From Sarasota Herald Tribune: We want to add some talent to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune investigative team. Every serious candidate should have a proven track record of conceiving, reporting and writing stellar investigative…
Category: News
Thomas finds Tate and School District did no wrong
In memorandum from Superintendent Malcolm Thomas to the Escambia School Board members, the superintendent reported that school officials properly reported the alleged sexual assault at Tate High School and that they fully…
At least Pensacola is not Detroit
The City of Pensacola shrank last decade, dropping 8 percent from 56,255 in 2000 to 51,923 in 2010. Detroit, Michigan saw its population drop a whopping 25 percent. It was the largest…
Sheriff Morgan halts trolley greetings
In a letter that was hand-delivered to Federal Judge Roger Vinson, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan has agreed to stop thanking prospective jurors for their service at the trolley stop near the…
Young still pushing for aquarium
From William Young, III-Founder of Aquarium for Pensacola: Our economic strength and future lives, breathes and grows by virtue of our clean beaches and Gulf waters. Grounded on that premise, conversion (recycling)…
Escambia County opens employee clinic
Press release: Concentra, a subsidiary of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), announced today it has opened a new on-site medical center for Escambia County employees, their dependents, and retirees. Located in Pensacola, Fla.,…
Escambia School District needs to hire Eric Smith
Escambia County public schools need a CEO – Chief Education Officer. A great candidate is Eric Smith, the outgoing Florida Secretary of Education. Smith was hired in 1996 as the Superintendent of…
Morgan had no impact on first Stallworth trial
The daily newspaper reports today that Attorney Michelle Hendrix, who represents Donnie Stallworth, a defendant charged in the 2009 murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings, filed a motion Wednesday for a court…
Buzz: Thomas investigation to blame SRO
Buzz: Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is set to release March 24 the findings of his investigation on how he, his school district administration and Tate High School handled the alleged March 1 sexual…
From head of Minutemen Project
Got this gem from a Tea Party email blast: Steve Eichler, J.D. Executive Director of the Minuteman Project/MinutemanProject.com and Executive Director of the Tea Party/TeaParty.org calls for Minutemen and the Tea Party…
A few questions
GREETING JURORS: Have the federal judges surveyed their jurors to see if they were swayed by Sheriff Morgan thanking them for their service at the trolley stop at 6 a.m.? Has a…
Buzz: Townsend wants out-of-district nominee
The Pensacola City Council is appointing its redistricting committee. Each current district should be represented on the committee that will decide the boundaries of the seven council districts. Townsend has made it…
State budget cuts could hurt local economy by $35.1 million
Rick Scott’s proposed budget eliminates the Medical Needy Program and reduces hospital Medicaid rates. Sacred Heart Health System, the largest Medicaid provider in Northwest Florida, stands to lose $21 million if the…
Badlands Part 3
Press release: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and The Cottage Hill Neighborhood Watch, along with several other agencies, will conduct an “Operation Clean Sweep†event on Thursday, March 24, 2011. The clean-up…
DOE Secretary resigns
Statement from Eric Smith who announced his resignation as the Secretary of the Florida Department of Education: This past weekend, I informed the members of the State Board of Education of my…
Arrests Made in Turner Homicide
Press Release: A year-long investigation into the death 20 year old Donald Diego Turner has led to two arrests on the anniversary of the crime. 25 year old Jarvis Lamar Jessie and…
Answers to teacher merit pay questions
Orlando Sentinel put together this Q&A on the merit pay bill that recently passed the Florida Senate. My favorite: Does research show merit-pay plans boost student performance? Not necessarily. Several studies, most…
Blog stats still strong
This blog has had more visitors – both unique and total – for the first 19 days of this month than all of March 2010. Year-to-date the blog traffic is up 70…
Time for whistleblower policies
Daily News reports that in response to the bonus kickback scandal that led to the arrest of its sheriff and several high-ranking officials in his office, Okaloosa County officials have developed a…
Why did people move from Escambia to Santa Rosa?
Louis Cooper at the daily wants to know. Santa Rosa’s total population is 151,372, according to the 2010 census. In 2000, Santa Rosa’s population was 117,743—a growth rate of nearly 29 percent….