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Independent News | January 14, 2021 | Volume 22 | Number 2

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winners & losers

outtakes

news 6

I believe this is due to the magic that happens when drama and music meet and make each other better.

cover story

buzz 8

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

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

a&e 13

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2018 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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winners & losers

Matt Gaetz / Courtesy Photo (gaetz.house.gov)

winners WATER PIG BBQ The Pensacola Beach BBQ

joint has been named the #4 Best New Restaurant in America by the Readers' Choice Award from USA Today and 10Best.com. A panel of USA Today and 10Best.com editors chose the list, but only the readers decide where restaurants stand on the top-10 list. Water Pig BBQ opened in June 2020, with a smokehouse menu created by award-winning pitmaster Steve Siege. The restaurant is currently open Thursday-Sunday, starting at 11 a.m.

JO-ANN AND MICHAEL PRICE More

than $164,000 was donated to help Pensacola State College students during the inaugural Change Maker-Expanding Possibilities reception. The Prices founded the Change Maker program and contributed $50,0000 for student scholarships. Five donors and their organizations or families stepped forward to endow scholarships with $10,000 each—the Sandy Sansing Foundation, Morette Family, Rich and Beth Williams, Innovation Coast and Walmart. Ten donors stepped forward to help students immediately overcome the challenges associated with COVID-19 and Hurricane Sally. Their gifts were combined with matching dollars to bolster the Universal Scholarship Fund by $20,500. Contributors included Jenn Cole, Steven Del Gallo, Doug Herrick and Sharon Hess-Herrick, Joe and Beverly Kinego, Navy Federal Credit Union, Bette Roberts, Mayor Grover and Jill Robinson IV, Gordon and Betty Sprague, Dee Strickland and Herb and Ann Woll.

MARK LEE TEAM The real estate team at Levin Rinke Realty surpassed a $100 million milestone in 2020 sales—a first for the team led by Mark Lee and also a first for a residential real estate team in Pensacola. The team finished 2020 with $102,139,262 in total sales contributed from 153 transactions. WUWF On Friday, Jan. 15, WUWF Public

Media will mark 40 years of service to the community. WUWF has always delivered top-quality programming, from news and information to music and spoken-word entertainment, while maintaining fiscal responsibility to all supporters since the radio station hit the airwaves in January 1981.

losers MATT GAETZ During the debate over the

certification of Joe Biden's election, Gaetz used his time on the House floor to push a false narrative about the insurrection and assault on the Capitol. He said there was "pretty compelling evidence from a facial recognition company showing that some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters. They were masquerading as Trump supporters and, in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group antifa." Gaetz was citing a Washington Times article that has been taken down for its numerous inaccuracies and falsehoods. The article claimed facial recognition software had identified three rioters as antifa and Black Lives Matter supporters. The software's creators said they had tied them to Nazi organizations and QAnon. On Friday, Jan. 8, the FBI said there was no indication that individuals associated with antifa disguised themselves among pro-Trump supporters. Gaetz has yet to apologize on the House floor to his fellow congressman for his fake news pronouncement.

FDOH ESCAMBIA With new COVID cases and deaths skyrocketing, the Escambia County office of the Florida Department of Health has suspended testing. The office wants to focus on contact tracing—which is a noble and much-needed effort, but it told us all summer that FDOH Escambia had teams doing contact tracing. Sadly, we don't expect the department to share the results of its new initiative. It hasn't been much on transparency since the pandemic started, thanks to pressure from Gov. Ron DeSantis. FRED PICCOLO The communications

director for Gov. Ron DeSantis last month resigned his position after he drew criticism for tweeting that Reuters should be publishing 99 photos of COVID-19 survivors for every fatality. He has already been criticized for questioning the efficacy of maskwearing 16 times and claiming COVID-19 was less deadly than the flu at least three times. No need to worry about Piccolo. He's now the executive vice chancellor of the Florida College System. inweekly.net

outtakes By Rick Outzen

NOT MATT GAETZ Matt Gaetz is a smart man, effective debater, skilled lawmaker and master of the glib quip. However, he hasn't shown a willingness to put our country ahead of his political ambition, President Donald Trump or his political party. After Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to halt the certification of Joe Biden's certification as president, kidnap lawmakers and their staff and kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, some lawmakers used their opportunity on the House floor last Wednesday evening to deescalate the rhetoric and unify our nation. Not Matt Gaetz. Instead, he grandstanded for the radical right. He spread a lie that rioters weren't Trump supporters but members of antifa, a popular straw man his followers like to blame for any violent protest and Republicans have frequently used to raise funds for their campaigns and political action committees. Gaetz based his assertion on a news article without verifying the information—an article that was later proved to be false and was pulled down by the newspaper. Because people, including a police officer, died during the insurrection, some leaders would have taken extra care in reviewing the facts. Not Matt Gaetz. Yes, he did add the clause "I don't know if the reports are true, but" to provide him some cover when the claim later proved to be false so that he could tweet that he cited the story "with requisite caveat." But Gaetz had misused his moment on the floor to tear down rather than unify our country. The repeat of the antifa lie won him kudos from some and went viral on social media—which appears to be what thrills him. And to add to the delight of Trump's followers, Gaetz also mocked those who have voiced concerns about gun violence and recent killings of people by law enforcement by saying, "I am sure glad that at least for one day, I didn't hear my Democratic colleagues calling to defund the police." Hilarious. Definitely worth a few drinks at a bar, but not very comforting to the

family of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died at a local hospital after rioters peppersprayed and fatally bludgeoned the policeman with a fire extinguisher. Some leaders would have stayed away from a "defund police" punchline out of respect for law enforcement that put themselves in harm's way. Not Matt Gaetz. When it became evident that antifa wasn't behind the attack on Congress, some lawmakers would admit their mistake, apologize and try to set the record straight. Not Matt Gaetz. When our congressman began receiving complaints about his antifa antics on the House floor, Gaetz responded on Twitter, "If it isn't true, the point still stands that our nation has endured both left and right wing violence & I condemn it all." Two days later, he went further with his denouncement. In his weekly newsletter, Gaetz wrote, "I am appalled by the violence and destruction that took place on Wednesday, and I condemn it unequivocally." Sadly, he couldn't make that declaration without first playing the victim when he opened the newsletter with words on Biden's certification as president. Not Matt Gaetz. He wrote, "Even though many of my colleagues and I were harassed, demeaned, and threatened—even accused of treason—for daring to raise objections to certain states, challenges to a state are common, and part of our Constitutional process." While it's encouraging that Gaetz denounced the riot, some lawmakers "unequivocally" concerned about violence would have tried to tap down the calls to violence being made on social media in the weeks and days leading up to Wednesday, Jan. 6. Not Matt Gaetz. The president, his campaign and his allies have mounted over 40 legal challenges to Biden's victory since Election Day. They've won zero. Some lawmakers would have stopped yelling the election was stolen. Not Gaetz. And we almost lost our democracy. {in} rick@inweekly.net

The repeat of the antifa lie won him kudos from some and went viral on social media—which appears to be what thrills him.

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TO SEARCH OR NOT TO SEARCH

Former Chief Tommi Lyter at a December press conference / Photo by Jermey Morrison

By Jeremy Morrison Pensacola is embarking on a search for a new police chief. The city is casting a wide net, hiring an outside consultant to seek candidates nationwide. Mayor Grover Robinson has described this search effort as necessary to find the best person to lead the Pensacola Police Department (PPD). "We think this is the right thing to do for our community, to be sure that we identify the right candidate for us," the mayor said recently. But the local police union sees it differently and would like the search scuttled and the candidate pool drained to a single individual, acting Interim Chief Kevin Christman. In a letter to the mayor this month, Pat Burns, lodge president of Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 71, laid out the union's position—"The FOP calls on you to cancel this unnecessary and wasteful nationwide search and promote the man you already hired for this vital role as the Pensacola Chief of Police." "As we know, things change at a rapid pace; that is why our Police Department needs steady leadership at the helm," Burns wrote in the letter. "By going forward with another nationwide search, it appears to our members that your office has little respect for the process which has already been completed and that you are pushing your own political agenda." Mayor Robinson bristles at this notion, contending that Christman can compete in a 66

national pool of candidates and describing the PPD union's position as "a little concerning." "They're unsure of the ability of him to compete?" Robinson said. "He's hoping to compete; he's got the confidence. I hope the union has confidence in him."

THE NEED TO LISTEN

The city's selection of a new police chief comes at an interesting cultural moment, both nationally and locally. Nationwide, large-scale protests against systemic racism in law enforcement consumed much of last year, leading many communities to reassess the structure and tone of such institutions. Locally, the city had already begun to dig into such issues, following a 2019 incident during which a former PPD detective shot and killed a Black man during a traffic stop. Following that July 2019 incident, the city initiated an internal exploration of its police department, focusing on items like mental health and community interactions. Mayor Robinson convened the Citizens Police Advisory Committee, designed to assess the PPD's relationship with the community and the department's internal practices and make recommendations aimed at improving both. During a recent CPAC meeting, the consultant facilitating the city's search for a chief outlined why a national search is important, saying it would imbue the process with a sense of inclusion, transparency and legitimacy. "It's going to give the selected candidate—whether they're an internal candidate or an external candidate—legitimacy

in the community's eyes because they went through a community process where, at the end of the day, they were recognized as the best candidate that fits with that organization," explained Gary Peterson, a retired police chief from California who now runs Public Sector Search and Consulting, Inc. The city's search process will entail gathering community input, including input from CPAC members, and synthesizing that input into a call for applicants. Peterson expects the candidate pool to open by February, with the city's selection committee whittling down the candidate list to a few finalists for the mayor's consideration by March. In his discussion with CPAC members this month, Peterson nodded toward the unique cultural moment in which this search is occurring, saying that he considered community input a vital, perhaps defining, part of this process. "What cities have done in the past, they hire who they want to hire anyway instead of listening to the community and providing the community an opportunity to provide voice and give the community who they need and not necessarily who they think they need," the consultant said. "What we've done in policing historically, we've given the community what we think they need, and they're telling us something different right now. I think we need to listen."

When announcing his retirement last month, Lyter weighed in on his replacement. He preferred that Christman take the reins at the PPD, but he understood the decision to conduct a search. "I'm rooting for (Christman), hoping he's the pick," said Lyter. "My understanding is the mayor's thinking is you have to be able to defend that selection and the way to defend it is the process." Pointing out the decision requires both branches of city government to agree, Lyter continued, "The mayor makes a selection, but it still has to be confirmed by the city council. And I don't know, given today's environment, I think that CPAC would probably expect them to do a national search. I think the same thing, probably, with the city council, they would expect to do this larger search as well." But in its letter to the mayor, the PPD union took the position that the city had already conducted an adequate search, resulting in the hiring of Christman as deputy chief and now interim chief. "That search was concluded, and the correct leader was identified as being Deputy Chief Kevin Christman," Burns wrote. "Deputy Chief Christman was selected due to his industry experience, leadership and knowledge of our community and its needs." Also in the letter, Burns stated that the union supported Robinson when he ran for mayor, but that "over the last two years a clear rift has formed between the mayor's office and our members." Scrapping the search and hiring Christman, he contended, would be viewed as an "opportunity to bridge the gap." Mayor Robinson cast the search as routine and in line with other executive-level hires that have been made during his tenure. "This is not about union or any other group; this is about the Pensacola Police Chief selection and the process that should be followed for all hiring [of] any director level personnel at the City of Pensacola," he stated in an email to Inweekly. "No department hires their own department head. They all follow the same process." As for Christman's prospects, Robinson thinks he will compete well with whatever national pool is drawn. "On multiple occasions, I have been very clear that Acting Chief Christman is absolutely eligible to apply," Robinson stated. "For that matter, so is any other police officer who meets the criteria. As for who will be selected, I don't know—that depends on the application pool." {in}

"What we've done in policing historically, we've given the community what we think they need, and they're telling us something different right now." Gary Peterson

THE RIFT

City officials didn't expect to be engaging in a search for a police chief in early 2021. According to Mayor Robinson, the plan was that Christman—hired as chief deputy last year — would have a few years under the wing of former chief Tommi Lyter, who was expected to lead the department through the end of his Deferred Retirement Option Plan. But then in December, Lyter announced that he was leaving to take the chief deputy job with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, working under his former boss, Chip Simmons, another former PPD chief that was elected sheriff in November. "We by no means fault Chief Lyter, one way or the other, for the decision he made," Robinson has said. "His decision, though, has put us into a point where we're not where we expected to be. We felt like we didn't do a true search for a chief (last year) and searched for a deputy chief that we expected would have time to get to a certain level. Again, that's not exactly what we ended up getting, so we are coming forward with a search."

inweekly.net

January 14, 2021

Chip Simmons / Photo courtesy of City of Pensacola

SIMMONS SWORN IN On Tuesday, Jan. 5, Judge Nick Geeker swore in Chip Simmons as the new sheriff of Escambia County in a small ceremony at the Escambia County Sheriff 's Office Administrative Building. Sheriff Simmons gave these brief remarks after the ceremony: "I do want to just talk briefly about the one question that I get. The one question I get is, 'What are you going to do?' Which is a good question, right? And so I want to just make sure that everyone understands what we will do. I will tell you that I will reinforce a commitment to service. We will be there when you need us; whether it's a hurricane, a terrorist act, we will be there and we will be brave. We will be courteous, and we will be compassionate. The star on our chest will represent the best that Escambia has to offer—a symbol of strength, of courage and of integrity. We will be professional, and we will be transparent, but remember, we will not be perfect. The job of a law enforcement officer is more difficult than you can imagine.

Seldom is there an absolute right or an absolute wrong. Rarely are solutions met with universal approval. Oftentimes, actions are necessary but ugly and many times misunderstood, but we will strive every day to be fair, always professional. We will show that kindness is not weakness. We will not concern ourselves with those who only strive to destroy. We will concern ourselves with the families, the mothers, the fathers, the uncles, the aunts, the neighbors, those who only want a better life for themselves and their children. These are the people, the citizens of Escambia County, that we will partner with, a partnership that will ensure that our future is the fair and just Escambia County that we all want. It is true that I am an optimist. I believe that with hard work and a commitment to common sense and decency that anything is possible. We've already begun an enhancement in our engagement strategy. Our neighborhood specialists will share information, share ideas and opportunities. We will soon open two precincts or

substations, one in Perdido and one in Molino. We will also look ahead and discuss the need for additional precincts in any other area of Escambia County. We will soon place a request to seize forfeited funds for the purchase of body cameras. I will work with the county commissioners on continuing the fair compensation for employees of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, for funding support positions for the body camera program and for cadet positions so that we can feel a professional and a more diverse workforce. And, finally, we will work every day to be the sheriff's office that you can be proud of. One that is courteous, one that is committed. One that is strong and professional and one that is brave. A true reflection of the county that it serves, a county formed in 1821, exactly 200 years ago—resilient, steadfast and strong, literally weathering any storm that comes our way. In 1984, I began my law enforcement career right here at the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. I have come full circle, and I can tell you that I am proud to be a part of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. And I am honored to be your sheriff. Thank you very much."

MORE CARES HELP At the end of the Thursday, Jan. 7, commission meeting, Neighborhood Enterprise Manager Meredith Reeves said the next round of CARES Act includes more dollars for housing assistance. The details have not been released, but the county is expected to receive $9.5 million. The Economic Aid Act enacted in late December includes more Payroll Protection Program loans. If you already received a PPP Loan and used the funds, you may apply for a second draw if you employ no more than 300 employees and had gross income during the first three quarters of 2020 that were at least 25% less than the gross income of that same period in 2019. The maximum loan amount is calculated based upon a multiple of 2.5 times your

average annual payroll. The maximum loan amount for the hospitality industry is a 3.5 times multiplier of average annual payroll. The covered period can be eight- or 24week period based. Contact your lender for more information.

LOCK THEM UP Lawrence Keefe, the U.S. attorney for Florida's Northern District, vowed to identify and prosecute individuals who engaged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, describing those involved as "neither patriots nor protesters; they are shameless criminals and must be treated as such." "The criminal acts of domestic terrorism at our nation's Capitol yesterday shock the sensibilities of all law-abiding, patriotic Americans, regardless of their political leanings," Keefe said in a release on Thursday. "Our Capitol is a historic symbol of the republic and the seat of a lawmaking body that is the envy of the world," Keefe said. "The attack on our Capitol is an assault on America's democracy and an insult to all Americans. It cannot and will not be tolerated." The U.S. attorney, a former partner of the law firm where Rep. Matt Gaetz worked, was nominated for the position by President Donald Trump in 2018. Keefe added his office would "do everything within our authority to identify and prosecute any individuals from this district who violated federal law and traveled to Washington to participate in this dangerous lawlessness." DESANTIS' RIOT BILL Speaking to

reporters on Thursday, Jan. 7, Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned the rioting that took place in the nation's capital as Congress had begun the process of certifying the electoral college votes. Last September, the governor asked for legislation to curb mob violence. SB 484 and HB 1 have been submitted for consideration in the 2021 session and were released to the media after the D.C. riot.

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The proposed legislation creates a new offense of "mob intimidation" when three or more individuals act "with a common intent, to compel or induce or attempt to compel or induce another person by force, or threat of force, to do any act or to assume or abandon a particular viewpoint." "It doesn't matter what banner you are flying under—the violence is wrong. The rioting and the disorder is wrong. We are not going to tolerate it in Florida," DeSantis said Thursday. The governor added, "You can have strong views. You can be disappointed in an election. You can be disappointed in whatever. But you can't just go in and ransack public places like that. So we are going to make sure the people who do that in Florida, if they do that, are going to face very quick penalties," he said. The identical bills would also enhance penalties for defacing public monuments, make it a crime to destroy a memorial and require mandatory restitution for the full cost of repair or replacement of damaged or destroyed memorials. And the measure would make a crime of "doxing," the posting of private information about an individual on social media sites, when such data is published with the intent to "threaten, intimidate, harass, incite violence … or place a person in reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm." The plan would also do away with bail or bond for people involved in violent protests. House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, and Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, issued a joint statement. The GOP leaders decried the violent behavior in Washington, D.C. The proposal would give law enforcement and prosecutors "the tools and support they need to keep Floridians safe, communities whole and property undamaged," Sprowls said in the statement. "I fully respect the right of every American to peacefully protest; however, there is absolutely no excuse for attacking law enforcement and destroying property," Simpson said.

CODE RED According to the Jan. 3 White House COVID-19 Task Force report obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, Florida is the red zone for the increases in COVID-19 cases, test positivity and high levels of community transmission in nearly 90% of the counties. Among the metropolitan statistical areas in the red are Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Crestview-Fort Walton-Destin and Panama City. The Pensacola MSA only ranked behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach. Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Bay counties are also in the red. FDOH Escambia Director Marie Mott failed to pass along this information to the Escambia Board of County Commissioners January 14, 2021

when she addressed them at the agenda review on Thursday, Jan. 7. The White House COVID-19 Task Force report is based on state reports as of Dec. 20. The situation has gotten much worse since then. Escambia County has had 6,025 more COVID cases, and the positivity rate has gone from 9.25% to 15.61%, as of Jan. 7. The county has had 104 more COVID deaths and 432 more hospitalizations during the same period.

COVID TESTING On Friday, Jan. 8, the FDOH Escambia suspended COVID-19 testing offered to Florida residents. Closure of the testing site will support ongoing COVID-19 contact tracing efforts needed to mitigate community spread and risk of infection to others. COVID-19 testing sites continue to be available at several locations. Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart offers a drivethrough testing center off Bayou Blvd. that is open 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Monday-Friday. Before going for a test, interested persons first must call 746-2684. Patients desiring rapid testing must call the same number to be pre-screened and scheduled, if eligible. Community Health Northwest Florida has two testing sites—Community Health Northwest Florida Cantonment Pediatrics, 470 S. Highway 29, Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto St., Mondays-Fridays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Drive-through testing is also available at these sites and requires no pre-screening. All ages can be tested. Bring a photo ID and insurance card (if insured). Baptist Health Care patients can call the screening center at 434-4080 to determine if you need an appointment. Online assessment screenings are also available via their website or by texting "Screen" to 318-3080. The online assessment screening is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CITY EVENT RULES In response to a ris-

ing number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Pensacola area, the City of Pensacola is implementing new restrictions and guidelines for city-permitted events. Effective immediately, the City of Pensacola will not issue new event permits for events at outdoor city venues through Feb. 28. The order will be re-evaluated at that time based on current COVID-19 conditions. Events that have already been issued a permit or events currently in the permitting process between now and Feb. 28, located at outdoor city venues, will be allowed no more than 100 in attendance. They must show control of crowd congestion and follow CDC guidelines, including wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing (at least 6 feet from others who don't live with you). Outdoor markets are allowed to con-

tinue above the 100-person cap but must show control of crowd congestion and follow CDC guidelines, including wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing. Indoor events at City of Pensacola venues are limited to 25% capacity or less, with COVID-19 protocols in place, including wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing. Indoor events also require mayoral approval. This will remain in effect until Feb. 28. These restrictions only apply to citypermitted events at city venues and do not apply to private events. The city will work with event organizers to reschedule events as needed.

CITY SERVICES Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Pensacola area, many City of Pensacola services transitioned to online or phone on Monday, Jan. 11, until further notice to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for city employees and the public. In Building Permitting and Engineering Service, walk-in permitting has been suspended until further notice. Business will still be conducted as usual, using online accounts through mygovernmentonline.org and submitting permits electronically. All permit applications must be submitted electronically using mygovernmentonline. org. Guidelines for creating an account and submitting online are available on the City of Pensacola Inspection Services web page. For all customer portal and account questions, please call My Government Online at 866957-3764. For all permit-related questions, please call Inspection Services at 436-5600. City Hall is closed to the public until further notice. City staff will continue to be available via phone or email, with staff working remotely where feasible. Public participation in City Council and other city board/committee meetings will be virtual only. For information about virtual participation, please refer to each meeting notice or meeting agenda. Meeting information is available on the City of Pensacola's website. The Parks and Recreation Field Service Center and City Hall offices are closed to the public until further notice. Parks and Recreation staff can be reached at 436-5670. City community centers and programs remain open on modified schedules, including select community centers used as meal pickup sites for youth and seniors. City parks and green spaces remain open to the public.

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VIRTUAL SCHOOL COMMUNITY BRIEF Escambia County School Super-

intendent Dr. Timothy A. Smith and the Escambia County School Board kick off a community-wide strategic planning initiative at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14. This initiative is a joint effort to begin the strategic planning process. The briefing 9

MARK YOUR CALENDARS initially was planned to be in person, but the recent increase of COVID cases in the region has prompted an attempt to minimize the in-person audience. If you wish to attend in person, the boardroom will have seating arranged in a social distancing format. The event will be conducted in a presentation format and will not include a question/answer session. Important input from the community is needed and will be gathered in the future. The room will be set up to allow for social distancing. Please be prepared to use a face covering during the event. The presentation will be streamed live and recorded for later view. It can be watched from ECSD's School Board Meeting Live Feed, escambiacountysdfl.swagit.com/ live/, youtube.com/c/ECSDFlorida, facebook. com/ecsd.public or facebook.com/ecsdfl.

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QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY A Quality of Life survey has been done annually in Escambia County and Pensacola since 2008, and this year's results will be shared at a CivicCon Town Hall by Quint Studer on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The event is free and open to all, and you can register to attend at bit.ly/2XuSPEe. For the past 12 years, Rishy and Quint Studer have funded the annual survey, first through their Better Pensacola Forum and later Pensacola Young Professionals. The Quality of Life survey is one important measure to understand the community's progress in the eyes of those who live here. Quality of Life is defined "as an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture, community and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns." The survey includes standardized batteries of questions concerning the factors that contribute to and define the quality of life in the community-economic conditions, job security, educational opportunities, availability of cultural displays and entertainment, safety, clean and healthy environment, a sense of community and welcoming, a shared vision and understanding of future plans for community and economic development, and effective government and community leadership that plans and executes. Participants are chosen randomly and accurately represent the actual demographic breakdown of a community. This includes the ratios of the respondents' gender, race, age, political affiliation and area of residence, which mirror the county's real statistics. The Quality of Life survey is an independent survey tool developed by MasonDixon Polling & Strategy, a national polling and communications firm. This will be the first time Quint Studer has presented the results. Last year, PYP officers made the presentation at CivicCon.

DELEGATION MEETING Members of Escambia County's state legislative delegation will hold a public hearing from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at the Pensacola State College Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio, 1000 College Blvd. Delegation members will hear presentations from government entities and organizations and take public testimony on proposals for the 2021 Legislative Session. The delegation will also consider local bills, including an act to consider term limits and oversight of the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority. The delegation will discuss legislative action ratifying/enabling the negotiated terms, requirements and amounts of the pension plan and collective bargaining agreement between the City of Pensacola and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 707. The public is welcomed to attend. The Escambia County Legislative Delegation consists of Sen. Doug Broxson, Rep. Michelle Salzman and Rep. Alex Andrade. KEEPER OF HISTORY Pensacola historian Tom Garner is the guest speaker at the virtual Zoom meeting of the League of Women Voters Pensacola Bay Area League on Saturday, Jan. 16. Garner completed UWF archaeological field school in 1983 and co-founded the Pensacola Archaeology Society. Garner discovered the site of the Presidio Santa Maria de Galve in 1986 and the site of the 1559-1561 Tristan de Luna settlement attempt in 2015. He assisted in the successful campaign to preserve the historic character of Plaza Ferdinand. The meeting will begin with a virtual coffee at 10:15 a.m., and Garner will speak at 10:30 a.m. To register for the meeting, visit bit.ly/2LdMJWs. CITY TOWN HALL State Rep. Alex An-

drade and Pensacola City Council President Jared Moore will host a town hall to discuss the Pensacola Bay Bridge and infrastructure projects in Pensacola. The meeting will be held 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28, at the new Bayview Community Center. "I want to thank Council President Moore for allowing us the opportunity to host one of the first official meetings in such a beautiful space," said Andrade. "I look forward to working with the council in the upcoming year to keep Pensacola going in the right direction. Even while we look forward, we both recognize that people are still struggling with the damage to the Pensacola Bay Bridge, and we want to reassure everyone that we're here to listen and to help." Andrade and Moore will be prepared to answer any questions and follow up on issues brought up by those in attendance. The event is open to the public, but capacity is limited to 60. {in} inweekly.net

CAREless How Escambia Spent Its CARES Money By Rick Outzen Last week, News Journal reporter Annie Blanks today told the story of Rebecca Swindle, a 59-year-old grandmother who had her electricity cut off while waiting for a $3,000 individual assistance check from Escambia County (News Journal, "She was promised a $3,000 CARES family check," 1/6/21). According to the article, the county had notified Swindle in October that it had approved her check. Deputy County Administrator Chips Kirschenfeld told the reporter that the complete applications were forwarded to the clerk's office to process the checks. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough funding to pay for all the applications. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) allocations, as of Tuesday, Jan. 5, showed $25.5 million went to reimburse "Public Health and Safety Payroll." In an interview with Inweekly, Commission Chairman Robert Bender said he thought the payroll reimbursement (44.5% of the budget) was a "filler." He said, "We even said it early on that we knew we were going to have trouble spending all of it (before the Dec. 30 deadline)." Bender added, "Originally, we were only going to do half of what we considered were eligible Emergency Medical Services expenses, and in talking with FDEM (Florida Department of Emergency Management), they were like, 'You guys can get all of it.'" So the money was available but needed a commission vote to shift dollars from payroll reimbursement to individual assistance. The Escambia County Commission met three times after the grandmother was told her $3,000 was approved. Yet, County Administrator Janice Gilley didn't request more funds to be allocated to help individuals. Frequently in earlier public meetings, the commissioners instructed Gilley and her staff to return to them if individual assistance grant allocation wasn't enough. When the board met in early October (Inweekly, "CARES in the Dark," 10/8/20), then-Chairman Steven Barry explained how he expected the process to work—"It's typically first come, first served and then come January 14, 2021

tell the board she needs more money and then have the board make a decision about whether we want to put in more money." Commissioner Lumon May added, "Don't go denying people." "Yes, absolutely," agreed Bender. While the daily newspaper was reporting on missing $3,000 checks for families affected by the pandemic, Inweekly looked into how other counties handled their individual and small business grants. Though its staff worked long hours on the grants, Escambia County missed the opportunity to help the local economy more significantly and sooner than other Florida counties.

Escambia CARES

Through Dec. 30, the Escambia CARES Family Assistance Grant program sent 5,500 payments of $3,000 directly to county residents. The grants totaled $16.5 million. Escambia CARES Business Grant program distributed $7,500 checks to 428 businesses, accounting for another $3.4 million of CARES Act funds. In all, families and businesses received 34.75% of total CARES allocation to Escambia County—a far cry from the 50% the County Administrator Gilley first presented to the board in her CARES Act allocation draft in early August. The family grants only accepted applications for five days from Sept. 25-29. An applicant had to be negatively impacted by COVID-19, an Escambia County resident, a U.S. citizen, 18 years or older and have a household income of $45,000 or less. They had to submit the first page of their 2019 federal tax return or certification why they didn't have to file a return. Nearly 10,000 applications were received. The business applications were accepted the following week, from Oct. 2-6. Small businesses with up to 25 employees were eligible for $7,500, while those with 26-50 employees would receive up to $15,000. Owners had to submit tax returns and proof of a business license. They also had to have received less than $10,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Only 490 applications were submitted.

The county spent $304,440 on temporary workers for application review and communications, while Clerk of Court Pam Childers paid $151,982 for temporary help and $21,443 for auditors. The county also paid Integrity, a consulting firm, $27,560 to set up the portal and $68,000 for software, which brought total outside costs to run the grant program to $573,425. The last individual assistance checks were mailed on Dec. 29, three months after the application period closed. When asked about the low number of business grants, Commission Chairman Bender told Inweekly that the county didn't hand out any $15,000 grants because no companies with 25-50 employees applied. He said, "We originally had like $8 million towards business, but we ended up bringing it down based on the number of actual grants. I don't know why people didn't apply for it." Commissioner Barry told Inweekly that he voted in October to shift funds allocated for businesses to individual assistance because he had heard from business owners that most of them had received PPP loans by the time the second PPP round was completed. He said, "I felt we need to help families and individuals that had been impacted by the pandemic but hadn't received any relief from other sources." Greater Pensacola Chamber CEO Todd Thomson believes that few small businesses applied for the business grants because of the PPP limitation, and many local businesses had received PPP loans. According to the Small Business Administration, 4,020 small businesses and nonprofits in Escambia County received $130.7 million to protect the jobs of 16,641 individuals, an average PPP loan of $32,504 per recipient. Based on Inweekly's review, Sarasota and Leon counties were much more successful in getting CARES dollars distributed to businesses and individuals, even though more businesses in each county received PPP loans.

Sarasota County

Sarasota County has a larger population than Escambia and received $75.7 million from the CARES Act. Its commissioners' focused on getting the vast majority of the funds into the community through grants to businesses, nonprofits and individuals. Approximately $51.3 million has been dispersed for grants, about 68% of the total allocation. "Early in the program, before CARES was even CARES in March and April, our board identified the importance of the impact of COVID on our business community and put out a small business loan program," said Rich Collins, the emergency services director. "And it was $4.1 million and helped over 200 businesses." In contrast, Escambia County and Pensacola set up a $125,000 grant program in April that distributed $2,500 grants to 50 businesses. Under its CARES program, Sarasota County approved 1,030 business applications and disbursed grants totaling $39.9 million. Meanwhile, 6,954 Sarasota small businesses received PPP loans totaling $217.8 million—an average PPP loan of $31,321. The business grants assisted over 170 home-based businesses. To qualify, Sarasota businesses needed to have 100 or fewer employees, been negatively impacted by COVID and be current on their taxes. Applicants were not required to submit tax returns but did need to send in their state business registration and Sarasota County business tax receipt. The grants were up to $49,999.99. Because the PPP loans were for a specific timeframe and COVID has extended well past the timeframe, Sarasota didn't have a PPP limitation on its business grants. Collins said, "When looking at the applications, we did ask if they had PPP funding to ensure that it wasn't being duplicated." Sarasota approved 1, 451 individual assistance applications and disbursed $5.7

"I felt we need to help families and individuals that had been impacted by the pandemic but hadn't received any relief from other sources." Steven Barry

million. Only households with an income of 120% or less of the area median income were eligible. The grant limit was $10,000 per household. Almost 65% was used for mortgage and rent assistance, 20% for vehicle payments and 11% for utility bills. The Sarasota grant programs' application ran from Sept. 16-Nov. 19—65 days. Collins admitted the Sarasota business program had some hiccups. "We had a little bit of a rocky start because of how much information we were trying to get right upfront," he said. "We did some extensive retooling right at the end of September to try to adjust what we were hearing from the community where it was difficult and streamlined our process." To help get money into the community quickly, Sarasota set up businesses as vendors with the clerk's office when the applications were received. After an application was checked, verified and sent over for disbursement, everything was in place to run the check. Collins said, "If you looked at the numbers over the timeframe that we've been putting things out, we've been putting well over half a million dollars per day out into the community, either approved or paid." Two things that increased in the business grants' participation were the grants' size, up to $49,999.99 instead of $7,500-$15,000 in Escambia County, and not requiring income tax returns. "All the business applications had a DocuSign that they attest to that information," said Collins. "We worked very closely with our sheriff's office if we saw anything that seemed irregular. And when it went over to the clerk's office, we went back to the applicant if the clerk had any questions." Why such a focus on businesses rather than individuals? "I think our board felt if businesses can continue to provide service to the community, then that keeps individuals employed, and it takes care of them," said the emergency services director. "And I think when you look at not just the individual, but also the funding that's gone out to the nonprofits that have increased services and helping within the community, that's a force multiplier as well."

Leon County

Because it has a smaller population than Escambia, Leon County only received $51.2 million of CARES Act dollars. It opened its CARES portal to accept grant applications on Aug. 17 and didn't stop accepting applications until Nov. 20—96 days. As of Nov. 20, Leon County's Individual Assistance Program had helped more than 2,600 households with $6.4 million. The Small Business Assistance grants went to 619 small businesses, a total of $11.8 million, and about 150 local nonprofits received a total of $2.1 million. The Leon County Board of County Commissioners initially approved $12 million for small business assistance grants and later increased it to $18.6 million—36% of its CARES budget and a more significant percentage than business and individual allocations in Escambia. The grants were up to $57,500 each. This was after the SBA had handed out $141.4 million in PPP loans to 4,432 Leon County small businesses—$11 million more than Escambia small businesses received. The businesses needed to be fully licensed, legally registered and not publicly traded, for-profit companies located in Leon County and in operation before March 16, 2020. The owners didn't need to submit federal income tax returns but needed to document at a minimum 25% reduction in revenue as a result of COVID-19 or a minimum 25% increase in costs as a result of COVID-19 between the pre-COVID-19 time period (no earlier than March 2019) and the post-COVID-19 beginning in March 2020. Leon County businesses increased their grants if they were among "Hardest Hit" businesses, such as hotels, food services, retail trade, arts, entertainment and recreation, and demonstrate at least a 50% revenue loss related to the economic effects of COVID-19. Certified Minority minority-owned and women-owned small businesses also qualified for higher grants. "Rebounding" businesses—those that had hired two or more full-time or parttime employees in the previous 30 days— also received more CARES dollars.

"We've been putting well over half a million dollars per day out into the community, either approved or paid." Rich Collins

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Rectifying CARES

At the agenda review on Thursday, Jan. 6, Commissioner Barry brought up the PNJ article, saying he was unaware of any funding issues with the individual assistance program and asked to add to the night's meeting agenda an item to issue CARES checks to 236 individuals like Swindle by taking the funds out of the county's payroll reimbursement. "We need to go ahead and move the money and get the awards made," said Barry. "And if that's an action the board needs to take tonight formally, I would hope we could add that to the agenda." Swindle lives in District 1. Her commissioner, Jeff Bergosh, concurred with Barry. He said, "I spoke at length with Janice yesterday. This is an item that is going to be on tonight's agenda. There's an allocation of $708,000. As I said in the paper yesterday, we are going to correct it." At the regular commissioner meeting that evening, Barry pressed to determine if any applications met the requirements other than the 236 presented. "Commissioner, there are approximately 4,000 applications that are currently in a folder called 'Pending Additional Information or Under Review,'" answered Deputy Administrator Kirschenfeld. "These are applications that need additional information and were put in this category because they either didn't provide a tax return or they didn't provide a copy of their driver's license or some sort of paperwork." County Clerk Childers said that county staff forwarded applications that had errors that had to be corrected. However, the Neighborly system was still throwing auto emails that said, "Thank you very much. We've received your documentation; you are approved." "Probably hindsight—us not really knowing what to ask or how to set it up a long time ago, months ago, which seems like years ago," said Childers. "We probably should have had a different message." She added, "I believe in three days, (county staff) got 9,000 applications, and we had lots more applicants than we had money." In Sarasota, the county worked with the clerk's office in early August before opening its grant portal in mid-September. Training videos were created for workers and the public. Over 100 workers were assigned to the effort. The

cost to oversee the entire CARES Act was $4.6 million—6% of the total allocation. "We have an incredible team, including the auditing firm we brought in but also every department identified individuals to help assist with the program," said Sarasota Emergency Services Director Collins. "We have had a seven-day-a-week operation up until the holidays to work through continually." He continued, "We looked at what we call our first reviewers as almost like case managers. So they were working directly with those businesses to get the right documents, to get the right information, to ensure that they met all the requirements, and we're doing the same thing on the individual side." At the Thursday, Jan. 7, board meeting, Commissioner Barry favored reallocating more funds from payroll reimbursement to help individuals who submitted their applications on time but had gaps in their documentation. "The way we ended up codifying our allocations allowed us a tremendous amount of flexibility now, going forward," he said. "We kept control of a large number of those dollars that can still be allocated towards, in my opinion, people that applied for grants in good faith." However, contacting the 4,000 people with incomplete applications could be a problem because several only had email accounts that staff had set up for them. And as has been the case for the last few months, the commissioners had to work out the details from the dais. In the end, the board approved the funding for the 236 approved applications and agreed to have Kirschenfeld report on how to handle the remaining 4,000 applications at the Committee of Whole scheduled for Thursday. Jan. 14. "Let us take a week to see whether it will be fairly straightforward to distinguish between those who have already been funded, and those who haven't, and those that were obviously fraudulent applications, because those are really the three categories we'll need to look at," he said. "We'll report to you next Thursday on what kind of level of effort that would involve." Commissioner Barry said, "I think the good faith of trying to work through some number of those individual applications that are still there, given the fact that we have the money to do it, would be altruistically good for all of us." {in}

"We had lots more applicants than we had money." Pam Childers

www. radiofree pensacola .com inweekly.net

WEEK OF JANUARY 14-20

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

C is for "Carmen" By Savannah Evanoff

Photo courtesy of Pensacola Opera

What makes Jerome Shannon so excited for the Pensacola Opera to perform "Carmen" is simply that—they get to perform it. Given everything that's happened—or not happened—in the performing arts world, the artistic director is happy to host the first full opera production any members of the cast and crew have done since last March. "Just being in the rehearsal hall seems both familiar and foreign," Shannon said. "I'm very much looking forward to moving into the Saenger Theatre, rehearsing with the Pensacola Symphony, combining our Pensacola Opera Chorus with the Pensacola Children's Chorus, reuniting with the members of the Saenger Theatre technical and production crew and then all of us welcoming our audience—those people who have ventured from the comfort of their homes to experience a work of art that only exists at that very moment in time ... and then like Carmen's love ... is gone in the air." Pensacola Opera has tossed around the idea of "Carmen" since 2017, and 2021 seemed like the right time, especially when paired with the performance of "H.M.S. Pinafore" in March. But the production is like nothing Pensacola Opera has ever done before, Shannon said. To comply with the CDC's recommended January 14, 2021

guidelines for the coronavirus, they moved the orchestra and conductor from the pit to the stage, behind a scrim, and the chorus will be seated on risers dressed in black. Principal singers will be in wigs, makeup and costumes designed by Glenn Avery Breed and created by his company, Wardrobe Witchery. "They are handsewn, beautiful works of art that evoke everything from a sultry Spanish Summer, winter's harshness in a dangerous mountain pass, and a famous bullfighter's suit of lights," Shannon said. The scenery pieces were designed by Jefferson Ridenour and created by Papermoon Opera Productions, using projections and special lighting effects, he added. "Carmen" is always iconic. "The plot of 'Carmen' at its very essence is a love affair gone tragically wrong," Shannon said. "Carmen is a woman who lives life by her rules, which are few, and is quite successful in utilizing her powers of seduction for her own benefit." Following Carmen's arrest for battery, she convinces a young soldier, Don Jose, to help her escape with the promise of her love, Shannon said. Following Jose's release from prison, Carmen is cold to his advances, and now involved in the murder of his former commanding officer, Don Jose has no choice but to embrace a life of crime.

Carmen will be sung and acted by Elise Quagliata, who has performed this role throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. "'Carmen' is one of the most famous operas in the repertoire and definitely one of the career-defining roles for many of opera's leading mezzo-soprano stars," Shannon said. "Carmen is a strong woman who lives her life without apologies. As she sings in her famous Habanera, "If you love me, I don't care. But if I love you ... watch out!" Elise is the consummate singing actress, incorporating a powerful voice with riveting dramatic intent. Adam Diegel is the leading tenor, Don Jose. Diegel was supposed to appear with Pensacola Opera's company this past March as Manrico in "Trovatore," and they are thrilled to have him back," Shannon said. Like his counterpart, Diegel sings in Europe, Asia, Australia and at all the major companies in the U.S., such as New York's Metropolitan Opera, Shannon said. Don Jose is a sympathetic character until he isn't, Shannon said. "In the opera, we meet him as a young man who is serving in the Spanish army, beloved by his mother and fiancée," Shannon said. "After he meets Carmen, this world falls apart. Believing her manipulative protestations of love, he abandons both his

military career and his fiancée only to be tossed aside by Carmen for the bullfighter, Escamillo. After visiting his dying mother in disgrace, Jose returns to Carmen, deranged, angry, homicidal." It doesn't end well, Shannon said. "Adam Diegel is a great singing actor who has sung this role throughout the world," Shannon said. "His heroic voice and physicality enable him to bring this tragic character to life." "Carmen" is one of the most performed operas in all the repertory, Shannon said. There were more 125 productions of Carmen in 38 countries in 2019, he said. "In the ABCs of Opera, C is for Carmen," Shannon said. "I believe this is due to the magic that happens when drama and music meet and make each other better." French composer George Bizet's music is steeped in the prevailing musical style of its day, the late romantic period, Shannon said. "The melodies are expressive, the harmonies lush," Shannon said. "The authentic Spanish dance rhythms of the Habanera and the Seguidilla infuse the music with an exotic lushness." While the opera's story differs slightly from the original story of Prosper Merimee, the tale of a seductress leading an innocent man astray is not unique, Shannon said. When he returns and kills her, it takes on operatic proportions. "And when this story is told through Bizet's music, the impact is almost impossible to describe," Shannon said. "Words fail. However, the story of Carmen has inspired many iterations of the original—everything from the hip-hop version starring Beyonce to a full-length Hollywood film starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. But I have to admit, Bizet's opera remains my favorite." {in}

PENSACOLA OPERA PRESENTS "CARMEN"

WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. DETAILS: Tickets start at $25, and online streaming options will also be available. To purchase your tickets, visit pensacolaopera.com.

a&e happenings ARTS + CULTURE

ARBOR DAY TREE GIVEAWAY AND ART CONTEST ANNOUNCED UF IFAS

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

NONPROFITS + FUNDRAISERS BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA HOSTING VIRTUAL GALA On Friday, Jan. 15, Big

Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida (BBBSNWFL) will host the first virtual Big Gala from 7-8 p.m. The Big Gala 2021: Bigger Together is presented by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. Virtual guests will be able to participate in the paddle raise and silent and live auction. The entire event will be interactive to keep virtual guests engaged. To learn more about how to view the live stream, chance-to-win opportunities and other exciting opportunities, visit bbbsnwfl. org/events/big-gala. This event benefits BBBSNWFL. All funds raised are used to support the agency's seven programs and support current and new matches. Each time Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs a child with a role model, they start something incredible—a one-to-one relationship built on trust and friendship that can blossom into a future of unlimited potential.

CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTIONS THROUGH THE MONTH OF JANUARY Animal Allies will be hosting cat and kitten adoptions every Saturday and Sunday in January from noon-4 p.m. at PetSmart, 6251 N. Davis Highway. Many beautiful cats and kittens will be looking for their FUR-ever homes. Adoption fee includes shots, feline leukemia testing, spay/neuter and microchip. Adoption fees are $90 for kittens up to one year and $75 for adults. Learn to help cats in your neighborhood. Social distancing guidelines in place. Masks are required. Located back in the cat adoption area.

CLINIC AT PENSACOLA HUMANE SOCIETY NOW PROVIDING WELLNESS SERVICES The Barbara Grice Memorial Clinic at Pensacola Humane Society is now 414 1

offering low-cost wellness services each Friday for the public. Services include wellness exams, vaccinations, microchipping, deworming, heartworm testing, ear cleaning and more. Wellness visits are available on Fridays only from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Appointments are required and can be made online through the link on the Pensacola Humane Society website at pensacolahumane.org or Barbara Grice Memorial Clinic Facebook page or by calling 898-3380. Spay/neuter surgery appointments are available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and can be made as mentioned above. Drop off is at 7:30 am with 2 p.m. pick up for dogs and 3 p.m. pick up for cats. The Pensacola Humane Society and Barbara Grice Memorial Clinic are located at 5 N. Q St.

PENSACOLA HABITAT CELEBRATES 29 FAMILIES CLOSING ON HOMES IN 2020 Amid the great local need for

affordable homeownership, Pensacola Habitat finished up the year with 29 closings despite the pandemic and challenging hurricane season. Though delays and setbacks had occurred with less than average volunteer participation due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the 29 closings took place. Three of them were on Dec. 16, just in time for Christmas. "The experience with [Pensacola] Habitat was an amazing adventure. There was some good and not necessarily bad, just setbacks", said Danielle Johnson, one of the three homeowners who closed on their home in December. The need for affordable homeownership has never been greater, especially after the challenging previous year. Pensacola Habitat for Humanity aims to serve as many individuals and families as possible and continues to grow. To learn more about how you can impact local families and make a difference, please visit pensacolahabitat.org/donate.

Extension and the Escambia County Natural Resources Department will hold a drivethrough tree giveaway from 9-11 a.m., or until supplies last, on Saturday, Jan. 23. The event will be held at the Escambia County 4-H Camp and Livestock Facility, located at 5701 Highway 99 in Molino. To keep everyone healthy, attendees will be asked to stay in their vehicles and wear a mask when approached by volunteers. Each vehicle will receive two free native 1-gallon trees. Species available include overcup oak, willow oak, sweetgum and Savannah holly. Participants and anyone interested in tree care are encouraged to watch a free online seminar at noon on Jan. 21 entitled "Tree Planting: More than Digging a Hole" to learn proper tree planting and care techniques. The presentation will go over the types of trees being given away as well. Escambia County Extension will also host their fourth annual Arbor Day Mail Art Contest this year. To participate, mail a drawing, painting, photograph or mixed media artwork with the theme "Renew, Regrow, and Reforest" to Arbor Day Art Contest c/o Escambia County Extension, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment, FL 32533. Please include your name, age and contact information on the back of your artwork. Contest entries must arrive by mail or be dropped off by Jan. 25. First place winners of the art contest will receive prizes including a 7-gallon tree, a shovel and a tree book. Second place winners will receive a tree book, and third place winners will receive gardening supplies. Categories include children (12 and under), teen (13-18) and adult (over 18). Winners will be announced via Facebook Live (facebook.com/escambia.extension) on Jan. 29 and prizes given out by appointment. Resource Management Services provided support for the art contest. For more information, contact Carrie Stevenson, Coastal Sustainability Agent III, UF IFAS Extension, at 850-475-5230 or ctsteven@ufl.edu.

PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE PRESENTS: SING EASY Enjoy entertainment

from Pensacola talent in a safely-distanced, intimate speakeasy-style atmosphere from 7-9 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in January. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

STAND-UP COMEDY AT THE REX THEATRE Visit The REX Theatre every

Friday at 8 p.m. for national stand up acts. On Jan. 15, Mike Speenberg and Keith Dee will be performing. Tickets are $20-$35 at the door. For more information, visit rexpensacola.com.

"SOME KIND OF HEAVEN" AT PENSACOLA CINEMA ART "Some Kind of Heaven"

will open Friday, Jan. 15, with showtimes at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15, and Saturday, Jan. 16, at Pensacola Cinema Art, located in Studer

Community Institute, 220 W. Garden St., Ste. 506A. The Darren Aronofsky-produced film tells the story of the largest retirement community, The Villages. Tickets are $7. The film will also be available for streaming. For more streaming options, including some free movies, visit pensacolacinemaart.com.

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

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

PENSACOLA OPERA'S "CARMEN" Performances for Pensacola Opera's "Carmen" will be Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $25, and online streaming options will be available. To purchase your tickets, visit pensacolaopera.com. GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL 2020 LIMITED-EDITION POSTER AVAILABLE ONLINE With the cancel-

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

DRAG SHOWS AT DOLCE AND GELATO Bring your singles for live drag shows at Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave. Dates include 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, and Friday, Jan. 29. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola

OPERALIVE: THROWBACK THURSDAYS Take a walk down memory lane with

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

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January 14, 2021

a&e happenings located at 312 E. Government St. For a full calendar of bands, check hubstaceys.com.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues

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

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Me-

NEW CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Per-

forming Arts (MMPA), a boutique performing arts studio located at 1010 N. 12th Ave., Ste. 238, will be offering a limited class schedule this fall. MMPA offers professional dance, fitness and "Mommy and Me" instruction for all ages and skill levels with weekly classes including, but not limited to, Creative Movement, Ballet/Jazz Combo, Broadway, Tap, Showstoppers, Acting and Voice. Classes will be provided for children as young as 2 years old (with a parent or guardian) through adult. MMPA is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all students and families and has implemented protocols based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Masks are required for entry into the building and studio. More information about Mixon Magic Performing Arts can be found at mixonmagic.com, by contacting hello@mixonmagic.com or emily@mixonmagic.com or by calling 221-7438.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART REOPENS

Pensacola Cinema Art is now open, showing matinee independent films. Admission is $7. Face masks are required, and there will be 50% maximum seating capacity. Tickets can be reserved by calling or texting 863-446-7300 or emailing jpncinema@ gmail.com. For more information, visit pensacolacinemaart.com.

CRAFT CLASSES AT STUDIO SOUTH ON NINE MILE Learn a new craft or meet

up with other makers at Studio South. Tuesday is Knit Night 4-7 p.m., and Sit & Stitch is Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Both classes are free. For a full calendar of events, visit studiosouthon9mileroad.com. Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road.

GALLERY NIGHT PENSACOLA PRESENTS: ARTIST TALKS Join Gallery Night

Sunday at 3 p.m. on Facebook. Tickets are $9.99 and can be purchased online at facebook.com/pensacolaopera.

LIVE MUSIC

CODY COPELAND LIVE Head to Gary's Brewery & Biergarten on Saturday, Jan. 16, for live music from singer-songwriter Cody Copeland while enjoying some local beer. Show begins at 6:30 p.m. Gary's is located at 208 Newman Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/garysbrew. PHIL TITTLE LIVE Singer-songwriter Phil

Tittle will be at Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., Saturday, Jan. 17, from 2-5 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola.

WAYWARD SISTER LIVE Enjoy live

music from Wayward Sister Saturday, Jan. 23, at Gary's Brewery and Biergarten. Show starts at 5 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/garysbrew.

DUKE X DUTCHESS INDIE MUSIC SHOW Enjoy good music from artists such

as Duke X Dutchess, s.mplestr.ngs, Flight Gang Drae at Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave. Show starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. Tickets are $10-$15. For more information, visit dukexdutchess.com.

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

OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel

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

Director Sydney Robinson as she interviews Pensacola area artists about their creative process. The Artist Talks series is a biweekly virtual event available on Facebook Live. Join in by visiting facebook.com/ gallerynightpensacola.

KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing

SUNDAYS ON THE MEZZANINE Enjoy a full-length concert series every other

LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back

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

with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's,

lodious 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

PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS HOME GAMES Pensacola Ice Flyers 2020-2021

season has begun. Tickets are sold in groups of two starting at $18. Tickets for groups of three or more are also available, and prices vary. To purchase tickets, go to ticketmaster.com. Home games are at the Pensacola Bay Center, located at 201 E. Gregory St. For more information, visit pensacolaiceflyers.com. UPCOMING GAMES: •7:35 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15: Macon vs. Pensacola •7:35 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29: Birmingham vs. Pensacola

PUBLIC ICE SKATING AT PENSACOLA BAY CENTER The Pensacola Bay Center

will be open for ice skating. All sessions will be at a reduced capacity to maintain social distancing, and only one spectator is allowed per skater. Tickets are $12 for adults and children with skate rental or $9 for adults and children without skate rental. Groups of 15 or more receive a reduced rate of $10. Purchase tickets at pensacolabaycenter.com DATES: •1:30 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16 •1:30 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17 •10:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 •10:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 •1:30 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31

K-9 PALOOZA 2021 Spectators are welcome to watch dog competitions and sports during a four-day action-packed event, Jan. 28-31, at the Escambia County Equestrian Center, 7750 Mobile Highway. Dogs of many breeds and their handlers will participate in Obedience and Rally, Barn Hunt and FastCAT competitions throughout the day and Obedience practices and Agility fun practices in late afternoon. Spectator admissions are $2/person over 12 years or $5/family, and seating is in the bleachers. Unentered, noncompeting dogs are not eligible to attend. Food truck on site. Visit fiveflagsdogs.com for more information. DOUBLE BRIDGE RUN ANNOUNCED FOR FEB. 6 Pensacola Sports has an-

nounced the course for 2021 Double Bridge

Run Presented by Publix, which will go on as scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 6. The longer race will keep its normal 15K length, but to accommodate the necessary course changes and to have the same start and finish areas for both races, the usual 5K races will become a very unique and challenging 6K. Both races will begin in front of the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. The 15K will run east toward Portofino, turn around and run over Bob Sikes Bridge into Gulf Breeze. The run continues over a quarter of a mile on the Gulf Breeze side of the Pensacola Bay Bridge before heading back to the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk finish line. The 6K participants will head out of the beach parking lot, run over the Bob Sikes Bridge, turn around and come back over the Bob Sikes Bridge and finish at the same finish line. Registration is open at doublebridgerun.com. A complete COVID-19 safety plan will be in place for the race and can be found on the event website. The plan includes more spread-out starting corrals, masking requirement, post-race party protocol, reduced touch points and other safety procedures.

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

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

RELEASE & RENEW AT FITNESS IMPACT TRAINING At 8:15 a.m. on Mon-

days, Wednesdays and Fridays, release into a yin yoga flow centered around low-stress training for high-stress individuals. The focus will be on the basics of breath and inweekly.net

a&e happenings openness in the shoulders, hips and spine. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online. Cost is $12 per class, and the location is 375 N. Ninth Ave., Ste. B. Limited space available. Ask about membership pricing.

GULF COAST BREWERY RUN Thurs-

days at 6 p.m., join Pensacola Runners Association for a 5K fun run. Enjoy a free beer after the run and complimentary games such as cornhole, ping pong and more. Gulf Coast Brewery is located at 500 E. Heinberg St. For more information, visit facebook.com/gulfcoastbrewery.

BEER GARDEN YOGA Join Coastal

County Brewing Company Saturdays at 9 a.m. for the new Yoga in the Garden Series. Classes will be led by Tara Taylor, a highly experienced instructor from Breathe Pensacola. All skill levels are welcome. Cost is $10 and includes a pint of beer after the class. Coastal County Brewing Company is located at 3041 E. Olive Road. For more information, visit facebook.com/coastalcounty.

SOUL FLOW YOGA AT BEAUTIFUL YOU STUDIO Every Tuesday at 7 a.m., flow

and vibe with some soulful music to start the day. This hour-long class will center around engaging the core through smooth yet strong yoga sequences. Cost is $10 per class or $99 for an unlimited 30-day pass. Located at 513 W. Intendencia St. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online.

YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Begin-

ner 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.

SELF-LOVE SUNDAY AT BEAUTIFUL YOU STUDIO Come show yourself some

love through yoga every Sunday morning at 7 a.m. Self-love Sunday Slow Flow is all about giving yourself the love you deserve through loving kindness meditation, mindful breathwork and slow vinyasa. Cost is $10 per class or $99 for unlimited 30-day pass. Located at 513 W. Intendencia St. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online.

January 14, 2021

OCEAN HOUR BEACH CLEAN-UPS

Ocean Hour has picked up its weekly beach clean-ups in the Pensacola area Saturdays at 8:45 a.m. Supplies will be provided, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own. For locations, visit oceanhourfl.com.

FOOD + DRINKS

PASTA DONE-LIGHT: HEALTHY COOKING IN THE NEW YEAR Join

Chef James Briscione and Angelena's Wine Director Brooke Parkhurst to learn how to prepare light and delicious pasta preparations from their latest cookbook, "Flavor for All." Class is 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14. Tickets are $65 plus tax and includes a tasting and wine pairings and a take-home recipe booklet. Reservations are required. To reserve your spot, please contact Brooke Parkhurst at brooke@angelenaspensacola.com or 917-573-1613.

EVER'MAN NINE MILE ROAD ONEYEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Join Ever'man in celebration of their oneyear anniversary at the Nine Mile location, 1000 E. Nine Mile Road, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 15 & 16. There will be live music, food sampling, artisan vendors, class demonstrations and prizes. For more information, visit facebook.com/evermancoop.

MEXICAN STREET FOOD LUNCH AND LEARN Learn how to create Mexican street

food at home from the talented Bodacious chefs. This lunch and learn class starts at noon on Friday, Jan. 15. Cost is $30. So Gourmet is located at 407-D S. Palafox. For more information, visit bodaciousshops.com.

TEACHER APPRECIATION HAPPY HOUR Teachers get deserved recognition

with their own designated Happy Hour starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15, at Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/ dolcegelatopensacola.

MURDER GRAS MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE Seville Quarter

and Improbable Cause Mystery Theatre presents this Mardi Gras-themed dinner theatre. Shows are 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, and Saturday, Jan. 16. The show will be at Heri-

tage Hall in Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $59 each. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

EVERYTHING SUSHI WITH PENSACOLA COOKS Learn traditional sushi making skills, creating variations of the basic rolls, including design tips and techniques from Pensacola Cooks Kitchen. The class is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at Pensacola Cooks Kitchen, located at 3624 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $45 per person. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolacooks.

DOWNTOWN TROLLEY DINNER Enjoy a progressive trolley tour of some of historic downtown Pensacola's finest dining establishments. The five-course dinner is paired with hand-selected wine and craft beers begins and ends at Apple Annie's in Seville Quarter and includes stops at So Gourmet, Union Public House and 86 Forks Pop-Up Noodle Bar. The dinner starts at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17. Tickets are $125 each or $200 for two. For more information, visit firstteegulfcoast.org/trolley-tickets. NINTENDO TOURNAMENT: MARIO KART Take part in some friendly Mario Kart competition at Odd Colony at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday Jan. 19. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony.

COOKING WITH CHEF IRV MILLER: HOME COOKING IDEAS Join Chef Irv

Miller of Jackson's Steakhouse for the monthly series of cooking demonstrations. The next class is Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Cost is $55 per person, which covers the demonstration, tastings and wine pairings and a take-home recipe booklet. Reservations are required. Reserve your spot by calling Jessica Edwards at 686-3149 or emailing jessica@goodgrits.com.

CAST IRON PIZZA COOKING Join

Bodacious chefs to make a fan favorite with a cast iron skillet. Class is 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20. Tickets are $65. So Gourmet is located at 407-D S. Palafox. For more information, visit bodaciousshops.com.

1920S MURDER MYSTERY AT GARDEN & GRAIN Take part in an interactive

murder mystery dinner theatre with Improbable Cause at Garden & Grain, located behind Perfect Plain Brewing Co. Tickets are $55 and include a full meal and bar service. The show starts at 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22. For more information, visit facebook. com/perfectplainbrewingco.

LOST CHAPTERS WINE DINNER Enjoy five courses of food and wine from the acclaimed Lost Chapters Winery. Dinner is 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. Cost is $95 per person. For more information, visit bodaciousshops.com. PENSACOLA RECORD FAIR Pensacola Record Fair is back, this time at Odd Colony. Peruse through crates of vinyl from noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24. DJ DAD will be performing. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony. SCHITT'S CREEK TRIVIA AT ODD COLONY Ew, David. Gather your team of Schitt's

Creek fans and join Odd Colony's trivia night, 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony.

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

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

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS AT THE 5 BARREL Celebrate hump day by treating

yourself to BOGO wine by the glass at The 5 Barrel, 121 S. Palafox, starting at 6 p.m. every Wednesday. You earned it. Find out more at facebook.com/the5barrel.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

free will astrology WEEK OF JANUARY 14 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): As you

ripen into a more fully embodied version of yourself, you will summon ever-greater discrimination about where to seek your inspiration. I trust that you will increasingly divest yourself of any tendency you might have to play around with just any old mediocre fire. More and more, you will be drawn to high-quality blazes that provide just the right amount of heat and light—neither too much nor too little. And you will steadfastly refrain from jumping into the flames, as glamorously dramatic as that might seem—and instead be a master of deft maneuvers that enable you to get the exact energy you need.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Dentsu is a major Japanese advertising agency headquartered in Tokyo. Annually since 1925, its new employees and freshly promoted executives have carried out a company ritual—climbing 12,388-foot-high Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest peak. The theme of the strenuous workout is this—"We are going to conquer the symbol that represents Japan more than anything else. And, once we do that, it will signify that we can do anything." In anticipation of what I suspect will be a year of career gains for you, Taurus, I invite you to do the following— Sometime in the next six weeks, go out in nature and perform an equivalent feat. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Today I re-

ceived a new email from a Gemini friend who lives in London. It was date-stamped Jan. 15, 2015. Weird! In it, she talked about applying for a new job at a publishing company. That was double weird because February 2015 was in fact the time she had gotten the editing job that she still has. Her email also conveyed other details about her life that I knew to be old history. So why did it arrive now, six years late? I called her on the phone to see if we could unravel the mystery. In the end, we concluded that her email had time-traveled in some inexplicable way. I predict that a comparable event or two will soon happen in your life, Gemini. Blasts from the past will pop in as if yesterday were today.

By Rob Brezsny

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Eugene

Sue (1804–1857) was a popular French author whose stories often offered sympathetic portrayals of the harsh living conditions endured by people of the lower economic class. Writing generously about those downtrodden folks made him quite wealthy. I'd love to see you employ a comparable strategy in the coming year. What services might you perform that would increase your access to money and resources? How could you benefit yourself by helping and uplifting others?

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): The beautiful

and luxurious fabric known as silk comes from cocoons spun by insect larvae. Sadly for the creatures that provide the raw material, they're usually killed by humans harvesting their handiwork—either by being stabbed or boiled alive. However, there is a special kind of silk in which manufacturers spare the lives of their benefactors. The insects are allowed to mature into moths and escape. I propose that we make them your spirit creatures in the coming weeks. It's an excellent time for you to take an inventory of everything you do and evaluate how well it upholds the noble principle of, "Do no harm."

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): "Any time that is not spent on love is wasted," declared the Italian poet Torquato Tasso. Although I am sympathetic with his sentiment, I can't agree that acts of love are the only things ever worth doing. Sometimes it's healthy to be motivated by anger or sadness or skepticism, for example. But I do suspect the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to be in intense devotion to Tasso's counsel. All the important successes you achieve will be rooted in an intention to express love and compassion. LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): I heard a

story about how a music aficionado took a Zen Buddhist monk to a performance of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5." The monk wasn't impressed. "Not enough silence!" he complained. I'm puzzled by that response. If the monk were referring to a busy intersection in a major city, I might agree

with him or the cacophony of a political argument among fanatics on Facebook. But to want more silence in one of history's greatest pieces of music? That's perverse. With this in mind, Libra, and in accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to seek extra protection from useless noise and commotion during the coming weeks— even as you hungrily seek out rich sources of beautiful information, sound and art.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): "Some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal," wrote Scorpio author Albert Camus. If you're one of those folks, I'm happy to inform you that you have cosmic permission to relax. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to explore the pleasures of NOT being conventional, standard, ordinary, average, routine, prosaic or common. As you expansively practice non-normalcy, you will enhance your health, sharpen your wits and clarify your decisions. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

Our lives tend to be shaped by the stories about ourselves that we create and harbor in our imaginations. The adventures we actually experience, the problems we actually face, are often (not always) in alignment with the tales we tell ourselves about our epic fates. And here's the crux of the matter—We can change the stories we tell ourselves. We can discard tales that reinforce our pain and dream up revised tales that are more meaningful and pleasurable. I believe 2021 will be an excellent time for you to attend to this fun work. Your assignment—Be a self-nurturing storyteller.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Capricorn author Edgar Allen Poe named "four conditions for happiness—life in the open air; love of another human being; freedom from all ambition; creation." I'm accomplished in three of those categories, but a failure in being free of all ambitions. In fact, I'm eternally delighted by all the exciting creative projects I'm working on. I'm VERY ambitious. What about you, Capricorn? I'm going to contradict Poe and speculate that your happiness in the coming months will require you to be at

least somewhat ambitious. That's what the planetary omens are telling me. So what are the best goals and dreams for you to be ambitious about?

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): It's

time to launch Operation Supple Watchdog. That means you should be tenderly vigilant as you take extra good care of everyone and everything that provide you with meaning and sustenance. It means you should exercise rigorous but good-humored discernment about any oppressive or demeaning ideas that are flying around. You should protect and preserve the vulnerable parts of your life, but do so with tough-minded compassion, not ornery overreactions. Be skeptical, but warm; breezily resilient but always ready to stand up for what's right. (P.S. The better you shield yourself against weird surprises, the more likely it is you'll attract interesting surprises.)

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): The atoms that compose your body have existed for billions of years. Originally created by a star, they have been part of many forms before you. But they are exactly the same in structure as they have ever been. So in a very real sense, you are billions of years old. Now that you know that, how do you feel? Any different? Stronger? More expansive? More eternal? I bring these thoughts to your attention, Pisces, because 2021 will be an excellent year for you to come to a more profound and detailed understanding of your true nature. I hope you will regularly meditate on the possibility that your soul is immortal, that your identity is not confined to this historical era, that you have been alive and will be alive for far longer than you've been taught to believe. THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: What's the first adventure you will embark on when the pandemic subsides?

freewillastrology.com

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news of the weird HOME OF YOUR DREAMS The house for sale at 43 Courthouse Drive in Guildhall, Vermont, has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an updated kitchen and seven jail cells, complete with barred windows, toilets and cots. United Press International reported that the property, listed for $149,000, used to serve as the Essex County jail, with the jailer's quarters attached to the back of the house. Out of use since 1969, the cells are now covered in dust and, according to the listing, just waiting for a creative buyer to "bring ... ideas on what this 28-foot-by-40-foot wing could be!" NAMES IN THE NEWS When the car Jethro Geneus, 30, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was riding in was pulled over by police in the early morning of Jan. 4, he told the officer the bags of brown and white substances found in his backpack were baking supplies — "sugar and a bag of cornstarch to bake a cake," according to police. Geneus, who had an outstanding warrant, was taken into custody, WPEC reported, and the contents of both bags tested positive for molly or ecstasy. At the jail, Geneus dropped another bag of white powder, which tested positive for meth. He was charged with trafficking phenethylamines. QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT Cam Faust and Kevin Joiner weren't sure at first how to react when, during a fishing trip on Jan. 3 near Darwin, Australia, they "heard this faint like 'ahhh ahhh,'" Faust told 9News, and found a naked man clinging to branches in the mangrove forest, filthy and covered with bug bites. Luke Voskresensky, 40, told them he'd gotten lost on his way to a New Year's Eve party a few days earlier and had been eating snails to stay alive. Faust and Joiner offered him a cold beer and a ride back to town where they found out the real reason Voskresensky was stranded in the croc-infested waters: He had been arrested for armed robbery and fitted with an ankle monitor, which he had broken before escaping bail. "I was going to go visit him in hospital," Faust said, but a paramedic said "'he's in hospital with handcuffs on, two cops babysitting him' so ... maybe we'll leave it." UNSOCIAL MEDIA Caleb Burczyk, 29, of Williston, North Dakota, was arrested and charged with burglary and terrorizing on Dec. 26 for kicking in the front door of a former co-worker's home after the man apparently failed to answer Burczyk's Facebook friend requests, according to court documents. "Accept my friend request or I'm going to murder you," read one message, according to the affidavit, and another message said Burczyk would "come at" Thomas if he didn't accept. The Smoking Gun reported Burczyk pleaded

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

not guilty and is scheduled for an April appearance in District Court. COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS Holly Venderley, 20, of Bloomington, Indiana, told park rangers that she knew Mount Rushmore National Memorial was closed, and she knew she wasn't allowed to climb the South Dakota monument — which is why she did it at night. The Rapid City Journal reported that a ranger monitoring security cameras saw a flashlight's beam moving along the slope of broken rocks just beneath George Washington on Jan. 3 and ran to the area, where he saw Venderley climbing to the base of Washington's lapel, about 200 feet up. The ranger demanded she get down, which she did. Venderley was sober and cooperative, and the next day she was fined $1,250 after pleading guilty to climbing the monument in federal court. GOVERNMENT IN ACTION Massachusetts already has an official fossil, reported NECN-TV, and now state Rep. Jack Lewis, of Framingham, is proposing the selection of a state dinosaur as well. "With so much uncertainty in our world today, can you think of a better way to help kids (and those young at heart) learn about the legislative process than (by) naming an official Massachusetts State Dinosaur?" he wrote on Twitter on Jan. 4. Lewis posted links to an online survey where citizens can choose the species they'd like to represent them and said it got 150 votes in the first two hours. CREME DE LA WEIRD Ending a dispute that began in 2014, Judge Luo Shengli of the Beijing Xicheng District People's Court ruled in late December that a man identified only as Tian and his family must leave the hospital room they had been squatting in for six years. Tian had undergone a medical procedure at the hospital and spent a few days recovering there, accompanied by his family, but at discharge, Tian disputed the hospital's bill and refused to leave, Oddity Central reported. Tian's parents settled in with him, bringing pots and pans, groceries and other personal items from home. Over the years, the hospital took the family to court on multiple occasions and in 2019 even waived its fees in an effort to expel them, but the family countersued. In his ruling, the judge found the family was entitled to compensation of about $73,000, which they accepted, and they were taken home in a hospital ambulance. {in}

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com January 14, 2021

Thank You to Our Accelerate Roundtable Advisors! Connecting like-minded business leaders to accelerate their businesses. Every month in our Accelerate Roundtable program, business leaders are meeting virtually to talk about what keeps them up at night. Accelerate offers a unique opportunity for members to gather in a safe, supportive environment. Our Accelerate Advisors volunteer their time and talent to support and lift up our business community. While many leaders faced extreme difficulty in 2020, our advisors were a guiding light to help them through their struggles and prepare them for what lies ahead. We hope you will join us in thanking them for their wisdom, their guidance and their commitment. This program would not be possible without them.

David Bier

Chief Operations Officer Anglin Reichmann

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IN MEMORIAM

Randy Ramos

President and CEO Global Business Solutions, Inc. (GBSI) Caress Hudson

Owner Henny Penny’s Patisserie

Donna Kirby

Vice President of Operations Pensacola Blue Wahoos

D.C. Reeves

Chief Entrepreneur Officer Studer Community Institute, The Spring

Greg Miller

Owner iSpeed Solutions

Andrew Rothfeder Owner Rothfeder, LLC

Heath Owens

Owner Village Environmental Services

Kathy Sandstrom

Former Senior Managing Director Heitman LLC

Shon Owens

Owner & Founder Owens Custom Homes

Bob Murphy Consultant

Bert Thornton

Former President & Chief Operations Officer Waffle House, Inc.

We are saddened by the sudden loss of our advisor and friend, Randy Ramos. Not only was he a visionary in his work as a cyber security expert, but he also helped inspire others by offering encouragement, mentorship and sparking ideas. Randy had a positive impact on our community and every community he touched. He was a real difference maker and someone we will never forget.

If you are interested in joining Accelerate or being an Accelerate Advisor, please visit Studeri.org or contact Stephana Gaudin • (904) 923-1463 • sgaudin@studeri.org At Studer Community Institute, our mission as a 501(c)3 nonprofit is to improve the quality of life for people. While COVID-19 has changed the way we fulfill our mission, it hasn’t changed the need. Independent News | January 14, 2021 | inweekly.net