Sarah Louise Odom
December 20, 2023
God welcomed another Angel home. Sarah Louise Odom passed away December 10, 2023.
She was born on December 16, 1942, to Joe and Catherine Sharitt in Pensacola. She grew up on Deleno Street.
She was motherly to everyone of her family and friends. She worked at the old university and went to Baptist Hospital in housekeeping. She lived in her home in Cantonment, FL.
After her husband passed away she resided at Bayside Health Center. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Paulette Worley, husband Randall Odom, sister in law Deborah Odom. Sarah is survived by her sister Earlene (Doyle) Burnham, Kathy (David) Rogers, Betty (Tom) Robbins Jr., nieces Donna Burnham, Linda Collinsworth, nephews Kevin (Lisa) Odom, and Steven (Maryjym) Worley and numerous more family and friends. The graveside service will be held on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 11am at New Hope Cemetery, 3575 Wimbledon Drive, Pensacola, FL.
William “Ralph” Parker
December 20, 2023
Mr. William “Ralph” Parker, age 87, passed away, Tuesday, December 19, 2023 in Bratt, FL; with his loving family at his bedside. He was born, May 3, 1936 in Bratt, FL; and later in life moved to Evergreen, AL; for 33 years, before moving back to Bratt, FL; the past 26 years. He worked at a saw mill for many years before retiring.
Mr. Parker enjoyed spending time with his family and watching the grandchildren. He enjoyed working outdoors specially cutting grass and working in the yard. He liked tinkering in his barn and going to his granddaughters’ skating events. He really enjoyed sitting down to watch wrestling and a good western.
He is preceded in death by his parents, William Lazarus (Lottie Mae Conway) Parker.
He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Carloyn Parker, of Bratt, FL; two sons, Wendell Ralph (Katy) Parker, of Tallahassee, FL; David (Kristin) Parker, of Tallahassee, FL; seven grandchildren, Hayley Parker, Mason Parker, Matt Parker, Kylee Parker, Luke Lambert, Chase Lambert, Lila Parker, other relatives, and friends.
Graveside and burial services will be held Saturday, December 23, 2023, at 3:00 PM at Godwin Cemetery with Rev. Henry Johnson officiating.
Visitation will be held Saturday, December 23, 2023 from 1:30 PM until 2:30 PM at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC. Atmore, AL. is in charge of all arrangements.
Rose Marie Baldwin
December 20, 2023
Mrs. Rose Marie Baldwin, 85, of Flomaton, Alabama passed away peacefully on December 19, 2023 at her residence. She was a native of Robertsdale, Alabama, resident of Molino, Florida and Flomaton Alabama. She was a member of Molino First Assembly of God Church at Pugh Chapel.
She enjoyed sewing, coloring and loved cooking for everyone that she could, most importantly reading her Bible. Spending time with family and friends was something she greatly enjoyed doing too.
Preceded in death by her husband Jimmy Jones; son, Ronnie Boatwright; parents Irvin and Frances Cantrell Mitchell; a brother Gene Mitchell; sister Phyllis Joiner.
She is survived by; 3 sons, James Jones of Flomaton, Alabama, Ricky (Traci) Boatwright of Walnut Hill, Florida, and Doug Poston of Molino, Florida; 2 daughters, Susie Miller of Molino, Florida, and Patsy (Roger) Hart; brother Curtis (Marelle) Mitchell of Pensacola, Florida; grandchildren Christopher, Christina, Johnathon, Janie, Oliver, Genie and Amber; 9 great-grandchildren with 1 more on the way.
Funeral service will be held Friday, December 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM at Petty- Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC with Pastor Donald Leavins officiating.
Burial will follow at Pugh Chapel Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Friday, December 22, 2023 from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC.
Pallbearers will Christopher Miller, Johnathon Ard, Oliver Ard, Eric Colvin, Hunter Poston, Gene Hassebrock, and Cole Hassebrock.
Honorary Pallbearers Don McCall and John McCall.
Lipscomb Elementary Presents Christmas Musical
December 20, 2023
Third through fifth grade students from Lipscomb Elementary School presented their Christmas musical, “A Golden Oldies Musical,” at Hillcrest Church recently. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Multiple Injuries In Highway 97 Crash At State Line
December 19, 2023
There were multiple injuries in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday evening on Highway 97 at the state line.
There were three patients, one of which refused transport. One of the patients was a juvenile.
The crash was reported about 5:20 p.m. in front of the Grey Goose, about 250 feet south of the Alabama-Florida state line and Atmore. A pickup truck came to rest on its roof in the Grey Goose parking lot, while another vehicle came to a stop in the travel lanes of Highway 97.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released the cause of the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Faculty And Students Develop Goggles For Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
December 19, 2023
University of West Florida faculty and undergraduate students recently developed Pulsed Medical LED goggles for the early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The product was researched and designed through a partnership between the Department of Psychology, Department of Physics and Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UWF.
Dr. Mohamed Khabou, professor in the Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and associate dean of the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, Dr. Aaron Wade, associate professor in the physics department and Dr. James Arruda, professor of psychology in the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health, connected to work on the product. For the past several years, Arruda, a research neuropsychologist, has researched brain-behavior relationships like those related to Alzheimer’s dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
Arruda started making the goggles two years ago and realized he needed to make them with special enhancements for those who are color-deficient. He further understood that everyone has a unique number and distribution of visual receptors that allow for color vision. The goggles were developed to detect how the brain responds to a flash of light, whether it be for the detection of a seizure disorder or for the early detection of Alzheimer’s dementia. In either circumstance, the results would allow someone to prepare ahead of time and seek treatment options. For example, delayed signaling in one area of the brain suggests participants with mild cognitive impairment — an early stage of Alzheimer’s dementia — have compromised cholinergic functioning that resulted in impaired visual processing in the cerebral cortex.
“It dawned on me that not everyone’s visual system is the same, so I wanted to tailor the light to maximally influence the visual receptors in an individual’s eyes,” Arruda said. “Not everyone has all four types of visual receptors and if someone is color deficient that indicates that they are missing one type of visual receptor. So we are attempting to tailor the physical properties of the light to maximize the response of someone’s visual receptors so we can get an appropriate response from the brain.”
Arruda, Khabou and Wade sought improvements in its design and usability from students. Sierra Kautz, who just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering earlier this month, began working on the product as part of a capstone project in January 2023. She and colleagues Mark Yepishin, Judy Aquino and Dustin Tran built a circuit and designed a user interface to control the product.
“We were given LED boards designed by Dr. Wade and we had to figure out the best way to wire the circuits to control the LEDs,” Kautz said. “We wrote a lot of code to allow them to have full control over it and adjust different brightness levels.”
The student team and faculty worked together to test to make sure light levels were safe for anyone who put the goggles on.
The product is undergoing additional testing and development and will be worked on with additional students from the Department of Psychology, Department of Physics and Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in spring.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
10,000 Pound Food Giveaway Tuesday Afternoon In Cantonment
December 19, 2023
Cantonment Improvement Committee will hold a 10,000 pound drive-thru food giveaway Tuesday afternoon, December 19 at Carver Park on Webb Street.
The food distribution will begin at 3 p.m. and continue while supplies last for anyone in need of food. People should line up their vehicles, single file on Webb Street facing north; food will be loaded into vehicles. Identification is required.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Cool High Near 50 For Tuesday; Freezing Again Tuesday Night
December 19, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 53. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 63. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Sunday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Christmas Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Escambia School Board Sets Process That Could Make Interim Superintendent Leonard Permanent In January
December 19, 2023
The Escambia County School Board Monday night established a process by which Interim Superintendent Keith Leonard can become the permanent superintendent in January.
“In October, the board expressed a general consensus to make Leonard the permanent boss by extending his contract.
“In October, we the board, made the public aware of our consideration, to make our interim superintendent, Mr. Keith Leonard, our permanent superintendent. We wanted to give the public ample opportunity to share their views,” board member Patty Hightower said.
Each board member will individually complete a mid-year evaluation of Leonard’s performance to date, and they will be compiled by the board attorney.
Those reviews and the item will be discussed at a January 16 meeting, and the public will be invited to speak at that time. The public can also call board members or send emails before that time.
The motion by Kevin Adams passed unanimously.
Leonard’s current contract as interim is otherwise set to expire June 30, 2024.
The board will avoid an expensive nationwide search. Leonard was one of four finalists in in their last search which ultimately led to the hiring of Dr. Tim Smith who was later terminated.
Pictured: Interim Superintendent Keith Leonard at Monday night’s meeting of the Escambia County School Board. Image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Red Bulbs 7 And 8 Placed For Fires During ‘Keep The Wreath Green’
December 19, 2023
Escambia County Fire Rescue has placed two more red bulbs on the county wreath during “Keep the Wreath Green” following two residential structure fires on Saturday, Dec. 17, bringing the current total to eight red bulbs.
At 5:32 p.m. on Saturday, ECFR units responded to a residential structure fire at the 2400 block of Mallory Street. Upon arrival, flames were seen from the roof of the single-story structure. After ECFR entered the home, seven dogs were spotted and rescued from the fire. While the dogs were being rescued, ECFR attacked the fire, bringing the situation under control by 8 p.m. The attic was destroyed, but the rest of the home can be re-occupied once repairs are made. There were no additional injuries or fatalities. ECFR conducted the investigation and determined an electrical issue in the attic caused the fire.
Following the Mallory Street fire, ECFR responded to a residential structure fire at the 200 block of Aquamarine Drive at 10:49 p.m. Upon arrival, a fire was seen from the carport. ECFR’s rapid response prevented the fire from extending into the home, but power was cut off during the response, resulting in a temporary displacement. There were no injuries or fatalities. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with the City of Pensacola to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths are on display at 21 county fire stations and five city fire stations, as well as Escambia County’s Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building downtown, the Escambia County Public Safety Building and Pensacola City Hall. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in a residential home.