Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 7-3-20

Features
Statistics Show COVID-19 Cases Continue To Rise
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has steadfastly said he will not shut the state down again. However, the number of new cases contin- ues to climb throughout the state.
Overnight Tuesday, there were 6,093 new cases re- ported, bringing the total cases in the state to 152,434. And 3,505 deaths, statewide, have been attributed to the virus, including 58 new deaths.
Since reports began in March, Hillsborough County has had a total of 10,752 cases and 138 deaths attrib- uted to COVID-19. Statistics also showed that certain zip codes reported a higher number of cases than others in the county.
The five zip codes in Hillsborough County with the highest number of cases:
Zip code 33614 in- cludes parts of Tampa, Carrollwood, Egypt Lake, Leto, and Town N’ County. It has the high- est number of cases with 506.
There have been 503 cases reported in the 33612 zip code, includes Tampa, Carrollwood, Lake Magdalene and university area.
Zip code 33511 has the third highest num- ber of confirmed cases with 469 cases reported. That zip code includes Brandon, Blooming- dale, and Riverview.
The fourth highest zip code in the county is 33610 with 446 cases re- ported. That zip code in- cludes Tampa, East Lake, Orient Park, Mango, and Thonoto- sassa.
Zip code 33613 rounds out the top five with 431 cases reported.
It includes Tampa, Lake Magdalene, Lutz, and university area.
The other zip codes in the
county
33510,
33534,
33547,
33549,
33558,
33563,
33566,
33569,
33572,
33578,
33584,
33594,
33598,
33603,
33605,
33607,
33611, 245; 33613, 431; 33615, 397; 33616, 144; 33617, 280; 33618, 144; 33619, 391; 33620, 15; 33621, 7; 33624, 225; 33625, 158; 33626, 142; 33629, 212; 33634, 144; 33635, 97; 33637, 113; 33647, 306; and 33810, 0.
are as follow: 193; 33527, 108; 101; 33540, 0; 69; 33548, 32; 74; 33556, 129; 106; 33559, 66; 263; 33565, 75; 157; 33567, 67; 114; 33570, 244; 83; 33573, 89; 327; 33579, 198; 144; 33592, 54; 138; 33596, 100; 219; 33602, 315; 135; 33604, 354; 189; 33606, 354; 411; 33609, 214;
Resident Celebrates Aunt’s 110th Birthday From Afar
EMANUEL JOHNSON
Emanuel Johnson is shown with his aunt, Mrs. Sarah Purdee Spires, at one of their family gatherings.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Celebrating birthdays are part of the culture that makes up society. And, the more birthdays a person has, the greater the celebration.
The COVID-19 Pandemic changed the way we do things in this country and the world. But, people find inventive ways of accomplishing tasks that are important to them.
This was the case with Progress Village resident Emanuel P. Johnson ear- lier this year. Mr. Johnson, who is 98, was looking forward to celebrating his aunt’s 110th birthday. But the COVID-19 Pandemic struck and he was not allowed to travel to his hometown of Marianna.
Mrs. Sarah Purdee Spires turned 110 on April 10th. Unfortunately, Mr. Johnson and members of their family who live in other cities could not attend. So they celebrated by telephone. But her birthday did not go unno- ticed. The local Marianna newspaper dedicated a full page to feature her birthday.
And, being a close family, Mrs. Spires made sure Mr. Johnson received a copy of the newspaper.
Mr. Johnson said, “She is
MRS. SARAH PURDEE SPIRES
... Celebrated her 110th birthday on April 10th
my aunt, my mother’s sister. I am an only child, and my grandparents raised me and we grew up like brother and sister.”
He’s not sure when he will
be able to visit his aunt in per-
son, but hopes it will be soon.
Mr. Johnson will celebrate
his 99th birthday on October 14th.
Mr. Johnson has called Tampa his home for several decades. His family was one of the first to move in the newly created Progress Village subdi- vision and he has earned the unofficial name of “Mayor of Progress Village.” The community center is named in his honor.
A historian, Mr. Johnson is proud of his roots in Progress Village. But, he is also proud of his hometown of Marianna. He has never for- gotten where he came from, his family history, or the fam- ily members who still live there.
Mrs. Sarah Purdee Spires continues to keep the family in constant contact and the family history alive.
Her father, and Mr. John- son’s grandfather, Arm- strong Purdee, was the first African American to practice law in Jackson County. Through research, the family learned that Purdee was born a slave in 1856. He was taught to read by one of the families he worked for as a child. Upon reaching adulthood, Purdee became an attorney, but was not allowed to practice law in Jackson County. He pleaded his cases in Jacksonville, Pen- sacola, and Atlanta, Georgia. And, he also became an ac- tivist for the African American community.
FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 11-A