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Dr. Ken Berry wants to shake up the relationship between you and your doctor. He has been a certified family physician for 19 years, and throughout his time in medical school as well as his career, certain things being taught as well as being told to patients from other doctors weren't sitting well with him, specifically involving the way patients are being told to eat. He details those misgivings in the book “Lies My Doctor Told Me”, which he says tries to change the way we look at food. Dr. Berry will have a book signing 7 p.m.

Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay has received a clean bill of political health, on a self-reported possible violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law.

In a written release, the State Attorney’s Office said after review, it’s determined that no violation was committed, and no further action would be taken against the Mayor on this matter. Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille conducted the investigation.

During my years as a newspaper columnist I tried to avoid writing about restaurants or businesses I patronized. I never wanted any hint that I was using my position for personal gain.

But, over time, in trying to write about local people, events and neighborhoods, some places I frequented would be mentioned. And for me, local restaurants hold a special place in a community.

Businesses along the Florida Panhandle are gearing up for this weekend’s unofficial kickoff to summer.  Many are planning “drive-to” destinations for the Memorial Day weekend — such as Pensacola Beach.

“We already have a lot of people coming in; we’re excited for the summer and hope everybody enjoys our beach just as much as we do,” says Alison Westmoreland, director of the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce.

What happens during Memorial Day weekend, she says, sets the tone for the rest of the summer.

Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson is defending his decision to hire Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay as an assistant city attorney.

City Attorney Susan Woolf made the announcement during the Mayor’s news conference a week ago.

“Heather has over 20 years of experience in various areas, predominantly in employment law and in municipal law,” said Woolf. “Her firm previously represented the City of Milton, so she has a wide array of exposure and experience that I was looking for.”

Your Gulf Power bill will be a bit higher soon, and they say you can blame Hurricane Michael. The Florida Public Service Commission unanimously approved a storm restoration surcharge for all Gulf Power customers beginning with the July bill. "Hurricane Michael was an unprecedented, major category 5 storm that ultimately required an unprecedented storm response" said Natalie Smith, a communications specialist for Gulf Power.

More than four million of Florida's 20 million residents speak Spanish at home, according to U.S. Census figures. Thirty-two additional counties are being ordered to provide election materials and ballots in the language. Meanwhile, the state’s 67 election officials will tackle the issue this week.

Voter databases in two Florida counties were accessed by Russian hackers before the 2016 presidential election, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis – who is otherwise keeping mum for now.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, DeSantis said the reason why those counties got affected is not necessarily the counties but a private vendor they were using. The hackers gained access through a spear-phishing email after a worker clicked a link.

But which two counties? DeSantis said he’s not at liberty to say, having signed a non-disclosure agreement with the FBI.

Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson and the City Council are out with a draft of the City's strategic plan, hammered out during a six-hour workshop last week.

The document comes as Robinson finishes his first six months in office.

“I think working toward a mission statement and some values, I thought we did a good job with the Council and citizens to begin that process,” said Robinson during his weekly news conference Monday. He added that the numbers contained in the plan now, may not be the same ones which could emerge later.

More Florida school personnel will be eligible to carry guns on campus, under a bill Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on Wednesday. Two Panhandle school districts are moving in other directions.

“I said I was for the bill from the beginning; I urged the Legislature to pass it in my State of the State [Address], “said DeSantis. “Once the session ended people asked me, ‘are you going to sign it?’ Yes. ‘Are you going to sign it?’ Yes.”

About six months after the departure of Jack Brown, the Escambia County Board of Commissioners have hired a new administrator. Pending contract negotiations, Janice Gilley is expected to take over as the county’s top executive this summer.

It’ll be her second go-round with the county and, yet again, she’ll be coming in at a difficult time.

Escambia County’s Annual Hurricane Exercise was held Wednesday morning, in preparation for the season that kicks off next month.

The joint was jumping at the Escambia Emergency Operations Center on W Street. About 90 organizations — public safety, first responders, utilities, service groups and private firms — went through their paces testing equipment and reviewing procedures.

The scenario for 2019: Hurricane Smith is bearing down on Florida, with the entire state bracing for wherever and whenever the storm makes landfall, packing whatever.

Florida lawmakers are expected to marshal their forces in 2020, in hopes of scrapping a panel that placed seven constitutional amendment on the ballot last year – all of which were approved.

In all, voters approved 11 constitutional amendments in November – seven from the Constitutional Revision Commission; two from citizens’ initiatives, and two placed on the ballot by the Legislature.

Leading the charge against the CRC is Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Nonprofit organization Inertia is here to tell kids that not only can they be good at science and math, but it can be fun too. INERTIA visits elementary schools and hosts experiments designed to bring new enthusiasm to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics) education.

Following unanimous support in the Legislature, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill to expand benefits for firefighters who are diagnosed with certain cancers.

Supporters of the bill pointed to cancer dangers faced by firefighters, in part because of exposure to more burning chemicals and plastics than in the past.

“To our first responders and our firefighters, that 24/7/365 got our backs, this was our opportunity to tell them: we’ve got your backs,” said Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who doubles as state fire marshal. He was a key proponent of CS/CS/SB 426.