaltender Kevin Resop) and that definitely let the air out of the sails a little bit.”
With four minutes remaining, his team trailing 3-1, Graham pulled Resop for an extra attacker. The Ice Flyers got some chances, but eventually the Havoc got a goal on an empty net with 1:12 remaining.
The Ice Flyers will have this week to practice and refocus for back-to-back games next week at Huntsville, then back home against Birmingham. The Havoc beat Birmingham in overtime 5-4 on Friday night.
Graham said he was encouraged by most of what he saw Saturday and will continue to get some things worked on during this week of practice.
Here’s a few elements about the game.
FIRST PERIOD
The game’s first two goals occurred just 21 seconds apart. The Havoc scored first when Jaunich gathered a rebound in front of the net, moved right and flicked the puck over a sprawling Resop with 13:35 left.
Soon after the ensuing faceoff, Tyler Adams scored his first pro goal on a rebound to tie the game.
And then, the fans were energized by a terrific fight between the Ice Flyers’ newcomer Kolby Johnson and Huntsville’s Dominick Procopio. Both landed haymakers, but Johnson landed more and eventually knocked Procopio to the ice with a punch and then got the crowd going even louder.
With 6:14 left, Ice Flyers newcomer Natan Vertes wristed a shot that seemed a sure goal, until Havoc goaltender Brian Wilson made the save of the game with his glove to thwart Vertes. Another newcomer Greg Smith also was turned away by Wilson on a point blank shot with 2:22 left.
Wilson finished the game with 32 saves.
SECOND PERIOD
Huntsville scored the only goal of the period on a rebound shot by Doug Elgstam with 8:13 remaining. The two-on-one opportunity the Ice Flyers had that Graham reference happened less than a minute later, but ended without a shot.
The period had only one penalty.
THIRD PERIOD
The Ice Flyers Cameron Cook nearly scored a shorthanded goal when he got a breakaway less than three minutes into the period. But again, Wilson turned away his backhand shot and Huntsville then responded with its third goal
GAME NOTABLES
The Ice Flyers honored their former service dog-in-training, Ranger, who is now the best pup friend of a young special needs boy. He was there with his parents and Ranger, part of the partnership the Ice Flyers have with Canine Companions.
Adam Pawlick led the Ice Flyers to two SPHL championship and was the league’s top scorer during 10 years ago during that season. He returned to begin a new tradition the Ice Flyers have started with a drum beat to begin the game.
NEXT PUCK DROP
- WHO: Ice Flyers at Huntsville Havoc
- WHEN: Friday (Oct 25), 7 p.m.
- WHERE: Propst Arena, Huntsville, Ala.
Triumph Oil Spill Grant To Re-Establish Automotive Services Academy At Tate High School
October 20, 2024
An Automotive Service Academy will be created at Tate High School, thanks to a Triumph Gulf Coast grant.
The Triumph Board voted to approve a grant of up to $617,227 to Escambia County Public Schools to re-establish the Automotive Service Academy at Tate High School.
Triumph funds will be used to renovate and equip the former Auto Body building with modern equipment and hands-on labs for the Automotive Service Academy.
“This Triumph grant provides our students with opportunities to grow in the classroom with hands-one opportunities and allows us to expand the programs we can offer our students here on campus,” Tate Principal Laura Touchstone said. “It gives us the opportunity to give back to the community. Obviously, there is a need in the community for automotive, and by us having that academy, we are preparing our students for the workforce.”
Students will troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair vehicles, as well as provide routine maintenance on a variety of modern automobiles. This project will have a classroom academic component, but the primary learning environment will be the academy’s automotive service shop and will guarantee completion of 225 Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certificates by the end of the 2029-2030 academic year.
Triumph Gulf Coast is a nonprofit corporation organized to oversee the expenditure of 75 percent of all funds recovered by the Florida attorney general for economic damages to the state that resulted from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
NorthEscambia.com graphic.
ReImagine Cantonment Blesses Hundreds With Food, Clothing And Hope
October 20, 2024
The hearts and lives of hundreds of area residents in need were touched during the ReImagine Cantonment outreach Saturday at the Florida Children’s Home on Chemstrand Road.
The faith-based event included a 20,000 pound food giveaway, lunch, fishing lessons with free fishing rods, free tablets, baby diapers, HIV testing, clothing, free haircuts, free laundry detergent, free pillows and more. Absolutely everything was free. There were also free children’s activities, including train rides, inflatables, face painting, games, popcorn, and a coloring contest with three participants winning a new bicycle.
ReImagine Cantonment is a project of Doers of the Word Ministry and is sponsored by numerous churches and other organizations, including NorthEscambia.com. Previously, it was held at Carver Park in Cantonment.
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Firefighters Battle McDavid Wildfire; Forest Service Discourages Outdoor Burning
October 20, 2024
The Florida Forest Service (FFS) and Escambia County Fire Rescue battled an equipment blaze and resulting wildfire near McDavid Saturday afternoon.
The fire was in a wooded area about 4 p.m. near Cotton Creek off the 1500 block of North Pine Barren Road, about a mile south of Highway 164.
A Forest Service helicopter that just happened to be flying across the area spotting the fire, which involved equipment known as a feller buncher along with about three acres, Florida Forest Service Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Joe Zwierzchowski of the Blackwater Forestry Center told NorthEscambia.com. He said the helicopter made 32 water drops on the fire. Each drop was about 300 gallons, or 9,600 gallons total taken from a pond in the area.
The McDavid and Walnut Hill Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, along with a tractor and crews from the Forest Service responded to the fire from the ground. The wildfire was reported contained by about 5:30 p.m., and the equipment fire was extinguished a short time later.
A feller buncher is a harvester used in the logging industry to cut and bunch trees. The machine cuts down trees, holds them and places them on the ground.
While the cause of the fire was not immediately known, Zwierzchowski was quick to urge area residents to refrain from any outdoor burning.
“As dry as it is, we need significant rainfall before any burns outside,” he said. “A quick shower or two won’t be enough. We need a good steady rain first.”
There is no chance of rain in the local forest over the next week.
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Byrneville Elementary School Names Students Of The Month
October 20, 2024
Byrneville Elementary School recently named their September Students of the Month.
They are: