ADOC: Staff Member At Holman Prison Tests Positive For COVID-19; Escambia County (AL) Cases Up To 33
May 8, 2020
A staff member at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore has self-reported to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) that they are positive for COVID-19.
ADOC said the individual promptly self-quarantined under the direction of his or her healthcare provider.
“The ADOC’s Office of Health Services (OHS) immediately initiated an investigation to determine which, if any, ADOC inmates or employees may have had direct, prolonged exposure to this staff member. Upon completing the appropriate follow-up interviews and due diligence, OHS will advise any exposed staff members to contact their healthcare providers and self-quarantine for the recommended 14-day period, or as advised by their healthcare provider,” said Samantha Rose, public information specialist for the prison system.
The ADC said the positive test represents the 17th self-reported case of COVID-19 among corrections employees and contracted staff, twelve (12) of which remain active. Five (5) staff members who previously self-reported a positive test have been cleared by a medical provider to return to work.
According to Alabama Department of Health data Thursday night, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Escambia County increased to 33. It was not known if the Holman staff member is part of that number.
There have three deaths form the virus in Escambia County, Alabama.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Firefighter Injured As Mobile Home And Travel Trailer Destroyed By Fire In Cantonment
May 8, 2020
An Escambia County firefighter was injured in a structure fire Thursday night in Cantonment.
Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a reported mobile home fire in the 1000 block of Perdido Road in Cantonment shortly after 9 p.m. The fire destroyed both a mobile home and a travel trailer.
The injured firefighter was transported to a local hospital for treatment of a minor injury. There were no other injuries reported.
There were no smoke alarms present, according to Escambia County. An accidental cooking fire was determined to be the cause.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com by Kristi Barbour and others, click to enlarge.
Gonzalez Baptist Church To Hold Food Box Distribution On Saturday
May 8, 2020
Gonzalez Baptist Church will hold a food box distribution on Saturday.
“Last week the church distributed 150 boxes in about 45 minutes to families in need. This week, we plan on having over 300 boxes on hand, due to the high demand from central and north Escambia County. We will do this each Saturday in May as long as supplies last,” Senior Pastor Mike Mashburn said.
The food distribution will begin at 10 a.m. and continue while supplies last at 1590 Pauline Street (one block off Highway 29 and Old Chemstrand Road, behind Winn Dixie). The event is drive-thru only and limited to one food box for each member of the household.
Pictured: Last Saturday, Gonzalez Baptist Church distribute food boxes, and they will do it again this Saturday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com click to enlarge.
Highway 29 Northbound Wreck Backs Up Traffic
May 7, 2020
A traffic crash on Highway 29 just north of Muscogee Road backed up northbound traffic for at least of a couple of miles Thursday afternoon.
There were no serious injuries reported in the 3:35 p.m. crash, but both northbound lanes were blocked. The roadway was reported to be open by 5 p.m.
Readers reported traffic was backed up to at least Winn Dixie at Old Chemstrand Road.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Beulah Fire Grows To 1,000 Acres, But Is Expected To Burn Itself Out
May 7, 2020
[Updated 7:40 p.m.] Four Florida Forest Service bulldozers and two helicopters are actively working the Hurst Hammock Fire in Beulah. The fire has become more active, but remains in the marsh and is not currently a threat, according to Escambia County. Escambia County Fire Rescue has several additional units on scene standing by along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The fire size is still 1,000 acres and 40% contained.
Previous story:
[Updated 4:10 p.m.] A large wildfire is Beulah grew to about 1,000 acres Thursday afternoon, but officials say it is not threatening any structures.
The fire is now 40% contained, according to Laura Coale, Escambia County spokesperson.
“It’s just burning out the marsh,” she said, “still no threat to any structures.”
There have been no evacuations and Hurst Hammock road is open to residents.
Coale cautioned that the air quality in the area is reduced and residents may continue to see some smoke.
The Florida Forest Services continues to work to contain the fire, and Escambia Fire Rescue is on standby to assist if needed.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Reader photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Correction: Photo Used In Santa Rosa Wildfire Story Erroneously Represented By Fire Department
May 7, 2020
NorthEscambia.com has removed a photo from our story about the Santa Rosa wildfire, and we are correcting the origin and context of the photo.
The photo (above) was erroneously released Wednesday night on Facebook by the Baker Fire District in a collection of photos that included graphics related to the Santa Rosa County fire such as Santa Rosa County evacuation maps, fire maps and a Florida Forest Service helicopter. It was clearly represented by the Baker Fire District as being their firefighters at the Santa Rosa fire. Escambia Fire Rescue was misled and posted the photo Wednesday nigh labeled as the Baker Fire District working the Five Mile Swamp Fire in Santa Rosa County.
In turn, NorthEscambia.com and other media outlets published what we believed to be a public domain photo released by a government agency. We later learned Thursday, thanks to an alert reader, the photo was taken in June 2007 by the Reno Gazette Journal at the Angora Fire in South Lake Tahoe, California.
We apologize for the erroneous information released by the Baker Fire District.
Third COVID-19 Death Reported In Escambia County, Alabama
May 7, 2020
A third person has died from COVID-19 in Escambia County, according to the Alabama Department of Health.
The state does not release additional information such as cities or age.
ADH is also reporting 31 total cases in the county out of 647 total tests that have been administered.
There have been 8,691 confirmed cases in Alabama out of 112,068 total tests with 343 deaths. Alabama reports 1,163 total hospitalizations since March.
Century Councilman Smith Rants NorthEscambia.com Is ‘Racist’, ‘Biased, Lackluster’ And Should Stop Covering Century
May 7, 2020
In an apparent response to a NorthEscambia.com story about the public’s right to attend council meetings as guaranteed by Florida’s Sunshine Law, Century council member James Smith lashed out his week at NorthEscambia.com ’s publisher as being “racist” and “biased” while suggesting that a “lackluster” NorthEscambia.com stop covering the town council if the newspaper can’t “uplift Century”.
At a public town council meeting held this week by teleconference, Smith launched a six minute uninterrupted rant.
“What Will is doing when he is trying to degrade someone’s character, I’ve got a very big problem with that,” Smith said, wrongly using the nickname “Will” for NorthEscambia.com publisher William Reynolds.
“For you, Will, to go and print that councilmen are trying to keep secrets that’s the most ignorant thing that you could do,” Smith said.
During an April council meeting, Smith and council member Luis Gomez complained that NorthEscambia.com attended a virtual teleconference regular council meeting without audibly announcing the newspaper’s presence. In an editor’s note on the story, we stated, “…we fail to understand why a council member would care if the media was listening to a meeting. Unless there’s something they want to keep secret.” [Read the story here.]
“You’re extreme biased, and, and, and, and to a big huge extent, it plays a big part of you being a racist,” Smith said, adding that “we’ are trying to get Century going in the right direction without secrets”.
“You are now trying to stir up trouble with saying someone has secrets. Councilman Smith have no reason and no agenda to have any secrets whatsoever. My main concern is for the well being of Century,” he said, “which I guarantee you won’t print.”
NorthEscambia.com is the only daily media that covers Century government on a regular basis. Coverage of Century has ranged from many positive stories to an over abundance of negative stories that simply could not be responsibly ignored in order to “uplift Century”.
Negative stories during Smith’s term on the council have included a grand jury report that found gross mismanagement in the town, over a million dollars lost in utility operations, missing natural gas, about $3 million improperly borrowed from accounts with a 750-year payback plan, and a state of financial emergency. Other stories have included the revelation that residents were receiving inaccurate natural gas bills including free gas for some, a lawsuit by a creditor over a $19K unpaid bill, an audit finding multi-million dollar deficits with signs of financial emergency, a failing wastewater treatment plant, a property tax increase vote that violated state law, a lack of funds to make payroll, state and federal taxes that were paid months late, and admitted Sunshine Law violations at a council meeting.
But Smith apparently does not agree those stories should have been covered. This week, he said, “If you are not going to do the right thing and to try report and help us uplift Century and at least let the people know that they have councilmen, councilwomen that are actually in the seat to try to improve Century, then I suggest that you don’t be a part of it at all.”
Smith then began to discuss his 2018 campaign, complaining that NorthEscambia.com didn’t interview him. The newspaper did not interview Smith or his opponent; we did contact each candidate via text message and email using the contact information they provided to the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections. Smith’s opponent responded, but he did not. Smith won the election 277 votes to 230. He attended his swearing in ceremony in January 2019, but was a no-show at several subsequent council meetings.
“I will reiterate, I feel that you are an extreme racist, and you are extremely biased,” he said to “Will”.
He then addressed the reporter for a small weekly printed newspaper in Flomaton. “Mrs. Gretchen if you are there, headline it that I believe Will is a racist and he’s extremely biased. A lot of people in our community know and understand this, but you trying to get people to, to look at our council in, in a bad light and that’s not what you suppose to be doing. You are suppose to be. Go ahead and report the truth. Make sure you let all of our citizens and residents know that we’re trying to work hard to try to make it better.”
Listen to Smith’s entire six minute rant by clicking here.
Pictured top: James Smith at a December 16, 2019, council meeting during which he voted against hiring Interim City Manager Vernon Prather, proclaiming that, “All the sudden he’s now wanting to be our savior. No thanks, I don’t need you.”. Pictured below: Smith’s swearing in during January 2019. He was a no-show at several subsequent council meetings. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Santa Rosa Wildfire Now 40% Contained; Burns 2,000 Acres, Destroys Numerous Homes And Forces Evacuations
May 7, 2020
UPDATE: The fire is now 40% contained.
A massive wildfire swept through part of Santa Rosa County Wednesday, consuming 2,000 acres and burning numerous homes.
As of 12:20 p.m. Thursday, the fire was estimated to be only 40% contained, and the number of structures lost was not yet available.
The following updated evacuation information was released Thursday afternoon:
- Level 1 - Everything south of Mary Kitchens Road on Avalon and Garcon Point Road, and on the west side of Avalon is at a Level 1 evacuation, meaning residents can return to their homes but need to stay aware. Level 1 also extends up to Da Lisa Road.
- Level 2 - Indian Bayou to Mary Kitchens Road and the houses along Mary Kitchens Road are a Level 2 evacuation and may return to home but must be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
“Today’s weather is somewhat improved from yesterday’s weather in that the winds will be light and variable from the north at 3-7 mph. But relative humidity will continue to be extremely low at approximately 20%,” Florida Forest Service PIO Joe Zwierzchowski said in an email.
Florida Forest Service crews from throughout the state have been called in to assist with the firefighting efforts. They will focus on improving established containment lines around the fire’s perimeter today in areas both north and south of Interstate 10. They will also conduct structure protection assessments to establish containment lines around homes and neighborhoods that could potentially be threatened by the fire.
High wind and extremely low humidity helped the Five Mile Swamp Fire grow to almost 10 times its size Wednesday morning as winds upward of 20 mph pushed embers from the fire across Interstate 10.
The Florida Forest Service continued to aggressively fight the fire through the night and into the morning with 18 tractor/plow units, three helicopters and a significant number of resources from multiple fire departments from across the area.
Three North Escambia fire stations were dispatched to the fire at Garcon Point. The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were called to assist about 6:40 p.m. Wednesday and were released about 12:45 a.m. The Ensley and Ferry Pass stations also responded. The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched to help battle the blaze just before 1 a.m. Thursday.
Firefighters will continue to work to extinguish the fire for the next several days, Zwierzchowski said.
I-10 remained closed Thursday afternoon between Exit 22 at Avalon Boulevard and Exit 31 at Highway 87, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
“This is an extremely dangerous and fast-moving wildfire situation that is evolving rapidly, so everyone in the affected area should follow directions from state and local officials,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, whose office includes the Florida Forest Service. “All residents and travelers should heed evacuation requests and closely monitor the media for updates on the wildfire and reopening of I-10 and local roads. We thank our brave local and wildland firefighters for working swiftly to control this wildfire.”
Hundreds of Gulf Power customers were without power in the area overnight Wednesday due to damaged utility poles.
Thefire started Monday afternoon when a controlled burn by a private contractor got out of control.
The Blackwater Forestry Center is currently not issuing burn authorizations in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Struck By Vehicle In Bratt
May 7, 2020
An adult female was injured when she was struck by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon in Bratt.
It happened about 6 p.m. at a private residence on Toler Road, a dirt road off North Highway 99. She was transported to an area hospital by Escambia County EMS; an update on her condition was not available.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
