Escambia Commission Cancels Workshop Meeting
December 13, 2022
The Escambia County Commission Committee of the Whole workshop meeting that was scheduled for this Thursday has been canceled.
It was the last scheduled meeting for the commission for this calendar year. A regular BOCC meeting is set for Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 5:30 p.m.
Pictured: The Escambia County Commission meeting on December 8. Image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Welcome to Tateville: Tate Baseball Outs The Grinch In Christmas Parade
December 13, 2022
Everyone down in Tateville loved Christmas a lot.
Except the Grinch, who lives outside North Escambia, did not.
The Tate Aggies baseball team had made
The choice to march in the Pensacola Christmas Parade.
In their “Welcome To Tateville” float they were a go.
Who better tossing beads than a baseball team that knows how to throw.
But there too was the Grinch
Trying to steal Christmas in a pinch.
But in a big Christmas triple play,
Tate Baseball saved the day!
In a big Christmas grand slam play,
It was a Merry Christmas parade day.
Merry Christmas to all,
From Tate Aggie baseball.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Pictured: Tate High Baseball’s “Welcome to Tateville” float in the Pensacola Christmas Parade. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Resoliciting Proposals For North Escambia Residential Fiber Internet
December 12, 2022
Escambia County is resoliciting bids for a company to provide fiber internet to North Escambia homes and county facilities.
The county originally accepted proposals to provide fiber to homes north of 10 Mile Road and approved entering into a memorandum of understanding with Escambia River Electric Cooperative. Cox Communications retained a law firm and filed a formal protest against the award.
The proposal from EREC included only their electric franchise territory, an area essentially north of Barrineau Park Road. As a member owned electric cooperative, EREC would provide fiber internet service to all 4,000 plus homes and businesses in their territory. Cox submitted a proposal to provide broadband internet to about 2,500 homes in unspecified areas north of 10 Mile Road.
The New Request
In the new solicitation, Escambia County is seeking a company to provide the high speed broadband in area from Muscogee Road/Becks Lake Road north to the Alabama state line.
In addition to providing broadband services in unserved and underserved areas of the northern part of the county, the county is seeking an estimated 104 miles of fiber to serve 40 county facilities in the geographic region. The broadband service must be capable of achieving symmetrical residential speeds of 1 GB or greater.
The “leading-edge” broadband services” must also list retail prices and include a rate cap for residential customers for the first three years after connection and specify a maximum annual increase percentage.
Escambia County is committing up to $10 million American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the project, with the company owning and operating the network.
Proposals are due by December 22.
Escambia County has committed another $12 million in a second phase for a future fiber to the home buildout and service to county buildings to the south.
ORIGINAL PROPOSAL DETAIL
EREC Proposal
Under their original proposal, EREC requested $6 million from the county toward a $24 million project. They proposed fiber internet to some 4,000 plus homes and businesses — every single home and business in their footprint — and a fiber ring connecting about two dozen county facilities. The first homes would receive service as early as next summer.
Three basic speed tiers proposed by EREC were:
- 100 Mbps/100 Mbps — $49.95/month
- 1 Gig/1 Gig — $79.95/month
- 2 Gig/2 Gig — $99.95/month
Cox Proposal
In their original proposal, Cox requested the county provide $16.3 million toward a $24.4 million project to construct a 132 mile fiber ring to 44 county facilities and provide fiber internet to 2,514 “underserved” households. Their proposed timeline was 18-36 months to complete the residential portion, with 36 total months needed to ring the county facilities.
Cox proposed package pricing as follows:
- 100 Mbps/100 Mbps — $49.99/month
- 250 Mbps/250 Mbps — $87.99/month
- 500 Mbps/500 Mbps — $99.99/month
- 1 Gig/1 Gig — $119.99/month
- 2 Gig/2 Gig — $149.99/month
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
December 12, 2022
Tate High School has announced their Students of the Month for October. They are Lena Litton and Christian Neptune. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Head Football Coach Pete Shinnick Resigns
December 12, 2022
The University of West Florida has announced Sunday that Pete Shinnick has resigned as the school’s head football coach to accept the same position at Towson University. The announcement came the day after UWF’s semifinal loss Saturday to Ferris State.
Shinnick has spent the past eight years at UWF building the program from the ground up. He was hired as the first coach in school history in 2014 and compiled a 56-21 record in six seasons. During that time, he created a culture that was second-to-none and made UWF a top destination for student-athletes from across the country.
UWF won the 2019 Division II National Championship in just its fourth season of play, matching the NCAA record for fastest startup to win a title. The Argonauts appeared in the NCAA Playoffs four times, advancing to the national championship twice and were one of just two teams to advance to the semifinals three times in that span.
“My family and I have enjoyed every moment of our time at UWF and in Pensacola,” Shinnick said. “This university has supported us in so many ways and the success on and off the field is a direct result of that. A special thank you to Dr. Bense for wanting to start football, Dave Scott for believing in me to be the man to do that and Dr. Saunders for her continued support of our program. Arete! Go Argos.”
“We are grateful for Coach Shinnick and thank him for the dedication he has shown the Argo football program,” UWF Athletics Director Dave Scott said. “It is no easy feat to build a program from the ground up, but Coach Shinnick did just that — accomplishing much in the program’s six seasons.
“We look forward to the future of Argo football and the new opportunities that are to come. We are committed to finding a head coach who embodies the Argo spirit and will continue the legacy of building champions for life, on and off the field.”
Shinnick has a 159-67 career coaching record, which includes a 50-24 record in seven seasons at UNC Pembroke from 2007-13, and 53-22 in seven seasons at Azusa Pacific from 1999-2005.
Photo: Morgan Givens/University of West Florida
Charges Dropped Against Century Man Accused Of Stalking Of Female PSC Student
December 12, 2022
Charges have been dropped against a Century man accused last month based of stalking a female student at a local college.
Kenneth Tyrese Lowery, 23, was originally charged with felony aggravated stalking with the threat of injury.
The victim and victim’s mother declined to press charges, according to a court document filed last week.
Lowery texted a fellow student the Pensacola State College Century Campus multiple times and made “inappropriate sexual comments” to her on various social media platforms, according to an Pensacola State College Police Department arrest report. The text messages included harassing language, and Lowery threatened to rape the female student, the report continues.
The victim had told college police that she did not feel safe at her home or at school due to sexual threats allegedly made in text messages sent by Lowery, according to an arrest report.
Florida Gas Prices Down 41 Cents In The Past Month
December 12, 2022
Florida average gas prices declined 12 cents per gallon last week, according to AAA. The state average is now on a 31 day streak of declines, falling a total of 41 cents per gallon.
On Sunday, the average for gasoline in Florida was $3.16 per gallon. That’s 11 cents per gallon more than a year ago.
The average price per gallon in Escambia County was $2.89. In North Escambia Sunday night, drivers could find a low price of $2.81 on Muscogee Road, or $2.82 at several other Cantonment stations. In Pensacola, prices bottomed out at $2.61 on Nine Mile Road.
“Economic recession concerns have kept downward pressure on the global fuel market, causing crude oil prices to plummet, dragging gas prices down with them,” said Mark Jenkins, public relations manager for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “The price of crude plunged 29% in the past month; 11% of that happened last week. This should pave the way for additional discounts at the pump this week. Unless fundamentals change, the state average could easily sink below $3 a gallon before Christmas Day.”
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Proud To Be A Chief: Northview Falls To Hawthorne In State Championship Game (With Gallery)
December 11, 2022
The Northview Chiefs made an incredible run at the school’s second-ever state football championship.
The Chiefs had won 13-straight, but Saturday night that streak came to an end.
You could see the excitement on their faces, and the faces of over 1,000 Northview Chiefs fans headed into the game.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (More photos and more coverage to come later this week.)
But you could see the pain on their faces as the game ended with Hawthorne winning 13-2. They were the underdogs headed into Gene Cox Stadium. Just a little team from a little place called Bratt, from a stadium that sits next to a cotton field and behind the FFA’s cow pasture.
A band of brothers with a family of Chiefs behind them who put up a heck of a fight for the FHSAA 1-Rural state title.
A state championship was the ultimate goal, but head coach Wes Summerford said his Chiefs should still be proud of the winningest season in school history.
“You know number two in the state ain’t bad in the state of Florida. We are one of the top four or five states in football,” he said. “They’ve got a lot to be proud of…not every year you are going to get to come to this…I think they’ll remember the trip anyways for the rest of their lives. Even though we didn’t come on top and didn’t do what we wanted to do.”
It was the first game of the entire season in which Northview did not score a touchdown.
Jamarkus Jefferson was held to just 35 yards rushing, 49 yards receiving. Quarterback Kaden Odom had 132 yards passing and 40 yards rushing.
Hawthorne had 218 yards rushing; Northview just 86 net yards rushing on 30 attempts. With 132 yards passing, Northview had 218 total offensive yards while the Hornets had 257.
“I’m just proud of these guys,” Northview head coach Wes Summerford said. “The stuff that goes on behind the scenes, and the stuff that they have been through, and just battled back from that. I just told them we played a good team tonight and it wasn’t our night. Hawthorne is a good team, been here three times, and we just didn’t do the stuff we needed to do to win a football game tonight.”
“I’m proud to be a Northview Chief.”
For a photo gallery, click or tap here. (More photos and more coverage to come later this week.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF’s Special Season Ends In National Semifinal Loss To Ferris State
December 11, 2022
The amazing post-season magic that UWF’s football team was always able to generate this time vanished at the worst possible time.
After rallying from a 17-3 deficit in the second quarter to tie the game at halftime, the Argos committed mistakes on their first three, second-half possessions, and it led to a 38-17 loss Saturday against defending national champion Ferris State in the NCAA Division II national semifinal at Top Taggart Field.
The Argos (12-2) had won all nine previous road playoff games – many of those in comeback fashion — including the one at Ferris State in the 2019 semifinal game that vaulted UWF to its historic national title.
But in this match of the past two champions – there was no D-2 title in the 2020 season halted by the coronavirus – it was Ferris State seizing control in the second half.
“Obviously, this moment is bitter, but I am extremely pleased with the season and what we were able to do,” said UWF coach Pete Shinnick, whose team had won its last 16 road games overall. “Not many teams get to play this far and just disappointed the way this thing ended.”
The big picture, however, is that UWF played in its third national semifinal in the six-year history of the program. Each time the Argos advanced this far, the semifinal game was on the road in a cold-weather place. Twice before, the Argos flew back to Pensacola with a championship game berth.
Game time temperature Saturday was 33 degrees and snow began to fall in the final minute of the game. But UWF was unfazed by the conditions in coming back from a sizeable deficit in the first half. The Argos scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the second quarter to gain the emotional edge at halftime.
“I thought we could create from the first half and I thought we could be right where we wanted,” Shinnick said. “But the opening drive didn’t go the way we hoped, and they just kept capitalizing on things and it hurt us. Not the second half we hoped for.”
Ferris State (13-1) rushed for 325 yards and scored all five touchdowns on the ground. Marcus Taylor had 182 yards on the ground with a score, and Carson Gulker added 64 with three touchdowns.
UWF traveled home Saturday night after a season where the Argos came back from a double-overtime, home loss to Delta State to win 10 consecutive games in reaching this stage.
“A phenomenal season,” Shinnick said. “And hard to reflect on that when this thing (Saturday loss) is just present in your mind right now. But our guys did so much this year and accomplished so many things and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
The game changed on two plays early in the second half.
UWF got the ball coming out of halftime and was on a 13-play drive when failing to convert on a 4th-and-2 play at the Ferris State 34. UWF quarterback Peewee Jarrett misfired a pass to David Durden.
Ferris State’s offense took over again. The Bulldogs took the lead in just nine plays on a 3-yard run.
On the ensuing possession, the Argos then committed a game-changing turnover when quarterback Peewee Jarrett was sacked by Caleb Murphy, his 25th of the season and Murphy was able to dislodge the ball.
Ferris State safety Travis Miracle recovered at the UWF 36. Mylik Mitchell, who threw just nine passes, had his biggest one on a 24-yard competition to the 1. It led to a third rushing touchdown by freshman backup quarterback, Gulker, who proved to be a force the entire game against UWF.
That gave Ferris State a two-touchdown lead just 31 seconds into the fourth quarter. On UWF’s next possession, the Argos tried to fake a punt from their 42 on a 4th-and-5 situation, but Ferris State’s defense snuffed it out.
The Bulldogs were back in the end zone eight plays later with the game-sealing score.
The Argos were only able to generate 298 yards total offense in the game, including just 83 yards in the second half. They entered the game as the second-most prolific offense in Division II, averaging 453 yards per-game. Included in that total was 243.2 yards rushing.
Saturday, the Argos had just 113 yards on the ground. The Argos also did not get a turnover, after forcing 42 in their previous 14 post-season games, including six turnovers, four of which were returned for touchdowns, in last week’s blowout win against Wingate in the Super Region 2 championship game in Pensacola.
Like many games this season, the Argos fell behind early in Saturday’s game. Ferris State used a 13-play, game-opening drive that used 6:28 off the clock to take a 7-0 lead.
The Argos answered with their own drive, attaining a first-and-goal from the 7. But two running plays and incomplete passes forced settling for a Griffin Cerra field goal.
Ferris State then scored touchdowns the next two times the Bulldogs had the ball. They had a 4th-and-2 situation from their own 42 and chose to go for it. UWF’s defense rose up and got the stop.
Two plays later, the Argos were back in the game on Jarrett’s 40-yard touchdown pass to David Durden, who later had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
Again, UWF’s defense got a stop. Again, UWF’s offense answered. This time, Jarrett capped a 7-play, 74-yard drive by rushing in from the 10 with 1:22 left in the half.
It seemed another second half comeback win was possible for UWF. But on this day, it never developed at all in the second half.
Jarrett threw for 185 yards on 9-of-16 with one TD pass. He also ran for 35 yards. Shomari Mason had 36 yards on the ground and CJ Wilson had 30. Durden had three receptions for 98 yards.
Cantonment Man Charged With Trafficking Oxycodone After Seat Belt Traffic Stop
December 11, 2022
A Cantonment man has been charged with drug trafficking after an Escambia County traffic stop.
Samuel Lee Purifoy, Jr., 31, was charged with trafficking in oxycodone and possession of marijuana over 20 grams, both felonies.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped Purifoy’s vehicle on Fairfield Drive after observing him driving without a seat belt. Purifoy smelled strongly of marijuana and appeared to be under the influence of marijuana, according to an arrest report.
A search of his vehicle uncovered marijuana and 86.3 grams of oxycodone in the vehicle, and $1,710 in cash was in his pocket, the report states.
Purifoy was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $27,500 bond.