Community Health Announces New COVID-19 Testing Schedule
January 18, 2021
Community Health Northwest Florida is changing their COVID-19 mobile testing schedule effective Tuesday.
Testing will be available as follows:
Cantonment Pediatrics – PCR (molecular) Send Off and Rapid Testing.
- Weekdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., drive thru.
- No prescreen required for send-off test.
- Prescreening and an appointment is required for rapid test. Contact the Ascension Sacred Heart call center at (850) 746-2684.
Brownsville Community Center – Rapid Testing Only
- Weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., drive thru.
- Contact the Ascension Sacred Heart call center at (850) 746-2684.
Community Health, 2315 West Jackson Street – PCR (molecular) Send Off Testing Only
- Weekdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., drive thru.
- No prescreening or appointment required.
For more information, call Community Health Northwest Florida at (850) 436-4630.
Clear, Down Near Freezing Tonight
January 18, 2021
Here is your official Martin Luther King, Jr. Day forecast from NorthEscambia.com:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 32. Calm wind.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Calm wind.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of rain after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Rain likely, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 56. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 65. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of rain, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 49.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Local Legislative Delegation Meets Tuesday To Discuss ECUA, Local Funding Requests
January 18, 2021
The local legislation delegation will hold a public hearing Tuesday to discuss items that may go before the Florida Legislature this session.
The delegation will consider local bills, including an act that would implement term limits and oversight of the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority. The delegation will discuss legislative action ratifying the negotiated terms, requirements and amounts of the pension plan and collective bargaining agreement between the City of Pensacola and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 707.
Delegation members will also hear presentations from government entities, organizations, and take public comment on proposals for the 2021 regular session of the Florida Legislature.
The meeting will be Tuesday, January 19 from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the Paul Amos Performance Studio at 1000 College Boulevard in Pensacola.
The Escambia County legislative delegation consists of Sen. Doug Broxson, Rep. Michelle Salzman and Rep. Alex Andrade.
No Change To ECUA Schedule Due To MLK Day; Government Offices Closed
January 18, 2021
Here is a look at the government offices that are closed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, and the ECUA sanitation collection schedule.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Below is a listing of Escambia County offices and departments closed Monday, January 18 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
- Escambia County Board of County Commissioners - All departments, including:
- West Florida Public Libraries (All locations – normal hours will resume Tuesday, Jan. 19)
- The Escambia County Animal Shelter will be closed to the public. Animal Control will work emergency calls only.
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- Escambia County Tax Collector
- Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller’s office
- Escambia County Area Transit
- The Supervisor of Elections Office
- Exceptions The Perdido Landfill will be open
ECUA
ECUA business offices will be closed on Monday, January 18, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. However, residential and commercial sanitation collections will be unaffected by the holiday and will be carried out as usual. Customers may contact ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480 for more information.
TOWN OF CENTURY
Town of Century offices will closed Monday, January 18 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
College Baseball Returns To Blue Wahoos Stadium On January 30
January 18, 2021
Blue Wahoos Stadium will host its first baseball games of the new year on Saturday, January 30 as Pensacola State College, nationally-ranked Northwest Florida State College, and Coastal Alabama Community College compete in a three-game day-long tournament.
“This is something special for each program, each team,” Pensacola State coach Brian Lewallyn said. “We’re all happy to be back on the field playing again. We’re so appreciative of this opportunity to play at Blue Wahoos Stadium. I know our players are super excited about it.”
The three-game slate will begin at 11 a.m. with Pensacola State facing Coastal Alabama. Game two will feature Northwest Florida State College against Coastal Alabama. The day of baseball will conclude with Pensacola State taking on Northwest Florida in game three.
Games two and three will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the preceding game. Each game will be seven innings.
Tickets are available now at BlueWahoos.com. General admission tickets are $10 and include admission to all three games. Active duty and veteran military members, seniors (65+), and children (5-12) receive discounted $7 admission. Admission for children under the age of five is free.
Face masks are required at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Guests may remove their face mask when seated to enjoy the games with proper physical distancing from other guests, but masks must remain on when moving about the stadium, when on the concourse, and when entering and exiting the facility.
Turner Maurice Brooks
January 18, 2021
Mr. Turner Maurice Brooks, age 78, passed away on Friday, January 15, 2021 at his home in Atmore, Alabama.
Mr. Brooks was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore, AL. He loved his wife, sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He liked fishing, cooking and was a member of the Cross Point Baptist Church. He was a mechanic with Southland Telephone Company and retired with over 30 years of service. He is preceded in death by his parents, Luther and Daphne Mae Brooks; six brothers and three sisters.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jean Brooks of Atmore, AL; two sons, Rodney (Shannon) Brooks of Nokomis, AL and Jamie Brooks of Atmore, AL; one brother, Jimmy Brooks of Perdido, AL; four sisters-in-law, Sarah Brooks, Maxine Brooks, Lillie Brooks and Collie Brooks; five grandchildren, Brad (Holly) Brooks, Kevin Brooks, Jade Brooks, Ashley (Nick) Priest and Zayden Brooks; four great grandchildren, Andelina Herrah, Nahla Brooks, Nevaeh Martell and Amaya Martell and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.
Funeral services will be held Monday, January 18, 2021 at 2:00 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Pastor Guy Heath officiating.
Burial will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Monday, January 18, 2021 from 12:30 PM until service time at 2:00 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Brad Brooks, Kevin Brooks, Nick Agerton, Troy Emmons, Allen Stacey and Jimmy Brantley.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Howard Weaver, Bruce Day, Dewayne Pruitt and Cody Fowler.
Ervy D. Wenger
January 18, 2021
Our dear Father, Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather, Ervy D. Wenger, was born to Frank and Anna (Dyck) Wenger on February 5, 1927, in McPherson County, Kansas. With his children at his side, he peacefully departed to his reward on January 15, 2021 at the age of 93 years.
Dad received his education at the French School in McPherson County, Kansas. When he was 11 years of age, he gave his heart to the Lord and was baptized on February 22, 1938 into the Church of God in Christ Mennonite, Meridian congregation. He remained faithful to God and the church to the end.
In his young single years, Dad spent some time in 1-W service in California. He talked with fondness of this time. Dad moved to Walnut Hill, Florida, around 1950. Then, on December 26, 1951, he was united in marriage to Velma Schneider at the Meridian congregation in rural Hesston, Kansas. In the earlier years of their marriage, they spent time in service in Roseburg, Oregon. The remainder of their married life was lived in Walnut Hill, Florida. Dad grew up on a farm in Kansas and farming continued to be his occupation throughout his life. Mom was a help to Dad in many ways and that included helping Dad with clearing land in the earlier years, picking up many, many sticks, and, later, driving the grain truck to the grain elevator. Dad was a conscientious person who desired to be obedient to God and His will. He, along with Mom endeavored to teach us those values. He treasured service to God and the Church and spent many hours writing and proofreading lessons for the Sunday School quarterly. After Mom passed away in 2011, life was not the same. Dad eventually moved to Oakwood Manor in Brooksville, Mississippi and then, finally, to a memory care home in Pensacola, Florida.
Those left to cherish his memory are two children, one son and one daughter: Dale and wife, Carol of Lobelville, Tennessee, Rachel and husband Kim Holdeman of Walnut Hill, Florida, seven grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren: eight sisters: Ruth Johnson, Moundridge, Kansas, Edith Ensz, Montezuma, Kansas, Verna Schmidt, Brooksville, Mississippi, Vesta Peters and husband Verle, Davisville, Florida, MaryAnn Nickel and husband Jay, Tuscola, Illinois, Martha Koehn and husband Allen, Bowersville, Georgia: three brothers; Maynard Peters and wife Vera, Stapleton, Georgia, John Wenger and wife Kathleen, Walnut Hill, Florida, and Glenn Wenger and wife Kay from Faunsdale, Alabama. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Velma, six brothers and sisters: Harry Wenger, Alice Miller, Elda Koehn, Josephine Jantz, Paul Wenger, Grace Diller, and Alice Dyck.
The funeral service will be held at 3 pm. at Walnut Hill Mennonite Church, Walnut Hill, Florida on Monday, January 18, 2021, with visitation starting at 2 pm. The ministers presiding are Verle Peters, opening remarks, Brian Decker, the message, and Franklin Wenger at the graveside. Burial will follow at Walnut Hill Memorial Gardens.
213 Additional COVID-19 Cases Reported In Escambia County
January 18, 2021
THIS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
There were 213 new COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths reported in Escambia County Sunday by the Florida Department of Health.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 27,455 (+213)
Non-Florida residents: 2,957
Recovered: 22,946*
Total deaths: 448
Long-term care facility deaths : 188
Current hospitalizations: 276
Number of tests reported last day: 1,250
Percent positive reported last day: 13.1%
Percent positive reported last week: 17.4%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 20,188 (+57)
Cantonment: 2,459 (+11)
Century: 1,082 (+3)
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 347 (+7)
McDavid: 170 (+1)
Walnut Hill: 47
Bellview: 43
Perdido Key: 18
Gonzalez: 11
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 13,803 (+105)
Non-Florida residents: 174
Total deaths: 177
Long-term care facility deaths: 50
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 644*
Number of tests reported day: 415
Percent positive reported last day: 20.5%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 6,582 (+42)
Navarre: 2,733 (+25)
Gulf Breeze: 2,509 (+25)
Pace: 1,113 (+10)
Jay: 417 (+1)
Bagdad: 29 (+2)
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,571,279
Florida residents: 1,542,567
Deaths: 24,137
Hospitalizations: 67,997*
*“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 as a result, 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.
Robert Young Cotton
January 18, 2021
Robert Young Cotton, 85, of Atmore, AL passed away on January 10, 2021 after a lengthy battle with COPD. Mr. Cotton was born in Brewton, AL on October 10, 1935. He served his country in the U.S. Army. He retired as a chemical operator from Monsanto after 35+ years of employment. He was a member of the Oak Grove Church of Christ.
Mr. Cotton is preceded in death by his parents, King David Cotton and Evelyn Lanier-Cotton; daughter, Vicky Lynn Bell; brother, John Cotton and sisters, Mable Edmiston, Ann Beasley and Marjorie Troutman. Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Katie Cotton; two children, Carol Dreadin (Glen) of Huxford, AL and Stephanie Conway (Chris) of Bon Secour, AL; two brothers, Stacy Cotton (Suzanne) of Covington, GA and Gene Cotton (JoAnn) of Robinsonville, AL; sister, Linda Helton (Don) of Atmore, AL; six grandchildren, MAJ Benjamin Daniel (Ann Heathe), Russell O’farrell, MAJ Steven O’farrell (Raquel), Lee Cruit (Michelle), Les Cruit (Pam) and Allison Clark (Josh), along with twelve great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be held Monday, January 18, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.at Serenity Gardens Cemetery in Atmore, AL with Pastor Billy Randolph and Pastor Brad Sullivan officiating. Active pallbearers will be Ronnie Berry, Travis Berry, Travis Harrison, Frank Smarr and Chris Conway.
The family would like to thank Kindred Hospice for their wonderful care and support. For the safety of you and others, please practice social distancing requirements, though wearing a facial mask is strongly encouraged.
Legendary Football Coach Carl Madison Honored On His 90th Birthday
January 17, 2021
Legendary high school football coach Carl Madison celebrated his 90th birthday Saturday surrounded by former players and colleagues, friends and guests at Hillcrest Baptist Church.
Madison led the Tate Aggies to a 1980 state championship and took the Pine Forest Eagles to two state championships in 1987 and 1988. He is one of the all-time winningest high school coaches in the nation.
“I’m just proud of it. I appreciate all of them coming and doing the things that they’ve done,” Madison said Saturday. “Hell, I never dreamed of this.”
Madison sits at number two on Florida’s all-time football coaching victories list with a 326-129-7 record.
“I can recall Coach Madison saying, ‘wanting to win is not good enough. You’ve got to hate to lose. It has to burn in your gut.’ That has stuck with me since,” remarked Steve Campbell, former head football coach at the University of South Alabama.
He led the Tate Aggies to a 1980 state championship, and took the Pine Forest Eagles to two state championships in 1987 and 1988. The 1988 Eagle team was named as national champions by USA Today, and Madison earned the title of the National High School Football Coach of the Year. All in all, he coached at five different Florida High Schools including Ernest Ward, plus three out of state schools.
“He was not only my high school football coach, or the head coach I ended up starting my educational career under, he is my friend,” said Keith Leonard, current assistant superintendent of Human Resource Services for the Escambia County School District. “He’s my mentor, someone I care very, very deeply about. I love him.”
His football days began early at Escambia County High School in Atmore where he played tailback under Coach Herbert Barnes from 1945 to 1947, making him one of Atmore’s semi-famous “Barnes Boys” with 30 straight wins. After a stint in the Army, from 1950 to 1952, Madison played college ball for Texas Tech and Troy State Teachers College in the mid-1950s.
Fresh out of college, Madison coached for four years beginning in 1957 at Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill. He moved to Milton High in 1961, coaching them to a state championship and 34 straight victories. He then took a coaching job at a Georgia High School, losing a state championship game in 1968.
Madison joined the coaching staff at Tate in 1971 on his way to winning that 1980 state championship. He left Tate in 1983, heading to Pensacola High for a couple of years. Then it was off to Pine Forest and those back-to-back state championships. He coached at an Albany, Georgia, school, another 10 years at Milton High and another short period at PHS during the period from 1989 until 2002.
“Coach Madison was like a father figure to many of us even though he may not have known it at the time,” said Mike Bennett, head football coach at Escambia High School. “As players, he treated us all the same; no favorites. He taught me about being punctual and accountable. We still talk from time to time. I treasure those conversations. He’s an amazing man.”
In 2002, he took the head coach job at the small Jackson Academy in Alabama. The then 71-year old took over a team that had gone 0-10 prior to his arrival. He lost his first two games at Jackson, but he went on to win the state championship. The following year, Jackson was undefeated and won another state championship.
In 2009, Madison briefly came out of retirement to once again take to the field at Tate, this time as an offensive consultant.
“Trust me, being his nephew and his quarterback was not very fun for me quite often,” said Scotti Madison, Vanderbilt University Hall of Fame inductee and All-American. “It wasn’t practice; it was perfect practice. Every day, over and over again. Other than my father however, he was the most important man in my life.”
The Escambia County School Board will consider a resolution at their January 19, 2021, meeting to name the Tate High football field as “Carl Madison Field.” The stadium will continue to be known as the Pete Gindl Stadium.
Photos by WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
