Escambia Academy Takes Battle On The Line 27-22 Over Northview (With Photo Gallery)
October 3, 2020
The Escambia County Cougars defeated the Northview Chiefs 27-22 Friday night in Canoe, Alabama.
The two schools are just a few miles apart, separated by the Alabama-Florida state line. They’ve met twice before in the Battle on The Line. In 2016 Northview beat EA 21-14 in Bratt. Then in 2017, Escambia Academy again traveled to Northview and went home with a 41-14 win.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Friday night, the Cougars jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a quarterback keeper by Landon Sim with 6:25 left in the first, a lead they held all the way through halftime.
Thee Chiefs answered in the second half with a 64-yard pass from Northview QB Kaden Odom to Logan Bryan. The extra point was no good. Minutes later Odom found Jayden Jackson for an 81-yard touchdown. With a good 2-point conversion, the Chiefs were back on top in Canoe, 14-7.
Jackson’s second touchdown of the night was a 51-yard run early in the fourth.
EA’s Bubba Nettles and Sims had two touchdown each.
The Chiefs had the ball in the final minute of the fourth when Malik Haynes sealed the win for the Cougars when he picked off a pass from Odom with 40 seconds on the clock.
Northview (1-1) will be on the road at Walton next week, while Escambia Academy (5-1) will be at home against Autauga Academy.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Man Killed In Santa Rosa Crash
October 3, 2020
An Escambia County man was killed in a Santa Rosa County wreck on Thursday.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 68-year old Pensacola man driving a pickup truck with a utility trailer ran a red light at Highway 87 and Hickory Hammock Road near Milton. He collided with a silver GMC pickup truck. The driver , a 57-year old man from Pensacola, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The 68 year old man and his passenger were not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol no longer releases the names of individuals involved in traffic crashes.
Friday Night Football Finals
October 3, 2020
Here are North Escambia area high school football scores:
FLORIDA
- Tate 13, Pensacola High 6 [Story, photo gallery...]
- Escambia Academy 27, Northview 22 [Story, photo gallery...]
- West Florida 31 Catholic 0
- Escambia 28, Washington 20
- Baker 18, Jay 13
- Milton 28, Pace 0
- Navarre 35, Gulf Breeze 21
- Pine Forest – OPEN
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 35, Bayside Academy 17
- Escambia Academy 27, Northview 22
- T.R. Miller 59, Excel 20
- St. Michael Catholic at W.S. Neal (rescheduled for Oct. 16)
- Vigor 19, Escambia County 0 (Thursday)
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Details: FEMA Individual Assistance In Escambia County
October 2, 2020
Escambia County has received a FEMA Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance.
This declaration will allow those who have been impacted by Hurricane Sally to apply for the Individuals and Households Program. With this announcement, families impacted by Hurricane Sally now have access to critical FEMA programs, including housing assistance, crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance, Small Business Administration (SBA) assistance, disaster legal services and case management.
Related Story: FEMA Individual Assistance Approved For Northwest Florida
When a disaster occurs, this program provides grant money and services to people in the declared area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are underinsured or not covered by insurance. To file a claim for assistance, you must first register with FEMA in one of the following ways:
- Call 1-800-621-3362 (TTY# 1-800-462-7585)
- Register online at www.disasterassistance.gov
- Download the FEMA app on your mobile device and register using the app.
Typically potential applicants can begin registering within a few hours after a declaration is issued. FEMA will verify eligibility and need before assistance is offered.
Details on what is covered by Individual Assistance can be found here. It is important to understand that by law, FEMA assistance cannot duplicate the assistance you receive from your insurance company, but you may receive assistance for items not covered by insurance.
FEMA does not offer assistance for your secondary home. Federal guidelines only allow FEMA to provide housing assistance when your primary residence is impacted by a presidentially-declared disaster.
If you received a letter from FEMA that says you’re ineligible for assistance, that’s not the last word. Providing more information may change FEMA’s decision. Read quick facts about why FEMA may have found you ineligible here.
FEMA Individual Assistance Approved For Northwest Florida
October 2, 2020
FEMA Individual assistance has been approved for Hurricane Sally victims in Florida.
Public assistance had already been approved from the two counties for government infrastructure, including direct federal assistance, for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
Individual assistance from FEMA helps people, providing federal funds for home repairs, temporary housing, and additional programs for individuals and businesses.
Rep. Matt Gaetz said much of the delay in approving the individual assistance was because so much of the damage from Hurricane Sally was flooding that was not immediately apparent to federal officials that toured the area.
“Flooding events are different that windstorms,” Gaetz told NorthEscambia.com. “In windstorms it is easy to get a fast declaration for individual assistance when you look from the sky and road. But after a flooding event, it can look pretty normal, but you have to get inside and see the damage.”
Gaetz said he was notified Friday morning that the individual assistance has been approved for Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.
Escambia County launched a public push on NorthEscambia.com asking individuals to submit their damage photographs and damage stories that were passed on to federal officials. That allowed those officials to get a much closer look at the damage, including flooding damage inside homes.
“We are absolutely thrilled FEMA individual assistance will be available for Escambia County residents,” Escambia County Commission Chairman Steven Barry said. “This gives our residents who are hurting the opportunity to apply for much needed assistance after Hurricane Sally devastated so many homes in Escambia County. I hope this assistance provides some degree of stress relief for those who are in need. On behalf of the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, I would like to thank President Trump, Representative Matt Gaetz, Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as every single federal and state partner for working together with us and for advocating on our behalf on the national level to help our community recover post Hurricane Sally.”
For information on the assistance program, click here.
Burn Ban In Effect For Escambia County
October 2, 2020
A burn ban is in effect in Escambia County until further notice.
The burn ban was issued due the fuel load – the sheer amount of storm debris from Hurricane Sally. Additionally, when it’s burned, it can create adverse medical conditions for those with respiratory problems, according to Escambia Fire Rescue.
The following activities are prohibited by the ordinance in both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county: the carrying out of open burning including, but not limited to, campfires, bonfires, trash burning and other similar forms of incineration.
The following are exempt from the burn ban: outdoor cooking in barbecue grills, smokers or other outdoor stoves located at private residences and businesses, state permitted burns, fire department training, authorized fireworks displays, and fireworks sales allowed by state law.
Click or tap here to read the entire ordinance.
Cantonment Man Facing Charges After Highway 29 Drug Raid
October 2, 2020
A Cantonment man is facing felony drug and weapons charges after a drug raid at a Highway 29 residence Thursday afternoon.
Ashley Gavin Sticken, 23, was charged with drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit and SWAT team executed a search warrant in the 800 block of South Highway 29, just north of Archer Road. A search of the premises located several types of narcotics and firearms, according to ECSO Maj. Andrew Hobbs. Sticken was taken into custody after the raid.
According to an arrest report, authorities located a 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine, a .45 caliber firearm with ammunition, a ballistic vest, 72.8 grams of marijuana, 27.4 grams of THC wax, 62.9 grams of Xanax pills, digital scales, a quantity of ecstasy pills, 0.3 grams of LSD strips and $580 in cash.
Sticken’s wife told deputies that her husband deals narcotics to friends from the house, selling to them as they drive up outside the home.
Sticken remained in the Escambia County Jail Friday morning with bond set at $117,500.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Both State Sponsored COVID-19 Testing Sites In Escambia County Have Closed Permanently
October 2, 2020
The two state-sponsored COVID-19 testing sites in Escambia County closed permanently at 5 p.m. Friday.
The sites have operated for months at the University of West Florida and in front of the Publix on Ninth Avenue.
The closures came days after Gov. Ron DeSantis moved Florida into Phase 3 of his reopening plan.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Nikki Fried: Individuals Need Help Now Following Hurricane Sally
October 2, 2020
Updated: Individual Assistance was approved Friday morning.
BY NIKKI FRIED,
FLORIDA COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES
People often say they’ll “never forget” when a major hurricane comes through their town. I certainly can’t forget Hurricane Andrew as a scared teenager in 1992, when it tore through my Miami hometown. The families of the 1,833 souls lost in Hurricane Katrina need no reminder. And residents of the Florida Panhandle absolutely won’t forget Hurricane Michael roaring ashore in 2018, downing an estimated 550 million trees.
Hurricane Sally is no different. Thousands of North Floridians won’t ever forget it. But our federal government is forgetting them.
As the Category 2 storm dumped up to thirty inches of rain across the region along with 105-mph winds, it became clear that not only homes and businesses would be imperiled, but also hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, drowning millions of crops.
Helping people recover in the immediate aftermath of major disasters like hurricanes is exactly what the federal government is supposed to do, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal partners. They provide not only the blankets and tarps, but the financial assistance needed to help communities get back on their feet.
But this time might be different. For the first time in modern U.S. history, it appears that federal help for individuals might not be coming. It’s completely inexplicable.
When President Trump issued a Major Disaster Declaration a week after the storm on September 23, it was narrowly tailored to send federal aid for debris removal and infrastructure only to local governments, and only in Escambia County. This leaves out not only the dozen other North Florida counties impacted by Hurricane Sally, but also local residents themselves needing help, including farmers facing 100 percent losses.
It defies reason. Local leaders are exasperated. State Senator Doug Broxson called it “very disappointing.” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson noted people “have nowhere else to go” for help with food. Escambia County Commission Chairman Steven Barry said it’s “unfair to our citizenry.” Residents called it “a slap in the face.” They’re all correct.
The very next day I reiterated my request to the President, asking him to expand his Major Disaster Declaration to provide aid not only to all of the region’s affected counties, but to the men and women who live and work here, suffering and needing help. There’s simply no reason why he should turn his back on Americans in their time of need.
Meanwhile, the region’s farms remain drenched, with 100,000 acres each of peanuts, cotton, and hay impacted by the storm, as well as 10,000 acres of corn, 4,000 acres of horse farms, and many other important crops including pecans, walnuts, timber, and aquaculture. Federal aid is critically needed here as well, and fast – but there’s a hold-up.
Federal assistance for farmers can come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through a Secretarial disaster declaration. Under federal law, this must be requested by a Governor, or by the USDA Farm Service Agency’s state director.
I immediately wrote to Governor DeSantis, asking him to request this of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. I asked him again at our meeting of the Florida Cabinet last week. And I wrote to Senators Rubio and Scott, as well as Representatives Dunn, Gaetz, and Lawson, offering our department’s support of additional disaster relief.
Until the Governor properly requests the disaster aid from the USDA, it will be slow in coming, if at all. After waiting two years for Hurricane Michael timber and irrigation grants to be negotiated and bureaucratized, the last thing Panhandle residents and farmers need is another agonizing wait for federal assistance. The scars from those delays remain as real as the 72 million tons of timber felled by that storm.
From floods to hurricanes, North Floridians have been resilient. It’s a testament to their grit and determination. But as leaders, it’s our job to help our people when they need it most. And with agriculture as the Panhandle’s leading industry, the economy won’t recover without timely assistance.
We expect people to be self-reliant, to pick themselves up by their bootstraps. But we pay taxes for a reason. We need the President, the Governor, and the federal government to get to work, get aid to individuals, and get busy helping the Panhandle recover, replant, and rebuild.
We may “never forget” the storm. But neither should we forget what happens next.+
Pictured: Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried talked with local farmers and had a chance to see crop devastation across northern Escambia and Santa Rosa counties Sunday, September 20. NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
Monday Is Voter Registration Deadline For November General Election
October 2, 2020
Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the November 3 general election.
The supervisors of elections in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties stressed that people should not wait until minute during a joint press conference on Thursday.
Each office will have extended hours on Monday for last minute registrations. The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections will hold extended office hours on Monday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Don’t wait until the last minute. Once we get beyond that deadline, if you come in to (register) on October. 6, you will not be able to vote in this general election,” Escambia Supervisor of Elections David Stafford said.
The three supervisors also encouraged those intending to vote by mail to not wait too late to return their ballots. They recommended that ballots be returned by a week before the November 3 election.
“If you get beyond that, you really want to look at hand delivering that ballot either to an early voting site or to our office to make sure it gets in on time,” Stafford said.
Stafford also said two new early voting locations may be coming to Escambia County — one near the fairgrounds and one in Century. The sites will be announced after they are approved by the state.
Pictured: Supervisors of Elections (L-R) Paul Lux of Okaloosa County, Tappie Villane of Santa Rosa County and David Stafford of Escambia County. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.