Escambia County To Contact Residents With Incomplete CARES Grant Applications
January 15, 2021
Escambia County is taking a closer look at CARES grant applications that were not approved due to incomplete information.
The Escambia County Commission on Thursday instructed county staff to reach about again to about 2,500 Family CARES Grant applicants who do not have complete information on their application.
Applicants can check their status in an online portal. If the status indicates “Applications Under Review,” the applicant can expect contact from the county.
“The county would like to stress that staff will contact individuals who still need to submit additional paperwork,” said Deputy Administrator Chips Kirschenfeld. “Please do not email or call the county to check on your status because staff needs to concentrate on processing, rather than call taking. Applicants will have two weeks after they are contacted by staff to submit the necessary paperwork.”
The Escambia County Family CARES Grant program application and verification process began back on September 25 of last year. As of December 30, the county had approved 5,736 households for the $3,000 grants totaling over $17 million. In its four-day application window, the county received a higher than anticipated volume of applications with 9,558 households submitting information.
About $1.4 Billion Up For Grabs In Powerball, Mega Millions Drawings
January 15, 2021
The Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have climbed to a combined total of about $1.4 billion. The Mega Millions jackpot rolled to an estimated $750 million, and the Powerball jackpot rolled to about $640 million.
Jackpot winners have the option to receive their winnings in 30 annual installments or as a one-time, lump-sum cash option of approximately $550.6 million for Mega Millions and $478.7 million for Powerball. In addition to the jackpot prize, players can win lower-tier prizes of up to $2 million with Powerball and up to $5 million with Mega Millions.
The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday at 10 p.m., and the next Powerball drawing is 10:50 p.m. Saturday.
Escambia Reports Three Additional COVID-19 Deaths, 365 New Cases
January 15, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
There were three additional COVID-19 deaths and 363 new cases reported Thursday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
Escambia County also set a new daily high of 291 people hospitalized on Thursday; the previous record was 270 set last Saturday.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 26,577 (+365)
Non-Florida residents: 2,876
Recovered: 22,931*
Total deaths: 435 (+3)
Long-term care facility deaths : 182
Current hospitalizations: 291 (+28)
Number of tests reported last day: 1,955
Percent positive reported last day: 14.0%
Percent positive reported last week: 19.0%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 19,516 (+279)
Cantonment: 2,375 (+32)
Century: 1,073 (+4)
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 330 (+1)
McDavid: 164
Walnut Hill: 46
Bellview: 41
Perdido Key: 18
Gonzalez: 11
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 13,337 (+192)
Non-Florida residents: 168
Total deaths: 169 (+5)
Long-term care facility deaths: 44 (+4)
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 623*
Number of tests reported day: 678
Percent positive reported last day: 21.8%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 6,375 (+63)
Navarre: 2,640 (+52)
Gulf Breeze: 2,414 (+44)
Pace: 1,063 (+21)
Jay: 407 (+5)
Bagdad: 27
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,531,192
Florida residents: 1,503,529
Deaths: 23,613
Hospitalizations: 67,036*
*“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.
Estella Rena’ Floyd
January 15, 2021
Estella Rena’ Floyd, 53, of Cantonment FL was called home in the early morning of January 5 2021. Rena was known for her kind spirit and humble heart and had a passion for teaching and cooking. She was employed with the Escambia County School District for over 20 years when she retired from Pine Forest High School
She is survived by three children: Kamisha and Alexzandrea Thompkins, Loucheiz Purifoy.
Funeral services will be Saturday, January 16, 2021 @ 11:30AM at The City of Refuge Bible Center, 614 Muscogee Rd, Cantonment FL.
Lois Yvonne Stuckey
January 15, 2021
Lois Yvonne Stuckey, age 70, of Walnut Hill, FL passed away on January 4, 2021. She was born on May 27, 1951 in Charleston, SC to the Archie Eagerton and Adele Mitchem Ryals. She was a member of Dry Springs Community Church.
She is preceded in death by her father, Archie Eagerton.
She is survived by her husband, Jerry M. Stuckey; her mother, Adele Mitchem Ryals; her children, Pamela “Renee” Boyington of Walnut Hill, FL, Jerry Wayne (Tracy) Stuckey of Walnut Hill, FL, Anthony (Cathy) Stuckey of Castleberry, AL and Clifford (Katrina) Stuckey of McDavid, FL; her brothers, Loisil “Chip” Baker of Lake Martin, AL and Paul (Linda) Ryals of Walnut Hill, FL; her sisters, Althea (Fred) Rudd of Saluda, SC, Geneva
(Leon) Hewett of Jackson Gap, AL, Elaine Herndon of SC and Sherry (Donald) Williamson of Hogansville, GA; twelve grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Friday, January 15, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. John Spence officiating. Interment will follow in Pineville Cemetery in Pineville, FL.
Active pallbearers will be Jerry Wayne Stuckey, Dakota Stuckey, Troy Stuckey, Tony Hadley, Tony Chavers, Steve McCullough and Dustin Boyington.
Visitation will be Friday, January 15, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. until service time at 11:00 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
For the safety of you and others, please practice social distancing requirements, though wearing a facial mask is strongly encouraged.
Elizabeth “Sue” Grimsley
January 15, 2021
Elizabeth “Sue” Grimsley of Molino, FL passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at the age of 74. She was born in Pensacola, FL on Feb. 2, 1946 to the late L. W. Grimsley and Elizabeth Mae Thomas. She graduated from Tate High School in 1964 and Samford University in 1971. Sue was a pharmacist for 40 years. She was a member of Olive Baptist Church and the Joy Sunday School Class. Sue had a servant’s heart and gave to anyone in need.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Sue is survived by her sisters, Sandra (Jim) Moore and Linda (David) Partrick; five nephews, Dave, Earl, Chris, Michael, and Matt; one great niece, MacKenize; three great nephews, Wes, Cameron, and Reece; best friend, Beverly (Bill) Warren and their children, Jennifer and Brandon; and extended family.
Funeral services will be held at 2PM on Fri., Jan. 15, 2021 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home with Pastor Jim Duck officiating. Burial will follow in Enon Cemetery, Walnut Hill, Florida.
The family will receive friends at 1PM prior to services.
Man Critical After Highway 29 Hit And Run Rollover Crash
January 14, 2021
An Escambia County man is in critical condition after an early morning hit and run crash on Highway 29.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 49-year old Pensacola man was traveling south on Highway 29 near Archer about 4:30 a.m. when his SUV was struck from the rear. The SUV traveled across the median intp the northbound lanes and overturned off the roadway.
The man was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital after being extricated from the vehicle.
The FHP said they do not currently have a suspect as they continue their investigation.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County, State Graduation Rates Move Upward
January 14, 2021
Escambia County graduation rates inched up for the last school year, but remained below the state average, according to a recently released Florida Department of Education report.
The report showed a 1.7 percent point increase in Escambia County, while the state average was up an even 3%.
The Class of 2020 graduation rate in Escambia County was 86.5%, continuing steady gains from 76.1% in 2016. The state graduation rate for 2020 was 90%.
West Florida High School’s 99.1% graduation rate was the highest in the county. Graduation rates improved at Escambia, Northview, Tate, Pine Forest and Washington High Schools.
The pandemic disrupted the regular school year for the Class of 2020 in the spring as schools across the state were shuttered and moved to virtual instruction.
The 2020 graduation rate for each Escambia County public school or special center was as follows:
- West Florida High School — 99.1%
- Tate High School — 90.2%
- Escambia High School — 89.5%
- Pine Forest High School — 87.6%
- Pensacola High School — 87.1%
- Northview High School — 86.4%
- Washington High School — 85.8%
- Escambia Virtual Academy — 100%
- Escambia Westgate — 94.1%
- Success Academy — 57.4%
- Camelot Academy — 23.5%
“Though graduation rates are up, I want to be very clear this increase must be understood within the context of the exemptions that were provided in the spring semester to the class of 2020,” Jacob Oliva, chancellor of the state’s K-12 public school system, wrote in an email to school superintendents. “That compassion and grace for our seniors was absolutely necessary, as we took several steps to ensure that our seniors would have support and opportunities to minimize the disruption of the pandemic on their educational journey. However, it limits the interpretation of these results.”
Gulf Power Switches Plant Crist To Natural Gas Delivered Through North Escambia Pipeline, Ending Coal Use
January 14, 2021
Gulf Power’s Plant Crist is now running 100% on natural gas delivered by a pipeline through North Escambia.
Gulf Power, a division Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), ceased coal-fired power generation at its Plant Crist in Escambia County. The plant modernization, which FPL initiated immediately after purchasing Gulf Power from the Southern Company, includes a conversion to run entirely on American-produced, cleaner natural gas – cutting the plant’s carbon emissions rate by 40% and marking the end of Gulf Power’s use of coal to generate energy in Florida.
Converting coal-burning units to run on natural gas was a major piece of the modernization underway at Plant Crist, along with the addition of four new, highly efficient combustion turbines to provide greater reliability and efficiency for the energy grid and a new natural gas pipeline to provide additional natural gas for the plant.
Over the past several months, Gulf Power has installed an underground natural gas pipeline that runs 39 miles from the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline near Century, through McDavid, Molino and Cantonment, to the company’s Plant Crist.
The retirement of coal at Plant Crist was accelerated by Hurricane Sally, which caused damage to the plant’s coal equipment. The company determined that it is in the best interests of its customers to accelerate the modernization instead of repairing the coal equipment.
Pictured top: Bright yellow new pipes threaded throughout the inside and outside of Plant Crist this year are the visible signs of the coal to natural gas conversion that will allow the plant to run 100% on U.S. produced natural gas. Pictured inset: A crane hoists one of the larger pieces of new equipment at Plant Crist, a gas heater, into place at the Plant Crist gas yard as part of the coal to natural gas conversion. The heater will warm the natural gas to keep it from freezing in the pressure control valves that send the gas from the pipeline to the power plant. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sunny, About 60 For Thursday Afternoon
January 14, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 32. West wind around 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 51. West wind 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 29. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 55. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. West wind around 5 mph.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 58.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63.