Atmore Man Charged With Stealing Patient File From Hospital
October 4, 2024
An Atmore man is accused of stealing a patient file from the local hospital.
Christopher Dortch, 44, was charged with burglary third degree and theft of properly fourth degree.
Atmore Community Hospital reported that Dortch entered a restricted restricted office and removed a patient’s file and other items, according to the Atmore Police Department.
The file and other unspecified items were recovered just before Dortch’s arrest.
Northview Downs Central (With Gallery)
October 4, 2024
The Northview Chiefs defeated the Central Jaguars 3-2 Thursday night.
Northview won by scores of 25-11, 16-25, 25-18, 15-25, 15-10.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Lady Chiefs will host the Tate Aggies Monday at 5:30 before wrapping up their regular season on October 10 at home against W.S. Neal.
NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Craft Extravaganza Saturday At Community Center
October 4, 2024
The Molino Mid County Historical Society will host a Craft Extravaganza this Saturday. The event will showcase the talents of local artisans and crafters, offering a variety of handmade treasures.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors can browse a wide selection of handcrafted items, including home decor, jewelry, walking sticks, wreaths, cups, flower arrangements, 3D printed creations, gifts and more. Food vendors will also be on site to satisfy hungry shoppers., including a mullet fish fry.
The Craft Extravaganza will be held indoors at the Molino Community Center, at 6450 Highway 95A North.
Century Council Divided After Mayor Spent $161,790 In Violation Of Charter
October 3, 2024
Century Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. violated the town charter this week by exceeding his spending limit by $161,590. And he says it saved the town a nearly $200,000.
The town was facing a $134.883 increase in premiums to $351,963 to keep the same longstanding Preferred Governmental Trust policy written by Underwood Anderson Insurance in Pensacola. That included an increase for workers compensation from $27,546 to $31,070, and an increase for a package with business auto, general liability, commercial property crime, inland marine and management liability from $189,566 to $320,893.
“We looked into some price shopping,” Gomez said, “and compared apples to apples for the same policy and coverage.”
“I took the liberty to go with the Florida League of Cities,” the mayor said. “If I did something wrong, well, I’ll bite that. We need to start visiting these contracts rather than just let them linger.”
Gomez received one other quote from the Florida League of Cities for coverage from Florida Municipal Insurance Trust for a total of $161,790 in premiums.
Gomez told the town council that he accepted the Florida League proposal for $161,790 to ensure the town as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, allowing the Underwood Anderson coverage to lapse at the same time. Tuesday was the first day of the town’s new fiscal year.
That move, the mayor said, saved the town $190,173.
“That’s a substantial savings, and that’s taxpayers’ dollars that I’m trying to conserve,” he said.
And it led to a lot of questions from his town council because under the town charter, the mayor has a spending limit of just $200 without prior council approval.
At this week’s meeting, town council members questioned why Gomez was not better prepared knowing in advance that the town’s current insurance policy would expire as of October 1, and they questioned when he received the Florida League of Cities proposal. They also stressed that he could have called a special meeting for a council decision prior to the October 1 deadline.
“We just got the quotes in just enough time to compare them,” he said. NorthEscambia.com made a public records request for dated proposals, and, in the absence of dates, any other document or email showing the dates of the proposals. We received undated proposals and nothing else, even upon a second request for dated information.
“It sounds to me like we waited until the last minute, and it was a rush decision,” Council member Shelisa McCall said. “It may not be the best decision because the price difference is too much to be comfortable; it feels like something is lacking in the new policy.”
“OK, we’ve got a whole year to discuss that,” Gomez replied. “Right now, we were binded last night with the Florida League of Cities.”
The first motion by councilmember Alicia Johnson to ratify the insurance contract approved by the mayor failed due to the lack of a second from any of the council members. The council then took about 20 minutes to review and compare the proposals, which they had not yet seen.
McCall said she quickly spotted one difference in coverages — one million in fire coverage in the previous policy versus a half million in the new policy.
Johnson said she was confident that the administration had made a proper comparison, and she again made a motion to insure with the Florida League of Cities carrier. The motion passed 3-1, with McCall against. Sandra McMurray-Jackson, who has participated in earlier parts of the meeting by phone, was not longer on the line for the vote.
The council did not formally ratify the mayor’s expenditure in violation of the charter.
Pictured top: Century council members Henry Cunningham, Shelisa McCall, and Alicia Johnson review insurance proposals. Pictured top inset: Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. explains insurance proposals to the council. Pictured bottom inset: Council president Dynette Lewis. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview High Announces Homecoming Court
October 3, 2024
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Northview High School has named their 2024 homecoming court.
Senior Maids
- Payton Daw
- Maddie May Driskell
- Mary Catherine Hughes
- Sophia Morris
- Lacey Sapp
- Lily Smallwood
Junior Maids
- Kate Beasley
- Riley Brooks
- Aakira Davis
- Noel Pugh
- Noel Pugh
Sophomore Maids
- Lacie Kittrell
- Mikayla McAnally
- Makayla Plato
Freshmen Maids
- Meeyah Lassiter
- Allie Penton
- Madalyn Pittman
- Avery Trawick
The homecoming queen will be named during a ceremony that begins at 6 p.m. Friday in Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium on the Northview campus.
Pictured top: The 2024 Northview High School homecoming court. Front row: Payton Daw, Lilly Smallwood, Mary Catherine Hughes, Noel Pugh, Allie Penton, and Meeyah Lassiter. Back row: Mikayla McAnally, Lacie Kittrell, MaKayla Plato, and Maddie May Driskell, Lacey Sapp, Sophia Morris, Aakira Davis, Kate Beasley, Riley Brooks, Avery Trawick, Madalynn Pittman. Pictured below: The court from each class. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Senior Court. Payton Daw, Maddie Mae Driskell, Lacey Sapp, Sophia Morris, Lilly Smallwood, and Mary Catherine Hughes.
Junior Court: Aakira Davis, Kate Beasley, Noel Pugh, amd Riley Brooks.
Sophomore Court: Lacie Kittrell, MaKayla Plato, and Mikayla McAnally.
Freshman Court: Madalynn Pittman, Meeyah Lassiter, Allison Penton, and Avery Trawick.
Highway 164 Widening Project Nearly Complete; Pine Forest Paving Begins in Walnut Hill
October 3, 2024
A widening project on Highway 164 is nearing completion as a new resurfacing project gets underway on Pine Forest Road.
Highway 164
The $1.25 million Highway 164 project, funded by the Local Option Sales Tax, aims to improve safety along the dangerously narrow roadway by widening 2.16 miles. The first two phases were completed ahead of schedule, widening Highway 164 from Highway 97 to Green Village Road and from Green Village Road toward North Highway 29.
The final phase involves widening the portion on either side of North Pine Barren Road. Crews are completing paving and sodding work this week. The final thermoplastic striping and reflective pavement markings will be completed 14 -16 days after final paving, according to Escambia County.
Pine Forest Road
Crews are paving just under six miles of Pine Forest Road in Walnut Hill from Highway 97 to Arthur Brown Road. The project is expected to be completed by next week. Final thermoplastic striping and reflective pavement markings will be completed about 14 days after paving is complete. The project cost is approximately $1.3 million.
Pictured: Final paving on a Highway 164 widening project near Pine Barren Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery : Tate, Pace Dig Pink For Cancer Research
October 3, 2024
The Pace Patriots defeated the Tate Aggies Wednesday night in a “Dig Pink” game to support the Side-Out Foundation and their metastatic breast cancer research.
Pace won 3-0 over Tate: 25-18, 25-16, 25-23.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Aggies will travel north on Monday to take on the Northview Chiefs in Bratt at 5:30 p.m. to being the final week of regular season play.
The Side-Out dedicates the majority of donations to their own metastatic breast cancer research. In addition to research, Side-Out allocates a portion of their funds to high-quality support services for cancer patients and their families, as well as college scholarships for students.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Felon Sentenced On Federal Drug Trafficking And Firearm Charges
October 3, 2024
A convicted felon from Escambia County has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison on drug trafficking and firearm charges, according to the U. S. Department of Justice.
Willie Frank Gordon, 42, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and federal supervised release violations.
The investigation and prosecution of armed drug traffickers – in this case by a repeat offender – is central to our mission to protect the public,” said Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.. “This sentence illustrates our shared resolve to keep our communities safe and the significant consequences associated with federal drug and firearm violations.”
On March 15, 2022, Gordon was arrested during a traffic stop for driving without a license. During an inventory search of the vehicle, law enforcement located a black backpack containing approximately 200 grams of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, and associated drug paraphernalia, along with a loaded, chambered pistol. Law enforcement also located a firearm holster in the glove box of the vehicle, three cell phones, and over $2,000 on Gordon’s person.
Gordon initially denied knowledge of the controlled substances and the firearm, but ultimately admitted to his possession of the items during an interview with investigators. Law enforcement also located surveillance footage of Gordon approximately 30 minutes prior to the traffic stop where he was observed carrying the black backpack to a vehicle before driving away.
Gordon’s imprisonment will be followed by 5-years of supervised release.
This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF.
UWF’s Canterbury Earns GSC Defensive Player Of Week Honors
October 3, 2024
University of West Florida sophomore safety Kamrin Canterbury has been named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
Canterbury led the Argos with a game-high 16 total tackles, including seven solo tackles and nine assists. The St. Petersburg native also forced the fumble that led to a scoop and score touchdown by Byron Puryear.
Photo Gallery: Two Injured When Pickup Crashes Through Molino Home
October 3, 2024
Two people were injured when a pickup truck crashed through a Molino home Wednesday afternoon.
The crash happened about 3:20 p.m. at the intersection of Sunshine Hill Road and Molino Road. The driver of a pickup, a 54-yea- old Molino man and his passenger, were transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital.
The homeowners were home in a nearby room at the time of the crash, and they were not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the man ran off the road and struck a ditch, causing his pickup to become airborne. Troopers are continuing their investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
