• Home
• News
• Events
• Features
• Sports
• About
• Contact
• Advertise

Free Classifieds | Obituaries |

Florida Forest Service Southern Pine Beetle Assistance Application Period Is Open

Applications are now being accepted for the 2022 Southern Pine Beetle Assistance and Prevention Program for non-industrial, private forest landowners through July 1. The program is limited to Escambia, Santa Rosa and 42 other northern Florida counties, the known range of the southern pine beetle.

To obtain an application or to learn more about the Southern Pine Beetle Assistance and Prevention Program, visit FDACS.gov/SPBPrevention.

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is one of the most economically devastating forest pests in the Southeastern United States, with periodic outbreaks destroying thousands of acres of pine timber. The last major SPB outbreak in Florida, between 1999 and 2002, caused an estimated $59 million in timber losses on over 24,000 acres.

“Pine forests are one of the most vital natural resources for Florida’s ecosystem – from clean air and water to sequestering carbon and providing home goods and other wood products,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Sixty-five percent of Florida forests are privately owned, so supporting our landowners is critical to not only reducing the risk of forest pest outbreaks but protecting livelihoods and protecting a natural resource that protects and provides for us every day.”

“Southern pine beetles are one of the most destructive insects in southern pine forests,” said Erin Albury, State Forester and Director of the Florida Forest Service. “Southern pine beetle activity is currently relatively low in Florida. We can keep it that way by taking preventative measures now.”

Texas Man Charged With Raping Escambia Teen He Met On App

The Bay Minette Police Department has charged a Texas man with raping a teen from Escambia County, Florida, that he met on a messaging app.

Bay Minette Police responded to a report of suspicious activity taking place in a vehicle at the Walmart parking lot at 701 McMeans Avenue. They found Jack Allen Henrichson, of Orange Grove, Texas, in the vehicle with a child under the age of 16 and determined that the child was in danger.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources discovered that the child was an unreported runaway from Escambia County.

Bay Minette investigators said Henrichson, 23, met the juvenile on the Kik messaging app. After communicating with the juvenile, Henrichson drove from Texas to Pensacola and picked up the child, according to police, before heading to Alabama. For the next four days, Henrichson and the juvenile stayed in Bay Minette until they were found by patrol officers in Walmart parking lot.

Bay Minette Police said he had sexually assaulted the victim at least three times.

Henrichson is charged with one count of second degree rape and two counts of second degree sodomy, plus unlawful possession of brass knuckles. He remained in the Baldwin County Jail without bond Monday morning.

Here Are This Week’s Road Construction Delay Spots

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:

• U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and lane shifts on the Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday, June 19 through Saturday, June 25 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Tuesday, June 21, U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) will have lane closures beginning at 10 p.m. due to Bands on the Beach. Crews will be using lanes on the current bridge as a platform to pour concrete decks for the westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) structure.
• West Cervantes Street (U.S. 90) Pedestrian Safety Improvement – Motorists traveling on West Cervantes Street will encounter the following traffic impacts:
  • Daytime single lane closures and lane shifts, between A Street and Dominguez Street, as crews install pedestrian fencing.
  • The new traffic signals on Cervantes Street at the J Street, L Street, and R Street intersections are now activated.
• North Ninth Avenue (State Road (S.R.) 289) Carpenters Creek Bridge Replacement – All travel lanes are temporarily shifted to the southbound side of the bridge as crews construct the northbound portion. Additionally, drivers may encounter intermittent temporary lane closures Monday, June 20 through Friday, June 24 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. as crews mobilize materials and equipment.
• Pace Boulevard from Barrancas Avenue to Massachusetts Avenue – The sidewalks on the eastern side of Pace Boulevard, between Barrancas Avenue and Navy Boulevard, are closed as crews perform sidewalk and curb improvements. Pedestrians will be detoured to the signalized intersections to access the sidewalks on the western side of Pace Boulevard during this time.
• Pensacola Boulevard (U.S. 29) from Brent Lane to North of Interstate 10 (I-10) – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures Sunday, June 19 through Thursday, June 23 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews work on sidewalk and curb improvements.
• I-10 at the Interstate 110 (I-110) Interchange – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures on the I-110 northbound ramp to I-10 westbound between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. each night as crews work on guardrail improvements.
• I-10 Routine Utility Maintenance between Exits 5 (U.S. 90) through 22 (Avalon Boulevard) – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures, Wednesday, June 22 through Thursday, June 23 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for overhead light repairs.
• North Davis Highway (S.R. 291) Routine Maintenance North of Langley Avenue – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures, Monday, June 20 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for paving operations.
• Airport Boulevard Routine Bridge Maintenance over the I-110 Overpass – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures 1.4 miles south of I-10, Monday, June 20 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. for routine bridge maintenance.
• Airport Boulevard Routine Bridge Maintenance over Carpenters Creek – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures near Davis Highway, Tuesday, June 21 from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. for routine bridge maintenance.
• I-110 Routine Bridge Maintenance over East Fairfield Drive (S.R. 295) Overpass – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures 3.6 miles south of I-10, Tuesday, June 21 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. for routine bridge maintenance.

Santa Rosa County:

• Pensacola Bay Bridge (U.S. 98) Replacement – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and lane shifts on the Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday, June 19 through Saturday, June 25 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Tuesday, June 21, U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) will have lane closures beginning at 10 p.m. due to Bands on the Beach. Crews will be using lanes on the current bridge as a platform to pour concrete decks for the westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) structure.
• U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Motorists will encounter the following traffic impacts:
  • Temporary median and turn-lane closures from Bayshore Road to Tiger Point Drive.
  • Intermittent lane closures and additional median closures between S.R. 281 and Bayshore Road, Sunday, June 19 through Friday, June 24, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for paving operations.
  • Westbound travelers will encounter a new traffic configuration from east of Portside Drive to North College Parkway as lanes will be shifted slightly south to allow for widening activities on the outside lane.
  • Settlers Colony Boulevard remains open. The closure has been postponed until further notice due to material delays.
• I-10 Resurfacing East of S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard) to East of S.R. 87 – Motorists can expect intermittent nighttime lane closures Sunday, June 19 through Thursday, June 23 for construction activities.

All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.

Blue Wahoos Foiled in Finale, But Move One Step Closer To Division Title

New Traffic Signal Now Active At Highway 95A, Old Chemstrand Road

A new traffic signal is now active at Highway 95 at Old Chemstrand Road in Gonzalez.

The Escambia County  project, funded by about $330,000 in Local Open Sales Tax (LOST) included the installation of sidewalks and pedestrian signals in each corner for future expansion.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Woman Crashes Vehicle Into Ravine At Cypress Lakes Golf Club

A woman was rescued Saturday after her vehicle plunged into a ravine at the Cypress Lakes Golf Club on Old Chemstrand Road.

The vehicle was some 30 feet down in a ravine off a gravel service road on the north side of of the golf course. Firefighters had to cut down several trees to reach the vehicle.

The woman was airlifted to an area hospital by medical helicopter.

Further details were not available.

Pictured: An Escambia County Fire Rescue Special Operations Team stands by at the Cypress Lakes Golf Club on Old Chemstrand Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Tate High FFA’s Jaxson Stafford Named Florida’s 2022 State Star Farmer

Jaxson Stafford of the Tate High School FFA chapter was named the Florida FFA’s 2022 State Star Farmer.

The State Star Farmer Award is the longest standing award in Florida FFA history and is designed to recognize the student with the best production Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) in the state.  The member must demonstrate outstanding achievement, active FFA participation and an exemplary scholastic record.

“My roots can be traced back many generations in production agriculture in northwest Florida and south Alabama. It has always been a personal goal of mine to learn by doing as I proceed forward in the industry,” Stafford said.

Stafford began working at an early age both in the hay field and with cattle. He began learning about the hay business from his grandfather before venturing out to start his own business.

He now oversees every aspect of the hay production process from planting, fertilization management, pest control management and harvest. He conducts regular testing to ensure that he is incorporating the proper amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for optimal production.

In addition to his role in the field, Stafford’s other responsibilities include equipment maintenance and repair, record keeping, financial management and customer relations.

Since he started his business, Stafford has grown his operation to over 50 acres of Bahia grass which he markets to the surrounding communities.

Stafford’s Agricultural Education teacher at Tate was Austin Courson, and FFA Advisors include Courson, Melissa Gibbs, Kristi Wise, Richard Coleman and Matthew Clem.

The State Star Farmer Award was announced during the 94th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo at the Caribe Royale in Orlando.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

FWC Law Enforcement Report: Fishing Violations, Vehicles In Clay Pit

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following recent activity:

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Specialist Long was conducting resource and safety inspections while on water patrol and on two separate occasions, found anglers to be in possession of short gray triggerfish. Gray triggerfish have a minimum size requirement of 15 inches to the fork. Both individuals were cited accordingly.

Officers Burkhead and Allgood were conducting resource inspections at Navy Point boat ramp when they observed a charter vessel returning from fishing. During their inspection, the officers observed several fish which appeared to be undersized. They measured the fish and determined that there were two undersized vermillion snapper and one undersized gray triggerfish. Officer Burkhead issued the captain a notice to appear citation for the violations. This was the second time in less than a month this vessel and captain possessed undersized fish.

Lieutenant Lambert and K-9 Handler/Officer Specialist Hutchinson received information about a possible illegal turkey hunting violation. They arrived at a large track of land where the violation was taking place. Officer Hutchinson deployed K-9 Zara to conduct an area search of the property. While searching, Zara located a bait site that had cracked corn lying on the ground and a fresh set of boot tracks. Zara began tracking and later located a food plot with a game feeder containing scratch feed. While searching the woods surrounding the food plot, they contacted the suspect. After a short interview, Lieutenant Lambert and Officer Hutchinson followed the subject to two other baited locations that he hunted earlier in the morning. The subject admitted to hunting turkeys within 100 yards from a bait site. At one of the baited sites the subject’s cell phone was found where he had been sitting. This was approximately 25 yards from a large amount of distributed corn. During the investigation, they discovered that the subject’s father also hunted with him earlier in the morning. After contacting his father and interviewing him, both subjects were issued the appropriate citations for the violations.

Officer Cushing received a report of several shoreline fisherman taking over the bag limit of pompano near Pensacola Beach. Officer Cushing located several fishermen on the beach that matched the description. After observing the fisherman actively harvesting pompano for a substantial period, Officer Cushing contacted them as they were returning to their vehicles. One of the subjects had nine pompano in his beach cooler and four more in his truck cooler putting him seven over the bag limit. Another fisherman returning to his vehicle was in possession of twelve pompano. Citations were issued to both subjects.

Officer Allgood was on patrol when he observed a male fishing. Officer Allgood conducted a resource and license inspection. When Officer Allgood ran the subject for a fishing license check, he determined that he did not have a fishing license. It also showed the individual had an active warrant in Escambia County for failure to appear. Officer Allgood arrested the subject for the warrant and issued him a resource citation for no valid fishing license.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Lewis was on patrol in Blackwater River State Forest when he observed a vehicle operating off the designated road in a clay pit. Vehicles must operate on named or numbered roads in the forest. After speaking with the driver, the officer ascertained that there were three other vehicles off-roading in the clay pit. The officer wrangled up the vehicles and learned that two of the vehicles contained open containers of alcohol. One of the vehicles did not have a license plate, one had an expired tag, and one of the driver licenses was expired. While dealing with these four vehicles the officer observed another vehicle doing donuts on a nearby forest road. Officer Lewis was able to quickly contact the driver of that vehicle and had the driver park with the group of other vehicles. The officer learned that the driver of the vehicle doing donuts had a suspended driver’s license. While Officer Lewis was dealing with the five vehicles another vehicle unlawfully entered the clay pit. Officer Lewis contacted the driver of the fifth vehicle and found that the driver did not possess a driver’s license. Officer Lewis subsequently issued eight citations and five warnings for the violations.

Officers Lewis, Lugg, Hutchinson, and Roberson were on patrol in Blackwater State Forest and received information about alcohol violations in a camping area that had approximately 30 people. The forest does not allow alcohol on the premises. Officers arrived on scene and observed multiple violations including alcohol, glass containers near a water way, and litter. The officers issued 12 citations and three warnings.

Escambia County Unemployment Rate Unchanged

The Escambia County unemployment level held steady last month, according to newly released data from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

The unemployment rate in Escambia County was 2.5% in May, unchanged from April.. That represented 3,803 people out of work out of a county workforce of 149,377. One year ago, Escambia County’s unemployment rate was 4.5%, or 6,541 people.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Pensacola area gained 7,700 private sector jobs (+4.9 percent) over the year in May 2022. The Pensacola area labor force increased by 7,391 over the year, a 3.2 percent increase.

The industries gaining the most jobs over the year were trade, transportation, and utilities (+2,000 jobs), and leisure and hospitality (+1,800 jobs).

Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.0 percent in May 2022, unchanged from the April 2022 rate, and down 1.9 percentage points from a year ago.

Hot Saturday Night For The Wahoos With Their Fifth Straight Win

Jeff Lindgren overcame a rocky first inning and delivered yet another quality start on Saturday night, helping the Pensacola Blue Wahoos win their fifth in a row over the Tennessee Smokies by a score of 5-3.

Lindgren (W, 1-1) allowed the first four batters of the ballgame to reach base, and fell behind quickly on a two-run double from Matt Mervis, but rebounded for his fifth quality start in seven appearances for the Blue Wahoos this season. The righty struck out a season-high nine batters to earn his first Double-A win of the year.

The Blue Wahoos maintained their 4.5-game lead in the South Division with 7 to play in the first half. A combination of three Blue Wahoos wins or Biloxi losses will clinch Pensacola’s first playoff berth since 2019 and their first division title since 2017.

In front of a sellout crowd, the Blue Wahoos answered quickly in the bottom of the first with five runs against Tennessee starter Riley Thompson (L, 0-2). The righty recorded just one out, allowing two-run homers to Troy Johnston and Griffin Conine, before departing. Devin Hairston added an RBI infield single to score Pensacola’s fifth run, enough to last the rest of the ballgame.

The Smokies got a run back in the third on a solo homer from Jake Slaughter, but that would be the final run of the night for either team. Lindgren was relieved by Eli Villalobos, who turned in two scoreless innings of relief, and Colton Hock (S, 6) retired the Smokies in order in the ninth.

At 97 degrees, Saturday’s first pitch temperature was the hottest of the season for the Blue Wahoos.

by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Copyright © 2007-2019 NorthEscambia.com · P.O. Box 1207 · Century, FL 32535 · All Rights Reserved.