Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 36
The 2020 Regular Legislative Session has resumed after a six-week hiatus due to the coronavirus shutdown of the state and nation. The session must end by May 18, 2020. The only thing they will do is pass barebones budgets. The most important and actually the only constitutionally mandated act that must be accomplished is the passage of the state budgets. In our case, we have two state budgets. We have a General Fund like 45 other states, and we have a second Special Education budget. Like all states, the power is where the money lies....
After about two months of national crisis, the Chinese virus pandemic seems to be giving way to paranoia and power lust. Make no mistake, COVID-19 is a very real threat; it is certainly contagious, viciously attacks the respiratory system, and is definitely deadly especially to vulnerable folks with other health issues. We are learning more everyday about the virus, how to contain it, and how to treat it. But we are also learning other valuable lessons. Once again the media is proving completely unreliable. Politicians of all stripes are...
The Great War, also known as World War I, was a pivotal event in the lives of the generation which fought the war. No other war had been fought with such savagery and loss of life. Technology was ahead of the tactics used on the battlefield to such a degree that cavalry charges were often met with machine gun fire which viciously cut short the life of horse and rider. In the small hamlet of Canoe, Alabama, the war seemed distant to the residents. The small town was in its golden age and the flow...
I wrote before about the men from our area who formed the 1st Florida Union Cavalry Volunteers. Some names listed in the book as members of the 1st FCUV caught my attention because of having lived at one time or another in Escambia County, Florida, place of my birth and current residence. Others caught my attention as potential family members of my ancestors. The name with a McDavid, Florida (my hometown) connection was Nicholas Baggett. This name caught my eye because through the research of...
Closing down the American economy has a real and enormous effect on the lives of countless Americans. Layoffs and job losses are devastating for individuals, families, and communities. In good times, it generally takes three to six months for someone to find a job after a layoff. Of course, these are not good times. Moreover, closures and layoffs go deeper than this. Large unemployment numbers can also make it much harder for areas to move into economic recovery when a crisis is over. Certainly, the government’s coronavirus response has not b...
This is a true story told by my Smith side from back when I was a young child. One of the favorite stories always brought out and shared at our Smith Family gatherings. My Dad was born in 1902 and said he was about the age of ten years. He well remembered this event. I have to believe this happening probably took place circa 1910/12 or there about. Carrie Smith, the oldest Smith child of seven other siblings, was the responsible one that was the so-called leader for the children and usually set the standard for what the others believed and...
Fred Beth Balkcom, 88, of Brewton, died Friday, May 1, 2020, following a brief illness. Mr. Balkcom was born Jan. 20, 1932, in Pensacola and relocated to Barrineau Park, Fla., before moving to Brewton in 1970. A U.S. Army veteran and member of Brewton Pentecostal Church, he attended Tate High School and retired as a paper machine superintendent from Jefferson Smurfitt with 37 years of service. A graveside service was held at 1 p.m., Sunday, May 3, at Green Acres Cemetery with Rev. Byrnes Pitts officiating. Burial followed with Williams...
Infant Axel Brian Casey died Sunday, April 26, 2020. A private family graveside service was held at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 2, at Union Cemetery with Rev. Cavin Cawthon officiating. Burial followed with Williams Memorial Chapel Funeral Home directing. Infant Casey is survived by his parents, Andy and Hilary Casey of Brewton; one brother, R.J. Kirkland of Brewton; four grandparents, Joey and Gwynne Shell of East Brewton and Brian and Ruth Casey of Milton, Fla.; and numerous other family members....
William Lloyd Cash, 72, of Semmes, Ala., died Thursday, April 27, 2020, at Providence Hospital in Mobile. Mr. Cash was born in Brewton, Ala., Jan. 1, 1948, and had been a resident of Mobile for 38 years. Board-certified with OSHA, he was a contractor and was certified in real estate for residential and commercial. He was a carpenter who built his own homes and had won many salesman recognition awards. Of the Methodist faith, he was a member of Christ United Methodist Church of Mobile who had been on a team that won a state championship in...
Curtis Lee Chavers, 91, of Brewton, died Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Mr. Chavers was born in Brewton and had been a lifelong resident of the Brewton area. Self-employed as a farmer, he earned the Farmer of the Year Award. A graveside service was held at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 2, at the Beulah Cemetery with Rev. Johnny Cardwell and Rev. Tommy Quick officiating. Burial followed with Craver's Funeral Home directing. Mr. Chavers is survived by two sons, Buster (Sharon) Chavers and Michael Scott Chavers, both of Brewton; two daughters, Paula Renee...
Samuel Wilson Coale, Jr., 88, of Brewton, died Thursday, April 30, 2020, in a Pensacola hospital following a brief illness. Mr. Coale was born Feb. 12, 1932, in Monroeville, Ala. and became a lifelong resident of Brewton. A U.S. Air Force veteran and member of Elim Baptist Church, he retired as an accountant from Jefferson Smurfitt with 28 years of service. A graveside service was held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, at Elim Cemetery with Rev. Ron Headley and Rev. Brett Chancery officiating. Burial followed with Williams Memorial Chapel Funeral...
Desmond Deshun “DD” Dirden, 43, of Atmore, died Saturday, April 25, 2020. Mr. Dirden was a native of Atmore who attended Escambia County High School. A member of Abundant Life Church of Deliverance, he had worked at Swift Lumber Company. A private graveside service will be held Saturday, May 9, at Fairview Cemetery with Apostle Carolyn Banks officiating and Turner Funeral Chapel directing. Mr. Dirden is survived by two sons, Desmond Dirden, Jr. and De’Andre Dirden, both of Atmore; two daughters, Alayshia Payne and Samantha Dixon, both of Atmor...
Ann Elizabeth Johnson, 80, died Monday, April 27, 2020, in Birmingham, Ala. Mrs. Johnson was a native of Atlanta, Ga. who grew up in Andalusia and Birmingham and had resided in Milton, Fla. for the past five years. A member and ordained deacon of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Milton, ZTA sorority, she was a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor's degree and Central Michigan University with a master's degree. She retired from Indian Health services as a medical technologist. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Mrs. Johnson...
Margot Ida Kay, 84, of Brewton, died Friday, May 1, 2020, following a brief illness. Mrs. Kay was born April 13, 1936, in Germany. She was a former resident of Crestview, Fla. and Gulf Breeze, Fla. before moving to Brewton. Of the Protestant faith, she was a homemaker. The funeral was held at 5 p.m., Monday, May 4, at Williams Memorial Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Drake Dorsett officiating. Burial followed at Barrancus National Cemetery in Pensacola with Williams Memorial Chapel Funeral Home directing. Mrs. Kay is survived by her husband,...
Eloise Lacy, 76, of Century, Fla., died Saturday, April 18, 2020, at a Pensacola health care facility. Mrs. Lacy was born Nov. 7, 1943, to Herman and Ila Mae Nelson Lacy in Jay, Fla. Owner and operator of Victone Cleaners in Flomaton, she was of the Christian faith. A graveside service was held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, at Cora Cemetery with Rev. Pat Carden officiating. Burial followed with Flomaton Funeral Home directing. Mrs. Lacy is survived by two sons, Ken Jackson of Bay Minette and Randy Jackson of Gulf Breeze; three brothers, Wayne...
Barbara Nell Martin, 79, of McDavid, Fla., died Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at Century Health and Rehabilitation Center. Mrs. Martin was born Jan. 8, 1941, in Dallas, Texas and had been a resident of the McDavid community since 2012, coming from Century, Fla. No service is scheduled at this time. Mrs. Martin is survived by one son, Billy (Dorothy) Martin of Century; one daughter, Brenda Cofield of Jay, Fla.; one sister, Pat Elliott of Ft. Worth, Texas; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Mrs. Martin was preceded in death by one...
Peggy Boutwell Mitchell. 64, died Friday, May 1, 2020, in Colquitt, Ga. Mrs. Mitchell was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore. Of the Baptist faith, she was a retired waitress. The funeral was held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, May 6, at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Bro. Buford Wiggins officiating and Petty-Eastside Funeral Home directing. Mrs. Mitchell is survived by her husband of 34 years, Ronald L. Mitchell of Atmore; three sons, Randall Boutwell of Huxford and Marcus Boutwell and Terrell (Kerrie) Boutwel, both of Atmore; two...
Hoover Lovelace Parker, 91, of East Brewton, died Thursday, April 30, 2020. Mr. Parker was born June 29, 1928, in Escambia County, Ala. A 1946 graduate of W.S. Neal HIgh School, he opened Big Bear Supermarket in East Brewton in 1966, later known as Parker’s Super Foods, which operated for more than 35 years. In 1964, he became a member of the East Brewton City Council and served until 1972. Elected mayor of East Brewton in 1980, he served two terms, from 1980 to 1988. In 1988, he was elected to the Escambia County Commission, where he served un...
John Lewis “Moon” Powers, Jr., 63, died Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at Mobile Infirmary Health Center. Mr. Powers was born Feb. 1, 1957, to John Lewis, Sr. and Addie Lee Powers, in Atmore. A 1975 graduate of Escambia County High School, and later the Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, he served for more than 30 years as a patrolman and acting police chief of the town of Flomaton, then a deputy sheriff sergeant with the Escambia County Sheriff's Department. He retired as sergeant with the City of Atmore Police Department and enjoyed the out...
James “Donnie” Reed, 60, of Bay Minette, died Friday, May 1, 2020. Mr. Reed was a native of Oregon and former resident of Stockton, Ala. who had resided in Bay Minette for the past 18 years. A 1978 Repton High School graduate, he was a chemical operator and employed with the Creek Travel Plaza. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Mr. Reed is survived by his partner, Marie L. Reed of Bay Minette; two sons, Dillon (Caitlin) Reed of Evergreen and Cory (Jessica) Holden of Bay Minette; one daughter, Abby Reed of Bay Minette; three bro...
Lucresha Brantley Shams, 53, died Friday, May 1, 2020, at a Pensacola hospital following a brief illness. Mrs. Shams was born April 16, 1967, to Larry and Annette Davidson in Brewton and became a longtime resident of Pensacola. A 1985 W.S. Neal graduate, she also graduated from Jacksonville State University with a bachelor's of arts in early childhood education in 1989. She earned an associate's of applied science in nursing from Jefferson Davis Junior College in March 1995. A registered nurse, she worked as activities director at West Gate...
Curtis Columbus Welch, 76, of Bratt, Fla., died Monday, April 27, 2020, in Bratt, Fla. Mr. Welch was born Oct. 27, 1943, to Gary C. and Laura Levins Welch in Perdido, Ala. He was a farmer for most of his life. A graveside service was held at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, May 2, at Pine Barren Baptist Church Cemetery with Bro. Collingsworth officiating. Burial followed with Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home directing. Mr. Welch is survived by his wife, Marsha Adele Brock Welch of Bratt; two sons, Rodney Lee (Crystal) Welch of Maryland and Mark Gary Welch of...
Ask 10 people to describe Lovelace Parker and all 10 responses would include a generous public servant who loved to help people and loved to hunt quail. Hunter Lovelace Parker, 91, of East Brewton died Thursday, April 19, but will always be remembered for his big heart and love of people. Flags in East Brewton were flying at half staff in East Brewton Monday when Parker was laid to rest in Fort Crawford Cemetery. A 1946 graduate of W.S. Neal High School in East Brewton, his first and last jobs w...
The Century Town Council approved a grant Monday that will fund the installation of various percussion instruments at a park in the town and allows access for everyone. The grant, estimated at $25,000, will come from Sunday's Child through Keep Pensacola Beautiful. Known as Harmony Park, the instruments do not require electricity and allow access for everyone. The town will be responsible for pouring concrete for the installation, estimated at $1,500, assisting with unloading the equipment and...
In its bi-weekly update on the COVID-19 pandemic released Tuesday, the Escambia County (Ala.) Health Care Authority reported there have been 32 confirmed cases of the virus in the county and two confirmed deaths. Statistics from Atmore Community Hospital show 24 confirmed cases. At the Atmore hospital 298 people have been tested and 254 had negative results. There are 19 tests pending and one death with inconclusive results of COVID-19. There have been four confirmed cases at D.W. McMillan...
