Good morning, Pensacola.

Aldi has expanded into Pensacola with 10 stores open and (one former Winn-Dixie location converting) to serve local shoppers.

Private-label brands like Happy Harvest, Kirkwood, and Mamma Cozzi's offer quality and value amid rising grocery prices.

Gulf Winds Credit Union will rebrand as TruWorth in spring and plans to acquire Peoples Exchange Bank in Monroeville pending regulatory and shareholder approvals.

CEO Daniel Souers said the move will boost technology, community partnerships and job creation to better serve its members.

Pensacola archaeologists will join a Los Angeles research team on Saturday to begin an expedition for Amelia Earhart’s missing plane.

The crew will use a magnetometer and high-tech gear+ study an object in the South Pacific off Nikumaroro, with plans to launch a full underwater excavation next year if confirmed.

Local musician Katie Dineen, named Best of the Coast Best Musician for 2026, released her album Simmer in August with a live show at the Handlebar, where she once held her wedding reception; she traces her indie garden rock sound back to Pensacola’s Tuesday open mic at Craft (favored spot).

Florida's $15 minimum wage became effective on Oct.

1, prompting local employers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to offer jobs paying a living wage (from $22 per hour to up to $66k annually) even as MIT's study shows actual needs are higher.

UWF Assistant Professor Dr. Minh Quang Ta has received a $196K NSF grant to develop robotic micro-fingers that use laser beams to handle tiny cells with more precision.

The project will boost robotics research and offer training for UWF students.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, Gulfarium CARE Center released five rehabilitated sea turtles into the Gulf at Inlet Beach Regional Access.

The group includes three loggerheads + one Kemp’s ridley + one green sea turtle that recovered from injuries at local fishing piers.

At Ascension Sacred Heart Cancer Center, nursing director Sunshine Nall leads plans for the Willow Boutique (a resource to help women select affordable wigs) to open within a year after an Impact 100 grant decision on Oct.

11.

High school football fans can vote for the PNJ midseason defensive player of the year award until 12 p.m. CT on Oct.

8. Nominees include top players from Pensacola Catholic, Escambia, Pace, Milton, Tate, West Florida and Jay high schools.

Due to a storm forecast, local events have been postponed for safety.

The Soul Bowl is now set for Nov. 8, the Santa Rosa Island Triathlon for Oct. 10, high school football schedules adjusted, and the Walk to End Alzheimer rescheduled to Nov. 1 in Pensacola.