6th And 7th Grade Students Encouraged To Apply For Take Stock In Children Full Scholarships
January 8, 2021
Applications are now available for Take Stock in Children Scholarships.
Take Stock in Children is a scholarship and mentorship program operating under the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation. Students selected to participate are matched with a mentor and agree to maintain satisfactory grades, attendance, citizenship, and remain drug and crime free. At graduation, students receive a four year Florida college tuition scholarship.
Eligible sixth and sixth grade students can obtain applications and deadline details from their middle school guidance counselors. Sixth grade applications will be held for selection in July, after year-end grades are available and the number of available scholarships has been determined.
Because this year’s seventh grade students in Florida schools didn’t have a chance to be selected last Spring, due to the pandemic’s disruption to school schedules,
Due to the pandemic, this year’s seventh grade students missed the selection opportunity in 2020. They are encouraged to apply this month. Their applications will be reviewed in February and selections will be announced in late February or early March. Any student who completed an application in November do not need not apply again.
To be eligible to apply, the student applicant must:
- Be a sixth or seventh grade student in an Escambia County public school.
- Provide proof of family financial eligibility for free and/or reduced lunch based upon USDA guidelines.
- Have a minimum 2.5 GPA.
To see income eligibility guidelines and required documents, click or tap here.
To receive an application and check deadlines, contact the student’s school guidance counselor. Questions about the application and ways to support the Take Stock in Children program through donations for scholarships, or by volunteering to be a TSIC Mentor, should be directed to Escambia County’s TSIC Student Services Coordinator Sally Lee at SLee@ecsdfl.us or call (850) 341-6607.
Pictured: Students that joined the Take Stock in Children scholarship program in 2019. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Concrete Pour Set To Begin On Pensacola Bay Bridge Repairs
January 8, 2021
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) contractors have set multiple beam spans and will begin pouring concrete for the deck on the Pensacola Bay Bridge.
Beams and decks are part of the bridge superstructure that support traffic and bear the load passing over it. The deck, the surface of the bridge that will serve as a roadway for vehicles are supported by the beams.
Simultaneously, multiple teams are:
- Demolishing damaged spans on the bridge.
- Removing debris near the bottom of the bay.
- Fabricating multiple concrete piles, piers, and beams for reconstruction from the Pensacola precast yard and a facility in Tampa.
- Driving piles and setting beams to repair bridge spans.
Motorists should continue to use all available detour routes, which include the Garcon Point Bridge and State Road 87. At this time, tolls on the Garcon Point Bridge have been suspended through Tuesday, January 12, 2021. Commuters can also use the Escambia County Area Transit’s (ECAT) temporary bus route travel between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze free of charge.
The Pensacola Bay Bridge has a targeted re-opening date of March 2021. Once repairs are complete, all four lanes will be open with no load restrictions. As each repair method is developed, FDOT will be conducting reviews to ensure the contractor is hitting all milestones in the established schedule.
Seven More COVID-19 Deaths, Another 468 Cases Reported In Escambia County
January 8, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORE. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
Seven additional COVID-19 deaths and 468 new cases were reported Thursday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
Escambia County is now reporting a number of recovered persons, and that number will now be included in the daily reporting on NorthEscambia.com. Santa Rosa County and the state do not report recovered data.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 24,530 (+468)
Non-Florida residents: 2,657
Recovered: 22,794*
Total deaths: 400 (+7)
Long-term care facility deaths : 171
Current hospitalizations: 265 (-3)
Number of tests reported last day: 2,342
Percent positive reported last day: 15.0%
Percent positive reported last week: 17.8%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 17,982 (+362)
Cantonment: 2,167 (+33)
Century: 1,042 (+3)
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 300 (+8)
McDavid: 151 (+2)
Walnut Hill: 42
Bellview: 38 (+5)
Perdido Key: 17
Gonzalez: 11
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 12,310 (+222)
Non-Florida residents: 160
Total deaths: 143 (+1)
Long-term care facility deaths: 29
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 585*
Number of tests reported day: 672
Percent positive reported last day: 25.0%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 5,952 (+87)
Navarre: 2,425 (+50)
Gulf Breeze: 2,193 (+47)
Pace: 959 (+23)
Jay: 359 (+8)
Bagdad: 26
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,429,722
Florida residents: 1,404,374
Deaths: 22,481
Hospitalizations: 64,704*
*“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.
Lois Shell Wiggins
January 8, 2021
Lois Shell Wiggins, age 93, of Walnut Hill, FL passed away on January 5, 2021. She was born on July 20, 1927 in Conecuh County, AL. She was a former Secretary, Sunday School Teacher and a member of WMU for many years with Walnut Hill Baptist Church before becoming a member of First Baptist Church of Bratt, FL.
She is preceded in death by her mother, Claudie Mae Pipkin Shell and her husband of 72 years, R. Lee Roy Wiggins.
She is survived by her sons, Larry (Pamela) Wiggins of Daphne, AL and Gary (Judith) Wiggins of Davisville, FL; granddaughters, Leah (Gary) King, Robyn (Brian) Andrews, Kerrie (Teryll) Boutwell, Melissa (Josh) McElhaney, Jessica (Terry) Levins, Amanda (Bobby) Walls and Deana (Shawn) Jones and twenty-three great grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held Friday, January 8, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Walnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery with Bro. Roy Chewning officiating.
Flowers will be accepted but donations can be made to First Baptist Church of Bratt designated to Lottie Moon.
For the safety of you and others, please practice social distancing requirements, though wearing a facial mask is strongly encouraged.
Ascension Sacred Heart Scheduling Monday Vaccination Appointments
January 7, 2021
Ascension Sacred Heart plans to hold additional COVID-19 vaccination clinics on Monday, Jan. 11, in Milton and Pensacola for local residents who are age 65 and older.
Both clinics are being organized in coordination with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and officials from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The Pensacola clinic will take place in the gym of Olive Baptist Church, 1836 E. Olive Road, Pensacola, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. In Santa Rosa County, the vaccination clinic will be located in the basketball gym of Milton Community Center, 5329 Byrom Street, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The vaccinations must be scheduled in advance. Persons without an appointment will not be eligible to get the vaccine.
To schedule a vaccination at either site, visit www.getsacredheartcare.com and click on the link for COVID-19 vaccinations. Appointments were available at the time this story was published.
Ascension Sacred Heart does not have enough vaccine yet to meet the great demand for the vaccine in the community, but it will schedule more clinics as additional vaccine becomes available.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced a new executive order directing that the next priority group for vaccinations in Florida should be persons age 65 and older. The seniors group follows the first priority group, which is healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents and staff.
To support the Florida DOH as it develops a long-term, comprehensive approach to community vaccinations, Ascension Sacred Heart is working with the state and other community partners to deploy vaccines to those 65 and older.
Ascend Cares Grant Buys Thermal Imaging Cameras For Bratt, Brent, West Pensacola Fire Stations
January 7, 2021
An Ascend Cares Community Impact Grant has provided funds for a thermal imaging camera at each of three fire stations — Bratt, Brent and West Pensacola.
The $4,200 grant purchased FLIR K2 cameras to assist firefighters in a number of ways, most importantly in helping to locate fire victims faster. The lightweight cameras can withstand a 6.5 foot drop onto concrete, are water resistant and are fully operational up to 500 degrees for three minutes. Each thermal imaging camera also comes with a spare battery and charger.
“This grant for thermal imagers and the others received through the Ascend Cares grants has saved the county thousands of dollars, and significantly benefits the citizens we serve,” interim Fire Chief Paul Williams said. “I hope to equip all apparatus with a FLIR K2 thermal imaging camera, which will provide the truck officer, as well as search crews a camera, thus greatly enhancing their ability to locate victims, extinguish the seat of the fire and monitor structural conditions. These are fantastic tools for Escambia County Fire Rescue, and we would like to thank Ascend Cares, a longtime community partner with ECFR, for the grant that will positively impact the community.”
Lt. Austin Langfeldt is a volunteer firefighter with ECFR and works for Ascend Performance Materials. He has been instrumental in obtaining several grants from Ascend Cares program.
Ascend is proud to support local first responders through its nonprofit Ascend Cares Community Impact Grant program,” Langfeldt said. “ECFR is one of the busiest departments in the state, and these thermal imagers will support the front line personnel in preserving life and property throughout Escambia County. As a member of ECFR, I am happy to know that my peers will be receiving additional tools to help them perform ECFR’s mission.”
Escambia County COVID-19 Hospitalizations Reach Daily Record
January 7, 2021
The number of daily COVID-19 local hospitalizations has reached record territory.
There were 268 people currently hospitalized in Escambia County on Wednesday, following a week of steady increases. During a summer surge, local COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a peak of 246 on July 20.
According to Escambia County, there were 11 adult ICU beds available in Escambia County Wednesday night – none at Baptist, one at West Florida and 10 at Sacred Heart. Of the 215 total ventilators in the county, 142 were available.
A month ago, there were 121 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the county. Six additional deaths and 460 new virus cases were reported Wednesday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided daily by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital. The daily numbers are not cumulative.
Data source: Escambia County, City of Pensacola. Graphic: City of Pensacola.
A Final Farewell: Funeral Service Held For Former Molino Fire Chief Gary Diamond (With Photo Gallery)
January 7, 2021
One of Gary Diamond’s last requests was a final ride atop a Molino fire engine.
Wednesday afternoon, he took his last ride atop the Molino Station’s new Engine 18 to his final resting place in the Highland Baptist Church cemetery.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Diamond was a longtime firefighter, serving during his career as the volunteer chief in Molino, a captain at Navarre Beach and fire service instructor at Pensacola State College.
“He was more than just a man. He dedicated his life to serving and protecting others,” Diamond’s son Joseph Diamond said.
Diamond was murdered at his home during the early morning hours of December 26.
Firefighters, family and friends from across the area gathered for Diamond’s funeral Wednesday at Olive Baptist Church and a graveside service at Highland Baptist. In the cemetery, a fireman’s bell tolled in his honor, “Amazing Grace” was played on a bagpipe, and an Escambia County Fire dispatcher conducted a “last call” over the county’s fire radio system.
“Escambia to Chief Gary Diamond,” the dispatcher called with no response.
“Escambia to Chief Gary Diamond,” the dispatcher said, her voice resounding across the handheld radios at the graveside service.
The radio silence was broken again, this time by tones used to alert firefighters to important information, followed by:
“There is no response from Chief Gary Diamond. Chief Diamond has answered his last call. The members of Escambia County Fire Rescue wish to thank Chief Gary Diamond and his family for his years of service to the citizens of Escambia County. Although he is gone, he will never be forgotten. Escambia clear.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
Diamond joined the Ensley Volunteer Fire Department in 1982 before transferring to Molino. He worked his way through the ranks to assistant chief of the Molino Volunteer Fire Department in 1987 and went on to serve as Molino chief from November 1992 to September 1993. He was currently volunteering as a fleet transport driver for Escambia Fire Rescue, moving fire apparatus around the county as needed.
“I was saddened and heartbroken to hear the news about Gary this morning,” Interim Escambia Fire Rescue Chief Paul Williams said. “He was not only a longtime part of Escambia Fire Rescue, but a longtime friend as well.”
“He was very nice with a very laid back kind of attitude. He was obviously willing to give and volunteer his time, and willing to serve the community,” Williams added.
Diamond was a captain at Navarre Beach Fire Rescue for a decade, retiring to take care of a family member. He recently returned to Navarre Beach Fire, pulling extra shifts as a fill-in captain.
“He worked his way up through the ranks until he retired as captain of C Shift,” Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Chief Danny Fureigh said. “He was an extremely well educated, well seasoned firefighter known throughout the area.”
Fureigh said that Diamond was always there for the department – always around cooking and volunteering at department events.
“He was always there. He and his family were a big part of us,” the Navarre Beach fire chief said. “He never met a stranger, would give you the shirt off his back. He was legitimately a good guy…this is a horrific event.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sunshine Returns For The Afternoon, Low In The 40s Tonight
January 7, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 48. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph after midnight.
Monday: Rain likely, mainly between 9am and noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.
Central Water Works Cancels Annual Meeting Due To Pandemic
January 7, 2021
Central Water Works has canceled their annual membership meeting due to the pandemic.
The meeting was scheduled for Monday, January 11.
Copies of audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending October 21, 2020, will be available by request on January 12. Anyone needing further information can call the utility at (850) 256-3849.
Central Water Works serves about 1,000 members in the McDavid, Century and Flomaton areas.