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Independent News | April 30, 2020 | Volume 21 | Number 18

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winners & losers

outtakes

news

Even then, Kent was larger than life.

a&e

buzz

11, 12, 16

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

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

community board 14

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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inweekly.net

We, the Amalgamated Transit Union State Legislative Conference Board condemn ECAT firing of worker leader for fighting for rider and worker safety amid COVID-19 pandemic The Amalgamated Transit Union State Legislative Conference Board condemns the firing of Local 1395 President Michael Lowery for exposing the Escambia County Area Transit’s slow response to implement critical health and safety measures for ECAT workers and the riding public during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are outraged to see a union leader retaliated against for doing their job advocating for riders and workers amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The only thing Lowery is guilty of is calling on ECAT to allow rear door entry of buses, have rider limits and social distancing signs to contain the spread of COVID-19, eliminate fares, protect the drivers’ compartment, clean the buses properly, and provide adequate protection for workers. ECAT finally implemented these measures the day they fired him!

We stand behind our union brother and call on ECAT to do the right thing and bring him back to work NOW! The Amalgamated Transit Union State Legislative Conference Board • • • • • •

L.1197 - Jacksonville - Dwayne Russell, President/Business Agent L.1267 - Ft. Lauderdale - William P. Howard, President/Business Agent L.1395 - Pensacola - Michael A. Lowery, President/Business Agent L.1464 - Tampa - Stephen Simon, President/Business Agent L.1577 - West Palm Beach - Dwight H. Mattingly, President/Business Agent L.1579 - Gainesville - Zefnia Durham, President/Business Agent

April 30, 2020

• • • • • •

L.1591 - Broward County - April J. Williams, President/Business Agent L.1593 - Tampa - Curtis Howard, Trustee L.1596 - Orlando - Wilfredo Delgado, President/Business Agent L.1701 - Sarasota - Donald W. Turner, President/Business Agent L.1749 – Orlando - Scott Penvose, President/Business Agent L.1771 – Pensacola - Curtis Howard, Trustee

winners & losers

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winners BLUE ANGELS & THUNDERBIRDS The two demonstration teams have begun flying over areas of the country hardest hit by COVID-19 with both joint and individual team flights every one to two days until mid-May. The flyovers are part of a multicity "America Strong" effort between the United States Navy and Air Force to "recognize health care workers, first responders and other essential personnel while standing in solidarity with all Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic," according to a press release issued by the United States Department of Defense on April 24.

losers WILLIAM BARR The Attorney General warned the Justice Department might take legal action against governors who continue to enforce restrictions in their states to combat the coronavirus if they "impinge on either civil rights or on national commerce." In a radio interview, Barr said the DOJ was looking carefully at a number of executive orders issued by governors and called shelter-in-place orders "very, very burdensome impingements on liberty." DEO'S CONNECT SYSTEM The Depart-

sports association partnered with retired NFL player Josh Sitton and former professional boxer Roy Jones Jr. to host an Easter "Grab-N-Go" parade with an army of maskand glove-wearing volunteers. Cars lined up for goodie bags filled with Easter treats, free boxed lunches and fresh vegetables and fruit.

ment of Economic Opportunity re-opened their CONNECT system Monday morning after taking it offline yet again to get caught up on processing applications for unemployment benefits. Even though Governor Ron DeSantis ordered DEO to temporarily waive work search requirements to help lighten the load on the overburdened unemployment application system, Floridians have reported the system has not yet been updated to reflect the waiver, causing more confusion and frustration.

GINGER BOWDEN MADDEN The Re-

BRIAN KEMP The Georgia governor last

SOUTHERN YOUTH SPORTS ASSOCIATION Easter weekend, the youth

publican from Okaloosa County was among nine state attorney candidates who did not draw opposition before a Friday qualifying deadline, ensuring their elections in November, according to the state Division of Elections website. Madden will be the state attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. She will replace Bill Eddins, who announced earlier this year that he wouldn't seek another term. Chief Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille had dropped out the race due to health reasons.

MARC LIVANOS Milton's Poet Laureate

has successfully started many programs in Santa Rosa, Milton High School and the Milton Community Center geared toward underprivileged teens.Â Presently, he is pursuing the purchase of PS4 video games by the Santa Rosa County Library Administration to attract more teens to the programs offered at the Milton Library. Another initiative for teens is his New Hire Program, which provides interview practice, works on dress code, improves writing and teaches teens other essential skills to get jobs.

William Barr / Courtesy of justice.gov

Friday reopened bars, nightclubs, gyms, fitness centers, dine-in services at restaurants, theaters, bowling alleys, barbershops and hair salons. Kemp chose to ignore the phased recovery guidelines issued by the White House that called for a downward trajectory of new cases and more robust testing to track outbreaks. Of the 20 counties in the nation with the most deaths per capita from COVID-19, five are in southwest Georgia. Georgia ranks 40th in tests per resident.

USDA Many federal agencies adapted

their programs for the COVID-19 pandemic, but not the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Despite several requests, the USDA took more than a month to move to buy up surplus Florida fruits and vegetables. Nikki Fried, commissioner of agriculture in Florida, and other officials asked Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in late March to use his authority to get more Florida farmers plugged into federal food purchasing and distribution programs as the foodservice market collapsed. Unfortunately, the USDA didn't move until recently, letting crops rot in the fields.

inweekly.net

outtakes By Rick Outzen

UNFULFILLED PROMISES When Gov. Ron DeSantis closed bars, restaurants, gyms and tourism, we were assured businesses would get loans and grants to hold them over through the safe-at-home order and workers would have unemployment benefits while they waited for health officials to say it was safe to return to work. Those were the pledges. As with many government promises, the execution was botched. The state bridge loans went to a thousand businesses in large increments, leaving over 37,000 applicants with nothing. Florida's CONNECT online unemployment system has been plagued with long delays and shutdowns. The Department of Economic Opportunity added 72 new servers, and they have trained 250 new employees to help people with the online application. However, the state still had to temporarily shut down the website last weekend as it became overloaded with a massive backlog of claims. Inweekly readers have shared stories about how it took hours to complete the process. Rep. Stephanie Murphy released her survey of 8,200 Floridians. Only 4.7% said they had their applications processed in one day. A third said it took a few weeks, and 26% said it took more than a month. Of those who completed the application process, 90.6% said they had not yet received any benefits. Of those who were unable to complete an application for unemployment benefits online, three out of four said that they spent from a few weeks to more than a month actively trying to submit their applications. Online portal crashes and failures to load information were listed as the primary problem encountered, 92.5%. The latest numbers posted on the DEO COVID-19 dashboard showed that 1.9 million claims for jobless benefits had been filed by at least 824,279 people between March 15 and April 26. The difference is due to people filing multiple times because of problems with the system. Of the claims filed, 386,926 people had received at least one payment, or 46.9% of the unique applications, as of Monday afternoon.

The amount paid out was above $498 million. The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday that 37% of the processed applicants had been deemed ineligible for unemployment compensation. The newspaper was told many of the individuals that were deemed ineligible could be eligible for federal benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which sounds great. However, people applying for $600 weekly checks through the federal-stimulus law also need to go through the state system. DeSantis did remove DEO Executive Director Ken Lawson from the management of the unemployment system on April 15 and put the Department of Management Services Secretary Jonathan Satter in charge. Satter has said the state would make payments retroactive to when people applied, starting with those who applied after March 9, but we haven't seen any signs that has happened. The state lifted requirements that applicants for benefits fill out the full work registration and document five job searches weekly to maintain the benefits, but those changes end Saturday, May 2. At his Monday press conference, DeSantis said of the CONNECT system, "The state paid $77 million for this thing. There's a lot of architectural problems with it. There's no question about it, totally not worth $77 million. At the same time, I've talked with these engineers, and you would not build a system in mind with the idea that the economy would just basically stop voluntarily, and you'd go from 500 claims a day to a 1,000,000." He added, "But we've got to fix it. So that's what we're doing." Meanwhile, small business owners without state and federal relief funds are left with the decision of whether they open without clear guidelines on how to operate. Having gone a month without a paycheck, workers may have to risk their health and report for work to cover their bills. DeSantis' "fix" sadly may not come soon enough to help those hurt financially by the pandemic. {in} rick@inweekly.net

Of those who completed the application process, 90.6% said they had not yet received any benefits.

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PANDEMIC PUNISHMENTS By Jeremy Morrison

feet away from her," he recalled. "We found that to be not only ironic but disgusting."

Escambia County officials have fired the public transit workers' union president and suspended the vice president. The local union reps believe that the actions were a result of the union pushing for more stringent safety measures to protect workers and riders from the coronavirus. "Transit workers across the county are dying," said Mike Lowery, a driver with Escambia County Area Transit and president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1395, AFL-CIO, pointing to national hotspots like New York City and New Orleans. "They get infected because we are frontline employees that have direct contact with the public." Lowery said that the union had been lobbying management at Escambia County to move on various safety measures. But it was after he and union Vice President Jim Stanton invited a reporter from WEAR-TV onto ECAT property to film a piece about the union's frustration with the county's failure to implement a rear-door entry policy on buses that he was terminated. "It's really not about the termination or suspension," Stanton said. "It's about the health and safety of the bus operators and the maintenance department." Lowery said that he was driven to arrange for the television interview after hitting walls with management. "I had to do something," Lowery said of the incident. "Sometimes, you know, you have to do things. I couldn't get them to respond; they would not even respond to me." When Escambia County Mass Transit Director Tonya Ellis did eventually meet with the union reps, Lowery said he found her reception amusing. "We found it ironic that she would finally meet with us in her office, myself and the vice president, and she would pull out a tape measure to ensure that we would be six

DRAGGING FEET ON BUS SAFETY?

Lowery invited WEAR-TV to ECAT's facility April 1. He and Stanton took the reporter to the maintenance yard to film the piece. That's why Lowery was fired and Stanton suspended, for taking the reporter into an area marked as "restricted," and for violating the media policy, in that they forewent any notification of the interview to the county's public information department. But Lowery thinks that explanation is a simplification of the matter. He feels Escambia County essentially tired of his increasingly urgent calls for increased safety measures. Since early March, the union was forwarding recommendations to management—"concerns, questions, demands, things that would protect our ECAT workforce"—and pushing for national bestpractice measures being advised from the union's national headquarters. "We were sharing this with management and offering this up," Lowery said. But, according to the union president, safety measures were not implemented quickly enough. And he suspects it's due to the union's role in suggesting the measures.

"Many policies that would have protected the workforce and the ridership were done at a very slow pace." Mike Lowery "Many policies that would have protected the workforce and the ridership were done at a very slow pace," Lowery said, "and were done, I mean, maliciously in many cases, toward the union because the union is the one that suggested it." "They wanted top-line credit," agreed Stanton. While ECAT did implement certain

safety measures, such as providing drivers with masks, gloves and hand sanitizer and limiting the numbers of riders by March 23, Lowery said that other important measures were not put into place. Specifically, the county did not implement a rear-door entry policy, which keeps riders farther from the driver but also means the transit system suspends its front-door payments. "People were coming straight up to the bus operators, onto the bus, paying fares, being handed transfers, what we call change cards, where there's physical contact between the drivers and riders," Lowery explained. "This all during the emergency state. And having them all within an arm's length away from us as they entered the buses. This was unsafe, it was violating social distancing, and it took them a month to enact that."

A SUCCESS STORY

Lowery thinks the WEAR interview that got him fired went pretty well. "I feel that it was successful," he said, pointing out that a day after the piece aired, ECAT management made a presentation regarding rear-door entry to the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and then the commissioners voted to temporarily suspend fares. In a release put out by the county, Ellis hailed the move as a necessary safety measure. "In continuing service during this state of emergency, our priority remains the safety and health of our employees and passengers," she said. "By eliminating close interactions at bus fareboxes, we can better implement social distancing by avoiding interaction in this high-contact area." But Lowery said that he'd been attempting to speak with Ellis for weeks about this issue to no avail. And he accounts a statement he said the director made connecting the decision to implement the policy and forgo the fares to $10.3 million of federal funding that ECAT will

receive as a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARE) Act. "Now she could implement that reardoor policy and would cause farebox recovery," Lowery recalled. "Our feeling is, if that was your position, I can't believe you just said that. So you're telling me that farebox recovery was so important that … you're willing to jeopardize the lives of the workforce?" Asked for a comment about Lowery's termination and ECAT's implementation of safety measures, Escambia County Director for Communications and Public Information Laura Cole provided a list of implementation dates and a comment from Ellis indicating that the union president was fired for "work-related policy and safety violations." Lowery disputes this, saying that his actions were based in his position as a union representative as opposed to an ECAT driver. He said that he isn't entirely surprised by the direction things have taken. "I've known for several months now that they were slowly building a case against me personally that was all related to my union activity," Lowery said. "I suspected it. I suspected that was moving in my direction. So I was not shocked when I was terminated." In addition to the television interview, Ellis lists two other instances in Lowery's termination paperwork during which he violated county policy. Both of these instances concern disagreements over leave requests to conduct union business. Lowery said that he expects the grievance arbitration process will go his way—"I think an arbitrator will see through what has happened here"—and noted that union representatives are afforded certain protections in order to fulfill their duties. "We feel confident that we will be exonerated when that process plays out and all the evidence is brought forward," he said. "A lot of their evidence is weak, it's fabricated and it can be contradicted with factual evidence that the union will provide." {in}

STAY LOCAL, PENSACOLA Now more than ever, local businesses need our support. So if you have the means, please consider supporting the local eateries offering curbside + delivery services, ordering from online local retailers and shopping at locally-owned "essential" businesses when possible.

inweekly.net

THANK YOU INWEEKLY FOR SUPPORTING THE ARTS

WWW.PENSACOLAOPERA.COM April 30, 2020

a single, larger Florida utility company," the news release said. "Based on this review, the companies expect that a merger will create both operational and financial benefits for customers. As a result, the companies plan to take additional steps to merge over the coming months."

BEACHES REOPEN On Tuesday, April 28, the Escambia Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to re-open the public beaches 30 minutes before sunrise on Friday, May 1. The beaches will remain open daily from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. There will be no limitations on activities, but social distancing guidelines— six-feet separation and no more than 10 people in a group—must be maintained. Pavilions and public restrooms will stay closed until at least Thursday, May 7, when the board meets again. Areas around the pier will also be closed. Beach parking will be opened. Dr. John Lanza, director of DOH Escambia, said the county is on a downward turn with the coronavirus. Commissioner Doug Underhill asked for Lanza to come up with the beginning date for the county's downward

trajectory. The doctor said he would send the request to Tallahassee for analysis.

GULF POWER TO VANISH Last week,

NextEra Energy announced its plans to merge Florida Power & Light and Gulf Power in 2022. NextEra, which has long included FPL, closed a deal in January 2019 to purchase Gulf Power from Southern Company, but the two utilities with a combined total of about 5.5 million customers did not merge. In a news release, NextEra said it has made a filing at the Florida Public Service Commission that "reflects the expectation that FPL and Gulf Power will begin to operate as an integrated electric system in 2022." "Since the Gulf Power acquisition closed in 2019, FPL and Gulf Power have been reviewing the potential benefits of merging into

OPENING COVID TESTING Inweekly had heard from medical professionals concern about low numbers of the African American community in Escambia County taking advantage of the drive-thru testing sites for the COVID-19 virus. The newspaper had Political Matrix poll 617 African American voters in the county last Friday to find out their opinions on the virus, testing and social distancing. The survey found 73.3% had not been tested for COVID-19. Of those who hadn't been tested, 45.2% of the respondents had concerns about the screening process (21.7%) or the testing site (23.5%). After seeing the poll results, Commissioner Lumon May worked with Chandra Smiley, the executive director of Community Health Northwest Florida, to set up a mobile testing site at Attucks Court and Morris Courts, two housing projects inside Pensacola city limits. Smiley agreed to test whoever walked up without any pre-screening. The experiment has been a resounding success, testing 255 people at Attucks Court on Tuesday, April 21, and another 177 at Morris Court on Friday, April 24. On Monday, April 27, Community Health tested 306 at Carver Park in Cantonment. ROBUST REPORTING On April 23, Escambia Emergency Operations Center held a press briefing, via Microsoft Teams, to explain why it was discontinuing its report on testing. An initial issue with DOH and the county was the reports weren't capturing all the negative results. Gilmore said DOH is now reporting all the negative cases from commercial, private and state laboratories. He said, "Not only that, DOH does a bet-

ter job of identifying the individual by zip code and placing them in the county that they're in. As I said, our data, we still are not clear if we're getting 100% Escambia … or just Escambia and Santa Rosa." Gilmore said DOH has complete control of any positives or fatalities that are reported. He said, "We weren't allowed day one to report a fatality or report a COVID positive case without DOH saying so." One drawback on depending on the DOH dashboard, it's dependent on what DOH Escambia enters—which is only the results reported to them. The public won't know how many specimens are waiting to be tested. Inweekly pressed for the pending test data to include the collections done by the mobile units of Community Health and Ascension Sacred Heart. "If the specimens collected went to an outside lab, we're not going to know how many were collected until the results come back either positive or negative, which by law have to be reported to the Department of Health," said Dr. John Lanza, director of the Escambia County DOH office. "So until the results actually start coming back, we're not going to know." On Monday, April 27, DOH released a new report that gave details on the active COVID-19 cases in each nursing home. Southern Oaks in downtown Pensacola had the most COVID-19 positive among its residents, 87, of any nursing home in Florida. The county had 32 long-term care staff that were positive for the virus, according to the report.

5G INFRASTRUCTURE Telecommunication companies are currently sizing up the city of Pensacola and mapping out 5G infrastructure plans. Because of regulations at the state level, local officials have little say in where communication companies locate this new infrastructure. While the companies must submit applications for the 5G infrastructure, local

inweekly.net

governments are required to approve these applications. This means that as the infrastructure unfurls, some people could find a cellular tower planted in their front yard. City officials have requested that companies ensure the equipment is aesthetically in line with its surroundings and also that equipment be co-located on already existing infrastructure when possible. "We believe that co-location could solve a lot of our problems, but we can't require it," Robinson said. Thus far, there are 32 5G applications filed with the city. A majority of the applications seek to place equipment in either the area in proximity to Cordova Mall or in the downtown area, though there are also plans for equipment in other areas, like Belmont-DeVilliers and East Pensacola Heights. Nineteen of these applications have been approved, with the remaining applications currently being reviewed. Many of the 5G applications list precise addresses, allowing residents and property owners to check if their property is on the list. The applications can be found on cityofpensacola.com. Three applications by AT&T seek to install new towers on which to locate the infrastructure were filed by AT&T. The remaining 29 applications—all seeking to co-locate—have been submitted by Verizon. AT&T's tower applications pertain to the downtown area. One is planned for the northwest corner of Palafox and Zarragossa streets, across from Plaza Ferdinand, another for the northeast corner of Adams and Zarragossa streets, at Seville Square across from Old Christ Church, and the third for the southeast corner of Palafox and Intendencia streets, near World of Beer.

SUPERINTENDENT ADVISORY Last week, the Escambia County School Board appointed its Citizens Advisory Committee that will support the board in the 2020 Superintendent Selection Search. The members represent all areas of the county and community and they will serve as volunteers without compensation to review all applications. The members are: •Walter J. Armstrong, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard •Ronnie Arnold, Educator, Escambia County School District •Nettie A. Eaton, Retired Educator, Escambia County School District •David Elzbeck, President, Union of Escambia ESPs (Education Support Personnel) •Jennifer Grove, Vice President, External Relations, Baptist Health Care •Donna Harper, President, Escambia Education Association •Dr. Joseph Herzog, Chair and Professor, Department of Social Work, UWF •Keith Hoskins, Senior Vice President, Greater Pensacola, NFCU April 30, 2020

•Brad Huggins, Engineer, AT&T •Willie Kirkland, Jr., Owner, W.C. Kirkland Trucking, Inc. •Dr. Kimberly Krupa, Executive Director, Achieve Escambia •Dr. Regina Lipnick, Principal, Escambia County School District •Diane Mack, President, Diane Mack Advertising, Inc. •Carol McIntosh, Retired Educator, Escambia County School District •Chuntell Patterson, Real Estate Professional •Russell F. Queen, Principal, Escambia County School District •Rev. Carl E. Reeves, Pastor, Greater Mount Lily Missionary Baptist Church •Ronald D. Rivera, EMPSA, Director of Development, Chip Simmons for Sheriff Campaign •Joe Snyder, Principal, Escambia County School District •Mathew Taylor, Assistant Principal, Escambia County School District •Robin T. Venettozzi, Retired Teacher, Escambia County School District •J. Walker Wilson, Lumber Broker, Bay Lumber Trading The committee will work until the completion of the review of the applications from superintendent candidates and the submission of its list of the top candidates to the school board in late July. For more details, visit ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com.

NEW VISIT CEO Darien Schaefer has reported for work as the new president and CEO of Visit Pensacola. He joins the team from Visit Big Bear in Big Bear Lake, Calif., where he served as CEO for the past three years. Schaefer brings to the team over 20 years of destination marketing experience, including his most recent roles as CEO of VISIT Lake Geneva and executive director of the Wausau/Central Wisconsin CVB and Sports Authority. "I'm very excited to join Visit Pensacola and work with its excellent staff to promote one of the best beach destinations in the nation," he said in a press release. "This is a challenging time for the Pensacola area, and our focus will be to help our tourism industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as quickly as possible." Schaefer will work with interim president and CEO Jack Brown while he settles into his new role. For those interested in contacting him, please email dschaefer@ visitpensacola.com. RECYCLING SITE CLOSES The City of

Pensacola will close the Summit Boulevard recycling site by 5 p.m. Thursday, April 30. The decision to close the Summit Boulevard recycling site is due to the overwhelming amount of illegal dumping at the site. {in} 9

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inweekly.net

WEEK OF APRIL 30-MAY 6

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

By Savannah Evanoff

Giorgio Trane / Courtesy Photo

Giorgio Trane hasn't lost his routine. The personal trainer at the Bear Levin Studer Family YMCA thinks workout success, in general and especially right now, comes down to a routine. "A lot of people are not working or are working remote, so you're waking up whenever; you're not going to the gym," Trane said. "I'm still waking up at 6 o'clock, getting my workout done in the morning." To maintain his routine while the YMCA is closed, Trane is exercising with dumbbells,

CLASS IT UP If you're more of a group fitness fan, you might be finding it hard to work out solo. Lots of local studios get that and are adapting to the coronavirus closures by providing classes online. •PURE PILATES is hosting live Facebook mat classes six days a week. Get out your mat and peep the schedule, available on the cover photo of its Facebook page at facebook. com/purepilatesdowntown. For more videos, visit the Pure Pilates YouTube channel.

April 30, 2020

resistance bands, a kettlebell and TRX ropes. He doesn't think you need much equipment for weight training at home. "To me, dumbbells are definitely number one—and maybe also a bench, so you can perform different exercises on the bench," Trane said. "A yoga mat can also do the trick, too, but definitely dumbbells." Trane recommends purchasing two sets of dumbbells, a lighter set and heavier set. His initial inclination is to purchase them online from expected places but also to check Facebook Marketplace—where many people relinquish dusty exercise equipment. He also recommends one of the most inexpensive tools for cardio—a jump rope. "I do five minutes of jump rope to warm up before I do any lifting," Trane said. "I feel like that's a good overall warm-up." When looking for workouts, don't just blindly follow any one influencer in particular, Trane said. They are all at different levels. •URU YOGA AND BEYOND hosts a variety of Facebook Live classes—from Movement & Meditation to Cabin Fever Powerful Flow—at facebook.com/uruyogaandbeyond. The class schedule is available on Facebook events, but if you can't make it, the videos are saved and available on the URU Yoga Community Members page. With a pass, drop-in or a scholarship pass, you can check out a class at any time. •DISKO LEMONADE at Southtowne is offering virtual classes, live-streamed classes and access to a library of classes via the Zoom video conferencing app. The schedule and the links to each video conference

"Honestly, I don't follow any influencers," Trane said. "I do my own thing. For beginners, do your bodyweight training— pushups, lunges, squats. Also, work on even some yoga or stretching. Even though we're not going through the crazy workouts we used to do at the gym, staying agile and flexible, that's an important thing. Stretch for 20 to 30 minutes a day."

"If you're laying on the couch or go from your desk to watching TV, the time drags it out longer. Doing a physical activity is going to make you feel better." Giorgio Trane When performing circuit training geared around lower or upper body, keep exercises between three or four sets, Trane said. "But, because you're not pushing as much weight as you have at the gym, at the last set, go until failure," Trane said. "So you're doing four sets of 10 of squat and press. You do sets one through three for 10; the last one, let's try to get 17 or just go until failure. You want to push your body." Trane thinks the biggest challenge about working out at home right now is motivation. "You can do bodyweight exercises; you can do dumbbells, but it's getting yourself motivated to do these workouts," Trane said. "One thing I'm doing, on Sundays, I like to write my workouts down for the week so I have a set plan and not just winging it day by are available at facebook.com/diskolemonade. As a special offering, Disko Lemonade is hosting a free yoga class for healthcare professionals at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 25, and Saturday, May 2. •WILD LEMON is a group fitness studio that specializes in Pilates, Barre, TRX, yoga, interval training and meditation style classes. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the studio created a Patreon page "in an attempt to bring our message of self-love and mindbody connection to our lemons around the world." The page offers various videos from restorative yoga to TRX circuits available with the option to thank Wild Lemon with a dona-

day. This way I can't say, 'Eh, this was enough.'" Trane is also making an effort to hold his clients accountable, too. "With some of them, I'm doing online training; some of them, I'm texting, 'Hey, did you do your workout today?'" Trane said. "Just having somebody to check on you, making sure you're doing the work, it motivates you to do something." If you don't have a personal trainer, Trane encourages you to make your spouse or roommate a workout accountability partner, at least temporarily. "If you can, involve your partner in working out with you at home," Trane said. "If you do it together, it's a lot better than just doing better by yourself." Trane is even doing some workout partner matchmaking of his own. "I'll say, 'Hey, you guys are on the same level. What about this time on Zoom or live?' We can get on this workout together," Trane said. "The biggest thing is accountability." Whether it's going for a bike ride, jogging or weight training, set aside an hour a day for physical activity, he said. "I tell all my clients, 'Don't get lost doing something all day,'" Trane said. "If you're laying on the couch or go from your desk to watching TV, the time drags it out longer. Doing a physical activity is going to make you feel better. Not interacting with people, people's morale is down. That one hour a day is going to make a huge difference." For more workout tips, make sure to follow Trane (instagram.com/gtfitnessx) and the Bear Levin Studer Family YMCA (instagram. com/blsymca). {in} tion. Visit patreon.com/wildlemonfitness to donate and check out their class offerings. •REGYMEN FITNESS PENSACOLa is providing at-home workout videos led by trainers at facebook.com/regymenfitnesspensacola. •RYAN HEFFINGTON isn't local, but his Sweatfest dance classes on Instagram Live (@ryan.heffington) are too fun not to include. We highly recommend his streaming dance parties if you just haven't had the motivation to work out during the pandemic (which is totally OK). Laughter might be the best medicine, but dancing is a close second in our book. 11

A Personal Tribute to My Friend, Kent Stanton By C. Scott Satterwhite

Kent Stanton / Photo by Jenny Manare

Kent Stanton, a legendary punk icon and folk musician, died suddenly on Sunday, April 27. Within minutes of Kent's death, news spread like wildfire through social media. The sentiment was universal. To say news of Kent's death was a shock would be an understatement. Kent was an iconic Pensacola figure. He performed for years but never judged the younger musicians. He was older than most of the punks but traveled well with them. They loved the intergenerational support. While most of his peers from the late '80s and early '90s moved on to the things people move on to, Kent was still around. In fact, he was always around. One didn't have to be in the punk scene to know Kent, either. A trip to the Palafox Market would often find Kent playing on the street. A walk by the Saenger might find Kent playing underneath the awning. He'd play anywhere. Most of his songs were original, but his covers were better than the originals. He played Dylan better than Dylan. He channeled Elvis when he sang "Suspicious Minds." For years, he was famous for playing a cover of Van Halen's "Jump," a song that admittedly annoyed me … that is until Kent started singing his version. It was his originals, though, that stuck most in my head. As I write this, I keep thinking of one of his older songs "Don't Even Try" or "The Trouble with Dying Young," the latter feeling too close to home. YouTube is filled with his videos, most of which he created himself. They're all worth listening to, but to be honest, I can't even listen to them right now. I feel if I start, I won't be able to stop crying. 212 1

Maybe it's the pandemic moment, coupled with the loss of a close friend, but this feels so heavy. I hadn't met Kent until the late '90s. I'd heard of him from his most famous band The Unemployed and followed his later bands, Plaid Girl and Neutronic, but I'd never actually talked to Kent. He seemed down to Earth but still had this rock star aura around him. Even then, Kent was larger than life. Then one day, I heard he disappeared. For nearly half a year, no one saw or heard from Kent. Friends worried, many thinking the worst. Then, by chance, a friend of Kent's went into Books-a-Million and saw him. Turns out, Kent went to Graceland, considered ending it all, but came back to Pensacola and lived in his car in the parking lot of the bookstore for six months. Kent disappeared in plain sight. He passed the time reading, which he did voraciously, until one day a friend brought him home. While Kent's disappearance at first reads like an interesting story—in fact, it was novelized by Aaron Cometbus once— the story also portends other problems in Kent's life. I'd be lying if I said that Kent didn't wrestle with demons, which some say is where the genius of an artist comes from, yet that constant struggle takes its toll. While Kent was almost always ready to greet anyone with a smile, a look into his lyrics betrayed the always-happy façade. Kent struggled with a lot of things throughout his adult life, but what made Kent seem indestructible was his ability to bounce back. He always made the best of the worst situations. In 1999, I moved into a punk house

known as 309, now the headquarters for the 309 Punk Project. At the time, the house was a little less famous than it's become, but 309 was still a beehive of creativity with writers and musicians in every room. Shortly after I moved in, Kent rented a friend's van outside the house and, with an extension cord, made the van his home. He couldn't have been happier. Kent had a roof, we often shared food and he wasn't alone. He eventually moved into the house itself and soon after started working at Van Gogh's Coffee Haus. Beloved as a barista, he was most famous for running the open mic where he'd often play—either with a band or solo. On stage was where Kent shined. No matter his mood or his emotional state, I can honestly say I don't remember a time when he didn't seem to transcend the world when he started singing. Whether singing about his journey to Graceland or getting a crowd to play kazoos, he almost always had an audience in his hands. Even when they didn't care, or didn't understand him, he still played and just went back into his head. When Kent was performing, he was doing what he was born to do, and that was enough. Every day wasn't good, though. After one very low point in his life, Kent was arrested and went to jail for a short time. When I visited him, if I remember correctly, he spent the whole time talking about these "jailhouse burritos" he learned to make. Turns out, the typical jailhouse recipe wasn't good enough, so Kent, who co-founded End of the Line Café, created a special recipe that made him pretty popular behind bars. When I was scrolling through Facebook after he died, I laughed when I saw someone else posted a story about his jailhouse burrito. I like that story because it's pretty emblematic of Kent. No matter where he went, he made the best of the situation and made friends. I once complimented him on this really bright paisley shirt he was

wearing, and he said a homeless friend took it off his back and gave it to him. The same guy gave Kent his shoes. Kent loved everyone and everyone loved him. He seemed like everyone's best friend. It's fair to say, however, that Kent went through some serious ups and downs when he lived at 309, but what I'm leaning on most now are the good times. In my mind, I remember Kent sitting at our big table during potlucks. I remember Kent smoking on the porch and sketching. I remember Kent listening to the radio upstairs with our roommate Andee. Most of all, I remember Kent playing his beautiful songs on the balcony upstairs. Hearing Kent sing on that balcony was beautiful because I don't think we were the audience. I think he was singing to the stars. Kent loved the stars. He not only loved to talk about stars, but he loved feeling closer to them. Some of his favorite memories were going to Hobo Beach on the east side of the Graffiti Bridge to watch a meteor shower, an eclipse or any celestial event. That's where he found peace of mind. Recently, however, Kent went through one of his low periods but was coming back up again. He just moved into this new house that he loved, was about to start working again and seemed on top of the world. He even came by 309 for a big clean up and was the life of the party. I don't think he actually cleaned anything, but no one cared. We were just happy having him around. A few weeks later, Kent was riding bikes with a friend and stopped by 309. They'd just come back from Hobo Beach. Kent was smiling, laughing and typically talkative. I was really happy to see him in such a good place, both physically and mentally. Before he rode off, I thanked him for swinging by. "I love you, Kent," I said as I walked back into 309. "I love you, too, Scotty." Those were the last words we ever said to each other as he rode away forever. Kent was a beautiful soul. From what I've heard, he died peacefully in his sleep. His brother Scott, who others know as Panhandle Slim, wrote me a note to check on me. At the end of his note, Scott wrote, "He finished the long race on the crazy place. Kent got first place. His other beings picked him up and took him back to the place he belongs, the place that fully understands him. This place did not." Right now, I hope Kent is with the stars he loved so much and with our friends who went there first. Mostly, I hope Kent Stanton knew just how much he was loved. Rest in peace, friend. {in}

"He finished the long race on the crazy place. Kent got first place. His other beings picked him up and took him back to the place he belongs, the place that fully understands him. This place did not." Scott Stanton

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a&e happenings Episodes typically include things like interviews and performances with artists, plus appearances by Pensacola Opera staff. For updates on new episodes or to watch past ones, visit facebook.com/ pensacolaopera. You can also subscribe to their channel on YouTube.

≥PENSACOLA MESS HALL Pensacola

MESS Hall has launched a digital page called MESS Hall To Go. On it, they are sharing hands-on science explorations you can enjoy at home. They are also hosting "Virtual Field Trips" via Zoom. The interactive experiences are open to all, but pre-registration is required. For more information and to register for an upcoming field trip, visit pensacolamesshall.org.

≥PENSACOLA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

Attending "normal" events might still be a long way off—but that doesn't mean local businesses, nonprofits and creatives aren't still planning ahead and keeping the community connected virtually.

≥

PILATES DAY Due to the current closures, Pure Pilates Pensacola will be hosting their annual Pilates Day celebration online this Saturday, May 2. Pilates Day is an annual international community event celebrated on the first Saturday of May every year. The mission of the day is to foster the public's appreciation and awareness of the Pilates Method through a network of accessible, innovative and high-quality grassroots Pilates events. Pure Pilates Pensacola is celebrating by offering two free classes, which will be happening live on Facebook at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. The original plan was to accept donations for Pensacola Humane Society from those attending the free classes in the studio, and they are still doing that online, too. Visit purepilatespensacola.com/freepilates-day for more information.

≥THERAPEUTIC ARTS SERIES Pen-

sacola Museum of Art (PMA) is taking their Therapeutic Arts Series online by hosting a Virtual Self Care Workshop at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, on Facebook Live. PMA's Therapeutic Arts Series is composed of monthly workshops aimed at benefiting the community through art therapy. Art therapy fosters self-esteem and self-awareness, and the goal of these monthly workshops is to focus on encouraging adults to manage stress and anxiety in a healthy, consistent and creative manner. This particular event will be guided by Anne-Marie Collins with Madewell Art Studio. For details, visit facebook.com/pensacolamuseum.

≥

TIME OF CORONA Editors of "Life in the Time of Corona"—an upcoming publication of the West Florida Literary Federation—are seeking poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photography and art from regional writers and artists sharing their April 30, 2020

feelings and experiences during the current COVID-19 pandemic. For the online publication, all submissions must be in electronic format and emailed to the organization's editor and coorganizer of the project, Andrea Walker, at andreaswriting0@gmail.com. There is no fee for submissions, but writers and artists must reside in the following counties—Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay (Florida) and Escambia, Mobile, Baldwin (Alabama). Deadline for the first phase is Friday, May 15. Up to three poems with a maximum of 300 lines and prose pieces up to 750 words will be accepted, along with one-act plays and six images. A 50-word writer/ artist biography should also accompany submissions. The best of the submissions will be compiled in a special edition of the organization's newsletter, The Legend, and then later posted online at wflf.org. All submissions are reviewed by a panel of readers before acceptance. For more information, visit wflf.org.

≥PENSACOLA CINEMA ART The theatre

is closed, but Pensacola Cinema Art (PCA) is making sure the public can stream select independent films and support a local nonprofit from the comfort of your own home. The films they are screening change often and are not available on streaming services like Netflix. Customers can view films with a one-time fee through links on the PCA website. Half of the proceeds will go to the theatre. Current films include a documentary about indie bookstores called " The Booksellers" and "The Woman Who Loves Giraffes," which is about Dr. Anne Innis Dagg and her 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild. Both of these films will be available for streaming through PCA until at least Friday, May 8. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com to see what's streaming or sign up for the email list under the Contact tab.

≥ OPERALIVE Pensacola Opera is keeping patrons connected through their new online series OperaLIVE.

PROJECTS Pensacola Children's Museum is posting weekly downloadable projects on their website. So far, topics have ranged from rockets to jellyfish to computer coding. All past projects are still available online. Visit historicpensacola.org and click on the Children's Museum under the Plan Your Visit tab to find them.

≥

POSTER CONTEST Earth Day Pensacola has rescheduled its annual event for the fall, and organizers are inviting students from grades fourth-sixth to enter one of two poster contests: •A 30th anniversary poster contest to celebrate Pensacola's participation in Earth Day for the last 30 years •A 50th anniversary poster contest to celebrate the global anniversary of Earth Day, which was first held in 1970. Posters for 30th anniversary must be Pensacola-themed and include something about it being the 30-year anniversary. Posters for 50th anniversary must be globallythemed and include something about it being the 50-year anniversary. Entries for both contests must be ecologically themed/ based. Artists can only enter one contest. The deadline to submit posters is 4 p.m. Friday, July 31. Artists must be a student in Escambia or Santa Rosa County to enter. The poster design must be able to print to a size of 11" x 17" and have a four-color design limit. Entries are accepted via email—for 30th contest, email Marsha at rivermk37@ gmail.com, and for the 50th contest, email Mary at earthethicsaction@gmail.com. The first-place prize for each contest is a framed poster with a $50 gift card. Second and third places received unframed posters with $25 and $15 gift cards, respectively.

Stay safe & healthy.

The Lee House is here if you need us.

In the meantime, follow us on social media – where we're sharing some of our signature baking recipes for you to try at home, as well as favorite pineapple pics, and heartwarming stories.

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≥HIGH SCHOOL POETRY CONTEST

Florida Humanities is calling on all "quarantined" high school students to create original works of poetry. The top three winners will each receive a $500 cash prize, publication in a future issue of their FORUM Magazine and the opportunity to share your poem at a future public program. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 15. Visit floridahumanities.org/programs/poetry-contest to enter. {in}

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COMMUNITY BOARD For however long we think it's of value to the community and our readers, we're going to use the editorial space typically reserved for our calendar of events for a community information source. We plan to make this space work in two ways—provide information for those in need of assistance and also ways to help for those who are able to do so during this crisis. If you have something you'd like included in a future community board, please send the details to info@inweekly.net.

≥FOOD TRUCKS TO OFFER TAKE-OUT

AT ESCAMBIA COUNTY EQUESTRIAN CENTER Escambia County will allow up to

four food trucks to park in the Equestrian Center parking lot, located at 7750 Mobile Highway, where residents will be able to purchase takeaway food from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The parking lot is a large grassy area and provides ample room for residents to adhere to all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing protocols. Trucks will be spaced out in the lot, and patrons are asked to keep 6 feet of distance between individuals and to limit gathering to groups smaller than 10. "This a great benefit in this time of need for the Beulah Community," said District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh. "The Escambia County Equestrian Center parking lot is the perfect venue with plenty of space for social distancing." To participate as a food truck vendor, call 941-6042 for a vendor application. All Equestrian Center vendor fees will be waived. For more information, contact the Escambia County Office of Community and Media Relations at cmr@myescambia.com or (850) 595-1647.

≥CITY OF PENSACOLA ADDS HANDWASHING STATIONS FOR HOMELESS POPULATION The City of Pensacola is

providing hand-washing stations at 11 locations for the homeless population or those who do not have regular access to soap and water during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stations are being provided in an effort to help homeless individuals practice good hand-washing techniques, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help

prevent the spread of COVID-19. The handwashing stations are being funded through District 2 Councilwoman Sherri Myers' discretionary fund and District 6 Councilwoman Ann Hill's discretionary fund, along with the city's general fund. Hand-washing stations are available at the following locations in the city (some sites subject to change): •Bryan Park, 1200 Langley Ave. •Loaves and Fishes, 257 E. Lee St. •Under the Interstate 110 Ramp near the Pensacola Bay Center •Bill Gregory Park, 150 N. W St. •Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, 50 N. Palafox •Wyer Park, 320 W. Belmont St. •Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. •Veterans Memorial Park, 200 S. 10th Ave. •Corner of Ninth Avenue and West Cervantes Street (subject to change) •BJ's Bus Shelter, Corner of Davis Highway and Langley Avenue (subject to change) •Corner of Airport Boulevard and College Boulevard (subject to change)

≥BIKE PENSACOLA SHARES SLOW RIDE ROUTES If you're missing the monthly slow rides, here's a chance to enjoy the routes. Bike Pensacola is sharing slow ride maps from popular events. Find the maps on Facebook at facebook.com/bikepensacola. You will still to need to adhere to safety and social distancing guidelines.

≥SANTA ROSA COUNTY LAUNCHES SEARCHABLE MAP OF OPEN BUSINESSES Santa Rosa County has launched a

searchable online map of restaurants and other essential businesses that are open and serving the public. Restaurant dining rooms and lobbies may be closed for now, but takeout, delivery, curbside service or other options may be available. Residents can go to santarosaready. com/open and search by location and business type to find restaurants and other open businesses nearby. Many local businesses have been impacted by the pandemic. This tool is intended to help support local businesses while also providing useful information to county residents. Managers of restaurants and other essential businesses are encouraged to check

their listing for updated information and to register their business if it is not included. Send any updated information to ESF18@santarosa.fl.gov. Pharmacies, grocery stores, banks and other essential businesses in Santa Rosa County should also register.

≥FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ECO-

NOMIC OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF REBUILD FLORIDA CRITICAL FACILITY HARDENING PROGRAM

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced $75 million is now available to local governments through the Rebuild Florida Critical Facility Hardening Program. The Rebuild Florida Critical Facility Hardening Program allows local governments and state agencies to increase the resilience of critical facilities that serve a public safety purpose for local communities. The funds are allocated through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) newly created Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) program formed in response to the 2016 to 2017 presidentially declared disasters. Local governments and state agencies may apply individually or partner with nonprofits and nongovernmental agencies for funding to propose projects that meet program requirements, including benefiting lowto-moderate income (LMI) populations. The application window will be open for 75 days, and DEO staff will be available to provide technical assistance to communities during the application process. The deadline to complete an application is June 30, 2020. For more information about the program, including how to complete an application, visit the Rebuild Florida Critical Facility Hardening Program's website at floridajobs.org/rebuildflorida/mitigation/critical-facility-hardening-program.

≥BAPTIST HEALTH CARE REQUIRES PATIENTS, GUESTS TO WEAR MASKS

In compliance with CDC guidelines, Baptist Health Care now requires that all patients, guests and vendors bring and wear a mask or other face covering while on any of the campuses to support the organization's diligent efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ensure there are enough masks and personal

protective equipment required to last until the threat of COVID-19 has passed. Screening continues to be conducted at entrances to Baptist facilities. Patients who are identified as having symptoms or a risk factor will be given a mask at the door if they do not already have one. In addition, patients should avoid bringing a guest to appointments if possible. If it is necessary for someone to be with the patient, the guest should bring and wear a mask; any guests with COVID-19 symptoms or a risk factor will be asked to wait outside the building. All team members are required to wear masks at work.

≥COX COMMUNICATIONS EXTENDS CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE OFFER FOR CONNECT2COMPETE WITH FREE SERVICE FOR STUDENTS UNTIL JULY 15

Recognizing that students will remain home to finish out the school year, Cox has extended free Connect2Compete service, the company's low-cost internet offer for families with a K-12 student at home, until July 15. Remote service support is also extended to ensure ease of implementation while students continue to learn at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Customers who sign up between March 13 and May 15 are eligible for this offer and will receive free service until July 15. Cox temporarily doubled download speeds for its Connect2Compete customers from 25 to 50 Mbps in mid-March. This increase will also continue through July 15. In addition to connectivity, many students need equipment to get their work done. Cox continues to partner with local, regional and national organizations who provide discounted, refurbished laptops and accessories to families that qualify for the Connect2Compete program. A summary of the latest enhancements to Cox's Connect2Compete program include: •Limited time, free Connect2Compete service until July 15th for customers who apply by May 15th; $9.95 thereafter •Until July 15, 2020, Cox is providing phone and remote desktop support through Cox Complete Care at no charge to provide peace of mind and ease for technology needs. •Easy referral for discounted, refurbished equipment through PCs for People

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•Increased internet download speeds from 25 to 50 Mbps through July 15 •A Learn from Home toolkit for schools, including instructions on how to fast-track eligible students without internet access, can be found at cox.com/connect2compete. •The Cox Connect2Compete program is available to families who have at least one child that is a K-12 student at home, participate in one of the government subsidies programs—The National School Lunch Program, SNAP, TANF or Public Housing—and are not a current Cox Internet customer. There are no deposits or annual contracts with Connect2Compete, and self-installation with in-home WiFi equipment is included at no additional charge. Families can qualify for Connect2Compete by visiting cox.com/c2c. For more information on Cox's coronavirus relief efforts, visit cox.com.

≥ESCAMBIA COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER ESTABLISHES ECONOMIC RESET WORKING GROUP

The Escambia County Emergency Operations Center has established a business, industry and economic stabilization COVID-19 reset working group. According to Escambia County's Comprehensive Emergency Plan, Emergency Support Function (ESF) 18 is to provide guidance and coordinate issues with Escambia County's business community in all phases of emergency management including expediting

response and recovery. The Greater Pensacola Chamber is appointed as the lead agency. The Economic Reset Working Group will provide the business community with current and relevant information and resources to assist them in their recovery efforts. They will establish a one-stop online information and resource center for business and employees. For more information, visit myescambia.com

≥I SUPPORT THE GIRLS DISTRIBUTING 100,000 MENSTRUATION PRODUCTS

I Support the Girls recognizes that periods don't stop for pandemics. With their partner company, LOLA, the local nonprofit will be donating 100,000 pads, tampons and liners to the Gulf Coast chapter to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts. If your organization would like a donation, please email Audrey Moore at istg. gulfcoast@gmail.com.

≥FLORIDAWEST RELEASES RESOURCE GUIDE AFTER ADDITIONAL RELIEF PACKAGE On April 24, President Trump

signed an additional coronavirus relief package. The new package will provide $310 billion more in funding through the Paycheck Protection Program. Because the new bill provides $30 billion specifically for community lenders, small banks and credit unions, small businesses may have a better chance at receiving funds. The first round of funding

went quickly. In order to increase your ability to secure funding under the new program, we have compiled a resource guide that can be downloaded at floridawesteda.com.

≥PILOT PROGRAM HELPS SNAP RECIPIENTS PURCHASE GROCERIES ONLINE

The Florida Department of Children and Families Florida recently announced a pilot program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to purchase groceries online with an EBT card. SNAP participants are automatically eligible to participate in this program. On April 21, both Walmart and Amazon online purchasing will be available statewide. DCF will continue to coordinate with the USDA and the Florida Retail Federation to expand the network of retailers participating in the pilot program. Customers will be able to use their EBT cards and opt for curbside pick-up. Utilization of food assistance benefits remains limited to the purchasing of eligible grocery items and cannot be used to pay for delivery services. For more information, visit myflfamilies.com/covid19/access.shtml.

≥BAPTIST HEALTH CARE CREATES PATIENT AND FAMILY COMMUNICATION TEAM Recognizing the importance of maintaining close communication between patients and their families at a time when infection prevention measures have neces-

sitated a strict visitation policy, Baptist Health Care has created a Patient and Family Communication Team. Communication liaisons are now assigned to each inpatient unit at Baptist, Gulf Breeze and Jay hospitals to facilitate virtual visits with patients and families. This helps to identify and overcome any barriers that might prevent them from using technology to connect with their loved ones. As part of the program, the Baptist information technology department has provided 30 Chromebooks equipped with the Zoom app that patients without access to a smartphone can use to have face time with their families.

≥UWF LOOKING FOR SONGS OF IM-

PACT University of West Florida is calling all artists—songwriters, musicians and change makers—to share their words of wisdom and inspiration in a music and video contest that brings to life the unyielding spirit of #ArgoNation. If you have words of encouragement, put them to a song and share them. One lucky winner will receive free studio recording time at WUWF, the opportunity to perform at UWF Homecoming and a UWF Bookstore gift card. For more information, visit uwf.edu/go/songs-of-impact. {in} for more listings visit inweekly.net

This face was once masked by pain. Now, it’s a face that sees the light.

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

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April 30, 2020

a&e

By Jennifer Leigh

Studio South Bringing the Arts to You

Photo courtesy of Studio South

Natalie Sommer opened Studio South as a way to connect with people through creative and domestic arts.

For the past month, it’s been a little lonely at her space as nonessential businesses were closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. But she’s hoping to find virtual ways to connect as we continue to navigate this “new normal.” “The heart of the studio is the makers,” she said. During the week, the Avalon Middle School art teacher is giving lessons via Zoom video conferences to 185 students. By nature, Sommer is a crafty person, and she says she wants to keep the mission of Studio South going for both new and regular clients. “It’s a very unique, intimate space for healing as well as happiness, and there’s something very therapeutic and cathartic about arts,” said Sommer. “People who come through the doors have may have had difficulties or a loss; (they) can touch the fiber, or put pencil to paper and create a drawing and it’s healing. Some people haven’t had time in their lives to do these things.”

Now with many self-isolating at home, it seems there’s a little more time on our hands … an opportunity to help people get creative. Studio South now has “Just One” kits available online which contain one skein of hand-dyed yarn, a pattern for crochet or knit and information about “Live Learning” sessions to learn how to make the project virtually. Sommer is also rolling out a series of online workshops called “Let’s Get Crafty” featuring everything from break making to watercolors. Hand-dyed yarn is another special way Sommer is connecting with clients. Her latest collection is called Gulf Coast Love with various stains named for the local area and featuring bright greens and blues. You can also purchase hand-knit masks and freshwater pearl necklaces, which include an inspirational story. Sommer said she takes comfort in creating for others. “There’s an adage on my window, the happiest people make the best of everything,” she said. “I want others to find their bliss.” And for those who have missed the regular Fiber Freestylin’ events, you can still enjoy crafts and camaraderie via Zoom.

Maybe you’re overloaded with Zoom calls throughout the week, but this is one virtual conference you’ll want to attend. As the pandemic has caused a rise in mental health issues, Sommer said she hopes to bring some relief to anyone who needs to shut off the news and relax. Besides, there’s no better time to learn how to bake bread with only five ingredients or knit or brew your own kombucha. You might find a new hobby for post-pandemic life. Sommer recalls one student who took a soap-making class and started her own soap-making side hustle. “That’s what I love about the community of making,” she said. “It’s about giving a little bit of knowledge for people to take and pass it on.” Even though it’s currently a little different, Sommer said she’s still 100% committed to bringing crafting opportunities to people. “Even if you say you’re not artsy, give me a chance and I’ll help you get crafty,” she said, “one stitch, one stroke, one smile at a time.” For online sessions and craft kits, visit Studio South online at studiosouthon9mileroad.com. {in}

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free will astrology WEEK OF APRIL 30 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): I always hesitate to advise Aries people to slow down, be more deliberate and pay closer attention to boring details. The Rams to whom I provide such counsel may be rebelliously annoyed with me—so much so that they move even faster, and with less attention to the details. Nevertheless, I'll risk offering you this advisory right now. Here's my reasoning, which I hope will make the prospect more appealing—If you commit to a phase in which you temporarily invoke more prudence, discretion and watchfulness than usual, it will ultimately reward you with a specific opportunity to make rapid progress. TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Is there an area of your life where you would like a do-over? A chance to cancel the past and erase lingering messiness and clear a path for who-knows-what new possibility? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to prepare— not to actually take the leap, but rather make yourself ready for the leap. You will have God and fate and warm fuzzy vibes on your side as you dare to dream and scheme about a fresh start. Any mistakes you committed once upon a time could become irrelevant as you fantasize practically about a future breakthrough. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): In 1855,

Gemini-born Walt Whitman published his book of poetry “Leaves of Grass.” A literary critic named Rufus Wilmot Griswold did not approve. In a review, he derided the work that would eventually be regarded as one of America's literary masterpieces. "It is impossible to imagine how any man's fancy could have conceived such a mass of stupid filth," Griswold wrote, adding that Whitman had a "degrading, beastly sensuality" driven by "the vilest imaginings." Whitman's crafty Gemini intelligence responded ingeniously to the criticism. In the next edition of “Leaves of Grass,” the author printed Griswold's full review. It helped sell even more books! I invite you to consider comparable twists and tricks.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): In your

efforts to develop a vibrant community and

By Rob Brezsny

foster a vital network of connections, you have an advantage. Your emotionally rich, nurturing spirit instills trust in people. They're drawn to you because they sense you will treat them with care and sensitivity. On the other hand, these fine attributes of yours may sometimes cause problems. Extra-needy, manipulative folks may interpret your softness as weakness. They might try to exploit your kindness to take advantage of you. So the challenge for you is to be your generous, welcoming self without allowing anyone to violate your boundaries or rip you off. Everything I just said will be helpful to meditate on in the coming weeks, as you reinvent yourself for the future time when the coronavirus crisis will have lost much of its power to disrupt our lives.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Now is an

excellent time to take inventory of your integrity. You're likely to get crucial insights if you evaluate the state of your ethics, your authenticity and your compassion. Is it time to boost your commitment to a noble cause that transcends your narrow self-interest? Are there ways you've been less than fully fair and honest in your dealings with people? Is it possible you have sometimes failed to give your best? I'm not saying that you are guilty of any of those sins. But most of us are indeed guilty of them, at least now and then. And if you are, Leo, now is your special time to check in with yourself—and make any necessary adjustments and corrections.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): I predict

that you will have more flying dreams than usual in the coming weeks—as well as more dreams in which you're traveling around the world in the company of rebel angels and dreams in which you're leading revolutionary uprisings of oppressed people against tyrannical overlords and dreams of enjoying eight-course gourmet feasts with sexy geniuses in the year 2022. You may also, even while not asleep, well up with outlandish fantasies and exotic desires. I don't regard any of these likelihoods as problematic. In fact, I applaud them and encourage them. They're healthy for you! Bonus: All the wild action transpiring in your psyche may prompt you to generate good ideas about

fun adventures you could embark on once the coronavirus crisis has ebbed.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): It's time to

work your way below the surface level of things, Libra; to dig and dive into the lower reaches where the mysteries are darker and richer; to marshal your courage as you go in quest of the rest of the story. Are you willing to suspend some of your assumptions about the way things work so as to become fully alert for hidden agendas and dormant potentials? Here's a piece of advice—Your fine analytical intelligence won't be enough to guide you through this enigmatic terrain. If you hope to get face to face with the core source, you'll have to call on your deeper intuition and non-rational hunches.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): When was the last time you researched the intricacies of what you don't like and don't desire and don't want to become? Now is a favorable time to take a thorough inventory. You'll generate good fortune for yourself by naming the following truths—1. goals and dreams that are distractions from your primary mission; 2. attitudes and approaches that aren't suitable for your temperament and that don't contribute to your maximum health; 3. people and influences that are not in alignment with your highest good. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

Novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky believed that the cleverest people are those who regularly call themselves fools. In other words, they feel humble amusement as they acknowledge their failings and ignorance—thereby paving the way for creative growth. They steadily renew their commitment to avoid being know-it-alls, celebrating the curiosity that such blessed innocence enables them to nurture. They give themselves permission to ask dumb questions! Now is a favorable time for you to employ these strategies.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): What

wonderful improvements and beautiful influences would you love to be basking in by May 1, 2021? What masterpieces would you love to have as key elements of your life

by then? I invite you to have fun brainstorming about these possibilities in the next two weeks. If an exciting idea bubbles up into your awareness, formulate a plan that outlines the details you'll need to put in place so as to bring it to fruition when the time is right. I hereby authorize you to describe yourself with these terms—begetter; originator; maker; designer; founder; producer; framer; generator.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): If I asked you to hug and kiss yourself regularly, would you think I was being too cute? If I encouraged you to gaze into a mirror once a day and tell yourself how beautiful and interesting you are, would you say, "That's too woo-woo for me." I hope you will respond more favorably than that, Aquarius. In fact, I will be praying for you to ascend to new heights of self-love between now and May 25. I will be rooting for you to be unabashed as you treat yourself with more compassionate tenderness than you have ever dared to before. And I do mean EVER! PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In the

coming weeks, I'd love to see you get excited about refining and upgrading the ways you communicate. I don't mean to imply that you're a poor communicator now; it's just that you're in a phase when you're especially empowered to enhance the clarity and candor with which you express yourself. You'll have an uncanny knack for knowing the right thing to say at the right moment. You'll generate blessings for yourself as you fine-tune your listening skills. Much of this may have to happen online and over the phone, of course. But you can still accomplish a lot! THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: What's the bravest thing you ever did? What will be the next brave thing you do? Testify at freewillastrology.com.

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news of the weird POLICE REPORT Early on the morning of April 15, an unidentified driver smashed his yellow Mustang into a fence in unincorporated Marin County, California, KPIX reported. California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay later recounted what followed: The driver tried to back out of the fence, but failed to realize he was in drive and crashed through a home instead. The homeowner came out to investigate and, noting the driver's impaired state, removed the keys from the Mustang and returned inside to call police. The driver then discovered the keys inside the homeowner's Toyota and tried to make his getaway, Barclay said, but he shifted the car into drive and barreled through the house once more, coming to rest alongside his Mustang. When the homeowner again tried to take the keys away, the driver allegedly hit him repeatedly, causing major injuries. CHP arrested the driver for suspicion of DUI involving drugs, battery and theft of a vehicle. THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT At the Peace N Peas Farm in Indian Trail, North Carolina, owners Francie and Mark Dunlap have launched a new career for their 8-yearold mini donkey, Mambo, and their other horses. For $50, Mambo, Eddie, Zeus or other animals will make a 10-minute guest appearance to liven up your next videoconference, the Charlotte Observer reported. You can even give the four-legged interloper the on-screen name of a regular attendee: For instance, Zeus might become Paul, the guy who asks too many questions. The Dunlaps also arrange for their animals to visit classrooms or happy hours. IGNORANCE WAS BLISS Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne, formerly of Manchester, England, followed their dream and have been sailing around the world on their boat since 2017. They were en route from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, where they planned to dock on a small island in mid-March, but were surprised to discover the island's borders were closed because of a worldwide pandemic. "In February, we'd heard there was a virus in China, but ... we had figured by the time we got to the Caribbean in 25 days it would all be over," Elena told the BBC. The couple had told friends and family they didn't want to hear any bad news, but Elena is from the hard-hit Lombardy region of Italy and has since caught up with her family. "It's a very macabre picture at home, there are no more coffins, no more cemetery space. ... My family is thankfully safe ... but people we've known for years have died," Elena said. The couple was eventually able to dock in Saint Vincent, and they hope to head north before hurricane season starts in June. "We're sandwiched between the hurricane season and the virus," Elena said. THE CONTINUING CRISIS Geauga County (Ohio) Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand told WJW

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

his office was called to break up a large party of Amish late on April 18 in Huntsburg Township. "When we got there, there was a barn full of people and some of them ran," he said. One partier was arrested for disorderly conduct, two were charged with underage drinking and another was issued a summons for violating the state's stay-at-home order, according to the sheriff. "We won't tolerate this," Hildenbrand said, "and we have to keep everybody safe." Amish people are reportedly continuing to gather in large groups, and the county health commissioner has sent a letter to Amish bishops about an increase in COVID-19 cases in that community. NOT COVID-19 An unnamed 22-year-old Chinese woman has spent the last 14 years trying to discover the cause of her persistent cough, which started when she suffered a serious fit of coughing as a child, Oddity Central reported on April 22. Over the years, she has been misdiagnosed numerous times, but as she recently prepared for an unrelated surgery, the mystery was solved. Dr. Wang Jiyong at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine ordered CT scans that revealed a foreign object in her right lung that turned out to be a chicken bone fragment just over half an inch long. Doctors said she had probably inhaled it at 8 years old, when the coughing started. INEXPLICABLE Ethan Palazzo, 30, of Collingswood, New Jersey, was arrested by police in Old Forge, who found him naked inside a local funeral home on April 11. According to a criminal complaint, Palazzo allegedly broke into the Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home around 8 p.m., then rummaged through the facility's chemical closet and left a cold bottle of beer in a display casket. The Citizens' Voice reported Palazzo smelled of alcohol and declined to give police a motive for his trespassing; he was charged with burglary, criminal trespass and criminal mischief. NUMBERS GAME Doriana Fontanella contacted KDVR in Denver to report that she's been inundated with phone calls recently and she suspects she know why: Her mobile phone number is just one digit off Colorado's fax number for the Department of Labor and Employment, where people are trying to send applications for unemployment claims. "There's a real need out there, and I needed to let people know that I'm not the one they want," Fontanella told the station's Problem Solvers team. "I see on the news they're saying they can't get any response from unemployment, and I think that's because they're not getting the right number." {in}

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com April 30, 2020

Sr. Administrative Specialist Pensacola, Florida The University of West Florida College of Business Dean’s Office in Pensacola, Florida, invites applications for the full-time position of Sr. Administrative Specialist (109090). Description/Job Summary: This employee manages the operations of the College of Business (COB) Dean’s office, works closely with all three Deans and supervises office staff. Serves as special and confidential administrative assistant to the Dean, Associate Dean, Dean Emeritus, and Assistant Dean of the College of Business in carrying out their responsibilities. Serves as point of contact and liaison with external constituents, COB and UWF departments, COB centers, students and faculty. Maintains smooth operation of the office in the absence of the Dean and Associate Dean. Works closely with the College Personnel Committee, College Council, and other COB committees. Works closely with the COB Business Manager. Serves as a core member of the AASDC Hub Council and the COB’s representative on the Academic Affairs Staff Development Council. Minimum Qualifications: A High School diploma and six years of appropriate experience. Appropriate college coursework or vocational/technical may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience. Preferred Qualifications: Some College. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Organizational and time management skills. Knowledge of College and University procedures. Ability to type 55 CWPM and compose minutes. Ability to multi-task. Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access; Dropbox; Google Calendar and e-mail systems; Internet Explorer; Adobe Acrobat; UWF Banner System and Tableau. Application Procedures: Applicants must apply online at https://careers.uwf.edu. The preferred response date to apply is May 1, 2020. Be prepared to attach a cover letter, resume and a list of three (3) references with current email addresses and telephone numbers to the online application. Salary Range: $38,000 - $48,000 annually. The University of West Florida is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action/Disabled/Veteran employer. Any individual requiring special accommodation to apply is requested to advise UWF by contacting UWF Human Resources at 1-850-474-2694 (voice) or 1-850-857-6158 (TTY). A criminal background check is required for successful candidates. E-Verify requirements may apply for employment in certain positions. All applications for employment at the University are subject to Florida public records law. This position allows eligible veterans and their spouses to claim Veterans’ Preference pursuant to Section 295.07, F.S.; applicants claiming preference are responsible for providing required documentation on or before the posting deadline date as such documentation is required for eligibility determination. Supporting documentation, in addition to the DD214, may be required based on eligibility criteria. For information on obtaining a DD214, visit https://www. archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/ or call 1-866-272-6272. Apply online at: https://jobs.uwf.edu 19

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Independent News | April 30, 2020 | inweekly.net