Ada Mae Lewis Bethea Cox
April 10, 2021
Mrs. Ada Mae Lewis Bethea Cox, age 89, passed away on Thursday, April 8, 2021 in Bluff Springs, FL.
Mrs. Cox was a former resident of Cottage Hill, FL and has resided in Bluff Springs, FL since 2005. She attended the Gospel Light Temple Church. Mrs. Cox retired from TG&Y Department Store where she was the assistant manager there. For her pass time she was an avid quilter, loved crafting and was an avid fisher. She is preceded in death by her two husbands Alvin Bethea and Joe Cox, and a son Joseph Cox.
She is survived by her two sons, Wes Bethea of McDavid, FL; Richard Bethea of McDavid, FL; one stepson, Steven Cox of Pensacola, FL; one daughter, Wanda McCurdy of Bluff Springs, FL; three stepdaughters, Susie Shields of Tallahassee, FL Lisa Shaw of Tallahassee, FL; and Carol Gauthier of Chumuckla, FL. one brother, Eugene Lewis of Bay Springs, FL; one sister, Jeanette Lollie of Cantonment, FL. nine grandchildren, twenty great- grandchildren and seventeen great-great grandchildren and numerous other relatives and many friends.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, April 11, 2021 at 4:00 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Tony Schachle officiating and along with the assistance of Al Bethea and Ricky Bethea.
Burial will follow at the Bay Springs Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Sunday, April 11, 2021 from 3:00 PM until service time at 4:00 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Mark, Neal, Jake, Chris, Paul, Justin and Kendell.
Former Sheriff David Morgan Prefiles To Run For Pensacola Mayor In 2022
April 10, 2021
Former Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan prefiled Friday to run for Pensacola mayor in 2022.
After 12 years as sheriff, Morgan chose not to run during the last election.
Current Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson recently announced that he would not for a second term.
Escambia Records One New COVID-19 Death, 33 More Cases
April 10, 2021
THIS IS ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
There were 33 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death reported Friday in Escambia County
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 35,110 (+33)
Non-Florida residents: 3,639
Recovered: 34,178*
Total deaths: 671 (+1)
Long-term care facility deaths: 280
Current hospitalizations: 20
Number of tests reported last day: 615
Percent positive reported last day: 4.8%
Percent positive reported last week: 4.7%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 26,186 (+32)
Cantonment: 3,157
Century: 1,173
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 487
McDavid: 210
Bellview: 57
Walnut Hill: 53
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 13
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 17,878 (+13)
Non-Florida residents: 232
Total deaths: 279
Long-term care facility deaths: 81
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 867*
Number of tests reported last day: 293
Percent positive reported last day: 4.3%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 8,518 (+13)
Navarre: 3,688 (+3)
Gulf Breeze: 3,319
Pace: 1,439 (+4)
Jay: 548 (+2)
Bagdad: 32
Florida cases:
Total cases: 2,111,807
Florida residents: 2,072,053
Deaths: 33,968
Hospitalizations: 86,706
*“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. Most of these people are longer be 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.
**On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
***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 is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered by Escambia County.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Century Baseball Association Cancels Saturday’s Opening Day Due To Weather
April 9, 2021
The Century Baseball Association has rescheduled their Opening Day that was set for Saturday due to the threat of severe weather.
They are working to reschedule another date for Opening Day. We’ll let you know on NorthEscambia.com when it is set.
Pictured: Opening Day 2019 in Century. The 2020 opening day was canceled due to the pandemic. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
U.S. House Committee on Ethics Launches Investigation Into Allegations Against Matt Gaetz
April 9, 2021
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics confirmed Friday afternoon it will investigate sexual misconduct, drug and bribery allegations against Northwest Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.
The following statement (pictured bottom) was released by the Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics:
“The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct. The Committee, pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a), has begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations.
“The Committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee. No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules.”
Gaetz has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
“Once again, the office will reiterate, these allegations are blatantly false and have not been validated by a single human willing to put their name behind them,” Gaetz said.
Garcon Point Bridge Toll Suspension Extended Again
April 9, 2021
The toll suspension on the Garcon Point bridge has been extended through May9, 2021, the Florida Department of Transportation announced Friday morning.
“The extension allows the Garcon Point Bridge to continue serving as a temporary detour route while the Pensacola Bay Bridge is being repaired from damage sustained during Hurricane Sally,” FDOT said in a news release. The toll suspension was previously set to expire Friday, April 9.
The Pensacola Bay Bridge is expected to open the week of May 31.
County Approves Firefighter’s Idea For Perdido River Boat Ramp For First Responders, Small Personal Craft
April 9, 2021
A volunteer firefighter’s idea to improve response time to victims along the Perdido River was unanimously approved Thursday night by the Escambia County Commission.
The commission approved a gated boat launch at the Otto Hill Recreation Area to allow first responders access to the Perdido River, and provide the public with a place to launch small craft.
Commissioner Steven Barry said the launch was the idea of Mark Butler, who is employed by the county as a road corrections officer and is also a volunteer firefighter in Molino.
“He is intimately familiar with some of the challenges and some of the issues they’ve had trying to get to people that are in dire situations on Perdido River in that area,” Barry told his fellow commissioners. “I want to thank Mark Butler for bringing it to me…It is going to be a very good thing for my constituency…not an expensive thing.
“I consider this to be just as important for water safety in your district as lifeguards out on Pensacola Beach,” Commissioner Doug Underhill told Barry. “And this certainly costs a whole lot less, so outstanding work on this one.”
Escambia County will enter into an interlocal agreement with the Northwest Florida Water Management District, design and build a 10-foot wide boat launch with a gate at the Otto Hill. It will be constructed at the site of a former primitive boat launch. The gate across the launch will prohibit nonessential vehicle access by the public. Gate keys will be provided only to county staff and emergency personnel, water management staff, Escambia Search and Rescue, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
While the public will not have vehicle access to the launch, there will be walk-around space to allow the public to hand launch and retrieve canoes, kayaks and small boats.
The Otto Hill Recreation Area is located at 2401 Jacks Branch Road, just south of Fillingim Landing. It has a pavilion, portable toilet and reservation only campsite in addition to river access.
There are several short hiking trails — one of which leads to a picturesque sandbar approximately 100 yards from the main camp site. Under normal conditions, the river is shallow enough in this area to provide a fantastic swimming spot for children, according to the water district.
A short swim or paddle across the river leads visitors to another sandbar and more sunbathing opportunities.
Pictured: The Otto Hill Recreation Area on the Perdido River off Jacks Branch Road. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Chance Of Severe Storms Overnight
April 9, 2021
A large area of thunderstorms is expected to develop over inland southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama by late tonight eventually evolving into a significant squall line. The tornado threat has increased and the potential for large hail and tornadoes will be possible with any storm that develops out of ahead of this line and/or embedded within the line (a strong tornado cannot be ruled out). The line is expected to track east with time through Saturday middday. Widespread damaging winds up to 80 mph is likely and remains the primary threat.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
This Afternoon: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind around 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1am. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. High near 74. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 78. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
Northview Gets District Walk-off Win Over Paxton In Extra Innings (With Gallery)
April 9, 2021
The Northview Chiefs had a walk-off district win over the Paxton Lady Cats 3-2 in extra innings Thursday night in Bratt.
The game was tied at two in the bottom of the eighth when Kailyn Watson singled on a 3-2 count to score one run. Payton Gilchrist went 3-4 for the night, and Gilmore was 2-3.
Emma Gilmore gave up five hits in eight innings while striking out 11.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
You Can Browse The Shelves At West Florida Libraries Beginning April 15
April 9, 2021
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, patrons will once again be able to browse the shelves at West Florida Public Libraries beginning Thursday, April 15.
Online order pickup is still available. Requests for library materials placed prior to arrival will be retrieved and ready for pickup at your vehicle. Designated online order pickup spaces will be marked. Drive-thru services are closed.
West Florida Public Libraries also increased eBook, eAudiobook and eMagazine titles for electronic access during COVID-19.
Pictured: The Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.