County wants to cut Sheriff Morgan’s budget by $4.6 million to help with jail transfer

By Jesse Farthing Last week Interim County Administrator George Touart said that it was his budget director, Amy Lovoy, that wanted 40 percent of the…

Continue Reading

Baptist Ministers Union to meet with Sheriff Morgan on Middleton Shooting

On Saturday night, the leadership of the Baptist Ministers Union held a press conference at Greater True Vine Baptist Church to show their support for…

Continue Reading

Impasse broken, Touart writes he does not want any of Sheriff’s budget

The daily newspaper’s headline on jail transfer workshop held yesterday is “Escambia County Jail talks hit impasse.” We wrote that Interim County Administrator George Touart…

Continue Reading

Touart Transfer Plan Calls For Sheriff To Give Up 40 Percent Of His Administrative Staff…or does it? (update)

By Jesse Farthing Most difficult tasks have checklists. That’s the way all parties can make sure deadlines are met in an orderly fashion. That’s not…

Continue Reading

Jail transfer postponed to day before BCC meeting

The deadline to transfer the jail from sheriff’s office’s control to the Board of County Commissioners is 56 days away. Escambia County Jail Transfer Workshop,…

Continue Reading

Viewpoint: Jail transfer negotiations should be open to public

We are hearing that today’s meeting between Interim County Administrator George Touart and Chief Deputy Eric Haines and their staffs didn’t go well. We have…

Continue Reading

Search, Sound also covered at BCC meeting

By Brandy Volovecky The search for a new Escambia County Administrator has begun anew. The Escambia County Board of Commissioners passed a motion reopening the…

Continue Reading

Sheriff Morgan willing to delay jail transfer until Oct. 1, 2014

Sheriff David Morgan has to offered to delay transferring the county jail to the Board of County Commissioners for an year—until Oct. 1, 2014. Clearly…

Continue Reading

Sheriff Morgan names Haines Chief Deputy, promotes Yuhasz to commander

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan has announced the promotion of Senior Commander Eric Haines to Chief Deputy effective July 20. Haines has been employed at…

Continue Reading

Jail transfer is anything but smooth (video)

At the Committee of Whole meeting on July 18, Interim County Administrator George Touart gave his first written weekly report on the jail transition–nearly month…

Continue Reading

Mr. Outzen video, just when you thought it could not get crazier

At the Escambia County Commission’s Committee of the Whole meeting on July 18, Chairman Gene Valentino demanded that I show myself in commission chambers. He…

Continue Reading

Mr. Outzen, come and defend yourself…another bizarre chapter in Escambia County folklore

Just when we thought county government couldn’t get any more bizarre, Escambia County Commissioner Chairman Gene Valentino called me out yesterday afternoon during the board’s…

Continue Reading