Independent News | April 29, 2021 | Volume 22 | Number 17 | Cover art by Natalie Allgyer
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winners & losers
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winners SARAH SHEHADI The Gulf Breeze Hos-
pital medical/surgical unit nurse has been honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The DAISY Award is part of a national merit-based recognition program established by the DAISY Foundation that celebrates the education, training and skill that nurses put into their work every day and, especially, the devoted care they give their patients. Nominations can be submitted by patients, families, physicians and colleagues. DAISY Awards are presented on a regular basis, usually monthly or quarterly.
LAURA HOBBS AND NANCY GINDLPERRY Lincoln Park Elementary School's
Media Specialist Linda Hobbs was honored with the Dr. Paula Gleason School Librarian of the Year Award. Ernest Ward Middle School Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry has been named the Dr. Paula Gleason School Library Principal Advocate of the Year Award.
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT FLORIDA FOUNDATION State Farm gave the founda-
tion a $60,000 grant that will support Junior Achievement learning experiences in eight localities throughout Florida, including Escambia County, enabling thousands of young people to participate in JA's nationally recognized financial literacy and work readiness learning experiences. With its portion of the funding, Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida will implement JA Economics for Success® programming in 10 Title I middle school classrooms in the Escambia County School District. The program provides practical information to middle schoolers about personal finance and the importance of identifying education and career goals based on their skills, interests and values and the world of work. NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION For the 10th year in a row, the credit union has been named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For® by Great Place to Work® and Fortune. Rankings are based on employee surveys. However, this year's methodology represents a change in response to the unique circumstances of 2020—with 60% of each company's score based on confidential employee feedback and the remaining 40% based on the programs each company said they created to support their people and communities in response to the pandemic. 44
losers CENTURY TOWN COUNCIL Three council members skipped the Monday, April 19 meeting, leaving the board without a quorum. Council President Luis Gomez Jr. and Seat One member Dynette Lewis were present Monday night, but three members must be present for a quorum. NorthEscambia.com reported on the council president's reaction. Gomez said, "There's nothing I can do. Everybody is an adult, you know. I can't make anybody do anything, but I am going to address it." KELLS HETHERINGTON In Florida,
political parties don't nominate candidates for school board positions, and candidates run on their credentials—not party affiliation. Five years ago, Hetherington ran for the nonpartisan Escambia County School Board District 2 seat. He was fined $200 for including in his campaign material that he was a "lifelong Republican." Now he wants his money back as he prepares to run again next year. Hetherington has partnered with the Institute for Free Speech to file a federal lawsuit claiming his free speech rights were violated. Even with the GOP boast, he came in third place in a three-person race.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY The Small
County Outreach Program (SCOP) allocates $20 million annually to panhandle counties that have fewer than 200,000 residents. The funds are intended for critical road repaving and reconstruction projects. Of the 13 eligible counties, only Santa Rosa did not apply for the fund this year. County staff failed to meet the Florida Department of Transportation's deadline, overlooking multiple reminders from the state agency. FDOT told the daily newspaper its representatives had a virtual meeting with four Santa Rosa County department heads on March 4, just eight days before the SCOP deadline. County officials claimed the program had run out of money before its application was considered, which wasn't true. County Administrator Dan Schebler may lose his job.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY The New York
Times reports the county is a very high risk for exposure to COVID-19 because of its average of 12 daily cases per 100,000 people reported in the past two weeks. This may negatively impact how tourists and business prospects view Escambia County. inweekly.net
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PHONY MOUNTAINS Pensacola has a history of making mountains of minor issues, often debating them for weeks, months and sometimes years while the rest of the world has moved on to more significant problems. Today, food trucks are commonplace. They thrive and offer unique dining options. But seven years ago, the Pensacola City Council almost banned them. Our paper believed the mobile eateries would add to our city's culture. When we did our research (Inweekly, "Eat Street," Aug. 22, 2013), we found food trucks had enhanced the dining landscapes of Austin, New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago and other vibrant cities. Tampa's mayor hosted "The Mayor's Food Truck Fiesta" monthly. In the Big Easy, the New Orleans Food Truck Coalition hosted nolafoodtrucks.com, which served as the ultimate guide to street food in New Orleans. We found that the food trucks were incubators for up-andcoming chefs. The chefs might not have the funds to build, rent or staff a restaurant, but they tested their recipes and built a loyal clientele that one day might help them do so. Instead of welcoming innovation, the Pensacola City Council debated an ordinance that would have banned food trucks from the heart of downtown Pensacola after some restaurant owners predicted the end of the world if the trucks sold street tacos, mojo bowls and hot dogs within 500 feet of their brick-and-mortar operations. Mayor Ashton Hayward ran a pilot program for six months in 2014. His goal was to develop rules for a possible ongoing mobile food vendor program. There was one problem—no one participated in the pilot. The following year, Councilman Charles Bare proposed an ordinance after Hayward failed to offer any recommendations. The draft spent two months with the Planning Board. When it was presented to the council, Councilman Larry Johnson wanted to scrap Bare's proposal and offered another ordinance. Again, the Planning Board hammered out the details, and its recommendation made it through the first public hearing
only to die on a 5-2 vote at its second and final hearing in November 2015. The proposed food truck ordinance would have allowed the vendors to operate on city streets after purchasing a permit, except along South Palafox, from Garden Street to Plaza de Luna. Seville Quarter is a block off Palafox and outside the exempted area. Proponents viewed the food trucks as something that "would add a very progressive food scene in Pensacola," while opponents described potential measures to allow them as "unfair," "unjust," "not a fair playing field" and "probably illegal." "They're charming, they're trendy, they can be good, serve good food, but you have to be careful to make sure it's fair for everyone—stakeholders," Wilmer Mitchell of Seville Quarter told the council. "The ordinance that is being considered basically gives the streets away to the trucks." Randy Russell of Nomadic Eats described critics' fears as "kind of reaching" and saw the mobile dining revenues as a "drop in the bucket" compared to traditional restaurants. "I don't think that brick-and-mortars really understand that food trucks are not that much of a threat," he said. That November 2015 vote was the last hurrah for regulating food trucks, except for the standard health department rules. Mayor Hayward once again became engaged, and he opened the city hall parking lot to food trucks in 2016. And guess what? The world didn't end. As we predicted, those restaurants and trucks that served good food thrived. Those that didn't closed or reinvented themselves. Meanwhile, the Escambia County Commission spent little time on food trucks, and the food trucks have sprung up outside city limits. The Pensacola City Council needs to learn from the food truck struggle as it considers the future of the Maritime Park, the Hashtag Project and restrooms at Veterans Memorial Park. Take a breath, set egos aside and look beyond the moment. Don't make decisions appear more complicated than they actually are. {in} rick@inweekly.net
As we predicted, those restaurants and trucks that served good food thrived. Those that didn't closed or reinvented themselves.
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CONTROVERSIAL "ANTI-RIOT BILL" BECOMES LAW
Jamil Davis / Photo by Jeremy Morrison
By Gina Castro Civil disobedience and the peaceful refusal to comply with the law has been a successful and frequent tactic used by protestors for decades. But a new law in Florida is set to make participating in such demonstrations riskier for activists and engaged citizens. HB 1, or, as Gov. Ron DeSantis refers to it, "the strongest anti-rioting pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country," is officially law. In the past week, this law has been criticized nationwide. Many argue the law's crackdown on riots is so intense that it places constraints on peaceful protests. For instance, had this law been in place nationwide during the civil rights movement, perhaps America would have never heard Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. The 250,000 people who marched to the Lincoln Memorial shouting for equality would easily fit the description of mob intimidation, outlined in DeSantis' "anti-rioting" law. The law defines mob intimidation as two or more people "acting with a common intent... to assume, abandon, or maintain a particular viewpoint against his or her will." Violators will be subjected to a first-degree misdemeanor. DeSantis explained the necessity for mob rule in Florida because of recent protests disrupting individuals at restaurants. "People sitting outside eating outside a restaurant and you see this crazed mob circle around them and start screaming and really intimidating them," DeSantis said during a March 22 press conference. "I'm sorry that's not acceptable. I'm sorry you're going to be held accountable; mind your own business." Pensacola activists have expressed 66
concern over this particular aspect, among other issues with the law. Many of the protests hosted by Black Lives Matter advocates, such as Dream Defenders, Strive and Black Voters Matter, have led marches past downtown's popular restaurants and retail stores. The protests that led to the removal of the Confederate statue in Florida Square marched up and down Palafox Street. "One of the more ambiguous parts of this bill includes a piece that targets 'mob rule.' According to DeSantis, 'mob rule' includes people who walk past folks sitting outside eating at an establishment that are being 'yelled at,'" Hale Morrissette, a regional organizer with Pensacola Dream Defenders, said. "Last summer, when we were avoiding stopping traffic, we took up the sidewalks and walked past establishments where people were eating and disrupted their quiet briefly. This law leaves too much open interpretation. Even when we are taking measures to safely protest, we are faced with a constraint that is thinly veiled. Organizers are the target, and the long-term impacts from being the leader in a scenario as the ones mentioned before are heightened."
"This law leaves too much open interpretation. Even when we are taking measures to safely protest, we are faced with a constraint that is thinly veiled." Hale Morrissette Activists argue that the "anti-rioting" law prioritizes capital over Black lives. Under this law, damaging historical property, such as a Confederate statue or flag, is now a seconddegree felony, and it establishes civil immunity for individuals who drive through protestors. "It's just this state, showing us time and time again, the feelings and the concern that they really have for Black and brown lives in this state aren't more than what they have for property and law enforcement," Jamil Davis, Florida lead organizer for Black Voters Matter, said. Dream Defenders halted traffic on the General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Memorial Bridge for about 40 minutes on June 6, 2020. The protest resulted in the mayor agreeing to create the citizen police advisory committee
and appoint Morrissette to the committee, thus igniting a ripple of change in the city. However, the law now increases the risk of blocking roadways and bridges. If the Dream Defenders were to block the bridge today, they'd be arrested and face third-degree felonies. Morrissette believes the governor is increasing the punishment for this action because he knows it works. "We held up traffic for no more than 45 minutes to an hour in all instances across the state. This law targets that because they understand that it works and want to try their best to intimidate and destabilize the power of the people," Morrissette said. When asked about HB1, Mayor Grover Robinson voiced concerns too. “The City of Pensacola joins the Florida League of Cities in opposing HB 1, which takes away home rule and imposes restrictions from the state on local government. There are still questions about how HB 1 will be applied throughout the state of Florida, but as always, we will continue to respect our citizens’ right to peacefully protest in Pensacola. I am a firm believer that Americans have the right to freely express differences of opinion and to peacefully protest against their government. The City of Pensacola provides many opportunities for individuals to express their opinions and criticism, and we will not discourage anyone from peacefully protesting,” Robinson said. Even though the Republican-majority Senate passed the law 23-17, Floridians have been largely opposed to the anti-riot law. Polling shows 63% of Floridians do not support HB 1. Thousands of Floridians called and sent emails to their representatives in opposition to the bill. Locally, House Representative Alex Andrade co-sponsored the bill, and Michelle Salzman voted in favor of it. Senator Doug Broxson also supported the bill. Davis believes the representatives passed the bill to further their careers. "Our lives as Black and brown people in this state is just merely a career highlight for these people in the state legislature," Davis said. "This is proof about how much they care about their careers more than they care about the lives of people in this state." Despite the additional risk, activists refuse to give up. "It's a disappointing setback, but that's all that it is. This isn't going to stop," Davis said. Davis explained that Black Voters Matter is still focused on its corporate pressure campaign, which addresses HB 1 and SB 90. If passed, SB 90 would require voters to submit vote-by-mail requests more frequently, and as soon as this bill becomes law, it will cancel voters who submitted vote-by-mail requests last year. Because this bill places additional blockades for registered voters, Davis refers to it as "a voter suppression" bill. SB 90 has had three committees vote in support of the bill, and it's
scheduled to have its third reading before the session ends Friday, April 30. Florida-based corporations or corporations with locations in Florida, such as Publix, Disney, Sea World, NBC Universal and Comcast, gave funding to the elected officials who are now supporting HB 1 and SB 90 during the election. "We're holding them accountable for their action and the money that they gave to help push voter suppression and stop protests through the state legislature," Davis said. As for the Pensacola Community Action Committee, which Davis is a member of, it will continue to support other organizations in the area. This Black-led grassroots organization intends to launch power sessions, which are community discussions about issues in the city. Morrissette announced during Dream Defenders' Vigil for Black Lives that the Dream Defenders will be hosting know your rights seminars, which will be led by J. Garret Green of J. Garrett Green & Associates, LLC. "Our current action is practicing what we have always preached. We keep us safe," Morrissette told Inweekly. "We will make sure that before any direct action, everyone knows their rights, and we will also be keeping an eye on DeSantis as we always have." Nonprofit organizations are also standing in opposition to the anti-riot law. A nonprofit based in Saint Petersburg, Fla., the Legacy Entertainment & Arts Foundation Inc. 501(c)(3), filed a lawsuit in Orlando federal court against Gov. DeSantis on April 21. Inweekly reached out to Legacy Entertainment for a comment, but it didn't respond. On April 19, the ACLU of Florida released a statement denouncing the anti-riot law. “Instead of listening to the overwhelming empirical evidence and data showing how dangerous HB 1 is, supporters of the bill in the Florida legislature cited stray YouTube videos and Wikipedia as their evidence about why such a bill is needed in our state,” Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, said in the statement. “However, 95% of protests in Florida in 2020 were peaceful. When police did intervene, it was usually to disperse otherwise peaceful crowds, address traffic concerns or break up fights with counterprotesters. Fewer than 2% of these protests involved vandalism, looting, arson or violence toward law enforcement, and even in that tiny minority of cases, existing laws were sufficient to address those issues.” Inweekly asked the ACLU of Florida if it intends to file a lawsuit against Gov. DeSantis. “All possibilities are on the table while the ACLU of Florida considers its options. We are dedicated to ensuring Floridians' First Amendment rights are not abridged," said Casey Bruce-White, director of communications. "However, we do not comment on potential litigation.” {in} inweekly.net
It only takes one person to slash the statistics.
Did you know that 1 in 10 children Escambia County are victims of child abuse? It’s time to change that number. Visit KnowChildAbuse.org to learn to recognize, report and reduce child abuse.
April 29, 2021
7
ACTIVISTS RESPOND TO ANTI-TRANS BILLS already have low to low-normal testosterone levels, and then we are putting them on medication that's going to bring it even further down," Dr. Hillman continued. "They're not having that added advantage of testosterone. The whole thing is completely ludicrous. And I keep asking, where is the evidence that these trans athletes are putting cis athletes at a disadvantage? Show me a case where an athlete performed abnormally well or outside the expected parameters for how they trained." The bill passed the GOP-controlled House 77-40 on April 14. State Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-District 1) and Andrade voted in favor of the bill. However, the Fairness in Women's Sports Act seems to have stalled in the Senate. Florida Senator Kelli Stargel, who is sponsoring the Senate's version of the bill, stated that she isn't sure the Senate will have enough time to revisit the bill. The session ends on April 30. Attendees at Strive's Statewide Day of Solidarity with Trans Youth event / Photo by Gina Castro
By Gina Castro 2021 marks the highest number of antitransgender bills in U.S. history. GLAAD stated that as of April 12, there are 102 proposed bills targeting transgender people and youth nationwide, which surpasses the 2020 total of 79. Thirty-five of those bills propose banning health care for transgender people. Another 56 seek to ban transgender people from competing in sports. The governors of Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi have already passed similar laws targeting transgender athletes.
FAIRNESS IN WOMEN'S SPORTS ACT
Some Florida legislatures are hoping to follow in those states' footsteps. Florida's Fairness in Women's Sports Act (HB 1475 and SB 2012) would ban trans girls from competing on women's sports teams. The bill would also require schools and institutions to request proof of the student's biological sex from a health care provider. The bill limits proof of biological sex to only three options—the student's reproductive anatomy, the student's genetic makeup or the student's normal endogenously produced testosterone levels. State Rep. Alex Andrade (R-District 2) co-sponsored the bill. Andrade explained in a Facebook post that "immutable biological traits" place cis women athletes at a disadvantage to trans women athletes. "The same immutable biological traits that justify protections against discrimination in the workplace justify the need for this bill," Andrade posted on Facebook on March 19. "Women/girls' athletics have exploded since Title IX, and any manipulation 88
of the fundamental reasons for its creation would hurt that progress." Dr. Alexys Hillman of Pensacola Osteopaths, one of the area's few gender-affirming health care clinics, explained that trans women performing better in sports than cis women isn't medically accurate for transgender people who are taking puberty blockers or antiandrogens, which block testosterone. "Regardless of what age group you're talking about, there is not really that advantage. If you're talking about kids on puberty blockers, we are arresting puberty. We are not allowing it to progress," Dr. Hillman said. "We're blocking the normal hormones from being at the levels that they would typically be at that age or for the expected stage of puberty." Dr. Hillman explained that the blockers prevent the body from producing testosterone. "They are on blockers; their body is not being allowed to make those additional hormones. One of the medications is an antiandrogen blocker," Dr. Hillman explained. "So it's going to bring that testosterone level down. So no, there is not that added benefit because the testosterone is not there."
"Show me a case where an athlete performed abnormally well or outside the expected parameters for how they trained." Dr. Alexys Hillman Dr. Hillman also added that her trans women patients, who aren't on blockers, frequently have lower levels of testosterone. "A lot of trans women that I see, they
PARENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS
During Strive's Statewide Day of Solidarity with Trans Youth event on April 11, the local LGBTQ+ advocacy group shared their issues with the Fairness in Women's Sports Act and another bill, the Parents' Bill of Rights (HB 241). The Parents' Bill of Rights intends to further define parental rights in relation to a minor child's education and health. The bill would enable parents to numerous actions including rights to access a minor's report card, inspect instructional materials, exempt a minor from immunizations and view standardized assessment results, among others. This bill would give parents the right to object to instructional materials that differ from the parents' beliefs "regarding morality, sex and religion or the belief that such materials are harmful," as the bill describes. The bill would permit parents to withdraw minors from comprehensive health education courses that relate to sex education, immune deficiency education and education about sexuality. Strive President Devin Cole related the bill to a Utah charter school's decision to make Black History Month optional earlier this year. After nationwide outrage, the charter school reversed its decision. "If they don't want their child to learn about the 15-year struggle that it took for gay marriage to be legalized, they can pull them out of that curriculum," Cole said. "If they don't want them to learn about Black History Month, they can pull them out of that curriculum. So this is an anti-LGBTQ bill, and it's an anti-Black bill." The Parents' Bill of Rights would also punish state employees or other governmental entities, which includes public school teachers, for withholding information a minor child doesn't want to share
with their parents. Cole said that this aspect of the bill would force teachers to out students to their parents. "If this bill gets passed and I was 14 again and I tell that teacher I'm gay or I'm transgender, she would be legally required to call my parents and tell them that I'm gay. I would effectively be outed. It is horrific," Cole said. "When you got kids coming out to their teachers and their principals and their guidance counselors and not their parents, there's a problem at home. I promise you. I have seen it."
"If they don't want their child to learn about the 15-year struggle that it took for gay marriage to be legalized, they can pull them out of that curriculum." Devin Cole Another controversial element of this bill is it would enact disciplinary action against health care practitioners and employees from providing or prescribing a minor child medicinal drugs without written parental consent, thus preventing minors from inquiring about birth control pills or hormone blockers. Mental health professionals are also in opposition of the Parents' Bill of Rights and the Fairness in Women's Sports Act because of the negative mental health outcomes they would have on transgender people, especially trans youth. Laynie Gibson, a licensed mental health counselor based in Pensacola, expressed her opposition to the bills during Strive's event. "These proposed bills would remove access to the health care and social support crucial to healthy adolescent development in already marginalized youth. Research demonstrates that trans youth are more likely to have negative mental health outcomes when compared to their cisgender youth counterparts," Gibson said. "Studies since 2011 have shown that transgender youth have higher rates of depression, suicide, self-harm and eating disorders when compared to their cis peers. Research also demonstrates that appropriate gender-affirming medical therapy and supported social transition in childhood is correlated with improved psychological functioning for gender-variant children and adolescents," Gibson continued. The Parents' Bill of Rights is cosponsored by Andrade and Salzman. This bill passed the House 78-37 on April 1. It's been referred to the Senate. {in} Learn more about Strive: facebook.com/socialisttransinitiative Learn more about Pensacola Osteopaths: pensacolaosteopaths.com inweekly.net
REMEMBERING THE WHITMIRE GHOUL
Photo by Tim Bednarczyk
By Rick Outzen Seventeen years ago, Inweekly reporter Sam Baltrusis wrote about some of Pensacola's most sensational news stories and included a section about the Whitmire Cemetery Ghoul (Inweekly, "Infamous: Pensacola Confidential," 5/28/04). Over nine months from July 1957-March 1958, four deceased females' bodies were removed from their graves, one at Roberts Cemetery in Gull Point off Creighton Road and three at the Whitmire Cemetery on Johnson Avenue, near the present location of West Florida Hospital. Although no sexual molestation was proven, rumors quickly spread that the Whitmire Ghoul was a necrophiliac or someone with a morbid fascination with corpses. Large slabs that protected the caskets had been lifted, leading to gossip that the ghoul had supernatural strength. The crimes were never solved. Since Baltrusis wrote the article, Inweekly has received dozens of phone calls and emails about the crimes. Most are people who were children when the crimes occurred. Some offer tips on who they heard might have done it. The newspaper received an email from a retired police investigator who was 11 years old when the crimes happened. He had a theory that the killer was a scion of a powerful family that stifled the investigation. Others have sugApril 29, 2021
gested various names of people who had died years ago. In 2010, Inweekly received a copy of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office's official file of the unsolved cases. Unfortunately, the folder was received while we were covering the BP oil spill and the disastrous claims process. The papers got stuck in a file cabinet and were recently discovered when the paper reviewed its archives for a podcast interview. The folder shows the sheriff's office followed up on several leads, including checking on an Air Force airman accused of grave robbing in Arkansas. He was determined not to be in the Pensacola area when the local crimes occurred. Investigators also interviewed a former funeral home worker who allegedly lost his job because he molested a deceased woman. However, the man had broken his leg and was on crutches at the time of one of the crimes. The folder did offer more details about the crimes. On July 12, 1957, at the Roberts Cemetery, the caretaker discovered an open grave. The 1000-pound vault lid had been removed and the casket opened. The remains of Ruby Lee Robinson, 22, were lying exposed. She had died in childbirth the previous November. Investigator C. Russell Duncan told reporters it was the work of depraved individuals, mentally unbalanced. He called it "the worst crime I've ever seen." He said he thought two men performed the hor-
rible job. A hole was chiseled in the cement vault at the foot of the body; then, a long pipe was used to pry the lid off, using an adjacent grave and bricks as a fulcrum. The top of the casket was twisted off its hinges, exposing the body. According to newspaper reports, another woman's grave was found open three days later at the Whitmire Cemetery. She had been buried in June 1957. Her name was not released in the media, but the ECSO folder had a death certificate for Betty Mae Kingston, age 33, who died of respiratory failure. The folder had nothing more on either investigation. On Feb. 22, 1958, Ms. Thelma Wendt discovered the disturbed grave of 14-yearold Joan Danley at the Whitmire Cemetery. Danley had died of a fractured neck when she was struck by a car in October 1957. Using a technique similar to the Robinson case, a 1200-pound slab had been moved and the casket opened. As with the other cases, the body was not molested, but that changed with the fourth grave disturbance. The grave of Suzette Parker, age 11, was found open and her body missing on March 8, 1958. Parker had died after a long battle with the measles and had been buried six days earlier. According to the offense report, the flowers on the grave had been pushed back and the vault lid forced open. The adjacent grave of her first cousin, Daniel Paul Parker, who was buried the same day as the young girl, had not been disturbed. The method used to remove the vault was similar to the other cases. A chisel was used to break the vault's seal, and a long pole, using the cousin's grave as a fulcrum, was used to raise the lid. A six-foot pipe was found outside of the cemetery's rear fence. Parker's body was found hours later in a wooded area about a block from the cemetery on the edge of a swamp. The body was lying on its back, its clothes disarranged and burned matches near it. When the body was taken to Walters & Hibbert Funeral Home, the assistant medical examiner, Dr. Aldrich Northup, found burn marks on each breast and the upper right arm. Though there were rumors that the body had been sexually molested, Investigator Charles W. Solari Sr. wrote in his report that was not the case. Dr. Northrup wrote to State Attorney Edward Wicke that the dress must have been pulled back to scorch a 2-inch area on both breasts. He found a 1-inch burn mark on the right upper arm's sleeve and the flesh underneath scorched. However, his examination had found no other signs of violence. Sheriff Emmett Shelby sent Parker's clothes to the FBI, addressing his letter to Director J. Edgar Hoover. The items included a pink dress with white dots,
white slip, socks and panties. He asked the bureau to determine whether or not the clothes contained any semen stains. "I would also like to state that this is the fourth occurrence of graves being broken into," wrote the sheriff. "Three of the occurrences happened in the Whitmire Cemetery and one in the Roberts Cemetery. All the graves that have been entered are those of females." The FBI found two light stains on the panties that were possibly semen, but the test results were not conclusive. Sheriff Shelby wrote Hoover back and asked "if it is possible to type these stains." Hoover responded, "The two light smears on the panties were too thin to be suitable for grouping purposes. In addition, most of the substance in these smears was consumed during the microscopic search for spermatozoa. For these reasons, it would be of no value to return the panties for grouping tests." Meanwhile, the Pensacola News kept its focus on the grave robberies and wondered when the "Ghoul of Whitmire" would strike again. A $1,500 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest. The News Journal talked with a psychologist and a psychiatrist, who believed the "ghoul" was a necrophile who found gratification in pleasures either sadistic and/or masochistic in. The authorities said the suspect was probably a quiet, shy loner, somewhere between the ages of 18-30 or over 50 years old. "Both emphasized he probably is unable to resist his strange yearnings," wrote News Journal reporter Paul Jensen. "That means the ghoul would probably strike again." However, he did not strike again—or did he? In the file was a report of another grave disturbance from Feb. 18, 1965. Dirt had been removed down to the casket boards and the casket of Maxine Cooper, a Black female around 47, opened. Investigator Otis Davis wrote the clothes had been disarranged, and her slip "had been pulled up exposing the pelvic area," and the "area of clothing around the breasts apparent molested." A shovel was found near the grave. Cooper had been buried four days earlier. The Benboe Funeral Home told the investigator that the woman had been sick a long time and had died at home. No jewelry had been buried with the body. An additional examination found the body had no indications of being mutilated or disfigured. The file had no additional information on the crime. No more reports of grave robberies were in the folder, but the documents did contain a sheet of paper with this note— "This case has not been cleared—it is filed with murder cases—do not destroy. Ghoul of Whitmire Cemetery." {in} 9
of the light of the state's Sunshine law— might be scheduled. "I have not even begun to think about whether a shade meeting is appropriate at this point and whether I want to call one at this point in time," Woolf told her.
WAIT-AND-SEE FOR WARRINGTON
TOILET TURMOIL The plan to locate
temporary toilets at Admiral Mason Park is turning into a real stinker for Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson. On Monday, April 19, a lawsuit was filed against the mayor and the Veterans Memorial Park Foundation to halt the installation. Filed jointly by a trio of property owners living near the park and the recently formed Citizens for Preservation of Admiral Mason Park Inc., the lawsuit contends locating a modular toilet trailer violates multiple city codes and legal requirements and doesn't belong in the city's Gateway District. The suit seeks a permanent injunction and the return of its $50,000 budget for the project to the city's treasury. On behalf of its clients, the McDonald Fleming law firm argues the toilet trailer doesn't meet wind and flood codes and needed the city planning board's approval. It also doesn't jive with the Gateway District, which the law firm says was established to promote "the southern gateway to the city in order to enhance its visual appearance, preserve a unique shoreline vista, improve traffic safety and encourage a high quality of site planning and architectural design." The Veterans Memorial Park Foundation has long sought to have such a facility at the park and last year received an IMPACT 100 grant to purchase the temporary trailer unit. At the mayor's recommendation, the Pensacola City Council voted to spend $50,000 to prep the site at Admiral Mason Park for the trailer with the understanding that funds would be sought to locate a permanent restroom facility at the park. At its agenda review last week, the council was set to vote on relocating the restroom to the right of way of East Ro010 1
mana Street but tabled the discussion on advice from its legal counsel. "My advice would be that we pull the item, not have a discussion from the dais on it," said City Attorney Susan Woolf, hours after the suit was filed. "If there's anything that a council member wants to discuss with me individually, I'd be more than happy to." Councilwoman Sherri Myers wasn't sure the lawsuit involved the city. She said, "The city of Pensacola is not a defendant in this lawsuit; the city of Pensacola is not being sued." Wolfe explained, "The mayor is one embodiment of the city organization. So how you want to phrase that or say that, the taxpayer dollars, the insurance, the time and money spent defending the case, it comes out of the city organization, the named defendant is the mayor." Councilwoman Myers was not convinced and pushed to continue with the slated discussion regarding the temporary toilet decision. Council President Jared Moore steered in another direction. Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton made a motion to table the issue pending litigation. "Did you want to make any comment?" Moore asked before calling for a vote. "Right—we're being sued; that's my comment," Broughton replied. "Very succinct, I appreciate that," Moore said. Council voted 6-1 to ditch any discussion about the temporary toilets at the Veterans park right now, with Myers casting the lone dissenting vote. The councilwoman also wanted to know when a shade meeting—which allows the council to discuss issues privately, out
Florida's students, teachers and schools were cut a break when Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran recently issued an emergency order waiving state assessment tests and associated impacts of those tests, such as student retention or assigning a new annual grade to individual schools, due to the pandemic's impact on this academic year. But Escambia County's Warrington Middle School, long-engaged in a state-mandated turnaround plan for lagging schools, may not see much benefit from the waiver. Last month, Escambia County School District Superintendent Tim Smith was able to secure a one-year extension for Warrington—which was due to be closed if a grade of C or higher was not attained this year—from the Florida Board of Education. Still, it came with some heavy costs, such as changing many of the school's teachers. And though the recent waiver spared other institutions the impacts of grades based on assessment tests, Warrington will still be held to requirements attached to its extension. "The conditions placed on Warrington Middle School from the Florida State Board of Education are still in effect," confirmed Cheryl Etters, deputy director of communications for DOE. Superintendent Smith is currently wrapping his head around these ramifications. "It's tough," Smith told Inweekly Friday morning. "But it's the reality that we have." The conditions placed on Warrington Middle include ensuring that 80% of its English and math teachers have at least three years of experience and are rated either "effective" or "highly effective" as per the state's VAM, or value-added model, rating. The superintendent said pandemic or no, waiver or no, the district will need to move on this front. "We're probably going to have to go ahead and implement the teacher movement," Smith said, explaining that to be ready for the next academic year, that process would need to go ahead and commence. "We're gonna get caught if we don't start at the very least positioning ourselves with the teachers." The district will also need to secure a new external operator to provide services for the school, but Smith is holding off on one of the other conditions attached to Warrington's extension—replacing Principal Brett Brummet, who has been credited with making improvements at the school, even as that C grade has remained elusive. "We're gonna hold off and probably reas-
sess," Smith said. "We're gonna get through the school year and take a look at it." The superintendent said that the district could afford to wait on addressing the principal position because it only involves one individual, as opposed to reshuffling a chunk of the school's teaching staff, and also because he's hoping he can convince the state to reconsider this condition when he heads to Tallahassee again once the school year wraps. "I'll be back in front of the board in early June," Smith said.
GOTTA DIAL AREA CODE Approved by
the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) in November 2019, the 448/850 area code overlay is finally becoming a reality, with mandatory 10-digit dialing beginning on May 22 for all calls, including local calls in Pensacola. "With Florida's 850 area code running out of phone numbers, the 448 overlay plan and 10-digit dialing are necessary," said PSC Chairman Gary Clark. "The good news is that Florida's growing population and economy are driving this change. With today's digital applications, programming 10-digit dialing into our contacts and devices is relatively easy." New customers, or requests for additional lines, are now assigned the new 448 area code. The PSC delayed mandatory 10-digit dialing implementation for three months so that business customers in the overlay region had ample time to reprogram alarm systems and elevator operations. The North American Numbering Plan Administrator is the neutral third-party administrator responsible for forecasting and planning for the exhaust of geographic area codes. An area code reaches "exhaust" when nearly all of the telephone prefixes within that area code are assigned. Prefixes follow the area code and are the first three numbers of a customer's local phone number. A growing population and new technologies that require telephone numbers continue driving the demand for new numbers. The 850/448 area code region consists of 18 counties in the Florida Panhandle, including the cities of Pensacola, Panama City and Tallahassee. For additional information, visit floridapsc.com.
HOW-TO WORKSHOP The Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce, Escambia County, the City of Pensacola and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority are hosting a free virtual workshop designed for businesses to establish a working relationship with their local government. The "How to do Business with Your Local Government" workshop will be held virtually on Wednesday, May 12, at 2 p.m. via Microsoft Teams at bit.ly/3dIKKoi. The featured speakers are Jeffrey Lovingood from Escambia County; Jim Roberts, Tony Howard and Robert Pacenta inweekly.net
from ECUA; and Hosea Goodwyn from Pensacola. The presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
THREE CHIEFS The city of Pensacola has narrowed its search for a police chief down to three candidates. Let the questions about the selections begin. Mayor Grover Robinson will ask the first one. "Are you seriously gonna put somebody from the state of Minnesota on this group? Because so far, Minnesota is making Mississippi look like Mahatma Gandhi on civil rights," Robinson said Monday during his weekly press conference, relaying his reaction to the city's selection committee. The city's selection committee has assured Mayor Robinson that any of the eight finalists, and certainly the top three, could step into the job. Additionally, the selection committee was in agreement on their top three candidate choices. The three finalists are Booker Hodges, assistant commissioner of law enforcement for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety; John Ortolano, chief of police in Hobbs, N.M.; and Eric Randall, assistant chief of police with the Newport News Police Department in Virginia. While much of the societal discussion concerning policing revolves around social justice issues and issues involving race, the city apparently did not consider race when selecting finalists. Of the top three, both Hodges and Randall are Black. "There is a belief," Mayor Robinson said, "that we need to find leadership that is committed to making sure that the ranks of the police look similar to the community that they serve." Also not considered, according to City Administrator Keith Wilkins, who sat on the selection committee, was any geographical connection to the region—though all three have a connection in some form. "They all three have various connections to Florida and one to Pensacola," said Wilkins. "One was Navy; one graduated
April 29, 2021
from Booker T. (Washington High School); one's wife, apparently, has family close by." One candidate with a direct geographical connection that did not make the top three is interim PPD Chief Kevin Christman, who stepped up from his position of assistant chief when former Chief Tommi Lyter retired in December. "We think that Deputy Chief Christman has a place with us as deputy chief," said Mayor Robinson. The mayor said that Christman's interview with the selection committee didn't go as well as it could have. Also, a bit ironically, his dedication to the PPD and being a "team player" in the organization may have worked against him in this instance. "He's very team-focused, so he really hasn't sought out those opportunities that would promote him to that position on paper," the mayor said, later adding, "He didn't focus so much on himself; he focused on PPD. He's always focused on PPD." Robinson also said that Christman has requested to act as a liaison between the city and the top three candidates—"He's a team player, and he's trying to work for the betterment of the team."
employees, as well as National Energy and Qunav, who were each awarded a Phase I SBIR grant by AFWERX (~$50K per award). gBETA Pensacola is a free seven-week accelerator that works with five startups at a time for no fees and no equity. Participants receive intensive and individualized coaching and access to gener8tor's national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. The program is designed to help startups gain early customer traction on their product or idea and make them competitive applicants for full-time, equity-based accelerators or seed investment. "To make Pensacola the best place for entrepreneurship to shine, we need to have ways for our area to identify amazing young companies and get them to the next level quickly," said DC Reeves, chief entrepreneur officer of The Spring. gBETA Pensacola is held twice per year, with five local/regional companies accepted per cohort to ensure a high level of individualized attention. Startups interested in applying should contact gBETA Pensacola Director Jonathan Kretz at jonathan@ gener8tor.com. For more information, visit gbetastartups.com/pensacola.
NEW GBETA CLASS The Spring Entre-
POT AMENDMENT REJECTED The Florida Supreme Court recently rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to allow people to use recreational marijuana because the conservative justices believed it would mislead voters. Backers of the proposed amendment sought to put it on the 2022 ballot and had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures. But in a 5-2 ruling, the Supreme Court said the proposed ballot summary would mislead "voters into believing that the recreational use of marijuana in Florida will be free of any repercussions, criminal or otherwise." That conclusion stemmed from marijuana remaining illegal under federal law. The proposed ballot summary said the amendment would permit "adults 21 years or older to possess, use, purchase, display and transport up to
preneur Hub, Studer Community Institute and startup accelerator gener8tor announced the participants selected for the gBETA Pensacola Spring 2021 program— Alla Prima Coffee Roaster, Assistt, eduocity, Rainey's Closet and RCI Health Metrics. The five startups were selected from a large applicant pool and represent diversity in geography, industry, demographic and business stage with three women-owned and three minority-owned businesses represented in the cohort. Graduates from the inaugural gBETA Pensacola Fall 2020 cohort have already shown positive traction, including DESHI, who acquired a second location on Pensacola Beach and added 12 full-time
2.5 ounces of marijuana and marijuana accessories for personal use for any reason." "A constitutional amendment cannot unequivocally 'permit' or authorize conduct that is criminalized under federal law," said the majority opinion shared by Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justices Ricky Polston, Carlos Muniz, John Couriel and Jamie Grosshans.
BYE, BYE BARKER In city staffing news,
Dick Barker will retire from his assistant administrator position this coming June. "This was a significant loss to the city with Dick's tremendous tenure and institutional knowledge," Mayor Grover Robinson said. "However, we are happy for Dick and his family that they will be able to enjoy more time together." Barker recently moved up to his current post from a long tenure as the city's finance director. The city plans to open Barker's assistant administrator position to internal candidates for 30 days, with a decision on a replacement to be made before his retirement.
PAY THE PARKING METER The City of Pensacola nixed changes to enforcement hours for downtown Pensacola parking after hearing concerns from business owners. Parking zones from Palafox Street east will remain Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Those west of Palafox will stay MondaySaturday from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. All city parking zones—identified by teal blue PARKPensacola signs—will continue to be free on Sundays. City parking in the downtown core area, including the Jefferson Street Garage, will be a standardized 50 cents per hour, with the first 30 minutes free. All parking fees must be paid by the PARKPensacola app or at a PARKPensacola pay station. The City of Pensacola will be linking license plate data directly to the Pensacola Police Department. License plate readers will send alerts to PPD for major crimes, including kidnappings and stolen vehicles, in an effort to enhance public safety. {in}
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inweekly.net
Disclaimer: Mature Content
Art by Natalie Allgyer
OnlyFans Creators Tell Us Why it Works for Them
By Sydney Robinson In 2020 when the world shut down as a result of COVID-19, bored, scared and lonely people turned in massive numbers to online solutions to fulfill their wants and needs. Simultaneously, people out of work and struggling to pay the bills amid state-level failures with unemployment and national-level failures in stimulus pushed people into alternative workplaces. From Postmates food delivery for their munchies to TikTok for their distraction and entertainment and even to OnlyFans for their lustier cravings, most creature comforts were to be found on an app or online platform. OnlyFans representatives reported that in 2020, the number of users registered on their site doubled from 26 million to more than 50 million between March and August; the number of content creators also exploded from 350,000 to 700,000. This massive influx of eyeballs and creators intending to capitalize on that appetite meant that models, influencers and people-next-door from all over the U.S. April 29, 2021
and world were entering a new frontier. Creators on OnlyFans are typically performing what would be categorized as sex work, a large umbrella term that covers acts ranging from prostitution, stripping, phone sex, the production of pornography and everything in between. Some creators share art modeling photos, while others share explicitly sexual videos or perform sex acts with other creators. Anything legal is possible on the app, and the menu is dreamed up and maintained by the creator themselves. Free to offer whatever they wish, the freedom of the platform also means the creator can draw the line any time. Only subscribers can see a creator's content, and they set their monthly rate to get behind the paywall—anywhere from a couple dollars to the cost of a dinner and cocktails. From there, the content feed resembles a Facebook homepage, with likes and comments underneath photos. Subscribers can privately message creators
to send compliments, make requests or just share some small talk. Creators may respond at their own pace and can send out a la carte items like videos for an additional fee. Inweekly spoke with a few creators from Florida about their time spent creating on the platform and how the work served them in 2020.
Shelby Nalepa Shelby Nalepa says that her introduction to motherhood offered her a new, unvarnished view of her body and personhood that felt like freedom. "After I had my daughter, I breastfed her," said Nalepa. "I constantly had my boob out, and I found that kind of empowering. I just kind of lost that sense of, 'Oh, I need to cover up,' [because] I need to feed my daughter. Something about having her made me feel like a more confident person and I felt a shift. If I could walk around naked I would, and it wouldn't bother me."
That shift, coupled with her role as a yoga instructor and pole fitness enthusiast, was a natural entry into OnlyFans at the beginning of the pandemic. "Yoga can be sensual in a way because you have to be so in tune with your body. [Then] I got interested in pole fitness so I started doing pole, and, of course, pole can be a sensual thing, too. I'm a stay-at-home mom, besides teaching yoga a couple times a week, so I thought [OnlyFans] would be a fun way to bring in some extra money." Nalepa was surprised to see how receptive her audience was to her content and says that some of her real-life friends and acquaintances are the most loyal subscribers. "[On the internet,] people are offering all the content you could ever want for free, and I'm asking $10 a month just for my profile, but I see it as supporting local as opposed to shopping at Walmart." With the proliferation of porn streaming sites on every virtual corner of the internet, some might be surprised to learn that loyal 13
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subscribers are eager to pay a monthly fee to view content from one indie creator. "I think that's the allure; you can go find all the free porn you want, but some of the fun of it is knowing this person in real life and subscribing and seeing a different side." The OnlyFans model relies on selfpromotion and creators often use social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter or TikTok to push users to their OnlyFans profile. While some users create personas and separate their private from their public lives, Nalepa says she has no issues with those who follow her online knowing all of her hobbies, OnlyFans included. "I had friends who have unfollowed me or blocked me [on Instagram] for starting my OnlyFans," said Nalepa. "It hurt my feelings at first, but I enjoy having OnlyFans, and I just had to realize that's not my fault; there's nothing that I did wrong." While she is proud of her multifaceted persona, Nalepa did share her concerns with continuing her line of work when her child reaches school age. "It sucks that we are still living in a world where sex workers get that stigma," Nalepa said. "I see it as work, and it's awful that people can be judged based on what they do for work. I just want to set the best example I can for my own daughter and show her that whatever career she wants to do in life, that's OK. It's not about what people do; it's about who you are." In the meantime, Nalepa enjoys playing on the fitness pole installed in their kitchen in May of 2020, a great form of exercise and fun for the toddler. "[My daughter] just sees the pole as playtime. She loves spinning on the pole in the kitchen; it is so fun for her. It's all about context. When we are just playing in the kitchen as a family and spinning on the pole, that's just our fun family time."
*Mae While other creators lean on the "girl next door" persona, Mae, a trans woman, refers to herself as a "trans goth femme domme"—a fun jumble of words that basically means her subscribers pay her to be mean to them. Mae says that her time on OnlyFans and other online sex work platforms has helped her gain confidence in her body and presentation in the early days of her transition. "It's been good all around for me in terms of my mental health. Before I got in front of the camera, I was very shy about my body and didn't know what to wear. Doing this very lens-up-to-my-body in detail work forced me to think in new ways." Performing for her subscribers is an opportunity for Mae to celebrate the parts of herself she can't showcase at her day job while also stretching her creative muscles on scriptwriting, video editing and costuming. "I play up the gothic side of myself in a more elaborate sense. It's a chance to wear fishnets and chains and spikes and pull it off in a way that is affirming," Mae explained. The pressure to "pass," is significant for many transgender individuals, but that pressure comes from a gender binary that Mae doesn't feel as attached to within the
confines of her niche, a group that is full of trans and queer folks like herself. "I feel like realistically, I'm always going to feel conspicuous, so I'm leaning into that in some ways. If people are going to look, I can at least give them something to look at." Mae has been using OnlyFans as a creator since late 2018 when she began creating content with her partner at the time. In 2020, she took over as the sole creator and has built her fan base, relying on Twitter to tap into a niche audience. "During the pandemic, my peak income was $400-$700 a month, which, considering I was at home and had no job or vehicle to work with, was kind of a lifesaver." Mae currently works a full-time office job, but her goal is to pull back to part-time office work and grow her online presence with plans to launch her own website to sell directly to her fans. She says the transition from full-time freelancer to an employee at a company has been rough and demeaning. "Having that sort of agency while doing my work and having control from start to finish is something that's very attractive to me and makes it difficult to reintegrate back into an employer-employee relationship. As a freelancer, I have more dignity and power than I do as a worker."
Evelia Hooks Evelia Hooks says when she and her husband first got together, it took a bit of convincing for him to be OK with her more risqué photoshoots. But now, almost 10 years later, he is her biggest fan when it comes to her work online. "In the beginning, the implied and nude modeling wasn't always 100% on the table, but [OnlyFans] came about and we saw the financial gain we could make from it and the ease of doing it at home," Hooks explained. "Now we are married, and there's a wonderful security in having that." Hooks, who is also primarily a stay-athome mother, says that she was first attracted to OnlyFans because it was a secure place to show off her years of artistic modeling photos that would be censored on other platforms like Instagram. In recent years, as social media platforms have increased their terms and conditions to exclude nudity, models and photographers have found their art digitally homeless. "There are photographers here who are glad someone is getting to see the nude work [they shot]," said Hooks. For Hooks' fans, the perks of subscribing are about more than just seeing hidden photos—it's about building relationships. "There would be subscribers who would buy the sexual content, but I'd have times where I'd wake up to a message from someone just wanting to talk to me to tell me what a crap day they had, and I'm like, 'OK, I can totally be that person, too.'" Now with another baby on the way, Hooks says she has enjoyed her time modeling again both on OnlyFans and in a more artistic context and that she will eagerly return again once she is ready post-baby. "[When I'm modeling,] I feel like me again," said Hooks. "Going back into shooting was my first taste of getting my 'me time' back."
*Kat When visiting Kat's website, text on the homepage states that she has been "naked on the internet since 2010," a testament to her years of art and figure modeling, photography work, blogging and, now, OnlyFans content. "I started out on the internet in the Tumblr days and it was free and you could post anything. They had no content rules; that was really awesome because I used it as a place to showcase my portfolio and it supported all kinds of art and nudity." Tumblr, a blogging site, was once a thriving platform for uncensored photos and videos until it was sold in the mid-2010s and quickly phased in community guidelines banning nudity. Other platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook have similar guidelines, making the artistic modeling Kat enjoyed most taboo on most sites today. "The work I do is a continuation of what I started 10 years ago," explained Kat. "I host some of my old nude work, new nude work from an artistic standpoint, photography, etc." In addition to photos, Kat showcases her pole dancing hobby as well as her background in ballet to create dynamic content for her audience. "It's so strange to me how 10 years ago, no one would buy any of the stuff I posted on Tumblr, but I had all of these followers. Now some of the people who are subscribed to OnlyFans have been following me since then." "I think it speaks to what it is that people are looking for, maybe not even just sexually. We want a different window into people's lives. I call it 'real girl porn.' They'd rather see the actual girl next door, whether she's taking naked pics or explicit videos. They would rather see that than they would the airbrushed photoshopped stuff that comes out of the actual industry." Kat says that her nude modeling work, on OnlyFans and long before, drew criticism from some of the people in her life, interestingly all of whom were men. "When I first got into it, I had a lot of people say, 'You're better than that.' I had guy friends who were like, 'I think you're smarter than that,' 'You've got more going for you than that.' But no one can ever define what 'that' was." Kat says she has spent time examining the role of agency in a platform like OnlyFans, which allows the creator—typically women— to set the limits and benefit from the objectification that happens to women so often with or without their consent. "You're objectified by society, or are you going to objectify yourself? Either you're going to do it to me or I'm going to do it on my own terms and you're going to have to deal with it." Kat has found a space as a mentor of sorts to other women who see her success on the platform and are exploring the possibility for themselves. "I hate to sound cliche with the word 'empowering,' but it has been for me. Knowing I have these women who have come to me saying, 'I respect you; how can I feel this comfortable with myself?' I think it's empowering." {in} *Some names were changed for privacy inweekly.net
WEEK OF APRIL 29-MAY 5
Arts & Encouragement hope, help and other signs of humanity at a time when we really need it...
Lauren Hough Fights Back By Sydney Robinson
Lauren Hough / Photo by Karl Poss IV
Lauren Hough was 15 before she felt free enough to imagine what a future for her might look like and settled on a goal—Writer. Though it took her a couple of decades and many long roads, Hough has finally arrived as a newly minted New York Times Bestselling Author. "When I really freak out, it [involves] something or someone that I knew of when I was 15," said Hough. "So seeing my book review in the Washington Post, that one hit me in the chest." Part memoir and part op-ed, Hough's book of essays "Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing" explores her life in episodes, bouncing between her childhood in the infamous Children of God cult to her early adulthood in the Air Force as a gay woman amid the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy to her tumultuous 20s and 30s where she experienced homelessness, jail and everyday indignities as a member of the working class. April 29, 2021
"I'll always feel a bit like an outsider; I don't know if that leaves," Hough said. "I don't know how that happens with most people, but in a crowded room, I'm always gonna feel a little like I'm not part of it, just observing it." Despite the heavy nature of Hough's experience, the book isn't heavy, really. Readers are buoyed between moments of terror, trauma and misfortune by genuine hilarity, kindness and introspection. The format of the book as a collection of essays was done intentionally so that the breadth of Hough's experiences couldn't be boiled down to just one moment. "I didn't want to write a straight cult memoir or a military memoir or a working life in America memoir; I wanted to tell all of it," said Hough. "I put it all out there." The book covers intimate details of Hough's experience in a cult where she and her family traveled around the world evading authorities and recruiting new members, in and out of the organization until she was 15 years old. Inside the organization, women were subjected to sexual assault and worse due to the founder's belief that women existed to serve men and reproduce. This sort of early-life indoctrination had lasting implications on Hough's psyche. "Consent may not always mean consent," said Hough on the topic of coercive or passive consent. "[W]e allow things to happen to us because we are trained as children or women to agree and be nice and placate those who might hurt you if you don't." Unfortunately, many women who were never raised in a sex cult can identify with Hough's struggles. Readers may be familiar with Hough's Huffington Post essay from 2018, "I Was A Cable Guy. I Saw The Worst Of America." That essay, which covered the indignities
she suffered working long hours as a cable tech including a lack of restrooms, abusive and sexually aggressive customers, and disgusting working conditions, peeled back a window into the working class that is rarely seen. "It's just something we don't hear about a lot in books and literature because the people who are working those jobs don't have time to write them," explained Hough. "[They] don't have time to think about their stories long enough to write them because they're busy working three jobs, especially if they have kids." Throughout her book, Hough shares moments of violence and abuse as a result of her physical appearance (a six-foottall woman who codes "lesbian" or "male" depending on the viewer). Today, while homophobic sentiment has lessened somewhat, Hough says she has never lost that feeling of fear. "How many states, Oklahoma and Arkansas and Florida, are putting out laws to police transgender kids on who can play sports, but it's really about who is allowed to exist in this country," said Hough. "Passing, white-bread, wear-khakis-towork gay people aren't really the target so much [today], but when one of us is being oppressed, all of us are being oppressed; that's the way it works." What make's Hough's personal essays unique is the way she uses her experiences to draw attention to the plight of others. Though her book deals heavily with issues surrounding inequality, Hough mostly avoids more academic terms like "privilege." "[I] don't want to put people on the defensive," Hough said. "Without using that word I could say everything I meant about it—I'm not still in jail because I'm white; I can drive around with a little bit of pot and not be terrified I'll end up in prison because I'm white. You can't not acknowledge that, but at the same time, in order for that to sink in for a reader who is already primed to be defensive about having their privilege called out, I wanted them to listen before they got defensive about it." Hough's grounded approach to these topics comes in part from her deep immersion in the working class, which enables her to speak from authority when she confronts issues like generational trauma and violence. From her book—"There are few codes
held more deeply among the poor, the religious, and the uneducated than that it is good and healthy and wholesome parenting to hit your kids … It may not be as visible a mark of your class as bad teeth, but a history of violence being acted upon you by those you love is just as effective at keeping you from climbing too high. Violence isn't so much a belief system as it is a symptom." This tendency toward violence is something Hough is working on taming in herself. Today, that anger takes place on Twitter and recently threatened to tank the success of her new release when she criticized the book review community on Goodreads, a popular social media app for books. "One of the less pleasant joys of PTSD is freezing [during conflict]. Freezing feels like I'm dead. I dissociate really easily, so fighting just feels better, and it's always the wrong answer," Hough said. Hough's criticism drew a swift rebuke from Goodreads reviewers—most of whom had not read the book before giving their review—who bombarded the book with one-star reviews. "I screwed up," Hough reflected. "I've been in a low-grade panic attack in the past couple of weeks. [My book is] so personal and it's about being tortured as a kid for not looking happy enough and not looking feminine enough and not being grateful for the punishment." Hough says ultimately, she hopes her words today don't deter young people who might find value in her experiences from diving into the book with an open mind. "I wrote the book because it might help some other kid feel less alone. I wanted to put those stories out there about class and privilege and the working poor and how childhood trauma will affect your life, and I don't want it to be shadowed by my screwup," Hough said. For a person who has fought so many battles, a few bad reviews aren't enough to sideline her for long. "I'm still scared of it, afraid that with one misstep, it's all gonna fall apart. [But] 15-yearold me would still think I'm doing alright." {in} For more with Hough, including details about her virtual book tour, visit laurenhoughauthor.com, and make sure you give her a follow at twitter.com/laurenthehough. 15
a&e happenings Membership is a very important aspect of The Arc Gateway organization, increasing awareness which ultimately leads to a better-informed community. Membership is a critical step in creating society-wide acceptance of people with disabilities. The Arc Gateway runs membership drives yearly with the availability to join year-round. The drive honors legendary supporter, Bobby Tronu, who for more than 50 years played a special part in The Arc Gateway's efforts to improve the lifestyles of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The annual membership drive pays tribute to the years of support and service Bobby Tronu provided. To learn more about membership options or to join, visit arc-gateway.org/giving/ membership or call 850-434-2638.
KNOW CHILD ABUSE: GULF COAST KID'S HOUSE EVENT AT ODD COLONY Support the Gulf Coast Kid's House
Derwin "Big D" Perkins of Boukou Groove / Photo by Emily Ferretti
MOTHER'S DAY EVENTS
MOTHER'S DAY GRAB-AND-GO DINNER Let Five Sisters Blues Café do
the cooking for Mother's Day. Their dinner package includes a garlic and herb roasted pork loin with sides and red velvet cake for dessert. Dinner serves six and is $65 plus tax. Orders can be placed now through 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 5. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.
CELEBRATE MOTHER'S DAY AT GREAT SOUTHERN RESTAURANTS
All Great Southern Restaurants will be open Sunday, May 9, for Mother's Day. Each restaurant will offer their standard menus, as well as special features created by Chef de Cuisine John Huggins, Executive Chef Irv Miller, Executive Chef Billy Ballou and Executive Chef James Briscione. As we continue to maintain our strict standards of service, please note seating will be limited. Reservations are required at each restaurant.
THE FISH HOUSE The Fish House will be open and serving Mother's Day brunch on Sunday, May 9, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. with dinner service available beginning at 3 p.m. To reserve your table, call 470-0003 or visit fishhousepensacola.com. JACKSON'S STEAKHOUSE Jackson's
will be serving Mother's Day Brunch as well as Mother's Day Dinner on Sunday, May 9. Brunch hours are from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. with dinner service at 5 p.m. To reserve your table, call 469-9898. For more information, visit jacksonsrestaurant.com.
FIVE SISTERS BLUES CAFÉ Five Sisters
Blues Café will be open for our traditional Sunday Jazz Brunch on Mother's Day Sunday, May 9, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. To reserve your table, call 469-9898 or visit fivesistersbluescafe.com. 616 1
ANGELENA'S RISTORANTE ITALIANO
Angelena's will be open and serving Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 9, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. To reserve your table, call 542-8398 or visit angelenaspensacola.com.
MOTHER'S DAY FOR MOTHER EARTH RECYCLING DRIVE Sustainable Pensac-
ola in partnership with Emerald Coast Utilities Authority is hosting a one-day recycling drive open to all Escambia County residents at the John R. Jones Athletic Complex, located at 551 Nine Mile Road, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 8. Participants will be eligible for discounts at local businesses including Open Books, The Farm Produce Stand, East Hill Pizza and more.
MOTHER'S DAY PORCH MARKET Head
to Alyssa's Antiques at 4586 Chumuckla Highway in Pace for a Mother's Day Porch Market to find unique gifts for mom. The market is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 8. Grab a passport and have vendors stamp it to be eligible for Alyssa's gift cards. For more information, visit shopalyssas.com.
NONPROFITS + FUNDRAISERS
CLOTHING DRIVE WITH ST. VINCENT DE PAUL Visit Perfect Plain Brewing Co.,
located at 50 E. Garden St., on Saturday, May 8, from 2-6 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Alfred-Washburn Resource Center. Donate three items to St. Vincent De Paul and receive a free beer as well as a coupon for the thrift shop and a Koozie or fridge magnet with the St. Vincent De Paul logo. Visit facebook.com/ perfectplainbrewingco for more details.
THE ARC GATEWAY KICKS OFF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DRIVE The Arc
Gateway has kicked off its annual Bobby Tronu Membership Drive for the month of April and invites the public to join. The nonprofit agency would like to expand its membership by 500 new members.
(GCKH) from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at Odd Colony, located at 260 N. Palafox. GCKH is a children's advocacy center with all the professionals under one roof needed for the intervention, investigation, prosecution and mental health services to provide a collaborative response to child abuse. Learn more about this organization and donate at this event. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony.
PAWS AND PILATES Celebrate Pilates
Day on Saturday, May 1, at Pure Pilates with free classes offered from 9 a.m.-noon at 426 S. Palafox in Pensacola and 221 Gulf Breeze Parkway in Gulf Breeze. Donations will be accepted for Pensacola Humane Society. For more information, visit purepilatespensacola.com/free-pilates-day.
PAINT YOUR HEART OUT WITH KEEP PENSACOLA BEAUTIFUL Paint Your
Heart Out (PYHO) is a community beautification program from Keep Pensacola Beautiful (KPB) that aims to assist our elderly, disabled, veteran and/or singleparent community members through a massive service project once a year. PYHO is open to all Escambia County residents and nominated by the public. During the month of May, a team of volunteers will go to the selected property and perform beautification projects such as pressure washing, exterior home painting, light landscaping and outdoor light bulb replacing. KPB needs a community of partners, sponsors and volunteers for this annual project. Email Lauren Doubek, Education & Outreach coordinator, at lauren@keeppensacolabeautiful.org for groups of five or more volunteers. For group sizes of four or less, visit volunteermatch.org to register individually.
CALL TO ARTISTS
KEEP PENSACOLA BEAUTIFUL PIECES ADRIFT ART SHOW Pieces Adrift is a
community art exhibition and auction that educates viewers about the harmful effects marine litter has on our coastal ecosystem.
All pieces submitted to this show are made of at least 50% reclaimed waste material to inspire onlookers to rethink their trash in a creative way. Art that is donated will be open for public auction, and proceeds will benefit Keep Pensacola Beautiful's programming initiatives in 2022. To participate in Keep Pensacola Beautiful's upcoming Pieces Adrift Art Show & Auction as an artist, visit facebook. com/keeppensacolabeautiful for a link to the signup form. Artists of any level are welcome to join.
EMERALD COAST REVIEW SEEKS REGIONAL WRITER, ARTIST SUBMISSIONS The Emerald Coast Review is
collecting quality fiction, nonfiction, poetry, contemporary, emerging and experimental works along with the best of art, graphic design and photography. Residents from the following counties are encouraged to submit—Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa and Bay (Florida); Mobile, Escambia and Baldwin (Alabama). To view guidelines and submit work, visit wflf.org/ecr. Submissions close April 30. Accepted submissions will be announced and writers will be notified that their piece(s) will be published in the ECR in Fall 2021.
VENDORS AND CRAFT EXHIBITORS FOR JAZZ PENSACOLA 2021 Jazz Pen-
sacola is calling arts and crafts exhibitors to submit applications for the 2021 Pensacola JazzFest planned for May 15-16 at Seville Square in historic downtown Pensacola. Application forms can be downloaded at jazzpensacola.com. Only original art and handmade crafts will be accepted. No commercial/mass-produced products will be accepted. All entries are $200 for a 10-by-10-foot canopy or smaller. All fees go to support Pensacola JazzFest, a free event for the community. For more information, call Jazz Pensacola administrator Alice Crann Good at (850) 433-8382, Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., or visit jazzpensacola.com.
FOO FOO FEST GRANT APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN Pensacola's Foo Foo
Festival officially announced its plans for its seventh annual events, taking place Nov. 4-15, 2021. In 2021, the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival will once again fund top-scoring grant applicants, with the number of grants to be awarded contingent upon the number of submissions. This year, the Foo Foo Festival will provide up to $315,000 in grant funding, and grant applicants can apply for up to $100,000 in grant funding. All organizations, businesses and community partners are encouraged to participate as "Friends of Foo," receiving visibility at the 12-day event. To apply for this year's Foo Foo Festival, visit foofoofest.com. The Foo Foo Fest team will continue to monitor developments surrounding COVID-19 leading up to November's events and will fully cooperate with any instrucinweekly.net
a&e happenings tions heeded for Escambia County by local and state officials and the CDC. The Foo Foo Fest grant application is Friday, April 30, 2021. On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, there will be an announcement of the public grant scoring. For more information, visit foofoofest.com.
ARTS & CULTURE
VISIT PENSACOLA CELEBRATES NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK Visit Pensacola will be celebrating
National Travel and Tourism Week May 2-8 with a host of virtual and in-person events. For registration links and more information, visit visitpensacola.com/industry/events/ national-travel-tourism-week.
MONDAY, MAY 3: COFFEE WITH THE PRESIDENT Visit Pensacola will kick off
the week with a virtual Q&A session with President and CEO Darien Schaefer at 8:30 a.m., Monday, May 3. Questions may be submitted early to Leslie White at lwhite@ visitpensacola.com.
TUESDAY, MAY 4: TAKEOUT TUESDAY To give back to the industry, Visit
Pensacola is encouraging the community to visit local restaurants on Tuesday for dinein or take-out. Show your participation by posting on social media and tagging @ visitpensacola with the hashtag #NTTW21.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 5: HOSPITALITY HERO AWARD CEREMONY & LUNCHEON Visit Pensacola will host its
Hospitality Hero awards during the week's annual luncheon Wednesday, May 5, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Bayview Community Center, located at 2000 E. Lloyd St. Deadline to register for the luncheon is Monday, May 3, at 10 a.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 6: VIRTUAL TRAVEL & TOURISM WORKSHOP Visit Pensacola
will host a virtual travel and tourism workshop from 10-11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 6. Hear from both Visit Florida and Downs and St. Germain Research on the Power of Travel.
THURSDAY, MAY 6: INDUSTRY B.A.R.E NIGHT Industry workers, head to
Perfect Plain Brewery, located at 50 E. Garden St., from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, May 6, to celebrate your hard work this past year. The first drink is on Visit Pensacola, on a firstcome, first-served basis until tickets run out. Make sure to bring your business cards to enter to win the week's grand prize.
FRIDAY, MAY 7: PENSACOLA BEACH CLEANUP Visit Pensacola has partnered
with the Santa Rosa Island Authority to host a beach cleanup at the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach, 20 Casino Beach Blvd., from 10 a.m.-noon on Friday, May 7. Volunteers will receive a T-shirt and lunch on the day of the event.
FRIDAY, MAY 7: VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER OPEN HOUSE Join Visit April 29, 2021
Pensacola Friday, May 7, at the Visitor Information Centers for treats and an inside look at its day-to-day operations. New Insider Guides will be available to take home.
SYNTHESIS AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART The Pensacola Museum of Art and The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida present SynThesis, a group BFA Exit Exhibition. This exhibition features work by graduating Bachelor of Fine Art students from the Department of Art and Design. The exhibit is on view through May 16. For more information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.
CITIZENS SPEAK AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART The "Citizens Speak"
exhibition represents a collection of student work across disciplines based on their engagement with Claudia Rankine's "Citizen." The exhibit is on display through July 3 at Pensacola Museum of Art. For more information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.
GALLERY 1060 MEMBERS' SHOW First
City Art's annual Members Show will be on display through May 1 featuring works of art from past, present and future FCAC members and staff. A virtual reception will take place in April. For more information, visit gallery1060.com.
CLYBOURNE PARK UWF Theatre presents "Claybourne Park" by Bruce Norris on Saturday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 2, at 2:30 p.m. at the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, located at 11000 University Parkway. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance at booktix.com. BIG FISH "Big Fish," the musical based on
the novel and movie of the same name, will be performed at the UWF Theatre April 29-30 at 7 p.m. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance at booktix.com.
OPERA AFTER DARK Opera After Dark is
a unique, free outdoor concert like no other, featuring professional singers in an exciting performance under the stars. All guests will receive free glow sticks. Refreshments from local food trucks will be available to purchase. Located at the UWF Historic Trust Museum Plaza. Next date is rescheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, May 6. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolaopera.
COMING SOON TO PENSACOLA CINEMA ART "Nomadland" will be showing at
Pensacola Cinema Art Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8, at 1 p.m. "Minari" will come to PCA Friday and Saturday, June 11 and 12, at 1 p.m. All tickets are $8. PCA is located at 220 W. Garden St. For more information, visit pensacolacinemaart.com.
VIRTUAL HOT GLASS COLD BREW
The First City Art Center's virtual event Hot Glass Cold Brew, featuring visiting glass artist Rob Stern, will take place virtually on Facebook on Friday, April 30, at 7 p.m. Guests will enjoy a front-row seat to watch
Rob Stern's demo from home with their new HGCB cup. The "Virtual Cup Tent" will open on April 16 featuring one-of-a-kind glass and ceramic cups made by local artists. The cups will be available for purchase from the online store on FCAC's website, firstcityart. org. Each cup purchase will include a raffle ticket and a BOGO pint voucher to Pensacola Bay Brewery.
MOUNTAINFILM POP-UP AT PERFECT PLAIN BREWING CO. The Moun-
tainfilm tour will make a Pensacola stop at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Featured films are inspired documentaries curated from the Mountainfilm Festival held every year in Telluride, Colo. For more information, visit mountainfilm.org.
HEARTBREAK HIGH Featuring Pensacola Opera 2021 Artists in Residence—alongside guest artist Dennis Jesse—Heartbreak High is a brand-new concept for a classic Donizetti opera. The 90-minute production will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday, April 30; Saturday, May 1; and Sunday, May 2, with a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday, May 2, at Pensacola Opera, located at 75 Tarragona St. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit pensacolaopera.com.
MIKE EPPS: IN REAL LIFE COMEDY TOUR Actor and Comedian Mike Epps will
perform at the Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St., 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, for the reduced-capacity show. Tickets start at $65.50 and will be sold in pods for groups of two to six. For more information, visit pensacolabaycenter.com.
25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTRY SPELLING BEE Pensacola Little Theatre
presents this hilarious play that tells the story of six mid-pubescents through a spelling bee. Show dates are 7:30 p.m. Fridays, April 30, May 7 and 14; 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, May 1, 7, and 15; 3 p.m. Sundays, May 2, 9 and 16. Thursday performances are 7:30 p.m. May 6 and 13. For tickets, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.
PENSACOLA CRAWFISH FESTIVAL
The annual crawfish festival will be held April 30-May 2 at Seville Square with live entertainment all weekend. Admission is $5 per day, $2 for kids 6-12 years old and free for kids 5 and under. On Friday, music is 3 p.m.-10:30 p.m., noon-10 p.m. Saturday and 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday. To see the full lineup, visit fiestapensacola.org/crawfish-festival.
OLD EAST HILL PROPERTY OWNERS GARDEN TOUR Join Old East Hill Prop-
erty Owners Association for a free Garden Tour of four Old East Hill Homes on Saturday, May 1. This is a self-guided tour where you can visit four different gardens any time between 2-5 p.m. All homes are within a walkable distance of each other. Participating homes include: •410 E. La Rua St. - Casandra and Jen Manis
•801 E. La Rua St. - Christian Wagley •704 E. Jackson St. - Jessie and Russell Stark •523 N. Eighth Ave. - Lou and Michael Courtney
STAND-UP COMEDY WITH WILL ABELES National headliner Will Abeles will
be performing his stand-up at Whiskey Runner's Saloon, located at 610 E. Nine Mile Road, at 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 2. Admission is $15. For tickets, visit whiskeyrunnersaloon.com.
PENSACOLA CHILDREN'S CHORUS PRESENTS: SHOWTIME Enjoy a Broad-
way-style show with music across nearly every genre. Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 9, at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox, with live-streaming tickets available Friday and Sunday. Tickets start at $15. For more information, visit pensacolasaenger.com.
STAND-UP COMEDY AT THE REX THEATRE Visit The REX Theatre every
Friday at 8 p.m. for national stand up acts. Tickets are $26-$35 at the door. For more information, visit rexpensacola.com.
COMEDY MAGIC SHOW AT THE REX THEATRE Comedy magician Tom Coverly,
known as "The Illusionist," performs Saturday nights at The Rex Theatre, located at 18 N. Palafox. Shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10-$35. For more information, visit rexpensacola.com.
OPEN MIC COMEDY AT BIG TOP BREWERY Try out some new jokes or enjoy some homegrown talent every Monday at 7 p.m. for Open Mic Comedy at Big Top Brewery, located at 21 W. Romano St. Everyone gets five minutes depending the number of sign-ups. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m.
MONTHLY ARTIST MINGLE AND ARTIST Q&A Safely mingle with friends
and neighbors and meet new artists with the monthly event at Gordon Community Art Center, located at 306 N. DeVilliers St. For more information, visit thegordon.org.
NEW EXHIBITS AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART The Members Show
is now on view through April 25. This annual celebration of the talent and creativity of our museum member community features the work of more than 50 artists working across a range of media and techniques. "Hot Mess" is also on view through April 25. This exhibition of recent paintings, prints and animations by 2020 Members Show winner Laura Hydle is about self-reflection and coping with life, happily and, at times, reluctantly. Other exhibits on view include "Antarctica" through April 4 at the downstairs gallery. For more information and hours of operation, visit pensacolamuseum.org.
GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL 2020 LIMITED-EDITION POSTER AVAILABLE ONLINE With the cancel-
lation of this year's Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival due to COVID-19, the festival committee invited local artist Kreg Yingst 17
a&e happenings to create a poster for 2020 in his original woodcut print design. The 250 limited-edition posters are each signed and numbered by the artist. Festival posters have become a local collector's item and are available online this year only. The posters are available at ggaf.org for $27, including shipping and sales tax. Yingst, a long-time GGAF artist, received his B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio after attending the University of Texas and his M.A. in painting from Eastern Illinois University. After graduation, he taught art for 13 years and has been a full-time artist since 2003. The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival returns Nov. 5, 6 and 7, 2021, at Seville Square, Fountain Park, Bartram Park and Museum Plaza in Downtown Pensacola.
DRAG SHOWS AT DOLCE AND GELATO Head to Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., for regular drag shows. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola
PENSACOLA OPERA AL FRESCO
Pensacola Opera's outdoor live concerts are Saturdays at 2 p.m. in the UWF Historic Trust Museum Plaza. For more information, visit pensacolaopera.com.
OPERALIVE: THROWBACK THURSDAYS Take a walk down memory lane with friends of the Pensacola Opera. Learn more about
the craft and look back on past productions with live discussions on Facebook Live Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Viewers are encouraged to join in the conversation. Tune in at facebook.com/pensacolaopera.
NEW CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Performing
Arts (MMPA), a boutique performing arts studio located at 1010 N. 12th Ave., Ste. 238, will be offering a limited class schedule this fall. MMPA offers professional dance, fitness and "Mommy and Me" instruction for all ages and skill levels with weekly classes including, but not limited to, Creative Movement, Ballet/Jazz Combo, Broadway, Tap, Showstoppers, Acting and Voice. Classes will be provided for children as young as 2 years old (with a parent or guardian) through adult. MMPA is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all students and families and has implemented protocols based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Masks are required for entry into the building and studio. More information about Mixon Magic Performing Arts can be found at mixonmagic.com, by contacting hello@mixonmagic.com or emily@mixonmagic.com or by calling 221-7438.
BLACK CITIZENSHIP IN THE AGE OF JIM CROW On view at Voices of Pensacola
is "Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow," a traveling exhibition from the New York
Historical Society Museum & Library with additions from the African American Heritage Society of Pensacola. To learn more about it, visit africanamericanheritagesociety.org. Voices of Pensacola is located at 117 E. Government St. and open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
CRAFT CLASSES AT STUDIO SOUTH ON NINE MILE Learn a new craft or meet
up with other makers at Studio South. Tuesday is Knit Night 4-7 p.m., and Sit & Stitch is Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Both classes are free. For a full calendar of events, visit studiosouthon9mileroad.com. Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AT FIRST CITY ART First City Art Center offers a wide range of classes and workshops for artists of all levels. Classes include glass blowing, ceramics, painting and drawing, kiln-forming, stained glass and more. For a complete list of classes and times, visit firstcityart.org.
SUNDAYS ON THE MEZZANINE Enjoy a full-length concert series on select Sundays at 3 p.m. on Facebook. Tickets are $9.99 and can be purchased online at facebook.com/ pensacolaopera.
LIVE MUSIC
BANDS ON THE BEACH Bands on the Beach is back. The free concert series fea-
tures shows each Tuesday night, from 7-9 p.m., from April to October at the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach. UPCOMING DATES: •May 4: Touch of Gray •May 11: On the Rox
PSO IN THE PARK Pack a lawn chair or blanket and join Pensacola Symphony Orchestra for a free performance at the Museum Plaza, located at 120 Church St. All shows are Sundays at 3 p.m. UPCOMING DATES: •May 9 BANDS ON THE BLACKWATER Following the cancellation of the complete 2020 schedule due to COVID-19, the City of Milton is bringing back the popular concert series starting Friday, April 2. All concerts will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Jernigan's Landing, 5158 S. Willing St. UPCOMING DATES: •April 30: Boukou Groove •May 7: Karli Ryan BEN BELL Musician Ben Bell will be preforming at Dolce and Gelato, 2050 N. 12th Ave., from 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 30. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola. PAT MEUSEL AT DOLCE AND GELATO Pat Meusel will be performing at Dolce and
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
GRAPHIC NOVELS
KIDS BOOKS
909 N. 12th Avenue
pensacolapopcomics.com 818 1
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a&e happenings Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., 4 p.m. Saturdays, May 1 and 15. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola.
PENSACOLA EARLY MUSIC CONSORT
Private Rosamond Johnson Jr. For more information, visit perdidochamber.com.
BLUE ANGELS PRACTICE For those who
great jazz music from Jazz Pensacola musicians Wednesday, May 5, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The 5 Barrel Brewery & Taproom, 121 S. Palafox. Admission is donation based.
have access to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, the National Naval Aviation Museum will open the flight line behind the museum to view Blue Angels practice flight demonstrations. Gates open at 9:30 a.m., and the Blues are scheduled to take to the skies at 10:30 a.m. For more information, visit navalaviationmuseum.org/blueangels. The practice dates for April and May, which are subject to change, are as follows: •May: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH PENSACOLA BEACH Head to Red Fish
BREATHE AND READ AT BODACIOUS BOOKSTORE AND CAFÉ Recenter
The Pensacola Early Music Consort will perform an outdoor concert open to all at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 9, at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church at 3200 N. 12th Ave.
JAZZ JAMS AT THE 5 BARREL Enjoy
Blue Fish for live performances from local bands Fridays and Saturdays all day. For musician lineups, visit facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.
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.
yourself at this monthly event at Bodacious Bookstore and Café, with an instructor-led beginner yoga class and a group book discussion at 9 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month. Bodacious Bookstore and Café is located at 110 Intendencia St. For more information, visit bodaciousbookstore.com.
WFPL MOLINO TRACK CHALLENGE
Put on your walking shoes and join the walking challenge at the Molino library. Just visit Molino's track, turn on your favorite fitness tracker app to log your progress, dial up your tunes or an audiobook and start walking. When you finish, come into the library and log your progress with staff on our track challenge board. The top walker in this program will win The Coldest Water Bottle. The Molino Branch Library is located at 6450-A Highway 95A. For more information, visit mywfpl.com.
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.
HEALTH & WELLNESS EXPO Take advantage of free health screenings, food samples, community resources and door prizes at the health and wellness expo from Community Action Program Committee, Inc. The expo is Saturday, May 8, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at 401 Brigadier St.
MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues
BLUE WAHOOS ANNOUNCE 2021 SCHEDULE The 2021 season schedule for
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.
TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Me-
lodious Allen and The Funk Heads every Tuesday night at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter. com for more information.
FITNESS + RECREATION
ROSAMOND JOHNSON BEACH DAY
The Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Gulf Islands National Seashore, will hold the annual Rosamond Johnson Beach Day on Saturday, May 1, at 10 a.m. to remember the life of Army April 29, 2021
the Pensacola Blue Wahoos begins in May. Under the new Professional Development License system through Major League Baseball, the Blue Wahoos will play as part of the Double-A South league. The league will adopt a six-game series format in 2021 with teams playing TuesdaySunday each week. Mondays will serve as a league-wide off day to facilitate team travel. Stadium capacity limits are expected to be implemented to ensure fan safety during the 2021 season and will be announced leading up to the season. Game times and the team's promotional schedule will be released at a later date. For tickets, visit bluewahoos.com. UPCOMING HOME GAMES: •May 11-16 vs. Birmingham Barons •May 18-23 vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas •June 1-6 vs. Mississippi Braves •June 15-20 vs. Montgomery Biscuits •June 29-July 4 vs. Biloxi Shuckers 19
a&e happenings MULLETS THURSDAYS AT BLUE WAHOOS STADIUM The Pensacola Mullets
will take over Blue Wahoos Stadium every Thursday during the 2021 season, offering an exciting twist to the team's popular Thirsty Thursday game nights. Brand-new On-Field New Era Pensacola Mullets hats will be available again soon in the Blue Wahoos team store. An initial preorder for the hats in November quickly sold out. T-shirts and additional Mullets apparel are also available in the Bait & Tackle Shop. The team also announced a new Mullets Mini Plan for the 2021 season, which features a ticket to all 10 Mullets Thursday games at Blue Wahoos Stadium in 2021 plus a ticket to Opening Day and the Fourth of July as well as an exclusive Mullets tank top. Mullets Mini Plans are available now and can be ordered by calling the team at 850-934-8444. The first Mullets Thursday of the season will be on May 13 as the Mullets take on the Birmingham Barons at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
RELEASE & RENEW AT FITNESS IMPACT TRAINING At 8:15 a.m. on Mondays,
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 Thursdays 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. 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
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 an unlimited 30-day pass. Located at 513 W. Intendencia St. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online.
YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN 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.
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. On Saturday, Jan. 30, volunteers will be at Philip A. Payne Bridge. Supplies will be provided, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own. For locations, visit oceanhourfl.com.
FOOD + DRINKS
ANGELENA'S SUPPER CLUB: PRIMAVERA: ITALIAN SPRING Head to
Angelena's Ristorante Italiano, 101 E. Intendencia St., 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29, when Chef James will celebrate the wonderful flavors of the season through his favorite spring dishes. Event cost is $75 per person (plus tax and gratuity). For more information, visit angelenaspensacola.com.
KITCHEN WORKSHOP: BUILD-ABOARD OF CHARCUTERIE Learn to make
the cheese board of your dreams with Pensacola Cooks with this two-day class 6-8 p.m. April 30 and 1-3 p.m. May 1 at Pensacola Cooks Kitchen, located at 3624 Barrancas Ave. Tickets are $75 per person. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolacooks.
HALFWAY TO OKTOBERFEST Gary's
Brewery & Biergarten, located at 208 New-
man Ave., will be celebrating the halfway mark to Oktoberfest on Friday, April 30, from 5:309 p.m. For more information, visit facebook. com/garysbrew.
CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO Perfect
Plain Brewing Co. will be hosting a Cinco de Mayo party with Tacos Mexicanos Downtown, live music, taco eating contest, tequila specials and giveaways. The party begins 11 a.m. Saturday, May 1. For more information, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.
BURGER BATTLE BY THE BAY Get ready to taste the best burgers in Pensacola with the annual Burger Battle by the Bay at Community Maritime Park on Saturday, May 1, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. With $20 admission, you can sample numerous grilled burgers and vote for your favorite. Proceeds benefit Take Stock in Children-Escambia County. 200 SOUTH CELEBRATES CINCO DE MAYO Celebrate Cinco de Mayo all week
long at businesses at 200 South from May 1-8. Events include a marketplace from noon-6 p.m. and live music at 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, drink specials, Sunday brunch and run club. For a full list of events, visit facebook.com/200southpcola.
for more listings visit inweekly.net
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MAY 2021 • 100% Virtrual & Free • 45 Experts • 15-to-50 minute presentations
Hosted by Quint Studer
• While it’s mainly for those who work in healthcare, all are invited.
A Free Month-long Symposium to Thank Healthcare Workers. Jeff Atwood
Adrian Gostick
Kristin Baird, RN, BSN, MHA
Brian Haas, D.O.
Author, Speaker and Healthcare Leader Need to Know President & CEO Baird Group
Stephen Beeson, MD
CEO & Founder Practicing Excellence
President, Dahlborg HealthCARING Leadership Group, LLC (DHLG)
Harold Dawson, Jr., MBA
Managing Editor & Managing Partner The Keckley Report and The Keckley Group
Mike Harbour
Lyn Ketelsen, MBA, RN
Founder KLK Leading Change Inc.
Speaker & Executive Coach
Linda Deering Dean,RN, MSN National Speaker & Executive Coach
Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur Simplified
Robert C. Lloyd, Ph.D. Vice President Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Liz Jazwiec, RN
Allison Massari
Top Healthcare Keynote Speaker, Burn Survivor, Storyteller, Visual Artist
Colby B. Jubenville, Ph.D.
Don Dean
Emily Ley
Vicki Hess, RN, MS, CTP, CVP Speaker, Author, Consultant and Virtual Coach Employee Engagement Solutions President & Founder LizJaz
President & CEO Dawson Company
Founder and Author FindMojo
Hospitalist and Physician Leader Centerpoint Medical Center
Author, Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant & Former Hospital CEO
Tom Dahlborg
Chester Elton
Paul Keckley, Ph.D.
Diana Hendel, PharmD
President & CEO V. Randolph Brown Consulting
Author, Speaker, TEDx Presenter
Author and Speaker
Founder and President Harbour Resources
Vincent Brown
Lisa DeLong, RN
Susan Keane Baker, MHA
Founder and Author FindMojo
Speaker, Author, Educator and Coach, Middle Tennessee State University’s CBHS Center for Student Coaching and Success
Jay Kaplan, MD, FACEP
Medical Director of Care Transformation LCMC Health
Nate Kaufman, M.S.
Managing Director & Founder Kaufman Strategic Advisors, LLC
Registration is free
Swati Mehta, MD, FACP Executive Director of Quality & Patient Experience Vituity
Jill Miller, MBA President Bethesda, Inc.
Bob Murphy, JD, M.Div., MPA,
BSN, R.N. Coach and Speaker Bob Murphy Consulting
Sue Murphy, CXO, CPXP Chief Experience Officer University of Chicago Medical Center
James Orlikoff, M.A. President Orlikoff & Associates, Inc.
Anthony Orsini, D.O. Author, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Presenter, Doctor The Orsini Way
Jake Poore
President & Chief Experience Officer Integrated Loyalty Systems
Michael Pugh, MPH President MdP Associates, LLC
Sonia Rhodes
Founder & CEO The Experience Lab
Diane Rogers,
PCC, CPXP President Contagious Change, LLC
Eugene Schneller, Ph.D. Professor of Supply Chain Management W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University
Mardia Shands, M.A., SPHR
Founder & CEO Mardia A. Shands Consultancy LLC
Kevin Sheridan, MBA Author, Speaker, Coach Kevin Sheridan LLC
Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN Professor Emeritus Florida Atlantic University
Terre Short,
MBA, PCC, CPXP CEO & Owner Short Group
Dennis Snow
Speaker, Trainer and Consultant Snow & Associates, Inc.
Quint Studer, M.Ed
Founder Studer Community Institute
Renee Thompson, DNP, RN, CMSRN, CSP CEO & Founder Healthy Workforce Institute
Joe Tye, MBA
CEO and Head Coach Values Coach Inc.
Jason Wolf, Ph.D., CPXP President & CEO The Beryl Institute
www.TheGratitudeSymposium.com
A full list of experts, content and information on how to register can be found at www.TheGratitudeSymposium.com. To make it easy to register your entire workforce or student body, please contact Nicole Webb Bodie at Nicole@QuintStuder.com or 850-748-2027.
The group has raised $75,000 to The Daisy Foundation and $25,000 to AUPHA April 29, 2021
21
free will astrology WEEK OF APRIL 29 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Poet Allen Ginsberg despairingly noted that many people want MORE MORE MORE LIFE, but they go awry because they allow their desire for MORE MORE MORE LIFE to fixate on material things—machines, possessions, gizmos and status symbols. Ginsberg revered different kinds of longings—for good feelings, meaningful experiences, soulful breakthroughs, deep awareness and all kinds of love. In accordance with astrological potentials, Aries, I'm giving you the go-ahead in the coming weeks to be extra greedy for the stuff in the second category. TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): In her poem "Mirror," Taurus poet Halina Poświatowska wrote, "I am dazed by the beauty of my body." I applaud her brazen admiration and love for her most valuable possession. I wish more of us could genuinely feel that same adoration for our own bodies. And in accordance with current astrological omens, I recommend that you do indeed find a way to do just that right now. It's time to upgrade your excitement about being in such a magnificent vessel. Even if it's not in perfect health, it performs amazing marvels every minute of every day. I hope you will boost your appreciation for its miraculous capacities and increase your commitment to treating it as the treasure that it is. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Gemini
poet Buddy Wakefield writes that after the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004, "the only structure still standing in the wiped-out village of Malacca [in Malaysia] was a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. I wanna be able to stand like that." I expect you will indeed enjoy that kind of stability and stamina in the coming weeks, my dear. You won't have to endure a metaphorical tsunami, thank Goddess, but you may have to stand strong through a blustery brouhaha or swirling turbulence. Here's a tip— The best approach is not to be stiff and unmoving like a statue, but rather flexible and willing to sway.
By Rob Brezsny
CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): No educator had ever offered a class in psychology until trailblazing philosopher William James did so in 1875. He knew a lot about human behavior. "Most people live in a very restricted circle of their potential being," he wrote. "They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness, and of their soul's resources in general, much like a person who, out of his whole bodily organism, should get into a habit of using only his little finger." I'm going to make an extravagant prediction here: I expect that in the coming months you will be better primed than ever before to expand your access to your consciousness, your resources and your potentials. How might you begin such an adventure? The first thing to do is to set a vivid intention to do just that. LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): "Someone in me is suffering and struggling toward freedom," wrote Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis. To that melodramatic announcement, I reply, good for him! I'm glad he was willing to put himself through misery and despair in order to escape misery and despair. But I also think it's important to note that there are other viable approaches to the quest for liberation. For example, having lavish fun and enjoying oneself profoundly can be tremendously effective in that holy work. I suspect that in the coming weeks, Leo, the latter approach will accomplish far more for you than the former. VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Virgo novel-
ist Agatha Christie sold hundreds of millions of books and is history's most-translated author. While growing up, she had few other kids to associate with, so she created a host of imaginary friends to fill the void. They eventually became key players in her work as an author, helping her dream up stories. More than that: She simply loved having those invisible characters around to keep her company. Even in her old age, she still consorted with them. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because now is a great time to acquire new imaginary friends or resurrect old ones. Guardian angels and ancestral spirits would be good to call on, as well. How might they be of assistance and inspiration to you?
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): "To hurry pain is to leave a classroom still in session," notes Libran aphorist Yahia Lababidi. On the other hand, he observes, "To prolong pain is to miss the next lesson." If he's correct, the goal is to dwell with your pain for just the right amount of time—until you've learned its lessons and figured out how not to experience it again in the future—but no longer than that. I suspect that such a turning point will soon be arriving for you. SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): In her
poem "Every Day," Scorpio poet Denise Levertov wrote, "Every day, every day I hear enough to fill a year of nights with wondering." I think that captures the expansive truth of your life in the coming weeks. You've entered a phase when the sheer abundance of interesting input may at times be overwhelming, though enriching. You'll hear—and hopefully be receptive to—lots of provocative stories, dynamic revelations and unexpected truths. Be grateful for this bounty. Use it to transform whatever might be stuck, whatever needs a catalytic nudge.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): I
hope you're not too stressed these days. There has been pressure on you to adjust more than maybe you'd like to adjust and I hope you've managed to find some relaxing slack amidst the heaviness. But even if the inconvenience levels are deeper than you like, I have good news—It's all in a good cause. Read the wise words of author Dan Millman, who describes the process you're midway through—"Every positive change, every jump to a higher level of energy and awareness, involves a rite of passage. Each time we ascend to a higher rung on the ladder of personal evolution, we must go through a period of discomfort, of initiation. I have never found an exception."
the spices of fear, foreign travel, new faces, stories, dreams, fantasies, music." In response to Nin's litany, I'm inclined to say, "Damn, that's a lot of ambiance and scaffolding to have in place. Must it always be so complicated?" According to my reading of upcoming cosmic rhythms, you won't need such a big array of stuff in your quest for soulful orgasms— at least not in the coming weeks. Your instinct for rapture will be finely tuned.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): "One is always at home in one's past," wrote author Vladimir Nabokov. I agree. Sometimes that's not a good thing, though. It may lead us to flee from the challenges of the present moment and go hide and cower and wallow in nostalgia. But on other occasions, the fact that we are always at home in the past might generate brilliant healing strategies. It might rouse in us a wise determination to refresh our spirit by basking in the deep solace of feeling utterly at home. I think the latter case is likely to be true for you in the coming weeks, Aquarius. PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): "Not everything is supposed to become something beautiful and long-lasting," writes author Emery Allen. "Not everyone is going to stay forever." Her message is a good one for you to keep in mind right now. You're in a phase when transitory boosts and temporary help may be exactly what you need most. I suspect your main task in the coming weeks is to get maximum benefit from influences that are just passing through your life. The catalysts that work best could be those that work only once and then disappear. THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Write an essay on "What I Swear I'll Never Do Again As Long As I Live—Unless I Can Get Away with It Next Time."
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): We
can safely say that Anais Nin was a connoisseur of eros and sensuality. The evidence includes her three collections of erotic writing, "Delta of Venus, Little Birds, and Auletris." Here's one of her definitive statements on the subject—"Sex must be mixed with tears, laughter, words, promises, jealousy, envy, all
freewillastrology.com
freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2021
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news of the weird SCHEMES Police in Naples, Florida, are looking for a woman identified only as "Rosalia," a self-described witch who is suspected of swindling more than $100,000 from at least 10 victims. Authorities were first alerted to the scam on March 14 when a man called to report that Rosalia had disappeared with $29,500 of his money, according to a police report. The man said he had responded to a flyer advertising Rosalia's "witchcraft services," WBBH-TV reported. She allegedly told the man she saw something "dark" in his future and gave him three eggs to put under his bed as he slept. When he brought them back the next day, she waved the eggs over his head and face, then opened them to reveal one filled with blood, one with needles and a third with worms, according to the report. She instructed the man to bring her all the money he had so she could bless it and multiply it at her temple in Fort Myers, promising to return it the next day, police said, but Rosalia hasn't been seen since. Police have identified more victims in the course of their ongoing investigation. SIGN OF THE TIMES A family-owned patisserie in Veresegyhaz, Hungary, is offering its customers sweet relief from COVID-19 angst with colorful layered mousses, each topped with a decorative syringe. The Sulyan family's special desserts are colored with jelly toppings representing the different COVID-19 vaccinations available in Hungary: citrus yellow for AstraZeneca, darker yellow for Sinopharm, green for Pfizer, orange for Sputnik V and blue for Moderna, Reuters reported. "Anyone can try these," said confectioner Katalin Benko, and "the only possible side effect would be a little smile on their face." GOING OUT IN STYLE Mourners at Phil McLean's funeral in Wellington, New Zealand, first gasped, then laughed as his coffin, shaped like a giant cream doughnut, was brought into the chapel, the Associated Press reported on April 15. McLean had designed the special coffin with his cousin, Ross Hall, owner of Dying Art, a business in Auckland specializing in custom coffins. Over the last 15 years, Hall has fashioned a sailboat, a firetruck, a chocolate bar and Legos, among others. McLean's widow, Debra, said her husband had considered himself a connoisseur of cream doughnuts, and the coffin "overshadowed the sadness. ... The final memory in everyone's mind was of that doughnut and Phil's sense of humor." For himself, Hall said he had planned a red box with flames on it, but he changed his mind to a clear coffin, with him wearing nothing but a leopard-patterned G-string. "The kids say they're not going," he said. PEOPLE WITH ISSUES Edward and Cheryl Patton of Lake View, New York, tried for three years to identify who was throwing
By the Editors at Andrews McMeel
used paper coffee cups—some with cigarette butts inside—on their front yard nearly every night, but they could never get a good look at the minivan as it drove by. Edward began keeping records of the littering and collecting the cups, eventually filling 10 garbage bags, reported The Buffalo News. They even installed a surveillance camera, but it wasn't until neighbors set up a stakeout and captured the license plate number that the mystery was solved. On April 18, police set up their own stakeout and pulled over Larry Pope, 76, a former co-worker of Cheryl's whom she had had disagreements with. Pope was charged with harassment and throwing refuse onto a roadway. The Pattons said the littering has stopped since his arrest. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A HOBBY Bearsun is the name Jesse Larios, 33, of Los Angeles gave to the teddy bear character he created in 2016 and fashioned into a human-sized Bearsun suit. On April 12, Larios decided to have a fun adventure walking from Los Angeles to San Francisco dressed as Bearsun, a journey of more than 400 miles. Mountain passes and road construction have made the trip slower than he expected, reported CNN Travel, and it's no luxury excursion: Bearsun sleeps wherever he finds himself at the end of the day and gets food at gas stations. "I'm like a puppy, I guess," Larios said. "I just see something and I chase after it." MISTAKEN IDENTITY The Krakow (Poland) Society for the Protection of Animals responded on April 14 to a report that a suspected iguana was stuck in a lilac tree outside a residential building, only to discover a discarded croissant instead. "People don't open windows because they're afraid it's going to enter their house," the caller told the group. United Press International reported the animal rescue agency was forgiving. "It's better to check and be pleasantly disappointed ... than not react, which can sometimes lead to a tragedy," the group posted on its Facebook page. SIGHTINGS Detectives from the New Jersey State Park Police were dispatched on April 9 to a site in Wharton State Forest to examine a device found on the forest floor. The "UFO Detector Site" was determined to be safe by K-9 officer Prime, and officers had no trouble "disarming" the unit by unplugging headphone wires from the block of wood and soup can they were plugged into. It wasn't clear who had left the object. On Facebook, park police noted, "Although humankind and the visitors to New Jersey's state parks appreciate an extraterrestrial warning device like this, we should not be finding them in our state parks." {in} From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2021 Andrews McMeel
Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com April 29, 2021
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Independent News | April 29, 2021 | inweekly.net