Our former editor Duwayne Escobedo (2001-08) is undergoing brain surgery this morning. Last Tuesday evening, Duwayne had a seizure. The MRI revealed a brain tumor that the doctors will be removing this morning. Please keep him in your prayers today.
Over the weekend, Duwayne and I talked a lot about our escapades building this newspaper. After visiting with him early this morning, I picked a just a few of the important cover stories he wrote for us-stories that changed this community for the better.
In the fall of 2005, attorney Gene Mitchell asked us to meet with Leroy Boyd, president of Movement for Change. Leroy told us about the death of a trick driver in the Escambia County Jail. This story is one of the reasons DOJ investigated the jail. Read more.
In 2007, Sheriff Ron McNesby, County Adminstrator George Touart and the BCC came up with the bright idea of arming code enforcement officers. It did not go well. Read more.
In 2008, we tackled the rising cost of city pensions and their impact of the city’s budget. It would take four years and the election of Mayor Ashton Hayward to get any resolution on the problem. Duwayne worked on Hayward’s 2010 and made sure pension reform was part of his platform. Read more.