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Independent News | December 30, 2020 | Volume 21 | Number 53 | Photo credits in counter-clockwise order: Natalie Allgyer, jshphoto / Shutterstock.com, Phil Pasquini / Shutterstock.com

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winners & losers

Wanda Faye Tye / Courtesy of Global Connections to Employment

For the second consecutive week, the Winners & Losers cabal refused to name any losers and sent in this all-winners column on the back of wrapping paper that smelled like peppermint schnapps.

WANDA FAYE TYE Global Connections to Employment (GCE) selected Tye as the 2020 Employee of the Year. She was chosen from a pool of approximately 1,200 employees with a disability who work at sites across the nation. When Tye was laid off from her factory job more than 10 years ago, a neighbor told her about GCE. She was born deaf, and the notion of working for a company that sought to employ people with disabilities was appealing. Since then, she's grown in her role as mail clerk at Fort Rucker to now be the "face" of the U.S. Army Post Mail and Distribution Center. The GCE mission is to help people like Wanda throughout their life journeys. The corporate offices are located in Pensacola, but the agency manages work contract sites in multiple states and the District of Columbia providing jobs to people with disabilities. ADAM PUTNAM The Bartow native and former Florida agriculture commissioner will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 2021. At one time the youngest person to be elected to both the Florida legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives, Putnam will also be one of the youngest inducted into the Citrus Hall of Fame at 46. Putnam is namely being recognized for his work in protecting Florida's citrus industry during his time in public service. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1996-2001, in the U.S. House from 2001-2011 and as Florida's commissioner of agriculture from 2011 to 2019. MICHAEL ESMOND The owner of Gulf Breeze Pools had paid $7,615 to cover the utility bills of 114 families who were facing disconnection. Last year, Esmond paid the utility bills of 36 households in Gulf Breeze. This year, with both Hurricane Sally and COVID-induced economic turmoil hitting the city, he upped the ante. Holiday cards from the city of Gulf Breeze notifying the residents have been mailed. 44

MERRIE & DAVID SCHWARTZ The local

foster parent couple has been inducted into the All Pro Dad Foster and Adoptive Parent Hall of Fame. The Schwartzes have provided more than 32 years of service to caring for children in Florida who have severe medically complex issues. The couple has fostered more than 100 children born addicted to drugs or alcohol or living with AIDS, who have developmental disabilities, tracheotomies or feeding tubes, children who are deaf, and children confined to wheelchairs. The couple adopted 13 children during their time as foster parents, accepting children of all ages, races and disabilities.

JULIE & TONY SECCHIARI This couple was also inducted into the All Pro Dad Foster and Adoptive Parent Hall of Fame. The Secchairis have fostered children for 25 years and have been licensed foster parents with FamiliesFirst Network since 2009. The couple has provided care for nearly 500 children in Northwest Florida. They adopted three children and are currently in the process of adopting their fourth. The couple exemplifies a strong commitment to children in foster care through accepting placement of sibling groups, children of all ages, children with behavioral issues and placements in the middle of the night. Above all, they coparent with biological families in the hopes of successful reunifications. KREWE OF LAFITTE The Krewe partnered with Allen Turner Hyundai and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to do a special event, Pack the Pirate Ship, to help the Manna Food Bank. Food donations were accepted on Monday, Dec. 21, at Allen Turner Hyundai's previous location and Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium. Keith Carson, Krewe of Lafitte treasurer, said, "We know that hunger is still a significant problem in Northwest Florida, and by supporting the work of Manna, we know that we can make a big difference for those in need."

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WHAT HAPPENED One of the Inweekly traditions is to identify people and issues to watch in the upcoming year. For 2020, the issues on which we wanted to keep an eye were the ECUA Grand Jury Report, implementation of the SCAPE plan for Bruce Beach and downtown Pensacola, Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation of Escambia County's Emergency Medical Services, Matt Gaetz's future and the appointment of Escambia County's school superintendent. The handful of lesser issues included County Administrator Janice Gilley's hires, Mayor Robinson's Citizen Police Advisory, Pensacola Entrepreneur Initiative and the Pensacola City Council races. So what happened? The ECUA Grand Jury Report from 2018 was finally released in September 2020. The report stated the ECUA board was grossly negligent in its supervision of the former executive director, Stephen Sorrell, and called for the board to adopt term limits and better policies to oversee the executive director. Two ECUA primaries and one general election were held before the report was released, possibly saving the board members' jobs. The SCAPE master plan has yet to be implemented. When I interviewed Mayor Grover Robinson for the Dec. 24 issue, he blamed the delay on the coronavirus pandemic and Hurricane Sally. To complete the "hashtag" component, the mayor needs to come up with an additional $6-$7 million, which he hopes to get from the Triumph Gulf Coast board. In March, four former members of Escambia County's Emergency Medical Services division were arrested following FDLE's year-long investigation into allegations of falsifying training documents. Affidavits alleged the illegal behavior dated back as far as 2014 and had been ignored by public safety leaders. County Administrator Janice Gilley conducted a nationwide search for a public safety director and hired Jason Rogers from Indiana in May. Rogers announced earlier this month that he was quitting "to support and care for my family as they have always done for me."

Congressman Matt Gaetz's future couldn't have been brighter in 2020 as President Donald Trump's favorite "warrior," serving as the warmup act for many of Trump's campaign rallies. He has been a regular commentator on Fox News and other right-wing news outlets. His book, "Firebrand: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the MAGA Revolution," debuted in September 2020 and is among the top 100 books on civics and citizenship and U.S. national government. Though Trump didn't win, Gaetz's political profile has remained high. Escambia County School Board Chair Patty Hightower handled the selection process of the appointed school superintendent brilliantly. The worry was the "Tate High mafia" had the fix in place to select one of its alums. However, the process produced several highly qualified finalists from around the country. In the end, the school board chose Dr. Tim Smith of the Orange County School District. County Administrator Janice Gilley has hired two assistant administrators and several department heads and has restructured her organization chart. Commission Chair Robert Bender told Inweekly reporter Jeremy Morrison that "the quality and caliber of people that she's hired are excellent." Three commissioners have shared privately that they aren't as impressed of Gilley and her team. The Citizen Police Advisory Committee didn't meet for the first time until July. It's on its second chairman and has been searching for its "sea legs." Maybe things will change with Drew Buchanan as chairman. Entrepreneurship in Pensacola took essential steps in 2020. The Studer Community Institute launched The Spring Entrepreneur Hub, Venture Mentoring Service and gBETA Pensacola accelerator. FloridaWest unveiled its new website, CyberCoastFlorida.com, which will be part of its 2021 "Remote from Here" campaign to attract cybersecurity talent to the area. The Pensacola City Council races brought us two new Black members, Teniadé Broughton and Delarian Wiggins. Jennifer Brahier beat incumbent P.C. Wu by five votes. Newcomer Casey Jones was elected to the District 3 seat without any opposition. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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REMOTE STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO RETURN TO CAMPUS

By Jeremy Morrison

hits the second wave and numbers spiral out of control is beyond inappropriate," she said.

With coronavirus trends worsening locally and around the country as we head into winter, Escambia County students engaged in remote education to play it safe during the pandemic are facing a question posed by the school district in a recent letter—do the academic benefits of returning to an on-campus experience outweigh the potential health risk of COVID-19? For many remote students in the Escambia County School District, education officials think that the answer to that question is yes. Many remote students, they say, are falling behind. "There's certainly a variance between our students who are learning remote and those learning on campus," Superintendent Tim Smith told Inweekly recently. The school district sent about 80% of its remote students that letter stressing academic jeopardy and encouraging a return to campus. Smith acknowledges that the district aims to have as many students shift back to the traditional model as possible and is casting a wide net of invitations. "It's a conversation we want to push and to have," the superintendent said. "And ultimately, parents are going to make that decision." Some parents have expressed concerns about the district's push to have remote students return to campus. Sarah Brummitt, who has two kids enrolled in the district and is also a substitute teacher "during normal, non-COVID times," showed up at the Dec. 15 meeting of the Escambia County school board and summed up the sentiment pretty well. "Scaring parents into sending their kids back into the classroom just as COVID-19

"WE REALLY WANTED TO PRESS THIS"

Around the country, from state to state and school district to school district, the education of the country's students is being conducted in a myriad of ways. It is amounting to a grand, grotesque experiment that will answer a couple of different questions—Do school environments significantly facilitate the spread of the coronavirus? And is a large swath of remote students falling behind academically? In some rare instances, like in Washington, D.C., schools are closed, and students depend entirely on remote options. In most states, local districts have designed their own paths forward into these unchartered waters. Florida is among a small, bold, perhaps imprudent handful of states that ordered school districts to reopen campuses fully. In Escambia, students and their families were given a choice heading into the fall semester between returning to campus or entering into a remote environment, where they connect with teachers and other students in online classrooms. Now, about halfway through the academic year, local school officials have sounded the alarm bells about a significant number of remote learners suffering academically, asking parents to return the students to school or sign a statement acknowledging that "their student has been identified as not making adequate academic progress in the remote mode." This is, incidentally, not occurring in a vacuum and is in line with a recent emergency order from Florida's Department of Education, which stated that "... any stu-

dent who is not making adequate academic progress in the innovative learning modality (remote learning) must be transitioned to another learning modality ..." "When we see a large number of students that are struggling on that platform, that raises concerns," Superintendent Smith said. While some students excel in a remote environment, many others face predictable hurdles. In addition to the absence of an in-class teacher, it's a big ask for students to stay focused and engaged in an online classroom for hours each day. "This doesn't mean that all of our students have gotten suddenly stupid," said Escambia school board member Patty Hightower. "What is happening is it's hard for some of our students to stay on task and get it all done." There are some students who the district has identified as likely to benefit from a return to campus who currently seem to be doing just fine with remote learning. "Theoretically, a student could have very good grades, but there's something very alarming on that progress monitoring that could have an impact on those state assessment exams in the spring," Smith explained. This is because the criteria used to determine which remote students are at academic risk was fairly broad. Educators relied on assessments from the current semester but also looked at a student's performance in previous non-remote years. Using these metrics, a more significant number of students, many identified as struggling long before the pandemic, were able to be included in the pool. "We really looked at a lot of variables; we really wanted to press this," Smith said. While some students may be handling remote learning alright, local educators are concerned that many of them are falling behind and could be at risk of not meeting the necessary requirements to progress to the next grade level. Hightower sees the remediation of remote students, as well as the large number of pre-k and kindergarten students who have delayed entry into the school system, as big, hairy issues looming on tomorrow's horizon. "It will be our next hurdle," she said. "There may be a vast amount of catch-up that has to be done."

IS "DEEPER LEARNING" DANGEROUS?

Like masks and practicing social distancing, basic safety measures are being observed on school campuses in Escambia County—in theory, at least. But practice can be different than theory. "We are hearing many reports from schools," wrote Carol Cleaver, a middle school teacher and vice president of the

Escambia Education Association, "particularly some middle school and high schools, where students are not wearing masks nor are they being encouraged to wear masks. Different schools seem to have different understandings of the rules for when to take leave and when to clean a classroom. In the majority of situations on a school campus or a school bus, social distancing is not possible." Superintendent Smith noted that the observation of safety protocol may have slipped at some point but that student, staff and teachers were now vigilantly conscious once again as the COVID cases have climbed recently. "I think there is a struggle there. I think as COVID has gone on, it's easy for us to fall into a pattern where we relax our protocol," he said. "But in November, we spiked. That kind of gets us back into attention—'Oh, no, no, no, we can't let go of our protocols.'" A couple of days before the Dec. 18 deadline for parents to decide if they accept the district's invite back to campus, Superintendent Smith took a look at the school district's online COVID dashboard. It listed 65 students as being out due to COVID, though that number would increase to 75 by the end of the day. "It's been kind of hovering around that area," the superintendent said. In addition to students out due to a positive COVID test, there were 10 staff members. Another 1,319 students and 58 staffers were out because they had come in contact with someone who had tested positive. Superintendent Smith said that he isn't sure if school campuses facilitate the further spread of the coronavirus. "That's a very interesting question. I don't know if I have a crystal-clear answer for you on that. I have more of a hunch," he said, explaining that anecdotally speaking, students seemed to contract COVID more often off-campus than on, perhaps because more stringent safety measures were in place on school properties. "I will tell you, there's nothing scientific about what I just said. There's a lot of speculation in there. There's a lot of mystery about this coronavirus." While the superintendent can't say that a return to campus is free of health risk for students, their families and the greater community, and he understands that for individuals in high-risk groups that concern is paramount—"that's a real hard struggle for our families, and I get that"—the superintendent is confident that on-campus learning is educationally beneficial to most students. He's hoping those that are struggling remotely will be able to return next semester. "We think when they come back to school, when we get them to school, we can get them more engaged and do some deeper learning," Smith said. {in} inweekly.net

HAPPY NEW YEAR WE ARE SO THANKFUL TO BE A PART OF OUR PENSACOLA COMMUNITY AND PRIVILEGED TO SERVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Tommi Lyter / Photo by Jermey Morrison

LYTER JUMPS TO ECSO After three decades of service to the community, Pensacola Police Chief Tommi Lyter retired from the Pensacola Police Department on Sunday, Dec. 27. Lyter will become the new chief deputy for Sheriff Chip Simmons. Chief Lyter began his career with the Pensacola Police Department as a police officer in August 1990 and was appointed Chief of Police on May 11, 2017. Before serving as chief, he was promoted to sergeant in 2003, lieutenant in 2006, captain in 2014 and assistant chief in 2015. "I have been able to serve for over 30 years in a community that I love and work with some of the finest law enforcement officers in the profession," said Lyter in the press announcement. "I'd like to express my sincere thanks to Chief Lyter for his dedicated service to the citizens of Pensacola throughout his career and his steadfast leadership during difficult times," Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said. Deputy Chief Kevin Christman has been named the interim Chief of Police. The city will be engaging a search firm's services to conduct a nationwide search for the next Chief of Police for the Pensacola Police Department.

The search process will include engaging community and department members, extensive outreach to highly qualified individuals in Florida and across the nation, a screening process and more. The search will also involve an inclusive selection process that includes several panels made up of police, community, law enforcement partners and city leaders. Newly-elected Sheriff Chip Simmons confirmed that Lyter would be his chief deputy, effective Tuesday, Jan. 5. "We continue to look for ways to improve our service to the citizens of Escambia County," Simmons told William Reynolds of NorthEscambia. com. "When you have an opportunity to bring in someone of Lyter's ability and experience, you take it. I have worked with Lyter for many years. He and I share a commitment to the highest levels of enforcement and engagement."Â In a separate interview with Inweekly, Mayor Robinson admitted that he was caught off guard by Lyter's decision and had hoped to have more time for Christman to work under Lyter. "We are going to be going forward with the search and see what we can do," said the mayor. "I think Kevin can be a great police chief and will one day be a police chief. I just don't know that he's ready for it today."

COMPANY TO WATCH CO:LAB Pensacola recently announced that EBI Management Group, a recent graduate, has been included in the top 50 second-stage companies in Florida selected as a 2020 GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Honoree. The top 50 honorees were selected from hundreds of applicants and nominees in this statewide competition that identifies companies expected to see significant growth over the next several years. Companies to Watch was developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation as a unique way to recognize

and honor second-stage companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace with innovative strategies and processes, making them "worth watching." EBI Management Group (EBI) is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) certified professional services company specializing in helping the federal government and private businesses achieve mission execution through enterprise business intelligence. "In a very difficult year, EBI has not just survived, they have thrived, bringing jobs and a Washington based funding partner to Pensacola," said Scott Luth, FloridaWest CEO. "FloridaWest and our CO:LAB celebrate their achievement and look forward to their continued growth." "This list recognizes second-stage Florida companies with passionate leaders who are making a difference in growing and diversifying our economy," said Jennifer Barrows, GrowFL Chairman of the GrowFL Advisory Board and Business Development Executive with Withum. Second-stage companies are those with six to 150 full-time employees and between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue. Barrows continued, "There are many programs to assist businesses in Florida. GrowFL is the only Florida program that focuses exclusively on second-stage companies." "EBI Management Group is extremely proud and honored to be recognized by GrowFL as a company to watch," said Mark Kilcawley, EBI's CEO, "This award reflects the values and hard work of our EBI team members, our commitment to clients and industry partners and the strong working relationships the company has with local civic and community leaders."

VOLUNTEER SOUGHT Escambia County is seeking county residents' applications to serve on the Children's Services Council (CSC). In November, voters approved the Children Services Council's creation to be

funded by increasing ad valorem taxes up to a maximum of 0.5 mil. The Children's Trust of Escambia County will provide early childhood education, safety, developmental, preventative, health and well-being services, including after-school and summer enrichment programs. Once members are appointed to the CSC, the newly formed government body is responsible for assessing the needs of the children in the county and developing a strategic plan for addressing unmet needs, which must then be submitted to the Escambia County Commission. Like the county, the CSC must also go through the process of adopting a millage rate and budget per Florida's Truth In Millage (TRIM) Act, and the CSC must submit an annual report to the board as required by Florida law. To be considered for the CSC, Florida Statute criteria include the requirement that nominees have been residents of Escambia County for the previous 24-month period and are willing to submit an annual statement of financial interests form.Florida law also requests that gubernatorial appointments are representative of the demographic diversity of the county's population. After the application deadline of Jan. 30 has passed, the eligible applications will be compiled for the BOCC's consideration during the Feb. 18 meeting. To narrow down the applicants' pool to the 15 nominations that will be submitted to the governor, each commissioner will nominate two applicants, and the full board nominates five additional applicants. The governor will have 45 days to make a selection or request a new list of candidates. Resumes and both applications may also be submitted via email to boardapply@myescambia.com or by mail to: Escambia County Board of County Commissioners C/O Shamara Jernigan, Program Coordinator P.O. Box 1591 Pensacola, FL 32502. {in}

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Raise your hand if you're ready to say farewell to the shit show of a year that was 2020. Yeah, us too. But before we can look ahead, we have to look back and attempt to make some sense out of this mess. Well, we don't have to, but we feel like we should at least tryâ€”because what's a year without a year-end recap? So here it isâ€”our best shot at summing up the last 12 months in headlines and trends. It wasn't easy because, you know, nothing in 2020 was easy. Hopefully, we didn't forget anything that was important to you and yours, but apologies if we did.

Photo credits in counter-clockwise order: Natalie Allgyer, jshphoto / Shutterstock.com, Phil Pasquini / Shutterstock.com December 30, 2020

NATIONAL HEADLINES TRUMP ACQUITTED ON TWO IMPEACHMENT CHARGES

The historic impeachment of President Donald Trump in 2019 was followed by an equally historic acquittal from the U.S. Senate in February. The ruling was 48-52.

RIP RBG

On Sept. 18, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died after complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas. Ginsburg was a feminist icon known for fighting for women's rights since the 1970s. She became a prominent member of the highest court as well as a pop culture icon with the famous moniker RBG.

COVID IN CHIEF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY

On March 13, the White House official proclaimed the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. a national emergency. The proclamation is noted as the official start of the pandemic in the country.

THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD

On May 25, George Floyd, a 46-yearold Black man, was killed in Minneapolis after a white officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Floyd was being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Videos of the arrest sparked a chain of protests against police

brutality and systematic racism. Sadly, Floyd wasn't the only Black person to die at the hands of a police officer this year. People also marched for Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Jacob Blake, Rayshard Brooks, Damian Daniels…and too many others.

A BUSY HURRICANE SEASON

The 2020 Atlantic season was one of the most active in history with 31 subtropical cyclones, all but one which became a named storm. And of the 30 named storms, 13 became hurricanes—including Hurricane Sally, which made landfall near Gulf Shores. It was also the second season to use the Greek alphabet.

The "October surprise" for the 2020 election might as well be the news that President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, contracted COVID-19 after months of downplaying the virus and advocating for state governments to open. Dozens of other White House officials would later contract the virus, including the president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

KIDNAPPING PLOT AGAINST MICHIGAN GOVERNOR

There has been pushback to COVID-19 restrictions across the country, including anti-lockdown protests. In October, the FBI thwarted a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in retaliation

over her strict COVID-19 restrictions. The so-called "Wolverine Watchmen" not only planned to kidnap Gov. Whitmer but plotted to storm the capitol building and send bombs codenamed "cupcakes."

HARVEY WEINSTEIN FOUND GUILTY

In February, a jury convicted movie producer Harvey Weinstein of 11 felony counts of sexual assault, including rape. Incidents date back to 2004. Time's Up, the group of activists that was founded in response to Weinstein's history of abuse, called the guilty verdict a "new era of justice."

NASA AND SPACEX

Despite the general doom and gloom of 2020, it was actually a good year for space exploration. On May 30, NASA astronauts launched from American soil in a commercially built spacecraft—the SpaceX Crew Dragon. The NASA astronauts returned safely to Earth in April, not too far from Pensacola.

BIDEN WINS PRESIDENCY

It was a long road to Joe Biden's presidential win—and that's not just counting the days we waited for the election to be called. Biden won the Democratic nomination in a historically crowded primary race. The president-elect and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received more votes than any other ticket in history, with more than 81 million votes. The second-most votes? President Trump with more than 74 million.

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES WHO DECLARES A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY

Coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 but quickly became of international concern by early 2020. And in late January, the World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency. At the time, there were 213 people who died from the virus in China. As of mid-December, more than 1.6 million have died worldwide.

IRAN PLANE CRASH

In January, Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 onboard. Iran blamed a misaligned missile battery and miscommunication between commanders for the decision to fire without authorization.

OLYMPICS CANCELED

Like so many events in the past year, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was postponed until the summer of 2021 because of CO212 1

VID-19. In September, the International Olympic Committee said next year's games will go on "with or without COVID."

AUSTRALIAN BRUSHFIRES

Record-breaking temperatures and months of drought fueled massive brushfires in Australia earlier this year which led to widespread support. It was also yet another harsh reminder about the dangerous effects of climate change.

COSTA RICA LEGALIZES SAMESEX MARRIAGE

In May, Costa Rica became the first Central American nation to legalize samesex marriage. The landmark ruling was four years in the making and was celebrated by human rights activists around the world.

BEIRUT EXPLOSION KILLS NEARLY 200

Highly explosive material being stored

unsafely for years was the cause of the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut. The death toll was reported to be 190, with more than 6,500 people injured.

DIPLOMATIC AGREEMENTS BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates officially opened normal relations in September, signing diplomatic agreements during a White House ceremony that was hosted by President Trump. Netanyahu called the agreements a "pivot in history."

POPE FRANCIS CALLS FOR SAME-SEX CIVIL UNIONS

In October, news broke of Pope Francis calling for legislation to protect same-sex couples, according to comments he made in a documentary that premiered at the

Rome Film Festival. Francis said he stood for civil unions—not marriage—and that "homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family."

SCOTLAND BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY TO MAKE PERIOD PRODUCTS FREE

The Scottish government unanimously passed The Period Products (Free Provision) Bill in November that requires local authorities to ensure period products are generally available for free. The groundbreaking bill makes menstruating people who live everywhere else a little jealous.

ARGENTINA MOVES TOWARD LEGAL ABORTION

Argentine lawmakers made a historic step in December as the lower house of Congress approved a bill that would legalize abortions up to 14 weeks. The bill still needs to pass through Senate to officially legalize abortion. inweekly.net

LOCAL HEADLINES on record and the seventh costliest. At least a few of the season's hurricanes put the Panhandle on the edge of its seat, but the one that wound up walloping us was Hurricane Sally. Sally hit just east of Pensacola, across the Alabama state line. It was Category 2, but it sure felt like more. This was because the hurricane was only a few miles an hour away from a Cat 3 but also because the slow-moving storm hung over the area, wreaking havoc for an uncomfortable amount of time. The damage caused by Hurricane Sally is estimated to be more than $6 billion. In the local area, the storm deluged some areas with more than 30 inches of rain, while hitting Pensacola with a more than 5-foot storm surge.

SKANSKA BARGES

Photo by Natalie Allgyer

THE PANDEMIC, PANHANDLE STYLE

As it did globally and nationally, the coronavirus pandemic pervaded the local landscape. It impacted everything, from local governments and businesses to the way we educate our children and buy toilet paper. As the pandemic set in during the spring, Northwest Florida reacted in tandem with the state and the country. Students were sent home to begin a wildwest, on-the-fly attempt at remote learning. People started wearing masks. And, for a short time, the state entered a lockdown of sorts, with non-essential businesses ordered to close. But by summer, the atmosphere in Florida was beginning to look like normal again, with tourist season unfolding within a fully reopened state. A summer spike in COVID-19 cases led the city of Pensacola to issue a mask mandate, though the municipality was the lone local government to take such measures. Entering the winter season— with local students split between on-campus and remote education models—Northwest Florida is now watching the predicted and expected increase in COVID cases and, along with the wider world, anxiously awaiting the availability of a vaccine. Whatever happens between now and then, the state of Florida has shown no indication of enacting any COVID-related safety measures. An executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis, in fact, has blunted even local efforts in the city of Pensacola to enforce its mask mandate.

RACIAL INJUSTICE PROTESTS

As protests against systemic racism within the ranks of law enforcement swept December 30, 2020

across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Pensacola was no exception. The local protests took the form of a weeks-long vigil centered at Graffiti Bridge. These gatherings peaked during a rainy weekend rally in June, with protesters hearing from a slate of speakers that included current activists, old-school Civil Rights leaders and Mayor Grover Robinson.

PEOPLE & POLICE

In the aftermath of the summer protests, the city of Pensacola took a couple of meaningful steps in realizing a better relationship between its citizens—particularly its Black citizens—and the Pensacola Police Department. Unfortunately, both steps were initiated in response to the July 2019 shooting by a former PPD detective of Tymar Crawford, an unarmed Black man, during a traffic stop. First, the city enlisted Dr. Cedric Alexander, a retired law enforcement officer with a national reputation, to work internally with the PPD on issues like mental health and community relations. Next, it convened a community panel—the Citizen Police Advisory Committee—to explore ways in which the city's police force could improve its relationship with citizens. The committee is now about halfway through its charge and is expected to produce a report with recommendations—ranging from increased training for police officers to the decriminalizing of small amounts of marijuana—to the city in spring.

HURRICANE SALLY

It's 2020, so obviously, this year's hurricane season was horrendous. In fact, it was the most active Atlantic hurricane season

What happens when barges are left out in Pensacola Bay as a hurricane rolls through the Gulf of Mexico? We found out this year, when Hurricane Sally—which took a last-minute hard right—slammed into the Panhandle and sent sailing a collection of 22 barges being used by Skanska in the company's nearly-complete project to construct a new bay bridge. A few of the barges washed up downtown, one got caught under the Garcon Point Bridge and a fateful couple of the barges took out the bay bridge itself. Long story short—Drivers wanting to travel between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze or Pensacola Beach are now faced with a timely commute while the bay bridge is repaired, which is expected to take until spring.

THE APPOINTED

The Escambia County School District entered a new era in 2020. Initiated by voters in a 2018 referendum, the district has switched from an elected superintendent to an appointed superintendent. After a lengthy process full of community town halls, a list of applicants was whittled down to a slate of finalists, from which Tim Smith, who previously oversaw high schools in Orange County's school district, emerged as the winning candidate. In November, Smith took the reins of the district, as former Superintendent Malcolm Thomas wrapped up his tenure and retired.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN

In an effort to put more resources toward early childhood education and the needs of local children and their families, voters this year approved the Escambia Children's Trust. This initiative paves the way for the formation of a Children's Services Council and also authorizes the

county to levy a half mil tax to fund efforts aimed at improving the lives of local families through avenues such as education.

CONFEDERATE MONUMENT (FINALLY) REMOVED

Despite the pandemic, the Pensacola city government actually got some work done in other areas this year. Not only did officials dive into racial justice issues and designate an Indigenous Peoples' Day, but they also finally tended to an awkward ode to the Confederacy long perched atop Palafox Street in Lee Square (yes, that Lee). The Pensacola City Council has discussed removing the Confederate monument several times prior, most notably in 2017, when a number of communities moved to take down their own Confederate monuments. But this year—with the national racial justice protests atop a global pandemic—felt different. Following an impassioned public debate, falling along the traditional lines of heritage vs. racism, the Pensacola City Council unanimously voted this summer to remove the city's Confederate monument. The small park has also been renamed from Lee Square, or rather returned to its former moniker of Florida Square.

ELECTION SEASON

Like everything in 2020, this year's election cycle seemed kicked into a higher gear, charged with not only the logistical realities imposed by the pandemic and the racial protest energy engulfing the country, but also an unprecedented presidential election. The local area might be seen as a microcosm of most places around the country. Local political parties, candidates and organizations were hyperactive. Local election officials were hyper-vigilant. Everyone navigated the pandemic the best they could. Voter turnout broke records, including the number of voters utilizing mail-in ballots. And, by all accounts, everything seemed to go pretty well. We even ended up breaking some glass ceilings—the Pensacola City Council now has a female majority for the first time in the city's history.

$18 MILLION FOR WHAT?

Early on in 2020, before things got weird, Pensacola secured an $18 million bond. The money is meant to fund downtown projects aimed at creating a more walkable downtown better connected to its waterfront. While Mayor Robinson maintains that this money is headed to these improvements, there has recently been questions raised, most notably by Pensacola City Councilwoman Ann Hill, about allocating some of it to be used for downtown affordable housing projects and amenities identified as needed by the local homeless community. This will be an interesting conversation to watch heading into 2021. 13

POP HEADLINES was used to fund research for the Moderna vaccine, which just got approved by the FDA. So whenever you get a vaccine (and, man, we hope it's soon, for all of us), you better remember to thank Dolly, OK?

AOC THE INFLUENCER

Whether you like her politics or not, you have to admit that Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knows how to connect with voters, and she does it in a way that's authentic and fresh and totally terrifying to older politicians who have no idea how to use social media. In addition to regularly using her platforms to engage followers and call out her colleagues, OcasioCortez also has fun. In October, a live stream of her playing Among Us became one of Twitch's most-watched videos with just over 400,000 viewers.

THE YEAR OF THEE STALLION "FOLKLORE" + "EVERMORE"

While most of us were busy just trying to survive 2020, Taylor Swift was busy doing what she does best—writing songs. In July, she surprised the world with "folklore" and then followed it up in December with a sister album named "evermore." Swift worked with Aaron Dessner of The National and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on both records, and while that might sound like a weird mix of talent, they actually produced some of the best music of the year together. And some Swifties don't think she's done. There is speculation that the 2020 songs are part of a quarantine trilogy and that one more record (maybe named "woodvale") is coming soon.

STREAMING TOGETHER

The pandemic might have robbed us of our ability to attend and (most importantly) post from concerts and events. Thankfully, streaming services came through big time and gave us plenty of things to enjoy together virtually. Some highlights include "Hamilton" debuting on Disney+, Verzuz Battles (seriously—who didn't watch Brandy vs. Monica?) and the vice presidential debate. (Yeah, we said what we said. You know that debate was super entertaining.)

RIP CHADWICK BOSEMAN

In a year hallmarked by death, one that stood out for countless reasons was Chadwick Boseman. Maybe it's because no one knew he was sick. Or because he was one of those rare on-screen heroes who also seemed like one off-screen. During his short career, he played more iconic roles than most actors who live to 90, including Jackie Robinson, James Brown and, of course, King T'Challa in "Black Panther." 414 1

His final live-action performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is currently streaming on Netflix.

HARRY AND MEGHAN MAKE THEIR OWN BREXIT

In an Instagram post in January, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, announced their plains to exit the royal family. They said they wanted to become financially independent while continuing to support the Queen. They recently announced that one of their post-royal gigs will be as podcast co-hosts. Their first project is set to premiere before the end of the year on Spotify.

HARRY IN VOGUE

Another Harry who had a headlinemaking year is Harry Styles. His highly anticipated tour might have gotten postponed, but he stayed busy making videos, reminding us to 'treat people with kindness' and just generally being a lovely dude. He also became the first man to appear solo on the cover of American Vogue. The issues' photos, taken by Tyler Mitchell, feature Styles in some glorious genderfluid looks. Of course, the cover caused some backlash—mostly notably from conservative talking head Candace Owens. But despite her pleas to "bring back manly men," the issue was a hit, and Conde Nast is currently printing more copies.

It's kind of hard of imagine anyone having a good year in 2020. But it did happen for some people, and Megan Thee Stallion is one of them. Thanks to "WAP" and the "Savage" remix, she was named TikTok's most listened-to artist of the year. She finally released her debut album, "Good News," in November and scored four Grammy nominations. But it wasn't all hit singles and viral dance challenges for the rapper—she also survived a shooting. After the incident, she used her platform to advocate for Black women on Saturday Night Live and in a heartfelt New York Times op-ed.

DIONNE WARWICK ON TWITTER

If you aren't following the newly minted "Queen of Twitter," you need to fix that— ASAP. In a year with very few bright spots, "Auntie Dionne" appeared on social media recently with "a mission to end foolishness by 2021," and we are 100% here for it. Whether she's playfully teasing pop stars about their stage names or answering questions about imposter syndrome from fans, every single Tweet is pure gold. {in}

DOLLY TO THE RESCUE

As far as we're concerned, Dolly Parton is a tried-and-true queen, worthy of praise every damn year. But she really took it to the next level in 2020. In April, the icon donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and that donation

Chadwick Boseman / Photo by Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

REST IN PEACE 2020 will be remembered in the history books for many reasons, and devastating loss of life will definitely be one of them. As the pandemic rages on and we settle in for a dangerous winter, 300,000-plus Americans have already died from COVID-19. And more names are added to that list every single day. In addition to the individuals we lost to the coronavirus this year, 2020 also took quite a few musicians, actors, athletes and cultural icons from us—like Kobe Bryant and John Lewis. These are just some of the year’s notable celebrity passings: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Chadwick Boseman Wilford Brimley Bobby Brown Jr. Gianna Bryant Kobe Bryant Herman Cain Sean Connery Nick Cordero Charlie Daniels Olivia de Havilland Natalie Desselle-Reid David Dinkins Kirk Douglas Ja’Net DuBois Justin Townes Earle Peter Green Roy Horn Grant Imahara Katherine Johnson Benjamin Keough Irrfan Khan David Lander John Lewis James Lipton Tommy “Tiny” Lister Little Richard Sam Lloyd Neil Peart Regis Philbin Bonnie Pointer Charley Pride John Prine Kelly Preston David Prowse Zindzi Mandela Ellis Marsalis Jr. Joe Morgan Helen Reddy Carl Reiner Naya Rivera Cliff Robinson Kenny Rogers Adam Schlesinger Don Shula Jerry Stiller Alex Trebek Eddie Van Halen C.T. Vivian Fred Willard Bruce Williamson Bill Wither Elizabeth Wurtzel inweekly.net

The Ripple Effect When You Shop Local

We know that shopping on Amazon can be convenient, but this holiday season, don’t forget that local businesses deliver even more for your dollar. Here’s what happens when you shop with a locally owned business — starting with you.

YOU BENEFIT FROM EXPERTISE.

Running Clinic 7pm

The perfect running shoe. The new toy that’s certain to delight. The fantastic novel you hadn’t heard of. The best tool for the job. Get the right thing and save time by relying on the expertise of local retailers.

At a local store, you’re as much as 3x more likely to discover something new.1

In places with more local businesses, people have stronger social ties2 and participate more in civic affairs.3

Now

Come in!

WE're Open

YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY.

Shopping locally means bumping into friends, enjoying lively streets, playing in the toy store, and trading neighborhood news with the people behind the counter. Local businesses make communities work.

Compared to Amazon, independent retailers create 2x as many jobs for the same amount of revenue.4

Local retailers hire local people, pay local taxes, and source goods locally. When you shop local, you expand opportunity where you live.

Places with more small businesses have less income inequality.5

A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. ” — Quint Studer

YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY.

Hiring

“A PURCHASE FROM

YOU CAST A VOTE FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM. Starting a small business has long been a pathway to the middle class. By supporting local entrepreneurs, you invest in a future that works for all of us.

Join the conversation on social media: #LocalEffect #ShopLocal #ShopSmall 1. Codex Group via: “Why Online Book Discovery is Broken (and How to Fix It),” Gigaom, Jan. 17, 2013. 2. “The Health and Wealth of US Counties,” Troy C. Blanchard, et. al., Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy, and Society, 2011. 3. “The Configuration of Local Economic Power and Civic Participation in the Global Economy,” Troy Blanchard and Todd L. Matthews, Social Forces, June 2006. 4. “Amazon’s Stranglehold,” Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Nov. 2016. 5. “Wage Inequality and Firm Growth,” Holger M. Mueller, et. al., LIS Working Paper 632, March 2015.

@AIBCoalition

TheSpringPensacola.com Gracie Price • (850) 637-5797 • gracie@thespringpensacola.com

@ILSR

Studeri.org Rachael Gillette • (850) 748-5656 • rgillette@studeri.org

entrepreneur hub

At Studer Community Institute, our mission as a 501(c)3 nonprofit is to improve the quality of life for people. While COVID-19 has changed the way we fulfill our mission, it hasn’t changed the need.

December 30, 2020

CRISIS AND OPPORTUNITY: A YEAR AT THE MOVIES By Daniel Barnes

ers" concerns the growing friendship between two girls, one a wolf hunter’s daughter, the other a wolf.

2) LOVERS ROCK

(PRIME VIDEO) The five films in Steve McQueen’s triumphant "Small Axe" series run the gamut of genres, from courtroom drama to prison movie, but "Lovers Rock" feels the most personal. Inspired by the reggae house parties of McQueen’s West London youth, "Lovers Rock" has all the energy and danger of a legendary party, continually spinning on a razor’s edge between ecstasy and disaster.

DANIEL’S TOP 10

1) WOLFWALKERS (APPLE TV+)

For over a decade, Kilkenny, an Irelandbased Cartoon Saloon, has produced underthe-radar animated features for adults and smart kids. With the astonishing "Wolfwalkers," Cartoon Saloon gives us a profound and humane movie that should shame Pixar. Set in 17th-century Kilkenny, "Wolfwalk-

Australian filmmaker Rodd Rathjen made the debut of the year with this harrowing story of slavery at sea. Based on real accounts of human trafficking in the fishing industry, "Buoyancy" follows the experiences of a 14-year-old Cambodian boy forced to work on a trawler run by a sadistic captain (Thanawut Kasro).

7) FIRST COW (SHOWTIME/VOD)

With this low-flame anti-western, Reichardt recreates the bleakest of dystopias—a world without butter. Into this pitiless frontier floats the region’s first cow, a potent symbol of sweetness in a harsh and cruel existence.

8) REWIND (PRIME VIDEO/HOOPLA/

3) THE TRUTH (VOD)

With all the shutdowns and delays, 2020 proved a rough year for the movies. But it wasn’t all bad—after all, this is the first year without a new Marvel Cinematic Universe release since 2011. Instead, 2020 offered a tasteful spread of personal stories and diverse perspectives, with more than a few movies that pushed cinematic boundaries. Film critic Daniel Barnes found eleven 2020 releases that pushed those boundaries, plus six stinkers that pushed his buttons.

6) BUOYANCY (VOD)

Most critics shrugged in apathy or confusion at Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s playful and thoughtful foray into cinephilia-fueled Franco-existentialism. However, I could not imagine 2020 without Catherine Deneuve’s marvelously self-lacerating lead performance.

KANOPY/VOD) Director Sasha Neulinger pores over video footage from his childhood, where he finds his long-time abusers hiding in plain sight. "Rewind" is easily one of the most upsetting films of the year, but it’s also a non-exploitative and inspiring story about confronting past horrors.

4) BACURAU (CRITERION

9) RED, WHITE AND BLUE

CHANNEL/VOD) Anti-colonialist fury rendered as psychedelia-tinged exploitation, and with Udo Kier to boot? Count me in. Brazilian writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho ("Aquarius") and co-director Juliano Dornelles deliver this alternately absurd and disturbing tale of a Brazilian village fighting off armed mercenaries.

5) AND THEN WE DANCED

(PRIME VIDEO/VOD) An equally sad and euphoric story of dance as an expression of cultural and sexual identity. Levan Gelbakhiani does remarkable work as Merab, an ambitious trainee at the Georgian National Ensemble who falls for his top male competitor.

(PRIME VIDEO) Another "Small Axe" entry from McQueen, this time the story of an aspiring policeman who wants to change the system, only to find racism and corruption at every turn. In the lead role, John Boyega delivers on his early promise, giving a gripping performance of quiet fire.

10) TIE: I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (NETFLIX) + TENET (VOD)

The former title finds Charlie Kaufman in full wormhole-of-the-mind mode, while the latter is Nolan at his most thrilling and semi-comprehensible. Neither of these mind-scramblers fully satisfied on an emotional level, but both films impressed with their aesthetics and ambitions.

DANIEL’S BOTTOM FIVE

1) 365 DAYS (NETFLIX)

Enough people endured enough minutes of this repugnant "Fifty Shades" knockoff to make it Netflix’s most-watched film of 2020, even though the rampant fetishization of Stockholm Syndrome makes it feel like an erotic rewrite of "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

2) THE OLD GUARD (NETFLIX)

With the new release of every atrocious non-movie, Netflix looks more and more like a front for international money laundering. Starring a half-asleep Charlize Theron, "The Old Guard" is another of the service’s misguided attempts to launch a blockbuster franchise.

3) DOLITTLE (HBO MAX/VOD)

This bomb boasts dozens of insufferable creatures, but none more insufferable than Robert Downey Jr. "Dolittle" is a spectacularly ugly exercise in focus-groupthink that tries to please everyone, inevitably pleasing no one.

4) MULAN (DISNEY+)

Disney continues its insufferable series of live-action adaptations of animated classics with the dreary "Mulan." The culturally apocryphal dragon from the cartoon is gone because this is painfully serious stuff, but also, "Mulan" has magic powers now because kids sure do love them superheroes. Pick a lane, people.

5) TIE: DA 5 BLOODS + THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

(BOTH NETFLIX) Disturbingly, these cinematic blowhards are both considered major awards contenders. "Da 5 Bloods" accelerates Spike Lee’s devolution into paranoid incoherence. "Chicago 7" almost plays like a parody of Aaron Sorkin-style self-satisfaction, only it’s written and directed by the real Sorkin, so it’s terrible. {in}

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inweekly.net

WEEK OF DECEMBER 30-JANUARY 6

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

The Activist DJ By Savannah Evanoff

Hale Morrissette / Courtesy photo

One of Hale Morrissette's biggest accomplishments in 2020 was dishing out voter guides at after-hours events in clubs, parties and lounges—which might sound a little strange if you're unfamiliar with her in the role of DJ Hale. As an avid activist, Morrissette, 30, felt educating voters while DJing gigs melded two of her passions and made a difference in the way turnout looked in the district. Her son Dante, though, wanted to make sure she did her part. "I did all of this work to get people out to vote, and then my 8-year-old comes up to me on voting day and says, 'Did you go vote? Because we gotta make sure we're voting,'" Morrissette said. "I was like, 'Of course I did, kid.'" Raising Dante, 8, and Nicholas, 6, as a single mother was what reeled her into the activist world in the first place. She can't fully explain why. "Children give you a different sense of future," Morrissette said. "Kids really push you into doing things. I don't like being in front of people a lot, but that's what made me speak up is my kids." Plus, she was born and raised in December 30, 2020

Pensacola. Why not make a difference here? "I sat back and decided, 'This is what I really want to do, and I really want to see these changes because Pensacola is my home,'" Morrissette said. "Even more than that, Pensacola is part of a bigger scheme of things. Once I realized there was this bigger picture and everyone has to be able to make an impact where they are, it was just super important. That light switch really came on for me in 2015." Her activism on the ground had started in 2014, after Darren Wilson was not indicted for the murder of Michael Brown, she said. Her focus is on raising awareness against police violence and racial injustice. This past year, though, she made it a full-time job— and she loves it. She is a regional organizer with Dream Defenders, a group organizing Black and Brown youth to build power in communities to advance a new vision they have for the state, according to its website. And the work is tangible. In Tallahassee, they've done a bail fund. "They've bailed out over 40 people," Morrissette said. "Here in the city of Pensacola, we had been pushing for the citizen advisory committee, the police advisory committee that we now have and I actually sit on. We pushed for anti-bias training for our police department, and we were able to achieve that." "The most meaningful part for me is actually making connections with people," Morrissette said. "I get to hear people's stories all the time about why certain things in our community are so important to them and what keeps them going." They have big goals for 2021, too. Among them are opposing an anti-protest bill Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to pass. "That really would penalize those of us that get on the ground and raise our voices," Morrissette said. "I'm super focused on making sure we do what we can in order for that not to pass in Pensacola. Other than

that, we just elected Biden and Harris into office. Now we're figuring out, how do we push them so that we're getting our needs met and they're not just getting into office and sitting there and saying, 'We're just not going to be as bad as Trump.' We don't want that." And her children are starting to understand. "They watch TV and see the things that I have to ingest off the news while I'm trying to work, so we have hard conversations sometimes," Morrissette said. "My youngest had a picture of George Floyd he wanted put up in his room. I was really sad, but then I was like, 'No, he needs to be aware at the same time.'" The grittiness is partly what propelled her into being a DJ. She has a master's degree in social work and worked previously as a trauma counselor. "I started DJing and hosting events because I needed to focus on joy," Morrisette said. "At one point, I was like, 'I can never really find the type of DJ I want for my events.'" One of Morrissette's favorites is DJ TooEasy, "the G.O.A.T.," she said. She actually gave Morrissette her first turntable. "When I was a little girl, the only two things I really wanted to be were the lead singer of a rock band or a DJ," Morrissette said. It started with a few house parties for my friends and an outlet. When she needed to escape her mind, she could sit down and mix. Then the frequency of events increased. "Through it, I became part of this DJ crew, which runs basically the whole club and party circuit in Pensacola, for real, for real," Morrissette said. "That just blew up. With that, what I took was an opportunity to educate people. I started having more of a platform that was outside of just the activism platform. Now I'm not just talking to people about, 'Look at these crazy things the government is doing,' but I'm also talking to people about, 'Look at how joy affects the way you live.'" And DJing gives Morrissette joy. She is a "neo-soul, R&B type of DJ," who absolutely loves trap disco. "What trap disco is—I will mix some elements of trap music or some type of rap or hot hip-hop and I mix it with an upbeat R&B song or maybe some old school '90s R&B," Morrissette said. "That usually gets people picked up and moving, but that's my base style. That's my saucy. I can do anything." The pandemic put gigs on pause, but

DJ Hale is starting to get booked again. She is taking precautions, though. "I have wonderful customized masks for myself," Morrissette said. "And I get to be in the DJ booth away from everybody." Her kids dig it, too. "They love that I'm a DJ," Morrissette said. "When I'm at home practicing, got the little one coming up wanting to scratch. I always wanted to DJ, so I was like, 'You know what? This would literally be the one thing to pick up and this is going to make me happy.' And it did." {in} To keep up with Morrissette and find out where she's DJing next, check out facebook. com/mylifeishale or follow instagram.com/ lifeishale.

DJ HALE'S NEW YEAR'S EVE PLAYLIST SUGGESTIONS

Since most of us will be celebrating at home this year, we asked DJ Hale to give us a few song suggestions to take our living room playlists to the next level.

1. "1999" BY PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION

This is a classic, live-in-the-moment anthem. My late mother was a huge Prince fan and was guaranteed to make all of us get up and dance when she put it on.

2. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE?" BY ELLA FITZGERALD Big band, big plans. This ballad encourages us to slow down and take in gratitude.

3. "CHAMPAGNE LIFE" BY NE-YO

What's the one drink that screams Happy New Year? Ne-Yo gives us a smooth slide right into all the good feels that can carry us into 2021.

4. "UMI SAYS" BY MOS DEF

Moving into the New Year means moving into a new era for a lot of us. The chorus of this song says, "Shine your light on the world," and heaven knows we need plenty of light going into 2021.

5. "LEVEL UP" BY CIARA

A final optimistic word on what the future holds. Full of positivity and joy, this jam will move you and get you motivated for the new year. 17

a&e happenings Plunge T-shirt or a $10 registration donation to participate without the T-shirt and $5 Cub Club for ages fifth grade and under (no shirt). Cub Club bags will be available at RFBF. All proceeds go to the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce to fund events on the Island. Plunge at your own risk. Water shoes are encouraged. For more information, visit pensacolabeachchamber.com/polar-bear-plunge.

NONPROFITS + FUNDRAISERS

KEEP PENSACOLA BEAUTIFUL TRADEA-TREE PROGRAM Keep Pensacola Beauti-

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

NEW YEAR'S CALENDAR

NEW YEAR'S EVE FIREWORKS Say "Good Riddance" to 2020 with a bang. Pensacola Beach will come alive with a firework display at midnight on New Year's Eve. For more information, visit pensacolabeachchamber.com.

BOUJ YEAR'S EVE Perfect Plain Brewing Co. will be releasing 100 tickets for its Bouj Year's Eve event. Cost is $139 and includes drinks, a swag bag, tacos from Tacos Mexicanos and more goodies. The party kicks off at 9 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco. NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT 200 SOUTH Join the bars at 200 South to

celebrate the end of 2020. The event is free to attend, but VIP packages and tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com/ event/4861814. Tickets are $75 for a single or $125 for a couple. Packages include bottomless drinks and VIP section with food station. The party begins at 8 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/200southpcola.

FLORA-BAMA NYE BASH Get your tickets for the popular New Year's Eve bash at FloraBama complete with live music, free champagne and a breakfast buffet from midnight-2 a.m. Tickets are $50-$60. To purchase, visit florabama.com/new-years-eve. Flora-Bama is located at 17401 Perdido Key Drive.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT O'RILEY'S IRISH PUB Close out 2020 at

O'Riley's Irish Pub, located at 321 S. Palafox, with drink specials and no cover charge. Party starts at 9 p.m. O'Riley's Uptown Tavern will also have a New Year's celebration and is located at 3728 Creighton Road.

PLAN YOUR NEW YEAR'S DINNER PLANS WITH GREAT SOUTHERN RESTAURANTS For more information on

Great Southern Restaurants—location and menus—visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com. 818 1

NEW YEAR'S EVE—Thursday, Dec. 31 The Fish House: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Dinner service: 3 p.m.–until Special New Year's Eve menus for 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. seatings. Cost is $100 per person and includes a four-course dinner with wine pairings. For reservations, call 470-0003. Jackson's Steakhouse: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Dinner service: 5 p.m.–until Special New Year's Eve menus for 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. seatings. Cost is $125 per person and includes a three-course dinner with bottomless champagne. Hoppin' John served at midnight. For reservations, call 469-9898. Five Sister's Blues Café: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Dinner service: 4 p.m.–until Special feature includes BBQ braised short ribs. A live jazz band will be performing from 8 p.m.-midnight. For reservations, call 912-4856. Angelena's Ristorante Italiano: Lunch Service: Closed Dinner service: 5–10 p.m. Special New Year's Eve menus for 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. seatings. Cost is $125 per person with optional $50 Italian wine pairing. Includes a four-course dinner with bottomless prosecco. For reservations, call 542-8398. NEW YEAR'S DAY—Friday, Jan. 1 The Fish House: Dinner service 5 – 10 p.m. Jackson's Steakhouse: Dinner service 5 – 10 p.m. Five Sister's Blues Café: Dinner service 4 – 10 p.m. Angelena's Ristorante Italiano: Dinner service 5 – 10 p.m.

POLAR BEAR PLUNGE Head to Pensacola Beach at 2 p.m. on New Year's Day and plunge (safely) into the Santa Rosa Sound at the annual Polar Bear Plunge. To practice effective social distancing, this year's event will take place at Paradise Bar & Grill, as well as Red Fish Blue Fish (RFBF). Registration begins at noon, and the fee is $15 cash per person with a Polar Bear

ful's new Trade-A-Tree program is designed to decrease your carbon footprint during the consumption-heavy holiday season. With the program, families can bring their holiday trees to be recycled into mulch and in return receive a live oak to plant for free. The TradeA-Tree event will take place Sunday, Jan. 3, at the parking lot of 2001 N. Palafox. For more information, contact Madelyn Newton at marketing@keeppensacolabeautiful.org.

PET PANTRY SUPPLIES CRITICALLY LOW The Pensacola Humane Society's Pet

Pantry is in dire need of cat and dog food. Demand is extremely high due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic impacts in our community. The Pensacola Humane Society Pet Pantry provides dog and cat food, litter and treats at no cost to pet owners who come to the shelter and present an acceptable form of identification, such as a driver's license. The Pet Pantry is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days a week at 5 Q. St. For more information, visit pensacolahumane.org.

ARTS + CULTURE

their imagination, develop personal symbolism and to shed fear and resistance to creating at a deep and meaningful level. Intuitive mark making, collage, personal stamp making, vision journaling and other processes will be demonstrated and explored. Group and individual critiques will be offered, with the end goal of helping each student find or further explore their own personal artistic path. All skill levels welcome. This session runs Saturdays, Jan. 9-Feb. 13, from 1-4 p.m. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL 2020 LIMITED-EDITION POSTER AVAILABLE ONLINE With the cancellation

of this year's Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival due to COVID-19, the festival committee invited local artist Kreg Yingst to create a poster for 2020 in his original woodcut print design. The 250 limited-edition posters are each signed and numbered by the artist. Festival posters have become a local collector's item and are available online this year only. The posters are available at ggaf.org for $27, including shipping and sales tax. Yingst, a long-time GGAF artist, received his B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio after attending the University of Texas and his M.A. in painting from Eastern Illinois University. After graduation, he taught art for 13 years and has been a full-time artist since 2003. The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival returns Nov. 5, 6 and 7, 2021, at Seville Square, Fountain Park, Bartram Park and Museum Plaza in Downtown Pensacola.

OPERALIVE: THROWBACK THURSDAYS Take a walk down memory lane with

"THE NUTCRACKER" ON DEMAND Ballet Pensacola is excited to present "The Nutcracker" on Video On Demand through Jan. 3 for those looking to enjoy the show from the safety of their living rooms. Tickets are available at showtix4u.com/event-details/44105.

friends of the Pensacola Opera. Learn more about the craft and look back on past productions with live discussions on Facebook Live Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Viewers are encouraged to join in the conversation. Tune in at facebook.com/pensacolaopera.

NEW EXHIBIT AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART "Antarctica" is a new exhibit

FALL CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Performing

coming to Pensacola Museum of Art through April 4 at the downstairs gallery. Other exhibits include "… I Forgot to Laugh: Humor & Contemporary Art" on view through Jan. 10 and "In Memoriam," from Panhandle Slim, which honors the lives of Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson, Airman Mohammed Haitham and Airman Cameron Walters, who were killed in a terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola. For more information and hours of operation, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR PENSACOLA OPERA'S "CARMEN" Purchase your tickets

for Pensacola Opera's "Carmen." Performances will be Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $25, and online streaming options will be available. To purchase your tickets, visit pensacolaopera.com.

CREATIVE PAINTING WITH SAM NETTLES This six-week class teaches a

process-driven, intuitive approach to painting, designed to help participants unleash

Arts (MMPA), a boutique performing arts studio located at 1010 N. 12th Ave., Ste. 328, will be offering a limited class schedule this fall. MMPA offers professional dance, fitness and "Mommy and Me" instruction for all ages and skill levels with weekly classes including, but not limited to, Creative Movement, Ballet/Jazz Combo, Broadway, Tap, Showstoppers, Acting and Voice. Classes will be provided for children as young as 2 years old (with a parent or guardian) through adult. MMPA is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all students and families and has implemented protocols based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Masks are required for entry into the building and studio. More information about Mixon Magic Performing Arts can be found at mixonmagic.com, by contacting hello@mixonmagic.com or emily@mixonmagic.com or by calling 221-7438.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART REOPENS

Pensacola Cinema Art is now open, showing matinee independent films. Admission is $7. inweekly.net

a&e happenings Face masks are required, and there will be 50% maximum seating capacity. Tickets can be reserved by calling or texting 863-446-7300 or emailing jpncinema@gmail.com. For more information, visit pensacolacinemaart.com.

LIVE MUSIC

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

OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel

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

KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing

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

LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's, located at 312 E. Government St. For a full calendar of bands, check hubstaceys.com. MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues

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

FITNESS + RECREATION

RELEASE & RENEW SOUNDBATH THERAPY Join Molly Hollingsworth of

Slow Radical for a restorative 75-minute sound therapy session at 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 1, at Wild Lemon, located at 3000 N. 12th Ave. Cost is $40 per person. For more information, visit linktr.ee/socialradical.

2021 BLUE WAHOOS SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW WITH DEPOSIT Season Ticket Memberships for the 2021 Blue Wahoos season are available now at bluewahoos.com, and fans may pick out and reserve their seats easily by making a $100 deposit. A map of available seats can be viewed at the Blue Wahoos team website. Additional benefits are available exclusively to Season Ticket Members, including access to the Better Homes & Gardens Mainstreet Properties Lounge during games, early access to the stadium to watch batting practice at every game, exclusive meet and greets with players and coaches, discounts at the team store and exclusive gifts. Season Ticket Members also have access to the Blue Wahoos Ticketshare program, allowing them to easily re-sell their tickets to any game they cannot attend.

PENSACOLA SPORTS LAUNCHES HOLE-IN-ONE MILLION DOLLAR SHOOTOUT Pensacola Sports, along with

several area golf courses, announced a new December 30, 2020

golf program to build excitement in the local golf scene. The program includes Marcus Pointe Golf Club, Scenic Hills Country Club and Tiger Point Golf Club. All golfers can choose to participate when they sign in at the respective pro-shop before their round. All participating golfers from all three courses will be entered into the same pool, increasing the amount the golfer can win. The entry fee is $3, and that entry is valid for that round only. If a participating golfer hits a legitimate hole-in-one, after proper verification, the golfer will win a third of the entire pot, with a minimum guaranteed winnings of $200. Full rules and event information can be found at pensacolasports.org/holeinone. In addition to the original winnings, all players who hit a hole-in-one during the program will be invited to participate in a $1 Million Dollar Shootout. The date and location of the Pensacola Sports' Million Dollar Shootout will be announced at a later date. Players who make a hole-in-one must notify Pensacola Sports with their information that day. If multiple holes-in-one are hit in the same day, the prize will be divided evenly. The competition starts over immediately after a qualified winner is determined. There are approximately 144 reported holes-in-one at the Pensacola area courses annually. The Pensacola Sports' Hole-in-One Million Dollar Shootout is also a fundraiser for Pensacola Sports, a private not-forprofit sports event and tourism company.

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PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS HOME OPENER The Pensacola Ice Flyers short-

ened season begins at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, at Pensacola Bay Center, located at 201 E. Gregory St. For tickets and information, visit pensacolaiceflyers.com

SMALL DOG RACE NIGHT AT PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS The Saturday, Jan. 2, Pen-

sacola Ice Flyers game will feature the popular small dog race. Register your small pups at pensacolaiceflyers.com/smalldograce. Game begins at 7:05 p.m. at Pensacola Bay Center, located at 201 E. Gregory St. For tickets and information, visit pensacolaiceflyers.com

FOOD + WINE

TRIVIA AT ODD COLONY Head to Odd Colony for trivia on the first Tuesday of every month. Next trivia night is Jan. 5. The Tamale Truck will be parked outside starting at 5:30 p.m. Trivia begins at 7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony. ABC ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS Birmingham, Ala., company Good People Brewing Co. will be the featured brewery at January's class. There will be two classes at 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, at Atlas Oyster House, located at 600 S. Barracks St. Cost is $25 per person. Social distancing and limited seating will be observed. To reserve your seat, contact Taylor Dawson at 287-0200. TEACHER APPRECIATION HAPPY HOUR As school starts back up, teachers

get a night out at Dolce and Gelato at 7 p.m. 19

a&e happenings Friday, Jan. 8. Dolce and Gelato is located at 2050 N. 12th Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola.

CAST IRON FILET & SHRIMP COOKING CLASS Learn to make your own iconic surf

and turf entrée with Bodacious chefs Monday, Jan. 11, from 6-8 p.m. at Bodacious, located at 407-D S. Palafox. Cost is $65 per person. For more information, visit bodaciousshops.com.

VINO MAGNIFICO V. Paul's monthly wine tasting is at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15. Cost is $12 per person and includes samples of five different wines. There will only be 56 spots available to ensure social distancing. Reserve your spot online at vpauls.com.

JACKSON'S STEAKHOUSE OPEN FOR LUNCH Jackson's will be offering its

standard lunch menu Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. As always, during lunch service Wednesday-Friday, the first martini is free. Enjoy lunch menu favorites, including Chef Irv's jumbo lump crab cakes with red sweet pepper and charred sweet corn-offthe cob relish. Chef Miller has also created some new additions to add to the lunch lineup, including the Ole Hickory's fried chicken sandwich with double-dusted crispy chicken breast. Jackson's Steakhouse is located at 400 S. Palafox. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com. PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is

back at its regular location in MLK Jr. Plaza. In a carefully planned, phased reopening, Palafox Market has launched with about half its regular vendors, showcasing food, farm produce and products geared toward safety and sanitation such as handmade soaps and face masks. For more information, visit facebook.com/downtownpensacola.

PENSACOLA POSITIVITY'S SUNDAY MARKETS Sunday Markets on Palafox

Street happen each Sunday from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. in MLK Plaza on Palafox. Local makers, growers and creators gather each under the oak trees to sell their goods to the community. Interested vendors can request an application by emailing requeaskmikellah@ gmail.com. For more information, visit facebook.com/palafoxmarkets.

SATURDAYS AT THE MARKET OUTDOOR VENDOR EVENT Located at 5300

Berryhill Road, the outdoor market features artisans and crafters alike from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Social distancing guidelines will be in effect. For more information, email saturdaysatthemarket@gmail.com.

PENSACOLA POP-UP FARMERS MARKET Check out fresh and organic

produce, milk, eggs, meat, fresh-baked bread, mushrooms, lumber, grits, cornmeal, pies and plants Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at East Hill Market, located at 1216 N.

Ninth Ave. For a list of vendors, visit facebook.com/easthillmarket.

UPTOWN PENSACOLA MARKET

Check out local vendors of art, produce and other local treasures every Saturday at 7201 N. Ninth Ave. from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/uptownmarketpensacola.

SUNDAY VIBES IN THE GARDEN

Sunday Funday is back at Garden & Grain with DJ Hdycvt and drink specials. Safety guidelines will be in place. Visit facebook. com/perfectplainbrewingco for more information. Garden and Grain is located behind Perfect Plain Brewing Co. at 50 E. Garden St.

TWILIGHT THREE-COURSE SPECIAL

The District's Twilight Three-Course special is back Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4:30-6 p.m. Guests enjoy three courses for $35 per person. Diners must be seated by 6 p.m. for offer to be vailed. To make a reservation, call 332-5224 or online at districtstreaks.com. The District is located at 123 E. Government St.

KID-FRIENDLY

WEST FLORIDA LITERARY FEDERATION ANNOUNCES YOUTH POETRY CONTEST The West Florida Literary Fed-

eration (WFLF) is encouraging students of

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Northwest Florida to participate in its 2021 youth poetry contest titled "Unmuted Voices." This year, the organization is offering middle and high school students three writing choices that will empower their creativity, let them share their voices, and contribute to their language development. Students can select one of these themes for their poems: •Hope and Healing •Changes and Challenges •Mirrors/Windows/Views Prizes will be awarded, and an awards ceremony will be held in April for National Poetry Month. For more information and classroom materials for teachers, visit wflf. org/communityevents.

STUDENT JAZZ COMPETITION APPLICATION PROCESS OPEN Student jazz mu-

sicians are invited to enter Jazz Pensacola's 2021 Student Jazz Competition. The finals will be 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 15, at Phineas Phogg's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Three finalists from each division—College Instrumental, High School Instrumental, Jazz Vocal—will perform at the live finals. Awards for first, second and third in each division, ranging from $100 to $500, will be presented at the conclusion of the event. Application deadline is Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. Visit jazzpensacola.com to download the 2021 application.

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a&e happenings TAKE-AWAY BABY DOLL HAT LOOM KIT Try out a miniature loom knitting kit

guides you through an introduction to writing your own poetry. This series of pre-recorded video sessions will be available on the Pensacola Museum of Art website. New sessions are released each Monday. Participants are encouraged to submit their own work to be featured on the blog series. For more information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR SPRING 2021 PLT CLASSES Have a rising

ZOOM INTO ARCHAEOLOGY Zoom

from Pensacola Library, located at 239 N. Spring St. Take-away loom knitting kits are available at the circulation desk during December until they're gone. Available during open hours except on Thursday, Dec. 24; Friday, Dec. 25; and Thursday, Dec. 31.

star at home? Sign them up for classes at Pensacola Little Theatre. Classes include Broadway Babies for ages 4-7; Acting for Kids ages 8-11; Improv for Kids ages 8-11; Acting for Teens ages 12-17, Improv for Actors ages 18+; and Social Media & Video Production ages 14-17. For more information or to register, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

MYSTERY BOOK BUNDLES AVAILABLE AT PENSACOLA LIBRARY Mystery Book Bundles are available for preschool, middle grade and young adult readers. Preschool bags contain three new picture books. Middle grade and young adult bags contain two themed chapter books. All books can be checked out for three weeks. Mystery bundles are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Pensacola Library, located at 239 N. Spring St. Visit mywfpl.com for more information.

TAKE-HOME CRAFT KITS Take-away craft kits and other activity bags are available at the circulation desk every day at the Pensacola Library, located at 239 N. Spring St. Availability is on a first come, first served basis. Kits rotate regularly. Available during open hours. Visit mywfpl.com for more information.

CHILDREN'S STORY TIME AT BODACIOUS BOOKSTORE AND CAFÉ Visit

Bodacious Bookstore and Café Saturdays at 11 a.m. for children's story time. Bodacious Bookstore is located at 110 E. Intendencia St. For more information, visit facebook.com/bodaciousbookstore.

VIRTUAL EVENTS

WUWF 40TH ANNIVERSARY Join WUWF on Facebook Live to celebrate the station's 40th anniversary with special guests at 9:45 a.m. Friday, Jan. 15. More details to come. Check the Facebook event page for details and information on entering the giveaway at facebook.com/wuwfpublicmedia. A VIRTUAL EVENING WITH POET AND AUTHOR, CLAUDIA RANKINE

Join UWF for a virtual evening with Claudia Rankine, nationally renowned poet and Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University. Rankine will be sharing from her work "Citizen: An American Lyric" on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 6-7 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required. Register for the Zoom webinar at uwf.edu/ cassh/community-outreach/experienceuwf-downtown-lecture-series.

VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP Study under local Pensacola poet Quincy Hull as he December 30, 2020

into Archaeology is a free online series that features a short presentation by an archaeologist with the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) via Zoom and an opportunity for participants to ask questions at the end of the presentation. Register for the free Zoom lectures online at flpublicarchaeology.org/nwrc.

UWF SPECTRUM MEETINGS NOW ONLINE Spectrum, UWF's LGBTQ+ sup-

port organization, will continue its typical schedule of meeting every Friday at 6 p.m. Bi-weekly Spectrum meetings will be online using Zoom. In their Discord, you can meet other members, ask questions about the club or UWF, share your interests and just have a general good time. It is a very casual place for all to have a sense of community, so don't be scared to join and start socializing. View the invite link to Discord at discord.gg/Qm4hhvE.

TEA THYME WITH DR. TONIE E. ANDERSON-STEELE This weekly broad-

cast on YouTube supports the mission and goals of Change Tomorrow Today 365 by educating the public and providing a forum for meaningful discussions regarding the following areas of restoration—education, healing, awareness, networking, selfsufficiency and leadership. Tune in 11 a.m. on Sundays. For more information, visit facebook.com/changetomorrowtoday365.

SCRIPTEASERS WITH PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE Scripteasers, Studio

400's and Pensacola Little Theatre's Script Reading Club, invites you for monthly Zoom readings. Want to bring your scripts for the group to read and discuss? Contact Pensacola Little Theatre to get in queue. The group reads prospective scripts for future seasons as well as new scripts that need a table read before the next edit. Not a playwright but love to read out loud? This is your easy, fun theatre night! Fascinated by the play selection process? Sit in for a listen and usually a lot of laughs. Visit facebook.com/ pensacolalittletheatre for more information and the latest dates.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART VIRTUAL SHOWINGS Pensacola Cinema Art (PCA)

is still making sure you can stream select independent films and support a local nonprofit from the comfort of your own home. Any fees collected through virtual showings help support Pensacola Cinema Art. For more information on movies and links, visit pensacolacinemaart.com. {in} 21

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news of the weird 'TIS THE SEASON While children across the world await Santa's visit, naughty kids in some parts of Europe have already been visited by Krampus, the Christmas devil, a half-goat, half-demon with horns, who, according to legend, appears on Krampusnacht, Dec. 5, bearing whips and chains to beat wicked children before stuffing them in a sack and taking them away. The Mirror reports the centuries-old tradition takes place in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic and had its origin in German and Norse mythology. HORSING AROUND A 25-year-old Russian man identified as Vasily was out with friends on the evening of Dec. 9 in St. Petersburg when he encountered two women riding a horse through the streets and decided he wanted to pet the horse, Fontanka.ru reported. He said the rider offered him a carrot to give to the horse, but "the horse turns sharply to me and bites!"—taking off a chunk of Vasily's nose, then spitting it out. The missing piece was retrieved, and doctors were able to sew it back into place, but they expect there will be scarring. Vasily denied the police report of the incident that claimed he was drunk and tried to kiss the horse. OOPS! Matt Hightower, of Overland Park, Kansas, was home alone with his three kids in mid-December when he switched on the oven in preparation for making dinner. Inside, unfortunately, were the family's three Elves on the Shelf, who had been put there the night before to "warm up" after a day of being held captive in the refrigerator by the "bad milk," KCTV reported. "Babe ... I cooked the elves," Hightower confessed to his wife, Chelsea, who was out Christmas shopping. "Thankfully," said Chelsea, after a frantic search around town, "Jingle, Belle and Magic have made a miraculous recovery and are back to their silly ways." SCHEMES Residents in upscale neighborhoods of Woodway and Edmonds, Washington, have been visited recently by people carrying official-looking documents who knock on doors, tell homeowners they own the property and "they're there to repossess the home and want the people to vacate the premises," Edmonds police Sgt. Josh McClure told KIRO. The group identifies itself as Moorish Sovereign Citizens, McClure said, who "believe that they own all of the land between Alaska and Argentina." So far, the people have cooperated with police and left after being told they are trespassing. •The 400 Rabbits tequila bar in Nottingham, England, has applied to the local registrar general to be declared a place of worship, namely the Church of the 400 Rabbits, in an effort to allow customers

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

back inside the establishment, something that is currently prohibited by local COVID restrictions. The Guardian reports that the effort may have been inspired by a similar attempt made by a gym in Krakow, Poland, in October. Men's Health reported that Marta Jamroz, manager of The Atlantic Sports and Fitness Club, went to great lengths to rebrand her gym as the Church of the Healthy Body. the outcome of her efforts is unclear; the tequila bar's application is given little chance to be approved. COPING Seattle dad and self-described travel enthusiast Steve Simao attracted a following after his daughter, Annisa, called him out on her TikTok account for his purchase of a pair of first-class leather seats taken from a Delta MD90 Jetliner, complete with an air safety card. Simao, who is vice president of sales at Windstar Cruises, found the seats on eBay in November, reported The Washington Post, and has had fun scratching his itch to travel with them ever since, sending his daughter videos of her mother "bringing food to the (tray) table and him just sitting there enjoying it," Annisa said. Delta CEO Ed Bastian has taken notice and given the three Simaos round-trip, first-class tickets to anywhere in the United States. Hawaii is high on their list. SUPERFAN Houston Astros fan Darren Johnson in Fort Worth, Texas, posted photos of the chicken coop he built on Facebook in November and was "totally shocked" by the overwhelming response, he told KTRK. The coop, which Johnson estimates took about 100 hours to construct, is an exact 1/60th-scale replica of the Houston Astrodome, including details such as an Astros logo and the numbers of all the Astros' retired jerseys, and the chickens who call it home are all named after Astros players. The social media attention "shows my kids that I'm not the only one obsessed with a stadium that's been closed for 20 years," Johnson said. NICE TRY Jin Wu, of Taiwan, told his Facebook followers on Nov. 21 about his good fortune in purchasing a PlayStation 5 the previous day, and marveled at the low price he paid for it, reported Taiwan News. The reason became clear when the seller revealed he had tried to pass the console off as an air purifier, but his wife wasn't fooled. "My wife wants to sell it," the middle-aged gamer told Wu. "It turns out that women can tell the difference between a PS5 and an air filter." {in}

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

Independent News | December 30, 2020 | inweekly.net