winners & losers winners losers

ANGIE GILLETTE The Pensacola native was recently awarded the Military Excellence Award. Seaman Recruit Angie Gillette graduated as the top sailor from Recruit Training Command on Friday, Feb. 10. The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the recruit that best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork. The award places her at the pinnacle of today's newest sailors. Gillette earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Texas Women's University, which she attended on an athletic soccer scholarship.

HANDS OF HOPE MEDICAL MISSION

HHMM sponsored its first stateside patient operation in January at the Andrews Institute Surgery Center. Orthopaedic surgeons Drs. Steven Kronlage and Chris O'Grady, who are the co-presidents of HHMM, performed the life-changing procedure on 2-year-old Nassir Andrew from Grenada. Kronlage and O'Grady also perform specialized surgical interventions in Ecuador and other underserved populations worldwide who would not otherwise have access to care. The physicians will return to Ecuador again this fall. To support their cause, visit handsofhopemedicalmission.org.

KAREN CODY The Algebra I teacher at Navarre High School has been named the Santa Rosa County Teacher of the Year. Before becoming a teacher, Cody was an ESE paraprofessional at Navarre High School for 15 years. She is Santa Rosa's nominee for the Florida Department of Education Teacher of the Year 2024. The Florida Teacher of the Year will be selected in May and serve as Florida's National Teacher of the Year nominee, to be announced in January 2024.

HDR Earlier this month, HDR delivered the All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program to Sherwood Elementary as part of the All Kids Bike initiative to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in kindergarten PE class. HDR donated $150,000 to All Kids Bike, designating $12,000 to two schools in Pensacola—Sherwood Elementary and Warrington Elementary. HDR provides engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services with 200 locations worldwide, including Pensacola.

NEW COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

It's bad enough that Gov. Ron DeSantis stacked the board with trustees who agreed to remake the liberal arts college to fit his agenda, fired the college president and hired his buddy Richard Corcoran. But DeSantis' cronies are paying the governor's former commissioner of education more than twice his predecessor. The board last week approved paying Corcoran a $699,000 base salary. Former New College President Patricia Okker's base salary was $305,000. New College has less than 700 students, so Corcoran is being paid about $1,000 per student. Ben Sasse is paid $1 million to be the president of the University of Florida, which has 52,367 students. That works to be $19 per student. It pays well to be DeSantis' lackey.

PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

The King's Singers have revealed that their concert scheduled at Pensacola Christian College was canceled after a "flood of correspondence from students and members of the public." The ensemble posted on its Twitter account, "We are deeply saddened that our concert at Pensacola Christian College was canceled at two hours' notice on Saturday, February 11th. The school gave its reasons for cancellation as 'Concerns' expressed about the 'lifestyle' of members of our group." The King's Singers had performed at PCC before and said that it entered the contract knowing that it was a fundamentalist Christian institution. "Our belief is that music can build a common language that allows people with different views and perspectives to come together." Locals don't seem nearly as shocked as the national media.

TRIAL ATTORNEYS

Plaintiff attorneys are in for two very tough years under the Florida Senate and House leadership. Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders made it clear they want to tip the scales of justice in favor of corporations and insurance companies. The proposed House bill limits fees paid to plaintiffs' attorneys, changes what are known as "bad faith" laws and helps defendants avoid paying damages when they are only partially at fault.