News

Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida is still at "low risk" for coronavirus infection, but officials are preparing for what many health experts say is a matter of when, and not if, the coronavirus affects the Sunshine State.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday in Tallahassee, the Governor said they’re monitoring the rapidly-evolving situation along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

In response to grand jury recommendations following the fatal police shooting of an African-American man last summer, officers with the Pensacola Police Department are now receiving implicit bias training.

“It’s not just about race, it’s not just about gender,” says Dr. Cedric Alexander, clarifying that the training he’s providing covers all areas of diversity.

The numbers are in from the new City of Pensacola Resident Satisfaction Survey, which gauges residents’ feeling about city services, Pensacola’s image and its business environment, to name a few.

One of the biggest names coming to Pensacon this weekend is just in it for the laughs. WUWF’s Bob Barrett has more.

Young Alfred Yankovic had his first accordion lesson at age 6. No one really knew at the time that it was a life-changing event.

Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the University of West Florida recently, providing an update on a year-old veterans program, and announcing a second.

Florida is home to about 1.5 million veterans — third most among states — and Gov. Ron DeSantis believes it will eventually pass California for second place behind Texas. Speaking at UWF last week, DeSantis spoke on the “Forward March” program, which has expanded services for veterans statewide.

A pair of local film makers will be part of an annual film festival this weekend. The movie “Back to China Beach,” and it's one of the featured attractions at the 2020 Pensacola Film Festival. It’s a film about surfing the famous beach during and after the Vietnam War. WUWF's Bob Barrett talked about the film with director Dave Barnes and producer and long-time local surfer Mike Cotton. He asked what drew them to China Beach.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan and County Commissioner Lumon May joined a number of local officials and residents Tuesday, to discuss ways to curb youth violence and beef up public safety.  

The face of violent crime in Escambia County, says the sheriff, is getting younger.

The Pensacola Symphony presents the annual "Russian Spectacular" concert this Saturday at the Saenger Theatre.  Renown cellist Bion Tsang joins the orchestra for a program of music by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.  PSO Music Director Peter Rubardt and UWF Professor Dr. Hedi Salanki stopped by the WUWF studios to share some thoughts on the upcoming performance.

Northwest Pensacola is getting a new emergency health care facility.

“It’s not just urgent care, this is an emergency department,” said Dr. Mark Stavros, the medical director of the West Florida Hospital Emergency Department. He was speaking before a crowd of a few dozen officials and hospital employees for the groundbreaking of the new West Florida Hospital Emergency Room. Located on West Nine Mile Road between Pine Forest Road and I-10, the facility will offer a wide range of services.

In his first Monday news conference in three weeks, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson delivered a look at his recent trip to Singapore, and to the home office of ST Aerospace.

Speaking to the media, Robinson said he “could not me more impressed,” going there with the feeling that the things the city’s doing with ST Engineering and their working relationship, but also “blown away” by what else he saw there.

This week on Gulf Stories, we're joined once again by Dr. Kevin Krieger, UWF Professor of Finance, who discusses legalized sports wagering on the Gulf Coast, and in particular Mississippi, and where it may be headed.

One of the guests returning to Pensacon this weekend is the great-grand nephew of an author who created one of the most notorious and enduring characters in literature: Count Dracula.