Charles “Billy” Dole
July 31, 2020
Mr. Charles “Billy” Dole, age 80, passed away Thursday, July 30, 2020 in Pensacola, Florida.
Mr. Dole was a native and lifelong resident of Century, FL. He was the best dad, grandfather, friend to all, loved the Florida Gators, spending time with his family, touched many lives and was jokester. He never met someone that he couldn’t make out of a friend. His smile and jokes could light up a room. His selfless acts over the years were a testament to his character. He was employed with Century Pharmacy for 56 years and a member of the Beulah Chapel Assembly of God Church. He is preceded in death by his parents, J.B. and Eva Dole; sister, Eva Jo Dole; two brothers, Dickie Dole and Ed Dole; son, Donald Ray Franklin and great granddaughter, Jaylynn Nicole Franklin.
He is survived by the mother of his children, Nell Franklin of Flomaton, AL; two sons, Michael Dewayne (Loretta) Franklin of Flomaton, AL and Bobby Ray (Jacqueline) Franklin of Flomaton, AL; one daughter, Angie Dole of Flomaton, AL; one sister, Myra Jean (Charles) Steadham of Atmore, AL; one sister-in-law, Carol Dole of Century, FL; eleven grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; two nieces, Sherry Diamond and Carrie Bryan; one nephew, Eric Steadham; five great nieces and nephews and his work family at Century Pharmacy.
Memorial wake will be held Sunday, August 2, 2020 from 2:30 PM until 4:00 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
A larger gathering and memorial will be held at later date as conditions improve around Covid-19.
Century Town Hall Remains Closed And Cashless After Positive Employee COVID-19 Tests
July 31, 2020
The Century town hall remains closed and is cashless for utility payments after two employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The employees, both of which worked inside the town hall, went home on quarantine after notifying the town of their positive results.
Utility payments can be made in the drop box next to the drive-up window. Only checks or money orders are accepted, no cash.
Credit card payments can be made by phone or the drive-thru window only on Wednesday, August 5 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. August 5 is currently the only date the drive- thru window will be open and the only dates credit card payments can be made by phone, but additional dates may be added as needed. No cash will be accepted at the drive-thru window.
For more information or further assistance call (850) 256-3208 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. or email kgodwin@centuryflorida.us or hhawkins@centuryflorida.us.
Here’s The Latest Info On Isaias
July 31, 2020
Isaias became a hurricane Thursday night, the second hurricane of the season. The latest information is in the graphics on this page.
It is not expected to impact Northwest Florida.
SEC Establishes New Conference-Only Football Start Date
July 30, 2020
The Southeastern Conference has established September 26 as the new kickoff for its 2020 football season to allow its universities to focus on the healthy return of their campus communities and the gradual re-introduction of athletics, as the 14 members of the SEC continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Thursday.
The 2020 SEC football season will be comprised of a 10-game Conference-only schedule and the SEC Football Championship Game will be played December 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, rescheduled from the original date of December 5. The schedule will include one mid-season open date for each school and an open date on December 12 for all schools.
“This new plan for a football schedule is consistent with the educational goals of our universities to allow for the safe and orderly return to campus of their student populations and to provide a healthy learning environment during these unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus,” Sankey said. “This new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.”
This action was taken following extensive discussions and thorough deliberation among the SEC’s Presidents and Chancellors, Athletics Directors, Conference Office staff, and medical advisors, led by the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force.
“After careful consideration of the public health indicators in our region and following advice of our medical advisors, we have determined that this is the best course of action to prepare for a safe and healthy return to competition for SEC student-athletes, coaches and others associated with our sports programs,” said Sankey.
The decision to limit competition to Conference-only opponents and rescheduling the SEC Championship Game is based on the need for maximum flexibility in making any necessary scheduling adjustments while reacting to developments around the pandemic and continued advice from medical professionals.
“We believe these schedule adjustments offer the best opportunity to complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus and the flexibility to adjust schedules as necessary if disruptions occur,” Sankey said. “It is regrettable that some of our traditional non-conference rivalries cannot take place in 2020 under this plan, but these are unique, and hopefully temporary, circumstances that call for unconventional measures.”
The rescheduled start to the season will allow the SEC to continue to monitor health trends across its 11-state footprint, as well as monitor developments in technology around mitigation and treatment of the virus, including:
- Trends in public health indicators throughout the SEC’s 11-state footprint, including positive cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and recovery statistics
- State, local and campus heath directives, including restrictions on gatherings, isolation requirements for travelers, and other health and travel restrictions
- Continued development of risk mitigation strategies
- Continued advancement in COVID-19 testing reliability and availability
- Continued evolution of time-based strategies for resuming activities after positive test results, including contact tracing, isolation and quarantine requirements
- Observation of successes and challenges presented by return to competition in other sports
A revised schedule for the 2020 SEC football season will be announced at a later date following approval by the Conference’s athletics directors.
Further decisions regarding safety standards related to athletics events, tailgating and other game day activities, including social distancing, face covering and other health measures consistent with CDC, state and local guidelines, will be announced at a later date.
Other notes related to the resumption of competition:
- The SEC announced in July that the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, soccer and volleyball would be postponed through at least August 31. Start dates and schedules for those sports, as well as sports in their non-traditional seasons during the fall, will be announced at a later date.
- The SEC announced in July that student-athletes in all sports who elect to not participate in intercollegiate athletics during the fall 2020 academic semester because of health and/or safety concerns related to COVID-19 will continue to have their scholarships honored by their university and will remain in good standing with their team.
- The SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force continues to meet on policies and procedures for the safe return of student-athletes to competition, including the development of comprehensive testing and reporting policies, building on the NCAA’s Resocialization of College Sports Guidelines.
- Each athletics program has been engaged in evaluating best practices for game operations to prepare a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, staff, officials and other individuals necessary to conduct games.
Four Additional Deaths, 169 New COVID-19 Cases Reported In Escambia County
July 30, 2020
THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST.
Four more COVID-19 deaths and 169 new cases were reported Thursday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
The Escambia County deaths were a 60-year old man, an 81-year old man, a 61-year old woman and an 84-year old woman. Two were long-term care facility residents. There have been 18 COVID-19 deaths in Escambia County in the past five days.
Escambia County cases increased to 7,598. An additional 154 cases brought the Santa Rosa County total to 3,279.
Of the 911 tests results returned on Wednesday in Escambia County, 14.9% were positive, and 24.7% were positive from 469 tests in Santa Rosa County. Over the past week, the overall average positivity rate for Escambia County is 12.3%.
There were 224 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Escambia County as of Thursday, according to data from the three local hospitals.
Of the 92 deaths in Escambia County, 58 have been long-term care facility residents or staff. There have been 22 deaths in Santa Rosa County, seven of those at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility and three in a long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there were 461,379 cases including 456,105 Florida residents. There have been 26,017 hospitalizations* and 6,586 deaths. 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 cases:
Total cases — 7,598 (+169 since Wednesday)
Non-Florida residents — 824
Pensacola — 5,940 (+136)
Cantonment — 555 (+11)
Molino— 86 (+3)
Century — 57 (+4)
McDavid — 38 (+2)
Bellview — 10
Walnut Hill — 9 (+1)
Gonzalez — 7
Perdido Key — 4
Current hospitalizations: 224 (-14)
Deaths — 92 (+4)
Male — 2,974
Female — 3,669
Youngest — 0
Oldest — 105
Median Age — 38
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases — 3,279 (+154 since Wednesday)
Non-Florida residents — 23
Milton — 1,831 (+126)
Gulf Breeze — 486 (+5)
Navarre — 386 (+9)
Pace — 242 (+8)
Jay — 86 (+1)
Bagdad — 6 (+1)
Cumulative Hospitalizations — 158*
Deaths — 22
Male — 1,918
Female — 1,320
Youngest — 2 months
Oldest — 101
Median Age — 38
Florida cases:
Total cases — 461,379
Florida residents — 456,105
Deaths — 6,586
Hospitalizations — 26,017*
*“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. 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. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
Someone Bought A Lottery Ticket In Century Worth $1,000 A Day For Life, Or $7 Million Now
July 30, 2020
Someone that purchased a lottery ticket in Century will now receive $1,000 per day for life.
The jackpot-winning lottery ticket was purchased for Wednesday’s drawing at a convenience store in Century.
The winning grand prize Cash4Life ticket was sold at the Southern Pit Stop at 9231 North Century Boulevard, according to the Florida Lottery. The retailer will receive $10,000 for selling the top prize-winning ticket.
The winner will have a cash option of $7 million.
Wednesday’s winning numbers were 08-11-21-36-39 with a Cash ball of 02. The odds of winning $1,000 per day for life is 1:21,846,048.
Cash4Life tickets are sold in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland and Virginia.
Century Man Found Competent To Stand Trial For Raping 16-Year Old Girl, Breaking Into Church Building
July 30, 2020
A Century man has been found competent to stand trial for grabbing a 16-year old girl she walked to the library in Century, raping her and then breaking into a church building where he helped himself to bottles of water and bag of chips. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Na’Keetric Devonte Davison, 27, is charged with sexual battery of a victim over 12 and below 18, kidnapping of a child to commit sexual battery, battery by strangulation, robbery, burglary, and criminal mischief with property damage for the August 2019 incident.
On December 2, 2019, Davison was found incompetent to stand trial and committed into the custody of the state. In July 2020, a new physiological evaluation found he was now competent for trial. During a hearing Wednesday, Judge Jennie Kinsey ordered Davison held without bond until his trial.
On August 21, 2019, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Highway 29 and McCurdy Street Wednesday where a teen female exiting the woodline told deputies she had been raped by a man that fled the area on foot.
A passerby called 911 to reported a disturbance after seeing a man pull the teen into wooded area.
According to an arrest report , the 16-year old white female was obviously hysterical, standing with her jeans unzipped and her hair in disarray. She told deputies she was walking south on the sidewalk to the Century Branch Library when she was approached from behind by a black male that asked her for some change. She stated the black male, later identified as Davison, grabbed her and pulled her into a wooded area adjacent to the sidewalk. Davison then grabbed her by the throat, slammed her to the ground and told her not to scream or he would kill her, the report states.
The teen told deputies that Davison then sexually assaulted her before telling her again that he would kill her if she screamed out. He then took her wallet from inside her purse and fled on foot into the woods.
The teen was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
A perimeter was established, and Davison was tracked by deputies and K-9 units from the Escambia County Road Prison and the Century Correctional Institution.
NorthEscambia.com was there as Davison was found inside a small building used as a meeting room adjacent to the New Calvary Church at Zion and Jackson streets. Had kicked in the door of the building in order to gain entry, according to an arrest report, and consumed several bottles of water and a bag of chips.
He was taken into custody without further incident.
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NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
COVID-19 Hospitalization Numbers In Escambia County: Maybe A Little Good News?
July 30, 2020
On June 29, there were 59 people hospitalized in Escambia County due to COVID-19. One month later on July 29, there were 224 in the hospital.
The City of Pensacola has published a graphic showing the current number of COVID-19 hospitalizations by day since June 25. The daily data reflects the combined total from Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist Hospital an West Florida Hospital.
“Although our numbers are still high, the good news is that we are not seeing significant daily increases like we were several weeks ago,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said Wednesday. “We also saw a decrease yesterday and today, but it is too early to say whether that trend will continue.”
Click graphic to enlarge.
DeSantis Extends Florida Eviction Moratorium
July 30, 2020
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Wednesday evening that extends the moratorium on evictions to 12:01 a.m. on September 1.
“I hereby suspend and toll any statute providing for final action at the conclusion of a mortgage foreclosure proceeding under Florida law solely when the proceeding arises from non-payment of mortgage by a single-family mortgagor adversely affected by the COVID-19 emergency,” DeSantis said in his order.
The action is intended to provide relief for thousands of Florida residents that remain unemployed or otherwise are suffering economically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eviction moratorium first went into effect on April 2 during Florida’s economic shutdown. This was the fourth extension.
Dorothy Weaver Ptomey
July 30, 2020
Dorothy Weaver Ptomey died on July 29, 2020 at the age of 98. She was born Dorothy Oreve Weaver on July 19, 1922 to Lumon Dewey and Teresa Gordon Weaver. Although she was born in Pine Hill, Alabama, the family soon moved to Flomaton, Alabama. She was the eldest of four siblings.
Dot was preceded in death by her parents and both brothers, Jack Gordon Weaver and Dewey Franklin Weaver. She is survived by her son, William Reagan Ptomey, Jr. and is wife, Susan, and her grandsons, Joshua and Luke, all of Plantation Key, Florida. She is also survived by her sister, Lunette Weaver Ptomey; two sister-in-laws, Sue Watson Weaver and Margaret Weaver Smith; six nieces and three nephews.
Dot was the last surviving member of the Flomaton High School Class of 1940. In 1943 she entered the Mobile Infirmary School of Nursing. Several months into her freshman year, the school came under the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corp, a World War II Program. When the war ended so did the Cadet Nurse Program and the school closed. Dot transferred to Mississippi Baptist School of Nursing, Jackson, Mississippi for her senior year, graduating in 1946.
She was recruited by Dr. Sam Turberville of Turberville Hospital in Century, Florida to return home to work. This move was the pathway of her professional years, eventually becoming a co-owner of the hospital . The years rolled by and finally the hospital partnership was sold to Escambia County, Florida. The partnership donated the property to the county where a new larger hospital was erected.
Dot was always an operating room nurse and returned to school to become a nurse anesthetist graduating from Baptist Medical Center School of Anesthesia, Birmingham, Alabama. She served as the only anesthetist for the county facility and was available to the other local hospitals. After 39 1/2 years devoted to her profession, Dot retire in 1985.
Dorothy Weaver Ptomey was a lifelong member of the Flomaton United Methodist Church. She served on every church committee at one time or another, even being the first woman to serve as chairperson of the Administrative Board. In later years she attended both Bible study and church services at Century United Methodist Church with her family and friends.
Mrs. Ptomey was very civic minded. She was the first woman to serve on the Flomaton Town Council. She was a long time member of the Flomaton Research Club and was instrumental in the preservation of the Log Cabin (Renfroe Home). The U.S. Bicentennial Celebration and the establishment of the Lions Park were just a couple of her many civic projects.
Dot loved Flomaton and was particularly interested in preserving the history of not only the town, but of the local medical community.
Following a family only memorial service, there will be a graveside service open to all on August 1, noon Flomaton Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Flomaton Cemetery Trust Fund c/o Escambia County Bank, P.O. Box 601 Flomaton, AL 36441 or the charity of your choice.