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Flomaton Police Chief Chance Thompson started his 'How Are Ya!' program well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and people were put in lockdown. Now that we are in a lockdown on a virus that apparently doesn't treat our senior citizens well, its great to have such a program in place in Flomaton. We talked with Chief Thompson and his feeling was there were many senior citizens and other handicapped people who were basically in lock down before the virus hit. Many are home alone with nobody to talk to. Thompson initiated the program where he will...
Passover and Easter came and went with all of us still in extreme social distancing. There were online Seders. Many of us missed being in church on Easter Day for the first time in our lives. Easter egg hunts and parties were cancelled, and parents conducted their own hunts with just their children. The big Easter brunches and dinners which have been the tradition for so many were forgone, postponed, or just very small. And too many of us were literally alone, all alone. The experts tell us our peak for the disease in Alabama is about a week...
Allow me to share some more observations from the year. One of my favorite people in the world and one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known is State Representative Steve Clouse of Ozark. My relationship with Steve goes under the category of Alabama is one Big Front Porch. His sweet mother, Mrs. Ruth Price Clouse, passed away a month or so ago at 93. There was a nice church service at the First Methodist Church of Ozark. Afterwards, Steve and his lovely wife, Dianne, invited folks to come over to their house across the street from their...
Well into the second month of our national crisis caused by the Chinese corona virus, we can with a degree of confidence review what we have learned and with reason consider our next steps. We can definitively say this Chinese bat virus is more deadly than the Chinese pig virus. With over 20,000 dead in just two months, we already have thousands more casualties than after a year of the 2009 Swine Flu. However, it has not yet killed more than a bad flu season when typically some 60,000 Americans succumb to influenza. It appears more contagious...
The Southern Amateur Radio Union just sponsored a successful School Race around the World using special helium filled balloons. A lot of hard work went into this project, weighing each item and figuring how much helium to put in each balloon to maintain the 40,000 to 42,000 ft attitude for the trip around the world. On Friday, April 10, the balloons completed the trip around the world. This could even be a world record time for a balloon to complete trip around the world. The balloons were released from Flomaton and Brewton on the morning of...
A summary posted on the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education of a special video conference meeting Wednesday outlined information and updates from the Alabama State Department of Education, Escambia County Schools Academic Continuity Plan, and operational plans for the county's schools related to the Coronavirus health crisis. This included current plans and guidance provided to students, parents, schools and personnel during the mandated school closures. The board also discussed Fiscal...
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, small businesses in Escambia County (Fla.) being impacted by loss may get some financial help and Century Mayor Henry Hawkins encourages small businesses in Century and the surrounding areas to apply. “They should apply,” said Hawkins. “We've been affected like everybody else in the county. Small businesses are closed up.” The $150,000 grant, awarded at $2,500 per applicant or business, is intended to assist for-profit businesses located in Escambia County with th...
Members of the Flomaton Town Council praised town employees and first responders during Monday afternoon's teleconference meeting, citing their jobs during the COVID-19 shutdown. “All employees have done a good job from our police officers, utilities workers, first responders and others,” said Councilman Jim Johnson. “We will get through this and go back to normal life.” Other council members agreed. “All have done a good job,” said Councilman Roger Adkinson. “I haven't had any major problem...
The U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza today launched the Paycheck Protection Program, a $349 billion emergency loan program created last week with the President’s signing of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). The program provides forgivable loans up to $10 million to small businesses left financially distressed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The loans, which will be administered at the local level by a national network of banks and credit unions, are designed to maintain t...
World War II saw the rapid mobilization of the US economy to fight the threat of the Axis in Europe and the Pacific. Such radical changes in the national economy tightened the food supply and basic supplies such as tires, hardware and other goods which consumers were used to finding on the shelves of hardware and grocery stores in their hometowns soon disappeared. The need for raw materials and food for the far flung American armed forces led to the rationing system. This system was implemented...
I am subscribed to “Northwest Florida History and Genealogy” (https://nwfloridahistory.com/) The latest email I received from them was concerning “The Hidden History of the Florida Panhandle During the Civil War.” This was mainly the story of the 1st Florida Cavalry Union Volunteers, but also gave a lot of information about life in Northwest Florida and South Alabama during the 1850's and 1860's. If I don't do this justice or if you want more information you can check the above website. If it interests you enough to spend a little money,...
My earliest memory of dental problems was when I was about seven years old. I was a child of less than nothing as far as money in the bank. If something broke, Daddy fixed it with bailing wire or Mama fixed it with Vicks salve. Grandma Minnie Smith fixed it with a poultice made of road bank clay and vinegar. I had a toothache that gave me a fat jaw on one side. I looked like a half full jawed chipmunk. My tooth throbbed, I cried. Mama held a hot water bottle to my jaw. The swelling went down somewhat. My first-grade picture shows my chipmunk...
