In a week filled with showdowns, the last one —Superintendent Malcolm Thomas vs. Newpoint Education Partners—could be the biggest. At 1:30 p.m. today, the Escambia County School Board will hear the…
Category: News
Gaetz hopeful lawmakers will hammer out health care solution
Don Gaetz is hopeful that the Florida House and Senate will hammer out a budget in June. The biggest sticking point is how the state will be budget for the health care…
Newpoint says it was blindsided by Thomas
Newpoint Education Partners tonight said in a press release that it was caught off guard by Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ recommendation for the Escambia County School Board to terminate its charters for Five…
Farm Share and Representative Mike Hill host free food distribution for Pensacola area needy families tomorrow
Farm Share is partnering with Rep. Mike Hill to sponsor a free food distribution on 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, May 15, at Brownsville Assembly of God, located at 3100 West De Soto…
Don Gaetz on Pensacola Speaks at 5:35 p.m.
State Sen. Don Gaetz will be on the second half of “Pensacola Speaks.” Maybe he will announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate? “Pensacola Speaks airs on News Talk 1370 WCOA Monday-Friday from…
PS today: Miami Herald reporter talks about big money in charter schools
Miami Herald investigative reporter Kathleen McGrory has covered charter schools for years. She and Scott Hiaasen worked together in September 2011 on the series “Cashing In On Kids” that found Florida charter…
Castle Greyskull gets a reprieve…until next meeting
The meetings of the Escambia Board of County Commissioners are circular events. Ideas, opinions and facts go round and round, and sometimes a decision pops out. Such was the case in today’s…
PS Podcast: Rick Wilson on 2016 GOP presidential field
Yesterday on “Pensacola Speaks,” we talked with Rick Wilson, founder of Intrepid Media, about his thoughts on the GOP presidential field. Wilson mentioned how impressed he was with Sen. Marco Rubio’s speech…
Rick Wilson on Pensacola Speaks today
GOP political strategist Rick Wilson will be on the show today. We will get the inside scoop on state and national politics. Pensacola Speaks airs on News Talk 1370 WCOA Monday-Friday from…
Loblolly Theatre returns
The Loblolly Theatre closed its doors in October of 2012 after thirteen seasons presenting original plays in an intimate theatre. In that time 75 original plays were premiered. â€Friends of Loblollyâ€, feeling…
Palm Beach County charter school shows risk of poor oversight
The Palm Beach County School District may have to repay $2.5 million to the state because it failed to provide proof of the attendance records of a closed charter school. A state…
Panama City Beach bans alcohol on the beach for next Spring Break
Tonight Downtown Improvement Board and downtown business owners will meet to discuss the future of Gallery Night. Last week when the bar and restaurant owners met, several owners and managers said they…
Lionfish on the menu
by Jeremy Morrison Lionfish are as dangerous as they are beautiful. The invasive species — filling local waters at an alarming rate in recent years— threatens to take a serious bite out…
Newpoint update: Bergosh speaks out, FDOE letter, NEP fights, Edgar investigates
School Board member Jeff Bergosh has issued a statement on the Newpoint issue. Last Friday, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas recommended that the school board terminate its charter agreements for the three schools run…
Reynolds offered Shakopee, Minn. job
The Shakopee City Council yesterday voted to enter into negotiations with Bill Reynolds, former Pensacola city administrator (2011-2013), as Shakopee’s next city administrator. The city of Shakopee has an estimated population of…
A Better Way to Give debuts at council workshop
A city council workshop was held Monday to discuss the issue of homeless people in Pensacola and how they should be handled. As of right now, there are ordinances that prohibit people…
Pensacola Opera appoints new director
Press Release: Pensacola Opera’s Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Maestro Jerome Shannon as the company’s new Executive Director. Shannon has been acting as Interim Executive Director since January, and…
Local ad group opposes film ordinance
I received this email from the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation: To All AAF Members: The Pensacola City Council is considering an ordinance that would require a special permit (and…
Cuba impressed by Pensacola delegation
Two weeks ago, Inweekly reported on a local delegation that visited Cuba seeking to build relationships and test the waters for possible business opportunities (“Creating a Pensacola-Cuba Connection”). In today’s Tampa Tribune,…
Newpoint in trouble in Bay County
The company that runs three charter schools in Escambia County had its grant applications for two new schools in Bay County denied. The Florida Department of Education said the schools, Newpoint Bay…