Inweekly February 5 2026 Issue

The Promised Land in the Center of Town

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza Yesterday & Today

winners & losers winners losers

DOUGLAS BATES The Clark Partington shareholder has been named the 2026 Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award recipient for the First Judicial Circuit, which includes Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties. The award honors attorneys expanding access to justice for those unable to afford legal representation. Bates was recognized for sustained volunteer legal work, including the Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Court's Reaffirmation Assistance Program, which provides no-cost guidance in a district with one of the nation's highest pro se bankruptcy filing rates. Bates also leads financial literacy outreach and elder law education initiatives.

QUINT STUDER "Rewiring Excellence: Hardwired to Rewired, Second Edition," co-authored by Pensacola's Quint Studer and Dan Collard, has received the 2026 James A. Hamilton Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives. The James A. Hamilton Award honors the late founder of the University of Minnesota's healthcare administration graduate program. The award, given annually since 1958, recognizes outstanding healthcare management books. The book advocates rethinking traditional healthcare leadership processes and behaviors to meet modern challenges. Studer has authored 16 books on leadership and healthcare management.

PENSACOLA ICE OUT On Jan. 30, over a dozen local businesses shut down, closed early or made donations in support of a nationwide shutdown in protest against ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). This action was organized in solidarity with the people of Minnesota. Local organizations, political candidates and community advocates endorsed this shutdown action and mobilized people to join a planned demonstration at Palafox and Garden streets.

UWF ARCHAEOLOGY INSTITUTE The University of West Florida research team led by assistant director Nicole Grinnan has received the 2026

Mark E. Mack Community Engagement award from the Society for Historical Archaeology. The international honor recognizes the team's "People of the Apalachicola System" project for excellence in community collaboration and heritage preservation. The project mapped coastlines and forecasted coastal transformation in Apalachicola Bay while actively involving local residents, government officials and land management agencies.

ESCAMBIA CHILDREN'S TRUST In 2020, Escambia County voters approved a referendum to create a children's services council funded with property taxes to be used for programs to help children from birth through adolescence. The Trust's board is independent and answers to no one. After six years and a series of financial miscues, people wonder whether the Trust should be renewed when it's put on the ballot again. Grants given to Urban Development Center, Children's Theater Company, Pensacola Little Theatre and New World Believers have called into question the Trust's grant process and its oversight of the millions of dollars involved.

NEW WORLD BELIEVERS January wasn't a good month for the nonprofit founded to help at-risk youth. Its founder has been arrested for sexual battery of a 16- or 17-year-old. NWB's CEO has been charged with obstructing justice. Another son of the founder, who also works for NWB, was arrested for allegedly trying to bribe the victim's guardian, according to police reports. In December, the Escambia Children's Trust approved a $585,685 grant for NWB, after already giving the nonprofit more than $901,972 through November 2025. However, Inweekly found numerous math errors and omissions in its financial statements and tax returns, casting doubt on NWB's true financial picture. On Jan. 30, the Trust board canceled the NWB contract.

FLORIDA STATE GUARD Revived by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, the disaster-response force faces mounting controversies about its expanding mission and management. Its budget has surged from $10 million to $89 million, and its authorized size has grown to 1,500 members. Critics cite militarized training that prompted veteran recruits to quit, screening failures that allowed a recruit making violent threats and another with falsified military records to enter training, and deployments for immigration enforcement rather than emergency relief. Last month, the Orlando Sentinel reported that senior officers, pilots, and soldiers were leaving the agency after alleging misuse of taxpayer dollars, unreported sexual harassment claims and poor planning and budgeting by the agency's top executives. The DeSantis administration knew of the problems a year ago but fired the informant who warned them.

Douglas Bates / Photo Courtesy of Clark Partington

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

PAY THE MAN

I find it remarkable that four members of the Pensacola State College (PSC) Board of Trustees ignored its president's performance evaluations and voted against giving him a raise. Even the most casual observer of local politics, higher education and job training is aware of Dr. C. Ed Meadows' and PSC's contributions to our community.

The outcomes are noteworthy. More than 90% of PSC students graduate debt-free. The college maintains national rankings among the South's best regional colleges, and Meadows has transformed PSC into the region's workforce development epicenter, repositioning the institution as essential economic infrastructure.

When Meadows arrived from Andalusia, Ala., in 2008, the college faced what then-Board Chair Vincent Andry described as "a new age," defined by budget constraints and limited operating dollars. Andry praised Meadows' experience with institutional finance and student growth issues.

Meadows immediately commissioned workforce gap studies to identify what the regional economy actually needed, then built programs to match: veterinary science, healthcare management, graphic design, cybersecurity. That datadriven approach has become his legacy.

GROWING THE WORKFORCE In July 2012, I interviewed Meadows about his first four years. He wanted to overcome the perception that PSC was stagnant and realized that Pensacola had to grow its workforce.

"The role of workforce development is very integral to us being competitive as a community when we're looking to try to grow our economic base," Meadows said. "You have to import talent or you have to develop talent. The college is interested in developing the programs to generate people who are trained for the jobs that are here, or the jobs that are going to be here."

He felt that Pensacolians "sell themselves short," and he said his heart was in helping students.

The PSC aviation maintenance program exemplifies his philosophy. Meadows built it because ST Engineering was expanding and Leonardo Helicopters was growing in Santa Rosa County. The program's establishment was supported through extensive collaboration, including funding from Governor Ron DeSantis' job growth grant through the Florida Department of Commerce, efforts by Northwest Florida's legislative delegation, Triumph Gulf Coast, Santa Rosa County Economic Development and ST Engineering—along with cooperation

from the City of Pensacola. The 18-month FAAaligned certification program addresses a documented need with measurable industry demand.

This pattern repeats across Meadows' tenure. PSC partners with the City of Pensacola to provide professional development classes for municipal employees. The college operates a truckdriving training facility where Santa Rosa County employees earn commercial driver's licenses. The paramedic program trains Escambia County EMTs through a scholarship arrangement funded by EMS revenue, with graduates committing to two years of county service.

ADDRESSING OTHER NEEDS When Navy leadership expressed concerns about public education for military children, Meadows created the PSC Charter Academy, which has growth from 42 students in 2021 to 209 students today. The academy now occupies a renovated $1.5-$2 million facility on the Pensacola campus, serving ninth through 12th graders while earning consecutive "A" grades from the state.

Meadows' commitment extends beyond campus boundaries. His statewide reach includes the Florida State University InSPIRE advisory council and past chairmanship of the Florida College Systems Council of Presidents. These aren't ceremonial positions—they're platforms where regional workforce strategy gets shaped and institutional resources get aligned with community needs.

PSC's enrollment has increased since COVID19—a notable achievement when many community colleges nationwide saw sustained declines. That growth reflects program relevance, institutional responsiveness and community's confidence that Meadows has systematically built through workforce partnerships and measurable outcomes.

The $25.2 million in grants and scholarships distributed in 2023-2024—a 31% single-year increase reaching 72% of degree or certificate seekers—didn't happen by accident. It reflects institutional priorities, strategic donor cultivation and sustained attention to what actually matters to working families facing rising living costs.

After nearly two decades, the institution he leads has become exactly what he envisioned: an engine for opportunity, embedded in community life, aligned with regional economic needs and genuinely affordable for our families.

This effective leadership—measured by outcomes—deserves recognition and support. Ed Meadows has earned a raise. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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LAND TRUST TACKLES HOUSING CRISIS

three-bedroom, two-bath Gulf Breeze house last November.

Married for 38 years, the Sayles previously owned homes—four, in fact. But the couple sought adventure and traded in the traditional home for an RV. They spent six blissful years in the RV, and then Tom Sayles fell ill from a lifethreatening virus that dramatically decreased the amount of blood his heart pumps out.

"It's a miracle I'm here," said Tom Sayles, 63. "Every time I see my doctor, he says, 'I can't believe you're still here.'"

Given his deteriorating condition, living in an RV was no longer an option. The Sayles began searching for a house to buy, but with only Tom Sayles' disability income at their disposal, they discovered the Northwest Florida housing market was too expensive for them.

The couple began to lose hope, but then a friend recommended they contact Pensacola Habitat for Humanity. The cost of a Habitat home was out of their price range, too, but they were the perfect clients for one of Habitat's Northwest Florida Community Land Trust homes.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS

The Community Land Trust model allows the homebuyer to buy the home through a 99-year ground lease. The homes are sold to homebuyers with incomes at or below 120% of the area's median income. A minimum income of $35,000 is required. The Trust retains ownership of the land, so the purchase price is lower, and then

selected all nine homes within six months, and Habitat President and CEO Sam Young said the numbers will dramatically increase in the next few years as the organization works with government agencies to acquire vacant lots and build homes.

"Sometimes these things actually do materialize and have the impact that everybody was hoping for," Young said.

Habitat adopted the Community Land Trust model to tackle the affordable housing crisis. Wage increases in the region have doubled in the last 25 years, but the housing costs have quadrupled. The Pensacola Habitat has built almost 1,800 homes, Young said, and he estimates at least 1,400 of them would no longer be affordable for the families they serve.

"Sometimes these things actually do materialize and have the impact that everybody was hoping for."

Sam Young

"If you think about a funnel, you know we, the county, the city, private developers, we are putting all these affordable homes in the top of the funnel, but the bottom of the funnel is almost as wide as the top," Young said. "They just all keep falling out, so the land trust was the first mechanism that closed off the bottom of that funnel. So now every time we put a new afford-

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH

The Land Trust model is used around the country to varying degrees of success. Young said buy-in from the state, city of Pensacola and Escambia and Santa Rosa counties has contributed to Northwest Florida's model being so successful out of the gate. The state set the stage for its success in 2023 by awarding $1.3 million to the Land Trust to create a landbank.

Another factor in Northwest Florida's success is that the Land Trust and builders operate under one umbrella with a unified vision. Habitat primarily builds the homes, although Young said the organization will gladly partner with other developers. The Home Builders Association of West Florida recently built three houses on land donated by the city, and the possibility exists for other developers to build on Land Trust lots.

"I'm in conversations with another local, very dynamic young builder who wants to build on the Land Trust, but if it wasn't for Habitat doing all these builds, there's no chance that we would be experiencing the same level of growth that we are," Young said.

The Land Trust model is outpacing the traditional Habitat home in sales. Young said 10 of the last 15 families accepted into their program selected the more affordable Land Trust model.

"Frankly, that's what they could afford," Young said. "That, for me, is the best evidence of the success of this. We thought there was going to be a lot of resistance because they don't own

the land, and their opportunity to build that equity wealth is reduced based on the way it works, but it has not become the impediment we were fearful it would be. People are embracing it."

"It's a pretty easy argument to make once people embrace the opportunity." Young

Young continued, "They go, 'You know what? My choice is to stay in this substandard rental where I build zero equity and every dollar I pay in rent is gone forever, or I can go into a brand new beautiful, three-bedroom, two-bath home that every dollar of principal I pay into mortgage, I will get back and I will share in that appreciation over time with the next families that are going to live in this home.' It's a pretty easy argument to make once people embrace the opportunity."

PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY

Michelle Sayles said she initially felt some trepidation about buying a house without the land as part of the purchase. A friend eased her concerns when she reminded her that homebuyers on Pensacola Beach buy property without land equity.

Young said putting a ground lease together presents its share of challenges, namely balancing wealth creation with permanent affordability. The model favors permanent affordability, with the homeowner receiving only 25% of the appreciation. That trade-off allows future buyers to afford homes at rates not dramatically impacted by the housing market.

"It's a lever, and every dollar of wealth that you're going to provide that family is going to be a dollar less of affordability to the future families," Young said. "We had to figure out where that balance was, and frankly, we balanced a little heavier toward affordability than creating wealth, because for the families that are in a different position, they just go into our normal homebuyer program, and they don't have any of the shared equity, 100% of the equity goes to them."

He explained, "But because this was a unique program, we wanted to ensure longterm affordability, so that's why only 25% is available to them."

Young said Pensacola Habitat is in discussions with Okaloosa and Walton officials about the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust expanding its program to their counties. The possibility exists for thousands of families across the region to someday experience the same thrill the Sayles felt when they took ownership of their Gulf Breeze house—ironically, located across the street from a house they rented 16 years ago when they first moved to the region.

"It's given ordinary people like us an opportunity to move into a great area," Tom Sayles said. "Sixteen years later, the circle is complete." {in}

Photo Courtesy of Pensacola Habitat for Humanity

Changing

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PENSACOLA PROUD ST Engineering has changed its name from ST Engineering–Mobile Aerospace Engineering to ST Engineering–Pensacola Aerospace.

"While our name has evolved, our mission has not," the company stated in the announcement. "We remain committed to delivering trusted aerospace solutions, advancing safety and quality and supporting the people who keep aircraft flying. This new chapter reflects who we are today and where we are headed next."

Over the past decade, the City of Pensacola has built a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) campus on roughly 19 acres at Pensacola International Airport, with multiple large hangars, office space, shops, storage mezzanines, aprons and taxiways built specifically for ST Engineering's use under long-term lease.

The third hangar off 12th Avenue is nearly complete, and the City of Pensacola is ready to begin design for the fourth hangar.

Phase 1 (Project Stallion / VT MAE MRO Hangar) produced a dual-bay hangar capable of handling two Boeing 777s or up to six A321/ A320-size aircraft at once. Hangar 2 opened in February 2023, adding more office, workshop and support space and expanding simultaneous maintenance capacity.

The full four-hangar build-out, often referred to locally as Project Titan, is projected to generate at least about 1,700 jobs once complete, with project cost estimates for the overall expansion around $210 million.

A WIN FOR MILTON The City of Milton has received approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for a new wastewater treatment plant after what City Manager Ed Spears described as a "light speed" 13-month permitting process.

The permits authorize construction of a 4-million-gallon-per-day treatment facility and accompanying spray field disposal area on a newly selected site. The project represents a critical step in addressing environmental threats to the region's waterways and removing capacity constraints that have blocked the city's growth.

"In December 2024, new council was seated here in Milton, and they immediately went to work on revamping our wastewater treatment plant project," Spears said. "It's just light speed to get a permit of that magnitude done in that amount of time."

The city worked with engineering firm Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. to navigate the complex permitting process, which typically extends far beyond the 13-month timeline Milton achieved.

Spears identified failing septic tanks as the primary environmental threat facing the region's waterways. Recent closures of oyster harvesting in East Bay and Blackwater Bay because of elevated fecal coliform and bacteria levels underscore the urgency of the problem.

"Once they fail, that's untreated raw sewage going directly into our groundwater and our aquifers," Spears said. "The No. 1 threat to our waterways in this area are septic tanks."

Milton's existing treatment plant, rated for 2.5 million gallons per day, currently processes more than 2 million gallons daily. The landlocked facility, surrounded by wetlands in a hurricanevulnerable area, cannot be expanded to meet growing demand.

With permits secured, Milton has issued a request for proposals to clear and grub 350 acres for spray fields—work expected to require a full year of near-continuous operation. The city aims to achieve 100% elimination of effluent discharge into the Blackwater River by 2027.

"Now that we have these permits, we're able

to move forward on a much faster timeline because we're shovel ready," Spears said. "Without the permits, it's still a 50-50 coin toss on if you're going to get them or not."

The expanded capacity will enable Milton to service new subdivisions in East Milton and surrounding areas currently being developed with packaged plants or septic systems.

WELCOME, BIRDON

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board has unanimously approved $76 million to bring advanced maritime manufacturing to the Port of Pensacola, and the mystery shipbuilder behind "Project Maeve" can now be revealed: Birdon America, Inc., the U.S. arm of Australian shipbuilder Birdon Group.

The $275 million project promises to create approximately 2,000 high-wage jobs with average annual salaries exceeding $80,000—roughly 140% of Escambia County's current average wage. The facility will encompass 400,000 square feet of advanced manufacturing space capable of producing complex Navy ship modules, submarine components and complete surface vessels up to 400 feet long.

Birdon America, Inc. is a federal contractor primarily focused on shipbuilding, repair and marine propulsion for U.S. military and government customers. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Denver, the company operates as the American division of Australia's Birdon Group, which has been in business since 1977.

The company's closest existing operation to Pensacola is its Gulf Coast shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Ala., approximately 60 miles west of the Port of Pensacola. This proximity suggests potential operational synergies and workforce recruitment opportunities across the region.

Birdon America's portfolio includes major U.S. defense programs, notably the U.S. Army Bridge Erection Boat program and refits of U.S. Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboats. The company also manufactures NAMJet marine propulsion systems, demonstrating expertise across multiple aspects of maritime manufacturing.

The project directly supports objectives outlined in President Trump's April 2025 Executive Order, "Restoring America's Maritime Dominance," which calls for rebuilding domestic maritime industries to strengthen national security and economic resilience.

The U.S. Navy's Maritime Industrial Base Office has formally endorsed the project.

"Project Maeve represents a valuable example of how state and regional cost-share initiatives can strengthen the maritime industrial base," wrote Matthew Evans, deputy program director, in his letter of support.

Triumph's $76 million investment will fund construction of two primary facilities. Phase 1 is a panel line and module fabrication warehouse designed for advanced ship component manufacturing. Phase 2 includes assembly bays capa -

ble of final vessel assembly for ships up to 400 feet in length.

The total project budget includes $105 million in construction costs, $25 million for site preparation and port utility upgrades, and $145 million in specialized equipment. Additional funding sources include a pending $14 million request to Florida Commerce and $15 million in company contributions.

The University of West Florida (UWF) has committed to workforce partnerships supporting the project. A UWF Haas Center workforce study identified strong recruitment opportunities across the Southeast, with numerous counties producing more graduates in shipbuilding-related occupations than local markets can absorb. The job breakdown includes approximately 1,437 advanced manufacturing positions in skilled trades like electricians, machinists and welders, plus 563 engineering and administrative roles.

The City of Pensacola will retain ownership of the facilities as public infrastructure through a long-term ground lease with Birdon America. This structure ensures Triumph-funded improvements remain publicly owned assets that could support future maritime tenants if needed.

Triumph staff rated the proposal with an "A" score, projecting a return on investment of $33.6 of additional household income for every Triumph dollar expended, translating to $2.55 billion over 10 years. Construction is projected to begin immediately upon final approvals, with completion expected within 30 months.

DIAZ CROWNED The Florida Board of Governors voted Jan. 29 to confirm Manny Diaz Jr. as the seventh president of the University of West Florida (UWF), nearly a year after Gov. Ron DeSantis orchestrated a dramatic overhaul of the university's board of trustees.

The confirmation follows an 11-1 approval vote by the UWF Board of Trustees on Jan. 8, capping a controversial process that saw the departure of popular President Martha Saunders and the installation of DeSantis' loyal education commissioner.

UWF Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Matthews formally presented Diaz to the state board in a Jan. 15 letter, describing what she called a "comprehensive" search process. However, Diaz was the only finalist presented to trustees.

In May 2025, Matthews offered her board only one candidate for interim president: Education Commissioner Manny Diaz. He officially took office July 14, 2025.

The university retained Funk & Associates, a firm that has conducted more than 400 presidential searches, to support the process. A 15-member presidential search committee—all white—formed in August 2025 under the leadership of UWF Trustee Zack Smith, the board's newest trustee.

Matthews praised Diaz's interim performance in her letter to the Board of Governors, stating he "has worked with great vigor and a steady hand— showing his commitment to the university."

She highlighted his focus on "maintaining strategic relationships and building new ones, engag-

Photo Courtesy of City of Pensacola

ing with federal and state government leaders, and strategically managing the university's budget, as well as bolstering fundraising efforts."

"On behalf of the UWF Board of Trustees, I am pleased to request that the Board of Governors, at its next scheduled meeting, consider and confirm President-Elect Manny Diaz, Jr., as the seventh President of the University of West Florida," Matthews wrote.

Matthews concluded with optimism about the university's direction: "We look forward to working with you as we write UWF's next chapter—bold, collaborative and future-focused."

ZACK ATTACKS AGAIN

The Pensacola State College (PSC) Board of Trustees delivered an unprecedented rebuke to President Ed Meadows last month, deadlocking 4-4 on a proposed $25,000 raise and $50,000 bonus—despite official evaluations showing "unanimous positive confidence" in his leadership.

The Jan. 20 vote revealed a sharp divide between the board's veteran members and newly appointed trustees, raising questions about Gov. DeSantis' political influence in Florida's higher education system.

Three brand-new DeSantis appointees— Richard Holzknecht, Todd Leonard and Audrey McDonald—joined Trustee Zack Smith in blocking the $75,000 compensation package. The board's established members voted to approve it.

Smith, who also serves on the University of West Florida (UWF) Board of Trustees, accused Meadows of providing "inaccurate information" and suggested the president hadn't been aggressive enough with the governor's agenda for state colleges. Smith previously expressed concerns about Achieve Escambia's focus on diversity.

The three new trustees claimed they lacked sufficient information to support the raise—despite the fact that Holzknecht and Leonard are Pensacola residents who should be familiar with Meadows' documented accomplishments.

Gov. DeSantis has now appointed Oscar Locklin to the PSC Board, potentially breaking the tie. Locklin, an attorney at Locklin, Saba, Locklin, & Jones, P.A., specializes in real estate, wills and trusts, and probate law. He serves on the Santa Rosa Education Foundation Board and volunteers with Jay Church of Christ. The appointment requires Florida Senate confirmation.

The situation mirrors recent upheaval at UWF, where Smith played a key role in creating an untenable environment for former President Martha Saunders, ultimately leading to her departure. His aggressive first-week actions on the UWF Board helped escalate pressure on Saunders, though no formal record shows he directly demanded her resignation.

Meadows' current contract runs through June 30, 2027, with a base salary of $353,558 plus benefits including a vehicle and retirement annuity. The board may consider a contract extension at a future meeting.

FIRST AMENDMENT LECTURE The University of West Florida will host its annual Seligman First Amendment Lecture on Tuesday, March

3, featuring scholar Dr. Jay Cost examining the connections between intellectual freedom and American democracy.

Cost, the Gerald R. Ford nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, will present "To Preserve the Freedom of the Human Mind: The First Amendment and the Pursuit of Happiness" at the Museum of Commerce, 201 Zaragoza St. The free public event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed with the lecture at 6 p.m.

"This year we wanted to explore the connections between the principles of the Declaration of Independence and those found in our First Amendment," said Dr. David Ramsey, professor and chair of the Reubin O'D. Askew Department of Government. "Professor Cost is one of the most gifted communicators among the rising generation of scholars who study the American founding and has given this topic special attention in recent years."

Cost's research focuses on civic republicanism, emphasizing James Madison's political theory, political corruption, the role of parties and congressional authority. The lecture will conclude with a Q&A session and signing of his latest book, "James Madison: America's First Politician."

The Seligman Lecture is an annual event sponsored by the Jane G. and Fred K. Seligman Endowment to foster dialogue about First Amendment issues. Additional support comes from the John C. Pace Symposium Series and the U.S. Department of Education. Past lecturers include Sen. Bob Graham and Carl Hiaasen, a novelist and longtime Miami Herald columnist. Registration and information are available at uwf.edu/seligman.

WINGS

FOR ALL Pensacola International Airport will host a Wings for All event 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, offering children with autism and other developmental disabilities a mock flight experience to help them become comfortable with air travel.

The event, created through a partnership between the airport, Delta Air Lines, and The Arc Gateway, allows families to experience ticketing, TSA screening, boarding and time onboard an aircraft in a structured, low-stress environment.

"Air travel should be accessible to everyone," said Matt Coughlin, the airport executive director. "Wings for All is incredibly impactful because it replaces fear of the unknown with confidence and excitement."

The Wings for All program has helped thousands of individuals nationwide since Delta Air Lines created it as part of the airline's accessibility initiatives. The Feb. 24 event also includes support from TSA, OHM Concessions Group and the City of Pensacola.

Pensacola International Airport participates in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, a global initiative that allows travelers with nonvisible disabilities to discreetly indicate they may need additional time, patience or assistance while traveling. Airport staff receive ongoing training to ensure every traveler is treated with dignity, respect and care. {in}

NATIONAL NAVAL AVIATION

Museum

• More than 150 beautifully resorted aircraft

• Hangar Bay One with an expanded Apollo Space exhibit, Marine One helicopter and F/A-18 Hornet

• Giant 4K Screen Digital Theater, cafe’, simulators, museum store and more!

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

• Access to the museum is through the West Gate on Blue Angel Pkwy.

• A REAL ID or valid passport is required for base access

• A clear bag policy is in effect.

See free Blue Angels practices most Tuesday and Wednesdays. Scan the QR code for all the details and premium seating options.

The Promised Land in the Center of Town

On Nov. 28, 2025, a Pensacola police officer arrested Michael Kimberl in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza while local activist group Food Not Bombs hosted its weekly Friday evening feedings. The plaza, frequently referred to as MLK Plaza, has long been a center of local activity since its inception in 1993, hosting reoccurring events like Palafox Market and frequent public demonstrations like protests and marches.

The three-block plaza runs through Palafox Street in the center of Pensacola's downtown, with the middle section featuring a prominent bust of the slain civil rights leader. Several times over the years, the City of Pensacola tried to move Food Not Bombs' public feedings out of the plaza, but the group has continually resisted these attempts.

According to Kimberl, the food sharing at MLK Plaza is fitting because of the "Poor People's Campaign," which was the multi-racial second phase of the civil rights movement that King was organizing when he was assassinated.

"It is a symbol of the struggle for peace, equality and economic justice," Kimberl said. "From protests to candlelight vigils, the plaza is a powerful reminder of how far we have come, and of how far we have to go to achieve these dreams we share."

Symbol or not, the plaza itself is part of a larger movement of sorts to memorialize King by way of street and park names. While it's just one of several MLK parks in the South and Florida, Pensacola's MLK Plaza stands out from the others with its location in the heart of the city's downtown.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza Yesterday & Today

By C. Scott Satterwhite

The concept for the local plaza began with the establishment of the MLK Commemorative Celebration Commission (MLKCCC). Formed in 1987, the year after the first federally recognized holiday honoring King, MLKCCC has organized the annual January parade honoring King's birthday.

The commission was led by several leaders in Pensacola's Black community, including Eugene Brown, Leroy Boyd, Raychell Gaston, Georgia Blackmon and many others. Current leaders like Pensacola City Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton and Hale Morrissette were even brought to committee meetings with their parents.

'I have a dream'

Randi Broughton, the councilwoman's mother, served on the MLKCCC executive committee in its early years. She paints the city as one filled with racial tension but also notes tension within the Black churches and organizations.

"This was one of the reasons we needed the monument. To bring people together, of all ethnicities and cultures," the elder Broughton recalled.

"You had a group of folks that didn't think it was necessary," said Vernon Watson, the founder of WBQP-TV. "You had a group of folks that didn't think it should be downtown, but there wasn't anywhere else."

By 1990, Robert Hill had moved to Pensacola and started operating WRNE radio. He said, "When I came to town, Eugene Brown and Leroy Boyd were [in the] process of trying to get the bust of King and place it downtown."

While a few county commissioners were hesitant, the city council backed the concept of using

the land where a former Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) station existed on Palafox Street for the plaza. Fundraising, however, became one of the greatest hurdles to realizing this dream. Designs for the plaza and memorial also needed approval by The King Center in Atlanta.

"The plaza was there, and the city gave the property, but they needed a bust," Hill said. "They needed about $25,000 to do the thing."

Various benefits and dinners were organized to raise funds for the project, including many creative ways. "We even stood on corners," said Broughton. "Me and a beloved DJ Lewis Lee from WBOP, he and I would stand up where the plaza is now and hold buckets and people would drop money in it."

Hill shared "a pivotal point" in the fundraising effort. "We broadcasted live from that plaza every day. After four or five days, the money just wasn't coming in, until one morning. I'll never forget it.

[Mayor] Vince Whibbs walked from City Hall down to the plaza, got on the microphone and made a plea to the city: 'Let's do this. Let's build the plaza. Let's raise this money.'"

Whibbs then made calls to wealthy and influential people in the city to contribute, and they did.

Hill's fundraising efforts quickly gained momentum on other radio stations. Leonard Skipworth [an Alabama radio personality] drove all the way from Mobile, Ala., and told his listeners "Let's do it." Robert "Cooker" Morgan, a favorite radio personality from WBOP, also joined the efforts. Soon, the money was raised to pay for the statue and related expenses. The bust was

sculpted by Atlanta artist Ayokunle Odeleye and installed in December 1992.

"Once we raised the money, I said, 'Let's continue for another week or two. We need to erect something here to identify that this is the MLK Plaza,'" Hill said.

Unfortunately, the fundraising stopped with the bust, even though others had grander plans. In an oral history conducted for the University of West Florida Public History program, Boyd, a Movement for Change founder and MLKCCC member, expressed regret about the project not being finished.

In the interview, Boyd said the plaza was supposed to be completed in three phases. The first phase was the landscaping of the area. The second phase was the construction of the wall and placement of the bust. The third phase was supposed to be two sides of an arc that that bent over the plaza but never met, symbolizing the ongoing struggle for racial equity and justice.

'Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope'

T he park was dedicated on MLK Day 1993. Hill said, "It was a dream come true."

Nine days later, the bust was vandalized. White paint was dumped on the new statue, forcing a new dedication of the monument only days after the first dedication. This wouldn't be the only vandalism.

"There were a number of years when the bust was damaged, and damaged, and damaged, and damaged," Hill said. "Thank God that doesn't happen anymore."

Photos Courtesy of C. Scott Satterwhite

Broughton described other racially motivated attacks to the statue. "They used to hang nooses around his neck. Several nooses. They actually damaged the monument. It was a painful thing."

"It would get vandalized," Watson said. "And we'd redo it."

Despite numerous attempts to deface the statue, the larger-than-life size bust of King still rests in the center of MLK Plaza. When completed, the statue pointed north in the direction of the Confederate monument that faced south on Palafox. Today, the Confederate statue is gone, but King remains.

Hill, however, felt more could have been done at the time to raise the profile of the plaza. "I come down on the weekend. It's a congregating place for vendors and tourists, but there's little to identify that it's MLK Plaza."

'The moral arc of the universe'

Almost since its inception, Pensacola's MLK Plaza has been a center of celebration and activism.

In 1994, the park was the final gathering spot after a non-violent march downtown to mourn the murders of Dr. John Britton and James Barrett by an anti-abortion activist. Anti-war activists held weekly protests against the war in Afghanistan from 2001-2002. In 2003, daily protests took place in the plaza for weeks at the beginning of the war in Iraq, and then at other times as the war continued.

Patricia Edmisten, a poet and retired professor, led Patriots for Peace in weekly vigils around the bust of King that lasted from 2004-2009. Bill Sloan of Veterans for Peace organized with Movement for Change to read the names of the dead from the Iraq War, sometimes lasting hours. A bugle player sometimes played "Taps" facing the bust in the middle of the plaza, as readers often closed with one of King's speeches.

Boyd's Movement for Change joined many of these events and held several rallies protesting the deaths of prisoners in the county jail, while also joining the vigils with Veterans for Peace and Patriots for Peace.

The ACLU used MLK Plaza to protest the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, and Hiroshima Day was marked beside the bust of the MLK. A rally that drew hundreds of people following Trayvon Martin's murder also took place in the plaza, which was part of a nationwide response that launched the Black Lives Matter movement. Several protests for Palestinian rights in the past few decades took place near the 9/11 monument that rests at the south side of the plaza, near the space where people celebrated the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage and later rallied for reproductive rights.

One of the longer protests that happened in the plaza was when the Occupy movement set up encampments throughout the park in 2011. These protests, that began on Wall Street in New York and spread across the country, held free schools and set up various "free stores" in the park. The local Occupy movement gave birth to the modern reiteration of Food Not Bombs, and they continue to give away free meals in the same location to this day.

'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'

In 2006, hundreds of immigrants—most of whom came to Pensacola to rebuild the city after Hurricane Ivan—marched around the park as anti-immigrant sentiments rose. Since then, sev-

eral other solidarity rallies have happened, including recently with the killings of American citizens by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents under the current administration.

After the Jan. 7, 2026 killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis by ICE agents, protests sprung up across the country coinciding with the King holiday weekend. The day after the holiday, protesters rallied at MLK Plaza displaying a large banner with an image of King and a quote from his 1967 "Beyond Vietnam" speech: "The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today—my own government."

Less than three weeks later, Alex Pretti, a nurse employed by the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, was shot to death by ICE agents, launching more protests and calls for a general strike. Another solidarity protest took place in MLK Plaza.

While standing in the plaza in near-freezing temperatures, Sarah Brummet, an organizer with the local chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, reflected on King's legacy and the park's significance to these protests.

She said that King "spoke of the three evils of racism, poverty and war. Those words resonate so deeply today, when racist ICE terror rips families apart, disappears people and executes those who stand up against it in the streets."

"There is a deep continuity between the struggles that King helped lead in his lifetime and the struggles we face today," Brummet said. "We have every duty to remember those connections and learn from that history so that we can more effectively organize today."

'I still have a dream'

Looking back on the early days of the MLKCCC and those who brought MLK Plaza into existence, many had mixed emotions.

Mamie Hixon, a longtime Pensacola educator who began her work with the MLKCCC by spearheading an MLK-themed essay contest in the area's public schools, wondered aloud if Pensacola has taken the significance of the park for granted.

"Has the name lost its original significance or intent?" Hixon asked. "When I hear of events, I don't often hear people refer to it as 'MLK Plaza,' but just the plaza."

"Like most history, Black history gets lost. History gets erased, whether intentionally or by dismissal, and it seems to me that this is happening here," Hixon continued.

Hill, however, said he enjoys what the park has become for a number of reasons.

"I can drive down there, especially during the summer months, and there will be people of all races and nationalities down there doing different things," Hill said. "I'm glad that it was built."

"In keeping with Dr. King's philosophy, one of the things that he did just before his death being the 'Poor People's Campaign,'" Watson said. "Symbolically, it was kind of a shame that [Kimberl] was arrested trying to do something good. Thirty years later, what was more ironic was that it was a white person who was arrested for trying to help the downtrodden."

Although not all of her memories of the time were pleasant, Broughton agreed with her former colleagues about the park living up to the intent of the group that gathered more than 30 years ago to make this dream a reality.

"I just hope that, no matter what ethnic background, people continue to know that King was a person of love, a person of togetherness," Broughton said. "Definitely, that plaza has been able to represent that." {in}

Arts & Entertainment

fun—and that's exactly how it was created. Broadway vocalist Capathia Jenkins curated the program with three-time Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Shaw, conductor Lucas Shaw and manager John Such. Jenkins and Shaw have performed it with multiple symphonies across the country, and this weekend it will be PSO's turn.

"I know people think that [when] you come into the symphony, it's highbrow and all that," Jenfor years but also don't typically make it into his daily listening.

"I will usually compile a set list for something like this so if I hop in the car, I can just hit play and remind myself how these great tunes go," Rubardt said. "It's a refreshing change, in many ways, from the way that I normally prepare the more classical concerts, and I think that the orchestra players feel largely the same way. Play-

have such a good time with it."

Each song comes with challenges, Jenkins said, specifically mentioning Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." Whitney is one of the best voices she will hear in her lifetime, she said.

"With all of these singers, I'm not trying to imitate them, but I do want to bring the essence of what they gave," Jenkins said. "The essence of 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' is pure joy,

and she's just singing with abandon. So that is a challenge when you have a full program where I'm singing Aretha [Franklin], and then Gladys [Knight] and then Patti LaBelle."

Jenkins suspects the songs are as much of "a bear" to sing for Shaw, too. But it's worth it.

"We premiered this show last year with the Princeton Symphony [Orchestra], and we've been really busy with it and traveling," Jenkins said. "Now it feels like, 'Oh, we got it.' Those first couple of times, you almost feel shot out of a cannon. But now it's in us. We feel so good about it and really feel accomplished."

"Icon" is more than music by itself. There's storytelling, too, she said.

"Whether it's taking people back to the Sonny and Cher show or talking about [Shaw] meeting Stevie Wonder for the first time, we know exactly what we want to talk about," Jenkins said. "So that when you're in the audience, you really are having an experience … it really is personalized to Ryan and me and our experiences with these songs, and I think it gives the audience a unique experience when they come to this show at the orchestra." {in}

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S PRODUCTION OF "ICON: THE VOICES THAT CHANGED MUSIC"

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7

WHERE: Pensacola Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St.

COST: Tickets start at $31.50

DETAILS: pensacolasymphony.com

Capathia Jenkins / Courtesy Photo

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NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

GULF COAST KID'S HOUSE ADULT SEXUAL ABUSE RECOVERY GROUP Gulf Coast

Kid's House will host a 12-week therapy group for adults who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. The group is led by Nancy Hagman, M.Ed, LMHC alongside GCKH therapists. The group meets 9:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays through April 28. Participation is free, and childcare is provided. Visit gulfcoastkidshouse.org for details.

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Ani -

mal Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Beef 'O' Brady's, 1 New Market St., Cantonment (on Nine Mile Road near Pine Forest Road). The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. Food and drinks are also available for purchase. For more information, visit facebook.com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN ADOP -

TION Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. Ninth Ave. to meet your furever friend. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD

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

CALL TO ARTISTS

PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART CALLS

FOR CUBED ARTISTS It's time for the ninth annual CUBED Event. Pensacola Museum of Art invites all artists to submit their mural ideas for a chance to participate in CUBED 2026 in downtown Pensacola. The deadline to submit is 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15. This year's live painting event is Saturday, March 14. Selected artists will receive a $500 stipend to complete their mural. Murals will be on display for approximately one year. For more information and how to submit, visit pensacolamuseum.org/cubed-2026.

ARTS & CULTURE

MEREDITH WILSON'S THE MUSIC MAN

Show is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details are at pensacolasaenger.com.

PERFECT ARRANGEMENT This is a Studio

400 production. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, Feb. 7; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8. A Thursday performance is 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Tickets are $25 for purchase at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

KREWE OF AVANT GARDE ANNUAL FORMAL MASQUERADE MARDI GRAS BALL Open to the community, the Mardi Gras ball will

have live music, dinner, a mask contest and more 6-11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 at Pensacola Yacht Club, 1897 Cypress St. Tickets are $75 a person. RSVP at pmv@cox.net.

PERDIDO KEY MARDI GRAS MASQUERADE BALL Event is 5-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 at Lillian's Pizza, 14514 Perdido Key Drive. Tickets are $50-$100 a person. There will be live music, fire dancers, a stilt walker and more. Details are at perdidochamber.com.

ARCHIVE PRESERVATION PARTY Help 309 file old punk flyers and posters 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at 309 S. Sixth Ave. Details are at facebook.com/309punkproject.

DEBÍ TIRAR MÁS FOTOS: LECTURE AND DANCE PARTY Join 309 Punk Project 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at 309 S. Sixth Ave. for an educational lecture and dance party celebrating Bad Bunny's "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," just one day before his historic Super Bowl halftime performance. Go into the show with a deeper understanding of the history, culture and sociopolitical commentary that make this album a modern masterpiece. Details are at facebook.com/309punkproject.

IMPROVABLE CAUSE The next Improvable Cause show is 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Tickets are $10 and available at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

VINTAGE VALENTINE CRAFT NIGHT Get crafty at the cat café 5-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8 at Coastal Cat Café, 1508 W. Garden St. Tickets are $25 and include supplies and one hot beverage. Details are at coastalcatpcola.com.

MORNINGS AT THE MUSEUM: CALL OF THE DOLPHINS Enjoy breakfast and a special movie presentation in the Giant Screen Theatre at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. The movie is "Call of the Dolphins" at National Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd. Ste. B. Details are at navalaviationmuseum.org.

VALENTINE'S BUNCO PARTY Visit Unique Boutique, 1625 W. Garden St., for a night of dice and laughs 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. Tickets are $15. Register at ub-pensacola.com.

PENSACOLA FOO FOO FESTIVAL KICKOFF MEETING Join the Foo Foo Festival Committee for an in-person kickoff meeting 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 9 at the Bowden Building, 120 Church St.

PENSACOLA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY LECTURE SERIES Join PAS for its next lecture "The Road to Campbell Town" about the results of an archaeological and historical investigation of the French Huguenot settlement of Campbell Town in British West Florida with Jen Knutson, the assistant director of USA Archaeology Museum. The lecture is 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3400 Bayou Blvd. Details are at pasfl.org.

2026 SECOND LINE TUESDAYS Join the Second Line celebrations on Palafox Street during Mardi Gras season. The last date is 5 p.m.

Feb. 10 starting outside Old Hickory Whiskey Bar, 123 S. Palafox St. Details are at pensacolamardigras.com/events.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART FILM SCREENINGS Pensacola Cinema Art screens multiple films most weekends at 220 W. Garden St. Tickets are $10, cash only. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for their complete schedule.

DRAW TOGETHER DRAWING CLUB Draw Together Drawing Club starts 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. This is a free event, open to all ages and skill levels with supplies provided.

HEATED RIVALRY NIGHT Dance music, photobooth, giveaways and more are 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb. 14 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets are at vinylmusichall.com.

A HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY: STORYTELLERS, TRICKSTERS AND FORTUNE TELLERS The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida presents "A History of Photography: Storytellers, Tricksters and Fortune Tellers." This exhibition is viewable in The Art Gallery at UWF's Center for Fine and Performing Arts (Building 82) through Thursday, Feb. 5, with a closing reception 5-7 p.m. Feb. 5. Details are at uwf.edu/cfpa.

CHOICES YOU MAKE This exhibit is currently on view through Feb. 13 at Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox St. It features artists Mary Cooper Portera, Destiny Doss, Carlotta Succi and Nicolas Crogh.

MICHELLE JONES: SEVEN SISTERS Inspired by Greek mythology and the jungle-like landscape of the Gulf Coast, Michelle Jones presents lush, vividly colored landscapes using mixed media. Exhibit is on display through May 1 at the Switzer Gallery at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd. Details are at visualarts.pensacolastate.edu.

THRIFT STYLE This new exhibit at Pensacola Museum of History explores the reuse of feed sacks to make clothing and other household objects. View the exhibit and explore the museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. Details are at historicpensacola.org.

FIRST FRIDAY AT BLUE MORNING GALLERY Visit Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox St., 5:30 p.m. every first Friday of the month for a reception with wine, live music and occasional artist demonstrations. Visit bluemorninggallery.com for details.

PENSACOLA HERITAGE FOUNDATION

LECTURES Learn Pensacola and Northwest Florida history through interesting, informal lectures every other Tuesday at The Wright Place, 80 E. Wright St. Doors open at 11 a.m. and lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. The lecture starts at noon and lasts one hour. Lecture cost is $5 for non-members and is free to members. Lunches are $12. For reservations, call (850) 380-7759.

PENSACOLA ROSE SOCIETY Monthly meetings are normally 6 p.m. the second Monday of the month at the Pensacola Garden Center, 1850

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N. Ninth Ave. Visit pensacolarosesociety.org for more information.

BTB COMEDY Watch live standup comedy in open mic style 7 p.m. Mondays at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Follow BTB Comedy on Facebook for updates.

SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers every month. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. The event features local farmers, artists and crafters on North and South Palafox streets at Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand. For updates, visit facebook.com/ downtownpensacola.

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

SPIRITS OF SEVILLE QUARTER GHOST TOUR AND LUNCHEON Dine inside Pensacola's oldest and most haunted restaurant and investigate the spirits with actual paranormal equipment at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $12 and include a voucher toward

Seville Quarter's menu. Tours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 2-4 p.m. Sundays. Make an appointment by calling (850) 941-4321.

AFTER DARK: SEVILLE QUARTER

GHOSTS, MURDER, MAYHEM AND MYSTERY TOUR AND DINNER After Dark Paranormal Investigation and Dinner happens inside one of Pensacola's most haunted restaurants with real ghost-hunting equipment 6-8 p.m. Sundays. Listen as your guide weaves tales of ghosts, debauchery, murder, mayhem, paranormal activities, history and more related to Seville Quarter and downtown Historic Pensacola. After your ghost tour, enjoy dinner at Seville Quarter Palace Café, 130 E. Government St. Reservations are required. Call (850) 941-4321. Tickets are available at pensacolaghostevents.com.

FOOD + DRINKS

ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS: JOHNNIE

WALKER SCOTCH Classes are 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. Tickets are $30 a person and include beverage tasting and paired appetizers. Seating is limited. Reserve your tickets by calling (850) 287-0200 or emailing taylor@ goodgrits.com.

DINNER AND AN ARIA Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox St., presents a special dinner with performances from Pensacola Opera's Jan Miller Studio Artists. Two dinner seatings: 5 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5. Make your reser-

vation by calling (850) 469-9898. Visit jacksonsrestaurant.com to view menus.

FUNDAMENTALS: KNIFE SKILLS Cooking class is 6-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 at Pensacola Cooks Classroom, 4051 Barrancas Ave., Ste. C. Cost is $60 per student. Sign up at pensacolacooks.com/cooking-classes.

VEGAN SEAFOOD POPUP AT GARY'S BREWERY Oh My Cod Vegan Seafood will be at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave., noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7. Details are at facebook.com/garysbrew.

VALENTINE'S CHARCUTERIE BOARD

CLASS Cooking class is 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at Pensacola Cooks Classroom, 4051 Barrancas Ave., Ste. C. Cost is $75 per student. Sign up at pensacolacooks.com/cooking-classes.

BUNNIES AND BEER YOGA Cuddle baby bunnies and enjoy a glass of beer, wine, cider or seltzer at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave., noon Sunday, Feb. 8. Tickets are $24.92 and available on Eventbrite.

VINO MAGNIFICO Enjoy a monthly wine tasting event at V. Paul's, 29 S. Palafox St. Meeting is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. Cost is $20 a person. RSVP at vpauls.com.

VALENTINE'S WEEK AT RESTAURANT

IRON Enjoy a special three-course menu at

Restaurant IRON, 22 N. Palafox, during Valentine's week with an optional wine or cocktail pairing Friday, Feb. 13-Wednesday, Feb. 18. View menus at restaurantiron.com.

VALENTINE'S SUPPER CLUB AT THE WELL Enjoy an intimate dining series featuring a five-course chef-driven menu paired with three handcrafted cocktails. The next date is 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12 at The Well, 42 E. Garden St. Find the ticket link on facebook.com/thewellpensacola.

DOWNTOWN HAPPY HOUR AT SEVILLE QUARTER Drink specials and laidback vibes are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. every weekday throughout the entire Seville Quarter complex with $2 off all liquor drinks and $1 off all beer and wine. Must be 21 or older. Visit sevillequarter.com for details.

MEN'S NIGHT AT WISTERIA From 3 p.m. to close Mondays, guys can play free darts and enjoy $6 craft tallboys. There are more than 150 craft beers to choose from at Wisteria, 3803 N. 12th Ave. Visit wisteriatavern.com for details.

BAR BINGO AT SEVILLE QUARTER Bar Bingo is 8 p.m. Mondays at Apple Annie's at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Drink specials include $2.50 Miller Lite bottles and $3.50 Bomb shots. Bingo is free to play with prizes, giveaways and bar tabs up for grabs for winners. Visit sevillequarter.com for details.

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FIGHTER GAME NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S Gamers unite 5 p.m.-close Mondays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

BINGO NIGHT AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS Play a game (or two) of bingo 6-8 p.m. Mondays at Calvert's in the Heights, 670 Scenic Highway. For more information, visit calvertsintheheights.com.

MONDAY NIGHT SPAGHETTI SESSIONS

Visit V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox St., 5–9 p.m. Mondays for live music and spaghetti and meatballs from the Monday night menu.

DOUBLE MONDAYS AND SIN NIGHT Enjoy Double Mondays 8 p.m.-midnight and SIN Night 11 p.m. to close at O'Riley's Tavern, 3728 Creighton Road. Details are at orileystavern.com.

MARTINI NIGHT AT THE KENNEDY Every Tuesday, The Kennedy, 1 S. Palafox St., hosts Martini Night, featuring all martinis from the menu for $10 from open to close (4-11 p.m.).

75-CENT OYSTERS AT ATLAS Enjoy 75-cent oysters 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

MUSIC BINGO Test your music knowledge 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Wisteria, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Take part in half-price bottles of wine and $5 canned cocktails. Visit wisteriatavern.com for details.

POKER NIGHT AND BINGO AT O'RILEY'S

Visit O'Riley's Irish Pub for poker at 6:30 p.m. and bar bingo 8-10 p.m. Tacos are on special Tuesdays at 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

LUNCH AT THE DISTRICT The District Steakhouse, 130 E. Government St., is open for special lunch seatings the third Friday of the month. Enjoy a $5 martini or house wine. Seatings are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations are accepted but not necessary. Details are available at districtsteaks.com.

DOLLAR NIGHT Enjoy Dollar Night 8 p.m.midnight Tuesdays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar.com for details.

TUESDAY TRIVIA AT PERFECT PLAIN Visit Perfect Plain Brewing Co. for trivia nights 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at 50 E. Garden St. Visit perfectplain.com/upcoming-events for details.

LATIN NIGHT AT SEVILLE QUARTER Get on your feet with a social Latin dance—no partner required—and Latin music 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays at Phineas Phogg's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Drink specials and music from DJ DavidC continue after the dancing. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

DOLLAR NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S Dollar Night is 8 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays at O'Riley's Tavern, 3728 Creighton Road. Food trucks are on site. Details are at orileystavern.com.

TRIVIA AT O'RILEY'S Test your trivia knowledge 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

TRIVIA AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS

Take part in trivia nights 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Calvert's in the Heights, 670 Scenic Highway. For more information, visit calvertsintheheights.com.

COLLEGE NIGHT AT SEVILLE QUARTER

College night is 8 p.m. Thursdays at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Ages 18 and older are welcome. Free beer pong tournament begins at 10 p.m. Drink specials include $2 bar drinks, $3.50 Fireball shots for ages 21 and older. Cover is $5 for ages 21 and older and $10 for ages 18-20. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

PITCHERS AND TAVERN TRIVIA Get deals on pitchers 8 p.m.-midnight at O'Riley's Tavern. Trivia is 8 p.m., and SIN Night starts 1 a.m. Thursdays at 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern.com for details.

WEEKLY SINGO AT PERFECT PLAIN BREW-

ING CO. Music Bingo Thursdays is 7-9 p.m. at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Details are at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

POOL TOURNAMENT Pool tournaments begin 8 p.m., and Tequila Night is 8 p.m. to midnight Thursdays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar.com for details.

DOLLAR NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S Dollar Night with a DJ starts 8 p.m. Thursdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

TRIVIA UNDER THE TREES Trivia is 6 p.m. Thursdays at Wisteria Tavern, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Visit wisteriatavern.com for details.

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT

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

FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR AT SEVILLE

QUARTER Visit Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., on Fridays for cold drinks, hot food and great vibes in the End O' the Alley Courtyard at Seville Quarter. Happy hour begins 11 a.m. Fridays with drink and food specials.

SEVILLE QUARTER'S FLIP MY QUARTER

Seville Quarter is flipping the script—and a few quarters—with its brand-new happy hour promotion, Flip My Quarter, 6-8 p.m. Fridays throughout the Seville Quarter entertainment complex. When you order a domestic draft beer, well liquor cocktail or house wine, tell the bartender to "flip my quarter." When they flip it, call it in the air. If you call it right, your drink is free.

BIG BEER NIGHT Drink specials are 8 p.m.-midnight, and SIN Night is 1 a.m. to close Fridays at

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Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar.com for details.

FEISTY FRIDAY NIGHTS Enjoy a DJ 9 p.m. Fridays at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

TGI FIREBALL FRIDAY Drink specials are all day Fridays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. SIN Night starts at 11 p.m. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

FISH FRY FRIDAY Half off fish n' chips is 11 a.m.4 p.m., and live DJ is 9 p.m. Fridays at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

JAMESON SPECIAL Enjoy $5 Jameson Irish Whiskey all night Saturdays at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION NIGHT AT SEVILLE QUARTER From 8 p.m.-midnight Saturdays, members enjoy $3.50 Crown & Drown cocktails at Phineas Phogg's inside Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

WEEKLY SATURDAY BRUNCH Brunch is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

SHAMROCK SATURDAY Shamrock Saturday is 9 p.m., and SIN Night starts 11 p.m. Saturdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

B.A.R.E. NIGHT (BAR AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE NIGHT) Sunday nights at Seville Quarter belong to hospitality industry. Head to End O' the Alley at Seville Quarter 7 p.m. every Sunday for B.A.R.E. Night. Not a member yet? Stop by and sign up for your B.A.R.E. Card, and start enjoying the benefits immediately.

FREE POOL AND BAR BINGO AT O'RILEY'S TAVERN Enjoy free pool all day and play bar bingo 8 p.m. Sundays at O'Riley's Tavern, 3728 Creighton Road. Details are at orileystavern.com.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT CAFÉ SINGLE FIN

Partake in brunch specials, full café menu, espressos and bottomless mimosas until 1 p.m. Sundays at Café Single Fin, 380 N. Ninth Ave. Live music begins at 10 a.m. Visit cafesinglefin.com for details.

SEVILLE SUNDAY BRUNCH Sunday brunch is 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Palace Café and Courtyard inside Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., with soup and a salad bar, a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, mimosas and champagne specials. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

SUNDAY BILLIARDS Rack 'em up in Fast Eddie's Billiards Room at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., with drink specials and a laidback, air-conditioned atmosphere.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AND KARAOKE O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St., hosts brunch 10 a.m.2 p.m. Sundays. Karaoke begins at 8 p.m. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT ATLAS OYSTER

HOUSE Sunday Brunch is 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. View menus at atlasoysterhouse.com.

SIN NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S SIN Night is midnight to close Sundays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

KARAOKE AND SIN NIGHTS AT SIR RICHARD'S Karaoke is 9 p.m.-1 a.m., and SIN Night is 1 a.m. to close Mondays and Thursdays at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

ON AIR LIVE BAND KARAOKE Live out your rockstar dreams 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., hosted by Craig Stahl. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

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

KARAOKE AT SEVILLE QUARTER Karaoke is nightly Wednesday-Sunday at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Enjoy drink specials and a no-judgement zone, where everyone is welcome to the mic. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

KARAOKE AT THE HANDLEBAR Karaoke starts 9 p.m. Wednesdays at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Visit thehandlebar850.com for details.

KARAOKE AT WISTERIA Karaoke starts 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Wisteria Tavern, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Details are at wisteriatavern.com.

WHISKEY WEDNESDAY KARAOKE Karaoke starts 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar.com for details.

SUNDAY KARAOKE WITH KJ NICK Sunday Funday karaoke is 8 p.m. Sundays at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

KARAOKE AT O'RILEY'S DOWNTOWN Karaoke is 8 p.m.-midnight Sundays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Details are at orileyspub.com.

KARAOKE AT MUGS & JUGS Karaoke is 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Sundays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar.com for details.

LIVE MUSIC

GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA AT NATIONAL NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM Performance is 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 with a pre-show cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. at the National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd. Tickets are $50-$65 and available at naval-aviation-museum-foundation.idloom.events/the-glenn-miller-orchestra-2026.

TRIPTIDES Show is 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. More info is available at thehandlebar850.com.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

free will astrology

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): I'm thrilled by your genius for initiating what others only dream about. I celebrate your holy impatience with fakery and your refusal to waste precious life-force on enterprises that have gone stale. I'm in awe of how you make fire your ally rather than your enemy, wielding it not to destroy but to forge new realities from the raw materials of possibility. Everything I just described will be in your wheelhouse during the coming weeks.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): How do I love you? Let me count some of the ways. 1. Your patience is masterful. You understand that some treasures can't be rushed and that many beautiful things require slow nurturing through your devoted attention. 2. You have a knack for inducing the mundane world to reveal its small miracles and spiritual secrets. 3. You practice lucid loyalty without being in bondage to the past. You honor your history even as you make room for the future. 4. You know when to cling tightly to what needs to be protected and preserved, and you know when to gracefully loosen your grip to let everything breathe. In the coming weeks, all these superpowers of yours will be especially available to you and the people you care for.

By Rob Brezsny

for adjustments you can't see yet. Let yourself be shaped.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): In Irish folklore, "thin places" are situations or areas where the material and spiritual worlds overlap. They aren't always geographical. A thin place may be a moment like the pre-dawn hour between sleeping and waking, or the silence after someone says "I love you" for the first time. I believe you're living in a thin place right now, Cancer. The boundary between your inner world and outer circumstances is more porous than usual. This means your emotions might affect your environment more directly. Your intuitions will be even more accurate than usual, and your nightly dreams will provide you with practical clues. Be alert. Magic will be available if you notice it.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): In traditional Korean jogakbo, scraps of fabric too small to be useful alone are stitched together into a piece that's both functional and beautiful. Every fragment contributes to the whole. I encourage you to treat your current life this way, Leo. Don't dismiss iffy or unfinished experiences as "wasted time." Instead, see if you can weave all the bits and scraps together into a valuable lesson or asset. Prediction: I foresee a lovely jogakbo in your future.

and delight who can inspire you to expand your sense of wonder. Then, with your mind as open as your heart, give yourself the freedom to enjoy as many playful adventures and evocative amusements as you dare.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): In the Inuktitut language of the Intuit people, the word ajurnarmat is translated as "it can't be helped." It acknowledges forces at work beyond human control. Rather than pure resignation, it reflects an attitude of accepting what can't be changed, which helps people conserve energy and adapt creatively to challenging circumstances. So for example, when hunters encounter impossible ice conditions, ajurnamat allows them to refrain from forcing the situation and notice what may actually be possible. I suspect you're facing your own ajurnarmat, Scorpio. Your breakthrough will emerge as soon as you admit the truth of what's happening and allow your perception to shift. What looks unnavigable from one angle might reveal a solution if you approach it from another direction. Practice strategic surrender.

The wisdom you yearn for might be embedded in ordinariness.

tress is partly open to the air rather than solidly built against the wall from top to bottom, it appears to "fly," which is where the name comes from. In the coming weeks, I encourage you Capricorns to acquire your own equivalent of at least one new flying buttress. Who or what could this be? A collaborator who shares the load? A new form of discipline that provides scaffolding? A truth you finally speak aloud that lets others help you? To get the process started, shed any belief you have that strength means carrying everything all by yourself.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): The coming weeks will challenge you to think with tenderness and feel with clarity. You'll be called on to stay sharply alert even as you remain loose, kind and at ease. Your good fortune will expand as you open your awareness wider, while also firming up the boundaries that keep mean people from bothering you. The really good news is that cosmic forces are lining up to guide you and coach you in exactly these skills. You are primed to explore intriguing paradoxes and contradictions that have valuable lessons.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): In carpentry, there's a technique called "kerf bending." It involves making a series of small cuts in wood so it can curve without breaking. The cuts weaken the material in one sense, but they make it flexible enough to create shapes that would otherwise be impossible. I suspect you're being kerfbent right now, Gemini. Life is making small nicks in your certainties, your plans and your self-image. It might feel like you're being diminished, but you're actually being made flexible enough to bend into a new form. Don't interpret the nicks as damage. They're preparation

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): The Māori people of New Zealand practice mirimiri, a form of healing that works not by fighting disease but by restoring flow. The technique involves removing blockages so life force can move freely again. I think you need the equivalent of mirimiri, Virgo. There's a small but non-trivial obstruction in your life. The good news is that you now have the power to figure out where the flow got stuck and then gently coax it back into motion. Let the healing begin. Here's a good way to begin: Vow that you won't hold yourself back from enjoying your life to the max.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): In the coming weeks, I encourage you to prioritize mirth, revelry and gratification. For starters, you could invite kindred spirits to join you in pursuing experimental forms of pleasure. Have fun riffing and brainstorming about feeling good in ways you've never tried or even imagined before. Seek out stories from other explorers of bliss

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Your hunger for meaning is admirable. I love it. I never want you to mute your drive to discover what's interesting and useful. But now and then, the hot intensity of your quest can make you feel that nothing is ever enough. You get into the habit of always looking past what's actually here and being obsessed with what you imagine should be or could be there. In the coming days, dear Sagittarius, I invite you to avoid that tendency. Rather than compulsively pursuing high adventure and vast vistas, focus on the sweet, intimate details. The wisdom you yearn for might be embedded in ordinariness.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): In architecture, a flying buttress is an external support system that allows a massive building like a cathedral to reach greater heights without collapsing under its own weight. Because the but-

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In alchemy, "solve et coagula" is a Latin phrase translated as "dissolve and coagulate." It means that transformation must begin with the process of breaking down before any building begins. You can't skip over the dissolving phase and jump straight into creating the new structure. I mention this, dear Pisces, because I believe you're now in the dissolving phase. It might feel destabilizing, even a bit unnerving, but I urge you to stick with it. When the moment comes to construct the beautiful new forms, you will know. But that time isn't yet. Keep dissolving a while longer.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: What small burden could you let go that will provide a rush of freedom? {in}

freewillastrology.com newsletter.freewillastrology.com freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com BrezsnyAstrology@gmail.com © 2026 Rob Brezsny

news of the weird

THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH Kevin Westerhold, 51, was arrested on Jan. 27 at his home in Oviedo, Florida, ClickOrlando reported. Westerhold was sought after an incident on Jan. 22 at Windsor Hills Resort, near Disney World, in which "a male, partially clothed ... engaged in a sexual performance with a vacuum cleaner," the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said. Witnesses provided a cellphone recording of the act, but the suspect had left by the time officers arrived. Other residents of the area had reported similar occurrences to the HOA in December. Westerhold was charged with exposure of sexual organs. [ClickOrlando, 1/29/2026]

AWESOME! It's the 40th anniversary of Super Bowl XX, when the Chicago Bears won their one and only Vince Lombardi Trophy. So, WGN-TV reported on Jan. 26, what better way to celebrate than with a piece of Bears memorabilia? Up for sale at Goldin Auctions is the iconic sweater vest that became a uniform for Bears coach Mike Ditka. It comes with a letter of provenance from Ditka. (Bring your piggy bank: As of this writing, the bidding was up to $82,000.) "This wasn't Nike or Reebok or someone telling a coach what to wear," said Darren Rovell, founder of media site Collect Media. "He was going to wear it every time." Fans of the team still wear replica vests at games; the size of the original is XXL. [WGN, 1/26/2026]

PEOPLE WITH ISSUES After a romantic relationship ended, Eyvan Collins of Burnaby, British Columbia, "just needed to do something with it," they said. Thus was born the Museum of Personal Failure at the Kingsgate Mall in Vancouver. United Press International reported that Collins posted signs around the region seeking exhibits, with the headline "Failures wanted." The museum has a "wall of reject" with job application rejections and firing notices. A knife maker with Lynn Valley Forge donated a knife he had made that was unable to be sharpened because of the chemical properties in an oil he used. Also on display are tie rods from a failed car repair, failed songs from a local music producer, and Collins' mother's wedding gown, which she named "Threads of Innocence." [UPI, 1/26/2026]

IT'S COME TO THIS CNN reported on Jan. 23 that in advance of the winter storm affecting much of the nation, FEMA was warned not to use the word "ice" in any of their messaging or signage because doing so could spark confusion or online mockery. The Department of Homeland Security allegedly delivered the directive on Jan. 22. However, a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement: "FEMA will use correct and accurate descriptors of weather conditions to communicate clearly to the American people." [CNN, 1/23/2026]

AND SO IT BEGINS A chain pub in Tokyo called Tori Yaro has drawn a line in the sand: No geezers are welcome at their Shibuya location, Japan Today reported on Jan. 25. A posted sign reads: "This is an izakaya (pub) for younger generations. Pub for under-40 only." The sign goes on to specify

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

that as long as one person in the group is 39 or under, others will be admitted with them. "With older customers, they tend to make a lot of complaints about the restaurant being too noisy and such, so we decided to limit who's coming in," said Toshihiro Nagano, a PR spokesperson for the chain. But here's a secret: Tori Yaro will admit over-40s who are "OK with the noise level" and "have the spirit of a 20-something." Whew. [Japan Today, 1/25/2026]

NEXT UP: COW TOOLS Veronika, a Swiss brown cow who lives in Austria, has been documented using a tool, Live Science reported on Jan. 19. Witgar Wiegele, Veronika's owner, had seen her picking up sticks with her mouth occasionally over about nine years, but then Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, raised the bar. Auersperg and a colleague visited Veronika and placed a broom near her. The cow used the broom to scratch her back, employing the brush end about 2.5 times more than the handle end. She learned to use the handle end to scratch more delicate areas, like her udder or navel. She would also readjust her grip on the broom for a better angle. "It showed the kind of a behavior I would expect from the stricter definitions of tool use," Auersperg said. [Live Science, 1/19/2026]

THE TECH REVOLUTION First, we had to be afraid that students would use AI to write papers and otherwise cheat their way through school. Now, NBC News reported on Jan. 28, AI is helping students "dumb down" their work so that it's more believably original. New generative AI tools, some costing about $20 per month, "humanize" text so that it doesn't seem to be created by AI. But there's more! Other software will detect text that has been reviewed by a humanizer. "So where are we? We're just in a spiral that will never end," said Erin Ramirez, an associate professor of education at California State University. Aldan Creo, a graduate student from Spain, said he sometimes turns in his original work with a few misspelled words or using Spanish structures that aren't proper English, just so he won't be accused of using AI. "Long term, I think it's going to be a big problem," he said. [NBC News, 1/28/2026]

YEAH, THAT'LL WORK The Independent reported on Jan. 29 that the Royal Navy is cracking down on boozy sailors. Under the new policy, crewmembers will be restricted to 14 "units" of alcohol (about 6 pints) per week, and ships will be dry on certain days. The change is in response to "significant concerns" about alcohol consumption. For their part, sailors are worried that the move is a slippery slope toward banning booze altogether. One retired rear admiral says the rule could affect morale. "You can screw down a system too much," Chris Parry said. "Sailors take great risks and make big sacrifices." [Independent, 1/29/2026] {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2026 Andrews McMeel