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Guest AuthorJanuary 31, 2016

I felt faint. It was my first day on the job. I was a college student and part-time counselor at a woman’s health clinic. My duties involved helping patients through their abortion procedures. They’d already met with the doctor and nurse; my job was to assist them emotionally. I was told most of the patients […]

Associated PressDecember 21, 2015

Homeless people in the Pensacola area are receiving free haircuts for the holidays. Pensacola News-Journal reports that local hairstylists volunteered and provided haircuts to dozens of homeless people at a special holiday event. The downtown Pensacola gathering also included gifts of warm clothing and holiday meal. Hairstylist Amber Graham said a haircut is a small luxury […]

Shannon NickinsonNovember 19, 2015

Way back in 1992, the political wisdom of the day came down to one thing: It’s the economy. In 2015 in Pensacola, it still is. The Pensacola Young Professionals rolled out the 2015 Quality of Life survey on Oct. 21. The survey, conducted June 11-16 by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research asked 800 people who match […]

Phil AmmannNovember 16, 2015

On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott announced three appointments and four reappointments, including Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, to the Florida Commission on Community Service, otherwise known as Volunteer Florida. Volunteer Florida is the lead state agency for volunteerism and national service, administering $31.7 million in federal, state, and local funding for programs throughout Florida. The agency […]

Shannon NickinsonNovember 10, 2015

It’s Scott Luth’s job to find jobs. As the head of FloridaWest, Escambia County’s economic development agency, Luth is the point-man for selling Pensacola as the pick of the litter in the Southeast. “All the companies that we work with are net importers of wealth and that’s where we focus,” Luth says. “That’s everything from […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 16, 2015

It can be perilous to predict the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case by the questions justices ask during the oral argument, but this once I’ll hazard a guess: Florida’s death-sentencing law is in deep trouble. The better question, in fact, is not whether Pensacola killer Timothy Hurst will win his appeal but how […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 15, 2015

It can be perilous to predict the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case by the questions justices ask during the oral argument, but this once I’ll hazard a guess: Florida’s death-sentencing law is in deep trouble. The better question, in fact, is not whether Pensacola killer Timothy Hurst will win his appeal but how […]

Shannon NickinsonOctober 13, 2015

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found that poor children benefited from the academic boost that the state voluntary prekindergarten program gave them. But the benefit didn’t last when they moved through elementary school. The researchers who conducted the five-year $6 million study had conclusions about why poor kids who got a boost from VPK didn’t […]

Guest AuthorOctober 8, 2015

Growing up in Pensacola, I enjoyed the suspense of many hurricane days as a kid. My family would typically have to evacuate to a spot further inland from the coast, usually to my grandparents’ house. We would have books, radios, games, and puzzles splayed out to keep us all occupied while we waited out the […]

Shannon NickinsonSeptember 29, 2015

This should be the University of West Florida time in the sun. Pensacola’s university saw funding restored this year following a marked improvement on the new state-mandated performance metrics. The measurements –10 in all from academic progression rates, to graduation rates to median first-year salaries for graduates — are Florida’s latest salvo in the ever-expanding […]

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TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 4/18/25-Candles and remembrances are left near the Unconquered statue a few hours after the Florida State University Gathering of Unity Vigil held Friday to honor victims of the recent mass shooting. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Catherine Durkin Robinson: Work at abortion clinic was sobering, rewarding

Panhandle charity provides haircuts for the homeless

Shannon Nickinson: Investment can ease West Florida's economic worries

Governor picks 7 for Volunteer Florida board

Shannon Nickinson: Try assessing why jobs pass Pensacola by

Martin Dyckman: Why Florida’s death-sentencing law is likely in trouble

Martin Dyckman: Why Florida’s death-sentencing law is likely in trouble

Shannon Nickinson: Kids need more than pre-K to overcome poverty's obstacles

Teresa Barber: Solving the puzzle in the storm: A look at the community schools model

Shannon Nickinson: University of West Florida’s story is Pensacola’s story — striving to do more