diff --git a/.travis/deploy_script.sh b/.travis/deploy_script.sh
index 1399efaf..d29f1bfb 100755
--- a/.travis/deploy_script.sh
+++ b/.travis/deploy_script.sh
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ if [ "$TRAVIS" = "true" ]; then
 
     rm -rf env.php
     find ./vendor -type d -name ".git" -print0 | xargs rm -rf
+    find . -type d -name "sass-cache" -print0 | xargs rm -rf
 
     # clear any app specific stuff that might have been loaded in
     find storage/app/public -mindepth 1 -not -name '.gitignore' -print0 -exec rm -rf {} +
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/DashboardController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/DashboardController.php
index e6a874dc..918709d4 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/DashboardController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/DashboardController.php
@@ -2,19 +2,23 @@
 
 namespace App\Http\Controllers\Admin;
 
+use Auth;
 use Illuminate\Http\Request;
 
+use App\Repositories\NewsRepository;
 use App\Repositories\PirepRepository;
 use App\Repositories\UserRepository;
 
 class DashboardController extends BaseController
 {
-    private $pirepRepo, $userRepo;
+    private $newsRepo, $pirepRepo, $userRepo;
 
     public function __construct(
+        NewsRepository $newsRepo,
         PirepRepository $pirepRepo,
         UserRepository $userRepo
     ) {
+        $this->newsRepo = $newsRepo;
         $this->pirepRepo = $pirepRepo;
         $this->userRepo = $userRepo;
     }
@@ -24,15 +28,32 @@ class DashboardController extends BaseController
      */
     public function index(Request $request)
     {
-        /*Feed::$cacheDir = storage_path('app');
-        Feed::$cacheExpire = '5 hours';
-
-        $feed = Feed::loadRss(config('phpvms.news_feed_url'));*/
-        $feed = [];
         return view('admin.dashboard.index', [
-            'feed' => $feed,
+            'news' => $this->newsRepo->getLatest(),
             'pending_pireps' => $this->pirepRepo->getPendingCount(),
             'pending_users' => $this->userRepo->getPendingCount(),
         ]);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @param Request $request
+     * @return \Illuminate\Contracts\View\Factory|\Illuminate\View\View
+     * @throws \Prettus\Validator\Exceptions\ValidatorException
+     */
+    public function news(Request $request)
+    {
+        if($request->isMethod('post')) {
+            $attrs = $request->post();
+            $attrs['user_id'] = Auth::user()->id;
+
+            $this->newsRepo->create($request->post());
+        } elseif ($request->isMethod('delete')) {
+            $news_id = $request->input('news_id');
+            $this->newsRepo->delete($news_id);
+        }
+
+        return view('admin.dashboard.news', [
+            'news' => $this->newsRepo->getLatest(),
+        ]);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/app/Http/Kernel.php b/app/Http/Kernel.php
index a7fbe51c..af709e8a 100755
--- a/app/Http/Kernel.php
+++ b/app/Http/Kernel.php
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ class Kernel extends HttpKernel
      */
     protected $middleware = [
         \Illuminate\Foundation\Http\Middleware\CheckForMaintenanceMode::class,
-        \Spatie\Pjax\Middleware\FilterIfPjax::class,
     ];
 
     /**
@@ -32,6 +31,7 @@ class Kernel extends HttpKernel
             \Illuminate\View\Middleware\ShareErrorsFromSession::class,
             #\App\Http\Middleware\VerifyCsrfToken::class,
             \Illuminate\Routing\Middleware\SubstituteBindings::class,
+            \Spatie\Pjax\Middleware\FilterIfPjax::class,
         ],
 
         'api' => [
diff --git a/app/Repositories/NewsRepository.php b/app/Repositories/NewsRepository.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..be29579a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Repositories/NewsRepository.php
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Repositories;
+
+use App\Models\News;
+use App\Repositories\Traits\CacheableRepository;
+use Prettus\Repository\Contracts\CacheableInterface;
+
+class NewsRepository extends BaseRepository implements CacheableInterface
+{
+    use CacheableRepository;
+
+    public function model()
+    {
+        return News::class;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Latest news items
+     * @param int $count
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function getLatest($count=5)
+    {
+        return $this->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
+                    ->with(['user'])
+                    ->paginate($count);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Repositories/PirepRepository.php b/app/Repositories/PirepRepository.php
index 8d745570..9c080655 100644
--- a/app/Repositories/PirepRepository.php
+++ b/app/Repositories/PirepRepository.php
@@ -54,7 +54,9 @@ class PirepRepository extends BaseRepository
             $where['user_id'] = $user->id;
         }
 
-        $pireps = $this->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')->findWhere($where)->count();
+        $pireps = $this->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
+                       ->findWhere($where, ['id'])
+                       ->count();
         return $pireps;
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/Repositories/UserRepository.php b/app/Repositories/UserRepository.php
index 5d6d3df4..abbd9b8f 100644
--- a/app/Repositories/UserRepository.php
+++ b/app/Repositories/UserRepository.php
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ class UserRepository extends BaseRepository
             'state' => UserState::PENDING,
         ];
 
-        $users = $this->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')->findWhere($where)->count();
+        $users = $this->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
+                      ->findWhere($where, ['id'])
+                      ->count();
+
         return $users;
     }
 
diff --git a/app/Routes/admin.php b/app/Routes/admin.php
index 848cbf0a..4be061e0 100644
--- a/app/Routes/admin.php
+++ b/app/Routes/admin.php
@@ -50,5 +50,9 @@ Route::group([
     # defaults
     Route::get('', ['uses' => 'DashboardController@index']);
     Route::get('/', ['uses' => 'DashboardController@index']);
-    Route::get('/dashboard', ['uses' => 'DashboardController@index', 'name' => 'dashboard']);
+
+    Route::get('dashboard', ['uses' => 'DashboardController@index', 'name' => 'dashboard']);
+    Route::match(['get', 'post', 'delete'],
+                 'dashboard/news', ['uses' => 'DashboardController@news'])
+        ->name('dashboard.news');
 });
diff --git a/resources/views/admin/dashboard/announcements.blade.php b/resources/views/admin/dashboard/announcements.blade.php
deleted file mode 100644
index a678d955..00000000
--- a/resources/views/admin/dashboard/announcements.blade.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-<div class="card border-blue-bottom">
-    <div class="header">
-        <h4 class="title">Announcements</h4>
-        <p class="category">just updated</p>
-    </div>
-    <div class="content">
-        blah blah blah
-    </div>
-</div>
diff --git a/resources/views/admin/dashboard/index.blade.php b/resources/views/admin/dashboard/index.blade.php
index 9eac8441..a7880c19 100644
--- a/resources/views/admin/dashboard/index.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/admin/dashboard/index.blade.php
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-md-7">
-                @include('admin.dashboard.announcements')
+                @include('admin.dashboard.news')
             </div>
             <div class="col-md-5">
                 @component('admin.components.infobox')
@@ -43,4 +43,17 @@
         </div>
     </div>
 @endsection
+@section('scripts')
+<script>
+$(document).ready(function() {
+    $(document).on('submit', 'form.pjax_news_form', function (event) {
+        event.preventDefault();
+        $.pjax.submit(event, '#pjax_news_wrapper', {push: false});
+    });
 
+    /*$(document).on('pjax:complete', function () {
+        $(".select2").select2();
+    });*/
+});
+</script>
+@endsection
diff --git a/resources/views/admin/dashboard/news.blade.php b/resources/views/admin/dashboard/news.blade.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..717413c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/views/admin/dashboard/news.blade.php
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+<div id="pjax_news_wrapper">
+    <div class="card border-blue-bottom">
+        @if($news->count() === 0)
+            <div class="text-center text-muted" style="padding: 30px;">
+                no news items
+            </div>
+        @endif
+        @foreach($news as $item)
+        <div class="content">
+            <div class="header">
+                <h4 class="title">{!! $item->subject !!}</h4>
+                <p class="category">{!! $item->user->name !!} - {!! show_datetime($item->created_at) !!}</p>
+            </div>
+
+            {!! $item->body !!}
+
+            <div class="text-right">
+                {!! Form::open(['route' => 'admin.dashboard.news',
+                'method' => 'delete',
+                'class' => 'pjax_news_form',
+            ]) !!}
+                {!! Form::hidden('news_id', $item->id) !!}
+                {!!
+                     Form::button('delete',
+                                     ['type' => 'submit',
+                                      'class' => ' btn btn-danger btn-xs text-small'])
+
+                     !!}
+                {!! Form::close() !!}
+            </div>
+        </div>
+        <hr />
+        @endforeach
+        <div class="content">
+            <div class="header">
+                <h4 class="title">Add News</h4>
+            </div>
+            {!! Form::open(['route' => 'admin.dashboard.news',
+                'method' => 'post',
+                'class' => 'pjax_news_form',
+            ]) !!}
+            <table class="table">
+                <tr>
+                    <td>{!! Form::label('subject', 'Subject:') !!}</td>
+                    <td>{!! Form::text('subject', '', ['class' => 'form-control'])  !!}</td>
+                </tr>
+
+                <tr>
+                    <td>{!! Form::label('body', 'Body:') !!}</td>
+                    <td>{!! Form::textarea('body', '', ['class' => 'form-control']) !!}</td>
+                </tr>
+            </table>
+            <div class="text-right">
+                {!!
+                 Form::button('<i class="glyphicon glyphicon-plus"></i> add',
+                                 ['type' => 'submit',
+                                  'class' => 'btn btn-success btn-s'])
+
+                 !!}
+                {!! Form::close() !!}
+            </div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+</div>