FHP: Escambia Motorcycle Deputy Injured In Crash With SUV During Escort
June 7, 2023
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office motorcycle patrol deputy was injured when his motorcycle struck a SUV during an escort Wednesday morning.
The 48-year old male deputy was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with leg injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Florida Highway Patrol provided the following details on how the crash happened:
“A group of Escambia County Sheriff patrol motorcycles were escorting a large passenger bus westbound on East Nine Mile Road. As the escort approached the East Nine Mile Road / Pensacola Boulevard intersection at the southbound ramp, the rider of the lead motorcycle position his bike in the intersection to control traffic. The driver of an eastbound SUV came to a stop partially in the intersection. The second motorcycle came and relieved the first motorcycle and took over the traffic control duties at the intersection. The passenger bus entered the intersection to turn left but stopped due to the SUV had prevented the passenger bus from making a wide turn. The deputy then waved the SUV through the intersection as the third motorcycle turned left to attempt to move up in the procession. The third motorcycle collided into the SUV in the intersection.”
The 40-year old female SUV driver was not injured.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Investigation Underway After Suspicious Vehicle With Bullet Holes Located In Bratt
June 7, 2023
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a suspicious vehicle with bullet holes was found abandoned by the road in Bratt Wednesday morning.
The vehicle was on the roadside next to a field on Cecils Road just off North Highway 99, near a Bratt-Davisville Water System water tower.
The ECSO said shell casings were located in the area, and it appears certain that the driver was not in the vehicle at the time it was shot.
The driver was later located and had no injuries.
The investigation is continuing.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Armed Vehicle Burglary, Resisting Arrest
June 7, 2023
A Cantonment man has been arrested on charges related to a vehicle burglary and a stolen credit card.
Sundown West Brown, 28, was charged with armed burglary of a vehicle, petit theft of a credit card, loitering and prowling, possession of a concealed weapon and resisting arrest without violence.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies located Brown walking in the area after responding to a suspicious person report in the area of Lydia Avenue, Tina Avenue and Melanie Drive.
As deputies worked to detain Brown, he resisted and reached for his front waistband area, according to an arrest report.
“Fearing Brown was reaching for a weapon, I delivered 3 to 4 knee strikes to his right chest area,” a deputy wrote in the report. After the fourth strike, he allowed the deputy to place his right hand in cuffs but continued to resist until other deputies arrived on scene, the report continues.
A fixed blade knife was located near Brown, the report states, and a matching sheath was located in his front waistband.. Deputies also reported finding a credit card stolen from a vehicle location at a nearby residence on Lydia Avenue.
Brown remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $17,000.
Century Implements New ‘Cross-Connection’ Plan For Water System Customers
June 7, 2023
Tuesday night, the Century Town Council approved a “Backflow Prevention & Cross-Connection Control” plan.
State law requires public water systems to establish and implement a cross-connection control program using backflow prevention. The plan essentially requires the use of a backflow preventer to prevent water from flowing backwards — from the customer side of the meter to the public water system.
“You are trying to make sure that your water system does not have cross connections,” town engineer Dale Long told the council. “Which means no illegal or illicit connections to your water system, contaminating your whole system.”
The plan generally applies to business customers.
Under the required plan, connections can be temporarily or permanently eliminated if they fail to meet the regulatory requirements. Backflow prevention devices must be tested at the customer’s expense on an annual basis.
Pictured: A backflow preventer on the Century water system. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Commission Cancels Agenda Review Meeting
June 7, 2023
The Escambia County Commission Agenda Review meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday has been canceled.
The regular public forum will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday with the county commission meeting to follow at 5:30 p.m.
Due to the cancelation of the agenda review meeting, a Community Redevelopment meeting orginally planned for 9 a.m. has been moved to 4:25 p.m. just prior to the agenda review meeting.
Boil Water Notice For Central Water Works Customers Along Highway 4 Near Century
June 7, 2023
Central Water Works has issued a precautionary boil water notice for residents near Century from 370 West Highway 4 to 1341 West Highway 4, Pleasant Hill Road, Junk Road, Fields Road, Carter Lane and Nall Road
A leak was discovered on West Highway 4 west of Lake Stone, near Nall Road., and valved off on Thursday. On Wednesday, the damaged water main will be replaced.
The utility advises that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. Or residents can disinfect water by adding eight drops (1/8 teaspoon) of unscented common household bleach to water; stir; let it rest for 30 minutes before drinking. Residents are also advised to take precautions when bathing, especially immuno-compromised individuals, infants, or the elderly.
Residents located in the specified boil water notice area are advised to boil water for one minute at a rolling boil or to use eight drops of regular unscented household bleach per gallon of water, for water to be used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled.. As an alternative, bottled water may be used.
This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
For more information, contact Central Water Works at (850) 256-3849.
This story will be updated when the boil water notice is lifted.
Pictured: Repairs were underway Tuesday evening to a Central Water Works water main on Highway 4 near Nall Road, just west of Lake Stone. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Conine Homers As Blue Wahoos Beat Biscuits
June 7, 2023
Returning from a long time away, the Blue Wahoos found the place to their liking.
Especially with someone able to lock the doors.
Sean Reynolds continued his pressure-embrace as reliever, producing his league-best ninth save, after twice getting out of precarious situations, as the Blue Wahoos beat the Montgomery Biscuits 5-2 Tuesday night in their first home game since May 21.
Reynolds entered with two runners on in the eighth and got a strikeout to end that inning. In the ninth, he got help from second baseman José Devers, who made a sensational dive on a line drive to produce a game-ending double play with runners on second and third.
Devers also went 2-for-4 at the plate – the only Blue Wahoos hitter with multiple hits on the night.
The win amid a crowd of 4,012 at Blue Wahoos Stadium began the series with a good vibe on “Doggone Tuesday” where fans brought a variety of their beloved dogs to the ballpark.
It also extended the Blue Wahoos’ (32-20) grip on first place in the Southern League South Division against one of the teams chasing.
The Blue Wahoos started Tuesday with a three-run second inning. Griffin Conine blasted a two-run homer into the right-center berm. Cody Morrisette preceded the blast with an RBI sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead.
The Biscuits (26-26) chipped back in the fourth inning on Diego Infante’s run-scoring double and Heriberto Hernandez RBI single.
Insurance was added for the Blue Wahoos on two run-scoring wild pitches by Biscuits reliever Graeme Stinson in the sixth and seventh. Stinson entered with the bases loaded in the sixth, and tossed a wild pitch with Morrisette at the plate.
But Stinson got out of the jam by striking out Conine and J.D. Orr to end the threat.
In the seventh, Stinson threw a pair of wild pitches to score Nasim Nuñez, who had singled, advanced on an errant throw and scored on another.
The second game of the series is set for Wednesday night with the Blue Wahoos having righthander Evan Fitterer (4-1, 3.06 ERA) on the mound. The Biscuits starter was not announced.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Northview Teacher Takes Inappropriate Book Fight To Santa Rosa County
June 7, 2023
A Northview High School teacher that has called for the ban of over 100 books in Escambia County has expanded her fight to Santa Rosa County.
Beginning last year, Vicki Baggett has called for about 115 books to be removed in Escambia County for inappropriate content, saying that many of them are pornographic under Florida law.
“As a 32-year veteran English teacher, I had never seen anything like this, and I actually could not believe what was being purchased and being made available with taxpayers’ funds for minor children,” Baggett told the Santa Rosa County Commission this week.
“Sadly, Santa Rosa County is loaded with these types of books as well,” she said, adding that the school district’s media director said in an email that there were no inappropriate books in the Santa Rosa district.
“As recently as last Thursday I found a book within this school district that has graphic pictures of an adult giving pornographic magazines to minor school age boys, complete with open legged naked women on the magazines’ covers,” she said, holding up printed photos. “And yes, this is in your public school libraries.”
Baggett asked the Santa Rosa County Commission to “write a resolution to encourage immediate action” to remove the books from school libraries in the county. The commission has no authority over the schools; that power belongs to the school board.
Bergosh Talks Beulah Growth, OLF-8 (And Why Car Washes Are Being Built)
June 6, 2023
From discussion on why new car washes are popping up, to a Beulah master plan, to the latest on the development of OLF-8, Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh met with Beulah residents during a town hall meeting Monday night.
The county commission voted in April to enter into negotiations with homebuilder D.R. Horton on the $42 million purchase of the 500-plus acre OLF-8 property. Their mix-use plan will include residential and commercial areas, retail, offices and greenspace.
Bergosh said the future OLF-8 developer will be forced to follow an ordinance taken directly from a master plan.
“Give us a mixture of retail, parks, etc.,” the commissioner read from a citizen comment card during the town hall at Beulah Middle School. “That’s what I want,” Bersogh replied. “I live across the street. That’s what I want.”
“Retail, parks, etc., our traffic and infrastructure can’t handle the houses,” he continued reading from the citizen comment card.
“Yeah exactly. No one wanted houses on that field. I don’t know how that happened, but I did get outvoted on that,” Bergosh said. “We are going to have the housing we negotiated, and not one additional.”
A second developer, Breland Companies of Huntsville, Alabama, had made a cash offer of $35 million for the property, but the company was a no-show to make their presentation at a county commission meeting.
Monday night, the District 1 commissioner said the president of Breland said the day before the meeting that he would be able to attend. Bergosh said he encouraged the company president to send someone else, but they did not.
“They ghosted us. That’s what happened,” Bergosh said.
Other hot town hall topics included traffic and growth in Beulah.
Including a question about car washes.
Several residents asked why Beulah development has included businesses like car washes and convenience stores rather than their favorite retailers and restaurants.
“For whatever reason, they make a lot of money on car washes,” Bergosh said. “When people buy a piece of property, they have property rights. I can’t tell them, hey, you can’t build a car wash. You have to build a Dave & Busters.”
NorthEscambia.com images, click to enlarge.
Free Lunch Available All Summer For Youth At Libraries In Escambia County
June 6, 2023
Free meals for youth are available five days a week at West Florida Public Libraries branches.
In conjunction with Feeding the Gulf Coast, the meals will be served as follows:
Monday-Friday, Noon – 1 p.m.
- Bellview Library
- Molino Library
- Pensacola Library
- Southwest Library
- Tryon Library
- Westside Library
Tuesday-Saturday, Noon – 1 p.m.
- Century Library
The meals, which must be consumed at the library, are for children 18-year old and younger. The meals are also available for disabled individuals 19-years or older who participate in a public or private non-profit program during the school year.
The meals are available on the daily schedule above through August 9, except the July 4 holiday.