Inweekly Nov 5 2020 Issue

DIGNITY AT THE BALLOT BOX

Why voter disenfranchisement continues in Florida even after Amendment 4

Independent News | November 5, 2020 | Volume 21 | Number 45 | Zachary Keaton | Photo by Natalie Allgyer

FREE â–¶

winners & losers

outtakes

4

5

news 6, 7

I want to be a good ancestor.

buzz

cover feature

8

12

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, C.S. Satterwhite

Voted Best Real Estate Agent

cell 850-293-2292 office 850-434-2244 22

15

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2018 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

FIRST TIME HOME BUYER SPECIALISTS

SIMONE SANDS, Realtor

contact us info@inweekly.net

a&e

KIDS BOOKS

Adoption • Paternity • Dependency/DCF Hearings Prenuptial Agreements • Postnuptial Agreements Divorce • Child Custody and Timesharing Child Support • Child Support Modifications Alimony • Collaborative Divorce • Divorce Mediation • Pre-Suit Family Law Mediation

©

127 Palafox Place Suite 100 (850)466-3115 autumnbeckblackledge.com

909 N. 12th Avenue

pensacolapopcomics.com inweekly.net

The Peppermint Mocha is back!

Make Your Holidays

SIP WHILE YOU SHOP

Find fun, unique gifts when you stop in to shop at Bodacious! From books to olive oils, custom gift baskets or ready-to-go gifts, we’ll help you create the perfect gift.

– GIFT BASKETS – Select any assortment of our olive oils, vinegars, seasonings or kitchen tools to design a unique gift basket or choose one of our staff-curated favorites.

SHOPS

POPCORN LOVERS

CLASSIC VINAIGRETTE SET

– CUSTOM TRAYS – Drop off your favorite

BOOKSTORE & CAFÉ

COFFEE COMBO

SIGHTS & SCENTS

– GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE – at all Bodacious locations

tray upstairs and we will create a custom order charcuterie selection to take home. Ready for same-day pickup.

DOWNTOWN PENSACOL A | 407 SOUTH PAL AFOX STREET | BODACIOUSSHOPS.COM

November 5, 2020

3

winners & losers

Concept Image courtesy of Baptist Health Care

By the time this issue goes live on Inweekly.net and hits our newsstands, we may know who are the winners and losers of the 2020 election cycle, or, at least, we hope so. The Winner & Loser gaggle punted one more week and came up with an all-winners version to meet its Tuesday, Nov. 3, deadline.

BAPTIST HEALTH CARE The healthcare

system recently held a virtual groundbreaking event for the construction of its new $615-million campus. The new campus will provide a central location for clinical care, programs and services that will be easier for patients to access. Its park-like setting, filled with heritage oaks, magnolia trees and other native landscaping, will provide a calming backdrop for optimum healing.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2023. Brasfield & Gorrie serves as general contractor, Gresham Smith is the architectural firm responsible for design, Meadows & Ohly is program manager and Smith Seckman Reid serves as equipment and technology planner.

UWF CENTER FOR CYBERSECURITY

The University of West Florida will lead a coalition of 10 institutions designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity in establishing a program to address the critical national shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. The National Security Agency selected UWF to oversee the program, which will launch in the spring and be funded by a two-year $6 million grant. The National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program will focus on recruiting, preparing and placing transitioning military and first responders into cybersecurity work roles in critical infrastructure sectors, including financial services, defense industrial base and energy sectors. UWF will lead a team of nationally designated cybersecurity institutions, including Augusta University, Dakota State University, Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso, Florida International University, University of Houston, Metropolitan State University, San Antonio College, Cyber Florida at the University of South Florida and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

GULF BREEZE POLICE The city of Gulf Breeze recently announced the Gulf Breeze Police Department (GBPD) has received its third consecutive Excelsior rating. The reaccreditation process occurs every three years, most recently concluding in August.

44

There are approximately 400 law enforcement agencies statewide, and GBPD is one of only 57 to earn the Excelsior status.

HILTON PENSACOLA BEACH The Pensacola Beach hotel won ConventionSouth's Annual Readers' Choice Award for one of the best meeting sites in the South for the fifth time. Nominated by top meeting professionals who hold events in the South, Hilton Pensacola Beach was chosen because of its high level of customer service, quality facilities and commitment to professionalism, creativity and service. The hotel is among 380 award winners, one of 60 in Florida, and the only one in the Pensacola area.

JANI-KING Jani-King gifted $28,500 to the University of West Florida to support the new Sports Medicine Center and expansion of the Darrell Gooden Center on the UWF campus. Since 2012, Jani-King, a cleaning industry on the Gulf Coast, has provided UWF Athletics with more than $182,500 in philanthropic support.

OLIVE BRANCH HEALTH AND REHABILITATION CENTER The facility is

among the 21% of U.S. skilled nursing facilities that have been recognized as a Best Nursing Home for 2020-21 by U.S. News & World Report. The home earned Best Nursing Homes status by achieving a rating of "High Performing," the highest possible rating, for short-term rehabilitation. U.S. News gives the designation of Best Nursing Home only to those homes that satisfy U.S. News' assessment of the appropriate use of key services and consistent performance in quality measures. The Best Nursing Homes ratings reflect U.S. News' exclusive analysis of publicly available data using a methodology defined by U.S. News that evaluates factors that it has determined most greatly impact patient and resident care, safety and outcomes. This year, to accompany the new ratings, nursing home profile pages were updated to include a patient safety summary that reflects COVID-19 data alongside other measurements of safety and related advice on choosing a home or facility amidst the pandemic. inweekly.net

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

Practicing Since 1974 INJURED? (ALL TYPES OF ACCIDENTS)

BET ON PAP I almost pity Skanska USA, knowing that trial attorney Mike Papantonio has the company in his sights. Almost, but not entirely.

I first heard of Pap in the summer of 1998. The 43-year-old was challenging Champion International, the predecessor to International Paper, over its plan to dump 24 million gallons of its wastewater into the Escambia River.

Champion had been running ads touting its plan, and the partner of the then-Levin Middlebrooks law firm began to match them ad for ad on television, rallying locals to speak out and block the shift of the paper mill's effluent from Eleven Mile Creek to a river that feeds into Escambia Bay. Pap held no punches, calling the discharges "toxic sewage" that threatened the tourist and fishing industries. Champion fired back, saying its wastewater wasn't toxic. Paper mill supporters openly questioned whether the ads were permissible under The Florida Bar rules. Rumors were floated around the community that the plant may have to close if Papantonio's fight against the mill was successful.

Pap didn't back down under the pressure. Instead, he invited Robert Kennedy Jr. to join him in the battle, and the Emerald Coastkeepers were founded. A little more than a month after Kennedy spoke to the Panhandle Tiger Bay Club, Champion backed off its plan. Pap had stared down a corporate giant and won.

He wasn't finished challenging polluters in his firm's hometown. In 2001, Pap filed two suits against Conoco Inc. and predecessor Agrico Chemical Co. for residents whose property was potentially contaminated by a toxic plume that had spread from the old Agrico Chemical Co. fertilizer plant in central Pensacola to Bayou Texar.

The battle was similar to the Champion fight. Ads were run by both sides. Pap was attacked and again stood firm. The corporation settled the case for $70 million—$65 million divided among about 7,000 people who own, or had owned, some 3,000

pieces of property since 1957 and $3.6 million for medical monitoring of the 3,000 or so residents included in one of the lawsuits.

During the Conoco lawsuit, I got to know Pap. Our daughters went to Gulf Breeze Elementary and played sports in the Gulf Breeze Sports Association. Inweekly began to cover his lawsuits and the development and growth of the Emerald Coastkeepers.

In 2007, I watched Pap and Kennedy join forces again in Spelter, W.Va., and secure jury verdicts and judgments totaling over $300 million against DuPont for its zinc smelter operation that polluted the local water supply.

Three years later, I covered the BP oil spill. In the early stages, before we realized the Deepwater Horizon well couldn't be capped quickly, it was Pap who called me and told me about the environmental disaster. Within weeks, I was breaking stories in this newspaper and for the website The Daily Beast that drew international attention. Pap predicted that BP would eventually have to settle for $20 billion, which the British mega-corporation did—with the Levin Papantonio law firm leading the way.

In 2017, Pap and the firm's C8 trial team helped secure a $920 million settlement against DuPont related to the company's West Virginia plant discharging the chemical PFOA (C8) into the air and water around the Ohio River Valley and exposing citizens to this toxic Teflon chemical.

The case was made into an award-winning documentary "The Devil We Know," and Mark Ruffalo starred in the movie "Dark Waters," in which he played attorney Robert Bilott, who was Pap's co-counsel at one of the trials against DuPont.

Now, Pap is challenging Skanska USA, the international bridge contractor whose barges severely damaged the Pensacola Bay Bridge during Hurricane Sally. Maritime law makes it a tough case to win, but my bet is still on Pap. He's been down this path many times.

Pap will get Skanska to fix its mess. {in} rick@inweekly.net

Maritime law makes it a tough case to win, but my bet is still on Pap.

November 5, 2020

ARRESTED? (ALL FEDERAL & STATE COURTS)

WHITE COLLAR CRIMES (HEALTH-CARE FRAUD • DRUG OFFENSES & D.U.I.s)

FREE CONSULTATION ON INJURY / DEATH CASES & CRIMINAL CASES NO RECOVERY - NO FEE / COST ON PERSONAL INJURY & WRONGFUL DEATH CASES

24 HOUR SERVICE

433-9922

304 E. GOVERNMENT STREET

8 LOTS AVAILABLE ALONG LONG STREET IN MILTON Do not miss your chance to build your new home in this convenient location near downtown Milton and Dogwood intersection! Can also be accessed from Glover Ln and Lambeth! Priced to sell!

Call or text Cheryl Young at 850-712-4742 to see today!

SEVILLE SQUARE REALTY, LLC Cheryl Young Licensed Real Estate Broker

308 E. Government St. • Pensacola, Florida 32502

(850) 712-4742

www.sevillesquare.net • cheryl@sevillesquare.net

Licensed in Florida & Alabama 5

WINDOWS TO THE PAST

Photo by Tim Bednarczyk

By Jeremy Morrison Cemeteries are full of stories, teeming with voices and visions from the past, but such enshrined stories can slowly fade away until they disappear entirely.

That's why, according to Margo Stringfield, a research associate with the University of West Florida's Archeology Institute, such sites should be regarded as historic treasures.

"I think one thing you have to look at historic cemeteries as are outdoor museums," Stringfield said recently. "What you're looking at are sites that literally tell the story of your community and the cemetery and the people that are buried there."

The Pensacola area has a collection of historic cemeteries, such as St. Michael's, which began receiving the city's departed in the 1700s. Across town, along a stretch of A Street, are two other historic cemeteries—AME Zion and Magnolia—that served the area's African American community beginning in the late 1800s.

While St. Michael's has been meticulously mapped and was designated as a state park in 1949, AME Zion and Magnolia cemeteries were left largely to the mercy of time, until in recent years as governmental and community organizations began to tend to the property.

That effort took a big leap forward this summer, with a team from UWF mapping and cataloging the two cemeteries to create an invaluable public database, which Stringfield believes will be "a great tool for people who are looking for their past."

66

A RICH TAPESTRY

This story of restoration for AME Zion and Magnolia cemeteries has roots in St. Michael's Cemetery. Following some incidents of vandalism at the historic cemetery, UWF was brought in to map the site. Archaeologists, with help from other UWF departments, created a GIS-portrait of the cemetery, recording details of its 3,200 marked graves and employing subsurface radar in an effort to catalog a "cast of thousands" lying in unmarked graves.

Some years later, former Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward reached out to the university about performing similar work over at AME Zion and Magnolia, two historic cemeteries that relay a special thread in Pensacola's historical narrative.

"The core group, the people who were first buried there, these are all first-generation postemancipation." Margo Stringfield "The core group, the people who were first buried there, these are all firstgeneration post-emancipation," explained Stringfield. "So they were either born into slavery or they were born immediately at the end of the Civil War, and then they're dying in the late 1800s/early 1900s."

In these cemeteries, history is everywhere, etched into markers that reveal rich culture and tradition.

"What you're seeing in these cemeter-

ies are expressions that are carrying over that have a very definite Afro-centric bent to them and Afro-Caribbean bent," Stringfield said, "because like everybody else, people carry their cultural traditions with them. You don't just discard everything because you have gone someplace else."

Whereas many of the grave markers in St. Michael's Cemetery are machine-cut and engraved slabs of marble or granite, the markers in AME Zion and Magnolia tend to be hand-hewn and personalized, constructed by community artisans and craftsmen with locally sourced materials, thus offering a vivid window into the past.

"It's a very personal touch; people really put their hands on these markers," Stringfield said. "And it's telling a story about our African American community from this period, post-Emancipation, and as we move through the progressive era and move forward, that we often don't see at all in the historic record."

She continued, "We have not as an involved and intense record of what was going on within the African American community at that time as we do, say, in the Anglo community. And what the cemeteries do is give us a rich tapestry of how people were seeing themselves, their neighbors, what they were doing."

PRESERVING HISTORY BEFORE IT'S GONE

The mapping of AME Zion and Magnolia cemeteries was completed this summer.

"As much as they say you can waterproof a tablet, nothing held up to Florida rain," laughed Jennifer Melcher, a faculty research associate with UWF's Archaeology Institute.

As weather allowed, researchers used a GPS receiver hooked up to a tablet to record and catalog each marked gravesite. A photograph was also taken in order to record the marker and inscription, eventually linking that information with the GPS coordinates.

The fieldwork—an $11,400 effort funded

by Escambia County—was not as simple as traversing a coherent grid of graves.

"The gravesites are not in rows. They are not uniformly spaced. They're kind of meandering," Amber Bloechle, of UWF's GeoData Center, explained recently during a virtual presentation on the project.

Now that these marked graves are mapped, that information is being made

available online, which will better enable genealogical research.

"People that aren't from Pensacola can, of course, look at this web map from India, from Canada, from wherever they're from, and they can say, 'Oh, these are my ancestors and they're here, and I know where they are in the cemetery and there's pictures, so I can see their headstones and get more information about them that way,'" said Melcher.

The mapping of AME Zion and Magnolia cemeteries also provides a more complete regional story.

"There's so much of Pensacola's history that's told in those cemeteries," Melcher said, explaining how the cemeteries reflect spikes in deaths corresponding to events like the 1918 Spanish flu. "And then there's another big flu episode that happened that was really impactful on the African American community in the 1960s, and you can see that spike as well."

For now, only visible, marked graves have been mapped at AME Zion and Magnolia. Melcher hopes to get a chance to explore subsurface for unmarked graves.

She expects that additional data to reveal a scene similar to that at St. Michael's.

"We've basically determined that if you stick a shovel in the ground at St. Michael's, there's probably a burial under there somewhere and maybe two or three overlapping," Melcher said.

It's fortunate that AME Zion and Magnolia got mapped this past summer, Stringfield noted, as Hurricane Sally recently dropped multiple trees in the cemetery, wiping out grave markers.

"This points out why it is so important to document these sites, because this is how you lose the information … you have a big tree fall and just smash something to smithereens," she said. "And you have lost it if you have not documented it. If you've not photographed it, collected the information from it, then that information is gone."

Oftentimes headstone may be "the only information that we have on the person, literally, is what is on their tombstone," according to Stringfield. She said, "And these are people, just like you, just like me, just like any citizen in our community—are all adding to the fabric of our community; they all made a contribution."

Rev. Donald Harris, chairperson of the AME Zion Florida Conference burial association, is grateful for the work done by these UWF researchers—as well as ongoing upkeep efforts by groups like Keep Pensacola Beautiful and the North Hill Neighborhood Association—in helping to improve and preserve these historic cemetery grounds.

"The fact is," Harris said, "they care as if the people were their own." {in} inweekly.net

PAPANTONIO’S NEXT CRUSADE

By Rick Outzen Like many Gulf Breeze and South Santa Rosa County residents, attorney Mike Papantonio climbs into his truck every morning to drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour to get to his downtown Pensacola office that's less than 10 miles from his home. He passes dozens of businesses that have either shuttered or are barely hanging on.

He holds one entity responsible—Skanska USA. Since Hurricane Sally made landfall in mid-September, thousands of commuters like Papantonio have been forced to take either a 33-mile detour across the Garcon Point Bridge or a 62-mile detour using Highway 87 because barges owned by Skanska USA broke free of their moorings and severely damaged the Pensacola Bay Bridge.

The shoulder season for Pensacola Beach businesses has been obliterated. Gulf Breeze retailers have also seen their sales dry up.

Levin Papantonio plans to sue Skanska USA and has begun a marketing campaign demanding the corporation fix the problem.

"Over the years, we've handled cases against the biggest corporations on the globe," Papantonio said. "We have a multinational corporation come to town and make promises that affected hundreds of thousands of people. And so now, what we see about their promise and reality are two different things."

According to Papantonio, the promises included following sound bridge construction practices. He added, "They came to this community to improve the community, not to leave us in the mess that we're now faced with and probably will be for more than a year."

He and his firm are taking on the case because it fits their mission, not because it will be profitable.

"We don't even analyze this case from the standpoint of fees or profitability. It simply

isn't," admitted Papantonio. "But that doesn't mean we pass on trying to do the right thing.

This law firm has been in Pensacola for 67 years. And every time this community is confronted with something with this caliber, we've always tried to rise to the occasion. So there's nothing different here."

Papantonio hasn't been afraid to take on crusades in his own backyard. In 1998, Champion, the predecessor to International Paper, announced its plan to pipe the mill's effluent, an estimated 24 million gallons a day, to Escambia River, which flows into Escambia Bay. The company ran television ads supporting the move as a way to clean up Perdido Bay, into which the mill's wastewater had flowed for decades.

Papantonio took to the airwaves, spending $60,000 to fight the dumping of "toxic waste" into our waterways. He told the daily newspaper, "Sometimes it takes a catalyst to get things going. I want my ads to just be the first step with getting people paying attention to what is a very serious issue."

Papantonio brought in Robert Kennedy Jr. to speak to the Panhandle Tiger Bay Club and drew attention to the environmental issue and founded the Emerald Coastkeepers, a local chapter of Kennedy's Riverkeepers. Champion dropped its plan in February 1999.

In 2001, Papantonio took on another corporate giant, Conoco, Inc., whose Agrico Superfund site off of North Palafox Street had created a massive underground toxic plume that threatened Pensacola's water supply. Levin Papantonio filed a lawsuit against Conoco and bought 40 bright-red billboards stating "Conoco: It's your mess, you pay for it."

"My partners weren't wild about the Conoco case," Papantonio told Inweekly when he topped the Inweekly Power List in 2014. "It was in our hometown and a huge undertaking. We were taking on one of the wealthiest corporations in the country at the time. We spent $8 million on that case.

We couldn't spend $8 million and lose, so naturally, my partners had some real hesitations. But once they began to see my vision, they agreed to get behind it. " Conoco hired a local advertising firm, rented office space near Cordova Mall and had seven full-time employees who tried to sway public opinion in its favor, only to lose the battle and settle out of court for $70 million.

Papantonio sees the Skanska USA lawsuit being even more important locally than the BP oil spill case—"because of the longrange problems that are going to result if Skanska doesn't do what they should do."

He said, "This is just another iteration of a corporation that chooses not to play by the rules because they think they can get away with it."

Papantonio admitted that the lawsuit is an "uphill battle." The trial attorney said, "This is a very long-shot, difficult case if simply treated as a maritime case. It's our job to, A—figure out another avenue, and, B—if we have to take on the maritime case, try to change the law. And we've changed laws many times in the cases that we've handled against some of the biggest corporations on the globe."

As with both Champion and Conoco, Papantonio expects pushback from what he called the "troll factory."

"We've actually heard that there are politicians and business folks even that are taking the position that Skanska is going to leave town if we hold their feet to the fire," he said. "You would have to be a total buffoon to make such a statement."

He continued, "If they left the job, the Department of Transportation could execute on the surety bond. Second of all, if they left the job, the people that have to come in and finish the job, and Skanska would have to pay that bill in a lawsuit."

Papantonio laughed, "I've never heard such a moronic statement in my life, but that is actually a statement that's being promoted by Skanska."

The trial attorney also blames the Florida Department of Transportation for not holding Skanska's feet to the fire on repairing the bridge and making the community whole.

"I have no idea what kind of flying monkey signed this contract with Skanska," he told Inweekly. "If you read the contract, there is nothing at all that protects the citizens of this community, nothing. It's all one-sided. And it's almost as if whoever at the DOT said, 'Well, we're going to just go along with whatever you request,' they closed their eyes and signed a disgustingly flawed contract."

However, the contract can be corrected.

"But for the DOT not to jump in both feet and, just for once, do their job as a public entity and protect this community, it's going to result in a huge political fight that we will start," said Papantonio, "And if it runs all the way to the governor, so be it."

Publicity—"almost like guerrilla warfare"—is a critical part of the Levin Papantonio strategy.

"What we learned a long time ago in taking on corporations like this is you have to have the people who are being affected understand what you're doing and why you're doing it," he said, "because you have to overcome all the naysayers who either are driven by Skanska or simply don't have enough business acumen to understand what we're doing."

He added, "We learned, all the way back to the Conoco fight, that you have to start on the ground and show to this company that it's not just a lawsuit; it's an entire community that has an interest in the outcome here."

The message will be simple—"Skanska, fix your mess."

With a smile, Papantonio ended the interview, "When Brian Barr and I take the first depositions in this case, it's going to be a wake-up call to this company that this is not Mayberry RFD." {in}

Stock Market Losses?

Hire a lawyer who is a former Merril Lynch stock broker.

11 East Romana Street | Pensacola, Fl 32502

genemitchell.org November 5, 2020

7

Photo courtesy of University of West Florida

SPIRIT OF UWF The University of West Florida hosted the first-ever virtual 2020 Spirit of UWF Alumni and Community Awards ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The annual awards presentation was an online streaming event, featuring a compilation of videos from presenters and awards recipients sharing notable work done by UWF staff, faculty, students, alumni and community members.

"As we navigate these challenging times, we continue to see UWF alumni and our community partners rise to the challenge and do extraordinary things," said Howard J. Reddy, vice president for University Advancement. "These award recipients make our growth and their communities' growth possible. They are change-makers, and we are proud of the invaluable impact they make."

The Alumni Awards recognize those who excel in representing the UWF Alumni Association, the University, their respective communities and the more than 90,000 UWF alumni worldwide. Those eligible for nomination included UWF alumni, friends, faculty and staff.

The following alumni were named recipients of the Alumni Awards: •Outstanding Young Alumni: Jenny Ford '10, Michael Krueger '16 & '19, Melissa Pappas '15, Dr. Vanessa Phillips '06, '09 & '14 and Sigrid Solgard '15.

•Distinguished Alumni: Terry Berling '70, Dr. Diane Kelley '78, '91, '94 & '97, Olevia McNally '07 & '10 and Dr. Benjamin Stubbs '02.

•Chambered Nautilus of Merit: Dr. Usha Kundu and Mr. Mahadeb Kundu.

The Spirit of UWF Community Awards celebrate and strengthen collaborations between the University and the communities that UWF serves. Those eligible for nomi88

nation include businesses, organizations, agencies and individuals, along with UWF administrators, staff, faculty and students.

The following people or organizations were named recipients of the Spirit of UWF Awards: •Research and Scholarship—C.A. Weis Community Partnership School •Workforce and Career Development— Dee Swanson, Enterprise Holdings •Public Service and Education—Studer Community Institute •Quality of Life—Robin Foley, Pensacola's Rec Plex North parkrun/walk •Community Engagement Educator—Dr. Hedi Salanki Rubardt •Community Impact—Carson Wilber •Community Innovation—Thomas Asmuth For more information about the Spirit of UWF and Alumni Awards, visit uwf. edu/spiritofuwf. To watch the 2020 Spirit of UWF Awards ceremony recording, visit alumlc.org/uwf/archive.

ONE MONTH LEFT FOR FEMA Florida Panhandle residents who have uninsured losses resulting from Hurricane Sally have until Tuesday, Dec. 1, to register with FEMA for disaster assistance. As of Oct. 29, more than $94 million has been approved in federal grants, loans and flood insurance payments, including $19.2 million for 4,554 individuals and households.

Survivors in Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties can register with FEMA by visiting disasterassistance.gov, downloading the FEMA App for smartphones or calling 800-621-3362 (800-462-7585 TTY). FEMA is operating Mobile Registration Intake Centers in several locations to assist survivors with

registration and provide information about disaster assistance.

Dec. 1 also is the deadline to apply to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans for physical property damage. The deadline for working capital applications is July 2, 2021. Applicants may apply online using SBA's secure website at disasterloanassistance. sba.gov, or they may email foce-help@sba. gov for more information.

They can also call SBA's Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955.

SBA is operating Business Recovery Centers from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. seven days a week at the East Pensacola Heights Clubhouse, 3208 E. Gonzalez St. For more information about Hurricane Sally recovery in Florida, visit the FEMA disaster webpage at fema.gov/disaster/4564 or the Florida Division of Emergency Management webpage at floridadisaster.org/info.

OCTOBER COVID NUMBERS Escambia

County had 1,046 new COVID-19 cases and 35 deaths reported by the Florida Department of Health in October. The positivity rate was 3.7% on 28,223 test results. Of the 35 deaths, 14 were associated with longterm care facilities.

SPRUCING UP GARDEN STREET As

drawn up by British planners in the 1700s, Pensacola's Garden Street originally served as an area where residents were allotted space to grow their food. Nowadays, the stretch serves as a main artery through the heart of downtown, and the only quasinatural space is found along the median dividing the street directionally.

On Oct. 27, the city of Pensacola hosted an open house showcasing plans for a landscape beautification project slated for a 10-block run of Garden Street's median. The project runs from A Street to Alcaniz Street and is being funded in part by a $98,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation, with the city putting up matching funds.

"I think we have a huge opportunity for the community to beautify the median," said David Haight of Atkins Global, Inc., the firm working on this project for the city.

During the city's open house event, Haight, virtually speaking, walked through the beautification project block by block,

pointing out the existing landscape—some of which will be removed—as well as places where new features may be added.

Haight noted that the landscape had changed some since Atkins produced its concept design for the project in 2018. Hurricane Sally, for instance, recently took out numerous trees and other landscape features.

"Some of the trees have been damaged not just by wind but also by flooding," Haight said, explaining that an up-to-date, on-the-ground survey would need to be completed before moving forward on the project. "That would be our first task, to do a health assessment of the trees that are out there."

In short, this beautification project will involve the removal of various features, such as shrubs, some camellias and a number of sabal palms, as well as adding things like live oaks. Crape myrtles, interestingly, are removed along some blocks and added along others.

Additional plants will be selected for the median based on the level of required maintenance. Likely candidates include low-maintenance plants like Asian jasmine and dwarf azaleas.

"This project is likely to be a lot of ground cover," Haight noted, explaining that any new landscaping would need to allow for a clear line of sight for vehicles turning across Garden's median. "We can't plan for anything that obstructs the view of vehicles going through these median openings."

Other aspects of this project include designing a landscape that accommodates Garden Street's utility infrastructure and accentuates features such as the Blue Star Highway Memorial sign between A and Donelson or the locomotive stationed along the next block, between Donelson and Coyle. The city's streetscaping plans associated with the East Garden District development at the intersection of Garden and Jefferson streets will also be synthesized into the median improvements.

Irrigation will also be part of the Garden Street beautification efforts. Existing irrigation infrastructure will be inspected and upgraded, with aims at reducing any overspray onto paved area.

This week's open house event marked the beginning of the city's public comment period for this beautification project. Comments will be accepted through Tuesday, Nov. 3.

"We want to incorporate that into the plan before we truly kick off the design phase," said Capital Improvement Projects Manager David Forte, who is overseeing the project.

Forte also noted that this project, which will begin in the spring, must be completed by the end of June 2021 in order for the city to get the FDOT beautification grant money.

He said, "That clock is starting to tick." inweekly.net

IMPACT 100 UPDATES IMPACT 100

Pensacola Bay Area had an amazing year in 2020, with 1,166 members awarding a record number of transformative grants in the amount of $106,000 each to 11 nonprofit organizations in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

The 2021 Membership Season for IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area is underway, and continued support is needed in sharing the story of community giving.

As 2020 comes to a close, there are multiple IMPACT 100 Membership Virtual Events from which to choose: •4:30-5:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5, with special guests Julia Humphries and the service dogs of the Studer Family Children's Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart.

•11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17, with special guest Vinnie Whibbs of ReEntry Alliance of Pensacola (REAP).

•4:30-5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2, with special guest Dana Hall of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.

Visit impact100pensacola.org/getinvolved/join to register to attend one of these virtual events.

POST-ELECTION CLIMATE ROUNDUP

Representatives from several Pensacola-area groups will gather to discuss election results and planned projects and actions for the months ahead at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, via Zoom. This is a great chance to learn more about what local groups are doing and how to get more involved. Much of the discussion will focus around the need for the City of Pensacola to act on the recommendations of the City's Climate Task Force, as well as activities at the University of West Florida.

Organizations represented include Sunrise Movement, 350 Pensacola, Fridays for the Future, Healthy Gulf and Environment Florida. Registration for this free event is at bit.ly/3emxDIi. More information is available at the event Facebook page fb.me/e/3Ec8PLnyn.

The presentation is part of a regular speaker series on climate change and related issues sponsored by 350 Pensacola. For more information, email 350pensacola@gmail.com.

MARCH MADNESS Ticket packages for the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Women's and Men's Basketball Championships at the Pensacola Bay Center went on sale Friday, Oct.

30, at noon. The tournaments will be played March 5-8, 2021, and will mark the beginning of NCAA March Madness.

"Pensacola is a popular destination for the people who live in our geographic footprint and is centrally located to the Sun Belt Conference members and their communities," said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill. "We look forward to four exciting days of basketball that will culminate in two teams earning invitations to participate in the NCAA Basketball Championships."

All 12 conference members will compete in the single-elimination Sun Belt championships. The women's and men's champions will be crowned on Monday at the conclusion of the tournament and will advance to the NCAA Women's and Men's Basketball Tournament.

Ticket packages include a ticket to each session selected and range in price from $30 to $75 (for children) to $100 to $250 (for adults). Additional fees may apply.

Individual tickets will go on sale through Pensacola Ticketmaster beginning Monday, Feb. 15. Group tickets are priced at $5 per person when purchasing 10 or more tickets for locations in the upper bowl or end zone lower bowl.

DESIGNING LIVABLE STREETS Would

you like to see safer and more pleasant streets for walking and bicycling? Join Escambia County transportation engineer Christine Fanchi for an online presentation via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16.

Fanchi will share her experience transforming existing streets into safe corridors for all modes, focusing on reducing fatalities using Vision Zero principles. She'll discuss how the project process works

for implementation of bike projects, how best to work with agencies to get ideas considered and when is the best time to get involved in projects and give the most useful input.

Registration for this free event is available at bit.ly/2TRVdmJ. More information is also available at bit.ly/3emRFlH. The presentation is part of the advocacy and education programs of Bike Pensacola, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a community that is safer and more pleasant for walking and bicycling.

For more information, email bike@pensacolacan.org.

PAYCHECKS FOR PATRIOTS CareerSource Escarosa has announced Paychecks for Patriots, a special statewide hiring fair in November dedicated to employing Florida veterans. More than 6,280 veteran candidates and military family members who participated in previous Paychecks for Patriots events have gained employment from connections made at these events.

This year, events in the CareerSource Escarosa region will take place virtually on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Florida National Guard, the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs and participating Florida employers are partnering with CareerSource Florida regions throughout the state to connect veterans with career opportunities to continue the mission to be the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.

Veterans and their families bring dedication, a special set of skills and diversity to Florida's workforce. CareerSource Escarosa is excited to serve those who have served the country. Through Paychecks for Patriots, companies will be connected with talented, well-trained veterans to join their team.

For more information on events and companies that will be present, visit floridajobs.org/paychecks-for-patriots. {in}

Have You Lost More than 10% in the Stock Market?

YOU MAY HAVE CONCENTRATION IN

ENERGY

TRANSPORTATION

FINANCE

HOSPITALITY

850.435.7000 | LEVINLAW.COM | PENSACOLA, FL

PETER J. MOUGEY | Recovered $250 Million on Behalf of over 3,000 Investors | Call Us For A Free Consultation November 5, 2020

9

STUDER COMMUNITY INSTITUTE

BUSINESS

+ LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

NOVEMBER

18 + 19

NOW VIRTUAL

REIMAGINE A BETTER, BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION Live and online, this year’s EntreCon® business and leadership conference promises more exceptional content, thought-leadership and networking opportunities than ever before.

FIVE DAYS OF ENTRECON® We invite you to join us for these EXTRA events happening during the week!

MONDAY

NOV. 16

TUESDAY

NOV. 17

WEDNESDAY

NOV. 18

THURSDAY

NOV. 19 FRIDAY

NOV. 20

ENTRECON® AWARDS CEREMONY 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. CST | Brought to you by Cox Business We invite both EntreCon® attendees and the public to join us for a special virtual ceremony announcing the winners of the 2020 EntreCon® Awards!

ENTRECON® NETWORKING RECEPTION 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. CST | Brought to you by Clark Partington EntreCon® attendees are invited to join us for an evening of networking and fun!

Event Keynote: John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer, and Speaker, Mike Harbour ENTRECON® CONFERENCE DAY 1 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST Brought to you by Pensacola International Airport See full Day 1 agenda online: www.entreconpensacola.com/agenda ENTRECON® CONFERENCE DAY 2 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST Brought to you by Pensacola International Airport See full Day 2 agenda online: www.entreconpensacola.com/agenda ENTRECON® HEADSHOTS 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. CST Photographs by Salz Studio

See full schedule and speakers

ENTRECON® LUNCH & LEARNS 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. CST

ENTRECONPENSACOLA .COM

Contact Rachael Gillette at rgillette@studeri.org or 850.748.5656 The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

010 1

inweekly.net

STUDER COMMUNITY INSTITUTE

BUSINESS

+

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Presented by

NOVEMBER

18 + 19

NOW VIRTUAL

EXPERIENCE INSPIRING KEYNOTES AND TACTICAL BREAKOUTS ORGANIZED IN

FIVE INFORMATIVE TRACKS # # # # 1 2 3 4

BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP AGILITY

DR. CEDRIC ALEXANDER Overcoming Our Biases for a Better Tomorrow

CHRIS DO Including a Creative Team in Your Marketing Process

MONA AMODEO Reimaging the Possibilities: CX-Focused Branding

DEBORAH & JAMES FALLOWS An America That (Still) Works: How Our Towns Are Reinventing Themselves in the Face of Challenge

JAMES LIMA Placemaking 101: Let’s Get Intentional About the Economic Value of Place

MARDIA SHANDS Being Inclusive: Your Role in Creating a Diverse & Inclusive Culture

BUILDING A VIBRANT COMMUNITY

CHARLES MAROHN Why My City’s Top Draft Pick Is an Entrepreneur, Not an Investor

TERRE SHORT Your Voice is a Choice

MIKE BODIE The One Thing Every Great Leader Does

LEWIS GARVIN Reimaging the Possibilities: CX-Focused Branding

MARYALICE MORRO Authentic Leadership in Turbulent Times

TIM SHOOP Protect Your Biz from Hackers, Attackers, Scammers and Fraudsters

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

TONY BRIGMON FUNomenal™ CARE: Caring for Self, Internal Customers, and External Customers!

MICHELLE B. GRIFFIN There’s Power in Your Profile: Using LinkedIn to Promote Yourself and Your Business

FELIPE MUÑOZ Stress Less: Mindful Exercises to Improve Decision Making

5

#

SALES & MARKETING

MADRINA CIANO Strength Through Struggle

MIKE HARBOR Helping You Become A Leader Others Will Follow

DIANA HENDEL Leading in Times of Chaos: What Unprecedented Stress Does to an Organization

DR. BOB NELSON What the Best Companies Do to Get Results in Tough Times

QUINT STUDER Great Leaders Choose Character, Not Comfort and Two Small Investments That Yield Big Results

FRANCES CUTSHAW Shutting Down Imposter Syndrome Before It Shuts Down Innovation

JAMES TODD Protect Your Biz from Hackers, Attackers, Scammers and Fraudsters

HAROLD DAWSON Enriching Lives Through Servant Leadership

CARESS HUDSON Creating Confidence and the Power of Sisterhood

BOB NICOLS The Twilight Zone and a Sales Silver Lining

EMILY LEY Growing Boldly: Building a Life You Love

JEAN MARIE RICHARDSON 3 Ways to Increase Sales with Digital Portfolios and Text Message Campaigns

IAN TURNIPSEED Projecting Executive Presence Through Leadership

BRAD WEAVER The ROI You Can Get from a Brand Identity Project

See full schedule and speakers at

ENTRECONPENSACOLA .COM

Contact Rachael Gillette at rgillette@studeri.org or 850.748.5656 The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

November 5, 2020

11

Zachary Keaton / Photo by Natalie Allgyer

DIGNITY AT THE BALLOT BOX Why voter disenfranchisement continues in Florida even after Amendment 4

By Sydney Robinson In the two years that Zachary Keaton has lived in Pensacola, he has made waves in all of the best ways—first as Chef de Cuisine at a new downtown restaurant and then as a burgeoning small business owner specializing in mid-century modern furnishings at Supertouch Vintage. Keaton brings a unique sense of style and modern sensibility that is a net positive to our ever-growing city, but it wasn't until June of this year, in the immediate wake of the murder of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that followed, that Keaton shared publicly a part of himself that few knew much about—his criminal history.

In a lengthy post made on Instagram, Keaton explained that he had been previously incarcerated. By speaking out, Keaton was attempting to use his experience in the criminal justice system not to advocate for himself, but to speak out about what he had learned about racism and inequality. He sought to use his perspective as a megaphone to draw attention to marginalized communities instead of himself.

212 1

"Prisons and jails are legalized slavery.

It is a system designed to keep people of color incarcerated. It is not a place of reform. It's a death sentence," he declared in the post.

When he was just 18 years old, Keaton served six months in jail in Panama City and then spent a decade on probation for burglary. The crimes were committed with his underage friends, and he was used to make an example.

"I've been sitting on these words for the last decade," his post began.

"I honestly didn't think about my time in jail for the longest time until I wrote that post," Keaton shared with Inweekly.

"But everyone I've talked to says [sharing my story] was a good idea. People need to know. They are curious about what it was like because in everyone's eyes, these big bad criminals deserve to rot in [prison,] but if you've never been, you don't realize how bad it is. There are people trapped in there for petty crimes. They're in there because prisons get paid."

In his post, Keaton explained that his

firsthand account of the ingrained racism in the criminal justice system was his first major window into inequality and that even though he spent time in jail and a decade on probation, he knew he had been treated less severely because of the color of his skin.

"When my lawyer turned to me and said, 'You're lucky you're white or this would have been way worse,' I was so confused. I thought they were just trying to drop this hammer on me and ruin my life and trap me in this system."

Later, Keaton said, he discovered just how much worse it could have been. "[In jail] there were people who were going away for 10, 15 years for crimes similar to mine."

Keaton recalls being confused at what his attorney could have meant during his sentencing. Today, he believes without a doubt that she was "exactly right."

FINES AND FEES

In addition to the more extreme sentences, Keaton says he witnessed a pattern of Black inmates sentenced to jail

sentences of 364 days, just one day short of a required transfer to a prison. Frequently, these charges were related to failed child support payments or other minor infractions—charges related to the failure or inability to pay money for which the individual returned to jail again and again, charges stacking and sentences lengthening.

Keaton explained that the system that chewed up and spit out felons did not assist them in finding gainful employment and that the official mark of "felon" meant it was difficult to find jobs, housing and any form of assistance. It felt like a given that those who were felons would find their way back into the system because the system was never meant to be escaped entirely.

Fines and fees play a large part in the cyclical nature of the criminal justice system, an issue Keaton saw firsthand when he inevitably fell behind on his probation fees. A service industry worker making his way up the line in the restaurant industry, Keaton says it was incredibly difficult to pay the state, and just one missed payment meant reincarceration. inweekly.net

"They trap you in this system. They don't set you up for anything, help you, guide you where you can get a job. I lied on my application for a kitchen job as a dishwasher that paid $8 an hour in Panama City Beach."

"For 10 years of probation, I'm reporting to my probation officer, and people are getting violated for little things like money.

You violate because you can't make a payment; then they send you back to jail or you do weekends in jail. It's just this constant entrapment you can't get out of."

Keaton says his experience with probation felt like a constant set of impossible tasks. Probation officers showing up to his home in the middle of the night and the looming threat of violating made it feel like he was bound to lose.

"I always felt like I was set up to fail from the beginning. I was apathetic. Until I was in my mid-20s, I felt like I was just supposed to be a felon; this was the life I was supposed to live. It wasn't until I was made a sous chef that I started to take my life seriously."

Despite his hard work, Keaton says it was almost completely undone when he missed a payment.

"They tried to send me away to spend a whole year of weekends in jail. I was a sous chef and running a restaurant, and I thought, 'This is insane.'"

Keaton says he was able to leverage his connections as a white man to receive leniency through a connection in the courts—something he saw people of color unable to do.

"It's always about who you know. Those people [who don't know anyone] will get sent down again and again."

After the close call, Keaton says he was terrified—a feeling that continues to stick with him even now as a successful business owner and free man.

"I'm always terrified I'll do something stupid and fuck up my life."

Individuals under probation are subject to random visits at all hours and frequent drug testing and are barred from leaving the state, drinking alcohol and many other freedoms most citizens take for granted.

Most of them also lose their right to vote.

Statewide, about 1.6 million Floridians have been barred from voting due to their legal status.

AMENDMENT 4

In 2018, two-thirds of Florida voters supported Amendment 4—a ballot measure that aimed to restore voting rights to felons.

The amendment included certain exceptions for individuals convicted of murder or sexual offenses. But even with those exceptions, Amendment 4 should have restored voting rights to over a million Floridians, giving it the potential to be one of the largest voting rights victories since the 1964 Voting Rights Act. But despite the amendment passing and the best efforts of advocates for returning citizens, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition estimates less than 100,000 of those 1.6 million were able to register for the 2020 general election.

Those low registration numbers are thanks to a partisan battle waged by the state's Republican-led legislature over prison fines and fees and a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June 2019 requiring anything owed to the state be paid before registering. Because of that law, thousands of eligible citizens have been forced to sit out what is arguably the most important election of their lives.

Some have argued that this financial hurdle is basically a modern-day poll tax, similar to those used during the Jim Crow era to disenfranchise Black voters and eventually ruled unconstitutional. But even if you agree that paying all financial obligations should qualify as part of "completing all terms of their sentence," as the amendment states, it's still a complicated issue muddied by poor record-keeping and lack of cooperation from the state.

ROADBLOCKS

When Keaton was first arrested at 18, he was not yet a registered voter. Today, with his probation nearly two years done and all of his known fines and fees paid to the state, he is still ineligible to vote in the 2020 election.

While returning citizen support groups have worked to provide resources and support for reformed felons, it has been an uphill battle reaching citizens and receiving clear guidance from the state.

Despite the measure passing in 2018, Keaton says it was just about six months ago that he even realized Amendment 4 applied to him.

"Whenever I got sentenced, they told me I would never be allowed to vote, that my rights would be revoked," said Keaton.

"When I finished probation, they gave me the certificate like, 'Hey, you're done,' and that was it."

Because of the finality of what he was told, Keaton didn't even consider that he could potentially earn back his voting rights.

"I've been on probation since I was 18. It has been in my head that I'm not allowed to vote. When that amendment passed, I was like 'Oh, that's nice. I wish that was me.' No one comes to your door and says, 'Hey, you get your rights back.' It was news to me."

Once he realized the amendment did apply to him and all other felons in the state, Keaton found more roadblocks.

"I tried to register, but apparently, I need to show proof I don't owe money to the state, which is odd because if I owe money, they should know, right? There's a bunch of hoops to jump through, and people [in the system] don't really know what's going on."

Keaton said that it was no surprise that the state didn't know whether or not he still owed money.

"The record-keeping is entirely poor.

Through my years of probation, I kept a log of what I paid and owed, and it was always off [from what the state records said]. There would be times when I owed $1,000 more according to the state. But it wasn't like I could argue with it. I just had to pay what they said."

As more and more stories like Keaton's started to be heard, it became clear for most paying attention that Florida is giving very little feedback to returning citizens about their eligibility to vote.

In many cases, the court system is unable to even provide clear information on what fees are owed, leaving would-be voters left to try and provide proof for something the state has inadequately tracked.

In addition to a muddy record-keeping system, the amendment has been stuck in a tug of war between returning citizens and the Republican state leadership. With less than two months until the election, the latest circuit court ruled that the requirement that felons pay their fines and fees in full before being eligible to vote was upheld and more than 85,000 registered felons were left wondering if they were legally allowed to vote. Still.

Embarrassingly, while Florida has tussled over this amendment, the two other states which previously barred felons from voting—Kentucky and Iowa—have signed executive orders restoring voting rights to those who have completed their sentences, including parole and probation. Neither state has included the same financial hurdle. This means that Florida is now the only state in the country to deny voting rights to felons who have served their sentence.

Keaton says not being able to participate in his civic duty, especially in 2020, is extremely difficult.

"It would be nice to play a part in elections, especially with what's going on in 2020. It's super frustrating because people want to talk to me about politics, but I feel like I don't have a right to have an opinion.

Just one vote could change the outcome."

"It's discouraging, belittling. It hurts your pride," he said. {in}

THE NEXT ELECTION •While it's too late for many returning citizens to cast a ballot in 2020, efforts are already underway to ensure that every willing citizen in Florida can vote the next time around (2022 will be here before we know it). If you want to help, you can donate to the Amendment 4 Fines and Fees Campaign at wegotthevote.org/finesandfees.

•Follow Desmond Meade, founder of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and member of the Florida Live Free Campaign, for updates and initiatives at twitter.com/desmondmeade or facebook.com/desmond.meade.7.

•The League of Women Voters of Florida has launched a pro bono legal effort to help returning citizens by getting their voting rights status checked by a legal representative. Returning citizens seeking legal clarity can call the League's hotline dedicated to this program at 407-710-5496 or email canivote@lwvfl.org.

夀漀甀爀 䴀漀琀漀爀挀礀挀氀攀 䰀愀眀礀攀爀⸀

䴀䤀䌀䠀䰀䔀匀 䈀伀伀吀䠀

䄀挀挀椀搀攀渀琀 ☀ 䤀渀樀甀爀礀 䰀愀眀礀攀爀猀

㄀ⴀ㠀 ⴀ㐀㌀㠀ⴀ㌀㘀 㘀 簀 䘀漀爀吀栀攀嘀椀挀琀椀洀猀⸀挀漀洀 倀攀渀猀愀挀漀氀愀 ⴀ 䘀漀爀琀 圀愀氀琀漀渀 䈀攀愀挀栀 ⴀ 䌀爀攀猀琀瘀椀攀眀

November 5, 2020

13

This face was once masked by pain.

Now, it’s a face that sees the light.

We are a non-profit, faith-centered ministry offering food, addiction recovery services, housing, spiritual guidance and more to Escambia County’s most vulnerable and under-resourced residents.

850.912.8383 • BrightBridgeMinistries.org

414 1

inweekly.net

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5-11

Arts & Encouragement hope, help and other signs of humanity at a time when we really need it...

Connecting Stories and Communities

By Scott Satterwhite

Linezo compared the experience to walking into the Smithsonian's dinosaur hall and not seeing the dinosaurs.

"The point here is that the archive of the Exalted Cyclops needs some work," said Linezo, referencing the museum namesake's newly discovered rank in the Ku Klux Klan. "I think it's time to start including the Native American history in our American history," said Linezo. "Our local history does not begin with colonization."

THE SEMINOLE STORY

Photo courtesy of Sean Linezo

Artist Sean Linezo's exhibit "Bring Me the Head of Osceola // There is More to Remember…"—currently only on display at the Pensacola Museum of Art—is hardly a subtle work of art.

Marking a series of events in coordination with Native American Heritage Month and the foundation of Pensacola's first Indigenous People's Day (formerly Columbus Day), the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA) is hosting Linezo's latest work. "Bring Me the head of Osceola" ties together regional history with the ongoing national struggles for racial justice and Native American sovereignty.

Oh, yeah, there's some punk rock in here, too.

The origin story of this exhibit began when Linezo co-curated the "Punksacola" exhibit at the T.T. Wentworth State History Museum, highlighting Pensacola's punk scene. Wandering through the museum, Linezo saw an exhibit purportedly about regional Indigenous culture.

"As I walked into the exhibit," said Linezo, "the first thing I saw were the faces and names of the first three Spanish conquistadors who began colonization in Florida in 1516."

Linezo said he was mystified that an exhibit on Native Americans started with the Spanish. "So I looked around the room to try to find the native peoples," he said, "and I'm not exaggerating, but there is a deserted island, empty beach diorama complete with an artificial forest installed that makes you feel like you are alone in nature."

November 5, 2020

As Linezo dug into his research, he traveled to visit elders of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, who state proudly on their website, "The only Tribe in American who never signed a peace treaty."

Linezo gained the trust of Seminole elders and historians who taught him more about Osceola, the Seminole chief deceived during the Seminole Wars by the U.S. Army under a flag of truce. Osceola's death occurred in a military prison. The official story is Osceola suffered from malaria and died of quinsy in 1838. Seminole elders tell a different story of Osceola's murder, all of which are described in Linezo's PMA exhibit.

Linezo's exhibit is multifaceted as he presents the story of Osceola's death and connects this history to the present. On one side, in a cabinet setting, is the exhibit with Osceola's death mask displayed in the three ways he was described to have died—depending on the source—along with writings by the attending physician, poet Walt Whitman and various popular depictions of the Seminole Chief.

Across from the cabinet display are scenes connected with the current Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, including sartorial displays representing mothers and military veterans "against fascism." Meanwhile, cascading video images tying both Indigenous culture and modern protests serve to piece the seemingly disconnected historical works together into a singular narrative.

The exigence of Linezo's work, including his ongoing "Mail Art Against Fascism," was President Trump's July 4th speech at Mount Rushmore, described by many as a right-wing declaration of "culture war." Many Native American groups protested the militaristic nature of the president's ceremony, as the Sioux people see this ground as sacred.

Linezo's exhibit responds to what he sees as a disregard for Indigenous people and racist

approach to American history with his decidedly anti-racist approach through his usage of Native American imagery and art.

While Native American art in museums is by no means a novel subject, Linezo updates the ways in which Indigenous peoples' histories and presence are portrayed. "Native American representation in museums and Western academic institutions is a controversial subject," said Linezo. "It's an honor for me to have the support of the Seminole Tribe of Florida to work with the actual death mask of Osceola, taken immediately after his death in 1838."

Linezo admits the images may be shocking to some, but his intent is to place "previously omitted tribal history side by side with the official archives to illustrate, not only to accuse, the U.S. government of murder and a coverup." He describes this work as "an indictment of the Western white supremacist curatorial omissions of the official archives."

"A LANGUE OF SYMBOLS"

Linezo, who sees art as "a language of symbols put into a safe space for confronting difficult subjects," is no stranger to confronting difficult subjects through art. The installation currently on display at the PMA could be seen as a continuation of a recent installation he created in collaboration with the Alabama Contemporary Art Center (ACAC) and 309 Punk Project last year.

In the ACAC exhibit, Linezo juxtaposed several small images of his very own ancestor, his Native American grandmother from seven generations back forced from her ancestral lands by Jackson during the Trail of Tears.

In that exhibit, entitled "Statues Must Also Die," Linezo's grandmother is facing down a larger image of Andrew Jackson. The Jackson image sits beside a 2001 news article about the desecration of the Jackson statue in Plaza Ferdinand. Scrawled over Jackson are the words "Indian Killer" in red spray paint. The exhibit shows Jackson's bust with red paint, symbolizing blood, coming from his eyes.

Though his ancestral grandmother is not a direct part of his work at the PMA, Linezo says that "her memory speaks directly to me and through me." While the artist said that he knew little about her personal history, as "her story is not recorded," he said that "her personality is buried seven generations deep under the trauma of Indian removal in Florida."

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Tying his work back into another piece of his roots, Linezo's work at the PMA con-

nects his ancestry to the Pensacola punk scene. As the viewer enters the exhibit, "there is a land acknowledgment that I produced in homage to [Pensacola punk band] This Bike is a Pipe Bomb."

"I want to be a good ancestor," said Linezo, who is the 309 Punk Project's first artist-in-residence. "In that little prayer, I pay respect to the elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all beings," said Linezo. "Hopefully, the audience who recognizes either of those things will research and learn more about the other."

"When anyone recognizes both," he said, "that's the magical little wink and smile from an artist to a specifically tuned audience."

Drawing the lines between past and present, Linezo's role as artist-in-residence in the historic punk house is one he connects with all of his work.

"For me, the house as a physical object is a monument," said Linezo. "It has become symbolic. Rather than letting it be torn down, we have made an effort to hold the space so it continues to exist as a reminder—also as an archive [and] museum, dedicated to the many stories of the artists, activists, musicians, chefs, poets, photographers and punks that lived in that space."

"Without the house," he said, "without the 309 project, many of these stories would be easily overlooked and forgotten in time." Linezo said that his personal effort was to "document some of the stories that connect us to our ancestors and to our future community."

"Bring Me the Head of Osceola // There is More to Remember..." is Linezo's attempt to solidify the connections between all of his worlds and, by proxy, all of our communities. {in} *To learn more about Linezo and his work as 309 Punk Project's artist-in-residence, visit schoolhouse4.org/there-is-moreto-remember. You can also join him for a presentation of his current film "Statues Also Die" followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.

Visit facebook.com/pensacolamuseum for the registration link.

"BRING ME THE HEAD OF OSCEOLA // THERE IS MORE TO REMEMBER..."

WHEN: On view now through Dec. 6 DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

15

a&e happenings Attending "normal" events might not be happening yet—but that doesn't mean local businesses and nonprofits aren't still keeping the community connected in creative ways.

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS NEW LEASH ON LOVE ADOPTION EVENT A HOPE presents the third annual

New Leash on Love pet adoption event from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Bagdad Mill Site Park in Milton. There will be food trucks, craft vendors, kids' play area and rescue groups with adoptable dogs and cats.

There will also be dachshund races, a red carpet walk for adoptable dogs and a K-9 display.

In addition, PAWS (Panhandle Animal Welfare Society) from Ft. Walton will be there to microchip your pets for $10. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available to help keep everyone safe. More information can be found on the A HOPE website, ahope4src.com.

200 SOUTH MANNA FOOD DRIVE

Support Manna Food Pantries by Filling the Mayflower. Businesses at 200 South Palafox will run the food drive through Nov. 23. In addition to all the good feels you'll get, if you bring in six cans and show a bartender, you get a free beer. For more information, visit facebook.com/wobpensacola.

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA IN NEED OF DONATIONS AFTER FIRE

Last month, Animal Allies Florida, a nonprofit animal rescue located in Pensacola, was devastated by a fire at its foster house for cats where they room free until they are adopted.

Tragically, 17 cats and kittens died from smoke inhalation. The surviving cats have been moved to other foster homes.

Animal Allies needs the community's support as many supplies were also lost in the fire.

If you would like to donate cash or supplies, please go to aaflorida.org/info/donate.

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF PENSACOLA HOSTS VIRTUAL MARKET BASKET

The Junior League of Pensacola invites the community to attend Virtual Market Basket: Enchanted Evergreen. Attendees can shop from the comfort of their home for a full weekend of a guided shopping experience Nov. 19-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. Vendors will have items available for virtual preview and purchase as well as a vast silent auction full of local items. Proceeds raised from the event will benefit the Junior League of Pensacola, Inc., which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and making a difference in the lives of others. For vendor information, please visit pensacolamarketbasket.com

ARTS + CULTURE

WILDLY UNNECESSARY FEATURING EMILY DILLON A show in three acts that starts with audience banter, sprinkles in stand-up and finishes with a 30-minute long-form improv scene. Featuring Best of the Coast Comedian Emily Dillon. Event is 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Perfect Plain 616 1

Brewing Co., located at 50 E. Garden St. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART REOPENS

Pensacola Cinema Art will reopen Nov. 13 and 14 showing "Ammonite," starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, at 1 p.m. both days and "Dreamland," starring Margot Robbie, at 4 p.m. both days. Admission is $7. Face masks are required, and there will be 50% maximum seating capacity. Tickets can be reserved by calling or texting 863-446-7300 or emailing jpncinema@gmail.com. For more information, visit pensacolacinemaart.com.

32ND CINCO BANDERAS COMPETITION OPEN HOUSE Check out artwork

in Artel Gallery's latest exhibit with an open house from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. The exhibit will be up through Dec. 3. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox. For more information, visit artelgallery.org.

PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE PRESENTS: SWITZERLAND The latest PLT

production is a psychological thriller written

by Joanna Murray-Smith and directed by Billy Bluff. Dates are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5-7. Tickets are $14-$20. Streaming options are also available.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

CRAFT CLASSES AT STUDIO SOUTH ON NINE MILE Learn a new craft or meet

up with other makers at Studio South.

Tuesdays is Knit Night 4-7 p.m., and Sit & Stitch is Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Both classes are free. Learn Knitting 101 on Nov. 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Both classes are $45 each. For a full calendar of events, visit studiosouthon9mileroad.com. Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road.

FIRE AND RAIN SCULPTURE DEBUTS

From the team who brought the Umbrella Sky Festival to Downtown Pensacola in 2017 comes "Fire and Rain," a shimmering, 9,500 squarefoot sculpture high above downtown's historic streets during Foo Foo Festival through Nov. 11. This year, Pensacola art gallery Artel Gallery and Razor's Edge Design have joined Friends of Downtown to produce Fire and Rain, a free outdoor public art event funded by a generous grant from ACE that's a sure bet for colorful daytime and nighttime social sharing.

PMA NEW EXHIBIT: "BRING ME THE HEAD OF OSCEOLA // THERE IS MORE TO REMEMBER" Pensacola Museum of Art's latest exhibit is "Bring Me the Head of Osceola // There is More to Remember" from AnArchivist Sean Linezo. The exhibit interrogates the historical narratives of Osceola's death and explores representations of the famous Seminole leader in visual and popular culture. The exhibition is part of a larger initiative by the artist to make space for the representation of Native Americans in Florida history. The exhibition will be on view in the PMA Stairwell Gallery until Dec. 6. For more information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

THERE IS MORE TO REMEMBER PANEL DISCUSSION AND FILM SCREENING Join PMA for a virtual film screening of "Statues Also Die" and panel discussion moderated by artist Sean Linezo at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5. Sean's exhibition, Bring Me the Head of Osceola//There is More to Remember, interrogates the historical narratives of Osceola's death and explores representations of the famous Seminole leader in visual and popular culture. Register online at pensacolamuseum.org.

GALLERY NIGHT PENSACOLA PRESENTS: ARTIST TALKS Join Gallery Night

Director Sydney Robinson as she interviews Pensacola area artists about their creative process. The Artist Talks series is a biweekly virtual event available on Facebook Live. Join in by visiting facebook.com/ gallerynightpensacola.

BALLET PENSACOLA PRESENTS: UNHINGE THE WIND Ballet Pensacola's 2020-2021 season kicks off in October with the virtual performance of "Unhinge the Wind" Nov. 6, 7 and 8. Tickets are $25. For more information, and to see the entire season lineup, visit balletpensacola.org.

SUNDAYS ON THE MEZZANINE Enjoy a full-length concert series every other Sunday at 3 p.m. on Facebook. Tickets are $9.99 and can be purchased online at facebook. com/pensacolaopera.

SINGERS' CINEMA Every Friday after-

noon through August, enjoy a movie pick from the Choral Society of Pensacola. Information on each week's movie and where to find it online will be available on their Facebook page, facebook.com/choralsocietyofpensacola. Some can be viewed free; most are available for rent for under $5. Watch the movie over the weekend, and then join the Choral Society Monday evenings for a Zoom session to share your thoughts.

LIVE MUSIC

FRANK BROWN INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITERS' FESTIVAL The annual

songwriter festival will be shorter than previous years, Nov. 11-15, at various locations in Alabama and Florida. CDC guidelines will be in place at venues. Visit frankbrownsongwriters.com for more information and a lineup.

PENSACOLA OPERA AL FRESCO CONCERT SERIES Enjoy fresh air and

free performances from Pensacola Opera artists on Saturdays (weather permitting).

All performances begin at 5:30 p.m. at Seville Square. Visit pensacolaopera.com for more information.

PSO IN THE PARK Grab a lawn chair and

blanket and join Pensacola Symphony Orchestra for a series of free outdoor performances on select Sundays at Museum Plaza, located at 120 Church St. Upcoming dates are Nov. 15 and 29. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolasymphony.

CURT BOL JAZZ QUARTET Visit Five Sisters Blues Café, located at 421 W. Belmont St., Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and listen to Curt Bol Jazz Quartet. Visit curtbolband.com for more information.

OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel

Gallery is open from 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays for open jam with Pensacola Folk Music Society. Feel free to visit and listen to music. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox.

KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing your heart out Sundays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway, or just enjoy drinks friends with $4 Smirnoff and $6.50 domestic pitcher drink deals from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/mugsjugs.

LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's, located at 312 E. Government St. For a full calendar of bands, check hubstaceys.com.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues

Society of Northwest Florida bring the "Blues" back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District, located at 130 E. Government St. every Monday night in End O' the Alley starting at 7 p.m. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

FITNESS + RECREATION

FORAGING WORKSHOP Learn the basics of foraging with Santa Rosa Creek Vice Chief Gail Allred and learn how it influences the practices of Odd Colony Brewing Co. Class is 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at Odd Colony, located at 260 N. Palafox. Cost is $20.

Register at historicpensacola.org.

RELEASE & RENEW AT FITNESS IMPACT TRAINING At 8:15 a.m. on Mon-

days, Wednesdays and Fridays, release into a yin yoga flow centered around low-stress training for high-stress individuals. The focus will be on the basics of breath and openness in the shoulders, hips and spine. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online. Cost is $12 per class, and the location is 375 N. Ninth Ave, Ste. B. Limited space available.

Ask about membership pricing.

GULF COAST BREWERY RUN Thurs-

days at 6 p.m., join Pensacola Runners Association for a 5K fun run. Enjoy a free beer after the run and complimentary games such as cornhole, ping pong and more. Gulf Coast Brewery is located at 500 E. Heinberg St. For more information, visit facebook.com/gulfcoastbrewery.

MEDITATIONS IN THE LABYRINTH

Join Empathic Practice and Felipe Muñoz for weekly mediations 5:30 p.m. on Fridays.

The meditations are held at Long Hollow Park on Guillemard Street and are an opportunity for people to get together and practice guided meditations, singing bowl meditation and labyrinth walk meditation. inweekly.net

a&e happenings All classes are free, although donations are accepted. Social distancing will be practiced. Bring your own mat or pillow.

For more information, visit facebook.com/ empathicpractice.

BEER GARDEN YOGA Join Coastal County Brewing Company Saturdays at 9 a.m. for the new Yoga in the Garden Series.

Classes will be led by Tara Taylor, a highly experienced instructor from Breathe Pensacola. All skill levels are welcome. Cost is $10 and includes a pint of beer after the class.

Coastal County Brewing Company is located at 3041 E. Olive Road. For more information, visit facebook.com/coastalcounty.

SOUL FLOW YOGA AT BEAUTIFUL YOU STUDIO Every Tuesday at 7 a.m., flow

OCEAN HOUR BEACH CLEAN-UPS

Ocean Hour has picked up its weekly beach clean-ups in the Pensacola area Saturdays at 8:45 a.m. Supplies will be provided, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own.

For locations, visit oceanhourfl.com.

FOOD & WINE

ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS: ESCAMBIA COUNTY HOME BREWERS Learn

about the home brewing process while enjoying a selection of beers from the local area paired with appetizers. Classes are 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Atlas Oyster House, located at 600 S. Barracks St. Class is $25 per person. Seating is limited.

Make your reservation by emailing taylor@ goodgrits.com or calling 287-0200.

and vibe with some soulful music to start the day. This hour-long class will center around engaging the core through smooth yet strong yoga sequences. Cost is $10 per class or $99 for unlimited 30-day pass.

Located at 513 W. Intendencia St. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online.

BEULAH CRAFT & SAUSAGE FESTIVAL

YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN

Savor delicious seafood and enjoy the historic surroundings of Downtown Pensacola during the 43rd Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival, produced by Fiesta Pensacola. The free three-day festival will take place Nov. 6, 7 and 8 in Downtown Pensacola's Seville Square and Fountain Park. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, Nov.6; 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 7; and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. COVID precautions will be taken throughout the event, including sanitizing stations and volunteers wearing masks. For more information and a lineup of live music acts, visit pensacolaseafoodfestival.com.

Beginner Yoga with John is 10 a.m. Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays. Funky Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Tuesdays. And Vinyasa Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Thursdays. All classes at Ever'man, 327 W. Garden St. For a full calendar of events, visit everman.org.

SELF-LOVE SUNDAY AT BEAUTIFUL YOU STUDIO Come show yourself some

love through yoga every Sunday morning at 7 a.m. Self-love Sunday Slow Flow is all about giving yourself the love you deserve through loving kindness meditation, mindful breathwork and slow vinyasa. Cost is $10 per class or $99 for unlimited 30-day pass. Located at 513 W. Intendencia St. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online.

BLUE WAHOOS AND BUBBA WATSON OPEN STADIUM DISC GOLF COURSE

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and team co-owner Bubba Watson have partnered to bring disc golf to Blue Wahoos Stadium. The course covers the entirety of the stadium and is open to the public from noon-8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Admission is $5 per player per round.

Children ages 6-12, seniors, military members and first responders will receive a $1 admission discount. Children 5 and under receive free admission with a paid adult.

To ensure the safety of participants and in adherence with COVID-19 guidelines, new groups will be allowed to begin playing the course every 15 minutes. Players are encouraged to bring their own discs or to purchase a three-disk starter pack from the Blue Wahoos for $25. Disc rental is not available in accordance with safety. Go to Wahoos Stadium and visit the Bait & Tackle Store behind home plate to register. A scorecard and course map will be provided to each player. For more information, visit bluewahoos.com.

November 5, 2020

The family-friendly event will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at First Baptist Church of Beulah, located at 5805 Beulah Church Road. For more information, visit facebook.com/beulahcandsfestival.

PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS ARE NOW OPEN!

INDULGE ON PENSACOLA BEACH

FOLLOW YOUR HEART. LOVE OPERA.

In an effort to boost business, Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce has launched the INDULGE on Pensacola Beach campaign to drive traffic to beach businesses Nov. 1-7. The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce is offering free PREMIER event cards to anyone who drops by the visitor information center through Nov. 7. These cards offer special discounts and incentives throughout the week at participating restaurants, shops, bars, attractions and services on the island.

Participants can pick up a Premier event card from the chamber's visit information center Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit pensacolabeachchamber.com.

CAST IRON FILET & SHRIMP COOKING CLASS Learn to make pan-seared

filet alongside a fabulous shrimp dish with Bodacious chefs 6-8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at Bodacious, located at 407-D S. Palafox.

Class is $65 per person. To register, visit bodaciousshops.com. for more listings visit inweekly.net

CARMEN JANUARY 2021

H.M.S. PINAFORE MARCH 2021

WWW.PENSACOLAOPERA.COM 17

free will astrology WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Aries

poet Charles Baudelaire championed the privilege and luxury of changing one's mind.

He thought it was natural and healthy to always keep evolving beyond one's previous beliefs and attitudes, even if that meant one might seem inconsistent or irrational.

"It is lamentable," he once proclaimed, "that, among the Rights of Human Beings, the right to contradict oneself has been disregarded." I bring these thoughts to your attention, dear Aries, so that you will feel at peace with the prospect of outgrowing rules, strategies and approaches that have worked well for you up until now—but that have outlived their usefulness.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): The horoscopes I write are my love letters to you.

As I compose them, my goal is to celebrate your beauty and strength even as I discern what's lacking in your life and what confusions might be undermining you. In my philosophy of life, that's how love works at its best—remaining keenly aware of the good qualities in the beloved while helping them deal with their problems and heal their wounds. I suggest that in the coming weeks you adopt my approach for use with your own close relationships. Your allies are in special need of both your praise and your rectifications.

For Your Specialty

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): When

• True Tear Dry Eye Treatments & Lipiflow Dry Eye Treatments

Charles de Gaulle was 15 years old, he wrote "General de Gaulle," a short story in which he envisioned himself, many years in the future, as a general in the French army.

Thirty-five years later, his imaginary tale came true, as he became a general of the free French army fighting against Germany in World War II. In the spirit of de Gaulle's prophecy, and in accordance with current astrological omens, I encourage you to compose a comparable tale about your own destiny. Have fun as you visualize in great detail a successful role you will play months or even years from now.

• Eyelash Lengthening

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): In 1903,

Eye Care Needs!

• Color and Bifocal Contact Lenses

• Luxury & Exclusive Eyeglasses & Sunglasses

113 Palafox Place (Across from Saenger Theatre)

Pensacola

(850) 434-2060 818 1

archaeologists digging in a cave in Cheddar Gorge, England found the fossilized remains of "Cheddar Man," a person who had lived there 9,000 years earlier. In 1997, DNA tests revealed that a teacher named Adrian Targett, who was living a half-mile from the cave, was a direct descendant of Cheddar Man. I propose that we invoke this scenario to serve as a metaphor for you in the coming months. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, your ancestors are likely to play a bigger role in your life than usual. Connections between you and them will be more vivid and influential and worthy of your meditations.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): According to

the film "Amadeus," composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) and Antonio Salieri (1750–1825) were adversaries who disliked and undermined each other.

By Rob Brezsny

But there's evidence that this was not entirely true. In fact, they collaborated on creating a cantata that was performed

by Nancy Storace, a famous singer they both admired. It's unlikely they would have cooperated in such a way unless they had a working relationship. I suspect that a comparable correction is due in your world, Leo. It's time to dissolve a misunderstanding or restore a lost truth or fix an old story that got some of the facts wrong.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to ask for help and seek support. I urge you to be forthright in doing so! Resources that have been inaccessible before may be more available now. I suspect you will be able to capitalize on the luck and skill of allies who have benefited from your favors in the past.

Their successes could bring you blessings and their breakthroughs should inspire you to instigate breakthroughs in your own life.

Be straightforward—Ask them to lend their influence in your behalf.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): In the 1970s, an Englishman named Stephen Pile founded the Not Terribly Good Club. It was designed to be a gathering place for mediocre people whose lives were marked by inadequacy and incompetence. To organize his thoughts about the club's themes, Pile eventually published a book entitled "The Book of Heroic Fallures." Unfortunately, it sold so many copies that he got expelled from his own club. He had become too successful! I suspect that in the coming months, you may have an experience akin to his. The odds are good that you'll find interesting success in an area of your life where you have previously been just average.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): "At

every crossroad, be prepared to bump into wonder," wrote Scorpio poet James Broughton. I believe that's stirring advice for you to keep in mind during the coming weeks. Broughton's words inspired me to come up with a corollary for you to heed, as well—"At every turning point, be ready to stumble into an opportunity disguised as a problem." I've got one more clue for you.

Last night in my dream, my Scorpio poetry teacher offered a thought that's well-suited for you right now—"Whenever you want to take a magic twisty leap into the big fresh future, be willing to engage in one last wrestling match with the past."

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

Actor Gary Busey is quirky and kooky, but his peculiar rants sometimes make good sense. Here's one that I suspect might be useful for you to consider during the next two weeks—"It's good for everyone to understand that they are to love their enemies, simply because your enemies show you things about yourself you need to change. So in actuality enemies are friends in reverse." I don't mean to imply that your adversaries and nemeses are totally ac-

curate in their critiques of you. But there may be a thing or two you can learn from them right now that would truly improve your life.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Musician John Coltrane described one of his life goals as follows—"There are forces out here that bring suffering to others and misery to the world," he said. "But I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good." Even if that's not an intention at the core of your long-term plans, Capricorn, I recommend you consider adopting it during the next few weeks. Being a vigorous and rigorous force for good will be especially needed by the people with whom you associate—and will also result in you attracting interesting benefits.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Known

as "the bad boy of bridge," Aquarian-born Geir Helgemo is a champion in the card game of bridge. At times he has been the top-rated player among Open World Grand Masters. But in 2019, he was suspended from the World Bridge Federation for a year because he tested positive for taking testosterone supplements that are banned. Why did he do it? He hasn't said. There is some scientific research suggesting that testosterone may boost cognitive function, but other evidence says it doesn't. I'd like to use Helgemo's foolishness as a teaching story for your use, Aquarius. According to my astrological analysis, you're approaching the peak of your competence and confidence.

There's no need for you to cheat or sneak or misbehave in a misplaced effort to seek an even greater advantage. In fact, righteous integrity will enhance your intelligence.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): "I might

really have gone round the bend," confessed Botswana author Bessie Head. "I mean people who get visions and see a gigantic light descend on them from the sky can't be all there, but if so I feel mighty happy. If one is happy and cracked it's much better than being unhappy and sane."

Although I don't expect your state of mind in the coming weeks will be as extreme as Bessie Head's, Pisces, I do suspect it will have resemblances to her dreamy cheerfulness. If I had to give a title to this upcoming phase, it might be "Wise Folly." And yes, I do think your "craziness" will generate useful insights and fertile revelations.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: At what moment in your past were you happiest about the person you were? Can you recreate it? freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2020

inweekly.net

news of the weird CRIME REPORT, HALLOWEEN EDITION Nathan Garisto, 26, of Largo, Florida, was arrested on Oct. 19 on a domestic battery charge. The Smoking Gun reported that Garisto was "heavily intoxicated while engaged in a verbal argument with his girlfriend," according to police. He refused to leave after his girlfriend asked him to, instead throwing "a pumpkin and all insides of the pumpkin at the subject." Garisto maintains he threw the pumpkin at the door, not at the girlfriend. He was released on bond and ordered to have no contact with the victim.

SWEET LOVE Sugar Good, 49, who manages a Dunkin' donuts store in Edmond, Oklahoma, knew a good man when she saw one ... every morning at 7:15 as he collected his sausage, egg and cheese croissant at her drive-thru. After a year of friendly commercial exchanges, The New York Times reported, Good finally got up the nerve to hand John Thompson, 45, her business card along with his food and coffee. Two years later, on Oct. 13, Good and Thompson tied the knot at the place that brought them together: the Dunkin' drive-thru.

"We knew we wanted to share it with the Dunkin' family," Good said. She stood at her spot in the window and Thompson drove up in his red truck, where former pastor Colby Taylor was waiting for them.

Taylor kept the ceremony short, as other customers were lined up behind Thompson, but at the end, Good came outside and Thompson got out of his truck for their first kiss as regulars, friends and family cheered them on. "Our story wasn't glamour," Good said, "but it was true romance."

BRIGHT IDEA In Littleton, New Hampshire, a Hillsborough County grand jury filed indictments against Lisa Landon, 33, in early October, the Union Leader reported.

Landon was scheduled in court for three different cases in November and December 2019, involving drug possession and stalking.

To avoid going to jail, Landon impersonated a prosecutor, using the court's electronic system to file fake documents dropping the charges against her. A state forensic officer noticed last November that the charges were dropped and wondered if a scheduled competency evaluation on Landon should proceed, which tipped off court officials. While she was at it, Landon allegedly filed an order on behalf of a relative to halt guardianship proceedings involving Landon's child. She's been charged with one count of false impersonation and six counts of falsifying physical evidence.

CUE THE LAWYERS Nightmares really do come true: On Oct. 24, as Leonard Shoulders, 33, waited at a bus stop in the Bronx, New York, the sidewalk beneath him gave way and he dropped into a decrepit

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

basement full of rats, Fox News reported.

Bystanders alerted authorities, and Shoulders was rescued from the dark hole about 30 minutes later, with injuries including a broken arm, broken leg and scraped face.

New York's Department of Buildings said the basement beneath the sidewalk was poorly maintained, and the building was closed until repairs can be made.

THE METH MADE ME DO IT Traffic slowed to a crawl and people got out of their cars on a busy roadway in Chongqing, China, on Oct. 17, hoping to collect banknotes that were raining down from the sky. As it turned out, the money wasn't coming from heaven, but from an unnamed 29-year-old man who was tripping on methamphetamine in his 30-story-high apartment overlooking the street. As he showered passersby with money, police arrived and took him into custody, and he was receiving treatment, according to The Guardian.

ELECTION SNAFU Nikolai Loktev, 58, the incumbent mayor of Povalikhino in Russia, asked the woman who cleans the city hall to add her name to the ballot as a formality, in order to comply with a regulation that elections must have two or more candidates. In a twist of fate, however, Marina Udgodskaya received 62% of the vote, compared to Loktev's 34%, on Sept. 28. "I didn't think people would actually vote for me," Udgodskaya said, according to the BBC. But one village shopkeeper explained: "If we could have voted against all we would have done, but we had the option to vote for Marina, so we did. I think she'll cope. The whole village will help." Loktev is sporting a stiff upper lip: "I'm not upset.

People voted for her, so let her do her job."

THE CONTINUING CRISIS Sure, COVID-19 has been tough on human beings.

But don't discount the effect the virus has had on our aquatic friends. Take Mikko, a 3-foot-long grouper who lives at the Sea Life Helsinki Sea Lab ocean laboratory, where he had to be isolated because he kept eating his tankmates. When the aquarium closed because of the pandemic, Mikko appeared depressed, becoming "more still and distant than usual," his caretakers told Live Science. "To cheer him up ... the caretakers and other staff had lunch and coffee breaks by his tank." They also had a TV to keep him company, but on Oct. 12, Mikko got the ultimate pick-me-up: a 16th birthday party featuring a salmon "cake." Aquarium representatives said he enjoyed the party. {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird Š 2020 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com November 5, 2020

19

Your Personal Injury Lawyers In Pensacola, Florida Since 1955 850-432-1111 | LevinLaw.com | Google Us

Independent News | November 5, 2020 | inweekly.net