Folio Vol. 40, Issue 18

9.16

2026

PG.20

GAMBLING: Ending Modern Prohibition for the Deadliest Addiction

Welcome to the Jungle: Who Made the Cut? The Ozempic Epidemic Where the City Couldn’t See Her

1

Letter

from our General Manager Every year around this time, the rest of the country starts pulling out sweaters, ordering pumpkin-spiced everything and posting pictures of leaves changing colors. Meanwhile, here in Northeast Florida, we’re still wearing flip-flops, running the air conditioner and pretending 82 degrees qualifies as a crisp fall afternoon. And you know what? I wouldn’t trade it. Fall in Northeast Florida may not look like it does in a Hallmark movie, but I’d argue we have something even better. This is the time of year when our little corner of Florida really comes alive. Football is back, festival season kicks into high gear, outdoor concerts become enjoyable again and suddenly sitting on a patio doesn’t feel like volunteering for a survival experiment. From Jacksonville to the Beaches, Amelia Island to St. Augustine and everywhere in between, there is always something happening. We have fall festivals, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, art walks, farmers markets, live music, food festivals, Oktoberfest celebrations and enough Halloween events to keep every kid — and plenty of adults — happily hopped up on sugar until Thanksgiving. Then there are those glorious fall weekends when you can start the morning at a festival, spend the afternoon near the water, catch some live music at sunset and still make it home in time to watch football. Not many places in America can offer that in October and November.

We have beautiful parks, waterways, locally-owned restaurants, breweries, galleries, theaters and music venues. And if you can’t find something fun to do on a Northeast Florida weekend, I’m going to politely suggest you simply aren’t looking hard enough. Fall is also when our communities seem to reconnect. After months of hiding from Florida’s summer heat, people come back outside. Neighborhoods fill up. Local businesses get busier. Festivals bring strangers together over food, music and the universal belief that we absolutely need to buy something handmade from a tent. That local connection matters. So this fall, get out there. Take the drive to St. Augustine. Wander around Fernandina Beach. Catch a Jaguars game. Visit a pumpkin patch. Listen to a local band. Try a restaurant you’ve never been to. Buy something from a local artist. Spend a Saturday wandering around a festival with absolutely no agenda whatsoever. Most important, support the people and businesses that make Northeast Florida feel like home. Happy fall, Northeast Florida.

That’s one of the things I think we sometimes forget: We are incredibly lucky to live here. We have the Atlantic Ocean in our backyard, the St. Johns River running through our city, historic St. Augustine just down the road and Amelia Island waiting in the other direction.

Teresa Spencer, General Manager

YOU’RE ALREADY HERE, SO ARE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS. Email teresa@folioweekly.com or call us at 904-239-5736 2 Folio Weekly

CONTENTS

VOL. 40, ISSUE 18

CO LUM N S

F EAT U RE S

7 Horoscopes

11 The Prodigal Sound

27 Welcome to the Yountian World

Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri

Carmen Macri

Teresa Spencer

9 Folio Weed

12 Film Reviews

29 Where the City Couldn’t See Her

Teresa Spencer

Harry Straussman

Carmen Macri

37 Combined Minds

15 From Sea to Shining Sea

32 Carefree? Not So Much

Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri

Carmen Macri

17 Welcome to the Jungle: Who Made the Cut? Kaleb Stowell

20 Gambling: Ending Modern Prohibition For the Deadliest Addiction Ariana Alcantara

Teresa Spencer

34 Goodbye, Palm Beach International Airport Hunter Anderson

36 More Room for the Magic: The Jacksonville Fair’s New Era Teresa Spencer

24 The Ozempic Epidemic

FOLIO STAFF:

Ambar Ramirez

JOHN PHILLIPS President

AARON BERKSHIRE Photographer

TERESA SPENCER General Manager

KALEB STOWELL Sports Writer

KERRY SPECKMAN Copy Editor/Writer

HARRY STRAUSSMAN Writer

AMBAR RAMIREZ Creative Director

HUNTER ANDERSON Contributor

CARMEN MACRI Social Media Manager/Lead Writer ARIANA ALCANTARA Writer

Cover designed by Ambar Ramirez 3

Subject: Misinformation in article Friends, I would like to thank you for the ongoing publication of the Folio as this community’s alternative source for local news, which is always important, but especially pertinent in these times. I would like to comment on an article in this month’s edition: Shedding a little Blight on the Subject. The author of the article noted how “I knew Sulzbacher had requirements for staying there, but Hernandez [JSO officer] explained that due to Sulzbacher’s mandatory drug testing, many choose to sleep on the street rather than give up drugs.” I am not at license to speak for the Sulzbacher, while you should know that the agency has not conducted mandatory drug screenings to access shelter in over 10 years. The overflow of individuals “setting up camp all around the perimeter of the building” is entirely a result of a lack of available shelter beds both at the Sulzbacher and throughout the community at large. Those camping at the gates of the Sulzbacher are awaiting access to the safe space of the Urban Rest Stop, a domicile where unsheltered individuals can get out of the elements, receive meals, and avoid the arrest for existing as homeless that the article goes on to mention. The shelter itself is nearly always at capacity with its residents transitioning to stable housing, income, and access to health care. This distinction is critically important as the thrust of this paragraph supports the widespread misconception that people are choosing to remain homeless as a matter of preference and choice among other options. This misrepresentation is both incorrect and dangerous for those experiencing homelessness who are subjected to the violence that is the extreme end in the continuum of such judgements. In the future, I would encourage a bit of fact checking rather than accepting as truth the perspective of one person. Thanks for accepting my concern. Patrick Finn-Schultz

We received clarification from a representative for the Sulzbacher center — Sulzbacher does not require mandatory drug testing to enter their shelter.

THE

MAIL

BOUQS & BRICKS BOUQUETS

To the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and its Offender Tracking Unit for Operation Riverwatch. Working with the U.S. Marshals Service, JSO conducted 535 compliance checks and arrested 59 registered sexual offenders and predators accused of violating release conditions. This is the kind of behind-the-scenes police work that helps protect Jacksonville’s most vulnerable — and deserves some flowers.

4 Folio Weekly

BRICKBATS

To the bureaucratic bungling behind Northeast Florida’s breathalyzer mess. A panel of local judges found that Intoxilyzer machines used in DUI cases had undergone unauthorized repairs, leaving prosecutors reviewing roughly 950 pending cases. That’s not a minor paperwork hiccup — that’s a credibility problem with consequences for defendants, victims, taxpayers and the justice system itself. If the government is going to use a machine’s results to help prosecute someone, making sure that machine is properly maintained should be somewhere near the top of the to-do list. Northeast Florida deserves better than “oops!” about those 950 cases.

5

Horoscopes By Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri

Aries You’re officially putting those organizers to use this month, Aries. Think of it as very early spring cleaning but for your brain. Regular workouts, healthy meals, serene sleep — stay in for a weekend. It won’t kill you. Quite the opposite, actually. With Mars spinning through domestic Cancer until the 27th, you’ll have no problem with it.

Taurus The universe’s plan for you this month, Taurus, is simple — have fun! With the Virgo sun brightening your festive, romantic and fame-fueling fifth house through the 22nd, lean into end-of-summer whimsy. Romanticize your everyday life with drive-in movies, scenic picnics and lavishly themed dinner parties.

Gemini September has you feeling like a perpetual homebody, Gemini. With the Virgo Sun activating your fourth house of home until the 22nd, you can’t seem to get your social battery past 50%. Instead of nights on the town, you’re craving low lights, lit candles, cozy movies, and five of your closest friends crowded together on your too-small couch.

Cancer Unexpected connections and impromptu ideas are heading your way this month, Cancer, as the Virgo sun illuminates your convivial third house. Your voice carries extra weight right now, and with fiery Mars in your sign until the 27th, your magnetism is off the charts. Take full advantage of this charged energy. Put real momentum behind your passion projects and personal goals before the tides shift.

Leo Money, money, money all month long, Leo. The Virgo sun lights up your second house of money and security, so expect that raise to come any second now. Or maybe try your luck with the lottery… it is written in the stars after all.

Virgo Finally, it’s your birthday season, Virgo! While it might feel like celebrations are long overdue, it’s only been a year since your last trip around the sun. Should we pause for deep reflection? Just kidding! Save the introspective reset for later. The stars want you to celebrate, and with energizing Mars in Cancer lighting up your 11th house of community until the 27th, your main goal is to say yes to every random invite that comes your way.

Libra Time for a total reset, Libra. Think of this as your month of rest and relaxation before your birthday season kicks off. Think spa days, clay masks, massages, the whole nine. The Virgo new moon on Sept. 10 will have you releasing all that does not serve you, so if people are suddenly dropping out of your life like flies, well, there’s your reason.

Scorpio You are quite the social butterfly this month, Scorpio. You are finally feeling like yourself again and ready to get back out there. The time for hibernation is over — perfect timing too. With Mars buzzing through Cancer in your ninth house of adventure, you are booked and busy all month long.

Sagittarius Anchor, draw and release, Archer. With the Virgo sun shining at the top of your chart in your 10th house of career and achievement, your ambitions take center stage this month. All you need to do is set your sights on a target and lock in your aim. Whether it’s landing a spot in an elite circle or securing that big promotion, the opportunity is yours.

Capricorn Pack a bag or sign up for a class — the Virgo sun is powering through your ninth house until Sept. 22, so September is practically forcing you to get out of your routine and broaden your view. Just brace yourself on the personal front: Mars in Cancer is stoking the flames in your relationship sector through the 27th. Expect plenty of passion, but keep an eye on the ego clashes.

Aquarius This month is anything but boring for you, Aquarius, but you probably already knew that with your sixth sense for these kinds of things. Something has shifted, and it’s not the wind. With the Virgo sun cruising through your seductive and intimate eighth house, you’re craving soul-baring honesty, cheeky innuendos and maybe even a little late-night financial strategy talk over cocktails. And that’s barely scratching the surface.

Pisces

Partnerships take center stage this month, Pisces, and before you get your wires crossed, no, that doesn’t mean you’re facing heavy ultimatums. Quite the opposite! With the Virgo sun lighting up your seventh house of relationships until the 22nd, you’ll thrive in dynamic duos, tight-knit trios, or any group setting. As long as you’re not flying solo, you’re winning.

7

FALL NIGHT MARKET

S E P TEMBE R 15

MODEST MOUSE WITH SPEC IAL GU EST

ROBBER ROBBER

S E P TEMBE R 17

JOHN FOGERTY & STEVE WINWOOD THE LEGACY TOUR

S E P TEMBE R 1 8

BRAD PAISLEY LIVE

SUGARLAND

AN EVENING WITH

PAYTON SULLIVAN

OCTO BE R 21

WHISKEY MYERS

TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

OCTOBER 1

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

THE RANSOM BROTHERS OCTOBER 2

GOV'T MULE & ZIGGY MARLEY

O.A.R.

DREAMING THE SAME DREAM TOUR W I T H D J S E T BY

YOLA

OCTO BE R 3

CHARLIE WORSHAM & THE BAND LOULA

BOZ SCAGGS

JAMES TAYLOR

OCTO BE R 7

AND HIS ALL-STAR BAND

SEPTEMBER 22 & 23

FLIPTURN

LANIE GARDNER & BENNY G

RISE AGAINST

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND

ST. AUGUSTINE RECORD FAIR

FUTURE SOUL TOUR 2026

OCTO BE R 9 & 1 0

WITH

THE AVETT BROTHERS

THE SECRET SISTERS

S E P TEMBE R 27

OCTO BE R 11

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

ALABAMA

THE MOUSE PARADE TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUEST

AUGUST PONTHIER

S E P TEMBE R 29

GAVIN DEGRAW & KT TUNSTALL

N OVEMBE R 14

N OVEMBE R 21

WITH SPEC IAL GU ESTS

SEPTEMBER 26

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

TY MYERS

OCTO BE R 8

ALKALINE TRIO & TEEN MORTGAGE

THREE DECADES TOUR

THE REVIVALISTS

WINYAH

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

OCTO BE R 24

THE RHYTHM REVIEW 2026

THE LEGAL TOUR

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

SEPTEMBER 25

WITH SPEC IAL GU ESTS

MUSCADINE BLOODLINE & DRAYTON FARLEY

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

S E P TEMBE R 19

CAKE

OCTO BE R 17

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

OLIVER HAZARD & HUNTER METTS

BEARTOOTH

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

DON BROCO, MAGNOLIA PARK & WINDWAKER

D EC EMBE R 4

MAMA'S BROKE

LIVE AT THE WATERWORKS

D EC EMBE R 4

DAVID NAIL & WILL HOGE

LIVE AT THE WATERWORKS

D EC EMBE R 7

JOE BONAMASSA MARC H 13

Folio Weed

Words by Teresa Spencer

The Original Green Medicine Cannabis didn’t start with dispensaries, vape pens or gummies shaped like tiny watermelons.

Humans have been using this complicated little plant for thousands of years, and our ancestors figured out pretty early that it could make people feel better.

with criminalization, politics and stigma. Today, scientists understand something ancient healers couldn’t: Cannabis interacts with a biological system already inside the human body.

Long before CVS, Walgreens or commercials telling you to “ask your doctor” about medications followed by 47 seconds of terrifying side effects, humans had plants, and one of those plants was cannabis. Medical marijuana may feel like modern medicine’s rebellious new neighbor, but cannabis has one hell of a resume. Humans have cultivated it for thousands of years for fiber, food, rituals and medicine, long before anyone knew what THC, CBD or an endocannabinoid system was.

The endocannabinoid system is a communication network involved in processes including pain, appetite, mood, memory and immune function. Our bodies naturally produce endocannabinoids that interact with receptors throughout this system, while cannabis brings cannabinoids of its own, most famously THC and CBD. With modern science explaining some of these biological interactions, those ancient stories suddenly don’t sound quite so crazy.

China is usually where the medical cannabis story begins. Chinese tradition credits the legendary Emperor Shen Nung, known as the “Divine Farmer,” with recognizing cannabis’ medicinal value nearly 5,000 years ago. You’ll often see the very specific date of 2737 B.C., but history is a little messier than that. The famous Chinese herbal text associated with Shen Nung was actually compiled much later from older medicinal traditions, so archaeologists haven’t exactly discovered his stash box labeled “arthritis medicine, 2737 B.C.” What archaeologists have discovered is pretty fascinating. Cannabis has been found at ancient burial sites in China and Central Asia, including remarkably preserved cannabis roughly 2,700 years old containing psychoactive compounds. Cannabis also became part of medicinal traditions across Asia, India and the Middle East, proving grandma’s “special herb” goes back a lot further than Woodstock. By the 1800s, cannabis had entered Western medicine. Irish physician William O’Shaughnessy studied medicinal cannabis while working in India and helped introduce cannabis preparations to European physicians. Doctors began using cannabis preparations for conditions including pain, muscle spasms and seizures, and cannabis eventually appeared in the United States Pharmacopeia. That’s right: America had medical marijuana before automobiles, airplanes or sliced bread. Then came regulation, prohibition and America’s long, complicated political war with weed. Cannabis went from pharmacy shelf to public enemy, and legitimate scientific research became tangled up

Medical cannabis is now used by some patients to manage symptoms associated with chronic pain, chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, certain seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis-related symptoms and appetite loss. Research into other potential uses continues, but cannabis isn’t magic. Evidence is stronger for some uses than others, and “natural” doesn’t automatically mean harmless. Poison ivy is natural too, and nobody is rolling around in that for wellness. Cannabis can cause side effects, interact with medications and impair coordination, judgment and memory. THC can also increase anxiety or cause other unwanted psychological effects in some people. Medical cannabis should be treated like what it is: medicine, not fairy dust. Perhaps the strangest thing about America’s cannabis revolution is how we’ve managed to make one of humanity’s oldest relationships with a plant feel brand new. Today we have dispensaries, cannabis doctors, laboratory testing, terpene profiles, THC percentages, chocolates, beverages and enough gummy flavors to make Willy Wonka jealous, but underneath all that modern packaging is the same basic plant humans noticed thousands of years ago. Our ancestors didn’t understand cannabinoid receptors or THC. They couldn’t conduct clinical trials or send samples to laboratories; they simply observed that this plant did something. Thousands of years later, science is figuring out exactly what that “something” is, where cannabis can help, where the claims outrun the evidence and where this ancient medicine might take us next. Turns out, the future of green medicine has some seriously ancient roots. 9

10 Folio Weekly

Photo by Josie Keenan

THE PRODIGAL

SOUND

One whole week of flipturn

Words by Carmen Macri

The hometown heroes are finally making their way back to center stage at the St. Augustine Amphitheater but not before a full week’s worth of events for the fans and community. After a grueling year on the road, flipturn traded relentless touring for a well-deserved season of creation, dedicating the year to writing and dialing in their next chapter. Aside from a few select festival runs and one-off dates, they kept live performances intentionally sparse, saving the real fire for a proper First Coast homecoming. To cap off the quiet year with a bang, the indie-rock quintet is taking a victory lap right where it all started. Rather than a single return show, they’re taking over the region with a weeklong celebration spanning Fernandina, Jacksonville and St. Augustine — bringing the music, the energy and the community back to the soil that built them.

turn ethos in a can. For those who can’t snag a pint in Fernandina for the launch party, the brews will also be available online and tapped again at the St. Augustine show.

The main event arrives Sept. 25 when the band takes over St. Augustine for a massive headlining show with Winyah setting the stage. But naturally, flipturn The week kicks off Sept. 22 at Block Boulders for a isn’t pulling the plug when the lights go down on the community group climb with guitarist Tristan Duncan, main stage. Why call it a night when the homecoming featuring a flipturn-themed boulder route and playlist. is just getting warm? A discounted guest pass is available with proof of purchase from the St. Augustine show (that’s a trending The party spills right into the after-hours over at Flatheme here) mingo Coffee, where Mitch Fountain takes the decks under his DJ moniker, Druzin, joined by members Sept. 23 is Flow with Flipturn at Red Skies Yoga. In- of Winyah for an intimate, late-night set to properly structor Jess Stringer is hosting an all-level vinyasa wrap up the week. flow featuring a live acoustic set with frontman Dillon Basse. And again, the whole experience will be dis- Beyond the main stage line-up, flipturn is turning the counted with proof of ticket purchase. entire week into a full-blown local crawl by partnering with a lineup of neighborhood staples, offering sweet Sept. 24 sets off at Mocama Brewing in Fernandina perks for ticket holders: Beach featuring a custom Fruwear merch pop-up with screen prints happening on site. The location also car- Flamingo Coffee: Sip on a custom flipturn specialty ries a heavy dose of nostalgia: Both frontman Dillon flavor and score 25% off your order. Basse and Duncan pulled shifts here as beertenders during the pandemic, making this local pit stop hit a Sunrise Surf Shop: Flash your show ticket at the reglittle closer to home. ister for 15% off your gear. To mark the occasion, the band teamed up with Mo- Tiger Records: Flip through the bins to find exclusive cama to brew a couple of custom flipturn beers. Band signed vinyl, plus take 15% off your total purchase manager Sam Heekin explained how the band spent with proof of ticket purchase. six months dialing in the profiles with the brewery, chasing a flavor profile that genuinely captures the flip11

Film Reviews

Photo by Bob Gruen/Bob Gruen - © 2026 - A24

“Tony”

Famous chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain is put under the microscope in this dramatization of the summer he turned to cooking. Words by Harry Straussman “BlackBerry” writer-director Matt Johnson delivers his second film of the year, following the uproariously original comedy “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” with this cool hang of a coming-of-age movie. Dominic Sessa leads as the eponymous Tony, embodying the arrogant youth in need of an ass-kicking, as described by Bourdain himself in the film’s opening title card. Sessa announced himself as a talent worth keeping an eye on with his debut performance in Alexander Payne’s 12 Folio Weekly

acclaimed boarding school dramedy “The Holdovers,” and with “Tony” he confirms that the breakout was no fluke as he ably holds the center of the frame amongst a host of more seasoned actors who are also giving standout performances. The film sees the young Tony absconding from his tightly wound family to a Cape Cod beach town after a girl who’s caught his infatuation (Emilia Jones), but after losing his last dollar and having no way home, he takes up a dishwashing job at a local

restaurant and comes under the culinary tutelage of the eccentric veteran chef (Antonio Banderas), and drinks his nights away with the kitchen’s lady-killing oyster shucker (Leo Woodall). As all good biopics should, “Tony” works without needing to know anything about Bourdain’s real life; it plays as a slice-of-life story of a directionless young man discovering his calling. Johnson’s film evokes the works of Richard Linklater, thanks to its nostalgia-laced emotionality and its back-of-house sense of humor — often courteously brought by Stavros Halkias’ bawdy line cook. “Tony” has all the comforts of a meal in the summer evening and is appropriately reverent to the life and work of Anthony Bourdain, without needing to lean into a “Bourdain Begins” hagiography.

Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“End of Oak Street” A dysfunctional family is forced to band together and fight for survival when their neighborhood is teleported through a wormhole to a prehistoric landscape crawling with dinosaurs and other primeval creatures. Despite their continued diminishing quality, “Jurassic Park”/“Jurassic World” sequels have clinched a monopoly on dinosaur cinema, and while the sci-fi adventure “The End of Oak Street” attempts to walk its own path, it struggles to fully emerge from the “Jurassic” shadow. Director David Robert Mitchell, one of the grandfathers of the modern boom of prestigious horror with the sexually transmitted demon film “It Follows,” brings a touch of gleeful nastiness that would be at home in a Shudder original, stripping away the majesty of the creatures that is a key characteristic of their “Jurassic” counterparts. “Oak Street” is at its best when it leans into the creature feature carnage, but too often finds itself stuck in a creative cul-de-sac when it comes to the underdeveloped family drama, which somehow comes across as more convoluted and confusing than a time-warping wormhole. Anne Hathaway leads the film and acquits herself well as usual, adding action heroine to her long list of considerable talents, while opposite her, Ewan McGregor is charming enough but should maybe refrain from using his jarring American accent for some time. “The End of Oak Street” is a slickly directed “Twilight Zone” tale whose screenplay could have used an extra draft or two before cameras started rolling.

OVER 50? UNLIMITED FOR JUST $35/MONTH. Backed by #1 Network Coverage and Customer Satisfaction.*

Switch & Save Today.

844-628-2697

© 2026 Consumer Cellular Inc. Terms and Conditions subject to change. Plans shown above include $5 credit for AutoPay and E-billing. Taxes and other fees apply. Credit approval required for new service. Cellular service is not available in all areas and is subject to system limitations. For unlimited plans, high-speed data is reduced after 35GB on single-line plans and 50GB of combined usage on multi-line plans for the remainder of your billing cycle. Unlimited data plans only for customers age 50+. *2025 ACSI® Survey of customers rating their own wireless service provider. ACSI® and its logo are registered trademarks of the American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC. For more about the ACSI®, visit www.theacsi.org.

13

‘The Americana Revolution’

ROOTS RADIO HAS LANDED ON THE SONIC PLANET

Listen at www.thesonicplanet.com

Words by Carmen Macri

Here is everything we know — and everything we don’t — about the USS Abraham Lincoln and its grueling 286 days at sea. November 20, 2025 – Departure: The USS Abraham Lincoln and its Carrier Strike Group departed its homeport at Naval Base San Diego destined for routine operations in the Indo-Pacific/South China Sea. The deployment was originally set to end in May. December 2025: When hostilities escalated between the U.S. and Iran, however, the Abraham Lincoln was redirected to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility to act as the primary launchpad for airstrikes and naval blockade operations in the Strait of Hormuz. May to July 2026 – Reports of food and supply shortages: Around the six-to-seven-month mark at sea, reports surfaced regarding deteriorating living conditions on board. Families and crew members reported shortages of fresh produce and meats, undercooked food, water quality issues and laundry and mail disruptions caused by prolonged combat operations and logistics strain during Operation Epic Fury. The ship’s commanding officer later acknowledged fresh fruit and vegetable shortages, while Defense Department officials stated that core operational logistics were maintained. September 2, 2026 – Docked in Thailand: The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived at Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi Province near Pattaya, Thailand. This marked the crew’s first full land liberty in nearly nine months. September 6, 2026 – Departed Thailand: Following a five-day port call for liberty, maintenance and resupply, the carrier departed Thailand to begin its final transit back to its homeport in the United States. Because an aircraft carrier cannot simply leave its post until a relief vessel arrives to take over its operational duties, the Abraham Lincoln was kept at sea for a modern-era record of more than 260 consecutive days until the Asia-based USS George Washington was readied and deployed to the Middle East to take over its responsibilities. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal listed the reported hardships on the carrier in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages en route to the ship to be lost in transit for months.”

Military news outlets even reported that some USS Abraham Lincoln sailors attempted to jump overboard, while families have raised concerns about mental health aboard the ship. However, Hegseth called reports of conditions “completely misrepresented.” One of the major questions circulating on social media during the deployment was why the Trump administration hadn’t sent supplies to the sailors when news of shortages arose. Well, for starters, Trump very publicly denied the severity of Lincoln’s condition, labeling news coverage of deteriorating living conditions on board as “fake news.” The other answer is this: An airdrop of supplies was not conducted for the USS Abraham Lincoln because an airdrop is logistically impractical for a nuclear aircraft carrier. Aircraft carriers do not receive supplies through parachute airdrops. They are resupplied using Replenishment at Sea (RAS) via specialized Combat Logistics Force ships (like fast combat support ships) that pump fuel and transfer heavy cargo pallets via cables while both ships sail side by side. High-priority cargo, mail and personnel are brought directly to the flight deck via fixed-wing cargo aircraft (such as C-2 Greyhounds or CMV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors) that land normally on the carrier deck. Dropping pallets by parachute into the ocean or onto a flight deck packed with active combat aircraft would risk damaging million-dollar jets or losing supplies at sea. The shortages experienced on the ship were not caused by an inability to fly cargo to the carrier’s flight deck. Rather, they stemmed from regional logistical disruptions after a key U.S. naval resupply hub in Bahrain suffered heavy missile damage early in the conflict. Supply lines had to be rerouted thousands of miles away through Diego Garcia and secondary regional ports, causing severe bottlenecks in getting fresh provisions, spare parts and mail to the logistics ships in the first place. 15

16 Folio Weekly

Words by Kaleb Stowell

Photos by Aaron Berkshire

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: WHO MADE THE CUT? It has been an excruciating eight months with no Jacksonville Jaguars football, but at long last, the time has come for the team to lace up the cleats and step back onto the field.

The Preseason The Jags went 2-1 in the preseason with a close win over the New Orleans Saints, a big loss to the Carolina Panthers and a dominant victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Overall, the preseason was very good, giving many players a chance to flash their potential to the front office, as well as the rest of the NFL. The conclusion of the NFL preseason means one thing: Teams will cut down to their final 53-man rosters. For some players, the preseason is their chance to make a name for themselves, landing a spot on those rosters with rookies, undrafted free agents and veterans all fighting to compete for a limited number of roster slots. In the Jaguars’ case, this may have been the most difficult preseason in a while, at least from the front office’s perspective.

In head coach Liam Coen’s words, “A lot of guys made it really difficult.” The “difficulty” Coen is referring to is who the team will keep or cut. With so many talented players, managers and coaches are forced to make incredibly difficult decisions when cut day arrives. Here are a few notable names who made the cut: Bryan Thomas Jr. x 2 If you’re a diehard Jaguars fan, you probably know the Jags signed another “BTJ” after the draft this year. If you’re not, then yes, there are two players named Brian Thomas Jr. on the team. BTJ, the defensive end out of the University of South Carolina (not to be confused with veteran wide receiver BTJ) was an undrafted free agent after draft night in the spring. The Jags picked him up because his film looked promising, and lo and behold, he was the best defensive player on the team during 17

Panthers in March. The loss could have seemingly been replaced by Anthony Hill Jr., a star LB out of Texas who was the projected pick on the board for them. But after a few months, tight end Nate Boerkircher has silenced a lot of the doubt surrounding him. While he isn’t the top TE on the depth chart, Boerkircher brings an additional level to this new Jaguars offense. Coen enjoys using 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR), as it allows for a lot of misdirection in both the running game and the passing game. This set is often used on run plays, as TEs are traditionally bigger than WRs and are better at blocking because of it. But having four TEs on the roster who can run routes, catch balls and block effectively is a recipe for success.

the preseason by far, finishing with 3.5 sacks and 6 QB pressures, the most on the team in both stats. He has clawed his way up to competing with this year’s fourth-round pick Wesley Williams and edge rushers Danny Striggow and B.J. Green for snaps. Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol When general manager James Gladstone and the team’s front office targeted a relatively unknown tight end in the second round of the draft this year, many fans and analysts scratched their heads. The pick didn’t make sense on paper, since the team lost a huge piece of the defense in linebacker Devin Lloyd, who signed with the Carolina

18 Folio Weekly

Tight end Tanner Koziol is a bit of the opposite archetype of Boerkircher. At 6’7” and 257 pounds with a 4.7 40-yard dash time, Koziol has a frame more similar to a wide receiver. Koziol will slot into the offense as a pass-catching tight end, the same way Quentin Morris, Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt did last year. Quinn Ewers Speaking of Hunter Long, the team’s front office traded him to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick on draft day, while costing them a seventh-round pick. However, this did show that the team was finally ready to move on from backup quarterback Nick Mullens, who is still signed to the practice squad. Mullens had a disappointing preseason, leading many fans to look further down the depth chart for a potential upgrade at the backup QB slot, but it seems as

though the Jaguars weren’t enthralled by any of the backups and instead opted for a somewhat battle-tested QB in Quinn Ewers. Ewers was previously the backup on the Miami Dolphins to Tua Tagovailoa. Ewers replaced Tagovailoa after a few disappointing games and played four games for the Dolphins last year, recording 622 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Not good but also not terrible.

LIVE WJCT

AT THE Presented by

PUBLIC MEDIA

BENISE!

Ameer Abdullah Running back Ameer Abdullah has been in the league more than a decade. The Detroit Lions picked him with their second-round pick in 2015, but after an incredibly impressive camp and preseason, Abdullah still managed to find himself on the active roster, bumping out guys like DeeJay Dallas and J’Mari Taylor. Abdullah fills out the bottom of the Jaguars’ RB room, consisting of himself, Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and LeQuint Allen Jr. Josh Cameron and CJ Williams There were probably no more prominent rookie names for the Jaguars during training camp than the rookie wide receiver duo of Josh Cameron and CJ Williams. They both made incredible plays and showed great chemistry with the backup offense and the starters when given a chance. Neither particularly flashed during the preseason games themselves, as they clearly were favorites to make the roster anyway, so they didn’t see much time on the field.

TODD BARRY

December 11, 2026 | 7:30PM

PAULA POUNDSTONE November 13, 2026 | 7:30PM

PAVLO

February 5, 2027 | 7PM

For information, tickets, & more visit

WJCT.ORG/EVENTS

This is a partnership of Florida Theatre on the Road and WJCT Public Media.

SCAN HERE

Emmanuel Pregnon Possibly the only rookie from this year’s draft class that will be a bona fide starter is offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon. Following an impressive outing against the Saints in the preseason opener, Pregnon made no more preseason appearances, seemingly solidifying he won a starting job.

September 25, 2026 | 7PM

19

Gambling:

Ending Modern Prohibition for the Deadliest Addiction Words by Ariana Alcantara

Gambling is making a big comeback, but this time, it’s legal — just in case you were wondering where everyone’s money has gone. It’s not $9 lattes or $30 movie tickets, nor is anyone’s money tied up in a mortgage, obviously. All the money has actually gone to betting on if Trevor Lawrence showered this morning or not and how that will affect his game. Sports betting has taken off in the United States, and it is affecting more than you think. For the past 30 years, gambling was associated with Las Vegas and illegal underground poker rings, but in recent years, it has become the new favorite pastime for boyfriends everywhere. The “dark ages” were due to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 which prohibited sports betting nationwide, except in grandfathered states like Nevada. Similar to Prohibition, gambling mainly took place with friends and cash, outside of the law. These were the Gen-Z parents who sat around in smokefilled rooms betting their kids’ tuition. Illegal gambling persisted despite the law, creating a generation of cliches about gambling, like the one just described. Many were unaware of the complexities of being a part of illegal betting groups, like how that money was handled.

20 Folio Weekly

But soon, just as with Prohibition, the taboo act of gambling would become legalized and eventually, normalized, redistributing the money from the so-called criminals back to the old guys in suits and ties. In the 2018 Supreme Court case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, the court ruled that individual states could regulate sports betting. And as of 2026, sports betting is legal in 39 states with 30 states allowing betting through licensed apps. The most popular of these apps are Kalshi, FanDuel and DraftKings. Ads for these apps can be found all over social media, streaming platforms and broadcast networks, most with a likeable celebrity endorsing the brands. No wonder there has been such a big boom with betting in the past few years — whatever Kevin Hart is selling, the people are usually buying. The influx of celebrity endorsements and ads for these apps reflects the major shift in attitudes toward gambling. Just a few years ago, it would be unheard of for the NFL to condone sports betting, but now it is the norm with these ads running during every game. Initially, the state’s regulation on gambling ensured this money would be taxed and, therefore, create revenue for the states.

These apps are no exception, as earnings must be reported to the IRS as it is taxable income. Taxes are a major factor that keeps the illegal gambling practices going because people really hate paying taxes. This begs the question, though, since there is now regulated gambling, as well as illegal gambling. So what is the difference? According to the Florida Gaming Control Commission website, examples of legal gaming in this state are: • Pari-mutuel wagering on live and intertrack horse and jai-alai activities at licensed racetracks and jai-alai frontons. • Casino gambling, including slots and table games, on certain Indian tribal lands.

•

The Florida lottery games. • Poker and dominoes played for money, but only in licensed cardrooms • Penny-ante games including poker, pinochle, bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes, and mah-jongg may be played outside a cardroom only if the winnings of any player in a single game do not exceed $10 in value. • Slot machine gaming at one of the eight licensed pari-mutuel facilities located in Miami-Dade or Broward Counties. • Bingo, sweepstakes, and drawings for chance, if they comply with state law.

21

Outside of this, illegal gambling is prevalent in Florida because the Seminole Tribe of Florida controls sports betting in the state.

The best. 14 times. Museum d Place to Get Marrie isitors Take V o t e c Pla Gift Shop mp

a Summer C

City View Venue Outdoor Venue Sunset Venue*

Local Influencer (Wade Lee)

Museum Art Gallery k Venue Garden & Par Museum Restaurant Attraction

Thanks, Jax.

as voted by readers *runner-up

22 Folio Weekly

The Florida Gaming Control Commission website also states: “Many online sportsbooks operate in multiple jurisdictions. Many will be accessible to Florida residents. They may even be licensed by other states. But that does not matter in Florida. In this state, unless you are placing a wager through sportsbooks operated by or in conjunction with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, you are most likely placing an illegal wager.” Technically, the only legal gambling app in Florida is Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook. Other popular apps like FanDuel specify that in Florida, customers can use prediction peer-to-peer betting and cannot place wagers with a house bookmaker. Apps like Kalshi are specifically legal through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. A big indicator of an economic downturn, according to me (not an economist), is the government legalization of things that were once taboo so they can collect taxes. During Prohibition when people were selling booze in coffee cups in the basement of a gas station, the government was cracking down on alcohol sales, claiming impending moral degradation and societal collapse. Then, the dollar signs flashed before the government’s greedy little eyes, and they legalized it. When the kids started drinking less, the government said, “Here is some legal marijuana. Have a toke. We won’t throw you in jail. Promise.” And since they are all bled dry of substances they can legalize on a mass scale, we are in the stage before meth is legal (unless you count your Adderall prescription). Now they have moved on to psychological addictions. The legality of gambling takes a back seat to the more sinister side of potential outcomes: its mortality rate. When gambling develops into an addiction, the effects can lead to a breakdown of a person’s life. A study by Lund University in Sweden found that those with a gambling addiction were 15 times more likely to attempt suicide than those without one. Other studies, including those by the National Institutes of Health, found a correlation between gambling disorder and suicide with some pointing to gambling as having the highest suicide rate compared to other addictions.

Though it seems like such fun to watch the soul drain from your friends’ eyes as you win their last $20 from them, the potential downturn is dire. But, of course, this major draw toward betting is the social aspect. On betting apps, people can bet against their friends, making it a group activity and bonding experience. And the gambling opportunities aren’t limited to sports. With Kalshi, friends with similar interests outside of sports can participate. This creates an activity for reality TV fans to bet on who is surviving “Love Island” this week or followers of politics to bet on what insane thing Trump will say next. The possibilities are endless. If people are losing their families, houses or lives due to gambling, however, is it ever really safe? No matter how regulated and “moral” marketing campaigns make it seem, there are still people suffering when gambling turns into addiction. Some people even go so far as to threaten others as a result of their gambling. “The New York Times,” for example, reported that some professional athletes have received death threats from people who placed bets related to their performance. As these apps market themselves as investments, the complexities of the mental and social effects of betting get tied up in the financial parts of it. According to a Bank of America analysis, “customers typically recover less than 75 cents for every dollar transferred to online betting platforms.” So people are not only losing their lives but losing their money as well. These outcomes may be the price people are willing to pay for friendship though. The world is burning and so are the lives around us, but at least friends were made along the way.

WasabiCon: Year 14 October 9-11, 2026 The Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center

Anime+ Cosplay+ Gaming!!

JAX.WasabiCon.com

More than 90,000 square feet of PROGRAMMING SPACE More than 75,000 square feet of EXHIBITORS More than 15,000 ATTENDEES More than 200 HOURS OF CONTENT in 2025 But we're still missing 1 thing:

YOU

The Ozempic Epidemic Words by Ambar Ramirez

L.A. face, the jab, the shot — that’s right, we are talking about the Ozempic epidemic, the GLP craze, whatever you wanna call it. We’re living in a world where a type 2 diabetes medication is the new diet. And it looks much scarier than it sounds.

Before we get into the physical implications of these drugs (because do not forget, they are drugs), we should set the stage with a little background. What we’re actually working with, how these medications are being marketed in wildly untraditional ways and, most important, the side effects. Despite the title of this article, Ozempic isn’t the only GLP-1 out there being used as a weight loss tool. There’s Trulicity, Victoza, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound and Saxenda, alongside oral versions like Rybelsus. These medications all belong to the same class and essentially work the same way (I’m no doctor, so take the science with a grain of salt). GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. They function by triggering insulin release, curbing sugar production in the liver and slowing digestion so you feel full longer. Pretty straightforward … right? For someone managing type 2 diabetes, sure. It mimics natural gut hormones to lower blood sugar safely and improve how the body processes glucose. But when applied to a body that already handles glucose just fine, what actually happens past reaching your dream weight? It all feels borderline dystopian (like most news nowadays), but the side effects are very real. According to GoodRX, some of the digestive issues that come from taking GLP-1 is nausea (which affects roughly 40% to 50% of non-diabetic users), vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and gastroparesis (severe stomach paralysis that prevents normal digestion). Then there are the more physical transformations: rapid muscle and bone loss (where up to 30% of total weight lost comes from lean muscle rather than fat), hair thinning and “Ozempic face,” the sunken, sagging skin that comes from losing facial fat too quickly. 24 Folio Weekly

And of course, like any good commercial drug out there, there are the severe health risks that come with taking GLP-1s without a medical need. Pancreatitis, gallstones, mood swings and even rare risks like permanent vision loss. You’re probably thinking, So what? Every medication has side effects. Fair point. But unlike most prescription drugs, GLP-1s aren’t staying in their traditional marketing lane. Beyond standard celebrity endorsements featuring stars like Serena Williams and Justin Long, these drugs have crossed into a dangerous regulatory loophole. A topic that belongs in a doctor’s office has officially entered the influencer chat, carrying dire implications of its own. Unfortunately, we’ve been here before. No matter how much progress we think we’ve made toward celebrating fuller, natural bodies, we keep cycling back to the same obsession: a culture that romanticizes frail, bone-deep thinness on our screens and in our feeds. Ozempic and GLP-1s in general have been on our feeds, on our

Annabella suffered a meniscus tear but thanks to Injury Care Centers & our Biotarget Therapy she was back on the field in only 3 weeks.

TARGETED TREATMENTS RAPID RECOVERY

904-549-5647 gobiotarget.com

screens and a part of the weight loss industry for years. This isn’t new news. And no, “Folio” isn’t just late to report on this. It takes time for stories to develop. And frankly, we’ve reached a point where I would like to turn off the TV, log off of social media and flip the pages to a new chapter. This story has officially crossed into the horror genre. If you’ve been wondering what long-term GLP-1 use actually looks like after years of use, look no further. The results are everywhere. And then there are the results that don’t get publicized. The side effects that aren’t incoherently blurted out at top speed at the end of a drug commercial. It’s the unrealistic body standards quietly creeping onto young, impressionable mood boards, monthly goals and Pinterest feeds. The effects that lead to people jumping into the comment section of someone clearly suffering from severe malnutrition, actively defending them with, “They’ve never looked healthier!” Then eventually, those standards lead straight to doctors’ offices and, even worse, hospital rooms. Again, we’ve been here before. We know how this story ends. 25

Words by Teresa Spencer

Welcome to the Yountian World Paul F. Yount isn’t interested in simply painting

something pretty

to match your couch.

He’s painting humanity, which, let’s face it, gives him plenty of material. Love, hate, sexuality, identity, politics, nature, technology, climate catastrophe, oppression, life and death all find their way into his work, along with the rather uncomfortable question of what exactly happens to all of us next. Welcome to the YOUNTIAN world, a place where Yount’s large-scale narrative oil paintings, installations and audiovisual works take on the human condition without trying to make it neat, comfortable or easily explained. His current solo exhibition, “SILENCE.silent,” at the Alexander Brest Gallery at Jacksonville University takes viewers into a world where past, present and future can exist simultaneously, and humanity is forced to take a pretty hard look in the mirror. “My identity as a universal visual artist with a poetic vision has driven me to paint numerous concepts of the human condition,” Yount said. Those concepts range from humanity’s tendency to conquer and destroy to the historical oppression of queer people, environmental catastrophe and even the possibility of our eventual evolution into a post-human species. Yount has clearly never been particularly interested in small talk. Formally trained in an academic art setting, Yount eventually developed a visual vocabulary entirely his own. “I was trained in a formal academic art world and complemented my training with a reinvented vocabulary that has now become my YOUNTIAN world,” he said. That world is filled with bold colors, unusual compositions, figures, symbols and metaphors. Characters appear to have arrived from somewhere else and seem to be heading toward a destination we can’t quite identify — and that uncertainty is intentional.

“This world that I invent with the past going into the present becomes soft clay in my hands that molds into a futuristic sense of being,” Yount said. Despite all the chaos, however, Yount isn’t painting humanity simply to point out how spectacularly we occasionally screw things up.

There is hope within the work too. He sees art as a way to break taboos and preconceived ideas and, ideally, get people talking to one another again — something that feels increasingly difficult in the world outside the gallery. “It is also my tool to repair and to shed an understanding of the chaos and madness in our world,” Yount said. And his exhibitions encourage that conversation. Rather than telling viewers what they are supposed to think, he wants them to bring their own histories and experiences into the room and find their own connections to the work.

“Through my art, dialogue and communication, we can raise awareness on how to heal the damaged ‘skin’ of humanity,” he said. That philosophy sits at the center of “SILENCE.silent.” Through paintings and installations, Yount explores today’s social, sexual, psychological, environmental and political tensions. His current diptychs and triptychs play with time itself, presenting the past, present and future as something happening all at once. “My art is a template for others to see that we all have similarities regardless of our differences,” he said.

Yount’s own journey has been nearly as wide-ranging as his subject matter. Born in North Carolina, he has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Hawaii and Florida and traveled throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. He received Individual support grants from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation in 2020 and 2024 and a Tree of Life Individual Artist Grant in 2026. His work has appeared in exhibitions from New York City to Florida, and one of his paintings is currently included in The Dalí’s Existentialism Art Contest Exhibition at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg. In April 2027, Yount will present another solo exhibition at 621 Gallery in Tallahassee. Strip away the grants, galleries and art-world language, though, and Yount’s subject is surprisingly simple: us. His work examines the strange creatures who love, fight, create, destroy and divide themselves into camps, yet somehow keep stumbling into tomorrow. Maybe humanity is evolving or maybe we’re repeating many of the same mistakes with better technology. Yount doesn’t pretend to provide an easy answer. Instead, he paints the question and leaves the rest of us to decide what happens next. His exhibit in Jacksonville will be on display through Sept. 30. 27

28 Folio Weekly

Photo by Naomi August on Unsplash

Where the City Couldn’t See Her The 8-year story of how Dawn Mannion escaped homelessness and addiction. Words by Carmen Macri

Dawn Mannion’s story opens on a path all too familiar: a quiet slip into the grip of addiction, where what begins as a desperate search for a temporary escape slowly hollows out a life. Before long, the illusion of control dissolved, leaving behind eight years of homelessness, isolation and nights spent exposed to the relentless rhythm of the city. Yet in the shadows of the urban landscape — where the city routinely looked past her — Mannion forged a resilient path forward. “Where the City Couldn’t See Us” is her stark, unfiltered account of surviving on the margins, decoding the unwritten rules of street culture and navigating the darkest depths of methamphetamine addiction. Far beyond a chronicle of hardship, her narrative transforms into a testament to human survival, faith and the possibility of radical self-reclamation. “Addiction had drawn me to the wrong kind of people. It slowly made my world smaller and smaller until I no longer had somebody I could call when I had nowhere to go. I stopped hanging out with people because they didn’t approve of the things I was doing with my life, and I was too convinced that it was their problem and not mine,” Mannion shared. “And then the next thing I know, I got kicked out of my parents’ house, and I’m living on the street. I remember sitting at a Gate gas station with my phone in my hand and no one to call. Nowhere to go.” For the first two years of her homelessness, the open pavement was Mannion’s only sanctuary. As a young woman exposed to the immediate dangers of the street, she sought safety not in hiding, but in plain sight — curling up beneath the artificial glow of municipal security cameras on hot sidewalks. Her logic, born of desperation and innocence, was simple: No one would dare commit a heinous act under the unblinking eye of a lens. She anchored her security to the belief that the fear of being watched would shield her from harm. In those early, untutored days of survival, when she had no other armor against the night, the open sidewalk became her haven, and the cameras her silent, uncertain guardians.

Yet civilians were far from the only threat lurking in the dark. In Jacksonville, where the city’s response to unhoused residents often arrives with an iron fist, visibility was treated as a provocation. Plain sight offered no immunity … only a target. Night after night, the blue and red lights broke the darkness as police arrived to rouse her from the pavement, turning every attempt at rest into a precarious, repeating cycle of displacement under the heavy hand of local authority. Within Jacksonville’s unhoused community, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Blight Abatement Unit carries a formidable reputation, and Officer Norton stood at the very center of it. Long before Mannion ever crossed his path, his name echoed through the encampments as a warning. “He was the one who was a hard ass on the homeless,” Mannion recalls, “and he was definitely going to be the one busting up your camp.” For those living on the margins, his presence meant one thing: the immediate threat of displacement and the total destruction of the few belongings they had left. “These police officers, they come, and they displace the unhoused, but they don’t offer a place for you to go,” Mannion explained, cutting directly to the catch-22 of life on the street. She points out the absurdity of being forced to move when there’s simply nowhere else to turn — nobody chooses to sleep on the pavement if they have a real alternative. Even when officers do offer a recommendation, it’s almost always Sulzbacher. But for a young woman out there on her own, that solution is often just another threat. As Mannion noted, if you make the trek down there and find out they’re at capacity, “you have no choice but to go out to the streets of downtown, which is dangerous.” Rather than offering genuine refuge, the system forces people into an impossible choice between targeted enforcement and high-risk environments.

29

“Police, they always come. They always chase you off, and eventually you get chased out of so many places that you have nowhere else but the woods to go,” Mannion recalled. But for Mannion, the woods of Jacksonville offered her something she never thought she’d find — a community. Going as far as to say the homeless camps were like any other neighborhood, and everyone living there had their own responsibilities and unwritten rules. “It was a community, you know ... It was just like any other neighborhood,” Mannion reflected, describing how people would gather, talk, swap stories and share whatever food they managed to find. They camped in plain sight, hidden in plain view behind churches, grocery stores and towering overpasses, invisible to anyone who wasn’t actively looking. Yet despite the harshness of those years, the bonds forged in the shadows remained unbroken. To this day, Mannion still views the people who shared the pavement with her during those eight years as her brothers and sisters and nothing less. Even as she built deep, meaningful connections among the encampments, an inescapable truth remained: She wanted more for her life than mere survival. For years, the thought of panhandling felt like a line she couldn’t cross — a threshold requiring a level of desperate courage that took too long to summon. When she finally stepped onto that curb, it marked both a personal breaking point and the beginning of the end.

“You get to the point where you’re like, why am I here? What am I doing? You know, how do I get out and find my own hope for a better future? But by the end of those eight years, hope was completely gone. I stopped focusing on how I could live a better life and started focusing more on how I could make myself comfortable in the life I was living,” she said. Mannion refuses to take sole credit for her turning point. Looking back, she sees the quiet intervention of “God’s fingerprints” guiding the chaos, a convergence of circumstances that created the perfect storm, finally lighting a fire within her to reach for help and seek true refuge. A sudden arrest for trespassing in Clay County landed Mannion in a jail cell for several nights, a brief disruption that quickly shifted her life’s trajectory. Upon her release, she learned her boyfriend of six years had been arrested two days prior. By a twist of fate, the boyfriend of one of her campmates was sharing a cell with him. Through that jailhouse connection, a message got back to her: “Leave everything at the camp. Go find my dad and tell him I said you can stay with him.” Even with a doorway out of the encampment sitting wide open, Mannion hesitated. After eight years on the street, hypervigilance had become second nature, and trusting that this offer was real — or safe — felt like a terrifying leap into the unknown. Three days later, she made the trek.

After Hours Hours After at at

Celebrate in in the the heart heart of of the the city! city!

full bar | food trucks | Mr. al Pete friday sept. 4, 2026 6pm to 9pm

30 Folio Weekly

135 W Monroe St Jacksonville, FL 32202 | www.jamesweldonjohnsonpark.org

“I feel like God has kept me alive and given me a hell of a testimony, and now I can help people out of that life or help other people understand what it’s like to be homeless a little bit more.”

“I knocked on his door, and he gave me three simple rules. He said, ‘Don’t bring trash in the house. If you come home after dark, the door stays locked, and don’t do drugs.’ And so I was like, all right, this is my opportunity. I call it God’s fingerprints because the night before my camp was disbanded, right after I got out of jail, I prayed to God for a different way out. I said, ‘Just give me a clear path out of this life, and then give me the courage to take it. And please make me the woman I need to be to bring him [her boyfriend] with me.’” Witnessing the toll of addiction up close became one of her heaviest burdens. Over time, Mannion had to watch as fentanyl stripped away her boyfriend’s personality and devoured every piece of his life. That reality forced a painful moment of self-reflection, as she realized her own habits were feeding his. “Every time that I was buying meth, I was giving him permission to buy fentanyl,” she admitted. Continuing down that path meant accepting an unbearable outcome. Deep down, she knew that staying in that cycle meant it was only a matter of time, and likely very little time, before she was forced to watch the person she loved die. As of August 2026, Mannion celebrated one year sober and off the streets. Yet her story doesn’t end with her own escape. Since regaining her footing, Mannion has transformed her survival into a mission, dedicating her life to lifting the veil on street culture and reclaiming the humanity of the unhoused community. Through her writing and outreach, she works to dismantle the harmful stigmas surrounding homelessness, reminding the world that behind every invisible face on the sidewalk is a person worthy of dignity, empathy and a way back home. “I feel like God has kept me alive and given me a hell of a testimony, and now I can help people out of that life or help other people understand what it’s like to be homeless a little bit more.” You can find more of Mannion’s story on her website, damitdawn.com, or in her books “Love > Addiction” and “Where the City Couldn’t See Us” Photo courtesy of Dawn Mannion

31

Carefree?

Not So Much Words by Teresa Spencer

The whole point of joining something called Carefree Boat Club is right there in the name: carefree. You pay the initiation fee and monthly dues while somebody else worries about maintenance, storage, cleaning and all the other expensive joys of owning a boat. You reserve one, show up, climb aboard and hit the water. At least, that's how it's supposed to work. For some Carefree Boat Club members in Northeast Florida, however, the experience became considerably less carefree when they discovered something fairly important missing: the boats. Members have reported boats disappearing from marinas around Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach and St. Augustine, and local Carefree operations in Northeast Florida have suspended operations. While the boats may have sailed off into the great unknown, some members say their monthly charges apparently knew exactly where to find them. News4JAX reported that longtime members Chuck and Diane Martoia discovered something was wrong when Chuck tried to reserve a boat in St. Augustine for an outing with his grandchildren. Unable to reach anyone, he drove to the marina and found no boats and nobody in the office. According to Martoia, a marina worker told him the club had gone bankrupt and its boats had been repossessed. There’s a problem with that explanation. News4JAX reported that its I-TEAM could find no bankruptcy filing for Carefree Boat Club of Jacksonville. Then came another surprise. Martoia said another $432 charge appeared on his American Express account Aug. 18. The boat may have been gone, but apparently the credit-card processor was still firing on all cylinders. Here’s where the story gets murkier than the St. Johns after a summer thunderstorm. The national Carefree Boat Club network says it continues operating and that the affected Northeast Florida clubs are independently owned and operated. It also says the national network isn’t a party to the membership agreements customers signed with their individual clubs. That’s an important distinction legally. It’s probably considerably less satisfying if you’re the customer standing at an empty marina wondering what happened to the boats you paid to use. The national network told News4JAX that it stopped charging its network fees to members of suspended clubs as of Aug. 14, but that doesn’t necessarily eliminate separate monthly dues under agreements with the local clubs. Carefree also says affected members can still reserve boats at other operating locations. The closest options reportedly include Daytona Beach and St. Marys, which is technically boating access but not exactly the convenient local experience Jacksonville customers thought they were buying. Some members say the problems began before the boats disappeared. Customers have described declining boat availability, equipment issues, billing disputes and difficulty communicating 32 Folio Weekly

with management. Cynthia Wood told reporters that her family initially had a great experience with the club before problems began developing. Online discussions among Jacksonville-area members have become even more pointed. Some people claim they paid substantial initiation fees shortly before operations stopped, while others describe trying unsuccessfully to contact management or disputing charges with their credit-card companies. Those individual claims have not all been independently verified, but when customers start comparing notes they’re all asking some version of “Where are the boats?” you’ve officially sailed beyond a minor customer-service hiccup. Florida corporate records add another piece to the puzzle. Carefree Boat Club of Jacksonville LLC was registered in Florida in March 2024 and remains listed as active in state corporate records. Those records identify Carefree Club Holdings, LLLC as a member of the company and Nicholas A. Mastroianni III as an authorized person.

News4JAX reported that Mastroianni acquired the broader Carefree Boat Club network as CEO in 2023. Ownership of the national network later returned to its original founder in March 2026, while Mastroianni appeared to retain ownership of the Jacksonville-area operation. The station reported that it contacted Mastroianni and his attorney seeking answers about the local shutdowns and continued billing but had not received a response by the time its Aug. 21 report was published. And that’s where this story needs more answers. Members deserve to know why the Northeast Florida locations suspended operations, why boats were reportedly removed from multiple marinas and whether they were actually repossessed. They also deserve to know what happens to their initiation fees and why some customers were apparently still being charged after their local operations stopped.

News4JAX also reported finding no bankruptcy filing for the Jacksonville company despite members saying they had been told bankruptcy was the explanation. But customers paid real money — in some cases substantial initiation fees followed by hundreds of dollars in monthly dues — for convenient access to boats in Northeast Florida. Now local operations are suspended, boats have reportedly been removed, members are looking for answers and some customers say the charges continued anyway.

Perhaps the biggest question is when the people running the local clubs knew there was a serious problem. That timeline matters. There is an enormous difference between a business suddenly running into financial trouble and continuing to collect money from customers while knowing it may not be able to provide the service they’re buying.

Maybe there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of it. If there is, now would be an excellent time for somebody to provide it. Because when you build a business around the word “Carefree,” customers shouldn’t need an investigative reporter, a credit-card dispute and possibly an attorney just to figure out what happened to their boat membership.

To be clear, publicly reported information does not establish that Carefree Boat Club of Jacksonville or its owners committed fraud or any other crime.

The boats may be gone, but the questions aren’t, and this story appears to have plenty of wake left behind it.

33

Goodbye, Palm Beach International Airport Gov. Ron DeSantis names PBI after his ‘friend’ President Donald Trump

Words & illustration by Hunter Anderson Well, it’s official! After $5.5 million in state and local funding, Palm Beach International Airport has been renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport. Big deal! Florida has plenty of airports named after important public figures, right? Well, I did some digging to find out how many other airports in Florida hold the name of a public figure and whether or not Trump’s airport renaming is any different than the others. According to the FDOT website, Florida has more than 125 public-use airports, including 21 airports offering commercial service. Of these airports, seven public-use, non-military/private airports are currently named after a public figure other than the namesake of their location. For example, Williston Regional Airport holds the name of Jesse Mercer Willis, who homesteaded land in North Central Florida in 1853, then named the area “Williston” after himself. These airports were left off the list. Military airports are also not included, given the clear tradition of naming them after war heroes and other important figures within the military and adjacent sectors. 34 Folio Weekly

All right Mr. president, looks like all that’s left in the wo rld to name after you is a waterpar k and a ... Greek restaurant?

Here is the list: 1. Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG) Originally known as Cook-Springfield tracks, the St. Petersburg airport was renamed for native Lt. James Albert Whitted in 1928. A member of the United States Navy Reserve, Whitted was one of the first naval aviators to be commissioned for WWI in 1917. Whitted did his part after the war to expose St. Pete locals to aviation and was well known and appreciated in the area. He died in a plane crash in 1923. 2. George T. Lewis Airport (CDK) CDK is a tiny repurposed air and sea port from WWI that sits in the Gulf in Cedar Key, about 60 miles southwest of Gainesville. It is owned by Levy County and named after George T. Lewis. Lewis was mostly known as a primary stakeholder in the development of Levy County. 3. Peter Prince Field (2R4) Peter Prince Field is a public-use airport in Milton that was renamed after a fixed-based operator (an airport manager, of sorts) who started working there in 1948. The airfield was renamed after him in 1991 to honor his years of commitment to Milton aviation. 4. Arthur Dunn Airpark (X21) This Titusville airport is named after Arthur Dunn, a prominent local businessman who, in conjunction with other well-off families in Brevard County, bought land and developed the area’s first air park, which was later sold to the government for a pretty penny. This air park was mostly used for the county’s Mosquito Control Department.

5. Bob Sikes Airport (KCEW) Bob Sikes Airport is located in Crestview and was named after Democratic Congressman Robert L. Sikes, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1941 to 1979. Sikes took a break from politics to serve a two-year tour as a major in the U.S. Army during WWII. During his time in the legislature, Sikes disenfranchised African-Americans by signing the 1956 Southern Manifesto, which opposed the Brown v. Board of Education ruling; voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1968; and voted against the 24th Amendment. He had a reputation for catering to his specific voters while simultaneously profiting from his political position. The airport was named after him in 1965 while he was a sitting member of Congress. 6. President Donald J. Trump International Airport (KDJT) Formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport, KDJT was renamed after President Trump in July 2026 by his “friend” Gov. Ron DeSantis. Elected as president in 2016 and 2024, Trump is known for his aggressive and bullish campaign style, his “businessman, not politician” framing and complete disregard for procedure, political correctness and the law. During his time as president, Trump’s political games have resulted in the pausing of $396 million in Department of Education funding for Florida and termination of $2.5 billion in federal health grants in the state. On a more local level, Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is responsible for the cutting of $147 million in grant money to the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, which was the largest grant in Jacksonville’s history. Regardless of Trump’s negative impact on Florida, DeSantis signed the legislation in March, which allocated $2.75 million of state funding toward the rebrand with an additional $2.75 million being sourced from the city and the airport’s revenue sources. According to an NPR interview about the renaming, DeSantis said, “Well, the legislature passed it. And he’s a friend of mine. He’s a sitting president from Florida, the first one we’ve ever had from Florida. And so I thought it was appropriate.” Trump’s closest ties to Palm Beach are that he has lived there for decades and (finally) became a Florida resident in 2019.

Bob Sikes Airport and DJT Airport have a lot in common. The others mentioned are named after veterans and local public figures who had since passed or handed over the torch. But Sikes and Trump were active in politics when their namesake airport was renamed. They both gained financially from their positions of power, and, debatably, shared similar views on society and politics. Sikes had some outdated ideas, but at the very least, he was a local to the area where the airport is located. He also helped push for funding for the state of Florida instead of cutting it. The reality is “Ron DeSanctimonious” (Trump’s words, not mine) has the ability to rename the airports of the state — even if it is for political gain.

35

Words by Teresa Spencer

More Room for the Magic: The Jacksonville Fair’s New Era

Jacksonville’s fair is packing up the Ferris wheel, livestock and deep fryers and heading west. The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair returns Nov. 5-15, but this year comes with one very big change: a brand new home. After roughly 70 years downtown, the fair is moving to its new 82-plusacre fairgrounds at 13601 Normandy Blvd. And considering how much Jacksonville loves bigger trucks, bigger stadiums and bigger portions, a bigger fair seems pretty on brand. The new property gives the fair something its Downtown location simply couldn’t offer anymore: room. Lots of it. There will be more than 5,000 parking spaces, a modern livestock barn, indoor exhibition and concert space, and a 10,000-capacity outdoor amphitheater. Expect the midway to come alive with colorful rides, classic carnival games, livestock shows, agricultural competitions, local vendors, live entertainment and all the sights, sounds and smells that make a trip to the fair such a beloved fall tradition. Whether you’re there for the thrill rides, the animals, the music or simply an excuse to indulge in something deliciously fried, the new fairgrounds offer even more room to enjoy the magic.

36 Folio Weekly

Photo courtesy of The Jacksonville Fair

Music will also be a bigger part of the experience with national acts planned for the new amphitheater throughout the fair’s 11-day run, along with other entertainment happening across the property. And yes, there’s even a rodeo.

Words by Ambar Ramirez and Carmen Macri

CombinedMinds

in this

economy?

CARMEN: Let’s cut to the chase — the economy is in shambles and has been since I graced God’s green earth 26 years ago. And before all you finance connoisseurs come at me, I am poor. Always have been, but hopefully always won’t be. All that said, we decided to compile a list of things we simply refuse to buy or do in this economy. AMBAR: Buying coffee at my favorite local coffee shop in the morning. In this economy? I think not.

HISTORIC ENTERTAINMENT SINCE 1927 18

AMBAR: Let’s be honest: we are sometimes skipping breakfast or brunch altogether. CARMEN: But notice how we will still spend $50 at Pete’s Bar every Friday night. It’s called balance. It’s called budgeting. It’s called drinking our poor people’s sorrows away. AMBAR: I’m skipping the gym membership. Why pay a monthly fee to work out when stepping outside is completely free? What I am doing in this economy, however, is walking, biking and anything else that keeps me from wasting gas. CARMEN: Dating. I am not dating in this economy. Blame it on Trump and the price of eggs, idk. AMBAR: You think you’re gonna find love in this economy?? CARMEN: In the economy’s defense, I think it’s more of a skill issue. AMBAR: In this economy, I’ve stopped dreaming. I’m no longer reaching for the stars; I simply just want to reach the first of the month with enough money for rent. CARMEN: Do you know how much it would cost to reach the stars? A lot, probably. AMBAR: In this economy, we are simply not doing anything that involves spending money, which looks a lot like homemade meals, binge-watching TV shows and movies, and complaining about the economy. But if our parents lived through the 2008 recession, we can live through this...right?

JOSH TURNER

24 W.A.S.P.

WITH SPECIAL GUEST KK’S PRIEST

25 BENISE

WJCT SOUNDSTAGE

25 DL HUGHLEY AND DON LEMON

OCTOBER 1

VITAMIN STRING QUARTET & GIRL NAMED TOM

3

CORALINE IN CONCERT

8

THE FLORIDA BALLET “DRACULA”

9

ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION & FIREFALL

10

BEHIND THE SCREAM

CARMEN: Coffee will be made at home from here on out. Sunday brunch with the girls to recap our night out? In this economy? Baby, we have brunch at home (Cap’n Crunch and almost expired milk).

SEPTEMBER

A LIVE CONVERSATION WITH DAVID ARQUETTE FOLLOWING A 30TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING OF SCREAM

5

DOKTOR KABOOM! LOOK OUT! SCIENCE IS COMING! FOR SCHOOLS

6

MARCUS MILLER

7

WAITING TO EXHALE IN CONCERT

8

BRIAN KILMEADE

10

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

11

JIM HENSON’S LABYRINTH IN CONCERT

40TH ANNIVERSARY HOSTED BY ELLEN GREENE

40TH ANNIVERSARY

12

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

13

PAULA POUNDSTONE

13

FLOYD NATION

14

EDDIE B

15

BLANK SPACE

A SALUTE TO THE EAGLES WJCT SOUNDSTAGE

THE UNOFFICIAL TAYLOR SWIFT TRIBUTE

11

COLIN MOCHRIE & BRAD SHERWOOD

15

HERE COME THE MUMMIES

12

BETHEL MUSIC

17

14

BLACK VIOLIN

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE STUDIO COMPANY

16

RUMOURS OF FLEETWOOD MAC

17

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE STUDIO COMPANY

17

THE VAMPIRE CIRCUS

18

18

TITO NIEVES

FROSTY: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE

20 GARRISON KEILLOR & ERICA RHODES 21 GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LAUGHS CONTINUE 22 THE BILLY JOEL LEGACY A TRIBUTE EXPERIENCE

23 PETE THE CAT FOR SCHOOLS

PONTE VEDRA CONCERT HALL

FOR SCHOOLS

FOR SCHOOLS

18

BAD CO. LEGACY

19

BLADE RUNNER LIVE IN CONCERT

20 ROCKY IN CONCERT 21 BLACKBERRY SMOKE

WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANDY THOMAS

22 AIR SUPPLY

24 THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

23 DEREK HOUGH

28 GHOSTBUSTERS IN CONCERT

25 THE STRAY CATS

29 SONIC LIVE IN CONCERT

27 HALLMARK(ISH)

30 THE ILLHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

29 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

DANCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

THE UNOFFICIAL MUSICAL PARODY STARRING SHEENA EASTON, ALL-4-ONE, RUBEN STUDDARD & LINDSEY WEBSTER

NOVEMBER

1

HAIRBALL

4

DANIEL IN THE LIONS’ DEN FEATURING QUEEN ESTHER

DECEMBER 1

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT

DON’T FEAR THE REAPER 50TH ANNIVERSARY

BUY TICKETS ONLY AT THE FLORIDA THEATRE BOX OFFICE Floridatheatre.com 904-355-2787 128 E. Forsyth St. Jacksonville, FL 32202

37

38 Folio Weekly

SEPTEMBER $100 SPECIAL 3

4

14

5

22 26

28

29 36

35

12

13

31

32

55

56

27 30

37

38 41

44

43 47

11

23

40

39

46

10

19

25

34

9

16

21

24

49

48 52 59

58

42

45

51

62

8

18

20

57

7

15

17

33

6

63

50 53

54

60 64

61 65

66

67

68

69

70

71

Across 1 GPS reading 4 Capital in “Czechoslovakia”? 8 California raisin crop capital 14 401(k) kin 15 Overhead 16 Go-___ (achiever) 17 Sports drink invented at UF in 1965 19 Entraps 20 Like some tea 21 Machu Picchu setting 23 Old Olds 24 Refusal 26 Iron deficiency 28 Earth’s pull, for short 30 Moved furtively 33 Naval officer 36 Folio reporters sniff it out 38 Prefix with “bar” or “metric” 39 No-goodnik 40 Poem of praise 41 Mideast money 43 Channel 21 network affiliation 44 Bra spec 45 Computer-savvy office fellow 46 Further studies for a Ph.D. at USF 49 “___ the night before Christmas...” 51 Nabbed 53 US state that is 2,973 miles from Jacksonville 57 Military might 59 Eye part 61 Sidecar bar offerings 62 Ring of color

64 Publication created cloning the format of a paper in Cocoa Beach in 1982 66 Swarmed 67 Subsides, as the tide 68 First lady 69 Sub detectors 70 Quick cut 71 Emerald Princess Casino action Down 1 Inflexible 2 Slight amount 3 Devoured 4 St. Johns River rowing need 5 Fastener 6 Miner’s find 7 Lewis Auditorium musical work 8 Jags’ three-pointers 9 Change the title 10 List ender 11 Fad popularized at FSU in 1974 12 ___-do-well 13 Words of approximation 18 Disgusting 22 In need of cleaning 25 WJCT host Schindler 27 USNA grad 29 Mandola’s Italian Kitchen dumplings dish 31 Biblical twin 32 Flat-bottomed boat 33 Radar screen dot 34 Jags shutout, on a scoreboard

The Shoppes of Ponte Vedra (904) 280-1202 Avondale 3617 St. Johns Ave. (904) 388-5406 San Marco 2044 San Marco Blvd. (904) 398-9741 Jacksonville, Florida 32207 www.underwoodjewelers.com

35 Substance invented by a Miami pharmacist to protect World War II soldiers in 1944 37 UNF URL ending 41 “___ M for Murder” (Hitchcock classic) 42 “We’re on!” 44 Marsh 47 Puget Sound city 48 Hamilton or Burr, notably 50 Sushi Zen condiment 52 Sets straight 54 Tom Petty’s “Casa Dega,” to “Don’t Do Me Like That” 55 Scalawag 56 So far 57 “Saturated” stuff 58 Nabisco nosh 60 Publishing ID 63 WAPE spots 65 Recipe abbr. R T E O S L O F R E S N O I R A A T O P G E T T E R S N A R E S G A T O R A D E P E R U A L E R O I C E D A N E M I A D E N I A L O N E G S N E A K E D N E W S I S O B O S U N O D E D I N A R L O U S E B C U P I T G U Y I O N T W A S P O S T D O C C A U G H T A L A S K A I R I S G I N S F O R C E U S A T O D A Y A R E O L A E B B S E V E T E E M E D S N I P B E T S O N A R S

2

M A O R B M N O M N L A E R B N O A M E N B R E B A E M O B O A Solve this puzzle like a regular sudoku, but instead of using numbers, use the letters L-E-M-O-N-B-A-R (for the oceanfront hangout) to fill each row, column and box.

M N A O E L B R R B L E M N A O B O M N L A R E L A E R O B M N E R O L A M N B A M N B R E O L O L B A N R E M N E R M B O L A

1

39

40 Folio Weekly