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HEADCOUNT The nonpartisan organization helped more than 1,300 fans get ready to vote at Hangout Fest. HeadCount uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. It stages nonpartisan voter registration drives at more than 1,000 live events each year and collaborates with cultural leaders to promote civic engagement on a national scale. Since 2004, HeadCount has signed up more than 1,000,000 voters through its work with touring musicians, such as Ariana Grande, Dead & Company and Beyoncé and events, such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Pride festivals and RuPaul's DragCon.
JENNIFER KNISBELL The Inweekly Rising Star has joined Pensacola State College as WSRE PBS Development and Community Engagement director. A native of Pensacola and graduate of the University of Central Florida, she has worked in the arts and entertainment industry for 22 years in various management and development positions, most recently as the director of development at Pensacola Opera, following six years with talent agency ICM Partners in Los Angeles, Calif.
PENSACOLA EGGFEST The Pensacola EggFest squad teamed up with Team Moe Cason and brought home third place for pork shoulder in the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. USA Today has recognized the four-day competition as the "Most Prestigious Barbecue Contest." Champion Pit Master Big Moe Cason hosts National Geographic's World of Flavor and is a regular Pensacola EggFest guest. Doug Jolly, a co-founder of Pensacola EggFest, said, "Finishing third and taking home a Globe will be something we'll remember forever. After all these years, it never gets old; it's an absolute honor and privilege to be a part of Team Moe Cason BBQ."
EMERGENCY CARE PARTNERS Modern Healthcare has selected Emergency Care Partners as one of the 2023 Best Places to Work in Healthcare. This award program identifies and recognizes outstanding employers in the healthcare industry nationwide. Headquartered in Pensacola, ECP is a leading provider of emergency medical services for hospitals in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas.
2030 PENSACOLA
The Greater Pensacola Chamber Foundation announced this ambitious program in October 2021. The program was designed to amplify minority- and military-owned businesses, cultivate a strong workforce from schools and address community health issues that could be barriers to employment. Its blueprint had all the right buzzwords, but there's been little follow-up or follow-through. The program called for quarterly meetings and reports on its progress. The only update on the chamber's website is a 90-day plan document for the first quarter of 2022. The promised scorecard and annual report haven't been delivered.
PROPERTY INSURANCE
Over the past two years, the market has nosedived as private insurers dropped hundreds of thousands of policies and sought hefty rate hikes. Escambia and Santa Rosa homeowners have seen their premiums triple in some instances. The state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which was created as an insurer of last resort, has ballooned to more than 1.29 million policies. State lawmakers have taken several stabs at the issue, mainly providing $3 billion to help insurers with reinsurance and restricting policyholders' ability to sue their insurers.
DOG RACING
More than four years after Florida voters approved a ban on greyhound racing in the state, a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a ruling by a Leon County circuit judge that D'Arcy Kennel, LLC, and its owner, Christopher D'Arcy, were not entitled to damages after voters passed what was known as Amendment 13 on the 2018 ballot.
KEN PAXTON
The Texas House General Investigating Committee recommended the impeachment of the state's attorney general after outlining a whirlwind of misconduct allegations against him. The allegations center on Attorney General Paxton's alleged unethical relationship with real estate investor Nate Paul and his firing of several whistleblowers in an attempt to cover it up. Paxton denied the allegations in a statement, claiming "every allegation is easily disproved." The attorney general was later impeached by the Texas House and awaits a Texas Senate trial.