More COVID-19 Inmate Positives At Century Prison; Testing Ramps Up By Tenfold
August 2, 2020
COVID-19 cases have once again increased at Century Correctional Institution, and as of Saturday testing at CCI has been ramped up to a level previously unseen during the pandemic.
Two more inmates were reported as positive on Saturday, for a total of six, and the number of positive staff members remained at 20.
On Friday, FDC reported 13 other inmates tested, but on Saturday that number jumped to to reflect a total of 127 inmate tests. Three inmates are in medical isolation, and the number of prisoners on medical quarantine increased to 391.
Inmates in medical quarantine are monitored by health services staff and receive temperature checks twice a day for signs of fever. If an inmate begins experiencing symptoms indicative of COVID-19, FDC will place the inmate in medical isolation and a COVID-19 test will be administered.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Here Are This Week’s Road Construction Problem Spots
August 2, 2020
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- · Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Aug 2:
o Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
o Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90)– Drivers traveling Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 Overpass and U.S. 29 traffic between I-10 and Nine and Half Mile Road may experience alternating lane shifts or closures as crews continue drainage and pavement operations.
- East Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90A) Safety Improvements from north of Palafox Street to Chemstrand Road -Crews will begin installing maintenance of traffic devices Monday, Aug. 3. To help minimize traffic impacts, lane closures will not be allowed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be no eastbound lane closures within the Escambia County Transit bus stop zone, North Palafox Street and Chandler Street, from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- I-110 Striping Operations– Motorists will encounter intermittent north and southbound lane closures from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5 as crews stripe the on and off-ramps.
- Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90) Widening from Pine Forest Road (S.R. 297) to U.S. 29- Fowler Avenue north of Nine Mile Road will remain closed until 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 for reconstruction activities. Traffic will be detoured to West Nine & Half Mile Road and Cove Avenue.
- · U.S. 29 Resurfacing from south of Muscogee Road (County Road 184) to Atmore Highway (S.R. 97)- Motorists can expect intermittent daytime lane restrictions as crews continue construction activities at various locations.
- · Michigan Avenue (S.R. 296) Safety Improvements at Mobile Highway and Memphis Avenue- Construction activities continue at the intersections of Mobile Highway and Memphis Avenue. Crews are working during daytime hours, however, operations that require lane restrictions will take place at night.
- · Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) Intersection Improvements at New Warrington Road (S.R. 295) – Construction activities continue. Drivers can expect lane closures between 9:30 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Santa Rosa County:
- · Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Aug 2:
o Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
o Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- S.R. 87 Resurfacing from Clear Creek to S.R. 4- Drivers can expect intermittent daytime lane closures along the 14-mile corridor through fall 2020 as crews perform paving operations.
- U.S. 90 Pavement Marking Operations from Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281) to the Okaloosa County Line-Motorists can expect minor delays Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Thursday, Aug. 27 as slow-moving vehicles are used to perform pavement marking operations.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Pictured: The southbound Highway 29 on-ramp from Nine Mile Road is now open. Crews will begin converting the former southbound on and off-ramps into frontage roads. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Here’s The Very Latest On Tropical Storm Isaias
August 2, 2020
Here’s the latest on Isaias, which has weakened to a tropical storm.
There are no direct local impacts expected on Northwest Florida or South Alabama. Our local North Escambia area forecast for the Sunday calls for mostly sunny with those typical afternoon showers.
The latest information on Isaias is in the graphics on this page.
Mostly Sunny And Hot For Sunday, Chance Afternoon Showers
August 2, 2020
For the latest on Isaias, click here.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. Calm wind.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. Calm wind.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 91.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 93.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 72.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Escambia Increases Just 99 COVID-19 Cases On Sunday, No New Deaths
August 2, 2020
THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE VERY LATEST.
The number of COVID-19 cases reported in Escambia County topped 8,000 on Sunday as, for the first time in more than a week, there were no new deaths reported in the two-county region.
Escambia County cases increased 99 to 8,007. An additional 55 cases brought the Santa Rosa County total to 3,454. While the daily increases dropped, the number of test results reported also dropped.
Of the 879 tests results returned on Saturday in Escambia County, 8.9% were positive, and 12.4% were positive from 345 tests in Santa Rosa County. Over the past week, the overall average positivity rate for Escambia County is 12.1%.
There were 217 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Escambia County as of Sunda, according to data from the three local hospitals.
Of the 97 deaths in Escambia County, 59 have been long-term care facility residents or staff. There have been 22 deaths in Santa Rosa County, seven of those at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility and three in a long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there were 487,132 cases including 484,668 Florida residents. There have been 27,150 hospitalizations* and 7,084 deaths. The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals.
Escambia County cases:
Total cases — 8,007 (+99 since Saturday)
Non-Florida residents — 846
Pensacola — 6,270 (+73)
Cantonment — 591 (+7)
Molino— 91
Century — 71 (+6)
McDavid — 39
Bellview — 10
Walnut Hill — 9
Gonzalez — 8
Perdido Key — 4
Current hospitalizations: 217 (-17)
Deaths — 97
Male — 3,135
Female — 3,898
Youngest — 0
Oldest — 105
Median Age — 38
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases — 3,454 (+55 since Saturday)
Non-Florida residents — 24
Milton — 1,944 (+32)
Gulf Breeze — 505 (+11)
Navarre — 401 (+6)
Pace — 254 (+4)
Jay — 91 (+2)
Bagdad — 7
Cumulative Hospitalizations — 161*
Deaths — 24 (+2)
Male — 2,006
Female — 1,409
Youngest — 2 months
Oldest — 101
Median Age — 39
Florida cases:
Total cases — 480,028
Florida residents — 474,621
Deaths — 7,022
Hospitalizations — 26,972*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
Alabama High Speed Chase Ends With Fatal Crash In Cantonment
August 1, 2020
A high speed chase of a stolen vehicle that began in Bay Minette ended with a fatal crash some 60 miles away in Cantonment Saturday morning.
The chase ended on Highway 29 in Cantonment near the Companion Animal Clinic when the driver entered the median, lost control and traveled off the roadway into a tree, according to a witness. The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene by Escambia County EMS.
The Florida Highway Patrol said investigators were not able identify the suspect on scene because he had no identification on his person.
For a photo gallery from the crash scene, click here.
The owner of the truck told NorthEscambia.com that he was inside the Jet Pep convenience store on Highway 31 near Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette when the clerk asked if that was his truck being driven away.
Bay Minette Police said one of their officers spotted the stolen vehicle near McMeans Avenue and West 7th Street.
“The officer attempted to stop the suspected stolen vehicle and the driver of that vehicle refused to stop. A vehicle pursuit was initiated,” Bay Minette Police said in a statement. “The pursuit continued into Escambia Florida, where the suspected stolen vehicle contacted a Bay Minette patrol car. This contact caused the stolen vehicle to lose control and strike a tree on Highway 29 in Escambia County Florida….During the vehicle pursuit the driver of the stolen vehicle struck two Bay Minette Police cars multiple times intentionally.”
Bay Minette Police and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office chased the king cab Chevrolet pickup truck out of Bay Minette and into Escambia County, Alabama. Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said his department was notified of the chase, and one of his officers followed at a safe distance on Highway 31 from Cindebran Drive and south on Main Street to the Florida line.
Video obtained by NorthEscambia.com (posted below), shows Bay Minette Police and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office continuing to chase the vehicle south on Highway 97. The FHP said the Bay Minette Police Department was the lead agency on the chase.
Witnesses also told NorthEscambia.com that the chase traveled into Cottage Hill on Williams Ditch Road and onto Wishbone Road, a dead end street. That’s where the truck was temporarily blocked in by a black law enforcement vehicle. Witnesses said the driver then turned around and headed directly toward an struck a Bay Minette officer’s Tahoe.
Another witness said that a “black tahoe” and other black law enforcement vehicles were directly behind the truck when it wrecked on Highway 29. Sgt. Melanie Peterson of the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office said that ECSO assisted but did not participate directly in the chase.
The vehicle owner described the suspect only as a white male.
“I didn’t get a good look at him,” the owner of the truck said. “I just saw him drive away.”
At the time he spoke exclusively to NorthEscambia.com, the truck’s owner said he had not yet been contacted by police, but he had about the crash.
“The keys were in the vehicle,” he said. “…But things always have a way of working themselves out.”
The investigation into the crash is continuing by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
7-Year Old Shot And Killed In Pensacola Saturday Morning
August 1, 2020
A 7-year old girl was shot and killed in Pensacola Saturday morning, likely by another child.
Pensacola Police said it happened in the 600 block of North “B” Street where the victim was found on the front porch of a home.
Police said the victim was possibly shot by another small child.
One person was detained after he was found hiding in the yard of the home and was chased by officers. His role in the incident is unclear at this time, and he is being questioned in connection with it.
Pensacola Police are continuing their investigation and have not released further information.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
More Inmates And Staff Test Positive For COVID-19 At Century Prison
August 1, 2020
More inmate and staff COVID-19 cases as Century Correctional Institution have been reported by the Florida Department of Corrections.
There are now four positive inmate cases, up three from the first case reported earlier in the week. Four additional correctional workers have tested positive for a total of 20.
There have been 13 other inmates tested since the start of the pandemic. Ten were negative and three are awaiting results. As of Friday evening, there were three inmates held in medical isolation and 269 in medical quarantine, according to FDC.
Inmates in medical quarantine are monitored by health services staff and receive temperature checks twice a day for signs of fever. If an inmate begins experiencing symptoms indicative of COVID-19, FDC will place the inmate in medical isolation and a COVID-19 test will be administered.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Sends Crews To Restore Power After Hurricane Isaias
August 1, 2020
Nearly 70 Gulf Power lineworkers and support personnel are headed to help restore power after Hurricane Isaias passes the Atlantic coast of Florida.
Gulf Power will help Florida Power & Light recover from the potential impact of Hurricane Isaias, which is currently forecast to brush the east coast of Florida. Even if the storm does not make landfall, winds and feeder bands could cause outages, flooding and other damage.
We understand how difficult it is, especially during these unprecedented times, to be without power, and what a critical role electricity plays to provide comfort for those at home and to help communities get back up and running,” said Marlene Santos, president of Gulf Power. “We will take all necessary measures to keep our crews safe and well as they work to restore power, as well as the communities that we will be working in. We stand ready to assist our FPL family in any way possible.”
The crews will follow COVID-19 safety guidelines to keep everyone safe, including social distancing, increased sanitation measures and wearing masks where appropriate. In addition, the crews are planning to be self-sufficient to limit contact with other teams. Signs on trucks remind the public to honor the 6 feet social distancing requirements that help keep the crews safe while they work.
Nearly 70 Gulf Power lineworkers and support personnel are headed east in advance of the storm so that they can get to work as soon as the storm has passed. Traveling with the team is Gulf Power’s new community response vehicle, which can serve as a mobile command center for the crews as well as a charging station for customers that are without power. The Gulf Power team joins resources from other out-of-state energy companies to ensure customers of its sister company FPL get their power back on safely and as quickly as possible.
Gulf Power has also released approximately 120 contractors who can also assist the FPL team, including debris removal and power restoration needs.
No Word On Injuries In Cantonment Rollover Wreck
August 1, 2020
There was no word on injuries in a rollover crash Friday evening in Cantonment.
The crash was reported about 6:40 p.m. on Pine Top Lane near Well Line Road. A SUV found overturned off the roadway in a brushy area. No one was around the vehicle, and the crash had apparently happened earlier in the afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released further details. Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
