April 21 Issue

APRIL 21, 2011 | Volume 12 | Number 15 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

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Contents COLUMNS

3 WINNERS & LOSERS 4 OUTTAKES

24 NEWS OF THE WEIRD 27 LAST WORD

NEWS/FEATURES/ARTS

6 NEWS: ONE YEAR LATER: GULF SEAFOOD RESURRECTION 9 COVER STORY: READY FOR READING 15 A&E: GETTING GREEN ON GREEN 18 CULTURE: ONE ACT WONDERS 20 MUSIC: PLENTY OF ROOM AT THE SUN HOTEL 21 MUSIC: SOUTHERN MUSICIANS GIVE ALL

2 | INDEPENDENT NEWS |

APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bradley “B.J.” Davis, Jr., Joani Delezen, Hana Frenette, Ashley Hardaway, Rob “Bubbs” Harris, Catrina, Hebert, Erica House, Brett Hutchins, Chelsa Jillard, Jennie McKeon, Kate Peterson, Scott, Satterwhite, Chuck Shepard, Will Strickland, Trevor Webb PRODUCTION MANAGER Joani Delezen ART DIRECTOR Samantha Crooke SALES DIRECTOR Jennifer Passeretti

P.O. Box 12082 • Pensacola, Fla. 32591 850-438-8115 • 1-866-724-9396 Fax: 850-438-0228 • info@inweekly.net

Standard postage paid at Pensacola, Fla. All stories are compiled from press releases, submissions, news wires or assignments. Comments and opinions expressed in this newspaper represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and are not necessarily those of INDEPENDENT NEWS or the publisher. Neither the advertiser nor the publisher is responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints, typographical errors, etc., contained in INDEPENDENT NEWS. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.

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Jack Gray

JACK GRAY The retired pastor of St. Anne’s

Catholic Church was honored recently as Chaplain of the Day in the Florida Senate.

Gray’s selection as Senate chaplain was sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville). Gaetz cited Father Gray’s long service to the community, including his advocacy for the elderly through the West Florida Council on Aging. Father Gray opened the Senate session with prayer on faithfulness, remained on the floor during consideration of legislation and met privately with senators later in the day.

SUSAN J. MCKINNON The Associate Vice

President for Enrollment Services at the University of West Florida is getting rave reviews from her boss, UWF President Dr. Judy Bense. Enrollment numbers are up for the summer and fall sessions at the university. McKinnon comes to Pensacola from the University of Central Florida, where she was Director of Undergraduate Admissions. UCF is the nation’s secondlargest university, with an enrollment of over 56,000 students.

PENSACOLA CATHOLIC HIGH The school has won two national awards, which acknowledge the school’s innovations in teaching and learning. CHS is one of the 12 national recipients of the 2011 Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award from Today’s Catholic Teacher for its iPod Pals Project, which connects its students with three different schools. The school has also been named an Apple Distinguished School for the second consecutive year, one of only 33 such schools in the nation.

losers

ALABAMA LOVER An Alabama man was

beaten and robbed of $300, an ATM card and his driver’s license Thursday after a local prostitute he’d developed feelings for set him up. The “date” started at the Cutty Sark Bar, which should have tipped off the Summerdale man that wedding bells might not be the prostitute’s motive.

COAST GUARD The new report from the Coast Guard on its response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster reveals that Coast Guard officials concealed from the public from the very beginning of the oil response that the well’s worst-case discharge amount was 100,000 barrels per day. BP calculated the figure before drilling the well, but the Coast Guard instead only reported 5,000 barrels a day, “apparently to avoid an adverse public reaction.”

SANTA ROSA SCHOOL DISTRICT Legal fees continue to mound as the school district deals with the lawsuits caused by former Pace High principal Frank Lay over school prayer. The school district has $705,415 in legal bills as of April 8, according to district records. Had former Superintendent Johnny Rogers and prior school boards reined Lay in years ago, the cash-strapped school system wouldn’t be dealing with this mess.

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well could produce 100,000 barrels a day, but they told the public that only 5,000 barrels were “leaking” daily out of the broken well pipe.

BP never told us that the “top hat” and “top kill” attempts to cap the well had extremely slim chances for success. It was all “ponies and balloons” to pacify an angry, anxious public and slow the freefall of its stock value.

The companies bragged about the miles of boom, Vessels of Opportunity Program and its claims process knowing that the boom would be ineffective, the VOP was riddled with favoritism, and claims were being denied on a regular basis.

BP’s spin campaign was worse outside of the area. Television and print ads were running throughout the country touting its efforts to clean up our region. The company paid for July 4 fireworks shows as far away as Colorado to build public goodwill. I found stories planted in newspapers about how great BP’s community outreach centers were.

The role of the IN throughout the crisis was to find the truth. With limited resources, we worked long hours, traveled from Tallahassee to Eunice, La. to find answers. With the help of The Daily Beast, Keith Olbermann and the national and international news networks, we were able to get the story out about what was really happening here.

We publicly confronted BP officials at press conferences and got kicked out of more than our fair share of meetings. If we were at a meeting, BP knew it.

Did we make a difference? I hope we did.

BUT THEY LIED TO US, UNABASHEDLY LIED TO US. NEARLY EVERYTHING THAT BP TOLD US HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN FOUND TO BE UNTRUE.

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BEYOND PERFECT We were slow to understand the true impact of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010.

Yes, 11 lives were lost, but we, in Pensacola, had been lulled into thinking offshore drilling was safe. BP, Halliburton and Transocean surely had the safeguards, right?

Those companies had the resources to cap the well and any environmental damage would be minimal, right?

In Tallahassee, our Republicancontrolled legislature had spent weeks convincing itself and the public that offshore drilling was necessary for homeland security. “Drill, baby, drill” was the mantra as bills opening up Florida’s Gulf waters to drilling were f lying through the committee process. We were told that drilling technology was so good that spills didn’t happen anymore.

So when the April 20 explosion happened, it was only a hiccup…until reality sank in.

The well could not be capped. The video and pictures looked like “Dante’s Inferno,” with f lames, pillars of smokes and boats trying to frantically contain oil slicks that were miles long. As the crude hit the marshes and beaches of Louisiana, we began to worry about what happened to our shorelines and bays.

BP stepped in immediately and took responsibility for the clean up. Its public relations campaign went into high gear with promises to “make it right” and to do whatever it took to make people and businesses whole and repair the damage caused.

But they lied to us, unabashedly lied to us. Nearly everything that BP told us has subsequently been found to be untrue. The oil giant knew that the Deepwater Horizon

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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news

ONE YEAR LATER: GULF SEAFOOD RESURRECTION

FISHING IS BACK, THOUGH ISSUES WITH BP LINGER

By Rick Outzen

O

n Sunday, April 17, BP bought a full-page ad in the daily newspaper to reassure residents that the company hadn’t waivered from its commitment to the Gulf to cleanup the damage caused when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded over a year ago causing over 4 million barrels of crude oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico and onto the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

The ads proclaimed, “We know we haven’t always been perfect, but we are working to live up to our commitments, both now and in the future.”

When IN called Capt. Mark Stewart, who owns two oyster boats and two shrimp boats based on the Mississippi coast, to ask him how BP has lived up to its commitment, the commercial fisherman laughed.

“I got a $26 check yesterday from BP, for interest or something,” said Stewart, who has only been paid 7 percent of the BP claims that he has filed.

Stewart was part of BP’s Vessels of Opportunity program, which was touted as a means of helping commercial fishing and charter boats that had been put out of work because of the BP oil disaster. He said that BP still owes him money for his VOP work.

“They sent me a denial letter on the pay for two of my men that worked nine

6 | INDEPENDENT NEWS |

GETTING RICH OFF OF VOP

OPTIMISTIC FOR SUMMER 2011

The Vessels of Opportunity program also left a sour taste with Capt. Buddy Rogers, who owns two charter boats docked at Pensacola Beach.

“Man, that’s a sore, sore subject for me,” said Rogers, who has owned and operated dive and charter boats since 1986.

“When they called us to come to the first meeting about signing on, the room was so packed with people that I turned to my wife and said, ‘I don’t know any of these people.’ That was the first clue I was in trouble. I went to that meeting in the first of May, and I didn’t get hired until the middle of June.”

Even though Rogers had all his federal permits and licenses to prove that he was in the charter boat industry and was being hurt by the oil disaster, he only got to be in the program for five weeks. Others did much better.

“I’m every bit a legitimate businessman, but that Vessels of Opportunity program was a lot of good money that went to some people that didn’t deserve it,” he told IN. Rogers told of a homebuilder that had five boats in the VOP, including a double-decker boat that his company used for parties during the summer Blue Angels air show on Pensacola Beach. “I told him, whatever you’re doing, get me in. I’ll pay you 20 percent.’

He’d just laugh.”

Chris Nelson, vice president of Bon Secour Fisheries, Inc., located in Bon Secour Ala., is optimistic about 2011. He grew up working on weekends and during the summer at his family’s business that started in 1896. Nelson has a master’s in Marine Environmental Sciences and was employed as a project coordinator with the National Fisheries Institute in Washington before returning to Bon Secour.

“The seafood has been analyzed, examined, observed and scientifically tested from every possible angle,” said Nelson.

“And every credible source that I can find has told me that our seafood is safe.”

He said that the fears of contamination creeping into the food source have been unrealized to date, but Nelson warned it’s too soon to know any latent effects on the reproductive capability of “these different critters that we catch and how it might impact my ability to produce seafood.”

“This is a completely unprecedented event, and we’re very early in the recovery process,” he told IN. “We’re all holding our breath. I look for a piece of wood to knock on every time I tell somebody that we seem to be doing okay right now.”

Nelson is in charge of oyster production for Bon Secour Fisheries. The oyster industry was hit particularly hard by the BP disaster. In good times, Louisiana’s rich coastal waters have produced 13 million pounds of oysters annually.

“There is no one in second place in the world to Louisiana in terms of oyster production,” said Nelson. “When that remarkable resource is off line, it affects everyone worldwide.”

According to Olivia Watkins, Executive Media Advisor at Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, only 6.6 million pounds of oysters were harvested from her state’s waters in 2010. “Only five times since 1950 have we harvested less than 7 million pounds,” said Watkins.

“We are focusing on getting a healthy spat set in the spring and fall reproductive seasons,” she explained. Spats are oysters in free-swimming larval stage that have attached to reefs and have begun forming shells. “The public seed ground season will stay closed.

There were a lot of closures last year because our scientists were concerned about the high mortality and the small size of the oysters.”

“I’m every bit a legitimate businessman, but that Vessels of Opportunity program was a lot of good money that went to some people that didn’t deserve it” — Capt. Buddy Rogers weeks,” he said. “These men had badges and checked in every day. BP signed them in and out, but they won’t pay me the $15,000 they owe me.”

The oil giant has also refused to pay for decontaminating and repainting his boat, which BP promised to do once the VOP ended, according to Stewart.

“They had us driving through the oil to break it up and sink it to the bottom, but they told us we didn’t need to be decontaminated because they didn’t see a sheen around our boats.”

According to Stewart, they refused to return his boat to its preVOP state because they ruled what he was claiming would have eventually worn out anyway. “When they got my boat, it was spotless,” he said. “I’ve spent $15-$20,000 getting ready for shrimp season.”

april 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

“One of my buddies has an air conditioning business. He stopped it to run his boat. Then he turned around and filed a claim with BP because his air conditioning business had suffered.

He got money for that, too.”

—ROGERS Rogers also shared, “One of my buddies has an air conditioning business. He stopped it to run his boat. Then he turned around and filed a claim with BP because his air conditioning business had suffered.

He got money for that, too.”

buzz On Friday, April 15, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Officials and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority held a press conference to highlight BP’s failure to follow through on emergency restoration in the oyster beds.

DWF Assistant Secretary Randy Pausina announced an additional $2 million in funding for a cultch plant (the material, such as concrete or limestone, to which the spats attach) on public seed grounds, which brought the total state funds committed to emergency restoration projects for the oyster industry to $4 million. BP has committed to $15 million for improvements to oyster grounds, but has yet to fork over the money.

“People are very frustrated with BP’s reluctance to really step out and pay for the cultch plant that they initially said they were going to pay for in conversations with us,” said Watkins.

Pausina said at the press conference that is was time for BP to start acting like that responsible party it has proclaimed in its print, radio and television ads. “While BP is busy spending millions on advertising to prove that they are following through on their promise to make the oyster industry and all of our coastal fisheries whole, they have neglected to follow through on numerous projects that could have helped our oyster men and women get back to work,” he said.

Nelson said that his company has coped with the restrictions in Louisiana.

“We’ve had adequate supply through the winter and hope to maintain that through the summer. Prices are still fairly high relative to what they were this time last year—about 20 percent higher.”

While Bon Secour Fisheries has done reasonably well with its BP claims, the company has filed suit against BP. “We’ve felt a bit restricted on what we could claim,” said Nelson.

“It’s not simple accounting to see what we would have made last summer had we been working.

“What we saw was a rising shrimp market.

Imports were struggling because they had disease problems overseas. It looked like we were going to do quite well if we had

a good shrimp season. We don’t know how many shrimp we would have caught had there not been a spill and what the price would have been.”

Capt. Nelson doesn’t know what to expect from this year’s shrimp season in Mississippi’s inland waters, which opens June 1. According to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, shrimp landings in Mississippi in 2010 were 2.5 million pounds, down from 6.4 million in 2009. “A lot of us don’t know what we’re facing,” Nelson said.

WORRIED ABOUT HEALTH While they wait for the shrimp, oysters and more checks from BP or the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, Nelson and his fellow captains who worked spotting and fighting the oil spill have begun to worry about their health. The Louisiana Department of Health has reported 415 spillrelated health complaints, of which 329 came from workers, with the most common reported symptoms being dizziness, nausea and respiratory issues. Alabama officials have reported at least 272 cases related to oil exposure.

“I’m getting headaches. I haven’t puked, but I’ve been feeling nauseous,” said Stewart. “I weigh almost 400 pounds—there isn’t anything weak about my stomach.”

Local doctors have been able to explain the symptoms, according to Stewart.

Few will disagree with BP’s assertion that the multi-billion dollar corporation isn’t perfect, but many, not just the commercial fishing industry, worry whether BP will ever truly live up to its commitments.

“I’m getting headaches. I haven’t puked, but I’ve been feeling nauseous,” said Stewart. “I weigh almost 400 pounds—there isn’t anything weak about my stomach.”

— CAPT. MARK STEWART

rick@inweekly.net

Snitches end up in ditches.

VICTIM’S MOTHER SPEAKS The mother of the 14-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted on March 1 in a reading class at Tate High School called IN to tell her side of the story (Independent News, “Sex and the School District,” March 24 ). She talked about how she was lied to by the school administration and how disrespectfully Principal Richard Shackle and Superintendent Malcolm Thomas treated her when she tried to find out more about happened, protect her daughter and seek counseling for her child.

The facts are well known. On Tuesday, March 1, a 16-year-old freshman forced the girl to perform oral sex on him in a classroom while his buddies blocked the teacher from seeing what was happening.

The assault would have gone unreported had another student not told his mother about it.

The school conducted its own investigation and suspended both the assailant and the victim. When the Escambia County Sheriff ’s Office did its investigation, the assailant was arrested for felony sexual battery and indecent exposure. On April 11, he pleaded no contest and was given probation.

What isn’t well known is how Tate High School officials and the School District treated the victim and her mother.

The mother said that Tate High Dean David Venettozzi called her on Wednesday, March 2 to tell her that her daughter was in trouble. Her daughter told her what had happened and that she had been forced to do it.

When the mother met Venettozzi the next morning, the dean told her that her daughter was suspended and that they would hold a hearing to expel her from

school. She protested, telling Venettozzi that her daughter had been forced, but the dean said all the witnesses had said she had not. (The mother didn’t know that there had been one student who had told the school officials otherwise.)

Later the mother learned from her daughter that the assailant had been the first one pulled out of class and interviewed about the incident. He immediately went to the victim and told her to say nothing happened.

He said, according to the mother, “Snitches end up in ditches or with stitches.”

Afraid, the girl first told Tate officials that nothing happened, but later said she was forced.

On Monday, March 7, after she had decided to file charges, the mother called Superintendent Thomas and left a message with her name and why she wanted to speak with him. Thomas never returned her call. The mother called again the following week. This time the superintendent returned the call, but when he did, Thomas was abrupt, telling the mother that she only had two minutes.

“He blew me off,” said the mother. “I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock, because it wasn’t like I was harassing him or anything.”

When the ECSO began its investigation and it looked like there might be an arrest, the mother called Tate Principal Shackle to see if her daughter could back come to school. The principal told her that the investigation hadn’t found anything that proved the girl had been forced.

“He told me that until they did, my daughter would stay suspended,” the mother told me. By then, the mother had spoken with the witness’s mother and knew the principal had been told by at least one student that the sex act was forced.

“When I asked if any parent had called him saying it was forced, he told me no.”

She said she asked the principal for counseling for her daughter and that was refused. The mother tried to call Carolyn Spooner, who is in charge of high schools for the district, and she never returned the call.

The IN asked the mother if she was happy about the plea agreement that her daughter’s attacker made. She said that she didn’t want to put her daughter through a trial. “She’s not coping too well with it,” said the mother. “She breaks down when she’s left alone.”

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Ecare Still On The Crusade To Raise Literacy Rates | udith Bouchard is the reading coach at Hallmark Elementary School. Every day she works with teachers to assess children and come up with a lesson plan or goal for a particular student or a whole class that may be struggling with reading. And that struggle scares Bouchard.

“I worry about the kids that don’t catch up, because they know they’re behind,” Bouchard said. “They know life is going to be tough if they don’t read well.”

Bouchard is right. Reading is a fundamental tool that children must master in order to progress in their education.

J

B y J e n n i e M c Ke o n

“In kindergarten, first and second grade, and yet, according to the Florida Assessgroup partners included former School ments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR), children are learning to read,” Bouchard Superintendent Bill Maloy and his wife 37 percent of children are not even ready said. “In third, fourth and fifth grade they Nancy, School Board member John DeWitt, for kindergarten. are reading to learn. If they don’t know how The Early Learning Coalition, Escambia to read, the problem gets huge.”

County School District, Gulf Coast “The challenge for us teachers Many of these struggling students African American Chamber, Rotary are starting school unprepared.

Clubs of Pensacola and United Way is that so many kids are coming to “The challenge for us teachers is that of Escambia County. Judge John school already behind." so many kids are coming to school already was the original chair.

—Judith Bouchard, READING COACH Parnham behind,” Bouchard said. “There’s a lack of The goals were that all children pre-school. I’m hopeful because I continue AT HALLMARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL entering kindergarten in the Escamto see kids progress in their reading, but bia County School District would we still have a fair number still struggling.” be ready to start school as measured by Wee Read and Early Learning Coalicurrent standards by 2011 and that by 2014 In 2006, business and community tion of Escambia County (ELC) were crethird-graders would have proficient scores leaders created Every Child A Reader in ated to help children develop scholastically on FCAT reading.

Escambia (ECARE). The original planning

Bold Reading Goals Set

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

9

“We believe that if you truly want to make an impact you have to break the cycle,” said Ashley Bodmer, executive But the original goals became overwhelmdirector of ECARE in an e-mail interview. ing. There was not enough time and money.

“We saw there was a need for coordination “We didn’t intend to set a goal that among organizations in the community couldn’t be accomplished,” Bodmer said. who were serving the same population. A “At the time we were naïve to think that we business-led effort was necessary to not could accomplish it that fast. This effort is only coordinate efforts, but also to bring more than a five-year process. This is an resources to the table. To make an impact ongoing effort.” you need resources–capital and volunteers.

“Within the first 12 months we saw how The business daunting it was gocommunity’s “AT THE TIME WE WERE NAÏVE TO ing to be,” said John involvement and Hosman, chairman THINK THAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISH for ECARE. “We engagement is IT THAT FAST. THIS EFFORT IS MORE necessary to asked ourselves, leverage these THAN A FIVEYEAR PROCESS. THIS IS ‘How do we take resources.” little bites out of AN ONGOING EFFORT.” According to this big cookie?’” ASHLEY BODMER, EXECUTIVE its tax returns, While money DIRECTOR OF ECARE ECARE raised was running out, $235,984 as the the goals of ECend of 2009. “While roughly 25 percent of ARE were becoming harder to accomplish. expenditures during this period funded The new measurement tool, FAIR, showed literacy materials to benefit local children, the district moving in the wrong direction. it is clear that our largest expense has been FAIR is a program under the Florida staff,” Bodmer said.

Department of Education, which measures “A volunteer board does not have the the percentage of incoming students unpretime to dedicate towards managing an pared for reading. It provides a consistent organization. Knowing that our overall set of measures for grades 3-12 for teachobjective involved a lot of coordination, we ers to guide instruction as well as a set of recognized early on that staff was essenmeasures for K-2 that focuses on all intertial. We hired the first executive director related elements of reading. Those elements $15,000 under budget.” include: phonemic awareness, which is the

Overwhelmed by Task

understanding that words are “OUR FOCUS IS MEASUREMENT, AND WE made up of sounds, phonics, WILL COLLABORATE WITH AND ACROSS fluency, reading accurately with a natural speed, vocabu- ORGANIZATIONS TO LEVERAGE STRENGTHS lary and text comprehension.

AND RESULTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY” FAIR measures the suc BODMER cess rate of children through a broad screening and monitoring tool for students from kindergarten five years. By 2014 those children would through second grade. The students are be in third grade. given a three to five-minute task, which "We set the goals and had the philosotests them in letter naming and sounds, phy but not the strategy and initiatives to phonemic awareness and word reading at complement the goals and objectives. Once the end of the year. we got into it, we realized that it was a very In 2008-2009, 25 percent of incoming daunting task. children were not ready to read. In the 2009However, Bodmer said those initial 2010 year that percentage rose to 37 percent. years weren't wasted. "We have laid the The dirty, four-letter word, FCAT, groundwork over the last five years and didn’t fair too well either. In 2008-2009, 28 have accomplished a lot. We have not been percent of third-graders got below a 3 on standing still.” the 1-5 scale, and in 2009-2010 it rose to 30 And with a fresh new start at tackling percent. Students only need to make a 2 on the illiteracy problem, new goals were born. the reading portion to pass, and in 2009“We have shifted our focus toward 2010, 17 percent scored a 1. determining which programs inf luence But ECARE isn’t ready to throw in readiness,” Bodmer said. the towel.

“We always focused on measurement,” Hosman said. “But our measurement tools were countywide readiness scores, which are broad. It was about three years into this effort “Our experiences to date have helped that we realized we needed to measure each us gain an appreciation for how cominitiative and each child’s success. When we plex the problem is,” Bodmer said. “The started there was no way to see what proinitial philosophy was that we would grams little Johnny was participating in and capture kids born that year (2006) and how they improved his readiness scores.” help them get ready for kindergarten in

Retooling ECARE

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Together, ELC and ECARE will measure the existing developmental programs and help match a child with the program that best suits him.

Project Ready That shift resulted in a new program called Project Ready. Under the program, ECARE will put its focus toward kindergarteners at the Global Learning Academy, located at 100 North P St., and voluntary pre-kindergarten students within the downtown attendance zone.

“Our goal is that all children entering kindergarten at the Global Learning Academy will enter school ready to learn,” Bodmer said. “The primary objective of Project Ready is to facilitate effective partnerships toward this goal among all stakeholders: the school system, child care community, faith-based community, local businesses, government, community members and parents. The long-term outcome we anticipate is a model that can be successfully replicated in any elementary school zone in Escambia County and the state of Florida.”

ECARE has also enlisted the help of a founding partner, The Early Learning Coalition. The ELC was created to oversee federal and state funding for the subsidy child care and voluntary pre-kindergarten programs. According to the ELC website, its mission is to meet the needs of children and families to lay the foundation for lifetime success by maximizing each child’s potential, preparing children to enter school ready to learn and helping families achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Focus on Measurement

With Dolly Parton's Imagination Library sponsored by The Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County, children receive a free age-appropriate book delivered to their home through age five. / photo by Clairen Reese “The Early "Eighty-five percent of who you are is Learning community and developed by the age of 5. We need to invest the business where it makes the most difference.” community — ELC executive director Diane Hutcherson must work as a partnership if that work with the children and parents we are going to each day. ECARE focuses on building combuild a workforce of the future,” said ELC munity relationships to involve the whole executive director Diane Hutcherson in an community in economic development e-mail interview. “The two groups work through the development of a literate, as a team. The ELC concentrates on the educated workforce.” children and the classroom practitioners

“Our focus is measurement, and we will collaborate with and across organizations to leverage strengths and results for our community,” Bodmer said.

“There is not one single approach that works best for all children or for all learning environments,” Hutcherson said. “The key is to find that balance of programs that work for groups of children and families and is affordable. Eighty-five percent of who you are is developed by the age of 5. We need to invest where it makes the most difference.”

One way to measure is by the Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS).

The QRIS was formed by a coalition of states and national organizations and can operate statewide or in a local area.

According to QRISnetwork.org a complete QRIS includes: quality standards for programs and practitioners, supports and an infrastructure to meet such standards, monitoring and accountability systems to ensure compliance with quality standards, ongoing financial assistance that is linked to meeting quality standards and engagements and outreach strategies.

Many other Florida counties have already adopted the system.

A Salute to Difference makers Each spring, the Santa Rosa Education Foundation invites every school in the Santa Rosa School District to nominate one teacher for the Santa Rosa Rookie of the Year award.

All full-time classroom teachers in their third year or less of teaching are eligible for this award.

This includes total teaching experience, not just in Santa Rosa public schools.

2011 Rookie of the Year Nominees: Avalon Middle, Katherine Miller; Bagdad Elementary, Duane McDonal; Berryhill Administrative Complex, Belinda Gieger-Britt; Berryhill Elementary, Ellen Baucom; Central High, Melinda Holland; Chumuckla Elementary, Meredith Simmons; S.S. Dixon Intermediate, Missy McMillion; S.S. Dixon Primary, Kami Russell; East Milton Elementary, Emily Craft; Gulf Breeze Elementary, Tricia Outzen; Gulf Breeze High, Stephen Stanquist; Gulf Breeze Middle, Dina Pagonis; Hobbs Middle, Donna Moore; Holley Navarre Intermediate, Hilary Rivkind; Holley Navarre Primary, Roger Makar; T.R. Jackson Pre-K, Shundra Brown; Jay Elementary, Shellie Macht; Locklin Technical Center, Allison Pritchett; Milton High, Evangeline Schepper; Navarre High, Rita Marcilliat; Oriole Beach Elementary, Nadia Batson; Pea Ridge Elementary, Summer Clark; W.H. Rhodes Elementary, LaTarsha Ukazim; B.C. Russell Elementary, Shana Carlson; Santa Rosa High, Ray Gentry; T.L. Sims Middle, Staci Levi; West Navarre Intermediate, Jessica Negrotto; West Navarre Primary, Nicole Hausleiter; Woodlawn Beach Middle, Robin Abernathy

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

11

"We have students who come to Focus on New School school who literally do not even Kindergarten students from Yniestra and Hallmark will know their names. It is so important attend the Global Learning that we teach our parents to talk to Academy. Most of the children at their children. " these schools come from bro—Dr. Sheree Cagle, principal of ken homes and receive a free or reduced lunch. Many parents of Hallmark and Yniestra Elementary the students are working several Schools

Dr. Sheree Cagle / photo by Samantha Crooke “Escambia County has some of the best early learning programs in the state,” Hutcherson said. “We also have some of the worst. QRIS will help parents know the difference. A child is only 3 once in their life. No parent can afford to waste a critical year in a child’s development searching for the right learning process."

12 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 21, 2011

It’s not just measurements that are useful. Tangible help such as reading materials donated by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and one-on-one mentoring provide real results in little to no time.

With Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, children receive a free hardback book delivered to their door free of charge. ELC schedules sign-up times and locations.

Volunteers who have worked with ECARE have made an impact on students' and educators' lives.

“Community support is powerful,” said Dr. Sheree Cagle, principal of Hallmark and Yniestra Elementary Schools in an e-mail interview. “ECARE has provided Hallmark and Yniestra with a total of 113 volunteers. Mentors spend one hour a week with the same student and tutor the student in weak areas, but more important, they develop a relationship with a student and many times are the only positive role model in the child’s life.”

| WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

school will have information on all of the programs available to them as well as the help of Bouchard.

Right now, parents are the missing piece of the puzzle. Children up to 5 years old are like sponges, and they soak up everything their parents say and do.

“We should be affecting parents, children and educational providers,” Hosman said. “Adding that parent piece is the next big step.”

“The parent is a child’s first teacher, so I would like to see us do more to help our parents,” Cagle said. “We have to create an environment where parents are comfortable coming to our schools and allowing us into their homes.”

However, it’s not that parents don’t care about their children.

jobs and have little time or resources to add to their children’s education outside of school. Right now, the Global Learning Academy is planning for two VPK classrooms with a total of 36 seats and six kindergarten classrooms with a total of 108 seats.

“About 98 to 100 percent of children entering in the Global Learning Academy receive a free or reduced lunch,” Hosman said. “Of “We have children coming to school about the 300 students only who are hungry or don’t have proper three percent of their families supplies. Some are homeless”­ are still intact.”

“We have children com—Bouchard ing to school who are hungry “I can’t think of any parent that I’ve or don’t have proper supplies. Some are met that didn’t want better for their kids,” homeless,” Bouchard said.

Bouchard said.

What ECARE is hoping for is that the But with a high school drop-out rate Global Learning Academy will become of 27 percent according to the Florida a one-stop resource center for parents.

Department of Education, it’s a challenge The elementary school will have grades for parents to help their children because pre-kindergarten to fifth grade with a total enrollment around 730 students. The their own reading skills are lacking.

gain that support, the community needs to because there are not enough employinform the community about the efforts of “Not all parents can read, and some understand the grave situation. ees who can read the printed directions, ECARE and the Project Ready program. may have two or three jobs and feel they “I’ve had business leaders say to me ‘I when 50 percent of job applicants cannot “The summit was great,” Hosman said. don’t have the time or expertise to help truly didn’t understand the situation we complete a written job application, when “We had about 60 people there including their child,” Cagle added. “We have to were in until now’,” Hosman said. “They Mayor Hayward, Councilhelp them understand that every need to know how this is holding Escambia man Spencer and Malcolm conversation they have with their “I’ve had business leaders say to me ‘I truly County back.”

Thomas. I am proud of the child is an educational experience. didn’t understand the situation we were in For those who understand the situation progress we’re making.”

We have students who come to until now. They need to know how this is and work in it every day like Sheree Cagle, Representatives for school who literally do not even holding Escambia County back.” the success of ECARE is very important.

Gulf Power, Novak Enterknow their names. It is so impor“Because ECARE has the ability to prises, Early Bird Coalitant that we teach our parents to —John Hosman, chairman for ECARE pool resources and bring organizations tion, Pensacola Museum of talk to their children. Just talk to and individuals together for the good of businesses struggle to find staff that can Art, Sacred Heart, International Paper and them when you are shopping, driving and a child, I feel the potential is unlimited,” read equipment safety manuals–that is Baptist Health Care were also in attencooking. Let them know what you are doCagle said. “Children better prepared for the pressure our community must face,” dance. Superintendent Malcolm Thomas ing so that you build their vocabulary.”

Engaging parents won’t be an easy task. Hutcherson said. “If Escambia County is to spoke, as did Sheree Cagle. ECARE and Pe- school become citizens better equipped for life. What this will eventually mean to grow, we have no choice but to ensure our ter Novak of Novak Enterprises discussed the community is beyond measure. We as children are succeeding.” different ways of reaching out to parents With the economic troubles of the Unitthrough technology “The number one concern today and in ed States and the state of Florida, it is better such as text messagthe past is getting parents to understand We as educators who have high to do something now rather than later. ing and videos. ECtheir roles as their child’s first and most imexpectations and a limitless belief in “State and federal resources are going ARE also presented portant teacher,” Hutcherson said. “When children like to think anything positive their strengths and parents begin to understand the importance to diminish in the next few years,” Hutchis possible, therefore ECARE’s reach is erson said. “We must take on creating a weaknesses in meetof talking to their child, reading to their literate workforce as a community priority ing their goals. child, sharing everyday experiences and unlimited.” or there will be no economic development “Our strengths helping their child form a positive self—cagle in the future.” are the relationships image, then we can make positive gains in we have with our the numbers of children that enter public educators who have high expectations and partners,” Hosman said. “We’re all on the schools ready to learn and succeed.” a limitless belief in children like to think same page.

We have our resources in place.

If children are the future, perhaps investECARE has learned from its mistakes anything positive is possible, therefore But, we need more parental involvement.” ing in their future will pay off and provide and is still on the crusade to raise literacy To break it down, ECARE needs support ECARE’s reach is unlimited.” the workforce with educated employees. rates. On April 11, ECARE held an Early to be successful. Support from businesses, “When fast-food businesses move to Learning Summit at Gulf Power Compainfo@inweekly.net cash registers and computers with pictures ny’s Addison Auditorium. The event was to parents and the community. For ECARE to

Engaging Parents

Getting New Message Out

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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14 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 21, 2011

| WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...

Getting Green On Green

Party On

Earth Day Pensacola Takes It To The Field

By Ashley Hardaway

Earth Day Celebrations Continue At Sluggo’s

Sluggo’s the followirector of Earth ing night with his full Day Pensacola band, Cosmonaut Ploy, Eric St. Pierre Jean Carlos Gonzalez has discovered will be f lying solo on a way to keep celebrations this particular evening. extending well beyond Gonzalez describes his daylight hours and into solo creations as both exthe night, through the adperimental and cinematic dition of a so-called Earth in nature. Gonzalez is Day After Party. This looking forward to the set fundraising event brought explaining, “Playing solo to you by the Postscript allows me to connect on a Society will include visual more personal level with pieces from several artists the audience, and I’ve along with a range of solo always loved that.” musical talents, including Dustin Toney will be a high-energy DJ set to performing the “dancier” complete the evening. of his two current solo The Postscript Society began as a Zine comprised Photo from Gwyn A.B.'s set SKIN / Caisi Pennise left, and Chelsea Biondi right projects: “The Few that the Many Could Not of Pierre plus a few friends erment. Her set "Skin" uses women as Contain” and “Perconcussion.” Although but has evolved into what he refers to as painted canvases, shining light on the issue acting as a matchup artist, unlike popu“an activist resource, charity fundraising, of equal rights, an issue that still has its lar go-to names such as Girl Talk, Toney artist promotion group.” The Earth Day hold over our society. She will have canvas stated in regard to his vision for this After Party is the second event the group photography from this set displayed at the particular endeavor, “I merge songs that has organized, the first being a Prison event along with some additional selected most people are not familiar with, and in Book Project fundraiser for Open Books. pieces. Not only does her art embody her the process perhaps make them even more The proceeds from this Earth Day addition concern for societal issues, she is equally unfamiliar.” Toney has played at Sluggo’s will benefit Emerald Coastkeeper, a local passionate about the environment, stating, for various projects and currently has an organization that utilizes education and “I believe that we owe it to the planet to album in the works nearing its completion. advocacy to raise environmental awarekeep it clean and nourished. We are the DJ Adam Sikes, who first performed ness, and through support of its members, only animal that creates trash and disgustin Pensacola at The Postscript Society's constantly fights to conserve and maintain ing toxins.”

Prison Books event, will be breaking out our waterways.

Art can evoke a wide range of emoof the typical and carrying the evening tion, but when art pieces become directly into the late-night hours, spinning a welleffective in both changing and saving executed set filled with nonstop energy.

The artists contributing to this event lives, they embody far greater depth.

Sikes will be replacing vastly overdone Top will be showcasing more than just atKara Nasdor-Jones will be screening her 40 hits, incorporating some of the works tractive pieces. Spread across a variety of brief animated film, “I Slept with Cookie of international renowned artists such as mediums, the creations of three talented Monster.” This award-winning piece delves Justice and Tiesto into his mix, producing women are both inventive and inspiring. into the prevalence of domestic violence a more distinguished sound. His set will “She Isn’t Real” is the artwork of Fanand has been used among shelters and by introduce a melodic, danceable blend of tasy Dawn. Stimulated by the vast world the Department of Health and Human Electro, Drum and Bass and Club Trance. of graffiti art, she has taken her own spin Services in Boston. on street art, placing her paintings on the info@inweekly.net streets of diverse locales. These paintings are derived from a variety of inspirations; Audiophiles and all music enthusiasts, all unique and none of them lacking cregrab your dancing shoes. Not only will the ativity. Her advice to the masses in regard Earth Day After Party be rich with effecto creating art is, “Go make art! Anything! tive eye-catching art, the party will conGo do it! Put it out there for people to tinue on with ear-pleasing sounds brought see!” This attitude has worked for her thus WHEN: 8-11 p.m. Saturday, April 23 to you by local musical talents. far, as she has received quite the positive WHERE: Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. Neither of the first two musical acts of response as a result of her works.

COST: $5 the evening are strangers to the PensacThe art of Gwyn A.B. runs much DETAILS: thepostscriptsociety.webs.com ola music scene, particularly at Sluggo’s. more than skin deep, aiming to spread an Although he will also be returning to important message and promote empow-

D

The Sights

The Sounds

EARTH DAY PENSACOLA AFTER PARTY

ooking for something to do during the day on Earth Day? Head to Bayview Park on Saturday, April 23 to check out the festivities at this annual shindig. While Earth Day has inspired people nationally for the past 40 years, Earth Day Pensacola is hoping to spark green endeavors on a local level.

This year, the team behind Earth Day Pensacola has taken a “no corporate or political party approach” to refocus the event on resource stability rather than “large scale corporations and politics.” So you won’t be seeing: “This recycling can is brought to you

by Johnson & Johnson,” or “Vote for ...” signs here. You’ll just be seeing earnest people trying to make a difference.

Locals can bring old cell phones, mp3 players, automotive and marine batteries and any other electronic devices to the festival for easy—and free—recycling. There will also be vendors selling crafts and food, information booths for those interested in starting a compost pit, garden, recycling program initiative or anything else “green.”

Also enjoy live music throughout the day with the likes of Mr. Fahrenheit, The Spanx, Vibe Irie, Das, Ric Kindle, Veinmelter, Patricia Billings and Slumberjack.

So to enjoy this Earth Day you might want to take it to the streets. After all, it only makes sense to celebrate this event upon Mother Nature herself.

L

by Sarah Kathleen McCartan

EARTH DAY PENSACOLA

WHEN: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 23 WHERE: Bayview Park, 2000 E. Lloyd St. COST: Free DETAILS: sites.google.com/site/earthdaypensacola/

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

15

hot times ▶staff pick

DON’T MISS OUT ON HANGOUT TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR NEXT MONTH’S BEACH PARTY For those of you big ballers who wanted to go VIP but missed your chance, the Hangout people have announced a new VIP On-Site Lodging Package that includes: two (2) VIP tickets, three (3) nights onsite lodging (1BR) at Phoenix All-Suites Condos (May 20-23), special entrance from condo direct to the Hangout site, free passes to all late night shows and the ability to upgrade to up to two (2) more VIP passes.

More details on this package can be found at hangoutmusicfest.com. These are the very last VIP tickets that remain—so if you want them, you better act fast.

General admission passes are still on sale for $174 and can be purchased on the Hangout website, through Front Gate Ticketing and at the Hangout Restaurant in Gulf Shores, AL.

HANGOUT MUSIC FESTIVAL

T

his time next month, everybody who’s anybody in town will be heading out to Gulf Shores for Hangout Fest. If you haven’t bought your tickets or found a place to crash yet, you still have time—but you really do need to get on it. What are you waiting for anyway? It’s not like Cee Lo comes to town often, you know?

THURSDAY 4.21 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-8 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Heron at the Beach. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼LECTURES & CLASSES

HERB CLASS AT EVER’MAN 5:30 p.m. Study different herbs sold at Ever’man. This group will study a video series compiled by Dr. John R. Christopher and Richard Schulze. Free for members, $2 for non-members. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.

▼LIVE MUSIC

JAM SANDWICH 6-10 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

THE ROWDIES 7 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

JOSH DODSON BAND 7 p.m. Paddy O’ Leary’s Irish Pub, 49 Via de Luna Drive. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

WHEN: Friday-Sunday, May 20-22 WHERE: The Hangout, Gulf Shores, Ala. COST: Three-day pass $174, DETAILS: hangoutmusicfest.com

JOSH GARRETT & THE BOTTOMLINE 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

HOLLY SHELTON 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

RONNIE LEVINE 7 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

DOWN STROKE 8 p.m. $5. Live Niteclub, 9121 Pensacola Blvd. 607-2950.

ALVERADO ROAD SHOW 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

VIBE IRIE 9 p.m.-1 a.m. LandShark Landing, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE CONCERT CHORAL AND EN TERTAINERS 7:30 p.m. Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium, 1000 College Blvd., Building 8. 484-1847 or pensacolastate.edu.

▼OTHER

PACE ROTARY CLUB CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT 11:30 a.m.

Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Price includes lunch, fish fry dinner, cart and greens

fees, range balls prior to start, soft drinks, water, two drink tickets, two mulligans and one tee buster. $100-$400. Stonebrook Country Club, 3200 Cobblestone Drive. 304-1823.

racks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

SUNSETS AT PLAZA DE LUNA 5:30 p.m.-sunset. Steve Perry will perform, and Sponge Bob will entertain the kids. De Luna’s full service concession will serve up great snacks and full meals, and the interactive fountain will be a refreshing splash for the kids. Plaza de Luna, at the end of Palafox.

435-1695 or cityofpensacola.com/cra.

BUZZ CUTT 9 p.m. LiliMarlene’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

ALVERADO ROAD SHOW 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MAD HAPPY 9:30 p.m. $6. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501.

PAT PRICHARD GROUP 9:30 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

LEFTY 9:30 p.m. Free. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

FRIDAY 4.22 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-9 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Majestic Oak. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼LIVE MUSIC

TIM SPENCER 4-7 p.m. Tiki Stage at the Pool, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

COLT FORD 6 p.m. $5. Live Niteclub, 9121 Pensacola Blvd.

607-2950.

THE NAMES 6 p.m. No cover. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 434-9060 or handlebarpensacola.com.

LIZZY PITCH 7 p.m. $4. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 434-9060 or handlebarpensacola.com.

TRIBE ZION 7 p.m. Paddy O’ Leary’s Irish Pub, 49 Via de Luna Drive. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

DASH RIP ROCK 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

3 AMIGOS DUO 7 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

KYLE PARKER 7 p.m. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 5494444 or the-oar-house.com.

SAWMILL & GUESTS 7 p.m. Chumuckla’s Farmers’ Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-9219 or farmersopry.com.

HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND 8 p.m. $10-$15. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. 607-6758 or vinylmusichall.com.

THE ROWDIES 8 p.m.-12 a.m. LandShark Landing, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

COOL RAYZ 8 p.m.-12 a.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

LONG REEF 9 p.m. The Deck at the Fishhouse, 600 S. Bar-

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

‘A NIGHT OF ONE ACTS’ AT PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE 7:30 p.m. Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium, 1000 College Blvd., Building 8. 484-1847 or pensacolastate.edu.

‘A CHORUS LINE’ AT THE SAENGER 7:30 p.m. Winner of nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this singular sensation is the longest-running American Broadway musical ever. Meet the new generation of Broadway’s best. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. 595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

SAND JAM 4 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

MO JILES 9 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

JELLY PRODUCTIONS DJ’S 10 p.m.-2 a.m. The Islander Lounge, 43 Via de Luna Drive. 932-9011.

‘LIGHTS, CAMERA, MUSICALS!’ AT UWF 7:30 p.m. The multimedia event will include a symphonic band joined

by Theatre Department students and faculty. Univeristy of West Florida, Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Building 82. 857-6285 or uwf.edu.

▼OTHER

BLUES PRACTICE FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE TOWER 8-9:30 a.m. See eye-to-eye with the Blue Angels, and watch the entire show from a vantage few others have. Space is limited. $15. Reservations required. Pensacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. 393-1561.

BANDS ON THE BAYOU 6-7 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and come enjoy the sounds of local middle school and high school bands at Bayview Park Pier. Bayview Park, 20th Avenue and Lloyd Street. 436-5670 or playpensacola.com.

SATURDAY 4.23 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Cobblestone Walk. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼FESTIVALS

PENSACOLA EARTH DAY FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The public is invited to celebrate Earth Day by learning more about resource sustainability. Bayview Park, 2000 E. Lloyd St. earthdaypensacola.com.

E r i c D. St e v e n s on Jim Sanborn

Personal Injur y | Criminal Justice 919 N. 12th Avenue Pensacola, Florida 32501

O: (850) 434-3111 F: (850) 434-1188

davidle esellers.com • email: eric@davidle esellers.com 16 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

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Choosing a Lawyer

hot times EARTH DAY MUSIC FESTIVAL IN NAVARRE 3-9 p.m. “A Year and A Day Later” Earth Day Music Festival is being organized by the Navarre Haywire Disaster Choir group in association with the Greater Navarre Beach Arts Association, Inc. This event will feature Cosmonaut Ploy, Slumberjack, Untitled, Oh!Yes!, Indigo City, Sam Eskridge and more. The Pavillion at the Best Western Navarre, 8697 Navarre Parkway. 939-7964.

▼LECTURES & CLASSES

‘ART IN OTHER PLACES’ DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES 7:30 p.m. The Belmont Arts and Cultural Center (BACC), in collaboration with Artel Gallery, is hosting a free documentary film series that focuses on artists and art organizations that have made a positive impact on the community. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 429-1222 or belmontartscenter.com.

▼LIVE MUSIC

TIM SPENCER 4-7 p.m. Tiki Stage at the Pool, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

LIVE MUSIC 7 p.m. Paddy O’ Leary’s Irish Pub, 49 Via de Luna Drive. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

3 AMIGOS DUO 7 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

SAWMILL & GUESTS 7 p.m. Chumuckla’s Farmers’ Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-9219 or farmersopry.com.

JOSH GARRETT & THE BOTTOMLINE 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

THE SKYLINE KINGS 7 p.m. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 549-4444 or the-oar-house.com.

ABHORRENCY, SEVEN HILL STEEL, SINISTRAL, OCEAN NOVA 7 p.m. $6-$8. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 434-9060 or handlebarpensacola.com.

SATISFACTIONA ROLLING STONES EXPERIENCE 8 p.m. $10-$15.

Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. 607-6758 or vinylmusichall.com.

THE ROWDIES 8 p.m.-12 a.m. LandShark Landing, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

One of the biggest

ciety. In addition to bonsai, there will be exhibits of suiseki and Japanese Dolls. Garden Center, 1850 N. Ninth Ave. 932-4548.

SUNDAY 4.24 ▼LIVE MUSIC

CLARENCE BELL 11 a.m. Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

RONNIE LEVINE 12-3 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

THE GILLS 5 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

DAVID DUNN 6-10 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

THE INDEPENDENTS, THE FLYING GUILLOTINES, OPERATION HENNESSEY 7 p.m. $7-$9. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 434-9060 or handlebarpensacola.com.

JAM SANDWICH 7 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

BEN PRESTAGE 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

SUN HOTEL 9:30 p.m. $6. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501.

MONDAY 4.25 ▼LIVE MUSIC

MARC KAUL 4-7 p.m. Tiki Stage at the Pool, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

THE DIRTY HEADS 7 p.m. $15. Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

SHE ISN’T REAL, KARA NASDORJONES, GWYN A.B., THE FEW THAT NO MANY COULD NOT CONTAIN, DJ ADAM SYKES, JEAN CARLOS 8-11 p.m. $5. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501.

MOJO RISING 8 p.m.-12 a.m. LandShark Landing, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

MO JILES 9 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

PARTS AND LABOR, IMAGINARY AIR SHOW, ACORNS, THE FEW THAT NO MANY COULD CONTAIN 9:30 p.m. $6. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501.

ALVERADO ROAD SHOW 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

BUZZ CUTT 9 p.m. Lili Marlene’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

FIRST CITY BLUES BAND 9:30 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

KNEE DEEP BAND 9:30 p.m. Free. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

CHAINSAW KELLY 10 p.m.-2 a.m. The Islander Lounge, 43 Via de Luna Drive. 932-9011.

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

‘A NIGHT OF ONE ACTS’ AT PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE 7:30 p.m. Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium, 1000 College Blvd, Building 8. 484-1847 or pensacolastate.edu.

‘LIGHTS, CAMERA, MUSICALS!’ AT UWF 7:30 p.m. The multimedia event will include a symphonic band joined

by Theatre Department students and faculty. Univeristy of West Florida, Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Building 82. 857-6285 or uwf.edu.

▼OTHER

TRICITY BONSAI SHOW AT GARDEN CENTER 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Tri-City Bonsai show will be hosted by the Pensacola Bonsai So-

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BROOKS HUBBERT III 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

COOL RAYZ 8 p.m.-12 a.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

DASH RIP ROCK 9 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

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THE ROWDIES 8 p.m.-12 a.m. LandShark Landing, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

RICHARD BOWEN 7 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

LONG REEF 9 p.m. The Deck at the Fishhouse, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

decisions you may ever make

TUESDAY 4.26 ▼FOOD & DRINK

AN EVENING WITH CHEF CHRIS KELLY AT DK 6 p.m. Join Chef Chris Kelly for a menu of Church Street Grouper, Henry Bain Filet and Charleston Flourless Chocolate Cake. $44.95.

Registration required. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox.

438-4688 or dk4u.com.

▼LIVE MUSIC

MARC KAUL 4-7 p.m. Tiki Stage at the Pool, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

BEN PRESTAGE 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

BROOKS HUBBARD 7 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

TRIBAL SEEDS, THROUGH THE ROOTS 7:30 p.m. $10-$12. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. 607-6758 or vinylmusichall.com.

MOJO RISING 8 p.m.-12 a.m. LandShark Landing, Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

KARAOKE HOSTED BY VIC AND STACEY 10 p.m. Free.

Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501.

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

PENSACOLA STATE PIANO ENSEMBLE 7:30-9 p.m. Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium, 1000 College Blvd., Building 8. 484-1847 or pensacolastate.edu.

24 HOUR ACCESS 7 DAYS A WEEK

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Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

2011 annual 2 0 1 1 museum a n n uof aartl pensacola

art in the park

Join us this spring at beautiful historic Seville Join us this spring at Square in downtown beautiful historic Seville Pensacola, FL Square in downtown

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• Featuring over 120 andover national •regional Featuring 120artists. regional

national artists.

•and Full range of media including jewelry, • Full range of media photography, wood, oil & including jewelry, acrylic painting &wood, sculpture photography, oil &

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free admission to the public

free admission to the public

10:00am - 5:00pm 10 am - 5 pm may 14 & 15, 2011 ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 2 - 6 2 4 7 wpensacola, w w . p e n s aflorida c o l a m u s( 8 e5 u 0m) o4 f3a2 r- 6t 2 . o4 7 r g w w w. p e n s a c o l a m u s e u m o f a r t . o r g INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

17

culture

ONE ACT WONDERS

PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE PRESENTS A NIGHT OF ONE ACTS

BY JENNIE MCKEON

N

ormally, going to a fi nal is the last thing you’d want to do, but in the case of the Directing I class at Pensacola State College (PSC), fi nals are entertaining.

“A Night of One Acts” is Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Students have been working on their plays since the beginning of the semester.

They chose the play and the actors with very little restrictions.

“We don’t consciously pick a theme for the festival each year, as I feel that would dampen a director’s freedom to choose a script that really speaks to them,” said Rodney Whatley, the Directing I professor in an e-mail interview. “The scripts should be ones that benefit the community, the school, the student actors cast and be a learning experience for the director.”

The plays chosen are diverse. There’s a good mix of comedy, drama and those that cannot be categorized.

“I chose ‘Goldberg Street’ by David Manet,” said sophomore Kat Cooper. “It’s very different. It’s not a comedy…it’s a little daring, and pretty abstract.”

Cooper has directed plays before at PSC and The Pensacola Little Theatre, but this is her fi rst time directing solo, and for a grade no less.

While it would be almost impossible to direct a full-length play on top of other classes, having just one act to get your point across came with some pressure.

“You have to make wiser choices since you have less time to get to your central theme,” Cooper said.

Although, the longer the play the more restless the audience becomes.

“Many audiences do not have the patience to sit through long plays,” Whatley said. “Even when the material is great, popular tastes these days run toward shorter plays, and this is an excellent exercise for our student directors, actors and designers.”

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about a female Secret Service Agent who gets a mysterious call from the president.

Smith has been involved for theatre for almost 16 years, but this was his first opportunity to direct. Now that time is running out, Smith is getting stressed.

“I’m about to pull my hair out–in a good way,” Smith said. “I lucked out because I have two experienced and calm actors.”

To make all of this hair-pulling worth the director’s efforts, come out and enjoy a few of the plays. They’re roughly 15 minutes each and free, which means you have very few excuses to miss this evening of entertainment.

“Our main goal is to entertain the audience and to give them something to think about, depending on the play,” Whatley said. “The audience is doing us a favor by coming to the show. Directors don’t watch their shows onstage as much as they watch their audience to see if they’re receiving the director’s intended message.

This is a great showcase of the work our students are doing here at Pensacola State and a great way for members of the community to get up onstage and play.” info@inweekly.net

A NIGHT OF ONE ACTS

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 WHERE: Pensacola State College, Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium COST: Free DETAILS: pensacolastate.edu

The Coffee House

FOREVER DIETING? TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD.

Jasmine Bernard is a dual-enrollment student directing her first play. For Bernard, being assertive was the hardest part of the directing process.

“Being a director, you’re in charge of the whole process, and you have to work with people,” Bernard said.

“I’m mostly a follower, so it’s hard for me to tell people what to do.”

Bernard is directing “The Worker” by Walter Wykes, which is about a man who has to tell his wife that he’s behind at work and may be at risk of losing his job. While the play is relevant to large numbers of unemployed workers in our country, Bernard chose this play because it has the right amount of comedy and drama.

“A lot of the scenes could go either way, so I could choose to play it up more or play it down,” she said. “I had that room to decide whether the scene should be funny or serious.”

The actors had to be just as f lexible.

“They had to have a strong presence and also have that weakness behind that strength.”

When sophomore Michael Smith searched for a play, he wanted pure comedy.

“All of our plays are diverse,” Smith said. “Some shows people will have to think, but my play is just plain fun.”

Smith is directing “Making the Call” by Jane Martin. The play is a political comedy

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SUNDAY BAYSIDE BRUNCH & SOUTHERN SUNDAY SUPPER. BEST. SUNDAY. EVER. When it comes to Sundays, no one does it better than us.

We start with our satisfying bayside brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and finish with Sunday Supper starting at 5 — both served dockside overlooking beautiful Pensacola Bay. From bottomless champagne to meat and two plus a roll, Sundays at our house are undeniably the best.

FISH HOUSE: (850) 470-0003, OPEN DAILY 11 A.M. · ATLAS: (850) 437-1961, MON.–SAT. 5 P.M., SUN. 11 A.M.

THE FISH HOUSE, ATLAS, AND THE DECK BAR ARE LOCATED DOWNTOWN AT 600 S. BARRACKS ST. · CREDIT CARDS OK · WWW.GOODGRITS.COM

Pensacola Crawfish Festival Friday, April 29: Noon to 11 p.m.

FREE before 3 p.m. Friday Saturday, April 30: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sunday, May 1: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is $5 per day $10 for Weekend Pass Kids 12 and under FREE

Bartram Park . Dow ntow n Pensacola Enjoy Swamp Pop, Cajun and Zydeco Toe Tappin’ entertainment.

Indulge in Cajun dishes such as red beans and rice, crawfish pie, boudin balls and etouffee. Over 16,000 pounds of boiled crawfish direct from Louisiana.

Tickets available at the BB&T Admission Gate, in advance at area BB&T locations or the Fiesta of Five Flags office. Questions? 433-6512 or www.FiestaofFiveFlags.org INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

19

music

PLENTY OF ROOM AT THE SUN HOTEL

INDIE SWAMP ROCK BAND PLAYS AT SLUGGO’S

BY KATE PETERSON

R

elatively new on the music scene, Sun Hotel has been making waves in the indie music world.

They hail from New Orleans, and according to them, “We live in the south, we like it, we make music.”

Sun Hotel is listed as being a post-gospel, indie, swamp rock band. The name of that genre conjures up all sorts of thoughts in one’s head, but this band is firmly rooted in the regionalism of New Orleans and its influences.

They started as a duo with Tyler Scurlock, guitar and vocals, along with Alex Hertz, serving the same role.

Over a summer they quickly became a larger group by adding John St. Cyr, bassist, Devin Hildebrand, drummer, and Ross Farbe, drums, keyboard and vocals. They then set off to pay their dues by playing the music club scene. Sun Hotel recorded two albums—one they made themselves in a home studio, the other in a professional studio.

As blogger Joe Vena from Stereo Killer, a music review website, says, “Whether the members of Sun Hotel are smashing jangly chords in an indie rock passion fit, or bending notes in a riff-driven bop, their versatility is displayed, and it rules.”

IN caught up with bassist John St. Cyr to discuss the band and find out more about them.

IN: Describe what went into that choice.

ST. CYR: It’s a space somewhere between the folk and gospel songs we grew up on, the rock and roll we discovered, and the South we all live in.

IN: Who are your influences?

ST. CYR: Lately we’ve all been really into Deerhunter, The Beach Boys, Elliott Smith and “Trailer Park Boys” on Netfl ix.

IN: What is the history of the band, such as founding members, where it all started, that sort of thing?

ST. CYR: Sun Hotel originally started in the spring of 2009 as Tyler and Alex’s acoustic dorm-room recordings. The whole thing really came together that fall when John and Devin were added and recorded “Halloween Mean,” and things really got moving when Ross joined and we did “Team Spirit.”

IN: What is the genre of music you play?

ST. CYR: We like to call it “Post-Gospel” or alternatively “Swamp Rock.”

GET

H C A E B Y READ

IN: Tell us about your fi rst recording, “Halloween Mean.”

ST. CYR: “Halloween Mean” was the fi rst thing we ever did as a full band. We recorded the whole thing in Devin’s house with some borrowed microphones while his parents were out of town.

IN: Discuss the subsequent recordings, “Team Spirit” and “Coast?”

ST. CYR: “Team Spirit” and “Coast” were the fi rst time we were really able to explore our sound in a studio environment. Especially with “Coast,” we really tried to create a unified atmosphere for the whole album.

IN: Are you touring at the moment? If so, what is that experience like for your band?

20

IN: Have you played in Pensacola before?

ST. CYR: This is actually our first time! Hopefully we can find some good sandwiches.

IN: What can show goers expect from a Sun Hotel show?

ST. CYR: We’re kind of loud, and we yell a lot, and sometimes we fall down. I think it works, though.

IN: What’s next for the band?

ST. CYR: We’re going to be releasing a new EP in October; we actually just fi nished recording the fi rst track in our house this weekend. Hopefully you’ll be hearing about it soon. info@inweekly.net

SUN HOTEL

WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24 WHERE: Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. COST: $6 DETAILS: sluggos.net

At Both Stores Thursday 4/21—Saturday 4/23

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IN: How about music festivals, are you playing any this year?

ST. CYR: We played Foburg Fest in New Orleans and did eight shows in three days at SXSW.

Huge Sidewalk Sale

PS TCAM O O B th NEW ng April 4

| INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

ST. CYR: We’re doing a short tour this week while we’re on Spring Break to visit our favorite beach towns and sandwich shops. We’ll be heading out for a month in May to explore the East Coast and Midwest.

Gulf Breeze Publix Shopping Center

1451 Tiger Park Lane • Gulf Breeze 850.932.7289 2640 Creighton Rd. • Pensacola 850.477.0025 © 2008 Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. “Zaxby’s” and “Zalads” are registered trademarks of Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc.

music

SOUTHERN MUSICIANS GIVE ALL BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE PBTF TO DONATE 100 PERCENT OF PROCEEDS

BY JOLI KING

Kelley Corwin

A

few days have passed since I spoke with Kelley Corwin, who is one-half of the singer/songwriter duo, Southern Sugar. I distinctly recall the genuine vibe of her voice over the telephone line, as she was in Chicago at the time of our interview. I remember staring at her photo, listening to her talk about the national non-profit organization called Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation [PBTF], as well as the Songwriter’s Tour that has currently landed her in Chicago.

These two things are obviously very different but both very important to her, and she is on a path to bring them together.

Corwin is not posturing for attention or image; she says what’s on her mind.

These days, that’s music, songwriting and working for PBTF. She has a clear vision of the future. Steering herself over the course of the past year, she has incorporated her work for the PBTF with her tour.

After Texas, the Songwriter’s Tour will land in Pensacola, presenting a benefit concert for the PBTF. Southern Sugar is traveling with musician Joshua Singleton and blues troubadour, Leigh Glass. By April 11, Singleton will be shooting some fi nal video shots in Austin, Texas for a song called, “Angel in Black,” a song that Corwin wrote, she enthuses over the phone. He will be staying with her once the tour leaves

Texas and heads to Pensacola for the benefit concert, and she can’t wait for us to experience his and Glass’ “incredible music.”

Corwin’s enthusiasm rings true whether she’s speaking about writing lyrics, working with fellow musicians or working in the service of others. She is so engrossed in her expressing herself through actions, in a way to give back, that she will make a difference in any way she can. The excitement over the benefit concert and the talented, traveling musicians continues throughout our conversation—even as she brushes aside the whirl of the road to bring the subject back to PBTF. Brain cancer is the deadliest form of cancer among children. Such discouraging news gives one pause, but Corwin quickly moves to the proactive rather than dwelling. Among other non-profit organizations, “…PBTF is the largest non-government agency, probably in the world, that funds research for pediatric brain tumors,” she tells me. “It is a leader when it comes to the percentage of funds going towards research.” Her respect is evident as she talks about the difference that PBTF makes in local hospital research across the nation.

All of the earnings from the Pensacola show being held downtown at The Leisure Club will be donated to PBTF. “One hundred percent of the ticket proceeds will be

given to the PBTF, funding their medical research,” Corwin says.

The musicians believe in the PBTF and want others to understand the value the organization.

She muses about the differences in the shows they have scheduled. In Houston, the musicians will be dazzling the audience in what is considered the “main event.” Looking forward to Texas, she rattles off the answers to my questions with a happy camaraderie. Yes, she has always loved music, especially writing lyrics.

Yes, she is totally jazzed about the stage experience. But when I ask her about Pensacola and the show that is planned for The Leisure Club, her enthusiasm ratchets a bit higher. Her interest in helping and educating is evident.

“I used to live there!” she exclaims.

Though she hales from Asheville, NC, Corwin’s Southern roots sprawl all over Texas and the Southeast, including Pensacola. She lived here for a decade. Like any native or past resident, she fondly recalls our white sand beaches. Excited to be returning to Pensacola with Singleton and Glass by her side to raise money for her cause is just icing on the cake for this tour.

Embracing life and unafraid, she now puts herself out in front of an audience, not just her lyrics. She tells me that being in front of a crowd and hearing your own songs in front of that audience is thrilling.

She insists that she is only an opening act for the outstanding talent of Singleton and Glass, but for me, she headlines. info@inweekly.net

Don’t Miss!

On E xh i bi t N ow : Fro m Priv a te Wa lls : Pens a co la C o llects II

On Exhibit through May 15th Rob Vander Zee: Visions of Paradise

PBTF BENEFIT CONCERT

WHAT: Kelley Corwin, Joshua Singleton and Leigh Glass WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23 WHERE: The Leisure Club, 126 S. Palafox, Downtown Pensacola COST: $25–Tickets available at The Leisure Club DETAILS: pbtfus.org; rideforkids.org; myspace. com/joshuasings; leighglassband.com

pe n s acol a m u s e u m of ar t 407 s. jefferson street • 850.432.6247

www.pensacolamuseumofart.org INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

21

IN THE ATTHE THE ANNUAL 25thSANDESTIN APRIL

WINE FESTIVAL

28th TO MAY 1st

FRIDAY, APRIL 29th SPECIAL FESTIVAL SEMINARS Experience fun, enjoyable and one-of-a-kind seminars focused on wines, cheese, and even sake. Terrific opportunities to expand your knowledge with leading experts. For a full listing of seminars and to purchase tickets visit SandestinWineFestival.com

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, APRIL 30 & MAY 1 GRAND WINE TASTINGS The tasting of more than 600 wines.

Culinary Pavilion included. Saturday 124pm; Sunday 1-5pm. Tickets are currently available for $80/1 day or $120/2 day at SandestinWineFestival.com and at all Wine World locations.

TAKE THE ELEVATOR HOME Discounted accommodations and packages available. For more information call 877.350.3422.

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22 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET  

news of the weird A TANK AND SEVERAL ARMORED VEHICLES

with dozens of SWAT officers and a bomb robot rolled into a generally quiet Phoenix neighborhood on March 21, startling the residents. Knocking down a wall, deputies raided the home of Jesus Llovera, who was “suspected” of running a cockfighting business, and, indeed, 115 chickens were found inside, but Llovera was alone and unarmed, and his only previous connection to cockfights was a misdemeanor conviction in 2010 for attending one.

“We’re going to err on the side of caution,” said Sgt. Jesse Spurgin. Adding to neighbors’ amazement was the almost-fanciful sight‚—riding in the tank—of actor Steven Seagal, who had brought his “Lawman” reality TV show to Phoenix.

PRODUCT GIVEAWAYS: (1) New sign-ups for higher-end Dish satellite TV systems at the Radio Shack in Hamilton, Mont., also receive free Hi-Point .380 pistols or 20-gauge shotguns (after passing a background check, paid for by the store). The owner said his business has tripled since introducing the premium in October. (2) Bobblehead dolls may be popular baseball giveaways, but as part of the local “Green Sports Alliance” demonstrating concern for the environment, the Seattle Mariners announced in March that for several games this season, fans would get free bags of compost (made from food and other items discarded at Mariners games).

A CHINESE CAPITALIST’S LEARNING CURVE:

In the early hours of the destruction at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant in March, rumors abounded that millions of people might need iodine products to fight off radiation. A restaurateur named Guo in Wuhan, China, seeing the price of iodized table salt rise dramatically, cleverly cornered a market with 4 1/2 tons of it, trucked to his home, where it filled half the rooms. According to a March 25 China Daily report, the price has returned to preFukushima levels—much less than what Guo paid, and he can neither return the salt (lacking documentation) nor sell nor transport it (lacking the proper licenses).

WEIRD SCIENCE From a March Discovery. com report: “Forty million years ago, a female mite met an attractive partner, grabbed him with her clingy rear end, and began to mate—just before a blob of tree resin fell on the couple, preserving the moment for eternity.” The resin-encrusted mites were discovered recently by researchers from the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (who noted that, in those days, the female dominated mating, but that evolution has reversed that role).

MEDICAL MARVELS: (1) Supatra Sasuphan, 11, of Bangkok, was recently noted as the world’s hairiest girl by the Guinness Book of World Records for her wolf-like facial hair as one of only 50 people in history to

BY CHUCK SHEPPARD be recorded with hypertrichosis. Though she has of course been teased and taunted at school, she told a reporter in February that the Guinness Book recognition has actually increased her popularity at Ratchabophit school. (2) According to a team of University of Montreal psychologists, a 23-year-old man, “Mathieu,” is the first documented case of a person wholly unable to feel a musical beat or to move in time with it. The scientists report for an upcoming journal article that Mathieu sings in tune but merely f lails with his body, bouncing up and down much more randomly than do people who are merely poor dancers.

SCIENTISTS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN: A team of whimsical researchers at the University of Osaka (Japan) Graduate School of “Frontier Biosciences” has produced a strain of mice prone to “miscopying” DNA—making them susceptible to developing sometimes-unexpected mutations, such as their recently born mouse that tweets like a bird. Lead researcher Arikuni Uchimura told London’s Daily Mail that he had expected to produce, instead, a mouse with an odd shape, but the “singing mouse” emerged. Previously, the team produced a mouse with dachshund-like short limbs.

PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH MONEY: (1) During New York City’s Fashion Week in February, “fanny packs” made a comeback (though certainly not under that name), according to a Wall Street Journal report, ranging in price from a $325 Diane von Furstenberg to an Hermes “Kelly Bandeau” model, expected to sell for $4,675. (2) An unidentified “coal baron” in northern China purchased an 11-month-old, 180-pound red Tibetan mastiff recently from a breeder in Qingdao for the equivalent of about $1.52 million. “The price is justified,” said breeder Lu Liang. “We have spent a lot of money raising this dog, and we have the salaries of plenty of staff to pay.”

Come Bowl with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida!

Friday, April 29, 2011 @ 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 30, 2011 @ 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 30, 2011 @ 7:30 p.m.

Team goal is to raise a minimum of $500, which is only $84 per team member of 6 (includes two games, t-shirt, shoe rental & prizes!)

New Liberty Lanes * 3200 N. Palafox Street Sign Up at http://bfks.kintera.org/pensacola or call (850)

433-5437

SMOOTH REACTIONS A suspicious wife (who lives apart from her husband because of work requirements) f lew to the couple’s principal home in Wilmette, Ill., on March 4 and, finding her husband’s new girlfriend’s clothes hanging in their closet, scissored out the crotch area of all her pants, doing about $2,000 in damage, and leaving the remnants in the driveway before returning to her East Coast home.

According to police, neither the husband nor the girlfriend chose to file complaints, and the case is closed.

Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to www.NewsoftheWeird.com.

FROM UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE CHUCK SHEPHERD’S NEWS OF THE WEIRD

by Chuck Shepherd COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD

INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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Leadership Pensacola: Producing Commit ted Leaders Man Who Inspired the Movie “The Informant” Speaks to Leadership Pensacola Class on Ethics

By Jennifer Allen

Mark Whitacre, portrayed by Matt Damon in “The Informant,” spoke to the 2011 Leadership Pensacola Class on the last day before graduation.

The keynote speaker for Leadership and Ethics Day, Whitacre spoke of his own struggle with morals and ethics during his time as an undercover informant for the FBI. He focused on how greed can corrupt even the most ambitious of young professionals. At the age of 32, Whitacre was a Division President for the 90th largest company in the world, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Along with many other companies, even some internationally; ADM was involved in the largest price fixing scandal in the history of corporate American.

It was Whitacre, at the persistence of his wife, who went undercover for three years as an informant for the FBI. When the price fixing conspiracy was exposed, ADM learned that Whitacre had taken $9 million from the company while he was undercover.

In a touching story of how greed got the best of him and his company, Whitacre told his emotional journey of family, second chances and how easy it is to lose sight of what is the right thing to do.

“Mark Whitacre was riveting and clearly showed how money and greed can make you go against your normal ethical values,” said Mark Harden, the 2011 Curriculum Chair and LeaP Class Alumnus. “The moral of the story was this: decide what your moral and ethical values are and stick to them no matter what.”

The final day for the Leadership Pensacola Class of 2011 may have been the most challenging as the topic of discussion remained on leadership and ethics.

The speakers for the day’s events focused on the role ethics should play in leadership positions, the best options for analyzing ethical dilemmas and how to rebound after losing sight of one’s moral compass.

“The Leadership Pensacola ‘Leadership and Ethics Day’ was a great tie-in to the class’ overall theme: Leaders Inspired Ethical Growth. We had many presenters that explained how important it was to have ethics in your personal and professional life,” said Harden.

24 | INDEPENDENT NEWS |

One of the goals of LeaP is to encourage members to stay involved with the community following their graduation. Kurt Larson, president of the Leadership Pensacola Alumni Association provided a path of involvement for the soon to be graduates.

“A lot of people use the word ‘leader’ loosely.

Many of us would like to think we are leaders, but turn around; is anyone following you?” asked Kathy Anthony of O’Sullivan Creel.

Anthony took the idea of committed leadership from within the workplace out into the community.

A community leader herself, Anthony stressed that a leader must be dedicated and demonstrate accountability for commitments made.

Malcolm Ballinger, owner and publisher of Ballinger Publishing, tied his civic involvement in Rotary Club to his presentation on ethics in business.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Ballinger took questions on the news industry and the commitment to remain an impartial voice in our community.

With many ethical issues, objectivity is not as easy as it sounds. Dr. Athena du Pré, a University of West Florida communications professor, engaged the class in an ethical exercise. Dr. du Pré presented LeaP members with an ethical dilemma related to layoffs and asked them to argue the ethics of each option. This was an opportunity for class members to see how these situations can involve high emotions and stress. The group quickly learned that ethical decisions are often difficult and are seldom a black and white issue.

Covering ethics from every angle throughout the day, the LeaP class learned the leadership skills and solutions for ethical issues, but too of ten, change is a challenging aspect for any workplace or organization. So the day began with a presentation on leading change in the workplace from the Studer Group’s Chief Operating Of ficer, Debbie Ritchie. Ritchie emphasized the importance of urgency and commitment from the entire team and how to find the balance between short term goals and long term vision.

Leadership Pensacola graduates are urged to facilitate changes that lead to a better workplace and stronger community regardless of age, so Chuy

APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

Rameriz from Baptist Health Care was invited to lead a discussion on generations in the workplace.

He demonstrated how a generational gap can be destructive to a workplace and offered suggestions on how to build a bridge between the differences.

The program was scheduled by LeaP alumni Marina Holley, Ted Gorder and Jeff Nall.

Mark Whitacre, the real-life subject of “The Informant” starring Matt Damon, speaks to the 2011 Leadership Pensacola class on ethics. Whitacre spent years as a whistleblower for the FBI while working for a top U.S. firm.

LeaP Class 2011 Liz Adams, David Allen, Lauren Anzaldo, Ross Atherton, Buffi Barrineau Bailey, Ryan Barnett, Carissa Bergosh, Ellis W. Bullock IV, Michael Capps, Ashley Coggin, Sonya Davis, Stefanie Emery Hoffman, Daniel Ewert, Charmere N. Gatson, Andre C. Hall, Brooke Hicks, Matthew C. Hoffman, Shawn B. Hutcherson, Jennifer Knisbell, Rebekah Ann Lee, Russell F. Lentz, Sonia L. Lott, Susan Lovelady, John Lund, Doug Lurton, Melissa Martin, Trip Maygarden, Leah McCreary, Ruth McKinon, Nasya McSwain, Scott Moore, Kevin D. Nelson, Todd O’Brien, Karen T. Pope, Amie Remington, Kismet J. Rideau, Ryan Ross, Sandy Sims, Mark Taylor, Kris Thoma, Greg Thomas, Scot Thomas, Hong Tran, Beth Varhalla, Frank White and Audrey S. Young.

Upcoming Events May 13, 2011 Closing Retreat The class will reflect on the LeaP curriculum and explore lessons learned during the past nine

months. They will explore new individual and team challenges at the high ropes course at Adventures Unlimited and are encouraged to apply the LeaP experience to a future course of action. Chairs: Melissa Chapman, Sparkie Folkers, Brett Berg

The History of Leadership Pensacola A task force was established by the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 18, 1981, to establish Leadership Escambia and Pensacola.

The original members of the steering committee were Dick Appleyard, Earle Bowden, Rick Dye, Isabella Grimes, Ed Hartsell, Donald Jones and Ginger Bass. The Junior League of Pensacola was an original source of funding for the program. The program began in the fall of 1982 and graduated its first class in 1983.

For more information on Leadership Pensacola or to inquire about applying for the class of 2012, call Jennifer Allen at (850) 438-4081 or visit www.pensacolachamber.com/LeaP

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

GOT GOLD OR SILVER? CASH IN DURING RECORD HIGH PRICES...

COMPANY IN PENSACOLA PAYING CASH ON THE SPOT! They are paying out right on the spot for my stuff.

Unbelievable!

By David Morgan STAFF WRITER A spokesperson for the event said he expects to spend in excess of $200,000.00 this week for vintage items and precious metals from local residents.

At previous events: One person sold an old Gibson guitar that was purchased in the 1960’s for less than $250.00. A collector at the event paid him $2,175.00 for it.

Another person had a pocket watch collection that sold for $4,600.00, with one of the watches making up $375.00 of the $4,600.00 total.

A husband and wife brought in a box of old jewelry, wrist watches, coins and 2 German daggers from WWII and left $785.00 richer.

This is cool that something like this would come here to our town. Where else would this stuff ever be sold? The Refinery has teamed up with the collectors for a 24 month tour of the United States, both big and small towns, to dig up hidden gems.

ITEMS WE WILL ACCEPT INCLUDE: SCRAP JEWELRY DENTAL GOLD STERLING SILVERWARE STERLING SILVER SILVER DOLLARS ALL PRE-1965 COINS INDUSTRIAL SCRAP ALL FORMS OF PLATINUM

• Check It Out! • WHO:

Ohio Valley Refinery Reclamation Drive

WHAT:

Open to the public to sell their gold and silver

WHEN: April 18th - 22nd WHERE: Holiday Inn 7813 N. Davis Highway Pensacola, FL 32514 Directions: 850.472.1400 TIMES:

MONDAY–FRIDAY 9:00am–6:00pm EVERY DAY

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL

217.787.7767

ITEMS OF INTEREST COINS: All coins made before 1965. All conditions wanted!

VINTAGE GUITARS: Martin, Gibson, Fender, National, Rickenbacker, Gretsch, Mandolins, Banjos & others WRIST & POCKET WATCHES: Rolex, Tiffany, Hublot, Omega, Chopard, Cartier, Philippe, Waltham, Swatch, Elgin, Bunn Special, Railroad, Ebel, Illinois, Hamilton & all others JEWELRY: Gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, all types of stones and metals, rings, bracelets, necklaces, etc. (including broken and early costume jewelry) ANTIQUE TOYS: All makers and types of toys made before 1965 WAR MEMORABILIA: Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc.

Above: Refinery representatives will be on hand through Friday to purchase all gold, silver and platinum items, as well as coins. Public welcome!

DOZENS CASH IN YESTERDAY WITH JEWELRY, RAILROAD WATCHES AND GUITARS. AN ESTIMATED $200,000 IN PENSACOLA.

By David Morgan STAFF WRITER The first days of the 5 day reclamation drive in Pensacola were a hit with those looking to sell their gold and silver coins.

An estimated 55 people left the event with over $200 from old class rings, wedding bands, herringbones and gold teeth. Coins dated 1964 and earlier were bringing big premiums as well. Silver dollars, halves and quarters arrived in large quantities.

Lots of gold coins were also brought in.

On the other side of the room were representatives from the Antique Association. They were purchasing all types of guitars, large currency bills dated

before 1923, military items and pocket watches. One watch was purchased by a collector in Montana for $835.00. There were piles of sterling silver items like old silverware sets and tea pots. Company officials reported spending over $90,000 the first day of the event, alone. Brian Eades, with the Ohio Valley, said, “We have had an overwhelming turnout this first day, and we expect to get more busy every day this week.” The event continues today and runs through Friday. It is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

WE BUY SCRAP GOLD & GOLD JEWELRY

INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

25

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THE UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD EDITED BY TIMOTHY E. PARKER A POSITIVE MESSAGE by Tenny Jacks

ACROSS 1 Sixties hairstyle 5 Brewer’s need 9 “Let’s Make ___” 14 Point on a radar screen 15 Scatter with Grammys 16 Two-time U.S. Open winner Stewart 17 Beatles classic 19 Correct text 20 “I Can ___ Clearly Now” 21 Watchpocket places 22 Tuscan marbleexporting city 23 Main or Easy 25 Vandalize 27 Babbling waterway 30 Turkey’s capital 33 Railroad station 36 Chaka once in Rufus 38 ___ and don’ts 39 Neural impulse transmitters 40 Battering device 41 Art class outfit 43 Blanc or Tillis 44 “For Pete’s ___!”

45 Atlanta team 46 Analyst’s concern 49 Archie Bunker, to Mike Stivic 51 Susan Lucci’s character 53 Barnum “attraction” 57 Braying burden bearers 59 An Allman brother 62 Cause of silence 63 Brine-cured cheeses 64 Reply on a ship, sometimes 66 Glacial climber’s ridge 67 Hit with hailstones 68 ___ shui 69 Closer to extinction

OWNER, MEDIWEIGHTLOSS CLINICS PENSACOLA What is your chief characteristic?

Genuine, Loyal, Honest. I hope that is what others see in me.

What do you appreciate most about your friends?

Authenticity; I’m drawn to people that are real.

Who is your favorite fiction character?

Ignatius J. Reilly in John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces” Who is your favorite non-fiction character?

Jesus Christ What is the best thing you have ever won?

I had to think really hard about this. I think I won a stamp once.

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

70 Ab ___ (absent) 71 Musical FOX sitcom DOWN 1 Yawning gap 2 Truck collection 3 Stairstep part 4 Be choosy 5 “From ___ Eternity” 6 No-longer-made make 7 ___ du jour (French restaurant feature) 8 Utter, to Shakespeare 9 Tarzan, for one 10 Fabric of raised woven figures 11 Cosmetic coloring 12 Blyth and Jillian 13 One of Jupiter’s moons 18 Turns inside out 24 Blake’s black 26 Made it into print 28 Creole veggie 29 Army uniform material 31 “Jailhouse ___” (Presley hit) 32 Acts as a

quizmaster 33 Favorable for mildew 34 Unlikely valentine swappers 35 Suit material, perhaps 37 ___ corner (church area) 41 “Scooby-Doo” character 42 Bryn ___ (Pennsylvania college) 44 Word on a wine label 47 Invent 48 Snake or cat, on occasion 50 Official emissary 52 Apparently amazed 54 Chart holder 55 Cast pearls before ___ 56 Twill 57 From a considerable distance 58 “... ___, whatever will be, will be” 60 Pumpernickel cousins 61 Finless fish 65 Alphabetic run

What did your mother always tell you?

Once when my brother was being critical of something I was wearing she told him, “You don’t get taste until you are 14.” It was funny to me then and still is.

What is the worst idea you’ve ever had?

To do my own hair color—not smart. It turned out neon orange. My kids were traumatized, but I’m sure they will love to tell the story for years.

What is your favorite food?

It’s a toss-up between BBQ and Mexican.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I have always wanted to sing.

What movie do you love to watch repeatedly?

I think “Forrest Gump” is a brilliant movie.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

Probably when I had to go to work with my beautiful neon orange hair. That will teach you how to laugh at yourself.

What TV show is your guilty pleasure?

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but lately I have been finding the time to watch “Decoded” on the History Channel.

What is the last book you read?

“Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout What is your theme song?

“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor

INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 21, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

Portofino Boardwalk Pensacola Beach 400 Quietwater Beach Rd Suite 8 850.916.1020