The violent crime in Pensacola is escalating to a much more dangerous level. In 2009, I was writing about drive-by shootings. Shots were fired over crowds, few people were injured. In 2010…
Body of kidnap victim found. Does Pensacola have a neighborhood gang war brewing?
The Pensacola Police report that the body of Torrance L. Hackworth, who was kidnapped from his residence early Monday morning, was yesterday afternoon found in a wooded lot in the 1600 block…
AP Exam Reports: Escambia lags behind State, not much improvement since 2009
The Florida Dept. of Education has posted the AP exam statistics for the 2011-12 school year on its website. Statewide 29.6 percent of the 10-12th graders take AP exams for a advanced…
Quote of the Day
NY Times published today an article on the decline of the Tea Party since the 2012 General Election. Florida Senate President Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) had this to say about how the fringe…
Pensacola violence escalates. When will it get its own mayoral press conference?
Probably not the greatest photo op for the mayor. These types of press releases from Pensacola Police Department have become commonplace: Christmas Night Shooting Pensacola Police are investigating two shootings that occurred…
Foxes in charge at DEP hen house
Gov. Rick Scott has put those once regulated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in key positions at the agency. Those who have fought hard for the environment have been fired…
Mobile, Ala. tornado described like a bomb going off (photos)
A Mobile Press Register reporter gives a firsthand account of the tornado that touched down yesterday in Mobile, Ala. Read more. – Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
City, Police Union Reach Agreement
Following the Pensacola City Council’s unanimous approval of agreements between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 71, Mayor Ashton Hayward and police union president Erik Goss took a few…
Only 42 percent of Escambia County high school graduates plan to attend a college. State average is two-thirds
Every time a new statistic comes out on education I find myself looking harder at what is happening in the Escambia County public school district. This week I was told that few…
High School grades are in. Escambia maintains. State touts successes elsewhere
All the high schools in the Escambia Public School District maintained their school grades for the 2011-12 school year, except for Northview that dropped from a “B” to a “C.” School Name…
A Home for the Holidays
In an effort to draw more attention to the need for supportive housing for Veteran Families, the owners of the Howard Johnson/Day’s Inn have agreed to partner with EscaRosa Coalition on The…
At-Large RESTORE Seats
The Escambia County Commission is looking for people to sit on its RESTORE Act advisory committee’s two at-large seats. In an effort to assess potential uses for Escambia’s portion of money realized…
Council to Meet on Police Pensions
The Pensacola City Council will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss tentative agreements with the police union. Key components of the proposed agreement are: the police pension plan will be closed…
Hayward on Pensions
city press release: Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward will hold a press conference tomorrow (Friday, December 21) at approximately 2:15 PM to make an announcement about pension reform. The press conference will be…
Buybacks and a Floating Holiday
The Escambia County Commission paved the way this morning for county employees to buyback accrued leave time and also approved a “floating holiday,†which this year will fall on New Year’s Eve….
Sticky fingers caught with $18 million of maple syrup. Mrs. Buttersworth?
New York Times reports that Quebec police have arrested three men in connection with the theft of $18-million worth of maple syrup from a warehouse. The commodity was owned by the Canadian…
Pensacola, Milton Wal-Marts sold out of semi-automatic rifles
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. has suspended sales of rifles similar to the one used at Sandy Hook school at its more than 500 stores. Wal-Mart has not. The media is reporting brisk…
Wooden Ships
Columbus has landed. Or, at least replicas of his ‘Pinta’ and ‘Nina,’ are docked at the end of Palafox Place. The wooden ships arrived around noon today and open to the public…
County Looks for Lorax
Escambia County needs someone to represent environmental concerns on an advisory committee being formed to prioritize uses for the expected RESTORE Act money. The county commission is forming a RESTORE Act advisory…
Simplest response to Sandy Hook: More School Resource Officers
Rather than arming every school teacher, the simplest response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary is for Escambia and Santa Rosa school districts to add school resource officers (sworn deputies) to…