News - Rick's Blog

State accountability system ‘broken’

The Florida School Boards Association on Thursday questioned the reliability of the state’s school-accountability system, less than a week after school superintendents said they had…

Medical marijuana initiative has over 220K signatures

The number of valid petition signatures submitted to the state for a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical-marijuana has soared to more than 220,000 —…

Sandy and David Sansing named Honorary Chairs for the BIG Gala â€“Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida

Press release: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida is pleased to announce Sandy and David Sansing to serve as honorary chairs for the annual…

UWF Executive Mentor Program and Pen Air Federal Credit Union to host Fall Financial Boot Camp

Press release: The University of West Florida Executive Mentor Program and Pen Air Federal Credit Union will host the fall Financial Boot Camp on Wednesday,…

Health warnings re:bayous

Effective immediately, in response to bacteriological sampling, the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County (FDOH-Escambia) is issuing a health advisory for the following beaches…

Podcast: Terhaar has signed his contract, Kraher starts Oct. 12

On “Pensacola Speaks,” Pensacola City Council President Andy Terhaar said that he executed on Monday the employment contract for the new council executive, Donald Kraher….

CFO Atwater may run for U.S. Senate

State Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater confirmed Wednesday that he might still be open to entering the race for a U.S. Senate seat in 2016….

Springfest pulls plug

There will not be a SpringFest in 2016, according a press release from the festival’s organizers. The group fell short of its September sales goal…

Senate could drop Confederate flag from seal

By BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA State senators are scheduled next week to begin considering whether to keep the Confederate flag on the…

RESTORE deadline restored to Oct. 2

RESTORE Project Submission Deadline Extended to October 2 Due to a scheduling error, the RESTORE Project Portal closed Tuesday, September 29, at 11:59 p.m. The…

The Arc Gateway PALS application deadline extended

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have extra time to submit applications for The Arc Gateway Program for Adult Learning and Support (PALS) class to…

Podcasts: Donald Trump, 50K for Turkey Day, Facebook hoax

Yesterday on “Pensacola Speaks,” I opened the show talking about Forbes editor Randall Lane’s article on Donald Trump’s net worth – “Inside The Epic Fantasy…

Corrections Department passes Florida Model Jail Standards inspections

Press Release: The Escambia County Corrections Department recently completed the annual Florida Model Jail Standards (FMJS) inspections. Corrections passed both the Jail Standards and Medical…

Blazek wins Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival Poster Competition

Press release: Artist Joey Blazek is the winner of the 2015 Great Gulfcoast Art Festival poster competition winner. His colorful, lively piece will be reproduced…

Terhaar stands with council executive choice

Inweekly asked Pensacola City Council President Andy Terhaar whether he was bothered by the recent revelations that newly-hired Council Executive Donald Kraher had filed for…

Guns and Medical Marijuana on tap for Florida House next week

As lawmakers continue preparing for the 2016 legislative session, House panels next week will take up a bill that would allow people to openly carry…

Escambia BCC General Fund budget increased by 8 percent since FY 2011

Escambia Board of County Commissioners have increased their budget since FY 2011 by 8.21 percent. To make the comparison, a few adjustments needed to be…

Then it got weirder, anonymous source tries to derail Pensacola council executive hire

The News Journal reports today that Council Vice President Larry B. Johnson delivered two unmarked envelopes to Assistant City Attorney Rusty Wells at the council’s…