Rick Outzen: (we don’t) color on the dog

In a candid interview, State Rep. Alex Andrade, who has served alongside DeSantis since both were elected in 2018, revealed that the final bill signed by DeSantis was less than what he would have preferred. He argued the first bill passed by the Florida Legislature, the TRUMP Act, was much stronger.

The Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will return to Pensacola, Florida for their fifth consecutive year, taking place March 4-10, 2025, at the Pensacola Bay Center. "We've gotten better every year, and our community is learning and embracing this event more and more," says Pensacola Sports CEO Ray Palmer. "You have to grow and your community...

The GenNow Network Pensacola chapter of the American Cancer Society (ACS) announced the return of the Fork Cancer Gala, scheduled from 6-10 p.m. on April 4, at Supposey Warehouse and Gardens. Ryan Frazier, event chair of Fork Cancer Pensacola, shares the details. Fork Cancer Pensacola is building on the overwhelming success of its inaugural event in 2024, where the goal was to raise $65,000—and th...

The recent appointment of Scott Yenor as Chairman of the University of West Florida's Board of Trustees has sparked discussions about potential changes to the institution's educational approach. Heath Druzin, creator and host of the podcast "Extremely American," outlines Yenor's controversial background as a political science professor at Boise State University. He discusses...

This interview features Rick Outzen speaking with Christa Hazel about the takeover of North Idaho College (NIC) by far-right trustees and its parallels to potential changes at the University of West Florida. A former school board member, Hazel describes how partisan actors gained control of NIC's board in 2020, leading to the firing of presidents, threats to accreditation, and significant comm...

Mobile, Alabama, has a connection to an infamous British murder case, which might have stopped the killing rampage of Jack the Ripper. Here's what we know.

Through his books and legal work, Mike Papantonio exposes critical issues, like the opioid crisis and human trafficking, pushing back against what he sees as a deliberate media blackout driven by corporate interests. His approach combines factual legal cases with compelling narratives, making complex and disturbing realities accessible to the public while advocating for change and accountability.

The Trump administration's grant freeze is having immediate impacts on the Council on Aging’s vital senior programs, who will be unable to access federal funds for AmeriCorps Seniors programs – which includes its stipended senior volunteers who serve as Foster Grandparents mentoring kids in schools and our Senior Companions who assist other older adults to live independently and offer caregive...

In March 2024, Sena Maddison and I did a live broadcast from the Seville Quarter. Buck Mitchell talked about the entertainment complex's history. Toward the end of the interview, I asked him for a Bob Snow story.

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and while it snowed outside, we sat down with Alicia Tappan, Founder and CEO of Survivor-Led Solutions (SLS). Alicia has devoted her life to empowering survivors of human trafficking. Through her trauma-informed, survivor-centered approach, she’s transforming lives and creating real change in our community and beyond.

The founder of Rosie O'Grady's and Seville Quarter, Bob Snow, died Friday at the age of 82 after a fall at his Pensacola home. Snow successfully transformed downtown Pensacola with the Seville Quarter entertainment complex in the mid-seventies. What started as Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Emporium in 1967 later expanded to Apple Annie’s Courtyard, Lili Marlene’s Aviator’s Pub and Restaurant a...

We dive into Pensacola's historic snowstorm through an exclusive interview with Mayor D.C. Reeves. As the Florida coastal city faced unprecedented snowfall, Reeves shares how his team mobilized 44 personnel and snowplows to keep critical roads clear. While the mayor enjoyed watching his daughter experience snow for the first time, he remained focused on public safety challenges, including pote...

Escambia County continues to grapple with dangerous road conditions following yesterday's winter weather event, according to Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore. Despite sunny skies, ice remains a significant hazard on local roads, prompting officials to announce school and county office closures for another day. The situation is expected to worsen overnight as any daytime thawing will lead to...

Under President Martha Saunders' leadership, UWF has transformed from the metric system's equivalent of a participation trophy (57 points in 2016) to a powerhouse performer with 84 points out of 100. But apparently, success isn't enough when there's an ideological playbook to follow. Read my column .

Let's talk about the University of West Florida Board of Trustees - what it's about, and what's going to happen on Thursday, January 23rd. I fear the new board will fire the university president and target UWF programs like the new trustees did at New College of Florida in 2023. Everyone tells me this is impossible and we cannot stop this from happening. But we can't sit quietly. P...

The University of West Florida displayed a strong performance in metrics measuring retention, median wages upon graduation and high-impact practices in the Florida Board of Governors’ 2023-24 performance-based funding model. The results, announced at a Board of Governors meeting today, showed UWF earned some of its highest marks in University history and landed in the top three in three metrics am...

The Stevenson family is pushing for legislative change after their daughter and several other students became victims of AI-generated fake images at their local high schools. The incident has highlighted gaps in current laws regarding artificial intelligence technology and image manipulation.  High school senior Lucy Adams Stevenson first learned about the situation when a friend contacted her abo...

Quint Studer wants to step up the Studer Community Institute’s Build a Brain program in 2025. In this conversation, Quint and Rick discuss the hospital-based intervention program that emerged from a challenge faced by researchers in Chicago. These researchers, including PhD and medical students, were struggling to reach low-income mothers to validate their educational video program. The solution c...

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves announced a comprehensive review of the city's public safety protocols following the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans, emphasizing that the city will take a proactive approach to protecting large public gatherings and events. In an interview following a press conference, Reeves stressed the importance of adapting to new security threats, particularly those involving...

The City of Pensacola installed red light cameras at four city intersections that went fully operational on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Drivers have been given a one-month grace period with fines beginning Saturday, Feb. 1. At his Jan. 7 press conference, Pensacola Mayor said initial data from Pensacola's newly installed red light cameras has revealed "staggering" numbers of violations, Mayor Reeves discus...

In the late 1950s, a series of disturbing incidents at Pensacola's cemeteries left an indelible mark on the city's history. "The Whitmire Ghoul" remains one of Pensacola's most disturbing unsolved mysteries, representing a dark chapter in the city's history that generated widespread fear and continues to intrigue researchers and local historians alike. Sena Maddison reviews the police reports and...

The  Escambia County Sheriff’s Foundation  has launched an ambitious project to create a  Memorial Plaza honoring fallen law enforcement officer s, with a groundbreaking scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 16. Whitney Lucas, chief of staff at the Sheriff’s Office and foundation president, announced that the project has already raised $175,000 of its $550,000 goal in just 45 days.

Sheriff Chip Simmons endorses Jimmy Patronis for Congress. He also discusses the enforcement of camping ordinances, public safety needs, law enforcement strategies, compensation for deputies, and media communication regarding sensitive cases

With the 2024 Foo Foo Fest six weeks, I learned in mid-September that County Clerk Pam Childers refused to cut checks  for the Foo Foo grants approved by the Tourist Development Council and the Escambia County Commission. Culture organizations were brought to the brink of having to cancel their events. David Bear explained the roadblock.

Rick talks with County Administrator Wes Moreno and UWF football transfer Lumpy Deweese. He also shares his conversations with Sena Maddison, Jeff Weeks and Ronnie Joyce about the history of WCOA.