Escambia County Public Schools performed admirably during the 2023-24 school year based on the Florida Department of Education accountability reports. However, after decades of ranking in the bottom half of the state,…
Category: Escambia County
Daily Outtakes: Let’s have a public debate on indoor sports facility
The pressure to drop the proposed indoor sports facility continues to mount. Many of the arguments are very similar to those used when we were pushing for downtown baseball stadium 20 years…
Real News: HCA Rehab hits 50, UWF Marching Band, Election dates
HCA Florida West Hospital is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its Rehabilitation Center with an Open House featuring former patients, the latest technology used in physical rehabilitation and a vendor fair with…
Sheriff Simmons on arrest of Bellview Middle student [podcast]
This morning, “On Real News with Rick Outzen,” Escambia County Sheriff Chips Simmons discussed the social media threat and the arrest of an 11-year-old female student enrolled in Bellview Middle School. The…
Daily Outtakes: Pam Childers was duped
County Clerk Pam Childers’ animosity for Commissioner Lumon May is well known. Ask anyone who has overheard her rants against him in the confines of the Irish Politicians Club or while she…
Top Five Stories of the Week: Pam, Jeff, Owens and millions of dollars
Based on our web stats, readers spent the most time reading articles about Pam Childers, Jeff Bergosh, former county aide Jonathan Owens and the millions of dollars the Escambia Children’s Trust owes…
Top Podcasts: Childers, Bergosh, Indoor Sports
This past week, we had 24 guests on WCOA’s “Real News with Rick Outzen. The most played podcasts concerned County Clerk Pam Childers, the proposed indoor sports facility, Mayor Reeves’ showdown with…
Real News: Anna Ryan, Jason on the Emmys and Take Stock in Kids
GBHS junior Anna Ryan cohosted today. We talked with ABC News entertainment reporter Jason Nathanson about the Emmys and with Walker Wilson about the Palafox Market. Take Stock in Children of Escambia…
Real News: AI takes cyberstalking to new level
Today, I talked with Sena Maddison, Jim Ryan, Leslie Perrino, Allison Hill, and Brad Garrett. Brad Garrett segment: The FBI arrested a Plymouth, Mass man on Wednesday for posting photographs, personal information…
Inweekly: Fall Festival Guide
Cover Story: The calendar says fall is right around the corner—even if the thermostat doesn’t agree. But locally, you can usually tell summer is over when festival season begins. The Pensacola Seafood…
Daily Outtakes: Pam cuts check for Foo Foo Fest
After my Wednesday interview with David Bear about how County Clerk Pam Childers had put the popular Foo Foo Festival in jeopardy by refusing to issue checks for the event, the clerk’s…
Real News: From Childers to American Magic to the Debate
In another fast-paced show, I spoke with David Bear, Tom Pace, Geoffrey Skelley, Chip Simmons, Will Kennedy, and Eric Gilmore.
County Facilities to Close at 5 p.m. due to Potential Severe Weather
Escambia County offices and facilities will close at 5 p.m. today, Wednesday, Sept. 11, due to potential severe weather. Evening meetings or activities scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 11, at county facilities are…
Daily Outtake: Pam looks to cancel Foo Foo Fest [podcast]
County Clerk Pam Childers has refused to cut checks to the nonprofits and cultural organizations trying to book performers and other events for Foo Foo Fest. Several events may have to be…
Escambia County Sand Locations Open Tuesday, Sept. 10
Escambia County is offering sand for residents living in flood-prone areas. The sand is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents must bring their own sandbags and shovels to one of the…
Tropical Storm Francine soon to be hurricane
As of 4 a.m. this morning, the center of Tropical Storm Francine was located near latitude 24.4 North, longitude 96.2 West and moving toward the north-northwest at 5 mph. A slow north-northwest…
TDC meets today; Rivera like sports proposal
The Escambia County Tourist Development Council meets today at 3 p.m. to discuss the proposal to bond bed tax revenue (the fifth cent) to build an indoor sports facility at Ashton Brosnaham…
Did Jonathan Owens lie to his attorney?
As he told the News Journal, former commissioner’s aide Jonathan Owens is facing an ethics complaint regarding Commissioner Jeff Bergosh’s text messages. Owens refused to give a statement to ethics investigators. He…
Real News: Hurricane Update, Mayor on ST
Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore said on “Real News” this morning: “The spaghetti models, if you look at those, they’re narrowing up, which is really good,” he said. “That shows…
Tropical Cyclone Six may impact our weather
The National Hurricane Center has issued a potential tropical cyclone advisory for a Gulf of Mexico system that is forecast to become a hurricane while two other Atlantic systems loom. Escambia County…
