Sarasota County is trying to launch an innovative approach to dealing with mentally ill individuals arrested for minor crimes in hope of slowing the revolving door of a criminal justice system that…
Category: News
Regional Roundup coming to Escambia High Saturday
A Regional Roundup event will be held this Saturday, Feb. 6, from 8 a.m. to noon at Escambia High School located at 1310 N 65th Ave. Regional Roundup events provide an opportunity…
State reports new job creation in 2015, Pensacola MSA 2,700 new jobs
The Tampa Bay area led the state in job creation last year with 41,400 new private sector jobs added over the year. Florida has added more than 1 million private sector jobs…
Spencer challenges LBJ viewpoint, defends Urban Design Associates
Pensacola City Councilman Brian Spencer believes that his fellow councilman and business partner, Larry Johnson, was off-base in his criticism on the council’s decision to hire Urban Design Associates to help the…
Frank Brown Songwriters Festival donates $18,867 to Larry Butler Award
The University of West Florida celebrated a $18,867 donation to the Larry Butler Memorial Music Award on Thursday, Jan. 28 at the UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts. The new funds…
New YMCA facility shoots for October opening
By Duwayne Escobedo Bill Seedes and Andrea Rosenbaum want people to know that the YMCA of Northwest Florida is so much more than a “swimming gym.†The new 52,000-square foot building, which…
Jennifer McFarren and Rusty Branch on Pensacola Speaks today
On News Talk 1370 WCOA’s “Pensacola Speaks,” I will interview at 5:10 pm Jennifer McFarren on the Lean In Pensacola event that was held this week. In the second half hour, I…
Inweekly Rising Star Rusty Branch named new DMO executive director
The Escambia County Destination Marketing Organization (“DMOâ€) has hired Rusty Branch as its new executive director, effective Feb. 1. He replaces Ron Ellington, who retired from the position in December 2015. In…
Medical marijuana melodrama continues: Two roads to non-euphoric and euphoric relief
From the News Service of Florida: MEDICAL MARIJUANA SET FOR NOVEMBER BALLOT Voters will get another chance to decide whether to allow medical marijuana in Florida after backers of a proposed constitutional…
Three roughest starts as Pensacola City Council president
The first two months of any position can be rocky as one gets acclimated to the position. That definitely holds true for the position of Pensacola City Council president. In 2011, Maren…
Fantasy sports websites get nod from lawmakers
By DARA KAM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA While officials in some other states try to shut down the games, Florida legislators are speedily moving measures that would shield the daily fantasy…
On Pensacola Speaks, Medical examiner talks about his life with death
Dr. Gary Cumberland will be my guest on News Talk 1370 WCOA’s “Pensacola Speaks” today at 5:35 p.m. He was the medical examiner on several homicides in our area, including the one…
Podcast: Council president says Human Rights ordinance may not come up until March
Yesterday, Pensacola City Council President Charles Bare said on “Pensacola Speaks†that the human rights ordinance that was referred last November to the city attorney for review may not be ready for…
County seeks volunteers for library board
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking county residents interested in volunteering to fill vacancies on the West Florida Public Libraries Board of Governance. The duties of the Board include…
Matt Gaetz pushes nearly $1 billion cut thru Florida House
BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA The House is proposing a wide-ranging tax cut package that falls just short of Gov. Rick Scott’s request for more than $1 billion in…
New UWF study finds LEO support for body cameras
A first-of-its-kind study conducted by researchers at the University of West Florida and Florida Atlantic University has found that officer use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) enjoys strong support among law enforcement officials….
Pensacola Speaks: Charles Bare, Pensacola Opera, Melanie Nichols
On News Talk 1370 WCOA, I will have Pensacola City Council President Charles Bare to open “Pensacola Speaks” at 5 p.m. We will discuss his first two months as president and upcoming…
Baskerville-Donovan tops bids for Pensacola fish hatchery
Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. has come out on top of the bid tabulations for the engineering work for the Florida Gulf Coast Marine Fisheries Hatchery and Enhancement Center at Bruce Beach on the edge…
City of Pensacola designates family-friendly zone for Mardi Gras parade
The Pensacola’s two biggest Mardi Gras parades are downtown Pensacola on Feb. 5 and 6. Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. and the City of Pensacola have established an area for families along the…
Podcast: Mayor Hayward working on downtown parking solutions
Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward called into “Pensacola Speaks” to praise Quint and Rishy Studer for their investments in his city. He also talked about downtown parking, one of his goals for 2016…