H1N1 Vaccine Arrives; Eventual Plans For North Escambia Vaccinations
October 21, 2009
The H1N1 vaccine has arrived in Escambia County and the limited supply is available at limited locations. Public health officials say they plan to make voluntary H1N1 vaccinations available in North Escambia as soon as possible.
For now, the vaccine is available only at private physician offices and at the Escambia County Health Department’s main location on Fairfield Drive in Pensacola. But there are plans in place that will bring the H1N1 vaccine to North Escambia residents.
“We have identified several locations in North Escambia for vaccination clinics,” Eric Gilmore, Escambia County’s director of public health preparedness, said. Those locations, he said, include Century, Walnut Hill, Bratt and Molino.
“We hope to make it feasible for anyone to receive the vaccine,” he said.
In addition to vaccination clinics for the public, the health department is also making the vaccine available at K-12 schools in the county. Gilmore said that he could not provide a timetable for vaccinations at North Escambia schools due to a short supply of the vaccine. He said that students would be given vaccination permission forms about a week prior to the vaccination date at their individual school.
For now, Escambia County plans to make its limited supply of H1N1 vaccine available to pregnant women, children, and caregivers of infants less than six months — groups that have been identified as “high risk” by the Centers for Disease Control.
Gilmore said it would likely be December before the vaccine will be available to the general population.
“We are asking the public to be patient as H1N1 vaccine arrives over the next two to three months,” said Health Department Director Dr. John Lanza. “Our focus in Escambia will be to first provide vaccine to children and adolescents, pregnant women, and caregivers of infants who are less than six months old. We know that children spread the disease more readily than adults.”
As more vaccine becomes available in the upcoming weeks, the health department will offer it to the remaining priority groups which include 18-24 year olds, healthcare/EMS workers with direct patient care responsibilities, and people ages 25 through 64 years of age who are at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.
Because the majority of vaccine is being shipped to physicians, residents should first call their pediatrician, obstetrician and/or family practice physician to find out if the vaccine has arrived at their office yet.
The vaccine is available to pregnant women, caregivers and those who live with infants under six months, and children ages 6 months-18 years old at the Escambia County Health Department at 1295 West Fairfield Drive. It is available on a walk-in basis from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. There is no charge for H1N1 vaccine administered at the health department .
Autopsy Released In Area Tree Stand Hunting Death
October 21, 2009
An Escambia County (Ala.) man died Sunday evening when he fell out of a tree stand.
Autopsy results released Tuesday confirmed that Todd Burgess, 39, of Brewton, died from blunt force trauma when he fell from the tree stand and struck the ground. The accident happened about 7 p.m. Sunday on Hoomesville Road in the Damascus community of Escambia County, Ala.
Burgess, a native of Jay, had killed a deer with a bow and arrow from the stand. He called his wife, who was hunting on a nearby food plot, to let her know that he was headed down to retrieve the deer, according to Mike Lambert, Escambia County (Ala.) chief deputy. When he did not arrive at the wife’s location, his brothers began to look for him and found him dead, Lambert said. He had apparently fallen about 15 feet.
Lambert said it appeared that a pin that secured the tree stand to the tree had come loose. He said the pin was found unbroken and undamaged at the base of the tree.
“It appeared that it had worked itself out, and when he started down, it fell,” Lambert said. “It was all a tragic accident.”
Lambert said that hunters should use a safety harness when using a tree stand for added safety. The harnesses, he said, sell for as little as about $80.
“That $80 is a cheap insurance policy,” he said.
Burgess is survived by his wife Carrie Burgess and two daughters, Katherine Brynn, 7, and Emily Nicole, 16 months.Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Jay First Assembly of God Church.
A fund for the children has been established at the Santa Rosa Federal Credit Union.
Northview Volleyball Versus Catholic
October 21, 2009
Northview’s varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams traveled to Pensacola Tuesday night to take on the Catholic Crusaders.
Here are the results and stats from those games:
Northview Vs Catholic – Varsity
9-25 13-25 12-25
**Catholic Winning**
Shawna Montgomery 11 M Kills-5, Digs-2
Caitlin Hall 12 Setter Assists-8, Digs-1
Ashley Digmon 11 DS Digs – 5
Raylin Spence 10 LS Aces- 3, Digs – 2
Shaniqua Jones 11 M Kills-3, Digs-1
Record – Overall – 8 -16; District 4 -4
Northview Vs Catholic- JV
8-25 16-25
**Catholic Winning**
Trestine Dean 11 Setter Aces-1
Jordan Satterwhite 09 Libero Digs-1
Josie Doucette 10 Middle Aces-1
Cheyanne Garnett 09 RS Digs-1
Make Your Plans: Parachute Jump Still Planned For October 30 Northview Game
October 21, 2009
The Northview High School Senior Night football game slated for Friday, October 30, will begin like no other game during this season. The United States Army’s parachute demonstration team, the Silver Wings, from Fort Benning, Georgia are scheduled to jump from a fixed wing aircraft at least 5,000 feet over the Northview High School stadium before the start of the game.
The demonstration team plans to bring down with them a United States flag, a POW/MIA flag, and Army flag and the official game ball. One jumper will land on the 50-yard line to deliver the game ball for the game against Sneads High School.
The jump should occur about 6:15 p.m., but spectators are asked to arrive early as a large crowd is expected. The kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Silver Wings team is comprised of soldiers from throughout the Fort Benning airborne community. They have diverse backgrounds and various military specialties. The average age of a Silver Wings team member is 33 and the average number of free fall jumps ranges between 200 to 2,500 for the team. The team represents specially trained soldiers who are products of the United States Army Infantry Center and Schools to include Airborne, Pathfinders, and the Army Elite Rangers.
No Line, No Waiting: New Lottery Vending Machines
October 21, 2009
Buying a lottery ticket at some locations in Northwest Florida became a little easier this week with the installation of 48 instant lottery ticket vending machines, including two in North Escambia.
The automated vending machines allow customers to buy scratch-off tickets without a wait at a store’s counter.
In North Escambia, instant ticket vending machines are located at State Line O-Yes Lotto on Highway 97 at the Alabama/Florida line in Davisville and Moye’s Stateline Food Mart on North Century Boulevard in Century.
The instant ticket vending machines can contain up to 24 different scratch-off games. There will eventually be 1,000 of the machines across the state.
Parents Invited To TIPS At Ernest Ward Middle School
October 21, 2009
Ernest Ward Middle School parents and students are invited to attend a TIPS — Teachers Informing Parents and Students — meeting next week.
The TIPS meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 27 from 4 until 6 p.m. The after-school hours program will provide parents and students the opportunity to meet with a faculty member to discuss the student’s Spring 2009 FCAT results. Some students also have a Progress Monitoring Plan (PMP) to discuss as well. Teachers will not discuss student’s grades during this time; report cards will be distributed to students on Monday, November 2.
EWMS students were given a memo on Monday, October 19 with more information for parents. Parents of Ernest Ward Middle Schools students that did not receive the memo can call the school at (850) 327-4283 to schedule a time to attend the TIPS meeting next Tuesday between 4 and 6 p.m.
Poarch Creeks Receive Hazmat Grant
October 21, 2009
The Poarch Creek Indians are among seven American Indian tribes to receive hazardous materials response funding from grants announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Poarch Creeks will receive $13,760 to improve their response to transportation incidents involving hazardous materials. The state of Florida will receive about $775,000, and Alabama will receive almost $400,000. Overall, the transportation department is awarding more than $20.9 million to states, territories and Native American tribes.
“This program strengthens local emergency response capabilities and serves a vital role in a comprehensive hazmat safety program,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Although prevention is our first priority, preparing communities to respond effectively to incidents that do occur is essential to protecting the safety of all Americans.”
Pictured top: A two-man Poarch Creek Indian Hazmat crew undergoes decontamination procedures after cleaning up an acid spill at an Atmore gas station in early September. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Over 20,000 Unemployed In Escambia, Santa Rosa
October 20, 2009
The unemployment rate across Florida continues to rise, with 11 percent of Florida workers out of a job in September, the highest number since 1975. The number of people without jobs increased in Escambia County last month, while Santa Rosa County actually had more people go back to work.
During September, there were 264 more people in Escambia County that lost their jobs, while in Santa Rosa County, 270 previously unemployed people found a job.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September 2009 is 11.0 percent. This represents 1,012,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,193,000. The unemployment rate is up 0.2 percentage point from the revised August rate of 10.8 percent and is up 4.3 percentage points from the September 2008 rate. The state’s current unemployment rate is 1.2 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. The last time the unemployment rate was as high as the September rate was October 1975 when the rate was also 11.0 percent.
In Escambia County, the September unemployment rate was 9.8 percent, up from 9.6 percent a month ago. There were 13,754 unemployed persons in Escambia County during September. In September 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.3 percent.
In Santa Rosa County, the September unemployment rate was 9.4 percent, a decrease from 9.7 percent a month ago. There were 6,537 unemployed persons in Santa Rosa County during September. In September 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.0 percent.
Salvation Army Accepting Applications For Christmas Assistance
October 20, 2009
Christmas is just around the corner, and the Salvation Army is getting ready to help North Escambia residents in need with application days scheduled in Walnut Hill and Century.
“We expect the need to be greater this year,” Yvonne Warthen, Christmas and volunteer coordinator for the Salvation Army’s Pensacola Corps.
“With the economy, we believe that more people will need assistance,” she said. “This comes at a time where our donations are down, also due to the economy, so it is important that people register for assistance early and not wait to the last minute.”
Applications for assistance will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 31 at the Walnut Hill Community Center on Highway 97; and Saturday, November 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Century Ag Building on West Highway 4.
For more information call (850) 432-1501 or email escarosa@uss.salvationarmy.org.
The following requirements for assistance were provided by The Salvation Army:
In order for The Salvation Army to process the application for Christmas assistance, applicants must bring the items listed below.
- Photo ID of all persons 18 years and older
- Social Security Card(s) for everyone in household
- Birth Certificates/Proof of legal custody of all children 13 years and younger
- Proof of all income for the last 30 days
- TANF/Cash Assistance
- Social Security/SSI statement
- Food Stamps statement from Department of Children and Families
- Child Support statement
- Pension statement
- Paystubs for the last 30 days
- If no income, please provide a notarized statement verifying no income (Note: If a family member or friend is helping with bills or income, you must provide a notarized statement from that person, verifying that they are assisting you.)
- Proof of all expenses
- Rent/Mortgage (copy of lease or mortgage statement)
- Home Owners Insurance/Taxes statement
- Gas/Sanitation bill
- Water/Sewer bill
- Electric bill
- Cable/Satellite bill
- Telephone/Cell phone bill
- Car payment statement
- Car insurance bill
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Medical expenses
- Life insurance
- Credit card statements
- Bank/student loans statement
- Proof of childcare expenses
Jury Trials Delayed For Two Arrested In Drug Sweep
October 20, 2009
Jury trials were scheduled to begin Monday for two of the 19 people arrested during a drug sweep in Century back in May, but their trials have been delayed about two months.
Sonya Alexas Carter, 26, was arrested in May at her 807 Salters Lake Road home and charged with possession of cocaine, marijuana possession not more than 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released from jail May 29 on $17,500 bond. She has pleaded not guilty and is now scheduled for a jury trial on December 21.
Carter was employed as a corrections officer at Century Correctional Institution prior to her arrest, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. She was, according to the Florida Department of Corrections, terminated from her position with the prison.
Johnnie Lee Carter, 28, was arrested in May at his home at 807 Salters Lake Road and charged with possession of cocaine, marijuana possession not more than 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from Jail May 29 on $17,500 bond. He also pleaded not guilty and is now scheduled for a jury trial on December 21.