Early Morning Cantonment Fire Destroys Shed
September 15, 2024
An early morning fire destroyed a shed in Cantonment.
The fire was reported just before 3 a.m. Saturday in the 200 block of Calloway Street, north of Lincoln Street. Escambia County Fire Rescue arrived to find the approximately 10 x 10 shed fully engulfed in fire.
Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes.
There were no injuries reported, and no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Driver’s License, Tag, Tax Collector Services Thursday In Century, Walnut Hill Soon
September 15, 2024
Mark your calendar…driver’s license and other tax collector services will be available in Century this week and later this month in Walnut Hill.
The Escambia County Tax Collector will be at the:
- Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century on Thursday, September 19, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Walnut Hill Community Center on Tuesday, September 24 from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Mobile Licensing and Identification Office (MILO) is a fully functional tax collector office on wheels, offering a range of services. The mobile unit provides a convenient method to renew a driver license, obtain a replacement driver license, conversion/reciprocation of out-of-state license, change a name or address on a current driver license or identification card, and get a first-time identification card. In addition to licensing services, the mobile unit also provides an opportunity to renew or replace a vehicle registration, receive a parking placard, transfer a title, pay property taxes, and apply for a business tax receipt. Written and driving tests are not available from the MILO unit.
The Walnut Hill Community Center, also known as the “Ruritan Building”, is at 7850 Highway 97, just north of Ernest Ward Middle School and the fire department. The Billy G. Courthouse is at 7500 North Century Boulevard.
Pictured: The Escambia Tax Collector’s MILO at the Walnut Hill Community Center on June 11. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos’ Palacios Sets Franchise Win Record In Saturday Win
September 15, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
In both experience and performance, the Blue Wahoos made their final Saturday night of the season a memorable one.
With another capacity crowd riveted to the final out, closer Dale Stanavich delivered an emphatic save – stranding runners on first and third with none out – to preserve the Blue Wahoos’ 4-3 victory against the Montgomery Biscuits.
It was Pensacola’s first Saturday win at Blue Wahoos Stadium in three months, going all the way back to June 22.
That in itself made the post-game fireworks, a grand finale of displays this season, contain a bit more pop and sparkle.
But there is much more.
The crowd of 5,038 was the 26th sellout in 2024, the most since 2016. The win enabled the Blue Wahoos (70-65) to reach a coveted 70-win total as a consolation achievement despite missing the playoffs.
All of this in a game where Blue Wahoos starter Luis Palacios, aided by a two-run rally by teammates in the fifth inning, picked up his 10th win and set the franchise record for career wins (20).
Palacios, 24, a Venezuela native who earned his high school equivalency degree this year in Pensacola, passed former Major League pitcher Daniel Wright, who attained 19 wins as a Cincinnati Reds prospect when pitching three seasons (2015-16 and 2018) for the Blue Wahoos.
There was also another emotional “Home Run For Life” from sponsor Ascension Sacred Heart with a woman, who survived an auto accident in 2021 that claimed her daughter’s life, then had to overcome massive injuries, ran the bases with her smiling young granddaughter as the crowd roared.
Yes, it was this kind of night.
Stanavich reacted with emotion himself, pounding his glove and hugging catcher Joe Mack after getting a ground out to end the game, earn his fifth save and deliver a rare Saturday home win for this team.
The game began with a bang for the Blue Wahoos. Nathan Martorella homered for the second consecutive night, this time as the second batter in the bottom of the first, to provide the game’s first run.
It became 2-0 when Shane Sasaki homered in the third inning.
The Biscuits rallied for three runs in the fifth off Palacios, highlighted by a two-run triple from Jalen Battles. Palacios ended the inning without further damage and it proved pivotal.
The Blue Wahoos answered right back, something they had often been unable to do in the final portion of the season. Johnny Olmstead led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and went to third on Sasaki’s double. Olmstead scored on a ground out to tie the game.
With one out, Andrew Pintar singled to right field and Sasaki beat the throw home, which eluded catcher Dominic Keegan for the go-ahead run.
From that point, both teams’ bullpens took over. The Blue Wahoos trio of Matt Pushard, Justin King and Stanavich combined to throw four scoreless innings, allow just three hits and combine for nine strikeouts and no walks.
In the eventful ninth, Stanavich allowed a double and single to start the inning. He then struck out Dru Baker with a wicked breaking pitch. He struck out Mason Auer with a 97 mph fastball and got Willy Vasquez to ground out to third.
It became quite a way to end the final Saturday home game this season.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Final Game Of 2024 Season
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
11-Year Old Bellview Middle Student Charged With Mass Shooting Threat Against Escambia Schools
September 14, 2024
An 11-year old Bellview Middle School student was arrested in connection with a Friday social media threat against schools in Escambia County.
The female student, whose name has not been released, was charged with written or electronic threats to conduct a mass shooting, a second degree felony, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest came after a joint investigation involving the ECSO, FBI and the Escambia County School District.
Investigators said the investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests may be forthcoming.
“Safety of our students is a top priority,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said. He said the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office takes all threats seriously.
“We are grateful to our students and staff for remaining calm and professional during what was a stressful morning. To the parents who entrust us with their children every day, thank you, as well,” the school district said in a statement Friday afternoon.
“Be certain, we will use every tool at our disposal to be sure the person or persons responsible for today’s disruption never has the opportunity to do something like this again. We will work with our partners in law enforcement as they investigate further and we will pursue charges. We want to send the message that this behavior will not be tolerated in any of our schools. To those who seek to promote chaos by knowingly spreading harmful and disruptive disinformation, we will pursue you with every legal means available.”
The safety and well-being of our students, employees and community at-large is, and will remain, your school district’s number one priority. We will not waver,” the district statement concluded.
Friday morning, the district said they were investigating a potential threat against several area schools. The district did not provide any additional detail, and no specific schools were identified.
Numerous parents provided NorthEscambia.com with a copy of the alleged photo and threat that were posted online. A search indicated that photo was posted first a year ago and it was altered with additional text.
Friday’s threat was the second in Escambia County this week. A social media threat Monday (pictured below) against Ernest Ward Middle School was deemed unfounded by the district. Escambia County Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard said the alleged threat was discussed on social media and was believed to be “internal” involving students at the school in Walnut Hill.
New National Chain ‘Dutch Bros’ Coffee Shop Opens On West Nine Mile Road
September 14, 2024
The national coffee chain Dutch Bros. opened Friday morning on West Nine Mile Road.
The drive-thru store is located at 523 West Nine Mile Road, at the corner of West Nine Road and Untriner Avenue, in front of the Home Depot. Throughout the day Friday, a lengthy line of customers snaked through the Home Depot parking lot.
Dutch Brothers is a publicly held drive-through coffee chain headquartered in Oregon. There are currently about hundreds of franchise locations, most in the western United States.
The store will be open Friday and Saturday from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m., and from 5 a.m. until 10 pm. Sunday through Thursday.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Crowns Homecoming Queen Hailey Locke (Gallery)
September 14, 2024
Friday night, Tate High School crowned Homecoming Queen Hailey Locke. First runner-up to the queen was Faith Etheridge, and second runner-up was Blakely Campbell.
For a homecoming queen and court photo gallery, click here.
For a game action story and photos, click here.
Loor for photo galleries over the next few days from the homecoming parade, the alumni cheerleaders, cheerleaders, student section, band, fans and more.
Pictured above: (L-R) Second runner-up Blakely Campbell. Homecoming Queen Hailey Locke. and first runner-up Faith Etheridge. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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Northview Dominates Central on Senior Night
September 14, 2024
The Northview Chiefs cruised to a 40-0 victory over the Central Jaguars on Friday night in Bratt, capping their senior night celebration with a shutout performance.
For more photos, click here.
A strong start set the tone for the Chiefs. Junior quarterback Dane King led the way with a quarterback keeper on the opening drive, setting up Zikel Jones for an 8-yard touchdown run. Sam Reid’s impressive catch-and-run play followed, leading to Moses Delarosa’s touchdown run to give Northview a comfortable 14-0 lead over the fledgling first year Central program.
The Chiefs continued their dominance in the second half, with Delarosa adding a 56-yard touchdown run and Jamaris Durant finding the end zone from 2 yards out.
With the victory, Northview improved to 2-2 on the season. They will look to keep their momentum going as they travel to Bonifay next Friday night to face the Holmes County Blue Devils.
Photos by Andrew Garner/Atmore Advance for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
A Great Place To Be: Tate Is Now 4-0 With Homecoming Win Over Milton (With Gallery)
September 14, 2024
“We are 4-0. We are proud of that. It’s a great place to be.”
That’s how Tate Head coach Rhett Summerford described the Aggies 30-14 homecoming night win over the Milton Panthers.
It’s a revival of sorts for the Aggies. Tate has not started a season at 4-0 since 2016, and they dropped that fifth game that year to Niceville on the way to a 9-3 season.
The Aggies are coming off a 5-5 season last year and, before that, several tough years that saw them win just one game in each season from 2019 to 2022.
Before a huge crowd at Pete Gindl Stadium, Tate opened the scoring Friday when senior quarterback Taite Davis connected with Elijah West for a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead with 35 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Milton responded with a touchdown of their own but missed the extra point, leaving Tate with a narrow 7-6 advantage. Carson Secchiari added a 23-yard touchdown to extend the Aggies’ lead.
Nicco White later contributed 23-yard touchdown with 4:32 to go in the fourth, and Milton scored a late touchdown with less than a minute to go.
“Good things, bad things,” Tate head coach Rhett Summerford said following the win. “We’ve still got work to do. It was ugly at times. I think we got into the red zone plenty of times to score a lot of points, and we just didn’t capitalize enough.”
“Defense kind of played bend but don’t break; it was kind of grindy. It was only 14, and one of those they scored at the end, but offensively, we can’t get into the red zone and not score. I think that’s the frustration part of the night, and I told the kids we’ve got work to do.”
The Aggies will face a quick turnaround as they travel to West Florida next Thursday night. With a short week of preparation, including a JV game on Monday, Summerford said the Aggies “have got to kind of get after it.”
Loor for photo galleries over the next few days from the homecoming parade, the alumni cheerleaders, cheerleaders, student section, band, fans and more.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Sample Ballots Now Available
September 14, 2024
As we prepare for the 2024 General Election, Escambia County voters are now able to access their sample ballots online.
To view your ballot, click here.
Voters who have not requested to receive a vote-by-mail ballot will also receive a sample ballot in the mail. The sample ballot mailer should be in mailboxes starting October 14, a full week before the start of early voting on October 21.
There’s still time to request a vote-by-mail ballot in Escambia County. Voters wishing to request a vote-by-mail ballot can do so by visiting https://escambiavotes.gov/vote-by-mail, or by calling (850) 595-3900. Military and overseas vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed no later than Friday, September 20. The seven-day statutory window to mail domestic vote-by-mail ballots begins September 26. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Thursday, October 24. You can also track your vote-by-mail ballot by signing up for notifications at https://escambiavotes.gov/track-my-ballot. You will be able to see when your ballot was received and accepted for tabulation.
The last day to register to vote for the November 5 election is Monday, October 7, 2024.
High School Football Scoreboard
September 14, 2024
Here are this week’s high school football scores from around the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Tate 30, Milton 14 [Story, photos...]
- Northview 40, Central 0 [Story, photos...]
- Jay 41, Baker 0
- Walton 48, West Florida 21
- Escambia 30 Panama City Bay 29 (OT)
- Pine Forest 27, Choctaw 21 (OT)
- Pace 55, Gulf Breeze 0
- Pensacola 20, Destin 7
- Montgomery (AL) Catholic 28, Pensacola Catholic 14
- Washington Fort 22, Walton Beach 0 (Thurs)
- Mosley 30, Navarre 0 (Thurs)
ALABAMA
- T.R. Miller 56, Flomaton 7
- Mobile Christian 13, Escambia Co. 6
- Orange Beach 42, W.S. Neal 32
Pictured: The Tate Aggies went to 4-0 Friday night with a win over Milton. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.