Nine Candidates in Running for FSU Presidency

Nine Candidates in Running for FSU Presidency

By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Nine candidates vying to become president of Florida State University, including a mix of academic leaders and politically connected players, are set to be interviewed as the school seeks a replacement for retiring President John Thrasher. The university’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee whittled a list […]

Leon County Votes to Make Election Day a Paid Holiday

Leon County Votes to Make Election Day a Paid Holiday

At today’s Leon County Commission meeting, elected officials voted to make Election Day a paid holiday for all county employees. The proposal is estimated to have a fiscal impact of $18,560 in holiday pay, which County staff reports can be paid for from existing personnel budgets. At the April 13, 2021 meeting, the Board directed […]

Leon County to Schedule Workshop with City to Address Homelessness

Leon County to Schedule Workshop with City to Address Homelessness

During the next Leon County Commissioners meeting, the Board will consider the request to schedule a workshop with the City of Tallahassee to discuss the homelessness issue. The Board will also consider scheduling a separate workshop on affordable housing. This consideration comes after Tallahassee City Commissioners voted to delay a meeting with the County in […]

Investigation of Chiles Football Coach Raises Questions

Investigation of Chiles Football Coach Raises Questions

An investigation by Chiles High School administrators into a complaint lodged against the school’s football coach, Kevin Pettis, has determined that the allegations – which included bullying and the use of demeaning language – were not confirmed. The finding was based on nine surveys completed by randomly selected football players and interviews of adults affiliated […]

Florida Government Weekly Roundup

Florida Government Weekly Roundup

By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying that he and allies have “embraced the science” of vaccine effectiveness, Gov. Ron DeSantis this week issued directives canceling local coronavirus emergency orders. “That is an anti-science posture, to say that we need all these restrictions, even with mass vaccination,” DeSantis said during a […]

LCS School Choice Lottery Completed

LCS School Choice Lottery Completed

The school choice lottery for the Leon County 2021 school year was completed on March 22. Leon High ranked the highest with 241 first choice requests. Lincoln High came in second for first choice picks with 157 hopefuls and Chiles High had 85 first choice requests. The percentage of acceptance for the top three schools […]

Universities to Return to ‘Pre-COVID Operations’

Universities to Return to ‘Pre-COVID Operations’

By The News Service of Florida Florida’s state universities are expected to return to pre-coronavirus operations during the upcoming school year, including at athletic and social events, top system officials said Wednesday. An early evening news release signed by Syd Kitson, chairman of the university system’s Board of Governors, and Marshall Criser, chancellor of the […]

Weekly Report Ending May 2nd: Hospitalizations Down, Cases, Positivity Up

Weekly Report Ending May 2nd: Hospitalizations Down, Cases, Positivity Up

TR’s weekly report (April 26 – May 2) on Leon County COVID cases, hospitalizations, and testing positivity rates is detailed below. TR’s April 25th weekly report can be reviewed here. The weekly COVID report, ending May 2nd, shows increases in cases and the positivity rate and a decline in hospitalizations. Since the middle of January 2021, […]

Leon County Mask Ordinance No Longer in Effect

Leon County Mask Ordinance No Longer in Effect

Due to Governor Ron DeSantis’ emergency order signed on Monday, Leon County government released a statement that says the mask ordinance is no longer in effect. The full press release is provided below. “The vaccines are working, but Florida hasn’t yet reached herd immunity and our state is still the nation’s #1 hotspot for B.1.1.7, […]