Jeremiah Lewis Talmage

April 20, 2020

Jeremiah Lewis Talmage, 39 of Atmore, AL, passed away April 12, 2020, in Orlando, FL. He was born in Pensacola, FL, on January 19, 1981, to Robert and Patricia Hadley Talmage. He was a parts manager with Chris Myers and was known to be the best parts manager around. He was an avid Pittsburgh Penguins fan. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Hank and Lane Talmage and John and Ruby Hadley. He is also preceded in death by his wife, Courtney Talmage.

He is survived by his parents, Robert and Patricia Hadley Talmage of Atmore; his fiancee Brianna Wiggins; his children, Jordan Talmage, Harlen Talmage, Audin Odom, Bryson Odom and Kanzlyn Odom; one brother, Calem (Elizabeth) Talmage of Atmore, AL; and a sister, Memori (Shannon) Peavy of McDavid, FL; nieces and nephews, Bristol Talmage, Cocoa and Mazie Peavy.

Graveside services were held Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Oak Hill Cemetery with Bro. Randell Short and Bro. Wayne Fails officiating.

Burial will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Due to the current health crisis it is asked of you to please use the social distancing requirements for the safety of the family and others.

Active pallbearers were Calem Talmage, Shannon Peavy, David Tillery, Ryan Green, Chris Hadley and Aydin Odom.

Honorary pallbearers were Bryson Odom, Ian McGhee and Nathan Gillis.

“They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.” Jeremiah 1:19 ESV

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Weather Alert Day: Severe Storms Tonight; Part Of The Area Level 4 Of 5 Risk

April 19, 2020

Severe storms will likely impact our region from Sunday afternoon through Sunday night. There is moderate (level 4 or 5) risk for the extreme northern part of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida and all of south Alabama. There is an enhanced (level 3 of 5) risk of storms in the remainder of the the North Escambia area.

All modes of severe weather are possible, including damaging winds over 70 mph, tornadoes, and quarter-size or larger hail.

There is a wind advisory with gusts up to 30 mph outside storms.

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms before 4am, then a chance of showers. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. Low around 65. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers before 7am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the morning.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Calm wind.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 82. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 86.

Escambia, Santa Rosa Virus Cases Up By 10, Including Five In Long-Term Care

April 19, 2020

THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE.

The number of coronavirus cases in Escambia and Saturday Rosa counties were up by 10 on Sunday, including an increase of five in long-term care facilities. The number of cases in the town counties was unchanged between the morning and evening report.

There are now 309 total COVID cases in Escambia County, up by five since Saturday. Santa Rosa County’s total was up five to 138.

The number of Escambia County cases in residents or staff of long-term care facilities increased by five Sunday to a total of 65.  The number of long-term cases in Santa Rosa County increase by one to a total of 10.

Statewide, there were 26,314 cases including 25,598 Florida residents. There have been 3,813 hospitalizations and 774 deaths.

Escambia County cases:

  • Total cases — 309 (+5 since Saturday)
  • Long-term care cases — 64 (+4 since Saturday)
  • Pensacola — 243
  • Cantonment — 35
  • Bellview — 6
  • Perdido Key — 1
  • McDavid/Walnut Hill — 1
  • Molino – 1
  • Century — 1
  • Residents: 263
  • Nonresidents — 19
  • Hospitalizations:  28*
  • Deaths — 8
  • Male — 135
  • Female — 154
  • Youngest — 0
  • Oldest — 98

Santa Rosa County cases:

  • Total cases — 138 (+5 since Saturday)
  • Long-term care cases — 10 (+1 since Saturday)
  • Milton — 69
  • Navarre — 29
  • Gulf Breeze — 23
  • Pace — 9
  • Jay — 2
  • Residents: 129
  • Nonresidents — 0
  • Hospitalizations — 17*
  • Deaths — 6
  • Male — 95
  • Female — 43
  • Youngest — 2 months
  • Oldest — 94

Florida cases:

  • Total cases — 26,314
  • Florida residents — 25,598
  • Deaths — 774
  • Hospitalizations — 3,813*

*“Hospitalizations” is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized.

Escambia County (AL) Reports Additonal COVID-19 Case

April 19, 2020

The Alabama Department of Health is now reporting 13 COVID-19 cases in Escambia County (AL), an increase of one since Saturday.

ADH is reporting 237 total COVID-19 tests have been performed in Escambia County, a positive rate of about 5.5%.

There have been no coronavirus related deaths in Escambia County.

The Alabama Department of Health reported 4,783 total positive cases in the state out of 45,712 tests. There have been 151 reported deaths statewide.

Report Names Long-Term Facilities With COVID-19 Cases. Here’s The Escambia And Santa Rosa List.

April 19, 2020

Gov. Ron DesSantis has ordered the release of the names of long-term care facilities with reported cases of COVID-19. The move came after weeks of requests from media, including NorthEscambia.com, and people across the state.

As of midday Sunday, there were 64 COVID-19 cases reported in long-term care center residents or staff in Escambia County with six of those cases resulting in deaths. There were 10 cases in Santa Rosa County with no fatalities.

The list published by the administration included 11 facilities in Escambia County:

  • Arcadia Health & Rehabilitation Center
  • Asbury Place
  • Brookdale Pensacola
  • De Luna Health And Rehabilitation Center
  • Homestead Village Retirement Community
  • Olive Branch Health And Rehabilitation Center
  • Rehabilitation Center At Park Place
  • Rosewood Healthcare And Rehabilitation Center
  • Southern Oaks Care Center
  • Specialty Health And Rehabilitation Center
  • Westpointe Retirement Community Inc

The list did not indicate how many cases there are per individual facility.

The Arbors Of Gulf Breeze was the only listed facility with coronavirus cases in Santa Rosa County.

The complete list includes almost 300 of Florida’s almost 700 facilities.  As of Sunday, there were 1,785 infected residents and staff members at long-term care facilities across Florida with 175 deaths. DeSantis backed off previous claims that releasing the data might provide identifying patient information, but said Saturday, “I don’t think it does.”

“If you have one incident in a week from now and they don’t follow through with that, I don’t want to be in a situation where families don’t know,” DeSantis said.

The governor said he is upping the number of rapid response teams visiting Florida’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities to spot check residents and staff that might be infected but have no symptoms.

“You may have everyone doing everything right, but you could have a staff member who is asymptomatic and spread to the rest very very quickly,” DeSantis said.

Applications Open At 8 A.M. Monday For $2,500 COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Grants In Escambia County, Pensacola

April 19, 2020

The application process begins Monday morning for $2,500 grants available to assist for-profit small businesses in Escambia County or the City of Pensacola.

Escambia County and the City of Pensacola, in partnership with the UWF Small Business Development Center, FloridaWest EDA and the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce have created the Escambia County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program. The grant is intended to assist for-profit businesses located in Escambia County with their immediate cash flow needs as a result of a demonstrated economic injury due to COVID-19. The max grant award is $2,500 per applicant or business.

The opening date to apply is Monday, April 20 at 8 a.m. CST with a deadline of Monday, April 27 at 5 p.m. CST. Complete applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.

Escambia County will fund the grant with a contribution of $100,000 to UWF. The City of Pensacola will contribute an additional $25,000 for businesses within the city, with $12,500 from Mayor Grover Robinson’s discretionary fund and $12,500 from District 3 Councilman Andy Terhaar’s discretionary fund. The Florida SBDC at UWF will assist eligible for-profit businesses with applying for the grant, and UWF will distribute the appropriate funds to businesses who have been awarded grant funds. A third-party review board will be created to review applications, determine eligibility and approve the award of grant funding to each applicant on a case-by-case basis using the following parameters:

Eligibility

YOUR BUSINESS MUST:

1.  Be a for-profit, privately held small business that maintains a place of business in Escambia County, Florida and established on, or before January 1, 2019. (verified by Sunbiz - dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/search or hold an occupational or business license). Businesses within city limits applying for City of Pensacola funding must be registered in Sunbiz.

2. Have been a going concern since at least Jan. 1, 2019.

3.  Have been mandated by federal, state, or local government to reduce or eliminate services and/or have a demonstrated reduction in sales revenues of 25% or greater due to the loss of business income related to COVID-19.

4. Provide written justification of economic loss or injury caused as a result of the declared disaster, e.g. sales or income from a previous year compared to current period. Provide documentation of a reduction of sales revenues.

5.  Have been a small business with no more than 20 employees employed at the time of the disaster.

6.  Pledge in good-faith to remain in business for at least 6 months following the receipt of fund.

Steps to apply for the grant:

  1. Go to the Florida SBDC at UWF website www.sbdc.uwf.edu and select REQUEST SBDC CONSULTING and complete the online request form. Remember to identify “Escambia COVID-19 Grant” by name in the request form.
  2. Download the Escambia County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant application at myescambia.com/COVID19Grant, complete and sign the application, and gather all supporting documents. Email completed and signed applications, as well as supporting documents, all in PDF format to fsbdcatuwf@gmail.com. Please put “Escambia COVID-19 Grant” in the subject line of the email.  For assistance with completing the application, contact the Florida SBDC at UWF at 850-586-7802 or fsbdcatuwf@gmail.com. If you need assistance scanning documentation into a PDF, please contact Escambia County’s Neighborhood and Human Services Division Manager Carla Thompson at 850-595-3123 or cell at 850-572-1938 to schedule an appointment at Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto, Pensacola. Only completed application forms with all requested supporting documents will be accepted for review.
    1. The application form must be completed and signed by individual(s) who, individually or collectively, own fifty-one percent (51%) or more of the equity of the business.
    2. A copy of each individual’s driver’s license or US Passport must be provided for identity verification purposes.

Each applicant OR business is only eligible for one grant. If the applicant OR business has received the Northwest Florida Small Business COVID-19 Grant they will not be eligible for the Escambia County Small Business Recovery COVID-19 Grant. Fifty percent of grant funds will be awarded to businesses with up to 10 employees, and 50 percent will be awarded to business with 11 to 20 employees. The Escambia grant will be awarded with consideration given to business locations throughout the entire county to ensure that all districts of the county are represented. The City of Pensacola’s contribution will be awarded to businesses within the city.

By partnering with UWF SBDC the applicant information remains confidential per state statute.

Meals For Kids Available Weekdays At West Florida Library Locations

April 19, 2020

Escambia County West Florida Public Libraries are continuing their partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast to provide free curbside pickup meals for youth ages 18 and under at all library branch locations, Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The meals will include lunch and a snack, and are available on a first come, first served basis.

Youth must be present to receive meals; food will not be given to adults.

Meals will be available for pickup only at the locations listed below Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.:

  • Molino Branch Library, 6450-A Highway 95A, Molino
  • Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St., Pensacola
  • Tryon Beach Library, 1200 Langley Ave., Pensacola
  • Genealogy Branch Library, 5740 N. 9th Ave., Pensacola
  • Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway, Pensacola
  • Westside Branch Library, 1301 W. Gregory St., Pensacola
  • Century Branch Library, 7991 N. Century Blvd., Century

Florida Politics: ‘Don’t Ask For Government Permission’ – Mike Hill Mocks Unemployed Constituent

April 19, 2020

by FloridaPolitics.com

Rep. Mike Hill of Pensacola, no stranger to gaffes in normal times, is stepping up his game during the coronavirus crisis.

Hill’s latest antic is an email to a constituent who made the mistake of reaching out to the Panhandle lawmaker for help navigating the state’s unemployment claims system.

“It is clear now that government created this disaster,” Hill wrote Amanda McCallum, a server at a Pensacola bar, “and government does not have the answer.”

“When Americans are tired of being afraid and instead want to work and provide for their families,” Hill insisted, “they will.”

“Don’t ask for government permission,” Hill advised.

McCallum has no control over whether she works, of course. The same government that Hill is a part of closed bars and dine-in restaurants as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.

McCallum posted Hill’s response on her personal Facebook page.

Hill’s career in the Florida Legislature has been typified by unforced errors, as even casual observers of The Process know.

Before this year’s Session, the legislator was yanked by Speaker Jose Oliva from the House Public Integrity and Ethics Committee, after offering offensive commentary about the LGBTQ community.

In May, audio was released detailing Hill’s exchange with an audience member at a meeting with a group called Women for Responsible Legislation.

A man in the audience (incorrectly) cited 1 Corinthians, saying it supports putting gays to death, then asks Hill to sponsor legislation allowing the same.

Hill is heard on tape laughing before saying, “I wonder how that would go over.”

That drew condemnation from not only from lawmakers of the opposing party, but also Gov. Ron DeSantis and Speaker Oliva.

Oliva released a joint statement on the matter with Speaker-designate Chris Sprowls: “We unequivocally condemn both the question asked of Rep. Hill, and Rep. Hill’s laughter and refusal to push back and remind his audience that this is America and we don’t stone people to death we disagree with.”

Hill’s recalcitrance has led to a serious primary challenge in Michelle Salzman. She is backed by former Senate President Don Gaetz, former Rep. Frank White and several other influential Northwest Florida Republicans.

Hill’s fundraising was frozen during Session, and he raised just $1,250 since Sine Die. He has under $20,000 cash on hand, a perilous position to be in with the GOP establishment squared up against him.

Salzman has approximately $27,000 on hand, with a high burn rate cutting into over $52,000 raised thus far.

Hill was elected to HD 1 in 2018 after previously holding HD 2 and giving it up for an ill-fated Senate run.

His return to the Legislature took every trick in the book — he trashed one of his Republican primary opponent for being childless and falsely claimed that he had both President Donald Trump’s endorsement and, oddly, his star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

He won the GOP nomination by just 542 votes.

Have Your Coronavirus Stimulus Money? If Not, These Tools Might Help You Get It Faster

April 19, 2020

The IRS has deposited the first economic impact payments into taxpayers’ bank accounts and released two tools to help others get their money faster.

The initial round of payment to 80 million people hit bank accounts over the weekend into last week.

A new “Get My Payment” tool from the IRS will show the projected date when a deposit has been scheduled, similar to the “Where’s My Refund tool” many taxpayers are already familiar with.

Get My Payment also allows people a chance to provide their bank information. People who did not use direct deposit on their last tax return will be able to input information to receive the payment by direct deposit into their bank account, expediting receipt.

Get My Payment is updated once daily, usually overnight. The IRS urges taxpayers to only use Get My Payment once a day given the large number of people receiving Economic Impact Payments.

Available only on IRS.gov, the online application is safe and secure to use. Taxpayers only need a few pieces of information to quickly obtain the status of their payment and, where needed, provide their bank account information. Having a copy of their most recent tax return can help speed the process.

Get My Payment cannot update bank account information after an Economic Impact Payment has been scheduled for delivery. To help protect against potential fraud, the tool also does not allow people to change bank account information already on file with the IRS.

In addition to Get My Payment, Treasury and IRS have a second a new web tool allowing quick registration for Economic Impact Payments for those who don’t normally file a tax return.

The Non-filers: Enter Payment Info tool, developed in partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, provides a free and easy option designed for people who don’t have a return filing obligation, including those with too little income to file. The new web tool is available only on IRS.gov, and users should look for Non-filers: Enter Payment Info Here to take them directly to the tool.

Non-filers: Enter Payment Info is designed for people who did not file a tax return for 2018 or 2019 and who don’t receive Social Security retirement, disability (SSDI), or survivor benefits and Railroad Retirement benefits.

Eligible taxpayers who filed tax returns for 2019 or 2018 will receive the payments automatically. Automatic payments will also go in the near future to those receiving Social Security retirement, or disability (SSDI), or survivor benefits and Railroad Retirement benefits.

Gulf Power Celebrates Lineworker Appreciation Day

April 19, 2020

Gulf Power Company celebrated Linework Appreciation Day on Saturday.

It was a day to recognize line crews and they work they do each day, not matter the weather or conditions.

You might remember last Monday we told you about National Linework Appreciation day celebrated by electric cooperatives, including Escambia River Electric Cooperative.

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