Rick's Podcasts

WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen" covered Hurricane Helene from Monday, Sept. 23 - when it was only a tropical disturbance, to Friday, Sept. 27 - after Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Cat 4 storm.  We opened the show every morning with Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore or his meteorologist, Scottlin Williams. 

 Four Winds International Market, a beloved Pensacola institution for over 40 years, is thrilled to announce its grand reopening with a weeklong Oktoberfest celebration showcasing the best of German culture and cuisine.

Francis Ford Coppola’s new movie “Megalopolis” – is it a mega love fest, or a Megaflopolis? The film, a decades-in-the-works passion project for “The Godfather” director, was made with millions of his own money, and it’s been getting mixed reviews. It's a good thing Jason Nathanson is here to cut through the clutter. 

During the first hour of the show, Rick talks with Sena Maddison, Walker Wilson, Anna Ryan, Jason Nathanson and Jerome Stuart.

Because of Hurricane Helene, Dr. Martha Saunders, the president of the University of Florida, did not give her State of the University address on Sept. 26. However, she shared her thoughts with Inweekly.

“Part of our mission is that we have students from varied backgrounds, and as we've talked about before, we have set record enrollment every year for five years and again this year,” she shared. “And so, we're happy to do that, but these students are more academically talented than ever before.”

She continued, “When I came into the presidency, UWF had never had a National Merit finalist. This year, we welcomed our 14th, and that's pretty exciting because these students can go anywhere.”

Dr. Saunders bragged about how well her students have performed in national competitions. “If there's a competition, we're going to send the team, and these teams are absolutely kind of not only succeeding but sort of cleaning the floor with some of the other big-name schools.”

A UWF team placed fifth in the country against teams, including Yale University and Dartmouth College, at the National Big Data Health Science Student Case Competition. UWF Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business students took home a first-place win at the 2024 Southeastern Hedge Fund Strategy Competition, 28 other universities. UWF’s Speech & Debate team swept the table at the Pi Kappa Delta national. Students ranked in the top 10%, and Elizabeth Royappa, an Inweekly intern, won top superior.

Teams from Escambia County Emergency Operations and the Sheriff's Office have headed to Maddison County to help with recovery efforts.  We have another area to watch in the Yucatan.

Rick talks with Sena Maddison, Eric Gilmore, Robert Bender, Jennifer Brahier, Will Condon, DC Reeves, and Brad Garrett.

A 20-year friendship came to a devastating end when the Letcher Co,  Kentucky elected Sheriff, Mickey Stines, shot County District Judge Kevin Mullins – possibly shooting him as many as eight times.  Stines then immediately surrendered to the Whitesburg Police.  The two men worked together on several cases.

According to local media, they worked particularly closely on drug addiction and recovery issues, with Stines working with Mullins to get first-time offenders into rehab.  What lead Stines to commit such a brazen murder in the courthouse – with plenty of witnesses?   

One possible clue is the lawsuit against Stines for not properly supervising a former deputy who pleaded guilty to coercing women prisoners for sex.   

Whitesburg, KY, is a small town – much like everyone’s favorite town, the fictional  Mayberry -- where everyone knows everyone else. But it seems Mickey Stines is no Andy Taylor.  Brad Garrett wants to solve the mystery of this murder.

Mayor D.C. Reeves discusses why he supports the Community Land Trust.

Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier discusses two ordinances before the city council.