Bob Barrett

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Pensacon has become one of the largest annual events held in Northwest Florida. A huge factor in its success is the thousands of hours put in by hundreds of volunteers. The Pensacola Little Theater was just about filled on a Sunday evening in January as Pensacon held its annual volunteer training and orientation.  From the stage, Cheryl Sackman addressed the crowd. “Pensacon has a reputation for Southern hospitality. It’s something that brings many of our guests back year after year. And that’s because of you. "

If you’ve ever seen a cartoon you’ve probably seen the work of Ron Campbell. The native Australian had a 50-year career as an animator and director of some of the most iconic TV shows that ever graced a Saturday morning, including the popular Beatles cartoon show in the 60s and later, the movie “Yellow Submarine”. Campbell will be bringing an exhibit of his work to the Artel Gallery in Pensacola Feb. 25 and 26. He spoke with WUWF’s Bob Barrett about his career in animation.

The spirit of Mardi Gras will be parading through the campus of the University of West Florida Thursday. 

“We will parade, rain or shine. The only thing that will stop us is lightning,” said Dr. Kim LeDuff, the Vice President for Academic Engagement and Student Affairs at the University of West Florida. She’s one of the leaders getting ready for the first  Mardi Gras parade on the campus of UWF Thursday afternoon.

If you’re looking for help filing your taxes without spending a lot, or any money, look no further than the United Way.

“Our main mission is to keep money in the taxpayer’s pocket,” said Katrina Madden, the financial stability outreach manager at the United Way of West Florida. She says they are helping taxpayers save money through the United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA program.  It’s open to everyone with an annual household income of $66,000 or less.

Passengers flying in and out of Pensacola can once again reach for the stars.

“I am here to announce that this is the Pensacola Intergalactic Airport, and we are looking for all kinds of travelers from all kinds of places,” said Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson. He spoke before a crowd of a few dozen reporters, officials and oddly dressed creatures as he made the annual announcement changing the airport from international to intergalactic.

If someone were born in 1870 and lived to be 100, they would never have experienced a presidential impeachment. Many of us are now going through our second, third if you count Richard Nixon who resigned before he was actually impeached. “The full house was clearly going to vote for (Nixon’s) impeachment.”

A program that pairs children in need with mentors just got a nice financial boost. “When I saw this, Bigs with Badges, I thought that goes to the heart of what we do,” said Maggie Williams, the public relations director at Wind Creek Hospitality. Wind Creek just made a $10,000 donation to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Florida and their Bigs with Badges program.

Sunday, Dec. 1, was World Aids Day, but HIV/AIDS is a year-round concern for a University of West Florida instructor. The road Dr. Wesley Farr took on his way to working with HIV/AIDS patients had a few turns. “I got interested in infectious disease as a way to do tropical medicine in the early 80s. That’s when I was active-duty Navy overseas. And when I visited programs that had an interest in tropical medicine they told me that there are no research funds anymore for tropical medicine. All of the research funds were going to HIV. That was in 1986, when I was looking for fellowships.”

Each November is designated Alzheimer’s Awareness month. But researchers at the University of West Florida are working year-round to help detect, treat and one day hopefully cure the disease.

People who get their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act exchange have a few more weeks to sign up or make changes to their existing plans. Despite campaign promises to the contrary, nothing’s been repealed, nothing’s been replaced. The Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land and open enrollment for buying health insurance for the year 2020 began on November first. It continues until December 15.

You may not have known that because the federal budget to publicize the health care exchange was cut by 90% last year.

The Mayflower has landed in Pensacola. It is, in fact, a large Mayflower moving van parked at the Cordova Mall parking lot and it’s filling up with food.  “It’s actually the single largest food drive we do … over the course of a two day period, and it is really important for the hungry in our community,” said De De Flounlacker, the executive director of Manna Food Pantries.

“This restocks our shelves (and) gets us ready for the first part of the year when it’s ‘crickets’ in here sometimes sound-wise because there’s nothing going on. Nobody’s donating food generally in January.”