According to Denise Potvin, budget chief for the Florida House Pre-K—12 Appropriations, Escambia County’s Early Learning Coalition has been appropriated $15.8 million for FY 2025-2026, an increase of $100K over last fiscal…
City of Pensacola to Host Open Houses Focused on Supporting Minority and Women-Owned Businesses
The City of Pensacola will host two open house events in August as part of its participation in the Southern Cities Economic Inclusion (SCEI) Cohort, a multi-year initiative designed to boost economic…
Crisis Comms 101: Lessons from Pensacola’s Recent Missteps
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves has faced a challenging couple of weeks, dealing with everything from a recycling program rollout gone wrong to the abrupt resignation of the city’s police chief to neighborhood…
FPL Launches Inaugural Robotics Summer Camp
A generous $50,000 gift from NextEra Energy Foundation, a corporate foundation of NextEra Energy Inc. and Florida Power & Light Company, has launched the inaugural Florida Power & Light Robotics Summer Camp,…
Big Shift of Black City Voters happened in 2022 Redistricting
After 2020 Census, the Pensacola City Council redrew the district boundaries. Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender pointed out the most significant change was moving the St. John Divine Precinct 90…
Coming Tomorrow: Crisis Communications Expert Breaks Down Pensacola’s Recent Challenges
Political strategist and communications expert Ryan Wiggins joins Rick Outzen on “We Don’t Color On the Dog” to analyze Mayor D.C. Reeves’ handling of recent controversies. From the curbside recycling debacle to…
TSA PreCheck Enrollment Returns Aug. 11-15
Pensacola International Airport will host a temporary TSA PreCheck enrollment center from August 11-15, providing Northwest Florida residents with on-site access to the expedited security screening program. “We’re proud to continue our…
East Hill Uproar Over Parking Tickets
A heated social media exchange between East Hill residents and Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves has sparked debate about parking enforcement practices in residential neighborhoods. The controversy began when Randy Hamilton posted in…
Daily Outtakes: From Folding Chairs to Downtown Dreams
The story of Pensacola’s Community Maritime Park begins not with grand plans or city council meetings, but with folding chairs at a junior college and a man who “didn’t know there was…
Pensacola Young Professionals made a difference in CMP vote
In 2006, the Pensacola Independent News joined forces with the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce to facilitate the formation of the Pensacola Young Professionals. The Independent News’ involvement with this generation began when…
Worthy Cause: Threads of Hope
Waterfront Mission has launched Threads of Hope, a community initiative to provide clothing assistance to homeless and at-risk students across the Gulf Coast as they prepare for the new school year. Program…
By the Numbers: City District 6 has lost 1,600 Black voters since 2012
The News Journal’s analysis of the chaotic Fricker Center town hall prompted me to examine the City of Pensacola’s voter registration statistics. In our archives, I found the voter demographics as of…
Land Exchange Closes Fire Safety Gap
When the Paradise Beach fire station closed its doors in 2018, area residents faced the troubling reality that their nearest emergency response would be miles away. But thanks to the determined leadership…
Podcast: Patronis Fights to Keep Blue Angels Here
In a recent interview on “We Don’t Color on the Dog,” Congressman Jimmy Patronis revealed his behind-the-scenes efforts to protect Pensacola’s most cherished ambassadors—the Blue Angels—while simultaneously building a robust constituent services…
Daily Outtakes: What D.C. and PNJ miss about Black community’s distrust
Today, the daily newspaper reports on the chaotic town hall meeting at the Fricker Center held last Wednesday. The PNJ views the anger in the Black community as a “sense of loss…
May 2006 Music Scene, Pensacola bands A to Z
My podcast interview with Jessie Ritter about Pensacola Unplugged reminded me of our coverage of the Pensacola music scene. Thanks to our A&E editor, Sam Baltrusis, we covered dozens of local bands….
Top Reads: Week Ended July 26, 2026
By far, the story receiving the most attention was my exclusive interview with Dr. Martha Saunders. Mayor D.C. Reeves had a rough week—the curbside recycling nightmare, continued pushback over the Police Chief…
Daily Outtakes: Trash Talk at D1 Town Hall
On Tuesday night, Pensacola’s new curbside recycling program took center stage at the District 1 Town Hall held at the Vickrey Resource Center, where Mayor D.C. Reeves and Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier addressed…
Jesse Casey passes away
General contractor and frequent county commission candidate Jesse Casey passed away suddenly due to complications caused by gallstones. The Republican first filed to run for the Escambia County District 1 seat, currently…
Autism Pensacola picks Holly Strickland
Autism Pensacola has selected Holly Strickland as its new executive director. Strickland has more than 20 years of administrative and operational experience, and she has successfully managed medical practices, overseen service line…