Inweekly Aug. 31 2023 Issue

Health Care for our Community

The new Baptist Hospital campus was born from a legacy of putting people first by advancing health care access, experience and outcomes for everyone. This bold transformation cannot be done alone. We need you to help us bring the next generation of health care services to our community.

Join us in this once-in-a-lifetime, historic opportunity as we Transform Baptist for the Future. To make a gift to the Baptist Health Care Foundation, please visit baptisthealthcarefoundation.org/give.

winners & losers winners losers

DAVID PEADEN In February, the longtime executive director of the Home Builders Association of West Florida (HBA) switched jobs to become the external affairs manager for Florida Power & Light. To honor his years of commitment and generosity to HBA members and the community, the association dedicated its boardroom in his honor. Peaden serves on the boards of the Escambia Children's Trust, Pensacola-Escambia Promotion and Development Commission, The Arc Gateway and Gulf Coast Kid's House, Inc. He served on the transition teams for Mayor Grover Robinson and Mayor D.C. Reeves. The Pensacola Chamber named him Business Leader of the Year in 2019.

SAM MATHEWS Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies announced Escambia County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member Sam Mathews was awarded the CERT Volunteer of the Year at the 2023 Florida CERT Conference in Orlando. The Florida CERT Volunteer of the Year award honors an instructor, team leader or general volunteer for outstanding contributions to his or her CERT program and community. Mathews joined Escambia County CERT in 2018 and serves Escambia County on the CERT team as a member, instructor, leader and Escambia CERT council volunteer.

MELISSA SEIFERT Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Pensacola Crime Laboratory Analyst Supervisor Melissa Seifert earned the distinguished FDLE Innovation of the Year award. Seifert developed a methodology to increase productivity and decrease the amount of stress on members of the biology section by creating a workflow solution based on members of the section working collaboratively rather than on an individual basis. The outcome was a 30% improvement in productivity, above the standard. Seifert's imaginative and innovative approach enhanced her section's ability to work cases in her region. He began her career with FDLE as a crime laboratory technician in 2006 and was later promoted to forensic technologist. In 2012, she was promoted to crime laboratory analyst, where she specialized in working on sexual assault cases. She was promoted to crime laboratory analyst supervisor in 2019 and is a respected leader to her staff and colleagues in the Pensacola Regional Operations Center.

REEDY CREEK EMPLOYERS The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors eliminated giving Walt Disney World passes to its employee and their families—yet another publicity move by the board created to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District after Disney expressed opposition to Gov. DeSantis' anti-woke agenda. Firefighters protest that the park-related benefits were long viewed as an incentive to work for Reedy Creek. Disney offers Florida-resident annual passes for $399$969 a person. The new board may offer to increase wages to cover the loss of the perk.

PAM CHILDERS The Escambia County Clerk had two more motions denied in the lawsuit with the Board of County Commissioners regarding its pension plan. For two years, Childers has asserted the plan is illegal. She stopped making contributions to the plan in January 2022, which forced the commissioners to take her to court. According to attorney Troy Rafferty, who represents the board at no cost, the clerk has lost 10 motions in the case and won none. Rafferty hopes the lawsuit will be tried soon. Judge William Stone denied the past two motions regarding the definition of compensation and the interpretation of Florida Statute 121.182, because neither met the standard for a partial summary judgment.

CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE

Regulators have ordered the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to "calculate new, reduced, overall average statewide rate increases," after Citizens asked the Office of Insurance Regulation for approval of an overall 13.3% rate increase—with 12% hikes for "multi-peril" policies on primary residences. Citizens officials contend rate increases are necessary because Citizens broadly charges lower rates than private insurers. According to Citizens, its lower rates undercut long-running state efforts to push policies into the private market. They argue that the higher rates make Citizens more actuarially sound. Citizens had 1,363,606 policies as of Aug. 11, according to information posted on its website. It had 486,773 policies on July 31, 2020; 661,150 policies on July 31, 2021; and 994,456 policies on July 31, 2022.

David Peaden and Family

Photo Courtesy of HBA West Florida

Photo by Katherine Welles / shutterstock.com

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

HOW ARE WE DOING?

The general mood in Escambia County is we are making progress . We see growth all around us. Our optimism is further boosted by the announcements about American Magic relocating here and the increased traffic at Pensacola International Airport.

But what do the metrics tell us? Fortunately, the Florida Chamber of Commerce created the Florida Scorecard as part of its Florida 2030 Blueprint, which set bold goals to prepare Florida for the 26 million people who are expected to call the Sunshine State home by 2030.

The scorecard is a dynamic online tool that identifies and tracks key metrics crucial to Florida's economy statewide and by county. With the help of the University of West Florida Haas Center, the dashboard provides us with a way to measure our progress.

The Florida Scorecard™compiles hundreds of data points and focuses on areas that the Florida Chamber determined are critical for each county and for Florida's economy generally—changes in the job market, children living in poverty, third-grade reading scores and unemployment.

The current scorecard can be found at thefloridascorecard.org. Escambia County added 3,906 jobs over the past year, but the growth rate, 2.7%, is declining. The county is projected to need 12,135 new jobs by 2030.

Escambia also excelled in job openings. The county has seen job openings steadily increase this summer, showing 8,097 in July. We have 63 unemployed people for every 100 jobs. Part of our economy—the part that's most visible—is progressing.

When it comes to its children, however, Escambia is falling behind. As we learned early this year when looking at the pockets of poverty in our community, our percentage and numbers of children living in poverty is increasing. Escambia County has nearly one in every four children in poverty, 22%. The total count is 14,445. Santa Rosa County has 11%, and Okaloosa County has 16%. The 2030 goal is less than 10%.

Only 44% of our third graders read on their grade level or higher, the lowest percentage in the past seven years. Despite Achieve Escam -

bia's and other nonprofits' efforts, our community hasn't moved the needle on this significant metric. We have 1,715 third graders not reading at their grade level. The goal is to have all thirdgrade students reading at their grade level.

Santa Rosa and Okaloosa also struggle with this metric. Santa Rosa had 74% reading on grade level or better in 2017. Six years later, the percentage dropped to 61%. Okaloosa peaked in 2016 at 66% and maintained that level for the next three years. In 2023, the reading score fell to 55%.

Escambia's percentages of children living in poverty, 22%, and third graders failing in reading, 56%, interest me. We know that poverty can have a significant impact on academic performance. Former School Superintendent Dr. Tim Smith told me several times about the challenges poverty creates for our schools.

We sent a reporter to interview the teachers and principals at two elementary schools in the 32505 zip code area, where many of our poorest children live (Inweekly, "Forgotten Families in 32505," 2/16/23). Oakcrest and Montclair depended on donations to provide their students with the essentials. The Florida Department of Education reported this summer that only 17% of Oakcrest's third graders and 23% of Montclair's scored on their grade level or above for reading.

Escambia County can only improve reading scores by tackling poverty and providing support services for those children in the pockets of poverty. The schools that do well on achievement tests cannot score high enough to offset the low scores.

The Escambia Children's Trust may be the difference maker, but more analysis needs to be done on what is happening in our struggling schools. Simply blaming teachers, principals and parents hasn't gotten us anywhere. That's why I have advocated for more pilot programs and fewer grants to untested efforts.

We need to quit guessing, do the research and develop initiatives that create more than a t-shirt, snappy slogan and social media posts.

{in} rick@inweekly.net

Simply blaming teachers, principals and parents hasn't gotten us anywhere.

PREGNANT, HOMELESS, LIVING IN A PICKUP

John's relationship with his parents is nonexistent. He said he learned from his father what not to do.

"I didn't grow up with a very good father in my life," he said. "I made a promise to myself that I would be a better father than I got, and I'm just trying to prove that

He has an older sister, who the couple stayed with before moving into the camper. The sister charged them to rent out a room, and with her landlord raising rent on her, she told them she was in no position to take them in at a discounted rate.

With no family to count on, the couple lean heavily on each other for support. As they sit together in the vehicle, John rubs her protruding stomach and kisses her on her forehead and then lips. Jane squeezes his hand as they exchange I love yous.

"If we can do homeless together, we can do anything together," she said.

Jane acknowledges birthing a child will be another daunting challenge, but through her Medicaid coverage, she has received medical care, and all indications are the baby is healthy inside her.

"She's in the 93rd percentile, so she's growing fine, surprisingly," Jane said.

By Tom St. Myer

A wooden board covered by a thin blanket in the bed of a dented Nissan Frontier serves as the mattress for a homeless and pregnant teenager. The pickup truck is inoperable, sits in a fast-food restaurant parking lot and contains all of Jane and her boyfriend John's worldly possessions.

At the tender age of 19, Jane is 22 weeks pregnant. A girl is growing inside her, and the couple have already picked out her name—Arrayah. Jane feels Arrayah kick, as mother and unborn baby lie uncomfortably on the wood in the sweltering heat.

"I feel absolutely terrible because I don't get enough sleep, and I feel exhausted most of the day," she said. "My ankles and feet are so swollen it burns when I walk. I get hotter and sweatier because I'm pregnant."

It's late August, and Jane last showered about two weeks ago. She is unsure when she last put on clean clothes. Same for 23-year-old John. A pungent smell wafts in the humid air as the heat index hovers near 110 degrees.

The couple have been homeless for about six months, and finding a shelter with open beds that will accept both has been an exhaustive and futile search. Jane refuses to stay anywhere without John.

"I'd rather sleep on a sidewalk than be separated from him," she said.

HOMELESS TOGETHER

The homeless population in Escambia County is rampant—so rampant that shelters fill to capacity and put dozens on waiting lists.

"There are potentially five or six people for every shelter bed," said Walter Arrington, Community Health Northwest Florida's homeless health navigator.

Max-Well Respite Center Director Troy Watts said his center is filled to capacity, and the waiting list tops 200. Max-Well is one of the few transitional housing programs willing to accept both genders. In the case of Waterfront Rescue Mission, most shelters house only women and children or just men. Opening Doors Northwest Florida recommended Max-Well to the couple, but without any beds available, the center put the couple on its waiting list.

"There are a few that are helpful, but overall, I feel like the system doesn't want people to get off the streets because it helps fuel the drug world," said John, who admits to "slinging crack" before he started dating Jane about 18 months ago. He credits her for cleaning him up.

This spring, United Way of West Florida reported 46% of the households in Escambia County live either from paycheck to paycheck or below the poverty level. Jane and John are one of those struggling households.

The couple previously lived in a camper Jane's grandparents gave them. They paid $500 a month for a lot at an RV park, but then the landlord raised the rate to $800. The couple could no longer afford rent, with John bouncing from one low-wage job to the next and Jane bringing in only a few hundred dollars a week from her fast-food gig. Jane's frustrated grandparents took the camper back from them, leaving the couple homeless and on their own.

Jane's mother is not in the picture, and her father is raising two boys in a crowded home. He barely makes ends meet, according to Jane.

According to Community Health Northwest Florida CEO Chandra Smiley, shelters turning away a homeless and pregnant teenager reveal disturbing flaws in the support system for homeless individuals. She said the rule of thumb is for social workers to meet the clients where they are, not dodge their phone calls and make them feel unwanted.

"We really need to have a priority pass or shelter that's really set up to receive medically compromised unhoused residents," Smiley said. "It's not healthy for her or her unborn child, and it's a couple really trying to do the right thing and have fallen through multiple cracks in the system."

COMMUNITY INTERVENES

The couple finally caught a break about three weeks ago when Jane called her OB-GYN to cancel her appointment. She explained their truck no longer started, she had no money for an Uber and her pickup location was a fast-food restaurant parking lot.

The staff soon contacted Ascension Sacred Heart and relayed the story. Two nurses from Sacred Heart arrived on the scene and provided the couple with food and other necessities.

"We weren't doing very well on food until we got help from the nurses at Sacred Heart," Jane said. "Before that, we were scrounging for anything we could. We would take the food that was supposed to be thrown away (from the fast-food restaurant), and even though it was cold, we would eat it anyway."

Word soon spread about the couple, and the community sprang into action. Community Health entered the picture with its Homeless Health Navigator program. Arrington per-

sonally drove over to the fast-food restaurant on Wednesday, Aug. 23, and filled their truck with four gallons of gasoline to try and jumpstart the battery.

That same day, Kelly St. Myer (this reporter's wife) and fellow philanthropist Madrina Ciano teamed up to secure a mechanic to fix the truck. Jerald Henson drove to the parking lot and inspected the vehicle. He then took the Nissan Frontier to his shop the next day and fixed the sensor inside the transmission before returning the truck to the couple.

Henson repaired the Nissan Frontier on the same day the couple secured shelter through the generosity of Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida. The nurses from Sacred Heart contacted Catholic Charities and explained the situation. Program director Tracie Simmons drove to the fast-food restaurant, met with the couple, and secured a weeklong stay for them at the Regency Inn within an hour. Catholic Charities paid the full amount.

"Sometimes it just takes a village to come together and help," Simmons said.

The good news kept pouring in for the couple. The day after Inweekly inquired about availability for the couple at Max-Well, a center director called Jane and told her he expected beds to be available within a week. Jane closed her eyes and shook her fisted hands in celebration.

John sat stupefied in the vehicle, overwhelmed by the generosity of others.

"I'm not religious, but I feel blessed," he said.

All the positivity that occurred over a whirlwind 24 hours came on the heels of John landing a new gig at Taco Bell. Soon, the couple will bring home two paychecks and are optimistic they will be able to support themselves and their soon-to-be-delivered baby.

"I was very freaked out that we were not going to be out of the situation, and somebody was going to have to take her for us," Jane said.

Significant challenges still loom for the couple. Finding affordable housing in Escambia County is about as easy as finding a parking spot on Pensacola Beach during a Blue Angels show. The average rent for an apartment is $1,445, according to RentCafe, and the median rent is up to $1,750, according to Zillow.

"The difference we need is affordable housing and access to housing," Arrington said. "That's the ultimate solution. We're losing blood right now. We've got to stop the bleeding."

The couple are hopeful they will be among the fortunate few who find a place for a reasonable price. A fresh shower and a night on an actual bed instead of a wooden board change one's perspective. Now, they're thinking about what could be instead of what isn't.

"It's fresh and new and exciting, and it's happening to us," Jane said. "Luck is finally on our side." {in}

*Editor's note: The couple featured agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity. They are referred to as Jane and John in this article.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 2.0

Work. Earlier in her career, she was a marketing executive for the Pensacola News Journal and led marketing strategy and initiatives for the newspaper, websites and all niche publications.

Dr. Hartnett co-authored with retired Waffle House executive Bert Thornton "High Impact Mentoring: A Practical Guide to Creating Value in Other People's Lives," which discusses how to mentor and create a structured mentoring program in a small, medium or large organization.

In the press announcement concerning the initiative, Dr. Saunders said, "Dr. Hartnett's leadership and expertise will be instrumental in creating valuable partnerships and empowering our students to thrive in their careers."

In her role as head of the Office of Workforce Development, Dr. Harnett will report directly to Dr. Saunders.

By Rick Outzen

The University of West Florida's fall enrollment broke the 14,000 milestone, up 6% from last year's previous record of 13,504 students. UWF President Martha Saunders wants to ensure all her students not only graduate on time, but also have successful careers after graduation.

What is the secret behind the university's phenomenal growth?

"I would love to say it's the leadership, but I think it's lots of things," Dr. Saunders said. "We've just been doing a lot better with communicating with our students. We are matching the financial aid that we have available to the specific needs of each student rather than just flinging it out and hoping it's enough."

She added, "We're better known, and more visibility for the university has made a difference."

STRATEGIC APPROACH TO CAREER

Dr. Saunders believes a key to further growth is finding jobs for her students. She recently announced the establishment of the Office of Workforce Development and named Dr. Sherry Harnett as its first director. The office will work strategically with existing industries to provide a skilled and qualified workforce. It will oversee and accelerate the UWF's efforts in four strategic areas—workforce planning and alignment, employer development, applied research and centralized access to UWF talent and programs.

The state Board of Governors scores each of Florida's 12 public universities annually based on 11 metrics designed to incentivize university ex-

cellence and improvement. UWF earned high marks in metrics measuring median wages upon graduation, high-impact practices and retention.

The university earned a perfect 10 excellence points in Metric 10, which measures the percentage of baccalaureate graduates completing two or more types of high-impact practices, such as internships or undergraduate research, jumping from 47.5% to 58.6% over the past year.

Dr. Saunders wants to double down on that success.

"That's exactly what we're doing. We have done a good job of getting our students employed because that matters to them—that first job matters to their families as well," she told Inweekly.

"We've been hearing from our major employers that they said, 'Look, we'll hire all you got, but we need to build a pipeline,'" Dr. Saunders said. "This is a more strategic approach that not only ensures that our students get that all-important first job, but it helps our local employers get what they want. It is a partnership between the university and local employers to make sure that we are grooming up students just for their needs. And they need a lot of different kinds of people."

The choice of Dr. Harnett to lead the charge for the new effort is logical. She founded UWF's Executive Mentor Program and created the highly-acclaimed Women in Leadership Conference, which has sold out every year. Those programs were successful because of her wealth of skill and experience in creating impactful community partnerships.

Before joining UWF, she was the vice president and chief marketing & development officer at Baptist Health Care, helping the regional healthcare system become recognized as a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winner and one of FORTUNE Magazine's 100 Best Places to

"This is what we call a presidential initiative, which is code for it might not work, but we think it will," joked the university president. "We'll be monitoring it and working very closely with our career services program. The metrics will be things such as the number of partnerships that we develop, the number of students involved in those partnerships, how quickly those students move through and matriculate and graduate and how well they do with the assurance that there's a job waiting for them."

GOING FOR THE GOLD

Dr. Harnett is excited about the challenges of her new assignment and admires Dr. Saunders for taking workforce development to another level.

"I love the fact that she does go for the gold," Dr. Harnett said. "Let's dream big and have a vision and make it happen. We have an opportunity to make a really big impact, not only on all those students, but we can really help our industry partners in this community."

She continued, "The State Board of Education measures graduation in four years, and the salaries of graduates, and the University of West Florida has done pretty well in that. I do admire Dr. Saunders for taking strength and trying to make it even stronger."

Dr. Harnett has begun to have conversations within the UWF and in the community to advance workforce development efforts.

"We're discussing how can we meet the employment needs of our community and industry partners, but also at the same time tying education into it," she shared. "Where are our opportunities to make this happen? How can we increase our impact in the community and with our local businesses? Are there innovative ways that we can create or enhance the partnerships that are already happening between UWF and the community?"

Dr. Harnett added, "It's really an exciting time for me. I'm thrilled to be joining Dr. Saunders on this vision she has." {in}

UWF students move in for fall semester / Photo Courtesy of UWF

ICE FLYERS' TEAM PUP The Pensacola Ice Flyers have a new team pup for the 2023-24 season, Buccella, as their commitment to the nonprofit organization Canine Companions.

The Ice Flyers' second team puppy's name pays homage to the late Dan "Bucky" Buccella, one of the most beloved players in the history of Pensacola hockey. Buccella passed away last November in his fight against leukemia. His widow Tiffany and two sons Caleb and Lucas were brought into the Ice Flyers locker room to where their husband and father used to sit as a player, so they could be the first ones to meet the future service dog.

"Before a decision was made to call him Buccella, I first called Tiffany and then called Bucky's parents, Al and Tina, to get their blessing. They were all incredibly supportive of us naming our new Ice Flyers puppy after Bucky," stated Greg Harris, the Ice Flyers owner.

He continued, "It's an honor to have his legacy continue within the Ice Flyers organization. We have also made his number 47, just like Bucky. And although we miss our friend and a fan favorite, his impact in Ice Flyer Nation lives on in all of us, and now lives on in our future service dog who will, in turn, impact the life of someone in need."

Like Ranger, the first Ice Flyers puppy, Buccella will be raised and socialized by longtime Canine Companions volunteer puppy raisers LeAnne Pickering and Weston Cramer. Ice Flyers fans can follow the new puppy's progress on the team's website and official social media pages. Buccella will also be accessible and part of all the fun at upcoming Ice Flyers home games.

LIKE "GROUNDHOG DAY" The Pensacola New Journal reported it has anonymously received text messages from County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh's cell phone that had been stolen from the county's server, after the newspaper reported oAug. 8 that the text messages had been given–also anonymously–to Jonathan Owens, the aide to former commissioner Doug Underhill.

The file was apparently given to Owens between Feb. 1, 2022, and late November 2022, before his boss left office. Underhill was found guilty of several ethics violations and went off the board before Gov. Ron DeSantis could act on an Ethics Commission recommendation the commissioner be removed from office.

Owens ran unsuccessfully against Bergosh in the 2020 GOP primary, coming in third in a four-person race. Owens gave the purloined texts to the attorneys of former county medical officer Dr. Rayme Edler, who is suing the county. Escambia County has asked Federal Magistrate Hope Cannon to bar the texts from being used by the attorneys in the civil case.

According to the PNJ, the metadata showed that the spreadsheet containing the texts was created at 6:07 p.m. Feb. 1, 2022, when Bergosh asked the county's IT department for help. The file contained 52,486 messages from Oct. 18, 2019, to Feb. 1, 2022. The commissioner has claimed only a fraction of them were public records. The FBI is investigating the theft.

On WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen," Bergosh said, "The thing is, we have to separate the lawsuit that Dr. Rayme Edler has filed against the county from the crime that was committed when the servers were hacked and confidential privilege, personal, private information was stolen from the county."

"This is now political. It's going to be weaponized against me and my family politically, which is really a tragedy," Bergosh said. "I think your listeners will recognize very, very quickly there's absolutely nothing I discuss with my wife that has any relevance on anything. When I'm talking to my wife – be it via text or on the phone or in my house – those are our conversations. They're not meant for public consumption."

Inweekly has not been given the text messages, but the News Journal published a series of texts between the commissioner and his wife filled with emojis regarding the county getting new medical directors.

Bergosh texted, "Bye bye Rayme Edler."

After his wife replied with a thumbs-up, the commissioner used the same emoji and wrote, "Yep. It's like the SNL flight attendant skit. 'Buh- Bye!!!'"

Why didn't Owens report the stolen records to the county administrator or the state attorney? Who else has copies of Bergosh's personal texts?

"Obviously, it's a political hit job," Bergosh said. "They think that they can leverage a better position for Rayme Edler's lawsuit with it. I don't think that that'll be the case, and they obviously think they can score political points against me."

The District 1 commissioner continued, "I know that the News journal likes to say that he unsuccessfully ran against me. The bottom line is I smashed him in the primary; I crushed him. And four years prior to that, I crushed another Underhill proxy. They can't beat me on the battlefield of the election campaign, so they go and do backdoor nefarious deals like stealing my information. It won't help them. At the end of the day, if Jonathan runs again, it will be the same outcome again. It'll be a rerun like 'Groundhog Day.'"

MORE ACTIVE ROLES Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves and Escambia County Administrator

Wes Moreno notified Opening Doors of Northwest Florida that two municipalities want active roles in the Continuum of Care (COC), which oversees grant funding for homeless initiatives in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. They sent their joint recommendations for the new COC governance board.

Opening Doors manages the COC and has requested the technical assistance that Dr. Joseph Savage of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homeless Regional Adviser suggested when he came to Pensacola in May. Savage offered to help facilitate a separate COC governance board to oversee the strategic plan for our area.

"We have a strong interest in ensuring the broad community input into the governance charter and would like to provide you with some suggested representatives to on the Committee," wrote Reeves and Moreno in a letter dated May 18 to Opening Doors executive director John Johnson.

The suggestions included Community Health CEO Chandra Smiley, Ronnie Rivera of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, Jen Grove of Baptist Hospital, City Councilwoman Allison Patton, Escambia County emergency manager Travis Tompkins, Sacred Heart Chief Advocacy Officer Jules Kariher, 90Works president Rocky Harrison, Children's Home Society executive director Lindsey Cannon, Rachelle Burns of Pensacola State College, Cathy White and Kasey Watson of the First Judicial Circuit Court Administration, Connie Bookman of Northwest Florida Homeless Reduction Task Force and FavorHouse executive director Tracie Hodson.

At his weekly presser Aug. 22, Mayor Reeves said, "We didn't want to sit back and not play an active role and be an active partner with the COC as (Johnson) tries to make improvements."

The mayor added, "When Dr. Savage, who runs an interdepartmental agency on homelessness in over 18 different departments of the federal government, says that there should be some modifications to how the COC operates, I'm listening to those. We want to find what the best solution is to make sure that we can maximize the impact of COC."

Opening Doors executive director Johnson told the News Journal he had already identified 10 to 15 people for the board. However, he did not provide the reporter with the names because he was waiting for confirmation from some of the people. Johnson complained about being bullied and pressured by the city and county.

SETTING EXPECTATIONS Warrington Preparatory Academy began its first school year with 620 students. The Florida Board of Education made the Escambia County School Board hand over the middle school after failing to improve its academic performance over the past decade.

Principal Dr. Erica Foster said the school's first week focused on expectations. She said, "We went through what are the school-wide expectations of the students. We modeled to them how to walk in the hallway. We modeled to them how they should be responding in the cafeteria and in the classroom."

She continued, "Young people need to know that before we get to academics because the building has to be safe, and the students have to understand how to respond when things do happen or when things don't go their way."

Charter Schools USA has hired curriculum specialists to support the teachers in the classroom and help develop personalized learning plans for the students.

"That's one thing that's going to be different. The students will be able to tell their parents, teachers and friends about what is needed for them to move to the next step or what is needed for them to grow in ELA (English Language Arts), math, science and social studies," said Dr. Foster.

ROADMAP DETOUR State Rep. Michelle Salzman is reconvening the Mental Health Task Force of Northwest Florida for an invitationonly meeting for "brainstorming, designing and planning for a potential long-term treatment facility in Region One of Florida (which includes most of the panhandle)."

In an email to the task force members, Rep. Salzman wrote, "Part of our strategic plan indicated that lacking in a long-term care facility in our area creates a large gap in services…"

However, the mental health strategic plan for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties does not include a long-term treatment facility. The facilities listed in the plan are short-term residential sites, a Community-Based Behavioral Health Crisis Center, a drop-in center and clubhouses for kids.

Much of the May meeting focused on setting up a central receiving system for handling Baker Act adults and children. Plus, when the task force met in May, Rep. Salzman announced her work

Buccella / Photo Courtesy of Pensacola Ice Flyers

with it was over, and the Northwest Florida Mental Network would take over the roadmap.

A BETTER WAY TO GIVE On the day Escambia Children's Trust executive director announced her resignation after complaints about its grant process, United Way of West Florida held its annual meeting to celebrate its $4 million impact on the community with no allegations of politics or favoritism.

United Way's CEO Laura Gilliam said their grant process has taken years to develop.

"It's a volunteer-driven process," Gilliam said. "We're engaging the community in that process when we do our community investment grants, and we're constantly looking at data."

She continued, "We're listening to what's going on in the community. We're having conversations about where we need to be investing our resources, whether that's money, whether that's time through volunteers. And we try to make sure that we're being relevant and know what's going on in the community."

United Way also looks internally and gathers volunteer feedback on how to tweak the process every year, she said.

"We have a rubric that our volunteers use to review and score the grant," Gilliam said. "We give agencies an opportunity not only to provide the written portion of the application, but also to come in and do a presentation. So if they're maybe better at one than the other that provides some balance."

She added, "It is a very fair process, and I would encourage anybody who's interested to step forward and volunteer for that."

BODY OF EVIDENCE Dr. Deanna Oleske, the interim medical examiner, recently notified the District 1 Medical Examiner's Office Board she is suing several Escambia funeral homes for defamation for letters made public last April.

She wrote, "These letters have and will continue to harm my career as a forensic pathologist and expert witness, as well as my professional reputation."

Oleske conceded that the bar for defamation of a public official was higher than that for the average citizen, but she asserted the letters crossed the line. She said the unanimous opinion of medical examiners and forensic pathologists "in Florida and across the country" was that the letters "caused my career significant harm and that I need to defend myself."

She said, "This was a personal attack, therefore, is a personal issue and not a DOMES issue."

Meanwhile, Inweekly and other media outlets received an Escambia County citizen's email, via public record request, sent to Commissioner Robert Bender that described the condition of a body handled by the Medical Examiner's Office. We redacted the names to protect the couple's privacy.

"Commissioners, my name is XXX. My husband, XXX, passed away on Jan. 14, 2023. Upon his death, he was transported to the Escambia County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. I was working with Trahan (Family) Funeral Home for planning my husband's final resting place.

"Per my husband's request, I planned and had a viewed cremation. My husband was transferred from the medical examiner's office to the cremation facility. Upon my arrival, I had the opportunity to say one last goodbye to my husband.

"This was a mistake, not because of the situation, but because of my husband's body condition.

"My husband was butchered. He was cut down all of his limbs to the bone or past. His chest was wide open, and a normal 'Y' incision did not appear to have been used. His head was cut on the back side from ear to ear, and his scalp was still pulled over his face.

"The medical examiner's office did not show my loved one any respect or dignity while performing his autopsy, nor did they show any respect to his body after it was completed.

"I have attended countless autopsies while I was a State Trooper in Orlando, Florida. To say goodbye to my husband, I had to push the skin off his face and back onto the back of his head so I could even tell it was him. The medical examiner's office butchered my husband and stole from me the last image of my husband.

"I beg that the County Commissioners step

in and fix the issues with the medical examiner's office that are being brought to light so other families don't go through what I did. So the deceased can move from this life to the next with respect and dignity."

THE FUTURE OF CITY RECYCLING The City of Pensacola continues to evaluate changes to recycling and sanitation services. The City of Pensacola Sanitation Services Department currently uses ECUA's Materials Recycling Facility to process recyclable materials. Starting Oct. 1, the city will no longer use ECUA's facility and will end citywide curbside recycling for its customers.

After Oct. 1, the City will continue to work proactively to determine an effective recycling solution with ECUA. The recycling drop-off

center on Summit Boulevard will remain open and provide residents with containers to continue recycling eligible items.

The City is working on details for a oneyear pilot program that will be implemented after curbside recycling ends Oct. 1. The pilot program may include opt-in curbside recycling services or the option for customers to have curbside garbage collection twice a week in lieu of recycling.

Additional details will be announced to customers as they are finalized and before the changes are implemented. Please stay tuned to the City of Pensacola website and Facebook for updates. Customers will also receive information in the mail before implementation. For more information, visit cityofpensacola.com/recyclinginfo. {in}

Relocating ' The House by the Side of the Road '

A Silent Witness to Civil Rights History Heads North

This August marks the 58th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Seen by many historians as the moment when African Americans finally achieved full citizenship in the U.S., many of the events that led to the signing are rooted nearby in Selma, Ala.—to get even more specific, one house in Selma that became a central meeting place for some of the 20th century's most important figures, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

That house is about to embark on its own journey, one of the more unique passages in Civil Rights history.

The house where King organized the famous marches from Selma to Montgomery is leaving the South for its new home in Dearborn, Michigan. Jawana Jackson Richie, who now lives in the Pensacola region, grew up in the home and came to know the Nobel Peace Prize winner and civil rights leader simply as "Uncle Martin." Richie recently partnered with the Ford Foundation to preserve and move the home to Greenfield Village, an outdoor museum created in the 1930s to present American life in a village setting.

Listed in the National Register for Historic Places and designated a significant site in the Civil Rights Movement, the house had been open as a museum until recently. Today, all the artifacts from the home have already been

By C. Scott Satterwhite

moved. All that awaits is its physical relocation. The move will help protect the home and further cement its place in American history, even when the residence leaves the region, Richie said.

Named after Richie's parents, the Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson House will reside in the same Michigan neighborhood with significant structures connected to Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver and the Wright Brothers.

"The house will be in good company," Richie said.

Richie and the Ford Foundation hope by moving the house to this historical intended community of sorts, they will further instill a significant African American story into American history— all the while protecting the physical home.

The reason such a concerted effort is being made to save the house goes back to 1965 and centers on the events in Selma that changed the nation.

LIVING HISTORY ON LAPSLEY STREET

In 1965, Richie was 4 years old and living in a segregated neighborhood on Selma's Lapsley Street. Her family lived in the quaint home for years.

The house had its own history prior to the Civil Rights Movement and King's arrival. It was built as a wedding present for another relative of hers and is "the only home in America that

we know of that has been occupied by African American dentists since it was built in 1912," Richie said. "Three dentists have occupied that house, and all of them were in my family."

As the driving force behind the move, Richie understands the importance of the house to Selma and knows it on a personal level.

"My earliest remembrances are of extended family coming to the house," Richie said. "Our doors have always been open. My fondest memories of my parents are of them welcoming so many people into that house."

Among those people were major civil rights figures, such as Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson and King. "When I was 4 years old, the world had a 'Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,' but I had an 'Uncle Martin,'" she said.

"His [King's] presence in the house—planning the Selma to Montgomery March—really changed the trajectory of my family, and of course, of the house itself," Richie said. "I am constantly amazed at the power and the spirit of the structure itself."

King and his wife Coretta were first introduced to the Jacksons in the late 1950s.

"They met in Montgomery at a relative of my mother's home, who was a member of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church—the first church, of course, that [King] pastored in Montgomery," Richie said.

"The connection was made and friendships were formed. Over the next several years, from

'58 to '63, Dr. King was gathering momentum as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. So when he decided to do the Selma to Montgomery March, he called my father and explained what he wanted to do and that he wanted to use the house in Selma to plan the march. The rest is history."

The house is historical not only because of what happened there, but also because Richie's mother wrote the history.

Shortly before her death in 2013, Jackson wrote a memoir about the home and her unique role in the Civil Rights Movement at the urging of her daughter: "The House by the Side of the Road: The Selma Civil Rights Movement." In it, Richie recalls her life in the house, with an intimate account of the days when King stayed there during the 1965 Selma marches.

Jackson described the house then as one where the phone rang constantly. Media requests and threats from the Ku Klux Klan were common, but so were other less hostile callers.

"I could always tell when President Johnson was calling our home," Jackson said in the memoir. "The phone would ring, usually late at night, and when I would answer a voice on the other end would say 'This is the White House operator calling for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.' I would quickly find Martin, tell him that President Johnson was calling, and connect a phone near him if there wasn't already one in his room."

Photo courtesy of Jawana Jackson Richie / facebook.com/thejacksonfoundation Jawana Jackson Richie / Photo by C. Scott Satterwhite

She went on to describe how King and Johnson would speak for hours into the night. "He and the president would talk for a long time," Jackson wrote. "Martin told me sometimes the calls would last so long that he would fall asleep, then wake up and the president would still be talking."

Although President Johnson called the Jackson home frequently to reach King, he also sent emissaries to meet with King personally, including the Assistant Attorney General and Florida Governor LeRoy Collins.

Richie had much different memories than her mother. King was front and center in her recollection of that time.

"Probably my earliest memory [of King] is of him reading bedtime stories to me," Richie said. "Having tea and cookies, you know the things that adults do with children. I often think that because he was separated from his own children for such long periods of time, having a child around meant a lot to him."

Although only a young child, she never felt left out or shielded from anything happening in the house.

"I can say that during the time that [King] was in the house, and others were in the house, it was never a situation like 'Oh, we don't want to be bothered with Jawana,'" Richie said. "I was always included. I was never shunned away."

With the constant threats pointed at King by white supremacists and others, there was always an element of danger just by being in his presence.

"There was a concerted effort to make me feel secure at all times," Richie said.

There were always contingencies to protect her in case of danger, she said. And the dangers weren't minor threats either—but clear and present.

In 1951, civil rights activists Harriette and Harry Moore's house in Mims was bombed, killing both voting rights activists. In 1956, King's home in Montgomery was bombed while the family slept; fortunately, no one was hurt.

In 1963, four young African American girls were killed in the bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church. Adding the murders of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers among many others, the parents had plenty of examples in recent history to fear the worst, yet the Jacksons felt the work King was doing was important and worth the risk.

"I had a few discussions with my parents before their deaths about the dangers," Richie said. "Their response each time was the same: yes, there was a danger, 'but there was a need to do

what we did to support a movement that would better the quality of life for you and others around this country, and the world,'" she said, recounting her parents' words.

Richie's memories, though, are less of the real risks to life and limb in Selma, but more those of a 4-year-old with her Uncle Martin.

Remembering King, she launched into a story. "There was a time when [King] and I were having tea and cookies. Just to get another cookie he said: 'Now, Jawana, promise Uncle Martin something.' And I said, 'OK, Uncle Martin, I promise. Where's the cookie?' Then he said, 'Promise Uncle Martin that as you grow, you will always touch others so you will be touched.' That is the one moment that I remember, that I will never forget."

She continued, "I had to grow to understand those words. At 4, I remember the time when the tea and cookies was over, I went to my mother and I started touching her. She said, 'Jawana, what are you doing?' I said, 'I'm touching you so I can be touched. That's what Uncle Martin said.' My parents took time over the next several years to teach me what [King] meant."

"Here it is over 50 years later, and I am still touching others so that I can be touched. That's how I look at the world. If we could just touch one another, the world would be a stronger and more peaceful place."

THE MARCH FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY

On Feb. 26, 1965, after a peaceful voting rights march in Selma, a young African American man named Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by a white Alabama State Police officer, drawing the attention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and many other civil rights organizations.

Although coming from many sectors in Selma's activist community that had been working on voting rights for years prior, most of the major organizing was from the Jackson home with King and the SCLC at the center. After failing to secure a guarantee voting rights for African Americans would be the top priority for President Johnson, the decision was made to march from Selma to the capitol of Alabama.

The first march was March 7, 1965, a day that later came to be known as Bloody Sunday. Marchers took to Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge, but they were met by Alabama Highway Patrolmen, who severely beat many of the civil rights activists. Among those attacked that day were

Pensacola civil rights leader H.K. Matthews and future congressman John Lewis, whose skull was fractured by a police baton.

As scenes from this march circulated across the country, public opinion quickly moved in support of the marchers.

The second march was scheduled for two days later, but a federal judge issued a temporary injunction against the marchers. King called it off, thinking he and his supporters would be walking into a trap.

Later that night, Rev. James Reeb, a Unitarian Universalist minister from Boston, was attacked by several white men as he left an integrated Selma diner. Reeb suffered severe trauma to the head and died hours later. The case officially remains unsolved.

The events surrounding Bloody Sunday and the murder of Reeb became a rally cry for many across the nation, including a young student at Tuskegee Institute named Ellis Jones. A recent president of Chappie James Museum of Pensacola, Jones spoke of the harrowing events of 1965.

"We decided to go to Montgomery and develop a petition to [deliver to] Governor [George Corley] Wallace," Jones said. "We were a little apprehensive because we had seen the beating and we knew the state troopers were going to be there."

Their petition drive was successful, but the segregationist governor never accepted the petitions.

Meanwhile in Selma, organizers continued to work out of the Jackson home. After several phone conversations between King and President Johnson in the home, the president decided to address the nation about the unfolding situation in Selma. On March 15, King and several members of the SCLC, including Andrew Young and the young Jesse Jackson, met at the "house by the side of the road" to hear the president's address.

After dinner, the Jackson family and King's entourage gathered around the family television set and listened as President Johnson spoke of the state violence met by the marchers, as he compared events in Selma to moments in the American Revolutionary War and Civil War.

Framing these events as turning points in American history, Johnson said: "So it was in Selma."

King was sitting in a chair by the TV in the Jacksons' living room as the small group paid close attention to the speech. As President Johnson came to the end, his closing words surprised many. He uttered the same words sung at countless civil rights protests: "We shall overcome."

"The whole room fell silent," Jackson said. The seasoned activists were stunned. The U.S. president was now on their side, offering his clear support for the movement.

Sitting by King's feet at the time, Jackson wrote in the memoir that she then "turned up at Martin and saw a tear a tear sliding down his cheek. The moment was almost too much to handle."

Jackson said the chair King sat in that night remained in the same spot for years because she knew how historic that moment was. Decades after the event, she said "I take particular pride in pointing out that silent witness to history."

After the flurry of press calls and visits by political leaders following President Johnson's speech, King went back to organizing the final march to Montgomery. Activists from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the SCLC flooded the Jackson home doing everything from planning provisions for the marchers, checking the weather and managing logistics for the Alabama National Guard, which was then under federal orders to protect King and the marchers.

The whole world was watching, and coordination for what the world would soon see was coming from Jackson's home.

On March 27, 1965, the third and final march from Selma to Montgomery took off. Thousands of marchers walked approximately 10 miles a day until they reached the capitol in Montgomery. Among those taking part in the final march was Jones.

"The march itself was peaceful," Jones said. "Before the march, we were in a church, and I remember the SNCC workers came in and told us that the worst-case scenario was that you could get beaten pretty badly."

Though startled by their candor, Jones reached Montgomery unscathed.

Once there, Jones and the Jackson family— except young Jawana, who stayed home because of her youth—joined 25,000 people gathered to protest in front of the Alabama State Capitol. Aside from the celebrity organizers, including Harry Belafonte, were supporters from all over who risked their lives to fight for the right to vote, Jones said. "We were some of the 25,000 people who actually made it out to the Capitol that day. That effort helped me acknowledge the struggle for human rights. Even though that was a small token of my effort, there was something we could all do."

One of women who volunteered to drive marchers from Montgomery back to their homes in Selma was the last killed during the

protests. Shortly after taking singer Tony Bennett to the airport in Montgomery, Viola Liuzzo was driving a young African American man back to Selma when she was shot to death by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

On Aug. 6, 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. With this one act and the hard-fought struggle to obtain the vote, the direction of the country changed forever. This revolutionary change began in Selma, with the Jackson home being the epicenter.

AFTER THE REVOLUTION IN SELMA

After the organizing was done, the family continued to live in the house and stayed close to King for his few remaining years.

The Jackson family learned their family friend had been assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The news came as a shock to them, and the phone kept ringing with friends asking Richie's father if the news was true. As funeral arrangements were made, both public and private, the King family gave the Jacksons a personal invitation to the private funeral for the slain civil rights leader.

Richie and her parents met with thenwidowed Coretta Scott King and her children. So close to the family were the Jacksons that Richie even recalled being in the room with Jacqueline Kennedy as Ms. King received news of a death threat directed towards her children while preparing for her husband's funeral.

When the funeral ended, the Jackson family returned to Selma and continued their lives.

Despite the tragedy of King's assassination, Richie said "there were so many special moments in that house." Many surrounded Richie as her parents saw their daughter grow up, go to school and get accepted into Fisk University, one of the nation's most prestigious and historical HBCUs.

Richie recalled one event in particular with her parents: "The night before I went off to Fisk University, we had dinner in the dining room. They were giving me advice and wishing me well, and it suddenly occurred to me that we were sitting at a table where the first two African American Nobel Peace Prize recipients [King and Ralph Bunche] held private meetings in 1965 about the upcoming march. Fifteen years later, my parents are sitting there and wishing me well on my journey to Fisk. It's those kind of moments for me that mean the most."

"The house is so very special," Richie said. "My parents left me such a special gift, and I am very, very fortunate to have been there at the time when history was made. I wish both of my parents were here with me. They were incredible people that sacrificed and gave to their community and tried to make this world a little better place for all."

After college, Richie went on to work closely with Coretta Scott King and The King Center in Atlanta, and eventually moved to the Pensacola area with her husband. When asked why she chose the Florida Panhandle, she simply pointed to the view of the bay from her back porch. "This is why we moved here."

THE FAMILY LEGACY

Though firmly rooted in Florida now, her roots are still in Alabama. Pointing back to her ancestors, Richie said the history of her family and the house has always been about protecting freedom—at least since 1866.

Richie retold a family story of how her great-great grandfather carried a copy of the U.S. Constitution with him every day. Richie's grandmother, as a child, would ask why he "of all people" would carry the constitution. "One day this document will ring true for you and for generations that haven't been born," he told her. "That's why I carry this document."

"So my family's history, and me protecting it, is just something that I had to do. It dates back to Anthony Richardson [her great-great grandfather] and everything he did to lay the foundation for Uncle Martin to come into that house nearly a hundred years later," Richie said.

"It's been an incredible journey, and I have been so fortunate to play a small role in trying to protect that history and showcase that history to the nation and the world."

For Richie, one of the most important things she could do to protect the history of her family and this unique American story meant one thing: her house had to move.

"I had made the decision long ago that the house deserved more, and I had done everything that I had committed myself to do," Richie said. "Privately, to both of my parents at their death, I let them know I would do everything I could to preserve the house and do what I could to memorialize the legacy that they had left me."

The decision to leave Selma was met with an understanding that the small city, one of Alabama's most impoverished, could not adequately support a house of this historical significance. Support for her decision to move the house has come from far and wide: from the mayor of Selma to congressional representatives in both Alabama and the house's future home in Michigan.

"I just did not feel that Selma had the resources," Richie said. "I strongly felt that the story of that house, the multiple stories of that house, could be told anywhere. It did not have to reside on that soil. That was an important part of the decision to have the house moved."

The move itself will take several months. The museum is now closed to the public, and all the historic artifacts have been moved. All that's waiting is for the physical house to be lifted off the ground and transported to its new home with the Ford Foundation in Dearborn, Mich. There, Richie hopes, the story of King, her family and the struggle for the vote will continue to be told for generations.

"The strength of our society is through the learning of our history, both good and bad," Richie said. "You've got to infuse all of that if you're going to have a healthy society."

For some, taking part in the march was their contribution to history. For others, the role was less visible but maybe more crucial. The Jackson family opened their home to King to help protect him from hostile forces, despite incredible risk and constant threats. Now, the same home that protected King is on its way to be protected as a cherished part of American history, among other beloved sites, to remind future generations of past struggles as well as the ever-present threats to democracy.

"We face critical times now, but I am a firm believer that love will win over hate and peace will win over war," Richie said. "There are some principles in our country and in our world that you cannot negate. Those fundamental principles are justice, peace and freedom for all."

Richie hopes the Jackson Home will stand as a constant reminder of these principles. {in}

WEEK OF AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 6

Arts & Entertainment

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

Summer Finale

Whether you're holding on to what's left of summer with all you've got or counting down the days until fall finally appears, you're probably more than ready for some fresh distractions. Here's a few things to get you through the month of transition that is September.

•Juice up and carb down

When The Daily Squeeze reopens Sept. 1 with Casita Bread officially in building and on the menu @thedailysqueezepcola, @casitabread

•Go see "Bottoms"

Opening Aug. 31 at AMC Bayou 15 @bottomsmovie

•Or stay in and watch "Theater Camp"

Streaming Sept. 14 on Hulu @theatercampthemovie

•Savor the return of Hot Chicken Bowls

When Nomadic Eats returns from summer vacay Sept. 4 @nomadiceats

•And don't forget dessert while you're there

From Make Ends Sweet, whose nearby storefront is also reopening Sept. 5 after a brief summer hiatus @makeendssweet

•Drown in a bog of sorrow

With Hozier's latest album "Unreal Unearth" @hozier

•Or spill your "Guts"

When Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album drops Sept. 8 @oliviarodrigo

•Get into Gulf Coast Drag Race

A multi-week local drag competition hosted by Terrah Card at The Handlebar @terrahcard, @thehandlebar850

•Stream "The Other Black Girl"

The show, based on the novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris, premieres Sept. 13 on Hulu @theotherblackgirlhulu

•And "Reservation Dogs"

The final season is streaming now on Hulu @rezdogsfx

•Celebrate The Bad Bitchiversary

At Lady Fest 10, happening this weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 2) @lady_fest_pensacola

•Read "The Bee Sting"

By Irish author Paul Murray @bookshop_org

•And "The Fraud"

By Zadie Smith, out Sept. 5 @bookshop_org

•Catch a show (or three) at Vinyl Music Hall

Our picks for the month are Soulja Boy (Sept. 14), Heartless Bastards (Sept. 15) and Colony House (Sept. 22) @vinylmusichall

•Make plans for a dinner date

At the new Union Public House location on Garden Street @uph_pensacola {in}

Photo Courtesy of Union Public House

a&e happenings

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Animal

Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Scenic Hills Country Club, 8891 Burning Tree Road. The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. Food and drinks are also available for purchase. A full bar and restaurant offer special adult beverages just for bingo nights. You must be 18 to play. For more information, visit facebook.com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN ADOP-

TION Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. 9th Ave. to meet your furever friend. The next date is Saturday, Sept. 2. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

DEPARTURE: PENSACOLA LITTLE THE-

ATRE'S ANNUAL BENEFIT FOR ARTS ED -

UCATION DepARTure supports Pensacola Little Theatre's scholarship program, sponsors the traveling theatre outreach troupe. Purchase tickets to be eligible to win a three-day venture to New York City to experience the 2024 US Open or $4,000 cash. The event is 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 at PLT, 400 S. Jefferson. Attendance is not necessary to win. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details and tickets.

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD

DRIVE The Gloria Green Caring & Sharing Ministry is attached to the Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, 140 W. Government St. The ministry feeds the homeless at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. The ministry's food pantry opens at 10 a.m. and has clothing. Food donations needed are pop-top canned goods, Beanie Weenies, Vienna sausage, potted meat, cans of tuna and chicken and soups. Clothing donations needed include tennis shoes for men and women and sweatshirts and new underwear for men in sizes small, medium and large. Call DeeDee Green at (850) 723-3390 for details.

ARTS & CULTURE

THE HIDING PLACE MUSICAL The Pensacola production of the musical "The Hiding Place" is 7 p.m. Thursdays, Aug. 31, Sept. 7 and Sept. 17 at The Rex Theatre, 18 N. Palafox St. Tickets are $17-$25. For more information, visit hidingplacemusical.com.

CONCEPT CARNIVAL FEATURING PE -

CULIAR POP-UP PERFORMANCES The pop-up performances are 6-7 p.m. Thursdays through Sept.14 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. All events are free and open to the public. Performances include: The Roller-Coaster-Box-Truck-Drag-RaceTournament-of-Champions; the Hair-CityFair-Queen-Beauty-Pageant; the Push-Button-Performance; the Electric-Light-Parade of Box-Truck-Dekotora; the Box-Truck-Roller-Skate-Demolition-Derby; the Battle of the Cardboard Bands; the Surprise Corner; and the New-Fall-Lines-of-Froze-Toes Fashion Parade. Visit pensacolamusuem.org for details.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART PRESENTS

"BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER" Watch the sequel "Book Club: The Next Chapter" at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Sept. 2 at Pensacola Cinema Art, 220 W. Garden St. Tickets are a $10 cash donation.

CINEMAS IN THE SAND The next Cinemas in the Sand will feature "The Greatest Showman" Friday, Sept. 1 starting at sunset at the Gulfside Pavilion on Casino Beach. Free admission. Follow facebook.com/visitpensacolabeach for updates.

PENSACOLA HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY'S ANTIQUE APPRAISAL FAIR

The Pensacola Historic Preservation Society presents its 27th Antique Appraisal Fair 9 a.m.2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 at Garth's Auction Gallery, 3930 Navy Blvd. This will be an opportunity for the public to bring items for area antique dealers and experts to appraise. Tickets are $5 per person, which allows you to have one object appraised. Additional objects may be appraised for $3. Visit pensacolahistoricpreservationsociety.com for details.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S GROUP OF PENSACOLA Enjoy a get together for local and international women living in Pensacola. Bring a dish of your choice. Families and dogs are welcome. Event is 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave. Visit facebook.com/ garysbrew for details.

BIG DEAL BURLESQUE This show is 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $25-$500 for VIP balcony with six seats and cocktail server. Information at vinylmusichall.com.

PUFF AND PAINT AT EASY GOING GALLERY Sign up for group painting at Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St. Event is 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2. Tickets are $25 and include canvas and art supplies, plus a CBD, HHC or Delta-8 cocktail of your choice. Visit facebook.com/easygoinggallery for details.

AUTHOR ELIZA SCALIA BOOK SIGNING

Children's author Eliza Scalia will be at Open Books Bookstore to sign copies of her books 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 at 1040 N. Guillemard St. Visit facebook.com/openbooksbookstore for information.

ALI'S MARKET This vendor market is 11 a.m.4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox.

PALAFOX MARKET SOUTH AT PLAZA

FERDINAND Palafox Market South will include a blend of familiar Palafox Market vendors, along with a new mix of local farmers, artists and craftsmen and women, who will fill up Plaza Ferdinand on the corner of Palafox and Government streets. Shoppers can navigate between the new market and the always-humming original located on north Palafox at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday. For more information about Palafox Market, visit palafoxmarket. com. For information concerning other downtown events, please visit downtownpensacola.com

CABARET DRAG SHOWCASE AT AMERICAN LEGION POST #193 Don't miss Cabaret Drag Showcase every second and fourth Saturday at the American Legion Post #193, 2708 N. 12th Ave. Doors open at 8 p.m. Showtime is 10 p.m. For more information, contact show director Taize Sinclair-Santi at taizesinclairsanti@gmail.com.

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Shop small and buy art at Pensacola Arts Market 11 a.m.4 p.m. every fourth Saturday of the month at Cordova Square, 1101 N. 12th Ave. Enjoy a local artisan and farmers market with more than 50 vendors, food trucks, plants, vintage clothing and décor, live musical performances, kids crafts and games. This is a free event. Pensacola Arts Market is set up 4-9 p.m. every first Friday of the month and 2-6 p.m. every third Sunday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave.

The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Visit facebook.com/ladyfestpensacola for details.

GODSMACK Enjoy this show with special guests Atreyu & Flatblack and Jason Hook. Show is 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5 at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets available at pensacolabaycenter.com.

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARKET

AT EVER'MAN Local vendors, artisans, holistic practitioners, speakers and more join 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the first Saturday of the month at Ever'man Downtown, 315 W. Garden St. This is a free indoor and outdoor event with door prizes, entertainment and children's activities. For a vendor table, call (850) 941-4321 or go to empowermentschoolhouse.com.

FOOD + DRINKS

OYSTER BASH PILS PARTY Enjoy oysters from Grayson Bay Oyster Co. and homemade sauces with special pilsners and live music from Jordan Richards 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Visit facebook. com/oddcolony for details.

HANDS-ON SUSHI CLASS Learn to roll your own sushi 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Tickets are $65 at bodaciousshops.com.

ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS The next Atlas Beverage Class is 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 at Atlas, 600 S. Barracks St. Cost is $30 per person. Enjoy a beverage tasting with Fords Gin & Gin Mare paired with appetizers. The event has limited seating. Call (850)287-0200 to make your reservation.

SIPPIN' IN SUNDRESSES LADIES' NIGHT

AT FELIX'S Pop-up shops, pink drink specials and live music is 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar, 400 Quietwater Beach Drive.

JACKSON'S STEAKHOUSE FRIDAY

LUNCH SERVICE Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox St., is now open for lunch service 11 a.m.2 p.m. Fridays. Chef Irv Miller has created a new lunch menu, which includes selections of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, featured plates and hand-selected steaks. Visit jacksonssteakhouse. com to see a full menu.

LIVE MUSIC

BANDS ON THE BEACH Concerts are 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. On Tuesday, Sept. 5, John Hart & the Prince Brothers perform. For details, visit visitpensacolabeach.com/whats-happeningbands-on-beach.

LADYFEST Various artists will perform for the 10th anniversary festival. The show starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 at 309 Punk House, 309 N. 6th St. The festival continues 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 at the Bugghouse, and 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 at

THE WAYMORES, THE VICTROLAS, DEVAN SEAN, D. SCOTT RIGGS Show is 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

GASOLINA: REGGAETON PARTY Show is 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $15-$40 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

STRANGE RANGER, CHANEL BEADS Show is 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarrgona St. Tickets are $10-$15 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

HAUNT, HELL FIRE Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $12-$15 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

LIVE MUSIC AT

FIVE SISTERS BLUES CAFÉ

Visit Five Sisters, 421 W. Belmont St., for live music on select days.

•Tuesdays: Greg Bond from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

•Thursdays: John Wheeler from 6-8 p.m.

•Saturdays: Glenn Parker Band from 6:30-10 p.m.

•Sundays: Curt Bol Quintet from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLONY Music pickers of all levels are invited to play 7-9 p.m. every last Monday of the month at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Bring your acoustic instrument and jam. Visit facebook. com/oddcolony for details.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues Society of Northwest Florida bring the "Blues" back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District at 7 p.m. every Monday at 130 E. Government St. in End O' the Alley. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE

QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Melodious Allen and The Funk Heads every Tuesday night at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.

KARAOKE AT O'RILEY'S UPTOWN Sing your heart out 8 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays at O'Riley's Uptown, 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern.com for details.

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT GARY'S BREWERY

Open mic night is hosted by Renee Amelia at 6 p.m. every other Wednesday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave. Visit facebook. com/garysbrew for details.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

Meet Best of the Coast's Best Band: ego death

time with each other," Barlow said. "We really cannot stand each other, and I mean that."

He doesn't.

ego death has not only developed a cohesive sense of humor, but also a cohesive sound. They're in the process of writing their first full-length album and hope to have it recorded by the end of the year.

The songwriting has become more collaborative, Hunt said.

"The subject matter for the music is getting a lot more personal," Hunt said. "A lot of the songs relate to coming of age and the troubling emotions that come with emerging into adulthood and the stress of figuring yourself out and having your own responsibilities."

If their music has any strength, it's emotional honesty, Hunt said. Of the music they've released, "still functional" and "minimize" demonstrate that most—and because of it, those songs are the most fun to perform, he said.

ego death was voted Best Band in Inweekly's Best of the Coast awards, but if there had been an award for "most likely to get the cops called on them during a gig," they'd probably win it, too.

At least that's what happened when the indie rock band kicked off its quasi-summer-tour at Salty Oak Brewing Co. in Panama City. The police declared ego death the first and only artist to perform outdoors there that night; the rest were banished to a small garage.

ego death—composed of Dillon Hunt (lead vocals/guitar), Owen Reese (keys), Shelby Lands (bass), Matthew Barlow (lead guitar), Liam Ward (drums)—is in its third year "together." To clarify, they're not dating, Reese said.

Founding members Hunt and Reese grew up playing music, and they united to find the right members to start a band.

"Eventually, me and (Reese) agreed to open for another local band, who had offered us a spot to play before we had recruited any other band members or written any original songs," Hunt said. "In about the span of a month, we worked really hard to try and manage to get a 20-minute set together, and it's just spiraled from there."

Between Ward, who's only in it for the postshow paycheck, and Lands, who uses the band to "pull bad bitches," it's safe to say they found the right members—at least the right ones to comply with their inside jokes. Heck, after this interview, Ward is on his way to being reduced to the tambourine player.

"We're just forced to hang out with each other a lot, and over the years, we have developed a bond with each other that is kind of special because we have to spend so much

"It's a genuine outcry of how we're truly feeling," Hunt said. "Unfortunately, with a lot of our subject matter, that expresses negative thoughts of feelings of selfworth and problems with people close to you in your life. But I think music, it really does convey all emotions. People listen to different kinds of music when they're happy, when they're sad, and I've always used music as a source of comfort. So, really, if somebody's going through a hard time and my music, the thoughts I'm sharing, can help someone or just let them know they're not alone, I think that's really important."

That resonates with Reese.

"I just want to be able to express myself, honestly, with the band," Reese said. "I think just creatively expressing ourselves the best we can and making a product we're impressed with and being able to play well as a band is the most important thing."

Lands has a side mission.

"I would just like to inspire more queer and female artists to start coming out on the scene," Lands said. "That's what I looked up to whenever I was first joining the scene. That's really, that's it. That's my goal."

With their discovered purpose and newfound lyrical depth comes a change in sound, too.

"Things have become a lot more based in genres like psychedelics; there's some bulkier sounding songs we've been writing," Hunt said. "I think things are taking a little bit of a direction away from the thrashy punk-rock scene we've been associated with and have started to become a little bit more indie rock-y."

The evolution of ego death is likely what earned the band its Best of the Coast award.

"I was the first one to text the group chat," Lands said. "I saw that you guys posted it, and I was like, 'Y'all LMFAO, we won.' I didn't believe it."

"I'm pretty shocked that we won, to be honest," Hunt said. "I'm really thankful for the amount of support ego death has in the scene. I definitely wouldn't say I consider us to be the best band in the area, but it means so much to me that people voted for us and had us in mind … it's a really big deal to us and we're really honored."

While the band has performed in other cities, such as Nashville this summer, they truly love being part of Pensacola's music scene.

"The amount of bands that have been coming out and making music and have been working with us, it's been really awesome to watch it build," Hunt said. "Going out of town and playing in different areas and meeting new people and getting to know different music scenes, it really does serve as a good reminder of how lucky we have it back home." {in}

EGO DEATH AT LADY FEST 10

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31

WHERE: 309 Punk Project, 309 N. 6th Ave. COST: $10

DETAILS: @egodeathpcola, @lady_fest_pensacola

Photo Courtesy of ego death

free will astrology

WEEK OF AUGUST 31

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Climate change is dramatically altering the Earth. People born today will experience three times as many floods and droughts as someone born in 1960, as well as seven times more heat waves. In urgent efforts to find a cure, scientists are generating outlandish proposals: planting mechanical trees, creating undersea walls to protect melting glaciers from warm ocean water, dimming the sun with airborne calcium carbonate and covering Arctic ice with a layer of glass. In this spirit, I encourage you to incite unruly and even unorthodox brainstorms to solve your personal dilemmas. Be wildly inventive and creative.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): "When love is not madness, it is not love," wrote Spanish author Pedro Calderón de la Barca. In my opinion, that's naive, melodramatic nonsense. I will forgive him for his ignorance, because he worked as a soldier and celibate priest in the 17th century. The truth is that yes, love should have a touch of madness. But when it has more than a touch, it's usually a fake kind of love: rooted in misunderstanding, immaturity, selfishness and lack of emotional intelligence. In accordance with astrological factors, I assign you Tauruses to be dynamic practitioners of genuine togetherness in the coming months: with hints of madness and wildness, yes, but mostly big helpings of mutual respect, smart compassion, tender care and a knack for dealing maturely with disagreements.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Gemini author

Iain S. Thomas writes, "There are two things everyone has. One is The Great Sadness and the other is How Weird I Really Am. But only some of us are brave enough to talk about them." The coming weeks will be a favorable time to ripen your relationship with these two things, Gemini. You will have the extra gravitas necessary to understand how vital they are to your full humanity. You can also express and discuss them in meaningful ways with the people you trust.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): A self-fulfilling prophecy happens when the expectations we embrace actually come to pass. We cling so devotedly to a belief about what will occur that we help generate its literal manifestation. This

By Rob Brezsny

can be unfortunate if the anticipated outcome isn't good for us. But it can be fortunate if the future we visualize upgrades our wellbeing. I invite you to ruminate on the negative and positive projections you're now harboring, then shed the former and reinforce the latter.

bartender standing near you. I'm telling you, "Hurry up, please—it's time." What I mean is that you are in the climactic phase of your astrological cycle. You need to finish this chapter of your life story so you can move on to the next one. "Hurry up, please—it's time" means you have a sacred duty to resolve, as best you can, every lingering confusion and mystery.

Capricorn girlfriend of mine delighted in playing and having wicked good fun. Wherever you rank in the annals of wacky Capricorns, I hope you will consider expressing these qualities in the coming weeks. Romance and intimacy will thrive if you do.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): The holy book of the Zoroastrian religion describes a mythical mountain, Hara Berezaiti. It's the geographic center of the universe. The sun hides behind it at night. Stars and planets revolve around it. All the world's waters originate at its peak. Hara Berezaiti is so luminous and holy that no darkness can survive there, nor can the false gods abide. I would love for you to have your own version of Hara Berezaiti, Leo: a shining source of beauty and strength in your inner landscape. I invite you to use your imagination to create this sanctuary within you. Picture yourself having exciting, healing adventures there. Give it a name you love. Call on its invigorating presence when you need a sacred boost.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Virgo journalist Anthony Loyd has spent a lot of time in war zones, so it's no surprise he has bleak views about human nature. He makes the following assertion: "We think we have freedom of choice, but really most of our actions are puny meanderings in the prison yard built by history and early experience." I agree that our conditioning and routines prevent us from being fully liberated. But most of us have some capacity for responding to the raw truth of the moment and are not utterly bound by the habits of the past. At our worst, we have 20% access to freedom of choice. At our best, we have 70%. I believe you will be near the 70% levels in the coming weeks, dear Virgo.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Libra poet T. S. Eliot wrote the iconic narrative poem "The Wasteland." One part of the story takes place in a bar near closing time. Several times, the bartender calls out, "Hurry up, please—it's time." He wants the customers to finish their drinks and leave for the night. Now imagine I'm that

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Addressing a lover, Scorpio poet Margaret Atwood says, "I would like to walk with you through that lucent wavering forest of blue green leaves with its watery sun & three moons, toward the cave where you must descend, toward your worst fear." That is a bold declaration. Have you ever summoned such a deep devotion for a loved one? You will have more power and skill than usual to do that in the coming months. Whether you want to is a different question. But yes, you will be connected to dynamic magic that will make you a brave and valuable ally.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Sagittarian theologian N. T. Wright writes, "The great challenge to self-knowledge is blind attachment to our virtues. It is hard to criticize what we think are our virtues. Although the spirit languishes without ideals, idealism can be the greatest danger." In my view, that statement formulates a central Sagittarian challenge. On the one hand, you need to cultivate high ideals if you want to be exquisitely yourself. On the other hand, you must ensure your high ideals don't become weapons you use to manipulate and harass others. Author Howard Bloom adds more. "Watch out for the dark side of your own idealism and of your moral sense," he writes. "Both come from our arsenal of natural instincts. And both easily degenerate into an excuse for attacks on others." Now is a good time for you to ponder these issues.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Capricorn playwright and novelist Rose Franken said, "Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly." That's interesting, because many traditional astrologers say that Capricorns are the least likely zodiac sign to be silly. Speaking from personal experience, though, I have known members of your tribe to be goofy, nutty and silly when they feel comfortably in love. An old

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): As I work on writing new books, I often draw on inspirations that flow through me as I take long hikes. The vigorous exercise shakes loose visions and ideas not accessible as I sit in front of my computer. Aquarian novelist Charles Dickens was an adherent of this approach. At night, he liked to walk around London for miles, marveling at the story ideas that welled up in him. I recommend our strategy to you in the coming weeks, Aquarius. As you move your body, key revelations and enriching emotions will well up in you.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): The coming months will be an excellent time to build, discover and use metaphorical bridges. To get in the mood, brainstorm about every type of bridge you might need. How about a connecting link between your past and future? How about a nexus between a task you must do and a task you love to do? And maybe a conduit between two groups of allies that would then serve you even better than they already do? Your homework is to fantasize about three more exciting junctions, combinations or couplings.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: Do you have the power and know-how to offer beautiful forms of love? {in}

freewillastrology.com

newsletter.freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

© 2023 Rob Brezsny

The coming months will be an excellent time to build, discover and use metaphorical bridges.

news of the weird

BUT WHY? Seattle police were called to a home on Aug. 18 for a reported burglary, KOMO-TV reported. A young woman inside the home said someone was trying to break in with a stick. Officers went into the home and found the victim hiding upstairs. The suspect, who was identified only as a 40-year-old male, was discovered in the garage, in one of the homeowner's vehicles, where he was guzzling gasoline from a jerrycan. He refused to leave the car, so police broke the driver's side window and took him out. He was charged with attempted burglary.

CRIME REPORT Porch pirates, meet your leader. Robin Swanger of Arnco, Georgia, was charged with felony theft after he allegedly stole an entire porch from a neighbor's yard, Fox News reported on Aug. 22. The 8-by-10foot wooden porch was left on the property when the house was moved away, but investigators said Swanger ignored "no trespassing" signs and removed the "very well-constructed" structure. "Some people may shrug their shoulders and say it's not a big deal," said county investigator Chris Stapler, "but when you take someone's property without their consent and the value of this porch is $3,000, you can't just go and take stuff off someone's property." Well said.

BAD DOG Magda Mazri and Donato Frattaroli of Boston are set to tie the knot on Aug. 31 in Lake Garda, Italy, Fox News reported, with almost 100 guests in attendance. But on Aug. 17, as the couple dined out to celebrate getting their wedding license, their golden retriever, Chickie, chewed up Frattaroli's passport. "I can't be mad at Chickie because I'm the idiot who left the passport out where she could get it," Frattaroli said, adding that he can't sleep. Mazri jumped into action, contacting local officials and the passport agency. "It's been a complete whirlwind," she said. While they're hopeful that a new passport can be issued in time, Frattaroli is prepared for the worst. "Tell everybody that's going to have a great time enjoying the beautiful event that Magda spent the last 18 months planning. I'll see everybody when they get back," he said.

NEWS THAT SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE Dog ownership in Iran is frowned upon in many circles (dogs are considered "unclean"), but authorities took their biases to another level after a couple transferred the title to their apartment to their little white dog, Chester. The couple have no heirs, and Chester "signed" with an ink-covered paw. Yahoo! News reported that on Aug. 19, Iranian police "arrested the head of the real estate agency and shuttered the firm," according to deputy prosecutor general Reza Tabar. The sale "seeks to normalize the violation of the society's moral values" and "has no legal basis."

EWWWWW Thomas Howie of Madison Heights, Michigan, has become "increasingly depressed" and "paranoid about food served by others" since a March incident at a Detroit Olive

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

Garden restaurant, The Detroit News reported. Howie filed a lawsuit on Aug. 18 against the restaurant for "tangible and intangible harm" to the tune of $25,000 in Macomb Circuit Court, claiming that he ate a spoonful of minestrone soup with a foreign object in it. When he felt a "stab," he spit out the offending object, which appeared to be the foot of a rat with fur and claws. "My stomach just heaved; I threw up right in the restaurant," Howie said. "Until this happened, this was my favorite restaurant. I still can't believe it." Olive Garden isn't buying it: "We have no reason to believe there is any validity to this claim," a representative said. Howie had a tetanus shot to treat the cut in his mouth and took the foot to police.

RECENT ALARMING HEADLINE Sheila Ortega, 72, hadn't been heard from for about a month before her family requested a welfare check on Aug. 15 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Sheriff Tony Mancuso told KPLC-TV that his officers "went to the house. No car in the driveway, no signs of foul play." Five days later, Ortega's family reported her missing, and that day, Christopher T. Cater, 41, was pulled over as he drove Ortega's SUV. The deputy asked Cater if he knew Ortega's whereabouts, and he said he had dropped her in Arkansas to visit some friends and was due to pick her up in a few days. On the following day, Ortega's van was seen in the parking lot of Prien Lake Mall, and deputies took a closer look, "finding her body in the car," Mancuso said. When they confronted Cater, he admitted to killing Cater about a month ago and getting several loans using her information. He said he was unsure what to do with her body. "We have never seen someone drive around with a dead body in the SUV for 30 days," Mancuso said. Cater's bond is pending.

NEWS YOU CAN USE Along with all the other natural oddities going on this summer, people are reporting exploding watermelons, NBC New York reported. What? "My melon was on the counter and it must have already been bad when I got it and the next day I came down to an awful smell and rotten melon everywhere," one person commented on a Facebook post about the phenomenon. Keith Schneider, professor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida, said the explosions are "probably due to the heat. The fruit, if slightly damaged, can begin fermenting. If enough fermentation occurs, which produces gas, enough internal pressure may build up for the watermelon to crack or pop." And don't eat it! "The watermelon is undergoing decay, so it's best to bring it back to the store and get a replacement or just toss it," Schneider added. Put that melon in the refrigerator before and after cutting it, experts advise. {in}