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Independent News | April 1, 2021 | Volume 22 | Number 13 | Jasmine Jefferson / Photo by Natalie Allgyer

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winners & losers

outtakes

news

6, 8

A flower doesn't compete with the flower next to it; it just blooms.

cover story

buzz 10

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

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

happenings 15

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

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winners & losers

Bill Nelson / congress.gov

winners BILL NELSON The former U.S. Senator from

Florida is set to be the next NASA administrator, which could be good news for Florida and Escambia County. In January 1986, he became the second sitting member of Congress to fly in space, after Jake Garn, when he served as a payload specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia. In 2019, Nelson was appointed to serve on NASA's advisory council. While in Congress, Nelson visited the area regularly, held town hall meetings and listened to area leaders.

UWF DANCE MARATHON The ninth

annual University of West Florida Dance Marathon raised nearly $43,000 to support the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. All proceeds from the UWF event will be donated to Pensacola's Studer Family Children's Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart. UWF fraternities, sororities and other student organizations competed in the "Miracle Ball" to see who could raise the most money and create the most awareness for the event. About 300 students participated in-person or through the live stream. Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Alpha Tau Omega and Alpha Delta Pi won their respective divisions.

NATE MONROE The former Pensacola News Journal reporter got an exclusive one-on-one interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to Jacksonville last week. The Times-Union columnist has become a must-read for Jacksonville politicians and powerbrokers. TRUIST FOUNDATION The foundation gave Pensacola Children's Chorus (PCC) a $7,700 grant to support eSing, an innovative online music education program. eSing members engage in weekly online rehearsals complete with personalized check-ins and perform via professional-quality digital choir projects. The grant will help PCC obtain the necessary AV equipment and subscriptions to support the program. Tom Owens, Pensacola market president at Truist, said, "We believe all children should have access to a high-quality education. We're pleased to support Pensacola Children's Chorus in their efforts to expand music education to children through digital technology." 44

losers MILTON CITY COUNCIL The city council is now down to six members due to George Jordan and Sharon Holley's recent resignations. Both expressed concerns about Milton's direction. According to the city's charter, the vacant seats must be filled within 60 days. The council will accept applications from interested people who live in Ward 3 or Ward 4 and then vote to appoint someone out of that applicant pool. The deadline to apply is 2 p.m. on Monday, April 5. The resignations come six months after Councilwoman Heather Hathaway resigned due to a change in her living situation. BEACH RENOURISHMENT The March 25 board meeting was another embarrassing moment for County Administrator Janice Gilley when the Escambia County Commission split on a 3-2 vote on how to pay for Pensacola Beach renourishment. One role of the administrator is to check the temperature of the board on items before the meeting and try to work out solutions that have a reasonable chance for approval. Commissioners Robert Bender and Steven Barry had different interpretations of how the county had handle FEMA funds for past renourishment. Why didn't Gilley do the research and resolve that issue before the meeting? It's a much better use of everyone's time to answer as many questions as possible before the public meeting. Gilley's predecessors did a much better job handling commissioners' concerns. DONALD TRUMP JR. The former presi-

dent's son is learning he doesn't have the political clout he had when his daddy was in office. Wyoming lawmakers last week rejected a measure endorsed by Junior that would have required candidates to win a majority of votes in primary elections to avoid runoffs. He believed a run-off system would undermine Republican Rep. Liz Cheney's re-election bid. Junior called for Cheney's defeat after she voted to impeach President Donald Trump after a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in January. Two GOP state lawmaker have announced plans to run against Cheney. inweekly.net

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outtakes By Rick Outzen

TIME TO MOVE ON Grover Robinson stunned the city when he announced at his weekly press conference on Monday, March 29, that he would not seek another term as Pensacola's mayor. Had he made the announcement three days later, I might have thought it was an April Fool's joke. Since December, he had debated the decision, and a recent vacation with his wife Jill had helped him see it differently. Both his father and grandfather had died in their 60s, which made him decide his focus needed to turn beyond politics. The shift from a three-term county commissioner to Northwest Florida's oldest city's chief executive officer hasn't been easy. Robinson had to rebuild a city government staff decimated by his predecessor and was operating without a human resource manual, employee grievance panel and succession plan for its department heads. He had to find $25 million to keep the expansion of ST Aerospace Engineering on track, deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Sally and help the city heal after the shooting of Tymar Crawford. Throughout his three years in office, he has held weekly pressers and regular Q&A sessions with the public on Facebook. The mayor hasn't hidden on the seventh floor or dodged tough questions. He set a high bar for transparency and openness for his successor. And who will be his successor? Former Sheriff David Morgan has made the rounds talking with community leaders about running for the post. He recently completed three terms in office, during which he was considered one of the top law enforcement officers in the state. Morgan has been a fierce campaigner, winning the 2016 GOP primary, a four-person race that included former Sheriff Ron McNesby, with 61% of the vote. Four years earlier, he trounced former Dothan, Ala., Police Chief John Powell, 77%-23%, in the Republican primary. Councilwoman Sherri Myers also has talked about running for mayor. The threeterm council member has been a vocal advocate for the disabled, homeless and those

struggling to make ends meet. Myers has fought for more than a decade for sidewalks on Burgess Road to help students walk safely to Holm Elementary, Workman Middle and Booker T. Washington High schools. As mayor, she could deliver the project. Mayor Robinson mentioned Commissioner Lumon May and Council President Jared Moore as candidates. Seen by many as the people's voice on the Escambia County Commission, District 3 Commissioner May has worked hard for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. He successfully worked with the DeSantis administration to get water and ice for residents after Hurricane Sally. Moore is serving his first term on the council, replacing Larry Johnson in District 4. He has been impressive in how he has run the council in this brief time as president. A name that has come up repeatedly is Collier Merrill, developer and restauranteur. Merrill has made it no secret that he enjoys being a kingmaker, supporting the campaigns of the four past GOP governors—Charlie Crist, Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis. He would make the race interesting if he chose to jump in, but he seems to be having too much fun pulling strings behind the scenes. Another potential candidate is Cedric Alexander, who spent nearly four decades in local and federal law enforcement. He has also been a public safety director and deputy mayor. The Pensacola native returned to his hometown and was hired by Mayor Robinson to train the Pensacola Police Department. He also has been a facilitator for the Citizen Police Advisory Committee. Gov. DeSantis appointed him to the ECUA board after Elvin McCorvey passed away suddenly. More names will be circulated before the June 2022 qualifying deadline. An empty seat will attract candidates. The race is too tempting for some to pass up, and the final slate will have surprises as it did four years ago. What we know for sure is the 2022 city elections will be enjoyable to watch. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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FRIED FIGHTS FOR FLORIDA

Nikki Fried / Photo by Alex Workman

By Rick Outzen When she ran for Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture, few people gave Democrat Nikki Fried a chance of winning. However, Fried didn't wait for anyone to give her permission to run and pushed back against the naysayers. "I think the state of Florida is looking for something new, something different," she told Inweekly before the Democratic primary in August 2018. "While I don't come from traditional agriculture, I'm going to fight like I did. Voters are looking for somebody who has the progressive forward-thinking of where we can move agriculture and somebody who's going to protect the consumer." The Miami native has always been a fighter. She received her undergraduate, master's and law degrees from the University of Florida, where she was elected student body president, the first female in nearly two decades. As an attorney, she was head of the Felony Division at the Alachua County Public Defender's Office and worked in private practice in South Florida, defending homeowners against foreclosure during the 2007-2008 housing crisis. 66

Fried then worked at law firms as a government consultant, advocating on behalf of clients before the Florida Legislature. In 2014, she received an award from the Florida Bar's Legal Needs of Children Committee for her leadership of Florida's Children First lobbying team. Two years later, she founded Igniting Florida, a lobbying firm that played an integral role in the passage of HB 307, relating to the usage of medical marijuana for those who are terminally ill. Fried won her three-person primary with 59% of the vote and went on to squeak past then-state Rep. Matt Caldwell by a mere 6,753 votes. And she hasn't stopped fighting and is considered the top contender for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022. On Monday, March 29, the Agriculture Commissioner presented a resolution honoring the late Fred Levin to his family and law partners at a private ceremony at the Levin Papantonio Rafferty law firm. Inweekly had the opportunity to interview her before the event.

2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

With the 2021 session hitting its midpoint, the newspaper asked Fried to characterize the session in comparison with past ones she's observed.

"No good," she said without hesitation. "The state capitol is closed, so the legislators are in a vacuum passing legislation. You keep seeing bills being pushed as priorities from the Republican legislature and from the governor that are not the priorities of the people in the state of Florida." Fried continued, "The riot bill (HB 1) that they're claiming is supposed to protect people when all it does is put more black and brown people in jail. Another priority is taking down the big tech companies. I mean, every step along the way, the legislature is pushing legislation that is not on the forefront of the minds of our Floridians." She believes voters care about getting a job, the environment and putting food on their table—issues that don't seem to be a priority for GOP lawmakers. According to Fried, Republican state lawmakers are most concerned about consolidating their power. She said, "Every piece of legislation is trying to overturn local rule and really try to put power back into the legislature and not listening to the elected local officials who are the closest to the people." Fried added, "The only thing that they are motivated by now is how to keep power and how to maintain their control over the state of Florida." From Key West to Pensacola, every community is different, and she saw local officials step up and work to protect their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. "(Governor) Ron DeSantis stepped back and did not lead," Fried said. "And then when the locals led, now he's coming in and slapping their arm and slapping their hand and saying, 'No, you can't do any of these things.'" On Friday, March 26, the House passed one of Gov. DeSantis's top legislative priorities (HB 1), which is supposed to combat public disorder by punishing people who engage in violence or destruction to further a riot or aggravated riot and creating a new crime of "mob intimidation." "There are no problems with our protests here in the state, and quite honestly, I wouldn't have the right to vote if there weren't people who started good trouble back in the day," said Fried. She believes protests are necessary on such issues as systemic racism, voter suppression and the implementation of Amendment 4, which reinstates rights for past felons. "Time and time again, the Republicans are showing that these individuals are right to be protesting," she said. "They have a right to be out there because the government is not listening to them. They vote for issues; the Republicans overturn it." Both the Florida House and Senate want to change Florida's voting laws, placing more restrictions on mail-in ballots. SB 90 aims to ban drop boxes for mail-in ballots. The lawmakers also want to wipe out all current requests and require voters to

ask for ballots if they want to vote by mail in next year's election. Fried thinks the governor is trying to "fix" something that has been running smoothly for years. She said, "No problems whatsoever in this past election. The governor has said that we had a terrific, terrific election, and now, all of a sudden, we are putting together some of the most egregious voter suppression legislation that we have seen in generations." The commissioner added, "And now even saying that you can't give out water to people that are standing in line—it's outrageous."

COVID RESPONSE

Over the weekend, Florida passed three million COVID-19 cases and 33,200 deaths. What could Gov. DeSantis have done differently in handling the pandemic? "Everything," Fried replied. "First and foremost, he should've listened to the scientists and the data. I had asked for our state to be shut down earlier. If we had shut down earlier, we could have gotten it more under control earlier." She continued, "He opened up sporadically, picking winners and losers of which businesses were going to open up at which times. He didn't give the public the correct information. We know that there is a lack of transparency in our prison system, nursing homes and hospitals, knowing that the morgue was being told to change numbers on death certificates. And he has just made us believe that this is no big deal instead of showing leadership—wear a mask, social distance, we're all going to get through this together." At the start of the pandemic, Fried tried to meet with the governor to discuss how her agency would feed the 850,000 that would go hungry when public schools were closed. "(DeSantis) boasted such a great relationship between him and President Trump," she said, "Well, we needed resources, money and flexibility on purchasing of our Fresh from Florida Florida-grown produce to get into the homes of Floridians across the state. I couldn't have an ear with him to tell him what was going on, and so he just felt that he was going at this alone." In early March 2020, Fried called the governor's office to talk with him about the pandemic. Neither DeSantis nor his chief of staff returned her calls. She said, "He had an opportunity to rise above the partisan politics of the country and say, 'No, we're going to do it differently here in Florida. We're going to bring everybody together. At the end of the day, we may not all agree, but at least everybody's had a voice and how to say and understand what the thought process was.' And he didn't do it that way." Fried continued, "The pandemic hit us all the same—Democrat, Republican, independent, non-voter. And the fact that he saw this from such a narrow lens and didn't talk inweekly.net

Nikki Fried / Photo Courtesy of nikkifried.com

to everybody, bring everybody to the table, I mean, my God, my holding him accountable and being so hard on him is his fault."

STATISTICAL TIE

Last week, the website Florida Politics published a poll by St. Pete Polls that showed Fried in a statistical tie with DeSantis for his job, which comes up in the 2022 election cycle. The survey found the governor, whom the conservative media sees as a contender the 2024 presidential race, and the potential Democratic nominee both with about 45% of the vote—45.2% for DeSantis and 44.6% for Fried. The gap is within the poll's 2.2% margin of error. DeSantis did better among Republicans, 76.1%, than Fried did with Democrats, 71.7%. However, the commissioner outperformed the governor among Independent voters, winning 46.1% -42.1%. Whites preferred the GOP governor, 56%-37%, while Blacks and Hispanics went for Fried, 71%-13% and 46%-40%, respectively. In 2018, DeSantis defeated then-Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 33,684 votes, or 0.4 percentage points. A DeSantis vs. Fried race will be close if the poll numbers hold. Fried was encouraged by the poll results. She said, "He is the governor of the state of Florida, I'm not announced, and for the polls to be that close and leading with the Independents shows you that the citizens of our state are recognizing his failures and are going to hold him accountable." Though she hasn't announced, the commissioner believes DeSantis is beatable because he is already looking past the 2022 gubernatorial race to the 2024 presidential election. "DeSantis has forgotten what his next election is," Fried said, "He's missing that he only won by 33,000 votes. And he is acting like he won in a landslide and that he has a mandate." She added, "If he's eyeing 2024, it means that he will not spend a single day in a second administration. If he has got to declare, it's going to be within minutes after the 2022 election, and his goals will be April 1, 2021

completely focused on running for president. And if he wins, he is using the people of our state to put him up onto a national stage, and the people of our state are not going to be fooled by this." Fried said she doesn't have a timetable for making the decision to run for governor. She could run for a second term as agriculture commissioner instead. The first layer of her decision matrix is her family and close friends. "This is all-hands-on-deck," she shared. "I wouldn't expect anybody to want a governor candidate just to wake up one day and decide to run for governor. This requires family input and their support." The next layer is assessing whether the people want her to run for governor. Fried said, "We've spent a lot of time on the road, on Zooms and talking to the people. I recognize that the position of governor is bigger than any one person. And so it's got to be the people of the state that want me to run for governor." Fried is in a unique position, being the only statewide elected Democrat to a position that the Republicans have held for the last couple of decades. Defeating an incumbent GOP governor would be another monumental fight. Recognizing the challenge, Fried said, "I'm not somebody who likes to push myself into a position, and it's going to be something that's going to be from the bottom up." With the Republicans controlling the governorship, legislature and judicial system, is there hope for those who disagree with their agenda? "The Republicans have controlled our state for 25-plus years," she answered. "Every single time that the voters have voted for constitutional amendments; we can go back to the environment, the doc stamps. We can go to medical marijuana, class size, Amendment 4 for voting rights (for felons), and every single time these are populous issues that have over 60% support. And then the Republican legislature, with the support of the governor's office, continues to mess up their implementation." Fried said, "The hope is that we will vote them out in 2022, that the pendulum will swing back." {in} 7

PERDIDO’S PROTECTOR PUSHES ON

Friends of Perdido Bay founder Jackie Lane / Courtesy Photo

By Jeremy Morrison Perdido Bay and its tributaries have long been plagued by the impact of International Paper's mill in Cantonment, with the facility's wastewater effluent emptying into the waterways for more than half a century. For the past few decades, Jackie Lane has witnessed this environmental degradation from her front-row vantage point living on the bay. "I just think it's a shame this space is nothing more than a dump for IP because it's such a beautiful bay," Lane said recently. "It really kind of breaks your heart to see it deteriorate like it has." Lane, a marine biologist and founder of the environmental nonprofit Friends of Perdido Bay, has been fighting against the paper mill's pollution since the mid-1980s. For the past year, she has fought against a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) consent order that provides IP the ability to continue operating despite the company's inability to meet various environmental standards. That effort, however, ended with a legal defeat in December and finally the formalization of DEP's consent order in early March. Going forward, the environmental advocate plans further legal challenges to IP's operations. Her ultimate aim—to give IP the old heave-ho—is a heavy lift, and she's not expecting much assistance from the powers-that-be. "We hope they'll shut down," Lane said flatly. "And I don't think that the environmental agencies are going to do it." 88

HERE'S THE DEAL

Last spring, IP and the DEP executed a consent order that allows the paper mill to continue operating. The consent order amounted to yet another extension by the state despite its chronic failure of waterquality tests, making it impossible to secure an actual permit. "OK, here's the deal. In 2010, they got a permit with a consent order," Lane explained. "Since we got involved, they have not had just a straight permit. They've had a permit-with-the-promise-to-clean-up, and they have never done it. That's the deal."

"They've had a permit-with-thepromise-to-clean-up, and they have never done it. That's the deal." Jackie Lane Technically, IP is still operating under the 2010 permit, but it can't meet the standards prescribed in the permit—regularly exceeding limits for items like pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. Under the consent order, IP is required to pay an initial financial penalty of $190,000, which it did last May, and also make a penance offering to the state in the form of an environmental mitigation project—proposing to donate around 340 acres near the confluence of the Perdido River and Perdido Bay to be preserved as conservation land. The order also imposes a $10,000 penalty for failing water-quality tests— something that occurred 19 times between 2015 and 2019—and requires IP to conduct

studies to determine if some of its exceedances might be related to salt-ion issues or the inclusion in its outflow of wastewater from the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority. But the consent order also includes looser interim standards for IP's various water-quality tests. It sets the stage for the company to realize Site Specific Alternative Criteria (SSAC), which could formalize lower standards and workarounds. In the April 2020 letter accompanying the consent order, DEP Northwest District Director Elizabeth Mullins Orr wrote, "We wish to make it very clear that the department's expectation is that you will work as expeditiously as possible to address the ongoing compliance issues at your facility." As for IP, it continues to assure that it's "committed to operating within all federal and state laws and to protecting the environment as healthy, sustainable watersheds are essential to our community and our business." "The consent order outlined a series of activities to help IP continue to study and work toward solutions," IP Communications Manager Whitney Fike pointed out. Of course, to Lane, the consent order is a sort of bad joke. She believes it intentionally overlooks conditions in Perdido Bay. Instead, she focuses on wetlands created as part of a 2012 mitigation project and meant to filter the effluent. "They have to keep studying the wetlands," she sighed, "which is ridiculous." Additionally, the environmentalist is suspect of the SSAC prospects. "What IP wants to do, they want to get out of the wetlands. They're going back into Lower Eleven Mile Creek, where they have more dilution, they can get variances and so forth," Lane said.

IP'S CALL?

The paper mill in Cantonment, owned by various entities through the years, has bled into the Perdido watershed since 1941. The pollution associated with the facility used to be much worse and has been improved via efforts such as IP's DEP-mandated wetland mitigation. Still, though, it's not good. A 2018 study conducted by Friends of Perdido Bay, for example, showed that the mill emptied 8,000 pounds of solids—industrial sludge, essentially—into the bay. "That's an amazing amount of stuff, isn't it?" Lane asked. "That stuff contains dioxins, heavy metals, blah, blah, blah and this and that. I mean, they'll never get a permit for this bay." At least that's what the environmentalist is hoping. She's contracted for another sediment study of the bay to be conducted this month so that the results can be considered when the state contemplates whether to grant IP a permit eventually.

Lane is expecting similarly dismal results to the 2018 study, which was itself no big surprise to her or, apparently, to DEP. "In 2007, we got a call from one of the DEP employees who said there was so little life on the bottom of Perdido Bay, which was alarming," Lane said. "Well, I mean, we can see this. As a resident, you can see how dead the bay is. It's extremely turbid now and very dead. It's alarming."

"Well, I mean, we can see this. As a resident, you can see how dead the bay is. It's extremely turbid now and very dead. It's alarming." Lane During the 2018 testing, Friends of Perdido Bay found a still-bleak bay floor. The group's sample "grabs" were unable to secure enough living organisms for testing. "That showed there was so little life, they couldn't even do a species diversity index test," Lane said. "There were so few animals. You're supposed to have 300 to have a statistically valid number, and they couldn't get 300 animals." This apparent decline in biodiversity might be Perdido's proverbial canary in a coal mine waving a red flag. "The benthic diversity has always been an indicator of life in the bay," Lane said, adding that new data can be compared to historical studies from the 1970s and '80s. This month's round of testing, which runs Friends of Perdido Bay around $10,000, will be conducted at two sites in upper Perdido Bay. The results will be incorporated into Lane's future legal challenges. "You cannot get a permit if you're dumping toxic chemicals into the bay, OK?" Lane said. "You can't get one." But IP, of course, has managed without a new permit for some time now, under cover of DEP's consent orders. That's why Lane thinks that the fate of Perdido Bay may rest with IP itself in the end. "The EPA is not gonna do it; the DEP is certainly not gonna do it. They're just letting them operate," Lane reasoned. "At some point, IP is going to have to decide if they want to operate with a mill that doesn't have a permit or not. I mean, I think it's IP's call, actually." If IP shuts down the mill, Lane believes that Perdido Bay and its tributaries would rebound quickly. She points back to 2017 when an explosion at the mill threw the facility offline for a brief time. "When IP had that explosion in 2017, in two weeks' time, we saw all this life come back in this bay; it was just incredible," she said. "I mean, that was two weeks. But it's all dead again, and it's such a shame." {in} inweekly.net

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE

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April 1, 2021

Jamil Davis / Photo by Jeremy Morrison

PROTESTING FLORIDA'S PROTEST BILL

A potential law that critics claim stifles free speech and makes public protest risky business passed the Florida House of Representatives last week and political organizers around the state are sounding the alarm as the bill awaits a stage before the Senate. Among those raising concerns locally is Jamil Davis, a Florida Lead Organizer with Black Voters Matter, who points out that people involved in organizing protests that devolve into what the bill terms a 'riot' risk being held responsibly legally. "If something happens at the protest, you're now facing 15 years," Davis said a few days after the House passed HB 1. HB 1, otherwise known as the Combating Public Disorder bill, passed on a partyline 76-39 vote Friday, March 26. Both of Northwest Florida's state legislators, District 1's Michelle Salzman and District 2's Alex Andrade, voted in favor of the measure. The proposed bill prohibits "a person from willfully participating in a specified violent public disturbance resulting in specified damage or injury." It also reclassifies "the penalty for an assault committed in furtherance of a riot or an aggravated riot." The bill also provides an appeals process for local elected officials facing a reduction in law enforcement budgets. In addition the bill creates "an affirmative defense to a civil action where the plaintiff participated in a riot." Davis described HB 1 as the "most dangerous anti-First Amendment bill that there's been." "What this means for organizers, protesters, people in general, is that we keep pressure on the senate," Davis stressed. 010 1

While HB 1's companion bill in the senate, SB 484, has yet to receive a hearing, political organizers are still sweating the potential for its passage. The new risks it would impose to political and social justice protesting would alter the way planners approached their missions. "We sit down and we strategize about how we organize around the parameters that the state legislature has put in place," Davis said, pondering the possibility of the bill's passage. Davis says he's hopeful that the state senate never takes up the protest bill, but also that he suspects legislators are simply delaying action in attempt to wear out those opposing it. "They get us to the point to where we're tired, to where we grow tired and weary," Davis said. "The problem is, in Pensacola, tired and weary is not something that's in our vocabulary, it's not in our repertoire." Black Voters Matter is among the groups organizing a local protest to voice opposition to the Combating Public Disorder bill. The protest is scheduled for Thursday, April 8, at 3 p.m. at the Escambia County Courthouse.

TRUST VICTORY A month after Commis-

sioner Lumon May held up the Escambia Children's Trust from hiring an interim director and borrowing funds, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of five people to its board of directors. At a meeting on Monday, Feb. 22, May pushed against board chair Patty Hightower's contention that the five members didn't have to wait for the governor's appointment to act. He and Circuit Judge Jennifer Frydrychowicz both argued that the members didn't have a quorum to make decisions legally. While County Attorney Alison Rogers agreed with the commissioner and judge, County Administrator Janice Gilley didn't support them. Instead, she told the five board members that she could not give them a timetable for the appointment decision but advised the legislative session might create "some delays." Gilley's prediction didn't come true. DeSantis made the appointments well short of the 45-day deadline prescribed by law. DeSantis appointees are: •Rex Northrup: Retired medical doctor with over 35 years in pediatrics, child health and well-being. He served in several positions at

Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital and Children's Medical Services throughout his career. •David Peaden: Executive Director of the Home Builders Association of West Florida. He is the board chair of Gulf Coast Kid's House, University of West Florida Foundation trustee, Rebuild Northwest Florida trustee and past chair of United Way of West Florida. •Lonnie Wesley: Pastor at Greater Little Rock Baptist Church. Previously, he preached at Greater Fairview Baptist Church and Terry Grove Baptist Church. Before his time in ministry, Wesley spent time interning in the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns public relations offices. •Tori Woods: Licensed practical nurse in marketing for Centene. Previously, she held positions at Humana, Ascension Sacred Heart, NurseFinders and the Department of Children and Families. She is a past president of the Escambia County Junior League. •Stephanie White: Attorney focusing on adoption and foster care. She is a member of the University of West Florida Board of Trustees and has been involved with the Florida Adoption Council and the Northwest Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers. They join the five members mandated by state law—Escambia County School Board member Patty Hightower, Department of Children and Families Northwest Region Managing Director Walter Sachs, Circuit Judge Jennifer Frydrychowicz, Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May and Escambia County School District Superintendent Dr. Tim Smith. Will Dunaway of the Clark Partington law firm did a white paper on the best practices for a Children's Trust for the Studer Community Institute. He interviewed Michele Watson, executive officer of the Florida Children's Council; Kelley Parris, executive director of the Children's Board of Hillsborough County; and Sean Boyle, chief executive of the Children's Services Council of St. Lucie County. For the Escambia Children's Trust to levy property taxes for the 2021-22 fiscal year, the board must assess the needs of the children in the county and prepare and submit a budget to the Escambia County Commission by July 1. The experts recommended that Escambia not "reinvent the wheel" in its first year and use the data that already exists. Dunaway shared with Inweekly that Achieve Escambia already has a dashboard to help with the assessment. Other existing children service providers in the county can provide their scope of service and population served, systems for measuring success and data to support such success. Then the board can determine a strategy to coordinate efforts to maximize resources. He recommended, "Focus first on lowhanging fruit; build early successes."

Since the Children's Trust does not have funding for staff until after the taxes are collected, the initial needs assessment and budget can be completed by the board using the resources of existing children services providers in the county and the Florida Children's Council, as well as those of other Children's Councils in the State, according to experts interviewed. The county commissioners have already offered their staff to help.

GUNNY MONEY The city of Pensacola

spent $10,000 purchasing firearms from citizens as part of a gun buyback event, but some people feel that was not money well spent. "Research from several organizations, including Harvard University, suggests that gun buyback programs are ineffective at reducing gun violence," contends Jeremy Bosso, founder of Escambia Carry, a gunrights organization. Bosso was one of the folks who showed up at the city's gun buyback event Saturday with no intent to sell a firearm. "I wanted to check out the 'educational component' of the event, as well as make sure the city was not violating the law by prohibiting lawful carry as their flier initially stated," Bosso explained, referencing a social media tussle over the open-carry subject with Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson. Following the buyback event, Bosso has been one of the critics of the effort, maintaining that the guns sold to the city were not the type of firearms one might hope to get off the streets. Bosso said that he met several individuals at the event who were attempting to make counter-offers to the city's advertised rates but that there weren't too many firearms worth purchasing. "There were about eight people there offering to purchase decent firearms— some showed up as individuals, not part of a group/organization," Bosso relayed. "A couple guys did manage to pick up a couple rifles and a shotgun. However, most of the people we talked to told us their firearms were junk and said they were just trying to get something for them—many told us they planned on using the money to purchase a new firearm." Mayor Robinson on Monday downplayed criticism of the buyback event, saying he believed the effort, initiated by District 7 Pensacola City Councilman Delarian Wiggins, was a success when viewed through the lens of community engagement. "I don't expect the gun buyback to change what's happening one way or another," Robinson said, acknowledging that the event didn't necessarily net guns contributing to the city's gun violence issue.

FLASH TO SPEAK Pensacola State College will hold commencement exercises on Sun-

inweekly.net

day, May 9, for students who graduated Fall 2020 and those graduating Spring 2021. "Flash" Gordon Sprague, a businessman, philanthropist, farmer and former NASCAR driver, will be the guest speaker. A member of the PSC Foundation Board of Governors, Sprague also is the chairman of the college's "Your Community Your Legacy" comprehensive campaign. Set for 3 p.m. in the Pensacola Bay Center, the graduation will include a live ceremony and a virtual ceremony. The event also will be live streamed on the college's Facebook page and the website at pensacolastate.edu/graduation. Graduates who plan to attend the live event must RSVP and are limited to six guests each. Beginning April 26, students can pick up tickets for guests from the Admissions Office, Bldg. 2, on the Pensacola campus. All attendees must wear face masks and follow social distancing protocol. No handshaking will be allowed during the ceremony. Also, graduates and their guests cannot congregate and should go directly to their vehicles following the event. Due to changes in the Bay Center's security policy, attendees will be required to go through security screening before entering the venue. Bags of any kind—tote bags, backpacks, etc.—are discouraged. To participate, all graduates must wear full academic regalia. Caps and gowns can be ordered at bkstr.com/pensacolastatestore/ shop/graduation. For more details on graduation, go to pensacolastate.edu/graduation or email graduation@pensacolastate.edu.

GET THERE FASTER Last week, Gov.

Ron DeSantis announced his Get There Faster Initiative, a $75 million investment of funds from the Biden administration toward expanding access and enrollment in quality, career and technical education courses, postsecondary credentials and work-based learning programs. "The Get There Faster innovative work-

April 1, 2021

force initiatives will accelerate Florida's efforts to be the best state in the nation for workforce development by 2030," said DeSantis. "The $75 million in federal funds will provide high school and adult students access to the resources they need to expedite the completion of their degrees or certifications." The Get There Faster Initiative focuses on two areas—dual career enrollment to provide technical skills preparation and work-based learning opportunities for K-12 students and a postsecondary workforce initiative for residents, with or without a high school diploma, seeking in-demand and high-value career and technical education or training. "We know that a postsecondary educated workforce is the backbone of a thriving economy," said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran. "Right now, more than ever, we need to do everything we can to help Floridians gain access to higher education and training. Our school districts and public postsecondary state colleges are ready to serve the needs of Florida, and these dollars are exactly what our students and residents need to ensure their economic stability and well-being." The initiative recommends $50 million for students to participate in workforce college credit or career dual enrollment programs. The high school students will be provided resources to ensure their success, such as tutoring, financial literacy workshops, transportation and advanced job placement resources, and access to workbased learning opportunities to gain access to professional mentoring, technical and employability skills. The remaining $25 million targets adult learners enrolling in workforce education programs at one of Florida's 28 state colleges or 48 technical centers to alleviate their financial burdens. It will also support adults needing to enter a high-quality training program to acquire a job-ready credential of value. For more information about the Get There Faster Initiatives, visit gettherefl.com.

MORE FLIGHTS In May, United Airlines will

offer expanded service to Pensacola with new nonstop destinations beginning to Cleveland, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Pensacola International Airport Director Matt Coughlin said, "With this expansion, the Midwest now has additional nonstop service to the Gulf Coast, opening amazing opportunities for our community and continuing to strengthen our foothold in the nation's marketplace." By June 2021, the Pensacola International Airport will offer nonstop service to 28 destinations through eight airlines. Mayor Grover Robinson said, "Pensacola International Airport continues to be a strong economic driver for the City of Pensacola and the entire region, and I expect that success to continue to build as we move forward." The added service will begin May 27 and continues through September 2021. For more information, visit flypensacola.com.

SCREENING FAIR A free developmental

screening fair for children will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, at the conference center at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, 5151 N. Ninth Avenue. The event is sponsored by the Studer Family Children's Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart. The fair will take place inside the conference center's Greenhut Auditorium. It will include screenings for hearing, eye care, autism and nutrition, as well as growth and development to help ensure children are reaching important milestones. If needed, specialized caregivers can help connect children with follow-up services. Car seat safety checks and free bike helmets will be available from certified fitters while supplies last. Free parking is available in the Ninth Avenue parking garage, which is located near the conference center.

KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT

Escambia County School District (ECSD) opens registration for 2021-2022 kinder-

gartners on Monday, April 5. Parents of children who will turn five by Sept. 1 need to register for the 2021-2022 school year as soon as possible after that date. "Early registration helps schools plan how many classes they will have and how many teachers they will need, so we are opening registration early on April 5." Dr. Patti Thomas, ECSD's director of Elementary Education explained. "Registering early will help all of us, including parents and students, prepare for an outstanding first day of school on Aug. 11. That day will arrive in no time." The online enrollment application is available at Escambia County School District's web page, ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/families under the link titled "Registration for Students."

LEADER VIRTUAL MEETING Gulf Power will host from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, April 5, a virtual community conversation, the first in a series of events designed to bring area business leaders together to focus on the assets and opportunities in Northwest Florida. Eric Silagy, president and CEO of Florida Power & Light (FPL), will be the guest speaker. As Gulf Power moves toward full integration into FPL, scheduled for January 2022, Silagy will share insights into the strategic business model that sets FPL and NextEra Energy apart from other investorowned utilities across the nation. To register, visit bit.ly/3cfSLQM. FIRST 100 DAYS The Reubin O'D. Askew Department of Government will discuss the Biden Administration's first 100 days and future expectations at a Zoom session from 6-7:15 p.m. on Monday, April 5. The session is open to the public. Professors Cayton, Ramsey, Shively and Williams will give their thoughts and answer the audience's questions. Register in advance for this meeting at bit.ly/3cUeGfD. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. {in}

READY TO WORK

FOR ESCAMBIA COUNTY’S KIDS

The five board members appointed by Gov. DeSantis are:

Stephanie White, Pensacola Attorney Dr. Rex Northrup, Retired Pediatrician Lonnie Wesley, Pastor, Greater Little Rock Baptist Church Tori Woods, LPN, Marketing Specialist, Centene

Thank You Gov. DeSantis

David Peaden, Executive Director, Home Builders

Supporters of the Escambia County Children’s Trust would like to thank Gov. Ron DeSantis for his timely appointment of five qualified board members to fill the remaining seats on the Trust’s Board of Directors.

Association of West Florida.

The five board members designated by statute are: Along with the five board members designated by statute, these appointments bring the board to full capacity and will enable the Trust to begin its important work in earnest. The Escambia County Children’s Trust will work over the next 10 years to monitor and fund community-based initiatives that will improve the lives of children from every background in our community.

Honorable Jennifer J. Frydrychowicz, Juvenile Judge Patty Hightower, School Board Member Lumon May, County Commissioner Walter Sachs, DCF Region Director Dr. Timothy Smith, Superintendent

Thank you also to all those applied to serve on the Trust’s Board of Directors. We encourage all who share our vision of a brighter future for Escambia County’s youth to remain involved as volunteers and supporters.

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inweekly.net

Jasmine Jefferson

ie Allgyer

/ Photos by Natal

How Black Girls With Gardens is Growing a Community By Hana Frenette

Jasmine Jefferson's parents and grandparents were all gardeners of sorts. "My grandfather had a vegetable garden, my grandmothers loved roses and my mom is an amazing landscaping designer," Jefferson said. Jefferson, a Pensacola native and the creator of the popular website and Instagram account Black Girls With Gardens, was surrounded by gardening throughout her April 1, 2021

life but didn't have any personal interest in plants until her grandmother passed away and left her plants to the family to care for. "I started caring for her aloe vera plant that flourished and moved on to herbs, houseplants and vegetables," she said. "Each year, I tried something new. I really enjoyed learning more and more about growing anything and everything." In 2017, Jefferson created Black Girls

With Gardens (BGWG) to serve as a digital gardening resource and inspirational space for Black women to find representation, support and education in the gardening and horticulture community. "Unfortunately, gardening shows and magazines aren't reflective of our gardening community, and it's extremely discouraging to not see someone who looks like you, your mom or your sister," Jefferson

said. "Representation brings a sense of value and belonging to marginalized and underrepresented communities which will lead to empowering more and more Black women like myself to start gardening if they wish to do so. The goal is to break the mental relationship of Black people and agriculture that is only based in slavery." The BGWG website and Instagram account offer a plethora of gardening tips on 13

Jefferson's Pensacola

Gardening Tips

Jefferson has over 100 houseplants and two hydroponic gardening towers with eight raised garden beds in her backyard. Since she's a local, we asked her for a few pointers for having a successful growing season in Pensacola.

It's Not Too Late to Plant Today

The beautiful thing about growing in Florida is our long growing season. In April, you can start from seed or buy starter plants from the local nursery and still have a successful growing season.

Gateway Plants

"I've always felt like my purpose is to help others, and I love learning about new things."

Jasmine Jefferson

caring for houseplants, container gardens, herb gardens, how to support Black-owned seed and plant companies and a special section—the Plant Mama feature—where fellow gardeners can send in their information to be featured, which Jefferson explained is essential for providing representation in the gardening community. "Gardening and plant care is not linear, and the Plant Mama series shows other women that not only can you care for plants or a garden, but you can do it in so many ways—the options are limitless," she said. BGWG also comes in the form of a weekly newsletter and YouTube Channel. The Instagram account currently has 178,000 followers—including popular accounts like Apartment Therapy and famous individuals like musician SZA and filmmaker Ava DuVernay. The BGWG Instagram bio links to offers for a free downloadable eBook on starting a garden, garden kits, Blackowned plant shops and a handful of active community Facebook groups—in short, Jefferson is pumping out a ton of helpful information, all while working full-time as a mental health professional and raising a 2-year-old daughter. "I've always felt like my purpose is to help others, and I love learning about new things," Jefferson said. "Once something sparks my interest, I want to know all I can know about it. The learner in me always wants to understand how things work and why, including behavior. Helping people has always been my goal regardless of what I do." Jefferson posts daily video stories on Instagram, offering a behind-the-scenes 414 1

Herbs are amazing teachers and can be extremely rewarding. They are definitely gateway plants to gardening. Pothos were my most successful houseplants. The varieties are endless, and they taught me a lot about gauging how I water plants.

look at her bountiful backyard garden, trial-and-error growing experiences and snippets of routine plant care. Most videos are narrated by her soothing and conversational tone and provide a first-hand look at the hard work, time and thought that goes into maintaining a garden. Some videos simply show Jefferson's beautiful flowers bobbing in the breeze, a reminder of the simple rewards of planting a garden— observing the beauty of nature. "Gardening has no aesthetic, which allows for gardening to teach us how to combat the unhealthy societal ideal of beauty," Jefferson noted. "A flower doesn't compete with the flower next to it; it just blooms. Lettuce with a few holes in it is still good lettuce. Plants in the wild aren't flawless, but they're still beautiful. I love the creative freedom I find in gardening." Prior to BGWG, Jefferson's creative online platforms focused on beauty, travel and fashion content and helping her audience explore those interests (Inweekly featured her former account @Jaiologie in our Aug. 17, 2017, issue). While she's still interested in those topics, Jefferson says gardening is her main hobby now. "I'm always really excited when someone says, 'I found my gardening best friend through BGWG,' but I never notice any famous followers until someone else mentions it to me," she said. "I've had some pretty amazing gardening chats via DM with celebrities after they've done a shoutout to my platform. I'm just excited that people love gardening as much as I do." Jefferson's latest focus involves installing the first Black Girls With Gardens Back to Our Roots Community Garden in Pensacola, and she's already raised $11,000 toward the $20,000 goal through a GoFundMe campaign she launched in June 2020. The main goals listed on the GoFundMe campaign page include hosting gardening classes for food and houseplants,

installing community gardens in facilities or locations that assist traumatized Black people and providing free garden workshops and supplies to families starting their first garden. "I am excited to start helping combat food apartheid and deserts by starting community gardens in different marginalized neighborhoods," Jefferson said. "In these gardens, we'll not only provide food for the community but provide opportunities for the members to learn how to grow and cook healthier food. We'll also provide more workshops and learning spaces in schools and detention facilities in reference to quality food and gardening." The positive community interaction Jefferson experiences with her followers is the most rewarding part of the process and a daily source of motivation. "Daily, I'm reminded, thanked and appreciated for helping someone start gardening, and that is the most amazing feeling," she said. "I've always found different avenues to express my creativity, help others and garden—but starting BGWG is my favorite extension of that." {in}

Starting Small, Growing Tall

I always encourage people to start small and start with what you have. Starting small helps with focusing on what your plant needs as you learn what to actually look for in healthy or not-sohealthy plants. Also, you don't have to have a flawless and atheistically pleasing gardening space. Start with what you have and continue to add as you go.

Eating What You Plant

Spring/summer gardening in Pensacola is filled with tomatoes, peppers, okra and eggplants. These plants tend to do well in our warm climate (zone 9a). Leafy greens, such as spinach and lettuce, and brassicas, such as collards, love our fall and winter weather.

If at First You Don't Succeed

I still kill plants. I like to say I'm good with plants because I've killed almost every plant you can imagine— twice. There's always something new to learn about plants, and one of the best teachers will always be experience.

Join the Community

Need more gardening tips, Plant Mama features and seed shopping suggestions in your life? Sign up for BGWG garden notes and get the #StartGrowGarden email course online at blackgirlswithgardens.com. Also, make sure you're following along on Instagram @blackgirlswithgardens. Want to help create the first BGWG garden in Pensacola? Donate on GoFundMe by searching for BGWG Back to Our Roots Community Garden. inweekly.net

a&e happenings

Bands on the Beach Returns

p.m., April-October at the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach. Pets and glass are prohibited, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. Safety also remains a top priority for the SRIA, so they are encouraging all concert-goers to take appropriate COVID-19 preventative measures by masking up, socially distancing themselves from others and following the guidelines of local health authorities.

Bands on the Beach 2021 Schedule

April 6 Whitesands Panhandle Band April 13 Doc Johnson Band April 20 Not Quite Fab April 27 Bay Bridge Band

Photo Courtesy of Santa Rosa Island Authority

After a COVID-induced 2020 hiatus, Pensacola Beach’s popular outdoor concert series Bands on the Beach is finally set to return. The 2021 season kicks off Tuesday, April 6, with Whitesands Panhandle Band. Attending "normal" events might not be happening yet—but that doesn't mean local businesses and nonprofits aren't still keeping the community connected in creative ways.

EASTER DINNER AND EVENTS

CELEBRATE EASTER DINNER AT GREAT SOUTHERN RESTAURANTS All Great

Southern Restaurants will be open Easter Sunday, April 4, with each restaurant offering special features as well as their standard menus. Seating will be limited. Reservations are required at each restaurant. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com. The Fish House Brunch service from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner service begins at 3 p.m. For reservations, call 470-0003. Jackson's Steakhouse Brunch service from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner service from 5:30-10 p.m. For reservations, call 469-9898.

Organized by the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA), Bands on the Beach is a free concert series featuring performers from a variety of musical genres. Shows are held each Tuesday night, from 7-9 Five Sisters Blues Café Traditional Jazz Brunch from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For reservations, call 469-9898. Angelena's Ristorante Italiano Brunch service from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For reservations, call 542-8398.

May 4 Touch of Gray May 11 On the Rox May 18 The Astronauts May 25 Karli Ryan June 1 Tyler Mac June 8 Modern Eldorados June 15 Elvis Remembered June 22 Sandy Roots June 29 Class X

ALICE IN WONDERLAND EASTER WEEKEND AT SNEAKY TIKI BAR Head

to Sneaky Tiki Bar, located at 17 Via De Luna Drive, April 3 and 4 for live music and food. On Easter Sunday at 2 p.m., kids can enjoy a family-friendly Easter egg hunt.

JELLY BEAN 5K Kick off Easter weekend with the Jelly Bean 5K hosted by Trinity Presbyterian Church, located at 3400 Bayou Blvd. The race begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 3. Proceeds from registration benefit the church's summer mission trips to Lake Charles, La. Register at getmeregistered.com/jellybeanrun.

EASTER EGG-STRAVAGANZA AT T&W FLEA MARKET T&W Flea Market

EASTER EGG HUNT AT ANDERSON SUBARU Anderson Subaru, located at 7050

inaugural Easter Eggstravaganza from 10 a.m.2 p.m. Easter Sunday with specialty drinks and activities for kids. Coastal County Brewery is located at 3041 E. Olive Road.

Pensacola Blvd., will host an Easter egg hunt from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 3, with a meet and greet with the Easter bunny, activities and food trucks. For more information, visit facebook.com/andersonsubaru.

is in the holiday spirit with Easter candy for kids and a full day of family fun on April 3 and 4 from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

EASTER FUN AT COASTAL COUNTY BREWERY Join Coastal County Brewery

H20 EASTER BRUNCH Celebrate Easter

with a beachside brunch buffet at Hilton Pen-

July 6 Johnny Earthquake & The Moondogs July 13 Reunion Band July 20 Pearl and the Rhinestones July 27 Knee Deep Band Aug. 3 Cristi Dee’s BAD JUJU Aug. 10 Slight Return Aug. 17 Crosstown Aug. 24 Mass Kunfuzion Aug. 31 High Time Band Sept. 7 Memory Lane Sept. 14 Mr. Big & The Rhythm Sisters Sept. 21 Southern Breeze Sept. 28 True Blue Band Oct. 5 Jessie Ritter Oct. 12 Dr. Breeze Oct. 19 Holly Shelton Oct. 26 String Farm

BANDS ON THE BEACH

WHEN: 7-9 p.m. every Tuesday, April 6–Oct. 26 WHERE: Gulfside Pavilion, Pensacola Beach COST: Free DETAILS: visitpensacolabeach.com sacola Beach, located at 12 Via de Luna Drive. Brunch will be served from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

BUNNY NOSE MASKS FOR KIDS Hop

on over to the Molino library with your kids and pick up a kit to make your own wiggly bunny nose. Don't forget to snap a picture and tag West Florida Public Library. Crafts are available through April 10. Molino Library is located at 6450-A Highway 95A.

NONPROFITS + FUNDRAISERS

CAT ADOPTIONS IN APRIL Animal Allies will be at Pet Supermarket on N. Ninth Avenue. Saturday, April 10 & 24, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Everette Animal Welfare Group will be at PetSmart, on N. Davis Highway Saturday, April 10 & 24, noon-4 p.m. If you can't adopt, you can talk about opportunities to donate, foster or volunteer. All cats are up to date on shots and tested negative for leukemia, and adoption fee includes spay

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 April 1, 2021

a&e happenings or neuter with microchip and flea pill. For more information, visit aaflorida.com.

PENSACOLA HUMANE SOCIETY BATHE-INS The PHS bathe-ins are back

with the first date Saturday, April 17, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Prices are $8-11 depending on size of dog. Bring your own towels. For more information, visit pensacolahumane.org.

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,

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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 instructions 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.

ARTS & CULTURE

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.

SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE

PLT's night of short plays with big stories. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on April 1-3 at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Tickets are $14-$20. For more information, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

BALLET PENSACOLA PRESENTS: SNOW WHITE Ballet Pensacola will

conclude its 2020-2021 season with "Snow White." Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday, April 9 and 16, and Saturday, April 10 and 17, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 11 and 18, at the Pensacola Cultural Center, 400 S. Jefferson St. Tickets are $28-$40. For more information, visit balletpensacola.org.

2021 PENSACOLA FILM FESTIVAL Pensacola Cinema Art presents the 2021 Pensacola Film Festival Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11, at Studer Community Institute, located at 220 W. Garden St. The film festival will showcase the Oscar-nominated short films. Showtimes are Animated Short Films at 1 p.m., live action short films at 4 p.m. and documentary short films at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 for each showtime or $30 for all three programs. Masks are required and seating is at 50% capacity. For more information, visit pensacolacinemaart.com. for more listings visit inweekly.net

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SHOPS

The Angelino: A Bodacious Classic

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WEEK OF APRIL 1

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ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Playwright August Strindberg (1849–1912) was a maverick innovator who loved to experiment with plot and language. One of his stories takes place in a dream and the hero is the Christ-like daughter of a Vedic god. He once said that he felt "an immense need to become a savage and create a new world." Given your current astrological potentials, Aries, I suspect that might be an apt motto for you right now. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. There's no need for you to become a savage. In fact, it's better if you don't. But the coming weeks will definitely be a good time to start creating a new world. TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Who says all Tauruses are gentle, risk-avoidant, sensible and reliable? Taurus author Mary MacLane (1861–1929), known as the "Wild Woman of Butte, Montana," authored shocking, scandalous books. In "I Await the Devil's Coming," she testified, "I am not good. I am not virtuous. I am not generous. I am merely a creature of intense passionate feeling. I feel—everything. It is my genius. It burns me like fire." Can I convince you, Taurus, to make her your role model for the coming weeks? APRIL FOOL! I don't think you should be EXACTLY like MacLane. Please leave out the part about "I am not good. I am not virtuous. I am not generous," as well as the "I await the devil's coming" part. But yes, do be a creature of intensely passionate feeling. Let your feelings be your genius, burning in you like a fire. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Poet Emily

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Dickinson had a good sense of humor, so she was probably making a wry joke when she wrote, "The lovely flowers embarrass me. They make me regret I am not a bee." But who knows? Maybe Emily was being a bit sincere, too. In any case, I advise you to make a list of all the things you regret not being—all the qualities and assets you wish you had, but don't. It's a favorable time to wallow in remorse. APRIL FOOL! I was totally lying! In fact, I hope you will do the reverse—Engage in an orgy of self-appreciation, celebrating yourself for being exactly who you are.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Provocation specialist Lydia Lunch is a singer and poet who's skilled at generating interesting mischief. She testifies, "My daily existence is a battlecade of extreme fluctuations where chaos clobbers apathy, which beats the s—- out of depression which follows irritability which slams into anger which eclipses ecstasy which slips through my fingers far too often." In the coming weeks, Cancerian, I recommend you adopt her melodramatic approach to living the intense life. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Please don't be like Lydia Lunch in the near future. On the contrary—Cultivate regal elegance, sovereign poise and dynamic equanimity.

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LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): In 1692, a

Swedish man named Thiess of Kaltenbrun was put on trial for being a werewolf. He claimed to be a noble werewolf, however. He said he regularly went down to Hell to do holy combat against the Devil. I suggest you make him your inspirational role model in the coming weeks. Be as weird as you need to be in order to fight for what's good and right. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. What I really meant to say was—Be as weird as you need to be to fight for what's good and right, but without turning into a werewolf, zombie, vampire or other supernatural monster.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): I want to hear raucous music, to brush against bodies, to drink fiery Benedictine," wrote author Anais Nin. "Beautiful women and handsome men arouse fierce desires in me. I want to dance. I want drugs. I want to know perverse people, to be intimate with them. I want to bite into life. All that sounds like perfect counsel for you to consider right now, dear Virgo! APRIL FOOL! I lied. Nin's exuberant testimony might be an interesting perspective to flirt with—if the COVID-19 virus had been completely tamed. But it hasn't. So I must instead suggest that you find ways to express this lively, unruly energy in safe and sublimated ways. LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Here are

affirmations that will serve you well in the coming days. 1. "I am willing to make mistakes if someone else is willing to learn from them." 2. "I am grateful that I'm not as judgmental as all the shortsighted, selfrighteous people." 3. "I assume full responsibility for my actions, except those that are someone else's fault." 4. "A good scapegoat is as welcome as a solution to the problem." APRIL FOOL! All the preceding affirmations are total bunk! Don't you dare use them. Use these instead: 1. "I enjoy taking responsibility for my actions." 2. "Rather than indulging in the reflex to blame, I turn my attention to fixing the problem." 3. "No one can make me feel something I don't want to feel." 4. "I'm free from believing in the images people have of me."

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): According to author Kahlil Gibran, "If we were all to sit in a circle and confess our sins, we would laugh at each other for lack of originality." But I challenge you Scorpios to refute that theory in the coming days. For the sake of your sanity and health, you need to commit highly original sins—the more, the better. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Save your novel, imaginative sinning for later. The truth is that now is an excellent time to explore the joyous and healthy practice of being extremely virtuous. Imitate author Susan Sontag, "My idolatry—I've lusted after goodness. Wanting it here, now, absolutely, increasingly." SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

The coming months would be a great time to start your own university and then award

yourself a Ph.D. in Drugless Healing or Mathematical Reincarnation or Political Metaphysics—or any other subject you'd like to be considered an expert in. Hey, why not give yourself three PhDs and call yourself a Professor Emeritus? APRIL FOOL! I'm just joking. The coming months will indeed be an extremely favorable time to advance your education, but with real learning, not fake credentials.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19):

After his Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain committed suicide, Capricorn drummer Dave Grohl was depressed for months. To cheer himself up, he wrote and recorded an album's worth of songs, playing almost all the instruments himself—drums, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and vocals. I think you should try a similar spectacularly heroic solo task in the coming weeks. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Here's my true and actual advice: Now is a time when you should gather all the support and help and cooperation you can possibly garner for an interesting project.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Argentine poet Alejandra Pizarnik told her psychoanalyst León Ostrov that if she were going to steal something, it would be "the façade of a certain collapsed house in a little town called Fontenay-aux-Roses [near Paris]." What was so special about this façade? Its windows were made of "magical" lilac-colored glass that was "like a beautiful dream." In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you, too, to decide what marvel you would steal—and then go steal it! APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. Yes, definitely decide what you would steal—it's important to give your imagination permission to be outrageous—but don't actually steal it. PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I've

never understood the appeal of singersongwriter Morrissey, especially since he began endorsing bigoted far-right politicians. However, I want to recommend that you adopt the attitude he once expressed in a letter to a friend. "It was a terrible blow to hear that you actually worked," he wrote. "It's so old-fashioned to work. I'd much rather lounge about the house all day looking fascinating." Be like that in the coming weeks, Pisces! APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, you'd be making a silly mistake to lie around the house looking fascinating. It's a highly favorable time for you to find ways to work harder and smarter. THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Send the secrets you could only tell a stranger.

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news of the weird PARENT OF THE YEAR Jose Manuel Navarrete, 25, is being held on $100,000 bond on suspicion of child endangerment in the San Diego Central jail after he carried his 2-year-old daughter into the elephant habitat at the San Diego Zoo on March 19, the Associated Press reported. Navarrete allegedly wanted to take a picture with the African bull elephant, police said, and evaded multiple barriers to enter the enclosure. Witness video shows one of the elephants charging the two trespassers and Navarrete briefly dropping the toddler before picking her up and getting her to safety. "He runs, throws his baby through the gate and it's seconds from hitting him," said witness Jake Ortale. "People were just mad at this guy." THE CONTINUING CRISIS Larry Lee Harris, 66, of Willcox, Arizona, was arrested after chasing a caravan of three National Guard vans carrying COVID-19 vaccines out of a truck stop in Lubbock, Texas, on March 22 and trying repeatedly to run the vans off the road, police said. WAFB-TV reported Harris finally turned his vehicle into oncoming traffic and stopped the vans, then allegedly pointed a gun at a guardsman, identified himself as a detective and insisted on searching the vehicles. He told Idalou police, who found a .45-caliber pistol and loaded magazines in his possession, that he was looking for a kidnapped woman and child. "Mr. Harris appeared to be mentally disturbed," Idalou Police Chief Eric Williams said. All 11 unarmed uniformed guardsmen escaped unharmed. •On March 17, police at the Charleston, South Carolina, airport rushed to meet United Airlines Flight 728 in response to a report that someone's ear had been bitten off on the plane, which had been diverted there from its flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Miami, The State reported. Passenger John Yurkovich Jr., 45, of New Jersey, had become "agitated" and "restless" after making a trip to the restroom, police said, then "began to scream and thrash around," punching his seatmate and apparently biting the man's ear, which later required

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

seven stitches, an FBI report said. A doctor on board injected Benadryl into Yurkovich's buttocks to help subdue him, and others bound him with zip ties and a belt. Authorities said they found 1.5 grams of suspected meth in Yurkovich's pocket; he was arrested and faces state charges of possession as well as federal charges of assault. ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT Good Fortune Burger in Toronto has renamed some if its menu items as office supplies as a not-sounderhanded way to help customers get reimbursed for lunch, the National Post reported, and perhaps boost sales. The restaurant's Fortune Burger is now the Basic Steel Stapler, and Parm Fries will appear on a receipt as CPU Wireless Mouse. Director of operations Jon Purdy said the restaurant "just wanted an opportunity to put a smile on some people's faces and have them have a little bit of a giggle." WAIT, WHAT? As Jensen Karp, 41, of Los Angeles, was pouring a second bowl of his favorite breakfast cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, on March 22, "something plopped out of the box. I picked it up, and I was like, 'This is clearly a shrimp tail,'" he told The New York Times. Karp looked into the box and saw another tail, both encrusted in sugar. Karp took a picture, sent it to his wife, then contacted General Mills. Then a friend suggested he take another look into the bag, where he reported finding "shrimp skins-looking things, a small string, something that resembled a pistachio, and finally, "small black pieces" at the bottom that he fears are rat feces. Karp is having the samples tested at a lab. "I'm a comedy writer, but like, there's no joke here," he said. "I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch." General Mills says it's looking into the matter, but "we can say with confidence that this did not occur at our facility." {in}

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