Nine More COVID-19 Deaths Reported In Escambia And Santa Rosa
September 10, 2020
There were 104 COVID-19 confirmed positives and nine additional deaths reported in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties Thursday, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The Escambia County deaths were two 79-year old males, and men ages 69, 76, 81 and 87. Two were long-term care facility residents. The Santa Rosa County deaths were males age 81 and 82 and an 85-year old female.
Escambia County cases increased by 68 to 11,702. An additional 36 cases brought the Santa Rosa County total to 5,026.
Of the 1,285 tests results returned in Escambia County, 4.5% were positive, and 8.1% were positive from 415 tests in Santa Rosa County. Over the past week, the overall average positivity rate for Escambia County is 5.4%.
There were 89 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Escambia County as of Thursday, according to data from the three local hospitals.
Of the 200 deaths in Escambia County, 95 have been long-term care facility residents or staff. There have been 63 deaths in Santa Rosa County, at least seven of those at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility and 14 in a long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there were 654,731 cases including 647,318 Florida residents. There have been 40,807 hospitalizations* and 12,326 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 — 11,702 (+68)
Non-Florida residents — 1,037
Pensacola —8,560 (+50)
Century — 925 (+2)
—-including 771 Century prison inmates
Cantonment — 850 (+6)
Molino— 136
McDavid — 68
Walnut Hill — 17
Bellview — 12
Gonzalez — 7
Perdido Key — 7
Current hospitalizations: 89 (+5)
Deaths — 200 (+6)
Male — 5,149
Female — 5,419
Youngest — 0
Oldest — 105
Median Age — 39
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases — 5,026 (+36)
Non-Florida residents — 49
Milton — 2,673 (+13)
Gulf Breeze — 721 (+7)
Navarre — 627 (+3)
Pace — 395 (+5)
Jay — 139
Bagdad — 11 (+2)
Cumulative Hospitalizations — 294*
Deaths — 63 (+3)
Male — 2,759
Female — 2,209
Youngest — 2 months
Oldest — 101
Median Age — 40
Florida cases:
Total cases — 654,731
Florida residents — 647,318
Deaths — 12,326
Hospitalizations — 40,807*
*“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.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Northview High Student Airlifted After Highway 4 Wreck; Adult, Four Young Children Uninjured
September 10, 2020
A Northview High School student was critically injured in a two vehicle wreck Thursday morning near the school, while five other people including four children escaped injury.
The crash happened about 8:05 a.m. at the intersection of West Highway 4 and North Pine Barren Road. The high school student apparently pulled her Nissan Murano from a stop sign on Pine Barren Road into the path of a Lincoln MKZ traveling eastbound on Highway 4.
The 16-year old female was trapped in her vehicle and extricated by firefighters before being airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by Shandscair helicopter. The adult female driver of the Lincoln and four young children were not injured.
The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Atmore Fire Department, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Gunfire Hits Vehicle In Molino
September 10, 2020
Updated: Gunfire hit a vehicle in Molino early Thursday morning.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting just after 1:45 a.m. at Highway 29 and Highway 95A.
The ECSO said gunfire struck a truck parked in the yard of a home. There were no injuries reported, and the house was not struck by gunfire.
No other details have been released as the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office continues their investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Editor’s note: Highway 95A intersects with Highway 29 in both Cantonment and north of Highway 97 in Molino. The shooting location was originally relayed to us as being on the Cantonment end of Highway 95A, but we’ve since learned the shooting was near the Molino end of Highway 95A at Highway 29.
File photo.
$1 Million Old Chemstrand Road Resurfacing Project Is Now Underway
September 10, 2020
A million dollar project to resurface Old Chemstrand Road got underway this week from Highway 29 to the Ascend plant entrance.
The $1,040,250.49 total contract amount was awarded to CWR Contracting of Tallahassee, which has a local Pensacola office.
The resurfacing and associated shoulder work is expected to be completed by the end of November, according to the company’s projected timeline.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
By The Numbers: Escambia County COVID-19 Hospitalizations Declining; Lowest Since July 2
September 10, 2020
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Escambia County are continuing to decline. As of Wednesday, there were 84 patients current hospitalized for COVID-19 in Escambia County, the lowest number since July 2.
The number include COVID-19 hospitalizations only for each day. The numbers since June 18 are in the graphic below (click to enlarge).
Source: City of Pensacola.
Rain Chance Increases Into The Weekend
September 10, 2020
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. High near 89. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. High near 88. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. High near 85. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
18 New Escambia County Deputies Sworn In
September 10, 2020
Eighteen new Escambia County deputies were sworn in this week by Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
IMPACT 100 Names 15 Grant Finalists. 11 Of Them Will Receive $106K Each.
September 10, 2020
IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area, a women’s philanthropic organization, has announced 15 grant finalists selected for 2020.
In October, 11 of the 15 nonprofit finalists will each receive a grant of $106,000 at the IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area Annual Meeting. The recipients will be selected by a membership vote
The 15 finalists selected by IMPACT 100’s Focus Area Committees are as follows:
ARTS & CULTURE
- Ballet Pensacola, Inc. – Project: Ballet Pensacola LED Wall
- Pensacola Little Theater, Inc.- Project: A Stage for all Stages: Restoring the Little Theatre’s Big Rigging
- Pensacola Opera, Inc. – Project: IMPACT Opera: In Perfect Harmony
EDUCATION
- Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Inc. – Project: Education Across the Human Spectrum
- Every Child a Reader in Escambia, Inc. dba ECARE – Project: Get Our Children and Families Ready for Kindergarten
- Gulf Coast Kid’s House, Inc.- Project: Protecting Our Children During a Time of Uncertainty
ENVIRONMENT, RECREATION & PRESERVATION
- Keep Santa Rosa Beautiful, Inc. dba Panhandle House & Nature Center – Project: Panhandle Butterfly House and Nature Center
- Tennis-4-Everyone, Inc.- Project: Oakcrest Elementary/Ebonwood Tennis Complex
- Veteran’s Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola, Inc. – Project: Accommodating Veterans Memorial Park Events
FAMILY
- AMR at Pensacola, Inc. – Project: The Phoenix Project – Tiny Home Communities
- Feeding the Gulf Coast, Inc. – Project: Feeding the Florida Panhandle
- FoodRaising Friends, Inc. – Project: FoodRaising Friends Foundational Food for Families
HEALTH & WELLNESS
- Ecomfort, Inc. – Project: Food as a Tool: Impacting lives in the Community Mentally, Physically and Spiritually
- Equality Florida Institute, Inc – Project: Safe and Healthy Schools Program
- Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries, Inc. dba Bright Bridge Ministries – Project: Updated Kitchen, Uplifted Lives
Escambia Commission Honors Molino Teen For Saving Lives Of Her Family From House Fire
September 10, 2020
The Escambia County Commission recently honored a Molino teen for saving the life of her family from a fire that destroyed their home on Crabtree Church Road.
Destany McKim, 14, saved her mother and grandmother from the fire about 12:30 a.m. on January 25, 2019.
Destany, who was 12 at the time of the fire, said she was up late doing homework, and smelled a little smoke. At first, she thought her mother was cooking.
“As soon as I looked over at the living room, the extension cord just burst into flames,” Destany told NorthEscambia.com. She immediately went to wake her mom and grandmother as the house began to fill with dark smoke.
“My mom is a smoker, so she didn’t smell the smoke. It didn’t wake her up, and my grandmother wears a CPAP machine, so couldn’t have smelled it,” she said. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.
As she got her mother and grandmother out of the home, she had the forethought to close the doors to slow the spread of the fire. Her grandmother went back in with a fire extinguisher, but the flames spread rapidly.
“It just spread everywhere, and the windows had just burst.” She worked to save the three family dogs, including a 65-pound basset hound that she ultimately had to tote away from the burning home.
“I don’t feel like I am a hero. I feel like I did what anybody else would have done in that situation because I just thought of my family. If I had gone into panic mode, there was no keeping my mother out of panic mode,” Destany said. “I don’t feel like a hero, but I’m flattered.”
“She’s a hero. A real hero. She saved her lives,” Destany’s mother Datanya Wells said recently.
Destany, who will attend Northview High School this year, may have a future in firefighting. She’s applying to be an Escambia County Fire Rescue junior firefighter.
Last month, she received the Girl Scout Bronze Cross for Valor for saving her family.
Pictured: The Escambia County Commission honored Destany McKim for saving the life of her family from a 2019 house fire in Molino. NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
SRSO’s New Bloodhound Puppy Needs A Name
September 10, 2020
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office has a new bloodhound K-9 puppy, and he needs a name.
They are accepting name suggestions for the 8-week old male puppy through noon Friday. The handler will go through the submissions and pick the winner.
The SRSO’s other two bloodhounds, also named by the public, are Coppy and Zinc, but the new pup’s name does not have to relate to metal.
You can make you suggestion on the SRSO’s Facebook page. Click or tap here.
There are a few basic rules:
