Another Cold Night, Clouds Clear For Wednesday
January 12, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. West wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 59. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 52. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 32.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 56.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.
Suspect Shot By Poarch Police Is Named As Charges Are Filed (With Photo Gallery)
January 12, 2021
The multi-county carjacking suspect shot Friday morning by Poarch Creek Police north of Atmore has been named as the first charges were filed against him.
Jose Rodriguez Xalate, of Hilltop, Minnesota, has been charged by the Greenville (AL) Police Department with two counts of first degree robbery and two counts of first degree theft. Xalate is expected to face additional charges from other Alabama jurisdictions, but at last report he remained hospitalized.
The shooting occurred Friday morning in the parking lot of the Creek Travel Plaza located at I-65 and Jack Springs Road, about a mile from the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Xalate was shot by a Poarch Creek Tribal Police officer and transported to an area hospital for treatment. An update on the suspect’s condition has not been provided. No officers were injured.
According to Wetumpka (AL) Assistant Police Chief Earl Reeves, their first contact with Xalate was during suspicious persons call at 5:15 p.m. Thursday. Xalate told police officers he had just been discharged from a hospital and was waiting on a ride. Police said his story was verified, and he was told not to panhandle or harass anyone.
At 5:41 a man driving a Nissan Armada left his vehicle running as he went inside the Pace Car Gas Station in Wetumpka. Xalate allegedly jumped in and drove away with an assault rifle that had been left in the vehicle, according to AL.com.
The suspect took the Armada to Evergreen where it was discovered abandoned at 10:40 p.m. but the assault rifle was missing. He then reportedly then took another vehicle at gunpoint and drove to north to Greenville, Alabama.
Xalate then carjacked a vehicle at a gas station in Greenville near I-65, according to Greenville Police Chief Justin Lovvorn. He then carjacked another vehicle at a Murphy gas station at the Greenville Walmart, also near I-65.
Lovvorn said Greenville Police pinged the location of vehicle and discovered it was near Atmore. Poarch Creek Police located the vehicle in the Creek Travel Plaza parking lot, where Xalate attempted to run over the officer, according to Greenville Police. The Poarch officer then shot Xalate.
“After being approached by uniformed officers and marked patrol vehicles, an altercation ensued forcing officers to discharge their firearms,” Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Heath Jackson said.
A Chevrolet vehicle with the windows shot out was directly in front of the truck stop’s diner. Multiple shell casings could be seen in the parking lot, and about a dozen bullet holes were in the windows of the diner.
An assault-style rifle was removed from the scene by law enforcement.
Special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) are investigating the officer involved shooting. SBI said the results of their investigation will be turned over to the Escambia County (AL) District Attorney’s Office for review.
The Creek Travel Plaza is owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, but is not located on the reservation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tom Thumb Temporarily Closed Store On Highway 29 At West Roberts Due To COVID-19 Case
January 12, 2021
Tom Thumb said Monday that they closed their store at Highway 29 and West Roberts Road after a team member informed them of a positive COVID-19 test.
The store was closed at 4 p.m. Friday to be cleaned and sanitized by an industrial cleaning crew. The store has since reopened.
“We are grateful to all our customers for your patience and understanding during this time,” Tom Thumb said. “We are making every effort to provide the affected Team Member and our broader team with the necessary resources and support.”
Another Escambia County Tom Thumb was also closed due to COVID-19 on Monday. The store at 5450 Saufley Field Road was closed for cleaning after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Over $1.1 Billion Up For Grabs This Week In Powerball, Mega Millions Drawings
January 12, 2021
Over $1 billion is up for grabs this week as the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots continue to climb.
The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $615 million and Power Ball rolled over to an estimated $550 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 $451.8 million for Mega Millions and $411.4 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 will be at 10 p.m. Tuesday, and the Powerball drawing will be at 9:59 p.m. Wednesday.
Gulf Power And Florida Power & Light To Ask State To Approve Merged Power Rates
January 12, 2021
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) plans to file a formal request in the coming months for new base rates for all customers, including Gulf Power.
FPL’s parent company NextEra purchased Gulf Power in 2019, and the companies legally merged on January 1, 2021. FPL now serves 5.6 million customer accounts from Miami to Pensacola across more than half of Florida.
Through the consolidation of FPL and Gulf Power, the typical residential customer bill in Northwest Florida is projected to decrease by the end of FPL’s proposed four-year rate plan. FPL customers currently pay $99 for the 1,000-kWh typical bill bench mark, while Gulf Power customers pay $140.
The proposal FPL plans to file with the Florida Public Service Commission will include:
- In 2022, an adjustment to base rates to generate approximately $1.1 billion.
- In 2023, another adjustment would generate approximately $615 million.
- In 2024 and 2025, a request will be made to recover solar projects each year. That, FPL estimates, will cost customers $140 million in both 2024 and 2025, which would be partially offset by a reduction in fuel costs on customer bills.
FPL said monthly customer would still remain below the national average if the PSC approves the plan.
While now part of FPL, the Gulf Power name will remain for now in Northwest Florida.
Update: Gonzalez Teen Missing For A Month Has Been Located
January 12, 2021
UPDATE: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has located Gonzalez teen that was missing for a month before someone called them to file a report.
The Sheriff’s Office said 14-year-old Jordan Winfield Smith was safely located but did not provide any additional information.
He was last seen on December 8 in an area along Jack Kaufman Lane in Gonzalez, just east of Ashton Brosnaham Park. No one reported the teen missing until last Thursday, January 7.
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Another 177 COVID-19 Cases, On More Death Reported In Escambia County
January 12, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
Monday, there were another 177 COVID-19 cases and one additional death reported in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 25,570 (+177)
Non-Florida residents: 2,767
Recovered: 22,871*
Total deaths: 414 (+1)
Long-term care facility deaths : 178
Current hospitalizations: 270
Number of tests reported last day: 861
Percent positive reported last day: 15.8%
Percent positive reported last week: 18.0%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 18,755 (+139)
Cantonment: 2,282 (+13)
Century: 1,054
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 316 (+2)
McDavid: 158 (+2)
Walnut Hill: 46
Bellview: 39
Perdido Key: 17
Gonzalez: 11
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 12,914 (+71)
Non-Florida residents: 159
Total deaths: 155
Long-term care facility deaths: 36
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 601*
Number of tests reported day: 358
Percent positive reported last day: 17.1%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 6,236 (+39)
Navarre: 2,530 (+14)
Gulf Breeze: 2,319 (+5)
Pace: 1,013 (+8)
Jay: 391 (+6)
Bagdad: 25
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,488,586
Florida residents: 1,461,958
Deaths: 23,071
Hospitalizations: 65,796*
*“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.
Katie Marie Hyde White
January 12, 2021
Mrs. Katie Marie Hyde White, age 90, of Century, FL, passed away on Sunday, January 10, 2021 at Century Center for Rehabilitation and Healing in Century, FL.
Mrs. White was born in Conecuh County, AL, and had been a member of the East Brewton, AL and Flomaton, AL communities her lifetime. She worked for and retired from Vanity Fair. Mrs. White enjoyed Alabama Football and Atlanta Braves baseball, traveling and was an avid reader. She was a member of Little Escambia Baptist Church and was preceded in death by her parents, Alfred and Novelle Hooks Hyde; her husband, James White; brothers, Leon and Jesse; sisters, Merle and Eunice, and grandson, Adam Jordan.
She is survived by her son, Jimmy D. (Debra) White of Cowarts, AL; daughters, Barbara (Billy Ray) Jordan of Stockton, AL and Peggy (Jerry) Holt of Grovehill, AL; grandchildren, Robin (Johnny) Manjarrez of Dallas, TX, Jennifer (John) Jones of Gadsden, AL, Rebecca (Chris) Beck of Dallas, TX, Amanda M. Turner of Brewton, AL, Neachole (Don) McClenney of Cowarts, AL, Chris (Lyn) Carter of Slocomb, AL, Jaime Theimer of Greensburg, PA; seven great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 2 P.M. at Rock Cemetery with Dr. Larry Patterson officiating.
Ascension Sacred Heart Scheduling Thursday COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments
January 11, 2021
Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart plans to hold another COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Thursday at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The vaccination team from Ascension Sacred Heart will vaccinate approximately 800 people aged 65 and older.
Vaccinations are by appointment only and walk-ups will not be accepted. Vaccinations for the Olive Baptist clinic must be scheduled online by visiting www.getsacredheartcare.com. Appointments were available at the time this story was published.
The State of Florida has not received nearly enough vaccine to provide the shots to the 4.5 million residents of the state who are 65 and older. Ascension Sacred Heart has stepped up to support the community, the state, and the Florida Department of Health in distributing vaccine as it becomes available.
Ascension Medical Group has vaccinated approximately 5,000 seniors in Escambia and Santa Rosa County in the past week. Scheduled appointments have filled very quickly in clinics held so far, and we understand the great anxiety about the serious threat of COVID-19 and the tremendous demand for the new vaccines.
Additional vaccination clinics will be scheduled by Ascension and the Department of Health as more vaccine is distributed to the state. In the meantime, please continue with the measures that can protect all of us from the spread of COVID-19. Those include: wear a mask in public places, stay home as much as possible, avoid congested indoor areas, maintain physical distance from others, and wash hands frequently.
Located Safe: Missing Endangered Man Last Seen In Cantonment Area
January 11, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday afternooon a missing endangered adult last seen in Cantonment has been located safe.
Patrick Edward Wilkes, 36, was last seen in the 2000 block of Winners Circle off East Kingsfield Road about 7:30 a.m. Monday.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide any additional details.