By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Despite the leisure and hospitality industry still struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, Florida’s unemployment rate continues to improve as vaccinations increase and people return to the workforce. The state Department of Economic Opportunity reported Monday that Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.8 percent in January, […]
TR’s weekly report (March 8 – March 14) on Leon County COVID cases, hospitalizations, and testing positivity rates is detailed below. TR’s March 7th weekly report can be reviewed here. The weekly COVID report, ending March 14th, shows decreases in new cases, the positivity rate and hospitalizations. Since the middle to the end of January 2021, […]
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has declared Oak Ridge Elementary, Hartsfield Elementary and Pineview Elementary to be three of the “Lowest 300” performing elementary schools in the state. FDOE lists the schools based on three-year averages for achievement on state exams in English language arts, and increases in exam scores over those years. The […]
During the March 9th Leon County School Board meeting, the board unanimously voted for the approval to decrease the amount of required formal and informal evaluations for teachers during the school year. Deana McAllister, the Labor and Employee Director and Equity Officer for Leon County Schools, made the case that teachers have been under additional […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After debating whether county school board members should be paid, and if ending salaries would threaten diversity on the boards, a House panel took a first step Friday toward letting voters decide the issue in 2022. The Republican-controlled House Secondary Education & Career Development Subcommittee, […]
On March 10 of this year, there was a funeral mass for the late Russell Joseph Camarda, better known as “RJ” by his friends, familyand peers. In his home, with his family by his side, RJ Camarda passed away on Friday, March 5, 2021 at the age of 93. Camarda was born on June 1, […]
The Leon County Board of County Commissioners approved the Fiscal Year 2022 Maximum Discretionary Funding Levels for outside agencies during its meeting on Tuesday. The agenda item involves the establishment of funding levels for the Community Human Services Partnership (CHSP), Commissioner Office Budgets and non-departmental categories, including special events. Discretionary funding levels must be finalized […]
At Monday’s Development Review Committee (DRC) meeting, the committee unanimously voted to deny a permit for the City Walk Urban Mission, located on Mahan Drive, to transition from a temporary homeless shelter to a permanent facility. The denial is based on the finding that the facility would create a “private nuisance” in the area. The […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With backing from Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Florida Senate committee on Wednesday approved a wide-ranging proposal to revamp vote-by-mail laws, including banning the use of drop boxes and taking aim at a practice known as “ballot harvesting.” The bill (SB 90) comes amid efforts in […]
Florida filmmaker F.C. Rabbath’s latest film “The Waiting” will be released in theaters in the Leon County area beginning Friday, March 12. The film, which is set in Tallahassee, is the director’s sixth feature to be completely filmed and set in the Sunshine State. Compared to other states, including neighboring Georgia, Florida is not particularly […]