Inweekly Feb 16 2023 Issue

Parade & Event Schedule Page 10

King Cake Roundup

Page 12

winners & losers

winners losers

PELBRETON C. BALFOUR JR. The cardiologist with the Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute has been named a Fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, earned Level III competence in cardiovascular magnetic resonance and board certification in cardiac MRI from the Certification Board of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. He has been recognized as a fellow with the American College of Cardiology and joined Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute in 2017.

DELARIAN WIGGINS

The city council president has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2023 Public Safety and Crime Prevention (PSCP) federal advocacy committee by NLC President Mayor Victoria Woodards of Tacoma, Wash. Wiggins will provide strategic direction and guidance for NLC's federal advocacy agenda and policy priorities on public safety issues, including law enforcement, municipal fire prevention, natural disaster preparedness and homeland security. In the press release, NLC President Mayor Woodards said, "I am excited to have Council President Wiggins serve on the NLC PSCP committee and look forward to working with him to ensure every city, town and village in this nation has the resources they need to thrive."

COX COMMUNICATIONS

Last year, Cox gave over $1.6 million in cash and in-kind donations to Gulf Coast charities and nonprofits. In addition to the annual corporate giving, Cox Charities, a grant program 100% funded by local Cox Gulf Coast employees, awarded Innovation in Education grants to Beulah Elementary School, Bob Sikes Elementary School, Escambia Westgate School, Exceptional Student Educational Department in Escambia County, Plew Elementary School, Shalimar Elementary School, Shoal River Middle School and West Florida High School. Emerald Coast Fitness Foundation, Lutheran Services of Florida, Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem, Pensacola Little Theatre and the USO each received a Cox Charities Community Investment Grant.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

The agency has fined TV station WESH in Orlando $10,000 for barring a Republican candidate and a staffer from a debate because of the station's COVID-19 vaccine requirement. GOP congressional candidate Scotty Moore and a campaign staffer were denied entry by the television station last September because they did not show proof of vaccination. The debate was canceled. The Republican Party of Florida praised the fine, writing, "This is a victory for freedom. Florida has made clear that unscientific and discriminatory COVID vaccine mandates will not stand in the Free State of Florida." We remember when Republicans were against government interference with businesses.

UF GATORS While the University of Florida athletic department's year-end NCAA report shows a significant financial rebound following $36 million in losses during the pandemic, the program forked out a ton of money to get rid of its coaches, according to the annual report obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Former head football coach Dan Mullen and his staff were paid $15.26 million to leave. Former women's basketball coach Cam Newsome got $374,644 after he was terminated in the summer of 2021. Soccer Coach Tony Amato and his staff were paid $1.16 million after being fired after one season.

ORANGES The forecast of Florida's orange production dropped again last week when the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a revised forecast, stating Florida growers would only fill 16 million 90-pound boxes of oranges during the current season. That is down from a January forecast of 18 million boxes and would be the lowest amount since 15.9 million boxes were filled in the 1935-1936 season. The revised forecast did not change projections for grapefruit and specialty citrus fruits.

TOWN OF CENTURY NorthEscambia.com reports that the town has failed to correctly bill its garbage service to its 550 customers, who are paying $12-$24 monthly, not the approved rate of $25.34. The error is costing Century $5,000 a month.

Pelbreton C. Balfour Jr. / Photo Courtesy of Baptist Health Care

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

MORE PILOTS NEEDED

When an individual slips on a sidewalk, the first thing we do isn't offer everyone on the city block a foot massage. We don't pass out brochures on how to walk or create a sidewalk awareness campaign.

No, the first thing we do is take care of the individual who fell. When it was seen that children in Escambia County needed more support, voters passed the Escambia Children's Trust, not to take care of every child or create brochures and awareness campaigns but to help those falling behind year after year.

The learning gaps between our Black children and their white counterparts are 33% in English Language Arts, 35% in Mathematics and 39% in Science—roughly 4,600 students who aren't performing on their grade level.

We know what schools they attend. We know where they live, and we have data that shows their health issues. Why isn't the Trust focusing on those schools and neighborhoods?

Its staff developed a beautiful ECT Needs Assessment report with graphs and photos. The 80-page report lists 24 indicators clustered under the themes of health, academics, abuse and risky behaviors. However, it does not tell us where the identified needs are most prevalent.

Fortunately, the University of West Florida and Studer Community Institute have done research on locating the pockets of poverty. The schools serving those areas have students struggling academically and in just about every core indicator listed in the ECT Needs Assessment report.

We sent Tom St. Myer to Oakcrest Elementary and Montclair Elementary because the schools are in two pockets of poverty in the 32505 ZIP code area, where the median household income is $38,863, almost $20,000 below the Escambia County average. The schools earned Ds last year and two Ds and an F among their last five grades. The link between families in poverty and poor academic performance is indisputable. School Superintendent Tim Smith shared with me last month (Inweekly, "Poor Students, Poor School," 1/26/23), "One of the biggest challenges that we have in public education is our students who struggle with poverty don't have the same resources as other kids."

ECT Executive Director Tammy Greer listed for her board the people she had visited since being hired. The list included Achieve Escambia, Julian MacQueen, Dr. Ed Meadows, Quint Studer, Equity Project Alliance, Jenn Grove, Andrea Krieger and Todd Thomson. Greer didn't meet with Shona Person and Dawn Turley, the principals at Montclair and Oakcrest.

Tom did, and he also listened to teachers, staff and parents about what they see as the challenges in their neighborhoods. He shared some of those conversations in this issue.

Montclair and Oakcrest are safe havens where children are nurtured. But each afternoon, students leave the comfort of school and return to rundown houses and apartments in blighted neighborhoods void of health care facilities, grocery stores, parks and other amenities. A family resource guide and awareness campaigns won't make much difference in the lives of children who are hungry, sick and living in substandard conditions.

What is needed are pilot programs targeting specific indicators in defined neighborhoods where outcomes can be measured and programs modified as required. The pilot programs must be scalable to other areas. We have done this before. C.A. Weis Elementary was a pilot for the Community Partnership School program, and it's being replicated at Pine Forest High School.

We should group some core indicators. For example, we can cluster infant mortality, low birth weights and prenatal care and ask for a pilot program in a neighborhood struggling with these issues. Providers submit programs with a budget not to exceed $500,000 annually.

Eight pilot programs would cover most of the indicators, and we expand the successful ones into other neighborhoods. It sounds so simple and much better than the Trust staff's current approach, which spreads money around to please as many people as possible.

Maybe the ECT board will listen—if not to me, maybe to the principals, teachers and parents in 32505. Abandon the shotgun approach and concentrate on where the most need is.

{in} rick@inweekly.net

MAYOR TACKLES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

the direction of City Administrator Kerrith Fiddler and Mayor Reeves to assist in developing and implementing the city's existing and future economic development initiatives. She will also serve as a liaison to public and private agencies involved in economic development while marketing the city to businesses and contacting prospective companies and agencies.

In Santa Rosa County, her work tended to pertain to larger, more industrial-toned projects. She'll continue to work on such projects, but the new economic development director also knows that Pensacola has its own unique needs.

"The city is different," Grancognolo said. "My goal is going to be a little bit different than the priority of FloridaWest, which works with industrial parks, creating high-wage jobs and bringing infrastructure to industrial parks. The city of Pensacola has needs that are a little bit different than that."

For instance, Grancognolo said, the city will likely be focused on avenues more suited for an urban environment, such as attracting low-impact tech companies and remote workers to the area.

"Economic development can be a lot of different things," she said. "I think the key is recognizing what economic development looks like for your community and strategically working towards those goals and those efforts."

COURTER & CONDUIT

Mayor Reeves envisions the city's economic development efforts as a multi-pronged approach.

"As we constructed it, this position really focuses on two things," Reeves said. First, the economic development director will be attracting new businesses to the area, ones uniquely suited for the city. Second, the director will do what the mayor has described as "getting things across the finish line."

scribed it, as a "conduit" of sorts, facilitating community networking necessary to bring new businesses to the area. "Whether it's in terms of funding, whether it's in terms of bringing the right minds and organizations to the table to work towards solutions, whatever that looks like, that's what I'll be doing each day."

The city-centric angle to economic development from a city-centric angle will benefit Pensacola. Mayor Reeves said, "Having someone waking up every day looking at those issues and getting on top of those issues, I think, will be really valuable for us."

SELLING A SENSE OF PLACE

The business of modern economic development goes beyond the traditional work of attracting businesses to an area. It's a different world, a different game, with different rules.

These days, businesses place a lot of emphasis on an area's so-called "sense of place." Will it be a good place for their employees to live? This factor becomes all the more critical in attracting remote workers who are not geographically tethered.

"Especially if we're looking potentially at attracting tech jobs," Grancognolo said.

But what exactly is this nearly intangible sense of place? What are prospective businesses or workers looking for?

"They look for things like lower crime rate, access to public transportation; they look for a sense of community," she explained. "These younger generations are interested in quality of place. They think, 'Where do I want to live? Where am I gonna thrive?' And they move to those places."

Mayor Reeves is familiar with this philosophy, as are his counterparts in other communities.

dedicated economic development director to focus on needs unique to Pensacola.

"Is there opportunity for the city to play a bigger role in how we do economic development in our community? Absolutely," Mayor Reeves said.

Shortly before the Pensacola City Council approved Erica Grancagnolo as the city's new director of economic and neighborhood development on Thursday, Feb. 9, the mayor explained that the city would continue to work on collaborative regional efforts with FloridaWest and other entities, but he feels Pensacola now demands a dedicated person to focus on cityspecific economic development needs.

"I really look at Pensacola and how we've evolved, that in economic development, we have specific needs," Mayor Reeves said. "And we can be part of a lot of different solutions in economic development as a city, but we also have some much more narrow-focused things that we could work on."

The morning after Grancagnolo was confirmed by the city council as Pensacola's new economic development director, she wasted no time in getting to work, beginning her day with a trip to the Port of Pensacola to get an overview of its operations.

"I'm off to a running start this morning," she said. "I'm jumping right in. I'm just trying to, I think, match the energy level of the mayor."

Grancagnolo is fresh from her position as assistant airport manager and air service development manager at the Pensacola International Airport. From 2019-2022, she served as Santa Rosa County's assistant director of economic development, where she was responsible for all activities related to business attraction and incentives, business retention and expansion, marketing, workforce development, and program and project management.

As the economic and neighborhood development director, Grancagnolo will work under

"What I hope is, when you knock on Pensacola's door, what you hear is, 'Hey, thank you for considering Pensacola, Florida. Let us help you get this across the finish line,'" Reeves said. "Let us be that red phone to you, to see a project through, to see a relocation through."

"That is the new battlefront," the mayor said. "Other cities in the community, other mayors I'm speaking with right now, they are in that game and they understand, just how many white-collar jobs are remote, that people can live wherever they want."

"It is sense of place," Reeves continued. "It is bikeability, walkability, because when you're in the talent attraction business, what are you selling? Why move to Pensacola instead of Charleston? Why move to Pensacola instead of Dallas? Instead of Savannah? That's where we do have to set ourselves apart."

Grancognolo is in sync with this thinking. "Sometimes you have some really great ideas and some really great developers that are looking to invest in the community, and sometimes they may get caught up or turned off by the complexity with the permitting system. Sometimes all that's needed is just somebody to provide some assistance through that process."

She also sees her job, as Reeves has de -

Considering her own economic development philosophy, the city's new economic development director laid out some basic guiding principles that seem to align with both bolstering the local economy and also building this sense of place necessary to keep the momentum humming.

"Economic developers want to make sure that we have high-wage jobs. Families can move here. Their kids can go to school here, graduate from college and don't have to leave," Grancognolo said. "Families want to make sure that when their kids finish school, they can set down roots here; they don't have to move away for those high-wage jobs." {in}

Erica Grancagnolo / Photo Courtesy of City of Pensacola

"I think the key is recognizing what economic development looks like for your community and strategically working towards those goals and those efforts." Erica Grancagnolo

FORGOTTEN FAMILIES IN 32505

to about 70 students. They should help more students, but they operate with limited resources. The Oakcrest staff hands out weekend bags to 75 of its 474 students. Manna Food Pantries provides the bags, which include dry milk, cups of fruit and vegetables, breakfast bars and oatmeal. Kiwanis Club donates another 35 bags to Oakcrest every other week, and those include toothbrushes and toothpaste.

During the school day, breakfast bars run out quickly. The staff hands late-arriving students the bars to ensure they have some nourishment before entering the classroom.

By Tom St. Myer

A parade of smiling and waving Oakcrest Elementary teachers and staff greet students each morning as they walk into the school. Another group lines up in the hallways and welcomes the children warmly once they are inside.

"You just have to put the smile on because kids are little sponges and mirrors, so if you're upbeat and greeting them positively, that's going to make them feel welcome," said Lori Martin, a positive behavioral intervention and supports coach and family and community liaison.

Martin is in her 10th year at Oakcrest and is all too familiar with what awaits an overwhelming number of students back home. She visited a family home recently and described the filth as "unreal." Neither their windows nor front door shut, urine covered the front porch and the house reeked of cigarette smoke. The students wear dirty clothes to school each day, and Martin keeps a backpack in her office with fresh clothes for them while she cleans the dirty ones with the school's washer and dryer.

The described family is not an anomaly in the 32505 ZIP code. The population is nearly 30,000, and the median household income is a mere $38,863, almost $20,000 below the Escambia County average, according to the U.S. Census. Oakcrest and Montclair Elementary educators have no shortage of stories about the inhumane conditions in which some of their students grow up.

"We had a family around Christmas time that had three kids whose electricity was out for over

a month, and then they lost their water," Oakcrest Principal Dawn Turley said.

Montclair Principal Shona Person said 40 of their 385 students are homeless, meaning they lack regular and adequate nighttime residence. She added the conditions aren't much better for students with a steady place to sleep each night.

Neither school is exactly operating with state-of-the-art technology. The lower grade levels have iPads, but the older students use recycled Chromebooks. Both principals said iPad donations would be extremely beneficial to the older students.

Montclair plans to turn a classroom into a STEM lab but lacks the resources at the moment to buy the proper equipment. A washer and dryer and books are also needed. The library bookshelves are sparsely filled. Montclair applied for a book vending machine grant, but A.K. Suter Elementary received the grant instead.

Staff at both schools said what the students need most, though, is to be in a nurturing environment for longer than the six-hour school day. The bad habits learned outside of school are difficult to correct in such a short time.

Bowman, whose twin sons are kindergarteners at Montclair, shared, "There are things that are being ignored for the poor population of Pensacola, and I think it's really hard for parents to get involved in their kids' education and be hands-on because there are not enough resources."

She added, "There's a lot of students who are suffering at home due to negligent parents, or there are students who are suffering because their parents are forced to work two jobs to make ends meet."

Residents in the area periodically pack their few belongings, grab their kids and leave for greener pastures, only to return a few months later even more financially strapped. Their children bounce in and out of schools.

"Our kids are really transient," Martin said. "A lot of times what'll happen this time of year is the parents will receive income tax money, so they'll move out of mom's or grandma's house and get their own place and change schools, and then they'll lose the house. The next month, the kids are coming back."

Sherekia Williams is a mother of four whose second oldest is a second grader at Montclair. She prefers to live elsewhere but takes some solace in the environment Montclair provides her second grader.

The staff is overwhelmingly Black and mirrors the student body. Williams volunteers as a ReadingPal and feels a sense of pride when she walks the hallways and sees pictures of former President Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr. and other Blacks of historical significance.

"Children need to see people who look like them in places of leadership, places of authority," she said. "That equal representation is very important for younger, smaller children. Montclair is just that. There's no question about identity. Walk the hallways, and you see pictures of influential people who look just like them."

LOVE & HUGS

One student shares a bed with three others and comes to school daily reeking of body odor. Yet, the good-humored student downplayed the situation when she asked him what was most troublesome about his home life.

"He said, 'Opening a jar of pickles. There are just too many people in the house, and they don't worry about me, and I just need help opening pickles,'" Person said.

SO MANY NEEDS

Both 32505 elementary schools rely heavily on donations to provide their students with essentials. Hundreds walk through the doors each day ill-prepared to learn. Each elementary earned a D in 2021-22, and they have received two Ds and an F among their last five grades.

Every Friday, the Montclair staff hands out food and hygiene products in weekend bags

"If we could keep our kids 24 hours, it would be so much easier," Martin said. "What they're exposed to in their home environment is much worse than other students."

Person advocates for establishing boarding schools in the 32505 to ensure children are properly cared for every minute possible. She said the next best option would be a community school model like C.A. Weis Elementary. The community school model includes on-site access to health and wellness services, food pantries, counseling, leadership opportunities, cultural enrichment activities, after-school activities and parent resource centers.

"We do so much work here in terms of investing in social and emotional learning and making them feel a part of the campus and being leaders, and then they go out, and you have no control," Person said.

Parents in 32505 face many challenges. Alexa

Escambia County Public Schools struggles to find administrators, teachers and teacher assistants with the pedigree to thrive in such a challenging environment. Both schools have teaching vacancies and relatively high turnover.

Martin admitted the daily challenges the Oakcrest staff tackles can be daunting and too much for some teachers and teacher assistants.

"We do have turnover, but how we kind of look at it is this is not for everyone," Martin said. "We want people to be happy working here, so there are no hard feelings if someone wants to go elsewhere because we're just looking for the next person to add to our family."

However, she believes anyone who turns a blind eye to her community misses a golden opportunity to be a difference maker. She is certain anyone who spends quality time with her students will want to help.

"There are a lot of gut-wrenching things we see, and sometimes you'll go home, and you'll be in tears," Martin said. "But then you see the kids and the difference you're making in the kids' lives and the I love you's and hugs." {in}

Oakcrest Supply Pantry / Photo by Tom St. Myer

"You just have to put the smile on because kids are little sponges and mirrors, so if you're upbeat and greeting them positively, that's going to make them feel welcome." Lori Martin

NAS WHITING HONORED Last fall, Naval Air Station Whiting Field was nominated as the Southeast Region's top pick in the small installation category for Navy Installations Command (CNIC) FY-23 Installation Excellence Award program. Leaders across the Navy Installations Command enterprise recently reviewed the nominations and selected finalists for the competition, recognizing the top three installations in the large and small categories for outstanding performance during fiscal year 2022.

Vice Adm. Yancy Lindsey, CNIC, announced last month that NAS Whiting Field took second place in the small shore category, behind Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa.

The award lauds the top Navy commands at shore for their installation management, program excellence and community outreach. Installations are graded across several key areas, including facilities management, quality of life, environment, energy, property stewardship, communication, safety and health, as well as many other categories.  Each entrant is judged on a write-up of accomplishments plus supporting documentation and photographs.

NAS Whiting Field commanding officer Capt. Paul N. Flores was quick to praise his team for the accomplishment. "I could not be more proud of the entire team here at NAS Whiting Field.  This award is truly a team effort of all hands on the base. It could not have been accomplished without all the hard work of everyone on the team. Congratulations, and thanks for everything you do every day."

Public Information Officer Julie Ziegenhorn told Inweekly, "This is our fifth year in the last eight years that we've been recognized through the Commander Navy installations command. We are so proud of this base and the impact we have on the local area. We are the largest aviation training base in the Navy, and we are just so proud of the accomplishments of our sailors and the people that make the mission happen every day."

"The community is a large player in the background in all of the community military partnering in this area," added Community Planning Liaison

Officer Randy Roy. "The whole Northwest Florida corridor is absolutely topnotch. When we say that we're the number one base in the region, it is critical that not only this team plays together, but we also have the community and its support."

LILY HALL OPEN Pensacola's newest boutique lodging, restaurant and event space, Lily Hall, is now open for business. Lily Hall, located at 415 N. Alcaniz St., has 15 luxury lodging rooms, and its first floor houses its restaurant, Brother Fox, and speakeasy, Sister Hen.

"This is a project that's four years in the making," co-owner Nathan Weinberg told Inweekly. "This building is coming out a shining jewel, and it will sit among the top category lodging facilities on the Florida Panhandle. I couldn't be more proud of it."

Rooms can be booked and restaurant reservations made online at lilyhall.com. Weinberg said, "Our staff is really excited to bring our menu to life and serve our guests as they arrive."

He touted Brother Fox's wings. "If you're a chicken wing fan, there's a chicken wing here that'll change your life."

Weinberg mentioned another menu item. "There's something on here that's really surprised me. It's a head of cabbage that's literally cooked in the embers of our custom-made grill and served with a house-made yogurt sauce. I tell you, it'll knock your socks off, and it's really incredible."

Why did he and his partners open this venture in Pensacola? Weinberg said, "When you think about parts of the country that are on the rise or parts of the country that have all of the elements to be incredible successes, Pensacola arrives on that list every single time. It's adjacent to the ocean. It's got a wonderful historical culture, and we wanted to be a part of that."

AMERICAN

MAGIC NAMED

PARADE

MARSHALS Pensacola Mardi Gras has chosen the American Magic sailing team as parade marshals for the 2023 Pensacola Mardi Gras Grand Parade, which is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, in downtown Pensacola.

American Magic has been training in Pensacola for the 37th America's Cup in 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. Their presence in Pensacola Bay has now become a regular part of life in Pensacola, confirming the city as a world-class sailing environment.

"We are thrilled that Pensacola's biggest event is going to include American Magic as its Grand Marshalls, said Danny Zimmern, president of Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. "While the sailing team doesn't get much fan appreciation when they are on the water, being able to get close and interact with 80,000 people should be a real treat for the team and bring awareness to the team's presence in Pensacola."

ALERT MISFIRE Pensacola Catholic High was the victim of a swatting incident on Wednesday, Feb. 8, when someone notified law enforcement of a possible active shooter situation at the school. Pensacola Police and the Escambia County Sheriff's Office dispatched units and found it was a false alarm.

Unfortunately, Escambia County's Everbridge alert system failed to operate correctly. The alert system is a reverse 911 notification system that sends texts to groups of people in a defined geographic area. Everbridge is preloaded with all known Escambia County white and yellow page phone numbers and incorporates numbers from residents who have signed up to receive alerts.

Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore told Inweekly that the first message failed to include a headline with key facts about the incident, such as where the possible shooting occurred.

The message stated, "A civil authority has issued a civil emergency message for the following counties or areas: Escambia, FL; at 11:41 a.m. on Feb. 8, 2023, effective to 12:41 p.m. Message from IPAWSCAP. Active shooter reported in your area, run, hide or fight. Active shooter reported in your area, run, hide or fight."

Though county staff marked the appropriate area to receive the message on the computer, the warning was sent well beyond Pensacola Catholic's neighborhood to Milton and Santa Rosa counties. Later, when the all-cleared message was sent, the text was received by a much smaller group of people, leaving many worried about their safety.

Gilmore said part of the problem was human error and not completely understanding the new systems. However, his staff is working with the software company to figure out why the mistakes happened, and his people will be better prepared for the next emergency notification.

BERGOSH PRAISES DESANTIS'S PLAN Gov.

Ron DeSantis's proposed Moving Florida Forward initiative includes $162 million to widen I-10 to six lanes from the eastbound weigh station to Nine Mile Road and reconstruct the interchange at Nine Mile Road as a diverging diamond. If passed by the legislature, the proposal would invest $4 billion of general revenue and leverage additional funding over the next four years for a

total of $7 billion to strengthen Florida's transportation infrastructure.

District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh told Inweekly, "This is new money and does not pull money from the Beulah interchange, which is already identified as the number one project by the regional TPO and is fully funded in the 10-year work program."

He added, "The governor wants to push it forward in six years. I think that's an aggressive timeline given all the federal requirements with the federal, but, hey, if they can get it done in six years, that's a huge win for Escambia County, the entire community and District 1 in particular."

WHITE RUNNING

Former State Rep. Frank White announced last week that he is running for Sen. Doug Broxson's seat. Broxson terms out of office in 2024.

"The position is tremendously important to Northwest Florida without a doubt," White told Inweekly. "I feel called to run. I love Pensacola. I love Northwest Florida. We're all called to serve in certain ways, and this is the way I want to serve. So we're filed, and we're off and running."

White represented House District 2 from 2016-2018. He ran for Florida Attorney General in 2018, losing the GOP primary to Ashley Moody, who went on to win the general election. He sees his time spent in the Florida House as an asset.

"The people that I worked with in the House— people who trusted me and who I trust—are in the Senate," White said. "I think those relationships would be good for our area. I wouldn't be starting as a brand-new rookie showing up."

Rep. Alex Andrade, who took over White's seat in the House, was quick to endorse his predecessor. "I'm excited to endorse Frank and support him in his race, and I look forward to working with him in the Florida Legislature. Frank is the only candidate I trust to prioritize a culture of integrity and collaboration in our delegation."

LUTH LEAVES FLORIDAWEST After more than 11 years leading economic development with Greater Pensacola Chamber and FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance, Scott Luth announced he is stepping down as CEO. Luth told the board of directors he is ready for a new challenge.

"When I first came to Pensacola, I saw a lot of opportunity to grow the region," said Luth. "First with the Chamber and then FloridaWest, I knew with the right team we could make a difference, and we did."

Big wins for Pensacola include the creation/ retention of more than 8,000 jobs since 2014, and in just the past year, $38.6 million in capital investment that turned into a business development economic impact of $114 million and $24 million in earnings from 309 jobs. Luth has agreed to stay on for the next four months to ensure a smooth transition.

"We thank Scott for his years of service to the region and we wish him well," said FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance board chair, Rick Byars. "We'll begin a search right

Photo Courtesy of NAS Whiting Field

away and I'm grateful Scott will stay on for a bit to help with the transition."

UWF WIN MILESTONE When the University of West Florida's women's basketball defeated Christian Brothers University on Saturday, Feb. 4, the team gave head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton her 184th win, making her the winningest coach in program history. Coach Yelton accomplished the feat in her 11th season and 304th game–49 faster than her predecessor.

The coach talked with Inweekly about her 2022-23 squad. "This year's team has the mentality of our 2017 team that went to the Elite Eight. We've got a group of young women who just love basketball. They come in the gym every day and really work hard. They do what I ask them to do and are really committed to leaving a legacy here at West Florida."

Coach Yelton admitted that the pressure of breaking the win record may have impacted the team. "Our team was feeling a little bit of that pressure during this season, knowing we were 16 games away from getting that record. We went on a 10-game win streak, which started to build the pressure. Then, we lost one right before the Christian Brothers."

She continued, "Sometimes you have to lose to win. And I think for us, that loss brought us back down to earth, we refocused, and we really played well on Saturday."

What's the next phase? It appears to be censorship.

Enter Suzanne Spaulding on the national stage. Spaulding, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is the director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the center. She has been pushing the narrative that it's wrong to be critical of our government, especially the judiciary. Attorneys shouldn't call out possible political influences impacting judge's decisions because they erode confidence in our justice system.

Free speech is a right that doesn't always make everyone happy, but it's vital to our democratic republic. Attacking the messenger—in this instance, plaintiff attorneys—is always easier than dealing with criticism. Our judges need to be watched as closely as other parts of our government, especially since the appointments are without term limits.

PRESEASON BASEBALL Baseball returns to Blue Wahoos Stadium later this month with a local showdown between Baker High School and Pensacola High School at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, kicking off a 36-game preseason schedule hosted in downtown Pensacola. The full preseason game schedule highlights 29 collegiate games and seven high school games between Feb. 25 and March 27.

The Pensacola Chamber Foundation is collecting nominations for the Leadership Pensacola (LeaP) Class of 2024. A program of the Pensacola Chamber Foundation, LeaP is intended to help participants acquire an understanding of the issues facing our local community and gain the leadership skills necessary to resolve them.

LEAP NOMINATIONS

"Blue Wahoos Stadium is a community ballpark, and we're thrilled to provide local high school players a full professional baseball experience under the lights as well as showcase our beautiful community to collegiate athletes from across the country," General Manager Steve Brice said. "We can't wait to have the best fans in baseball back at Blue Wahoos Stadium throughout February and March as we prepare for Blue Wahoos Opening Day on April 7."

To nominate yourself or someone else from the Pensacola community, visit bit.ly/3YpEZjS. The deadline to submit a nomination is Tuesday, Feb. 28. Following the close of nominations, all nominees will receive an electronic application via email.

AFTER TORT REFORM

Plaintiff attorneys have long been the targets of the Florida Chamber, insurance companies and other special interest groups. The standard argument is lawsuits drive up costs and should be restricted. And Florida lawmakers love tort reform bills almost as much as gun rights and school voucher legislation.

When the Florida Legislature held a special session last May to deal with rising insurance premiums, the lawmakers repealed the homeowners' right to have the insurance company pay their attorney fees if they win their lawsuit. They also made it more difficult for homeowners to prove bad faith on the part of their insurers. And lawmakers received no concessions on premiums from the insurance companies for these law changes.

Eventually, tort reforms will lose favor with voters as they see their legal remedies shrink.

West Florida High will take on Milton High at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 9. Back-to-back high school doubleheaders will be held on March 23 and 24, with Arnold High taking on Pensacola Catholic at 4 p.m. and Tate playing South Walton at 7 p.m. on March 23. The following day, Northview High will play Central High at 4 p.m., followed by Tate against Arnold at 7 p.m. The high school schedule will conclude with the annual showdown between Escambia High and Gulf Breeze High at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 27.

The collegiate slate at Blue Wahoos Stadium will again be headlined by Studer's Blue Wahoos Stadium Collegiate Challenge, a two-week spring showdown led by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, team owner Quint Studer's alma mater. Eight colleges will participate in the tournament in 2023, playing 29 games between March 14 and March 23. This year, the tournament will feature UW-Whitewater (Wisconsin), Spalding University (Kentucky), Carroll University (Wisconsin), Edgewood College (Wisconsin), UWPlatteville (Wisconsin), Grinnell College (Iowa), Hendrix College (Arkansas) and Birmingham Southern College (Alabama).

A full schedule of games and tickets are available at bluewahoos.com. {in}

Danny Zimmern's heart bleeds purple, green and gold.

The president of Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc.— the folks who put on several of the season's biggest events, including the Grand Mardi Gras Parade, and serve as the clearinghouse for all things Mardi Gras in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties—had a heart attack several years ago. The thing he finds most worth mentioning is that his cardiologist also loves Mardi Gras.

"See how it all fits together," Zimmern said. "He's an LSU graduate and he's fantastic and a great member of the community himself, but it all comes together for me. It is really blessed."

Zimmern has stents, and he feels great now, he said—adding a disclaimer that he can't lead Mardi Gras forever.

Krewe Intentions

Zimmern has been living on Mardi Gras time since he lined up floats for the big parade in the late 1980s—then composed of only 30-40 entries compared to today's 225.

His first vested interest in the festivities was seeing his daughter, Hannah, ride atop the last float.

"That was the big win for several years," Zimmern said. "The kids got older; now they've graduated from law school and all sorts of other things, so the world changes over time. But the family piece of Mardi Gras for us was big from the beginning."

They still talk about it, too, he said.

Zimmern took over the parade in 2000—it was the biggest day in Pensacola back then, too. He remembers one election year thinking it was fun to feature candidates in the parade.

The lifeblood, though, has always been the krewes—Mardi Gras groups that band together for all sorts of reasons, Zimmern said. Today, they can identify 90, and they're all different, he said.

"All-male krewes, all-female krewes, couplesonly krewes, gay krewes; there's African kings and African queen krewes," Zimmern said. "There's causes that krewes unite behind—for example, the Krewe du YaYas work hard to bring awareness and education to breast cancer. They famously wear their pink wigs … But what the krewes do is they get Pensacola's active and energetic folks, and they're the folks that are doers. They don't sit in the rocking chair, so to speak. Through Mardi Gras krewes, so many 501(c)3s and other nonprofits get supported."

The Hip Huggers supported the Escambia County Animal Shelter this year, said Nicole Stacey, the vice president of Destination Development for Visit Pensacola and a board member of the krewe.

Stacey enjoys the philanthropy of their allwoman krewe. Its theme—hence the name—is 1960s British mod.

"Our big thing is that we promote peace, love and friendship and Pensacola," Stacey said.

This will mark a special year for Stacey and the Hip Huggers, with the Krewe celebrating 25 years and her celebrating a decade being a mem-

A Party for All of Pensacola

By Savannah Evanoff

ber. She joined after being invited by friends to its Mardi Gras ball when she returned to Pensacola. Many of her favorite memories since have been at their ball.

"We have custom costumes; we get to put our boots on; we're full of glitter and sparkle," Stacey said. "But then being in the parade—every year, I think the parades get bigger and bigger—we love being that big hippie bus that turns the corner on Palafox and you hear the loud music, like 'These Boots are Made for Walkin,' and you just get to take to the streets and the crowds go crazy, and you throw things and it's just a lot of fun."

She loves the way the women in her krewe support each other, and the community, too.

"It sounds so cheesy, but it's a really special experience," Stacey said of Mardi Gras weekend. "I think what Danny Zimmern does with Pensacola Mardi Gras is just something very special and unique."

Stacey interned for Zimmern in college, she said.

"To see it grow and to see the community grow with the Mardi Gras celebration is a testament just to our community here in Pensacola and how much fun people like to have but also how much we like to help each other," Stacey said. "It really brings the whole town together."

A Rule that Works

You don't have to make everybody happy, but you can't make anybody mad.

It's the No. 1 rule governing Pensacola's Mardi Gras festivities, and Zimmern thinks it's a good one to be governed by.

They don't do it to make money; they do it to have fun, but Zimmern said it's a "tremendous economic engine for Northwest Florida." It supports restaurants, bars, retail and more, he explained.

"We take a lot of pride in Mardi Gras being so inclusive," Zimmern said. "It's a big, long day, and the throws are just amazing. People just really, really enjoy it. The police often say there's close to 100,000 people there. It's hard to tell because there's so many people inside. Sometimes the streets are packed, but people are everywhere inside. It's packed."

This year's Pensacola Mardi Gras presented by Publix will be no different.

When looking back at 20-plus years behind the scenes, Zimmern can't pinpoint a favorite memory.

"There's tons of memories, and most of them I wouldn't tell you because you might print them," Zimmern said. "My greatest memories are seeing those people the rest of the year when they stop me in Publix, or they stop me at the mall, or I see them at a game, and they want to talk or say something about Mardi Gras. I'm just the front; there's a lot of really great people who have been there with us since the beginning and are still with us and going strong and help us in so many very important ways. I feel like I'm doing that for all of them." {in}

Photo Courtesy of Pensacola Mardi Gras

MARDI GRAS CALENDAR

A Celebration of Venetian

Carnival Food and wine event featuring guest chef Laura Piovesana at Angelena's Ristorante Italiano, 101 E. Intendencia St., 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16. $175 per person. Reservations required. Make yours by calling (850) 542-8398 or visit angelenaspensacola.com.

Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated Parade The parade is 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, at Palafox and Government streets. More information at kreweoflafitte.com.

Krewe of Lafitte Parade

Viewing at Bodacious Watch

the Krewe of Lafitte parade from the Bodacious Balcony, starting at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, at 407-D S. Palafox. Tickets are $85 and available at bodaciousshops.com.

Pensacola Mardi Gras

Grand Parade The parade is 2-6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, in downtown Pensacola on Palafox and Government streets. A VIP and children's viewing area are available. For more information and a route map, visit at pensacolamardigras.com.

Pensacola Mardi Gras at Bodaciou s Celebrate Mardi Gras on the Bodacious balcony right on the parade route with special treats, 1 p.m.-until, Saturday, Feb. 18, at 407-D S. Palafox. Tickets are $85 per person. Visit bodaciousshops.com.

Mardi Gras at Odd Colony

Enjoy a Mardi Gras party at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, on Saturday, Feb. 18, with a special beer release and MI SU Street Food from 11 a.m.-until and complimentary king cake from Craft Bakery. A post-parade live show with

The New Cahoots is 6-9 p.m. Visit facebook. com/oddcolony for details.

Mardi Gras Afterparty at

The Handlebar Music with Blackwater Brass, 319 N. Tarragona St. Show starts at 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18. Admission is $10. Tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

Krewe of Wrecks Mardi

Gras Parade

The Pensacola Beach

Mardi Gras parade is 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 19. Rain or shine, the parade begins at Avenida 10 and Via De Luna and runs west to the Gulfside Pavilion.

Bead Cleanup

The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program is hosting a Mardi Gras Bead Tree Cleanup on Sunday, Feb. 19, from 9 a.m.-noon. Volunteers will help remove Mardi Gras beads from the trees along Palafox and Garden streets after the downtown parade. The collected beads will be brought to Arc Gateway to be cleaned and repackaged for future use. Volunteers should meet at the fountain at Plaza Ferdinand VII, East Government Street and South Palafox Street. Please RSVP to mtross@ppbep.org.

French Quarter Fat Tuesday at Seville Quarter Pensacola Mardi Gras and Seville Quarter will host a Fat Tuesday celebration from 11 a.m.-midnight on Feb. 21 at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. All krewe members participating in the 2023 Mardi Gras Grand Parade will be given wristbands on Grand Parade Day for free all-day admittance (normally $20 at door). For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

Hip Huggers Krewe / Photo Courtesy of Nicole Stacey

Mardi Gras Desserts Local Style

New Orleans may be the home of the king cake, but here in Pensacola, we are putting up a good culinary fight of our own. And every year, it seems like there's a new crop of contenders for the best Mardi Gras dessert in the city.

Whether you prefer your cake to be imported from the Big Easy, are loyal to your favorite local shop or cottage baker or want to branch out with some ice-cold options, we rounded up a (way too) long list of places you can find king cake things this season.

Pretty Baked

facebook.com/prettybakedinpensacola

In addition to stocking the pastry case at Cafe Single Fin (380 N. Ninth Ave.) with king cakes in traditional flavors, Pretty Baked vegan bakery will also be selling their seasonal offerings at a pop-up market happening this Saturday, Feb. 18, at Bo's (7201 N. Ninth Ave., Ste. A1).

Le Dough

helloledough.com, @helloledough

Fans of Le Dough's vegan king cake donuts are

in luck this season because there are two places to find them downtown—The Rex Cafe (18 N. Palafox) on Thursday, Feb. 16, and Buzzed Brew Coffee (501 S. Palafox) on Saturday, Feb 18. The Rex Cafe will also have king cake cinnamon rolls this Saturday, which sounds like the perfect preparade breakfast in our book.

Craft Bakery

5555 N. Davis Highway, craftgourmetbakery.com

In addition to made-to-order full size king cakes earlier in the season, Craft also has mini loaf sizes, cheesecake and a king cake latte on the menu for a limited time.

The Daily Squeeze

901 N. 12th Ave., thedailysqueezepcola.com

If you want something lighter, try The Daily Squeeze's Mardi Gras Punch made with red delicious apples, red grapes, red kale, beets and ginger.

Milton Quality Bakery

6727 Caroline St., facebook.com/miltonqualitybakery

If you find yourself anywhere near Milton Quality Bakery before Ash Wednesday, make sure you stop in and try and score a king cake. They are made fresh daily and include flavors like cherry, blueberry and Bavarian cream.

Restaurant NOLA and Cafe NOLA

523 E. Gregory St. and 400 Quietwater Beach Road, thecafenola.com

Restaurant NOLA in Pensacola and Cafe NOLA on Pensacola Beach are once again stocking Gambino's king cakes straight from New Orleans in traditional, cream cheese and praline flavors. Their current brunch menu also features Mardi Gras cheesecake French toast.

Szotski's Cheesecakes

2600 W. Nine Mile Road, szotskis-cheesecakes.com

Szotski's has mini king cake cheesecakes and king cake cupcakes available daily.

J's Bakery

2014 N. 12th Ave., jsbakeryandcafe.com

In addition to their super popular king cakes, J's also sells Mardi Gras decorated cookies and petit fours.

End of the Line Cafe

610 E. Wright St., eotlcafe.com

If you didn't pre-order a whole vegan king cake from EOTL in time, they also sell it by the slice some days. And their pastry case is always packed

with good stuff, so even if there's no king cake, we doubt you'll leave empty-handed.

Emerald Coast Bread Co.

facebook.com/emeraldcoastbread

Emerald Coast Bread Co. is supplying their king cakes to select local spots, including Bailey's Produce & Nursery.

Chrisoula's Cheesecake

236 W. Garden St., #2a, chrisoulascheesecakeshoppe.com

Chrisoula's has king cake cheesecake minis for sale daily throughout Mardi Gras day (Tuesday, Feb. 21).

Sneaky Tiki Shaved Ice

facebook.com/sneakytikishavedice

If you're feeling cool this Mardi Gras, try a king cake-flavored shaved ice from Sneaky Tiki. They regularly post the pop-up locations for their two trucks on Facebook.

Maynard's Donut Co.

875 E. Nine Mile Road #9, 2155 W. Nine Mile Road, facebook.com/maynardsdoco

The popular donut shop offers fresh king cakes daily in a variety of flavors by pre-order or first come, first served at both of their locations. They also have a special Mardi Gras ice cream flavor on the menu currently.

Frosty World Gelato at The Garden

501 S. Palafox, frostyworldusa.com

In partnership with The Boujie Baker, Frosty World Gelato is selling king cake cupcakes this season, while they last.

Fannie Lou's Ice Cream

3101 E. Cervantes St., fannielousicecream.com

You can't go wrong with a scoop or two of king cake ice cream from Fannie Lou's.

Mr. C's Homemade Ice Cream

9329 N. Palafox, pensacolaicecream.com

Another frozen treat worth checking out is at Mr. C's, where you can get king cake ice cream by the scoop or pint.

Flora-Bama Yacht Club

17401 Perdido Key Drive, florabama.com

Prefer your king cakes boozy? If you find yourself in the Perdido area during Mardi Gras, try a king cake cocktail from the infamous FloraBama featuring spiced rum, vanilla soft serve rum and RumChata. {in}

Craft Bakery's Mini King Cake Loaf / Photo by Emily Veal

Arts & Entertainment

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

Skullz Are All Around

By Hunter Morrison

ers or cups to give to friends or use in exhibitions. But the idea of finding and experiencing them in

"There was a woodfire I participated in a few semesters ago and I had already started making my skulls, but I just didn't know what I was doing with them yet," Chaimowitz said. "When we started getting all of our pieces out, I had a skull that was poking through the ash that kind of looked spooky and morbid, and I just liked the morbidness of it. That got me thinking about people finding them out and about."

From the beginning, Chaimowitz knew that she wanted to make the subject of death a less taboo topic through her art. She also wanted to open the door to conversations to be had

"From there, I started brainstorming about how I wanted to get my skulls out there where people can experience them without having to go to a store to buy a skull," Chaimowitz said. "I wanted to bring beauty to the morbidness of nature."

Each of the 50 hidden skulls has a QR code on the back that will take you to the Skullz Around website. Here, the finder can send a picture of their skull and log their find, similar to the Pensacola Rocks Facebook page. They can then decide if they want to keep the ceramic skull or

"I wanted to make it interactive without having to be on social media," Chaimowitz said. "You don't have to be on any social media platform to participate in this, which was the main reason why I did it. There are many people who don't use Facebook or Instagram, so I wanted to make sure I can hit any person of any age regardless of

One thing that sets Skullz Around apart from other art projects is that it is accessible to the public in a very unique way. Instead of seeking to experience the art, the art seeks to expe -

can reach a larger audience," Grubb said. "Beyond that, she works closely with me on a daily basis as a student in the ceramics studio and she has really become a staple of the UWF Art Department at large. We're always troubleshooting her ideas and talking about different projects she would like to do now or in the future, which is really fun."

Since the Skullz Around project launched in December, about 35 of her ceramic skulls have been found. All but five were hidden in Florida. One is also being sent overseas.

"I think, with this project, [Chaimowitz] has taken the first steps in realizing who her audience is and how to engage with that audience," Grubb said. "It will only get better from here."

"I've had a few responses where they've said, 'This just made my day' or 'This was so great,' and that's what I wanted," Chaimowitz said. "I wanted a positive response to something that people normally think of as creepy or morbid."

Along with the 50 skulls she originally created, Chaimowitz plans to continue making and hiding more ceramic skulls in the future. She hopes that her skulls will not only thrill but inspire those who find them.

"I hope that people will remember finding them, the joy it brought them, or the thought process that sparked in them about what is going on with the skulls," Chaimowitz said. "I'm not expecting to be remembered as an artist for this project; I mostly wanted to bring something to somebody else. I wanted somebody else to find something and to enjoy it."

"[I hope that people remember] the joy, or wonder, that they get from finding the skulls," Grubb said. "I hope they remember, or think about, how that impacted them. Because that is what art is about—how it makes you feel and then going back to figure out why it makes you feel such a way."

If you happen to be walking around downtown Pensacola or on UWF's main campus and spot something out of the ordinary, you are not alone. Over the past two months, ceramic skulls have been popping up everywhere, many in plain sight, across Northwest Florida. So what do you do if you encounter one?

Influenced by the Pensacola Rocks Facebook craze that took the area by storm a few years ago, UWF ceramist student Sara Chaimowitz pioneered the idea for Skullz Around, which is a project that aims to bring ceramics to everyone.

She spent the entirety of last semester creating 50 ceramic skulls, all of which vary in color and pattern.

"For this particular project, and what I do with most of my stuff, I find an object that I like," Chaimowitz said. "For this case, it was a skull cup that somebody had given me years ago, and I used that cup to make a plaster mold. Once the plaster mold was finished, I then used liquid clay to pour into the mold to make my pieces."

When she first started, Chaimowitz considered making her ceramic skulls into candle hold-

"I think the Skullz Around project is a great way to engage with and establish community," said Justin Grubb, adjunct professor and ceramics lab coordinator at UWF. "Additionally, I think that it is a way for the general public to experience art in a very approachable way—they don't have to go to a museum, or gallery, they can just happen upon it as a part of their daily lives."

Grubb, who oversaw the entire Skullz Around project from start to finish, has been a huge help to the artist. When he first began teaching at UWF, Chaimowitz was a student in his slip-casting and mold-making course.

"The slip casting process has allowed her to produce large quantities of the skulls so that she

In addition to Skullz Around, Chaimowitz is working on another project that will integrate her ceramic skulls. This piece will focus on the cycle of life and death.

"I just want to bring a smile to somebody's face," Chaimowitz said. "That's the whole thing with me and my ceramics, I don't want to just make something to make a dollar—that's not what this is about. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life, even though it took 30-something years to figure out. If I could have someone realize their dream sooner because they found a piece of my work in the woods or on the side of the road, that's all that matters." {in}

SKULLZ AROUND

skullzaround.com, @saramicz

Sara Chaimowitz / Courtesy Photo

a&e happenings

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

INTERFAITH MINISTRIES BUNCO FUNDRAISER Join Interfaith Ministries for a fundraiser Saturday, Feb. 18, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tickets are $30$35 at St. Sylvester Catholic Church, 6464 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Money raised helps the underresourced in the community.

THE ESCAMBIA-SANTA ROSA BAR FOUNDATION ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR 2023 The Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association, is currently accepting grant applications for 2023. Grants are awarded to organizations that successfully demonstrate how a proposed program aligns with one or more of the tenets of the mission of the Foundation, which are to foster greater accessibility to the judicial system, improvements to the overall quality of the administration of justice, law-related education and increased public awareness of the judicial system, and improved management and operation of the court system.

Grants awards are typically in the $500$1,500 range. For more information on the Foundation and to download an application form, visit esrba.com/bar-foundation/about-esrbf/.

CALL TO ARTISTS

2023 PENSACOLA JAZZFEST POSTER Jazz Pensacola, a nonprofit organization, invites fine artists/graphic designers to submit renderings for the official 2023 Pensacola JazzFest poster. The commission is $500.

The Jazz Pensacola Board of Directors will consider all renderings and make a selection. Initial drafts are due by Jan. 31. If selected, the completed submission deadline is Feb. 28.

Pensacola JazzFest is celebrating its 40th Anniversary. The 2023 Pensacola JazzFest is slated for April 1-2. The poster design should reflect the deep, rich, diverse jazz music heritage of Pensacola and communicate a sense of place.

Submissions should conform to a vertical orientation using a ratio that will fit, with margin, on a final poster size of 18 inches wide by 24 inches high. All content must be the submitter's original creation and must be unpublished. The submitter must have all rights to images and graphics used in the final artwork and during the design process. The poster must include the name of the festival—2023 Pensacola JazzFest—and especially its 40th Anniversary in some fashion.

The festival event information, including date, location, sponsors and any additional information, will be added to the poster in the graphic production process. There is no need to include this information within the artwork.

Any mixed media suitable for two-dimensional mechanical reproduction is allowed, including both hand-drawn and computer-generated graphics.

Rough drafts or sketches can be submitted, but, if selected, the final art must conform to the submitted draft or sketch. Substantial deviation from the submitted sketch or draft will result in forfeiture by the artist of the cash prize and the selection of a new winner by Jazz Pensacola.

Submissions must be in low-res (72 PPI) JPEG format and emailed to info@jazzpensacola.com. There is no limit to the number of entries by a single artist. Each entry must include the artist's name, address, email and telephone number.

The selected artist is responsible for the preparation of the art for high-resolution reproduction. The artist will be contacted following the selection process and receive technical specifications for the production file.

DIY SHORT FILM FEST Filmmakers of any level are invited to submit short films to be screened at 309 Punk House on March 24. Priority will be given to local and regional submissions and those with relationships to the community. Suggested length is 3-10 minutes, but submissions up to 20 minutes will be considered. Submissions are due by March 17. Send your films to diyfilmfestpensacola@gmail.com.

ARTS & CULTURE

WHAT'S SHOWING AT PENSACOLA CINEMA ART PCA is located at the Studer Community Institute, 220 W. Garden St. Watch the 2023 Oscar-nominated short films, 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18. Classic films are available for free through the PCA website. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for more information and the latest showtimes.

PENSACOLA OPERA: BROWN BAG OPERA Take a lunch break with the opera. Brown Bag Opera is a free monthly performance featuring the Jan Miller Studio Artists at the Opera Center, 75 S. Tarragona St. Musical performances include a variety of beloved arias, timeless showtunes and stunning duets and trios. Dates

are noon on Tuesdays Feb. 21 and March 21. Seating is first-come, first-served. Visit facebook. com/pensacolaopera for details.

TABLE TALKS AT THE TRUST Join the Historic Trust for a monthly lunch and learn series on the third Wednesday of the month at the Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center, located at 117 E. Government St., from noon-1 p.m. The program is free—just bring your lunch and enjoy a casual opportunity to learn about a variety of topics. For more information, please email hparchives@ uwf.edu or call (850) 595-5985, ext. 125. The next date is March 15 with Lori McDuffie whose discussion is called Saving Your Keepsakes: Preparing for Hurricane Season.

INFERNO BURLESQUE AT VINYL MUSIC

HALL Burlesque show is at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Tickets are $25. Visit vinylmusichall.com for details.

HOLD ME UP HOLY GHOST FLIGHT 747 The comedy gospel play from Leroy Williams comes to Pensacola High Auditorium, 500 W. Maxwell St., Saturday, Feb. 18, for two shows at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Admission is $20 in advance and $24 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at pcaraonline.com, in person at Michele's Ladies Apparel, 2013 N. Palafox, or by calling 293-5345.

STUDIO SCENES Pensacola Opera's Jan Miller Studio Artists present scenes from five operas within an hour-long performance 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 at Pensacola Opera, 75 S. Tarragona St. Tickets are $15. More information at pensacolaopera.com.

IHMC'S SCIENCE SATURDAY 2023 SESSIONS ON HUMAN HEALTH PERFORMANCE, SMART CITIES AND ROBOTICS

Science Saturdays is a series of 90-minute educational enrichment sessions geared to families and children in grades three-six. Topics in 2023 will include robotics, roller coasters, animal adaptations, human performance and more. The sessions are free to the families who attend.

For more information, visit ihmc.us/life/science_saturdays.

•Feb. 25: Meredith Yeager, IHMC, Reaction Time

•March 25: Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga, University of West Florida, Smart Cities

•April 22: Dr. Gwen Bryan, IHMC, Robot Hands

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Pensacola Arts

Market is set up at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave., from 4-9 p.m. every first Friday of the month and 2-6 p.m. every third Sunday of the month. The market is located at Cordova Square, 1101 N. 12th Ave. every fourth Saturday of the month. Enjoy a local artisan market, handcrafted brews and ciders, live music, as well as food by the Hip Pocket Deli. Free admission.

EMPOWERED EXPRESSION: GIVING DIMENSION TO DISABLED VOICES OPENING RECEPTION

The latest PMA exhibit is a collection of artworks created by the agency's program participants, all of whom are adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It will be on display at the museum through Thursday, Feb. 23, at PMA, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

ALL THAT WAS BRIGHT The latest exhibit at UWF TAG features work from Basqo Bim, Jacob Reptile and Jane Tardo. Exhibit will be up through March 2. TAG is located in the UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82.

STEAM On view at Pensacola Museum of Art through April 9, the STEAM Exhibition is a community-centered, educational experience engaging contemporary art with science and new technologies. Artwork on display investigates concepts related to the environment, biology, digital interfaces and speculative fictions/imagined futures. Exhibiting artists challenge narratives of human and non-human ecologies, more-than-human relations and entangled response-abilities, as well as offer exciting insights into transdisciplinary processes. The main focus of the exhibition centers around the idea of ecosystems as a metaphor for critical thought. Visit the exhibit at PMA, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

69TH ANNUAL YOUTH ART FOCUS The Pensacola Museum of Art, in partnership with the PMA Guild and Escambia County Public Schools, is proud to present the 69th Annual Youth Art Focus exhibition, showcasing artwork from across the Escambia County School District. The exhibition serves as a celebration of the strong artistic achievements of K-12 students and their teachers. The exhibit is on view Jan. 20-Feb. 26. Visit the

a&e happenings

exhibit at PMA, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

LOST PENSACOLA EXHIBIT "Lost Pensacola" is a poster exhibit that examines lost icons from Pensacola's past by Joe Vinson. Voices of Pensacola, 117 E. Government St.

SUDDENLY AMERICAN: A MEETING OF HERITAGE AND COUNTRY This exhibit looks at the transition of Florida from a Spanish territory to an American region, which formally occurred in 1821. Florida's embattled history dates back much farther than 1821. From refusing independence during the American Revolution to wanting their own freedom in 1810, Florida loved to cause problems. The United States eyed the region early on, using the Seminole Wars as an excuse to seize territory before turning to diplomatic means to acquire Florida. The Adams-Onis Treaty, debated and initially agreed upon in 1819, resulted in Spain ceding control of East Florida to the United States. At the same time, Spain also agreed to give up all claims on West Florida, in essence giving the entire Florida territory over to the United States. Ratified in 1821, the treaty was cause for celebration in Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, as it officially became part of America. On view at Pensacola Museum of History through Dec. 2023. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

CELEBRATE! 50 YEARS OF THE GREAT GULF COAST ARTS FESTIVAL This exhibit explores the incredible story of the volunteers who keep the festival alive. Through the past five decades, little has made a larger impact on the city than the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival and those who dedicate their time to ensuring it remains a vibrant affair in the heart of Pensacola. On view at the Pensacola Museum of History through February 2023.

TEXTILES OF THE TIMES: REGENCY ERA

DRESS MAKING The period between 1811-1820 is historically defined as the Regency Period. This exhibit at the Pensacola Museum of History looks at a day in the life of a Regency-era Pensacolian through fashion and garment use. Drawing on historical documentation of stores known to have operated on Palafox, inside this recreation of a seamstress shop visitors will be able to explore the dress of yesteryear. On view at the Pensacola Museum of History through June 2023. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

FOOD + DRINKS

FIVE SISTERS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH Visit Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St., during the month of February to celebrate Black History Month. Each week will feature a Black culinary innovator who, through their contributions to the food industry, changed the landscape of the culinary world. All features will be available at both lunch and dinner service.

Monday, Feb. 13-Sunday, Feb. 19

•Innovator: Leah Chase: Queen of Creole Cuisine

Featured Dish: Crawfish Étouffée

Monday, Feb. 20-Sunday, Feb. 26

•Innovator: Edna Lewis: Grande Dame of Southern Cooking

Featured Dish: Hoppin' John Through the Month of February

•Innovator: George Washington Carver: Prince of Peanuts

Featured Dish: Boiled Peanuts

•Innovator: Nathan "Nearest" Green: The Original Jack Daniels

Featured Drinks: Nearest's Old Fashioned and Uncle's Kentucky Mule

O'RILEY'S IRISH PUB CRAWFISH BOIL

Crawfish boil is Saturday, Feb. 18, from 11 a.m.1 p.m., at 321 S. Palafox. Watch the downtown Mardi Gras parade. More information at sirrichardslounge.com.

QUEEN OF HEARTS DINNER Enjoy a fourcourse meal at Pensacola Cooks, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $45 per person or $75 for a pair. For menu and tickets, visit mad munchiestruck.com.

PENSACOLA CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE

FEST The inaugural Pensacola Chocolate and Cheese Fest is 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Ce dar St. $5 entry. Free to kids 12 years or younger. More information at apexshowsandevents.com.

EVERYTHING BOURBON Cooking class is 7-9 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23, at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $50 per student. Visit facebook.com/pensacolacooks for details.

MILITARY INFLUENCE ON THE GULF COAST DINNER Pensacola Christian Wom en's Connection dinner, 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23, at Pensacola Country Club, 1500 Bay shore Drive. Open to everyone. Cost is $30. For reservations, call or text (850) 384-6941 or email barbaraudit111@gmail.com.

SECOND TUESDAY THEMED TRIVIA Vis

it Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St., for themed trivia nights on the second Tuesday of the month from 7-9 p.m. Visit facebook.com/perfect plainbrewingco for details.

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT

Gary's Brewery Trivia Night is back by popu lar demand. Thursdays from 7-9 p.m., test your trivia skills with a glass of beer or wine. Arrive early to grab a spot. Gary's Brewery is locat ed at 208 Newman Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/garysbrew.

LIVE MUSIC

AUGUST BURNS RED Show is 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Tickets available at vinylmusichall.com.

BANDS ON THE BEACH Bands on the Beach is back starting Tuesday, April 4 with Reunion Band. The free weekly concert series will be held every Tuesday at the Gulfside Pavilion from 7-9 p.m.

EASY GOING DJ LAB Show is every Saturday, noon-4 p.m., at Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St. Visit facebook.com/easygoinggallery for details.

RESPECT THE DECKS Monthly vinyl spinning night at Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St., 8 p.m.

Adoption • Paternity • Dependency/DCF Hearings

Prenuptial Agreements • Postnuptial Agreements

Divorce • Child Custody and Timesharing

Child Support • Child Support Modifications

Alimony • Collaborative Divorce • Divorce

Mediation • Pre-Suit Family Law Mediation

127 Palafox Place Suite 100 (850)466-3115

Tired of suffering from droopy eyelids?  Uplift your eyelids with the once daily eye drop, Upneeq. Call now to schedule your appointment with the eye care specialists at Terrezza Optical: 850-434-2060

a&e happenings

$15 cover. Visit facebook.com/easygoinggallery for details.

GARY-OKE Sing your heart out at Gary's Brewery and Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave., every Wednesday from 6-10 p.m. Visit facebook.com/ garysbrew for details.

JAZZ BY THE BOOK Joe Occhipinti performs at West Florida Public Libraries twice a month. The concerts are free. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m., the concert is at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. Visit mywfpl.com for details.

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLONY Music pickers of all levels are invited to play at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, from 7-9 p.m. every last Monday of the month. 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, located at 130 E. Government St. every Monday night in End O' the Alley starting at 7 p.m. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE

QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Melodious Allen and The Funk Heads every Tuesday night at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, located at

130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.

FITNESS + RECREATION

OCEAN HOUR WEEKLY CLEANUPS Ocean Hour Pensacola host weekly cleanups on Saturdays from 9-10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, has two locations—Mahogany Mill Boat Launch and Wayside Park/Graffiti Bridge. Meet at 8:45 a.m. Ocean Hour provides bags, gloves, grabbers and bug spray if needed. Closed-toe shoes are recommended. Follow Ocean Hour at facebook.com/oceanhourfl for more details.

PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS Games are played at the Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets are available at iceflyers.com.

Upcoming home games:

•4:05 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 19

•7:05 p.m. Saturday, March 11

PUBLIC SKATE Pensacola Bay Center hosts public ice-skating sessions October-April. All public skate sessions last one hour. Sessions typically occur on the weekends and after Ice Flyers Home games. Capacity is limited for each session, so get your tickets early.

Upcoming times:

•6:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 19

O'RILEY'S EXOTIC CAR SHOW Visit O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox, for an exclusive car show full of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens, Porches and GT-Rs.

FREE YOGA CLASSES

AT COMMUNITY

HEALTH NORTHWEST FLORIDA Community Health Northwest Florida offers free yoga classes to people aged 18 and up. No experience required. The classes are led by Justin Nutt. SCHEDULE:

•Mondays 10-11 a.m. Community Chair Yoga at Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. Desoto St.

•Tuesdays 10-11 a.m., Gentle Movement at Palafox TWO, 1380 N. Palafox

•Wednesdays 10-11a.m., Community Chair Yoga at Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. Desoto St.

•Thursdays 10-11 a.m., Gentle Movement at Palafox TWO, 1380 N. Palafox

•Fridays 10-11 a.m., Community Chair Yoga at Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. Desoto St.

GOAT YOGA Goat yoga is Saturday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m., at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew for details and to sign up.

BEACH HIKE OFFERS LESSONS IN COASTAL ECOLOGY Join Healthy Gulf for a beach ecology walk along the shifting sands and waters of Santa Rosa Island at Pensacola Beach, 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 18. The hike will be along both the Gulf and Sound side of the Island, exploring the changing plant communities and life along the shoreline. The hike is a total length of about 4 miles and will take about a little over two hours to

complete. The exact meeting location at Pensacola Beach will be provided upon registration. The walk is free, but space is limited. To reserve a spot or for more information, please email christian@ healthygulf.org or call (850) 687-9968.

LIVE JAZZ AND SWING DANCING On the first Friday of each month from 6:30-11 p.m., enjoy a live band for dancing Lindy, Foxtrot, East Coast and West Coast Swing. Fun, friendly atmosphere with lessons for all levels, no partner required. Located at The Way You Move Dance Studio, 918 Winton Ave. Cost is $15. More information at thewayyoumove.us.

WEST COAST SWING DANCE Join the fun Wednesdays from 6:30-10 p.m. for $5 and the fourth Saturday of each month 6:30-11 p.m. for $10. All levels welcomed; no partner required. The Way You Move dance studio, 918 Winton Ave. More information at thewayyoumove.us

BALLROOM, LATIN, SWING DANCE On the Second Saturday of each month from 6:30-11 p.m., enjoy a mix of music for all dancers. All levels welcomed; no partner required. The Way You Move dance studio, 918 Winton Ave. Cost is $10. More information at thewayyoumove.us

FREE YOGA IN THE PARK Breathe Yoga and Wellness Center will offer free yoga throughout 2023 as a part of its Wellness in the Park Series. One-hour outdoor yoga classes will be led by Breathe Yoga and Wellness Center on the first

Sunday of every month at 9:30 a.m. at Bayview Park. The next date is Sunday, March 4.

FREE PILATES IN THE PARK The City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation Department and PURE Pilates presents a free one-hour outdoor pilates classes on the third Sunday of every month at Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. The next date is Feb. 19.

PENSACOLA PARKRUN The Pensacola Rec Plex North parkrun is 7:30 a.m. Saturdays. The weekly timed 5K run or walk takes place at the University of West Florida and is open to everyone, regardless of fitness level. For more information, visit facebook.com/rpnparkrun or email recplexnorth@parkrun.com.

YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Beginner Yoga with John is 10 a.m. Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays. Funky Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Tuesdays. And Vinyasa Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Thursdays. All classes at Ever'man, 327 W. Garden St. For a full calendar of events, visit everman.org.

KID-FRIENDLY

PCKIDS JR. COOKING CLASS Cooking classes for kids. Ages 6-8 at 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Feb. 18. Ages 9-12 from 2-4 p.m. Cost is $40 per student. Classes at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Visit facebook.com/pensacolacooks for details.

CELEBRATING WOMEN SCIENTISTS AT PENSACOLA MESS HALL The Pensacola MESS Hall will host a free, adult-oriented reception, Thursday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m., to celebrate the installation of 12 posters of women scientists on the outside of the facility. These posters highlight a diverse mix of women scientists, pursuing research in a variety of scientific fields. Registration for the event is requested and is available at pensacolamesshall.org/women-in-science-celebration. Women scientists are encouraged to attend and be recognized. The featured scientists are part of the IF/ THEN® Collection, the largest free resource of its kind dedicated to increasing access to authentic and relatable images of real women in STEM. IF/THEN is rooted in the idea that IF she can see it, THEN she can be it. The poster installation and reception are supported by funding from IF/THEN®.

JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS EMERALD COAST KIDS CONSIGNMENT SALE Buy and sell gently used kids' clothes at Escambia County Equestrian Center, 7750 Mobile Highway, Feb. 22-25. More information at emeraldcoast.jbfsale.com.

LUTHERAN SERVICES OF FLORIDA'S SNAP PROGRAM

The SNAP program is a free and fun community program to help parents and children deal with issues like emotional regulation and problem solving. The program is proven to keep kids out of the juvenile justice system and give them skills for successful communication and actions. The program teaches parenting skills for adults and teaches children ages 6-11 important issues such as

emotional regulation, problem-solving skills and self-control. Meetings are once per week for 13 weeks. There is no cost, and dinner is served at each meeting. Sibling care and transportation is available if needed at no cost. Call or text (850) 375-3646 to get started.

STEM PROGRAMS AT NATIONAL

FLIGHT ACADEMY

The National Flight Academy is offering a lineup full of fun STEMbased programs for kids this fall, which is now open for registration.

"Adventures" is a one-day program that introduces fourth- and fifth-grade students to STEM with topics ranging from flying drones to navigating through hurricanes. The program is offered daily, Monday-Friday,9 a.m.-3 p.m. Call for availability.

"Cruises" is designed for students ages fifth-12th grades as an introduction to the National Flight Academy's flagship Deployment program. For three days, students stay overnight and learn a variety of topics including meteorology, aerodynamics, mathematics, bathymetry, physics and more. Tuition for the three-day overnight cruise is $475 per student. A minimum enrollment requirement of 36 is needed in order for each session to run. 2023 Cruise dates are Feb. 15-17, Feb. 17-19, March 10-12, March 17-19, March 24-26, March 31-April 2 and April 14-16.

"Deployment," the NFA's flagship program, is a six-day, five-night deployment for seventh-12th grade students. Attendees live aboard the virtual aircraft carrier Ambition, a 102,000-square-foot, four-story structure. The Deployment program envelops them into life as a Naval Aviator aboard a modern aircraft carrier. Missions progressively become more challenging throughout the week as the AXPs advance their aviation science skills as well as their communication skills. Christmas Break Deployment dates are Dec. 11-16 and Dec. 1822. Deployments begin at noon on Sunday and end on Friday at noon with a graduation ceremony in the National Naval Aviation Museum's Blue Angels Atrium.

To learn more about the NFA's program opportunities, or to register online, go to nationalflightacademy.com. For more information, please contact Stephanie Pugh, Client Relations Director at National Flight Academy, by email at spugh@nationalflightacademy.com or by calling (850) 458-7836.

BEANSTACK: 1000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN Enjoy reading 1,000 books with your little ones with West Florida Public Libraries. Log reading and earn badges all along the way. Bond with your child and inspire literacy along the way. A book a day is 365 books in a year, 730 in two years and 1,095 in three years. For every 100 books, you can claim at prize at the library to claim a prize.

How to participate: Register for the challenge on the West Florida Public Libraries' Beanstack, either on the mobile app or at mywfpl.beanstack.org.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

Where dreaming meets doing.

Our Corner, formerly known as Keep Pensacola Beautiful, is an Escambia County-based nonprofit that works strategically with community partners to implement programs that advance the environmental quality and beauty of our community, today and for future generations.

OurCornerEscambia.org

Because this is our corner of the world, and our responsibility to help it thrive.

free will astrology

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 16

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Aries director Francis Ford Coppola was asked to name the year's worst movie. The question didn't interest him, he said. He listed his favorite films, then declared, "Movies are hard to make, so I'd say, all the other ones were fine!" Coppola's comments remind me of author Dave Eggers'—"Do not dismiss a book until you have written one, and do not dismiss a movie until you have made one, and do not dismiss a person until you have met them." In accordance with astrological omens, Aries, your assignment is to explore and embody these perspectives. Refrain from judging efforts about which you have no personal knowledge. Be as open-minded and generous as you can. Doing so will give you fuller access to half-dormant aspects of your own potentials.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Artist Andy Warhol said, only half in jest, "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art, and working is art, and good business is the best art." More than any other sign, Tauruses embody this attitude with flare. When you are at your best, you're not a greedy materialist who places a higher value on money than everything else. Instead, you approach the gathering of necessary resources, including money, as a fun art project that you perform with love and creativity. I invite you to ascend to an even higher octave of this talent.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): You are gliding into the Season of Maximum Volition, Autonomy, and Liberty. Now is a favorable time to explore and expand the pleasures of personal sovereignty. You will be at the peak of your power to declare your independence from influences that hinder and limit you. To prepare, try two experiments. 1. Act as if free will is an illusion. It doesn't exist. There's no such thing. Then visualize what your destiny would be like. 2. Act as if free will is real. Imagine that in the coming months you can have more of it at your disposal than ever before. What will your destiny be like?

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): The ethereal, dreamy side of your nature must continually find ways to express itself beautifully and playfully. And I do mean "continually." If you're not always

By Rob Brezsny

allowing your imagination to roam and romp around in Wonderland, your imagination may lapse into spinning out crabby delusions. Luckily, I don't think you will have any problems attending to this necessary luxury in the coming weeks. From what I can tell, you will be highly motivated to generate fluidic fun by rambling through fantasy realms. Bonus! I suspect this will generate practical benefits.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Don't treat your allies or yourself with neglect and insensitivity. For the sake of you mental and physical health, you need to do the exact opposite. I'm not exaggerating! To enhance your well-being, be almost ridiculously positive. Be vigorously nice and rigorously kind. Bestow blessings and dole out compliments, both to others and yourself. See the best and expect the best in both others and yourself.

4. "I will activate my deeper ambition by giving myself permission to be lazy."

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): How many people would fight for their country? Below I list the countries where my horoscopes are published and the percentage of their populations ready and willing to take up arms against their nations' enemies—11% in Japan; Netherlands, 15%; Italy, 20%; France, 29%; Canada, 30%; US, 44%. So I surmise that Japanese readers are most likely to welcome my advice here, which is threefold—1. The coming months will be a good time to cultivate your love for your country's land, people, and culture, but not for your country's government and armed forces. 2. Minimize your aggressiveness unless you invoke it to improve your personal life—in which case, pump it up and harness them. 3. Don't get riled up about vague abstractions and fear-based fantasies. But do wield your constructive militancy on behalf of intimate, practical improvements.

ly interesting switcheroo in your vicinity during the coming weeks. Maybe you will be aided by a big shot or get a blessing from someone you consider out of your league. Perhaps you will earn a status boost or will benefit from a shift in a hierarchy.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Some people I respect regard the Bible as a great work of literature. I don't share that view. Like psychologist Valerie Tarico, I believe the so-called good book is filled with "repetition, awkward constructions, inconsistent voice, weak character development, boring tangents, and passages where nobody can tell what the writer meant to convey." I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I believe now is a good time to rebel against conventional wisdom, escape from experts' opinions, and formulate your own unique perspectives about pretty much everything. Be like Valerie Tarico and me.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Is there a bug in the sanctuary of love? A parasite or saboteur? If so, banish it. Is there a cranky monster grumbling in the basement or attic or closet? Feed that creature chunks of raw cookie dough imbued with a crushed-up valium pill. Do you have a stuffed animal or holy statue to whom you can spill your deep, dark, delicious secrets? If not, get one. Have you been spending quality time rumbling around in your fantasy world in quest of spectacular healings? If not, get busy. Those healings are ready for you to pluck them.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): There's a weird magic operating in your vicinity these days— a curious, uncanny kind of luck. So while my counsel here might sound counter-intuitive, I think it's true. Here are four affirmations to chant regularly—1. "I will attract and acquire what I want by acting as if I don't care if I get what I want." 2. "I will become grounded and relaxed with the help of beautiful messes and rowdy fun." 3. "My worries and fears will subside as I make fun of them and joke about them."

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): By the time she was 33, Sagittarian actor Jane Fonda was famous and popular. She had already won many awards, including an Oscar. Then she became an outspoken opponent of America's war in Vietnam. Some of her less-liberal fans were outraged. For a few years, her success in films waned. Offers didn't come easily to her. She later explained that while the industry had not completely "blacklisted" her, she had been "greylisted." Despite the setback, she kept working—and never diluted her political activism. By the time she was in her forties, her career and reputation had fully recovered. Today, at age 84, she is busy with creative projects. In accordance with astrological rhythms, I propose we make her your role model in the coming months. May she inspire you to be true to your principles even if some people disapprove. Be loyal to what you know is right.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Charles V (1500–1558) had more than 20 titles, including Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria and Lord of the Netherlands. He was also a patron of the arts and architecture. Once, while visiting the renowned Italian painter Titian to have his portrait done, he did something no monarch had ever done. When Titian dropped his paintbrush on the floor, Charles humbly picked it up and gave it to him. I foresee a different but equal-

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I suspect that 'arrivederci' and 'au revoir' and 'sayōnara' will overlap with birth cries and welcomes and initiations in the coming days. Are you beginning or ending? Leaving or arriving? Letting go or hanging on? Here's what I think: You will be beginning and ending; leaving and arriving; letting go and hanging on. That could be confusing, but it could also be fun. The mix of emotions will be rich and soulful.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Imagine a good future scenario you have never dared to visualize. newsletter.freewillastrology.com {in}

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2023

I foresee a different but equally interesting switcheroo in your vicinity during the coming weeks.

news of the weird

WAIT, WHAT? A couple in Etobicoke, Toronto, left on an extended business trip in January 2022, CTV News reported. When they returned home months later, they were stunned to realize that their house had been sold and the new owners had moved in. Police said a man and woman impersonated the owners, hired a real estate agent and listed the property using fake identification. Police are still looking for the imposters.

SIZE MATTERS Momo the lar gibbon, who lives at the Kujukushima Zoo and Botanical Garden

Mori Kirara in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, delivered a baby in February 2021, which surprised zookeepers, since Momo lived in her own enclosure with no males around. She was very protective of the offspring, United Press International reported, so it wasn't until two years later that handlers were able to collect DNA from the youngster to determine who the father was. As it turned out, a 34-year-old agile gibbon, Itou, was the baby daddy. Zookeepers found that a partition between Momo's exhibit and Itou's off-display area had a perforated board with holes about 9mm in diameter, and they believe the two were able to mate through one of those holes. The perforated board was replaced with a steel plate, but Momo and Itou will be introduced properly to each other so that they may live as a family.

THAT RULE DOESN'T APPLY TO ME On Jan. 16, Brazilian attorney Leandro Mathias de Novaes delivered his mother to the Laboratoria Cura in Sao Paolo, where she was scheduled for an MRI. Before they both entered the MRI room, the New York Post reported, they were asked to remove any metal objects from their persons and signed a form detailing the protocols, but Novaes opted to not remove, or disclose, his concealed weapon. When the MRI's magnetic field yanked the pistol from his waistband, it fired and struck him in the stomach; he was hospitalized for three weeks after the incident but died on Feb. 6.

CAN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE Jesse and Deedee

O'Dell of Tulsa, Oklahoma, normally spend around $10 for their Starbucks coffees, but on Jan. 7, their bill was considerably more, KOKITV reported. A few days later, when Deedee tried to use the same card at a mall, it was declined. That's when the couple discovered that Starbucks had given itself a $4,444.44 tip on their $10.90 bill. They contacted the district manager, who said there'd been an "issue" with the network, and they received two checks to cover the enormous gratuity—but both checks bounced. While they wait for replacement checks, they've had to cancel a family vacation, "and the tickets are nonrefundable," said Jesse. A Starbucks representative said new checks are on the way and the mistake was caused by "possible human error."

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL Early on the morning of Feb. 5, 20-year-old Lantz Kurtz

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

broke into a gas station in Palm Coast, Florida, and stole multiple items. He exited via the front door, apparently unaware that he'd left a big clue behind: his debit card, Fox35-TV reported. Officers responding to the alarm found the card and tracked down Kurtz, who told them he had intended to come back to the store and pay for the items. But Sheriff Rick Staly wasn't having it: "Leaving a debit card behind does not absolve you from theft or committing a burglary," he said.

CRIME SPREE Robert Powers, 37, managed to terrorize multiple citizens of Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 6, WTAJ-TV reported. He allegedly broke into four different homes, telling one woman as he covered her mouth, "I'm Batman." At the next home, he choked a man, went through his pockets and held him hostage with a pocketknife. Next, he turned the man's gas stove on and forced him into his truck, heading across town at speeds of more than 100 mph before crashing into a Jeep. Powers then kicked open the door of a nearby home and repeatedly asked, "Why'd you do this, mom?" as he walked through the residence. Finally, at the last crime scene, police were able to subdue Powers, who admitted he may have ingested meth or bath salts.

GREAT ART! Marcelo "B-boy" De Souza Ribeiro of Sao Paolo, Brazil, is known as the most modified man in the world, with 1,500 tattoos covering his skin and now, a new transformation: a "devil hand." The Daily Star reported that Ribeiro did a lot of research before undergoing the procedure, which split his hand between the middle and ring fingers. "I began to see the possibility of making an opening ... through the middle where you can have opening and closing movements and a firmer folding of the hand," he said. Over the years, he's spent about $35,000 on his modifications, which also include a split tongue. Ribeiro said he thinks of his body as an "art exhibition."

ANIMAL ANTICS

The Wyandotte (Michigan)

Police Department opened an investigation in January after an officer was suspected of stealing another officer's lunch while he was out of the room. The "Today" show reported that Officer Barwig was called away from the break room to assist in the jail; when he returned, K-9 Officer Ice was seen licking his chops, and Barwig's sandwich was nowhere to be seen. "Officer Ice has invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and quite frankly is not cooperating with the investigation," the department posted on its Facebook page. Later, dozens of attorneys offered to represent Ice in court, but the department decided not to pursue discipline or criminal charges. {in}