Key to the City

As fans gathered at City Hall, Mayor Ashton Hayward honored 2012 Pace High graduate and Pensacola native Addison Russell with a proclamation and a key to the city.

Russell, starting shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, hit a grand slam in game six of the 2016 World Series, forcing a game seven and helping the Cubs win their first World Series in over a century.

Battalion Chief looks back on journey through Fire Cadet program

Hello, my name is Cedric King. I am a Battalion Chief and certified E.M.T with the City of Pensacola Fire Department. I entered my career in 1993 through the City of Pensacola Fire Cadet program. I was promoted to firefighter after the completion of the cadet program. During the next phase of my career, I worked my way up through the ranks earning the positions of Lieutenant, Captain and my current role of Battalion Chief.

The cadet program gave me the opportunity to enter a career in fire service. I enjoy my job and the ability to serve the community where I was born and raised. I have been with the Pensacola Fire Department for 23 plus years, and I still look forward coming to work every day. My supervisors, coworkers, and residents of this great city make this job feel more like an adventure then work.

Looking for a uniquely rewarding career? Apply to become a Pensacola Fire Department Cadet.

No prior emergency service training or experience is required. Individuals hired as Fire Cadets are provided with the training required to obtain Firefighter certifications through the State of Florida. Fire Cadets will receive a full time hourly rate of $8.68 with insurance and benefits. In addition, cadets will also attend the Fire Academy at no cost to them and upon successful completion of the training will be eligible for a firefighter position.

Allie Norton (WEAR Ch 3) highlighted the program. You can view it here. Applicants can learn more by contacting Pensacola Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Greg Redding at 436-5200. To apply, visit www.pensacolacityjobs.com.

Galvez portrait unveiled

This week, we unveiled a gifted portrait of Bernardo de Galvez with the Pensacola Heritage Foundation at City Hall. The portrait was given to us by Granaderos y Damas de Gálvez (soldiers and women of Gálvez) and the Foundation Remedios Medina, by its President Francisco Javier Fructuoso Medina. This dedicated group of individuals offered to help raise funds for Pensacola’s statue dedicated to Bernardo de Gálvez by commissioning this portrait of General Gálvez.

Gulf Coast Kid's House

The Gulf Coast Kids House is currently in desperate need of boys' clothing in size 2T and girls' clothing size 7. All items other than socks and undergarments can be new or gently used. Call (850) 595-5800 or visit www.gulfcoastkidshouse.org for more information.

Old Spanish Trail Centennial Celebration Association

One hundred years ago, several roads and many parts of Highway 90 were considered the Old Spanish Trail (OST), as well as an auto trail, that spanned 3,000 miles from St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California.

Pensacola was designated as an official city on the trail. On Thursday, December 1st, at 6pm during the opening welcome reception for the Centennial Reenactment of the 1916 Old Spanish Trail Auto Highway Convention. The Old Spanish Trail allowed people in the early 1900s to travel in their own vehicles on an actual highway. A San Antonio, Texas based group has formed to preserve the history of the highway/trail and identify the trail in cities, counties, and parishes. To learn more and to register for the centennial celebrations visit www.oldspanishtrailcentennial.com.

Fill the Mayflower

The annual Fill The Mayflower event will be held this year on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Cat Country 98.7, NewsRadio 1620 & WEAR ABC Channel 3 will broadcast live from the parking lot. We ask the community to come out and fill the Mayflower trucks from Coastal Moving & Storage with donations of food and cash. Volunteers will be onsite to take in donations and load them into boxes and onto the Mayflower trucks. This is our largest multi-day food drive every year.

Cordova Mall, 5100 North 9th Avenue, Pensacoa
Monday, November 21, 2016, 5 am - 7 pm
Tuesday, November 22, 2016, 7 am - 7pm

Pensacola ranked as best American towns for holiday shopping.

Pensacola was named one of the best American towns for local holiday shopping in a feature by Expedia Viewfinder.

To determine the rankings Expedia Viewfinder analyzed millions of social media conversations and found the towns talking about shopping local during the holidays the most. Expedia Viewfinder went even further to find the markets and open houses that make each of these destinations unique for holiday shoppers. Learn more here.

Thanksgiving Day Closures

City of Pensacola administrative offices will be closed Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Police, Fire and other emergency services essential for public safety and health will remain open. Routine operations will resume on Monday, November 28.

City of Pensacola Sanitation Services collection schedule will be changed next week. Garbage, recycling, and yard trash collections that are normally scheduled for Thursday, November 24, will be made a day early, on Wednesday, November 23. All other collection schedules remain unchanged. This applies to City of Pensacola sanitation customers only.

INSTAGRAM: Photo of the week