Press Release: The Escambia County Republican Executive Committee (“ECREC”) is pleased to announce that we will be hosting Governor Rick Scott at our 2011 Lincoln Day Dinner at New World Landing in…
Category: News
Bergosh blog post on Hawthorne contract
School Board member Jeff Bergosh has posted on his blog what happened at the board workshop regarding the proposed sale of the closed Brownsville Middle School to George Hawthorne and his Diversity…
Buzz: Behind scenes Brownsville sale
The daily newspaper has a news brief on the sale of Brownsville Middle School being delayed another month. School district staff had to admit to the School Board that George Hawthorne has…
Pensacola Brain Drain
The cover story in this week’s issue of the IN, “Black Exodus,” is on the difficulty young African-American professionals have finding jobs in this community. In May 2006, we published the story…
Tice denied re-titling cars in 2009
When I was investigating the murders of Bud and Melanie Billings, I interviewed Robert Beasley, Bud’s attorney, about his deceased client’s business relationship with Cab Tice. Beasley said that 30 or 40…
Bishop Richard to leave area
Bishop John Ricard, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, announced his resignation to a letter, dated to March 7, to Catholics in the area. Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Archbishop of Miami,…
Cab Tice arrested
Henry “Cab” Tice has been arrested on count of racketeering and is held in the Santa Rosa County Jail on $250,000 bond. A joint investigation by State Attorney’s Office and Escambia County…
Nacho Daddies opens Monday, March 14
Get ready! Nacho Daddies opens Monday, March 14….just in time for Lent.
NPR execs resign after video ambush
NPR CEO Vivian Schiller has resigned over the controversy surrounding a video was released showing chief NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) criticizing Republicans as “anti-intellectual” and calling the Tea Party “racist.”…
Teacher pay bill flying towards passage
The Florida Senate will take up its teacher pay bill today and the House bill is expected on the floor of the other chamber next week. Once both chambers approve the law,…
Every Child Can Read Escambia fails
We know that reading and literacy are big issues for Escambia County. An analysis of FCAT grades over the past five years shows that the Escambia County Public School District struggles with…
Vampire Diaries sailor from Pensacola
OUTZEN NEWS THEOREM: Every weird news story has either a Pensacola or a Germany connection. Latest proof: A sailor may be discharged from the US Navy after he fell asleep in another…
Buzz: Gannett to charge for pnj.com?
Bloomberg is reporting that Gannett Co., the owner of the Pensacola News Journal and 82 newspapers including USA Today, is considering charging for its online content. It’s testing the water with three…
Gov. Scott adminstration wanted to avoid transplant costs
According to the Florida Tribune, Gov. Rick Scott decided to forgo the use of electronic correspondence as part of his daily routine. This means he can dodge pesky public record requests for…
Escambia County slowest growing county
Escambia County, Florida is the slowest growing county in the region, according to the latest census estimates that were released yesterday. The county is growing, but only at a snail’s pace—a 0.4…
Buzz: Brownsville Middle sale not on school board agenda
For the second consecutive month, the proposed sale of Brownsville Middle School to George Hawthorne and his Diversified Program Advisors is not on the agenda for the Escambia County School Board’s regular…
Yahoo complaint
Had a reader complained about a Yahoo toobar being added to his Firefox browser when he downloaded other software. It was default setting that he didn’t catch when the new software was…
After nine years of FCAT, high schools aren’t better
After nine years of teaching to FCAT tests at every level, we should see FCAT scores improve at high school. The high school grades should improve because the students are so well-versed…
Lower FCAT schools don’t keep high grades
Escambia County schools have some successful years, but rarely do they maintain those high grades. If FCAT scores are based on the merit of the teachers, then why can’t high grades be…
Why Escambia Public Schools aren’t progressing
Reading is the issue. Our math gains consistently range from 69-65 percent, but the gains in reading range from 61-55 percent. The percentage of students meeting the high standards has steadily increased,…