Tate High’s Lanie Brown Signs With Limestone University’s Acrobatics And Tumbling Team
November 11, 2021
Tate High School senior Lanie Brown signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday afternoon to attend Limestone University.
Brown will be a member of the Limestone University Acrobatics and Tumbling Team. Acrobatics and tumbling is an emerging NCAA Division 1, 2, and 3 sport. It incorporates gymnastics, competitive cheerleading, and weightlifting into a sport of strength and precision.
She has been offered both athletic and academic scholarships at the Gaffney, South Caroline, university.
At Tate, Brown is a member of the varsity cheerleading team, varsity weightlifting team. She holds a 3.91 GPA, is senior class president and founded the Tate High School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapter.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flomaton’s Jalia Lassiter Signs With Ole Miss Softball
November 11, 2021
Flomaton High School three-sport athlete Jalia Lassiter signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday to play softball at the University of Mississippi.
“If she wanted to she could have just as easily signed to play basketball or volleyball, but she has chosen softball and is signing with an SEC school,” Flomaton Principal George Brown said.
FHS volleyball coach and former softball coach Jacqi Hammond, said, “I was there when you were born, I knew this would happen one day.”
Jalia’s mother Cassie was also a three-sport star for the Hurricanes and a member of the 2005 state championship softball team coached by Scott and Jacqi Hammond.
Pictured: : Flomaton High School’s Jalia Lassiter signs National Letter of Intent Wednesday to play soft ball at Old Miss. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
District 5 Cottage Hill Neighborhood Cleanup Collects Over 28 Tons of Debris
November 11, 2021
Escambia County collected and disposed of approximately 28 tons of debris during the District 5 Cottage Hill Neighborhood Cleanup recently. The event allowed residents to leave items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by the county and partnering agencies.
The cleanup resulted in the collection of 21.25 tons of debris, 5.6 tons of yard waste, just over a ton of household hazardous waste, and 432 tires.
The county’s neighborhood cleanup program is hosted by the Escambia County Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program. Local partners include Escambia County Waste Services, Environmental Code Enforcement, Public Works, Animal Services and Road Prison, along with the City of Pensacola Sanitation Department.
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Pictured: A Cottage Hill Cleanup. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Businessman Makes Push For Charter Government In Escambia County
November 10, 2021
A Pensacola businessman made a push before the Escambia County Commission Tuesday for charter government.
“A group of concerned citizens just got together and decided there may be a better way to structure government to be more effective,” downtown resident John Peacock told the commission during a Committee of the Whole meeting. He said the proposal is not an “indictment” of current county government, and is not a “covert attempt to consolidate” or an effort to have a strong county mayor. He said it would have no effect on the Town of Century, the City of Pensacola or constitutional officers.
“It’s no secret that I personally have felt that we should have consolidated years ago,” he said. “This group got together with the intention can we find a better way. We discussed all the different ideas, and several months ago we came to the conclusion that we would like to just pursue and see if a charter was a better option.”
Peacock did not identify the people in what he called “a group of very diverse individuals”.
Reading from a document emailed to individual commissioners last week, he listed Escambia County assets including the Blue Angels, a “historic city on the water”, colleges, airport, hospitals, interstate, large employers, and “plenty of rural land for economic development”.
Peacock requested that his outline be used to form a charter study commission, and if deemed appropriate draft a charter for approval by the commission, legislature and voters.
Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said he would support at-large districts, but never a strong mayor.
“Absolute power corrupts. That person would be the absolute most powerful person in Escambia County,” Bergosh said of a strong mayor form of government. “I don’t want a group of downtown insiders, who can raise a ton of money, to be able to anoint a person to come in here and tell me…we’ve got a different vision.”
“That’s exactly, precisely what would happen, and that’s why I don’t support a strong mayor,” Bergosh concluded.
“This is a process of looking at all of the different charter options and see if there’s a better way.” Peacock responded. “It has nothing to do with the strong mayor concept. That was my original idea; that is still my opinion, just like you have yours. But my opinion is irrelevant to this.
None of the other four commissioners had any comment. Commissioners took no action Tuesday on Peacock’s presentation; they are unable to vote or take formal action at a committee meeting.
Cantonment Man Gets Maximum Sentence For Hit And Run That Killed One Juvenile, Injured Another
November 10, 2021
A Cantonment man has received the maximum sentence of 45 years for hitting two juveniles with his SUV last year on Quintette Road, killing one of them, before fleeing the scene.
Robert William Etheridge II, 59, received 30 years on one count of leaving the scene of a crash involving a death and 15 years for leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury. The sentences will be served consecutively.
About 8 p.m. on April 6, 2020, 12-year old Hailey Locke and 13-year old Rylee Simmons, both students at Ransom Middle School, were on Quintette Road approaching Carrington Lake Boulevard when they were struck by a Ford Escape driven by Etheridge. Troopers said he fled the scene and called the FHP about 24 minutes later to say he thought he had hit a deer.
The windshield was cracked in the crash, but not enough to obscure the driver’s view, according to an arrest report. The area in which the collision occurred was lit with multiple overhead lights, the weather was clear and there was a full moon, FHP said.
When law enforcement responded to his home, Etheridge showed signs of intoxication. The jury determined by their verdict that Etheridge knew, or should have known, that he had collided with people and left the scene of the crash.
Rylee was removed from a life support a little over a week later after his organs were donated.
Pictured top: Rylee Simmons, 13, and Hailey Locke. Photo provided by family for NorthEscambia.com. Pictured below: The crash scene on April 6, 2020. NorthEscambia.com photos.
FEMA Approves Another $1 Million For Escambia Sally Debris Removal
November 10, 2021
The $1,016,712 FEMA grant will go to the state to reimburse the county.
Escambia County employees collected and removed an additional 19,436 cubic yards of vegetative debris and 1,589 tons of construction and demolition debris from public roads and rights of way between November 21, 2020 and February 18, 2021.
Last month, FEMA approved a $13.7 million reimbursement for countywide debris removal.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Ernest Ward Middle Honors Veterans (With Photo Gallery)
November 10, 2021
Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill paused to honor veterans from the across the area Tuesday morning.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
The outdoor program featured the Presentation of Colors from the Northview High School NJROTC Color Guard, a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance from the Ernest Ward SGA, patriotic music from the EWMS Band, a performance of “God Bless the USA” from Pastor Tim Hawsey and Gayle Hanks the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Guest speaker was Lt. Colonel John Eubanks III.
Patriotic wreaths presented to some of the veterans were handmade by the EWMS Family and Consumer Sciences classes, and each one of the hundreds of students had an American flag.
The annual Veterans Day program at Ernest Ward is a longstanding community tradition, held annually (except 2020) for over 25 years. Notably, this was the first year that no World War II veterans in the community attended the event; most have now passed on.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Charged In Escambia County Double Murder
November 10, 2021
Two people are now charged in a double murder Tuesday morning in Escambia County.
Hunter Patrick Carroll, 15, and Nathan Douglas Brown, 18, were charged with two counts of murder each and one count of robbery each.
A man and woman were found dead with multiple gunshot wound inside a vehicle on Waycross Avenue near Stonewall Avenue, south of Gulf Beach Highway, in Warrington.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said the victims were found about 6:45 a.m. Their investigation is ongoing. The victims’ names and other details have not been released.
ECUA Sanitation Truck Rolls Over In Molino; FHP Said Driver Was Traveling Too Fast
November 9, 2021
There were no serious injuries reported when an ECUA sanitation truck rolled over Tuesday afternoon in Molino.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 26-year old female driver was traveling southbound on Highway 29 and attempted to make a right hand turn onto Stout Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos from Gabe Harvell, click to enlarge.
SpaceX Capsule Splashes Down South Of Pensacola; Fireball Seen Across Escambia County
November 9, 2021
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola Monday night aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, completing the agency’s second long-duration commercial crew mission to the International Space Station.
Across Escambia County, residents could see the fireball from the returning spacecraft streak across the sky like a meteor.
“It was cool! Glad I got to witness it,” one NorthEscambia.com reader wrote on our Facebook page. “We saw it coming down from our yard in Walnut Hill,” another reader posted.
“Endeavour, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home to planet Earth,” flight control told the crew after confirmation of splashdown.
“It’s great to be back,” an astronaut replied.
The mission set a record for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crewed spacecraft. The international crew of four spent 199 days in orbit, surpassing the 168 days set by NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission earlier this year.
NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown at 9:33 p.m. south of Pensacola. Crews aboard SpaceX recovery vessels successfully recovered the spacecraft and astronauts. After returning to shore, the astronauts were to fly back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Crew-2 mission launched April 23 on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crew Dragon Endeavour docked to the Harmony module’s forward port of the space station April 24, nearly 24-hours after liftoff.
Kimbrough, McArthur, Hoshide, and Pesquet traveled 84,653,119 statute miles during their mission, stayed 198 days aboard the space station, and completed 3,194 orbits around Earth.
