Inweekly Jan. 25 2024 Issue

Independent News | January 25, 2024 | Volume 25 | Number 3 | Photo Courtesy of Visit Pensacola

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winners & losers

outtakes

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news

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6, 8

We're going to continue to see this resistance.

buzz

a&e

feature

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17

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publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

contact us info@inweekly.net

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Joshua Encinias, Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Dakota Parks, C.S. Satterwhite, Tom St. Myer

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. © 2024 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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January 25, 2024

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winners & losers

Stephanie Yelton / Courtesy of uwf.edu

Ron DeSantis Photo by The Old Major / shutterstock.com

winners

losers

STEPHANIE YELTON University of West

Florida (UWF) Women's Basketball Coach earned her 200th win with a 66-57 road victory over Alabama Huntsville on Saturday, Jan. 13.

The next day, Yelton was in Chapel Hill, N.C., celebrating the 30th anniversary of her national championship over Louisiana Tech with her former coach Sylvia Hatchell and her teammates.

The Tar Heels won the game at the buzzer when Yelton inbounded the ball under her basket to Charlotte Smith who nailed a 3-pointer to win 60-59. Smith, who coaches Elon University, won her 200th game on Friday, Jan. 12.

LUSHARON WILEY Innisfree Hotels vice

president of corporate culture has been appointed the new executive director of the Equity Project Alliance (EPA), working with local business leaders to affect sustainable change in Escambia County and Northwest Florida. Dr. Wiley, who holds degrees in political science from Tuskegee University and the University of Illinois and earned a Doctor of Education degree in diversity studies from UWF, is a longtime resident of Pensacola and a founding member of the EPA.

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KEITH LEONARD The Escambia County School Board named Leonard its Superintendent of Education at its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 16. Night. The board unanimously approved making his interim position permanent and having board chair Patty Hightower begin contract negotiations. District 1 board member Kevin Adams made the motion, and District 5 member Bill Slayton seconded the motion. In his first job evaluation since taking over the school system last June, Leonard scored 74.8 out of 88 for a "highly effective" rating when the scores from the five board members.

PENSACOLA JOB MARKET The Florida

Department of Commerce announced the Pensacola area labor force increased by 4,402, a 1.9% increase over the year in December 2023.

The industry gaining the most jobs over the year was education and health services, increasing by 2,200 jobs. The Pensacola area's private sector employment increased by 2,100 jobs, an increase of 1.2% over the year.

DESANTIS' DODGE Last year, Florida's governor touted in campaign rallies and on TV that he rid Florida's university campuses of a pro-Palestine student group in the wake of the Hamas attacks on Israel. His campaign website states, "DeSantis' admin directed Florida universities to enforce the law and terminate student chapters, such as National Students for Justice in Palestine." However, his attorneys, who are trying to get the governor out of a lawsuit, have filed a motion in federal court saying DeSantis only encouraged, through Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida to shut down chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine.

PENSACOLA BAY CENTER Venus Solutions Group's assessment of the 38-year-old civic center is it will need $72.5 million for repairs, equipment replacement or upgrades, and other infrastructure improvements over the next seven years to be a viable, relevant venue. The Escambia County Commission has struggled for more than a decade about what to do with the civic center that opened in 1985. In February 2011, the commissioners directed county purchasing to sell the facility for $10 million but received no offers. Will the board fork out $72.5 million? We wouldn't bet on it.

FLORIDA SENATE Senators voted unanimously to approve a plan Senate President Kathleen Passidomo touted to expand healthcare access as the state's population continues to grow. The two bills aim to improve access, increase the number of doctors in the state and reduce costs by shifting patients away from emergency rooms and boosting health innovation efforts. The Senate didn't expand Medicaid, which would have made health care affordable for nearly 800,000 uninsured Floridians.

BOOK OBJECTIONS The House Choice & Innovation Subcommittee approved HB 7025, which calls for people who object to more than five school books during a calendar year to be assessed $100 for each additional objection.

The proposed fees would apply to "a parent or resident who does not have a student enrolled in the school." inweekly.net

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outtakes

By Rick Outzen

TEST ALL OF THEM On June 21, 1999, Gov. Jeb Bush signed the A+ Plan for Education into law, which gave schools grades based on their students' Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores. If schools didn't improve, students could transfer to other schools or receive vouchers for private schools.

In congressional testimony three months after the signing, Gov. Bush said the plan was based on three principles: meaningful and undiluted accountability that would allocate different consequences for success and failure, zero tolerance for failure, and the belief the public education system must be child-centered, not system-centered.

Since 1999, Florida has seen the rise of charter schools, the advancement of school choice that allows parents to move their children to any school regardless of school grades and the expansion of school vouchers to all K-12 students regardless of family income.

How has Escambia County fared since 1999?

It has been a mixed bag.

The district still has 28 elementary schools that existed in 1999. While standards have been modified several times over the past 24 years, 13 elementary schools have improved their grades, and four have received lower grades. Hallmark, Allie Yniestra, Spencer Bibbs, and A.A. Dixon were D schools in 2000 and later closed. The neighborhoods they served now attend Global Learning Academy (F) and O.J. Semmes (D).

Since 1999, Escambia County has seen charter schools open and close. The successes have been Pensacola Beach Elementary (A), Byrneville Elementary (B) and Beulah Academy of Science (C). Many other charter schools were mom-and-pop operations that struggled to attract students and cover expenses, like the Dr. Ruby J. Gainer High School that closed in 2009. Gulf Coast High shut down after a student drowned on a field trip to a stretch of Pensacola Beach that lacked lifeguards. Escambia Charter School got in trouble with the state attorney's office after hiring out its students to clean roadsides and making about $200,000.

Nine years ago, Escambia County was the epicenter of the state's largest charter school fraud case involving Newpoint Education Part-

ners. Its founder, Marcus May, was convicted in 2018 of steering millions of dollars into his personal accounts.

This year, more parents are using vouchers for home-schooling and private school tuition, but we have very little "meaningful and undiluted accountability." I don't think that's fair. A system that holds public schools and their teachers accountable for student performance and that has consequences for success and failure should also hold private schools that receive taxpayer dollars to the same standards and consequences.

The Every Student Succeeds Act should be applied universally to all schools receiving state funds. The act requires all students to be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers. To accomplish that objective, we must measure all students' progress.

The voucher expansion and school choice initiative are based on providing parents with objective data so that they can make informed decisions about their children's education.

Parents deserve to know the qualifications of the private school teachers and how many students are performing on grade level or higher. All students should complete the same year-end exams to prove proficiency in the subjects.

Publicly funded education needs to be transparent. Parents should be able to compare the outcomes of all education options.

Other states are considering adding similar requirements. In Arkansas last week, ARKids First, a coalition of education advocacy groups, submitted to the state's attorney general a referendum proposal to amend the state constitution to mandate that schools receiving public funds must follow the same standards as traditional public schools. The group revised its initial proposal to address concerns that Attorney General Tim Griffin raised regarding the use of vague language that could affect the ability of parochial schools to offer religious instruction.

Florida won't need a constitutional amendment, but "meaningful and undiluted accountability" does require state lawmakers willing to hold every school to the same standards in order to receive tax dollars. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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How has Escambia County fared since 1999?

January 25, 2024

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THE GOOD FIGHT FOR BOOKS went far enough to say, 'I don't see this argument holding any water as the case goes forward.' So that's a massive rolling win for this case."

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CASE

Photo by On The Run Photo / shutterstock.com

By Rick Outzen This month, Escambia County and its school board were thrust into the national limelight for being the school district pulling dictionaries and encyclopedias out of its libraries and classrooms. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked them. Former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly slammed the board's decision as "preposterous" after it removed two of his books, "Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency" and "Killing Jesus."

The bad news was somewhat offset by Federal Judge T. Kent Wetherell's rejection of the Escambia County School Board's motions to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the board's decision to remove or restrict access to hundreds of books.

Filed in May 2023, the plaintiffs include parents of children attending schools in the Escambia County School District, authors of books that were removed or restricted, Penguin Random House and PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing and protecting authors' rights. They asserted claims under the First Amendment and the equal protection clause of 66

the 14th Amendment based on allegations the School Board was removing or restricting access to books because they address racial discrimination or LGBTQ+ issues.

Inweekly spoke with PEN America's Florida director, Katie Blankenship, about the decision and its impact.

"The big win—and what happened that is so monumental for not only Pensacola and Escambia County but the entire state—is Judge Wetherell rejected the school board's claim that there are no First Amendment violations in this and that the case should not be dismissed outright," she said. "He found that on our First Amendment claims, we had sufficiently pled our claims, and the lawsuit was moving forward."

The school board and the state of Florida had argued the government speech doctrine applied to the removal of school library books.

Under that doctrine, the government can assert its own ideas and message with immunity from First Amendment scrutiny.

"Judge Wetherell rejected that outright," Blankenship said. "He called it a dangerous precedent should he find that way. He not only said 'no' to the motion to dismiss, but he

"What we're seeing is an attack on our public education system. We're seeing the impact on students of color and LGBTQ students. It has an incredible amount of harm," she said.

"Not only is it undermining our public education, but when we tell children that there are certain subject matters that the government disfavors or finds inappropriate—specifically, our case argues that it's based on antiblack and LGBTQ animus—then we're telling those students they're inappropriate," Blankenship said.

"We're telling them that they are of less value, and that's devastating to a young person and the very last thing that should happen in public education."

Blankenship, PEN America and others are fighting back because they believe the removal of books and attacks on children of color and LGBTQ children is not the Florida they know and love.

"That's not Florida's public education system. It's not what the majority of Floridians want," she said. "And we're really happy that the case is going forward."

She also thinks it sends a significant message that Judge Wetherell was appointed to the federal bench in Pensacola by President Donald Trump.

"This is a very conservative judge, and what it does is bring us to the heart of some of this conflict," Blankenship said.

"What's happening in Florida is not a progressive versus conservative or Republican versus Democrat issue. This is a small group of extremists versus the majority of democracy lovers. I see a great opportunity for us to come together and find common purpose and join on these issues that shouldn't be politicized."

viewpoints the government finds disfavored for whatever reason, mostly recently people of color and LGBTQ individuals.

"Unfortunately, they're also writing these bills in a way that is vague and overbroad," she said. "Now, the words used are legal terms, but they also have just the normal way that we use these words. The vagueness and overbreadth of them are intentional because it means that when people read them, they're confused, and they're scared. It's about creating this culture of fear."

She asserted that the vagueness has led to instructions that have made teachers feel threatened with not only losing their teaching certificates but also criminal prosecution. "That level of fear is intentional so that these laws are overapplied, and it's devastating and so shameful that we are in this state with a legislature that's not protecting our public education but is actively undermining it. And it's just an atrocious state of affairs."

Blankenship pointed out the PEN America lawsuit was filed before HB 1069 went into effect. The bill expanded the "Don't Say Gay" law to include pre-K through 12th grade. It allowed for thousands of books to be removed if challenged by any individual for any reason until the books can be reviewed.

"The new procedure takes away all of the consideration of the literary and artistic value of these works and saying, 'If something has sexual conduct, pull it, and we're going to review it,'" Blankenship said. "Now, what's also striking, and what Judge Wetherell said, is that none of these school districts, including Escambia County, have a timeframe on how these reviews are going to happen. So, they're pulling books, and they're not getting back on the shelves."

She continued, "This isn't a temporary hold; this is an effective ban. They're gone from these shelves for an unlimited amount of time. And so, you see this over application of HB 1069 when we see school boards pulling things as ridiculous as the dictionary because God forbid, if we look at a book that defines human genitalia. It's just that ridiculous."

She said the HB 1069 law has been pervasive statewide. "You saw Orange County pull 1,400 titles, Escambia about 1,700, and it just keeps going."

"We're telling them that they are of less value, and that's devastating WHAT'S NEXT I think we're going to continue to see to a young person and the very last a real"Well, rise in resistance across the state, which thing that should happen in public is great news," Blankenship said. "I tend to be a glass-half-full person, and so that's a big reason education." Katie Blankenship that Pen America is here in Florida to supShe continued, "Our public education system shouldn't be a political issue. Wanting to have a robust public education system should not be a red or blue or any sort of issue. It's just an American issue. We want our kids to have access to a great education."

Blankenship pointed out several bills passed by the Florida Legislature were attacks on

port this movement. We're going to continue to see this resistance. I'm hoping there will be additional litigation on this down the road, and I think people will see a lot of action, in general, to fight back. I hope so."

Before ending the call, she added, "And if they want to get involved, they can look me up on PEN America's website, pen.org. I'll get them plugged in." {in} inweekly.net

January 25, 2024

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REEVES' NEW HIRES

Photo by Tim Bednarczyk

By Tom St. Myer Mayor D.C. Reeves filled three city staff vacancies this month by hiring seasoned professionals as his city attorney, facilities and fleet management director, and public information and strategic communications officer.

The City Council approved each of the hires.

LEGAL SERVICES

Adam Cobb is the choice for city attorney.

Cobb will resign as a stakeholder at Emmanuel, Sheppard, and Condon, P.A. and begin his new position Feb. 5.

"In talking to people, it was apparent there's real work getting done, meaningful improvements to the city are happening," Cobb said. "It's a good opportunity to get involved with like-minded people who want to make a difference."

Cobb said building and maintaining open lines of communication with Reeves and each of the seven City Council members would be crucial for him to succeed as city attorney. He replaces Charlie Peppler, whom Reeves asked to resign in March. During the 10 months since his resignation, two assistant city attorneys and contracted attorneys have provided legal services for the city.

Cobb grew up in Pensacola and graduated from Tate High School in 2002. He earned his undergraduate degree from Troy University and law degree from Florida State University before practicing law at two law firms in Indianapolis.

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He lived in Indianapolis for seven years and invested heavily in the community but missed his hometown. When Emmanuel, Sheppard and Condon presented him an opportunity to join its law firm and return home in 2016, he gladly accepted.

"I spent an exceptional amount of time investing in the community in Indianapolis, and it was never home," Cobb said. "I wanted to invest that time and effort here."

Since returning home, Cobb has devoted considerable time to various organizations. His community involvement includes the Downtown Improvement Board, Junior Achievement Board, Leadership Pensacola, Dixon School of Arts and Sciences, Sunday's Child and Five Flags Rotary Club.

A fellow Pensacola native, Reeves appreciates how Cobb invests in the community. His love for Pensacola is transparent.

"He has tons of nonprofit and professional membership activities," Reeves said. "Most importantly, from my conversations with him is, he is someone who's doing this because he cares about the community where he was raised."

Cobb has managed to successfully balance a hectic schedule between community involvement and his workload at Emmanuel, Sheppard and Condon. His responsibilities at the law firm include negotiating and drafting purchase and sales agreements, leases, financing documents, development agreements, public-private partnerships and easements, among other contracts. Cobb has guided and advised clients through all manner of real estate transactions.

Cobb described leaving the law firm as a "very difficult" decision.

"That was the hardest thing," he said. "It's not like it was a move out of some malcontent."

FACILITY MANAGEMENT

Reeves created a facilities and fleet management director position and hired Russell Sweatt to fill the role. Sweatt offers the city nearly 20 years of experience in the maintenance field.

He stepped into the new position after the Community Redevelopment Agency approved the demolition of the 62-year-old Malcolm Yonge Gym. Board member Charles Bare said the city only had enough money to repair either the Cobb Resource Center or Malcolm Yonge.

The board chose the Cobb Resource Center.

City Council member Jennifer Brahier is optimistic adding a facilities and fleet management director to the staff will prevent similar instances in the future.

"Well, I want to point out that the mayor is taking all this very seriously, and for the first time ever, we've got a full-time facilities manager that (we approved) the position so that we will have someone whose job is solely to keep an eye on all our facilities and fleet so that we don't get in this position again," Brahier said. "So as terrible and troubled as this is, we are moving toward doing the right thing."

Sweatt and his family moved from Denver to Pensacola just over two years ago. He said warmer weather and the beaches attracted his family to the area.

In Pensacola, he previously served as focus factory manager for Overhead Door Company.

He planned and directed production activities and established production priorities.

Sweatt said he preferred maintenance over production, and that is why the position at the city appealed to him. He began Jan. 22.

"I was looking to get back into maintenance," Sweatt said. "It's something I'm pretty comfortable with. I'll see how things are and bring improvements and positive changes in areas that I can."

Before Overhead Door, Sweatt spent nearly five years in maintenance managerial positions for United Airlines in Denver. He oversaw United Airlines maintenance facilities at Denver International Airport, a flight training center, fleet garage, cargo and a few older properties.

"It was a very large role being over all the facilities," Sweatt said. "I was responsible for a lot.

I worked through the whole COVID pandemic, which brought a lot of craziness to the airport."

Sweatt and his wife each served in the Air Force, and his previous work experience included fleet maintenance positions with the military branch. He operated ground support equipment both as an officer and civilian.

Sweatt grew up in New Hampshire with a grandfather who owned a trucking company. He spent countless hours in the garage, developing his mechanical skills.

"I've always been mechanically inclined," he said. "It's what led me down that path in the military."

COMMUNICATIONS

The third January hire, Jason Wheeler, is already on board as the public information and strategic communications officer. He serves as the official spokesperson for the city and leads its strategic communications initiatives.

"There are so many great stories ready to be told and amazing people to highlight," Wheeler said. "We will do all we can to show people that Pensacola is one of the best communities to live, work and play."

Wheeler replaces Kacey LaGarde, who resigned from the position in August to become Escambia County's strategic communications director. Dominique Epps handled the responsibilities for the five months between LaGarde and Wheeler. Epps remains on staff as the assistant public information officer.

Wheeler previously served as the coordinator of communications for Flagler County Schools. He led the school district through three hurricanes/tropical storms and the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Before Flagler, Wheeler spent 17 years as a TV journalist in Augusta, Ga., Mobile, Ala. at WKRG-TV, Orlando and Tuscaloosa. He is a U.S. Army veteran and a University of Alabama graduate.

Reeves said communication is paramount in telling the story of the city. He said Wheeler possesses the ideal background to convey that story. {in} inweekly.net

January 25, 2024

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BOB ANDERSON Senior Vice President Truist Financial

BRETT BARROW Marketing President Renasant Bank

MARK CANADA Vice President Synovus Bank

JASON CRAWFORD Founder, One In A Row Ventures President, ARCO Marine, and AmCoat Industrial

DEAN DALRYMPLE Partner/Principal Dalrymple Sallis Architecture

MIKE ELLICOTT Founder Castle6 Group

TRAVIS GOINS President EBI Management Group

DOUG GONTERMAN Chief Creative Officer Lucid Advertising

Celebrate National Mentoring Month In honor of National Mentoring Month, here at Studer Community Institute we want to show thanks and extend our gratitude to all 48 of our incredible mentors in our Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) Program.

Modeled after the successful Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) VMS program, our locally tailored VMS brings expert mentorship to the heart of Pensacola’s entrepreneurial community.

Providing confidential, team mentoring services free of charge, we pair entrepreneurs with 3-5 mentors, ensuring a diverse range of expertise and advice.

HOLLY BENSON CEO Screen Corp Former Florida House Rep.

COVER BROOKS Financial Advisor Morgan Stanley

BUDDY CUMMINGS Co-founder and Partner Cummings Camp Programs, LLC

NIKKI CUMMINGS Co-founder and CEO Cummings Camp Programs, LLC

ROBERT L. FOSTER Division Manager Apogee.us Telecom

CAPT. STERLING GILLIAM, USN (RET.) Director National Aviation Museum

DR. JESSICA GRIFFEN Chairwoman and CEO The Urban Development Center, Inc.

BOB HART Retired Attorney

JAMES HOSMAN Market President Centennial Bank

CRAIG HRABAR Business Consultant

Thank you for your invaluable contribution to fostering entrepreneurship and making a lasting impact in our community!

ASHTON HAYWARD President Andrews Research & Education Foundation

CHRIS HEANEY Operations Manager Stevenson Klotz Injury Lawyers

The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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inweekly.net

JERRY JACKSON Retired GM Deepwater Projects, Royal Dutch Shell

BENNY JEANSONNE Partner Emeritus and Retired CPA Silas Simmons

CHRISTY KISNER President Neuro Services at SpecialtyCare

BARRY LINTNER Owner, Partner, CEO Multiple LLC’s

JAMES MANN CEO M4 Sciences Corporation

JOHN MCGREGOR Professor Clemson University

MIKE MYHRE Relationship Manager FSA Advisory Group

MORT O’SULLIVAN Retired Managing Member Gulf Coast Region Warren Averett, LLC

DESTYN PATERA Founder and Director LENSEA

TOM PATTERSON CEO The JETTY IoT

LLOYD RASHARD CEO Cognitive Big Data Systems

JOHN A. RIGSBY CEO eduocity, LLC

JEFF ROGERS Founder and Chief Buzz Officer Buzz Marketing, LLC

PATRICK ROONEY Director of Entrepreneurial Development CO:LAB

KRISTINE RUSHING Risk Consultant Rushing Insurance, LLC

KATHY SANDSTROM Retired Senior Partner Heitman, LLC

JULIE SHEPPARD Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel IHMC

LONNIE STOCKWELL Retired Management Director Postlethwaite & Netterville CPA Firm

JILL THOMAS E-Commerce Specialist & Founder Sole Sister Ramblers

BERT THORNTON Retired COO and Vice Chairman Emeritus Waffle House, Inc.

CARLTON ULMER Entrepreneur Healthcare Executive

DAVID USLAN Shareholder Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund

JAMES WATERS Entrepreneur, Co-Founder, & Former CTO Performance Matters

BILL WEIN Executive Chairman IMS Consulting and Expert Services

ABRAHAM WILSON Attorney

JANET WOOLMAN Chief Business Operations & People Officer Oxefit

BRIAN WYER President/CEO Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce

VERONIQUE ZAYAS Founder and Creative Director HatchMark Studio

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The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

January 25, 2024

11

Photo Courtesy of myescambia.com

MORE COUNTY PROJECTS IN 2024

Escambia County advanced more than $100 million in county projects in Fiscal Year 2023, including $12.7 million for road resurfacing and $40 million for drainage and sidewalk improvements, as well as infill housing, a new library, artificial reefs and Hurricane Sally repairs.

"It has been an incredibly productive year for Escambia County, and I'm looking forward to continuing to improve the quality of life for our residents through these exciting projects and many more to come," said County Administrator Wes Moreno.

Several projects approved last year will continue into 2024, including the renovation of the old Masonic Lodge building near the Brownsville Community Center into a new 8,000-squarefoot library and community space. The project should be completed by late 2024.

Repairs to the Casino Beach Fishing Pier on Pensacola Beach are also underway. Work is expected to be completed by May 2024. The Board of County Commissioners recently awarded the construction contract for $4,271,359.

The county administrator expects this engineering, purchasing, and other county departments to continue cranking out infrastructure improvements.

"County staff and the BCC have worked diligently to move Escambia County forward," Moreno said. "I am confident that this momentum will continue into 2024 as we make improvements throughout the county."

LOAN EXTENSION Escambia Children's Trust provider, The Urban Development Center (UDC), failed to make its final payment of $41,925 to the Town of Century in December. The payment was for monies the municipality loaned the nonprofit while UDC waited on funds from the Trust for its YouthFirst Century program.

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Northescambia.com reported that UDC co-founder Dr. Jessica Griffen wrote Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. on Jan. 10 requesting an "extension to, on or before March 31." She cited "the slow nature of our financial receivables" as the reason for the delay.

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, the Century Town Council voted 5-0 to extend the repayment as requested after Griffen told the leaders she was looking for ways to keep YouthFirst Century active and had talked to CareerSource Escarosa CEO Marcus McBride, "who is diligently working to see how they can be an asset to the Town of Century and hopefully put something in place."

Last March, the Town Council loaned UDC $61,925 for 500 workbooks and $26,375 worth of computers. City officials told northescambia. com and Inweekly that UDC made a $20,000 payment to Century, but no documentation was provided to verify the payment.

According to Trust records, UDC has been reimbursed $164,903.50 as of Oct. 19, 2023. A reimbursement check May 9 included $34,723 for computers in March. However, UDC didn't use the funds to reimburse the Town of Century. For March-August, Griffen and fellow co-founder John Rigsby were paid $24,120 and $19,845 respectively.

The Trust financial statements for November don't show any payables due UDC. However, its OST Combined Reimbursement Report shows $23,143.20 due for September.

The amount includes another $4,200 for Griffen and $3,780 for Rigsby. Inweekly has asked the Trust for any outstanding reimbursement requests and will post them on ricksblog. biz when received.

ther engineering studies of the Malcolm Yonge Gym and demolish it instead.

Mayor Reeves said the CRA would need to spend nearly $120,000 to make the gym safe enough for an in-depth structural assessment. The city had not used the gym for several years and had leased it to Lighthouse Christian Academy.

"I think it was 119,000 just to shore up the building for safety reasons," Reeves said.

"So, no one can give a real assessment on that building on what it would cost to save it until we spend $120,000."

The structural assessment would cost another $125,000-$175,000. Meanwhile, the Cobb Community Center also needs repairs, and the mayor felt that money would be better spent on that facility.

Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier called the decision to demolish the Malcolm Yonge Gym "really, pretty painful." She said, "In all honesty, it's sad for everybody, and it's an extremely hard vote. The public outcry over allowing us to get to a position where we've allowed a building to get in such disrepair is legitimate."

Brahier continued, "Probably why I ran for this position was my concern over the lack of caring for what we had. And very painfully, we voted to go ahead and demolish, and that's an extremely hard vote. It wasn't really an easy night's sleep after I supported that."

She believes the gym's damage was more than the building's worth. "In Malcolm Yonge, you've got all seven beams in disrepair from the ground up to and past the eve. For the Cobb Center, you only had two. It's still stable and safe to be in. And so, what do you do? You focus on the one that you can repair and keep active."

BYE MALCOLM YONGE The Pensacola

A MARKETPLACE FOR IDEAS Scott Satterwhite is one of the parents who filed a federal lawsuit over the Escambia County School

Community Redevelopment Agency approved Mayor D.C. Reeve's request to not pay for fur-

Board's removal of books from school libraries and classrooms. He and his son attended the Jan. 10 hearing, in which Judge T. Kent Wetherell rejected motions to dismiss First Amendment claims made by the parents, Penguin Random House, PEN America and five authors.

Satterwhite discussed the hearing with Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen on WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen." The state tried to argue the books were government speech, meaning the First Amendment doesn't apply when the government speaks for itself.

"The judge shot that down pretty quickly," Satterwhite said. "He asked, 'So when you're looking at all the books that are on the shelves right now, you're saying that this means that the government is endorsing everything?' The judge just didn't go along with that because, obviously, in the library, you can't have the library endorsing every single book that's on there.

What a library is supposed to do, not only by tradition but also through its own policies, is to be a large, broad representative of all people that it's serving."

He continued, "We have the marketplace of ideas, and people can make up their own minds.

We can trust people to the best of our ability to make the right choices in this. But you need to have all of the ideas out there so people can make good choices."

NEW GARDEN EATERY Commercial real estate broker Michael Carro told Inweekly that Eurasian Bistro will move into The Garden at the intersection of Palafox and Main streets.

Pearl & Horn occupied the space before moving to a larger building on Barrancas Avenue.

"This amazing Vietnamese restaurant has incorporated some awesome technology with robots delivering food and things of that nature," Carro said. "They have a location right now in Argonaut Village at the entrance to UWF. " He continued, "We probably had five or six offers for that space, and Eurasian Bistro really fit that bill. They had a unique offering that the Garden doesn't have right now. The wonderful thing about this entrepreneur being from Vietnam, he is so passionate about his culture and sharing the amazing food from Vietnam with Escambia County. We expect them to be open sometime in March and certainly by April 1."

UNDERHILL MUST PAY Last week, Federal

Judge Casey Rodgers granted David Bear's motion for attorney's fees of $130,425.50 from former Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill. She ordered the clerk to enter the final judgment against Underhill on Bear's Public Records Act claims, ending a four-year saga.

Bear had sued Underhill for his failure to respond to a public records request for records within the commissioner's custody. Underhill lost the case, entitling Bear to be reimbursed for his legal fees.

Underhill later argued the Court erred in granting Bear the entitlement to fees without holding an evidentiary hearing and expressly findinweekly.net

ing whether the public records request and civil action were brought for an "improper purpose."

The commissioner alleged the suit's improper purpose was Bear wanted to harm him financially, and further discovery was required to determine what fees were actually billed to Bear to avoid duplication. Underhill also wanted the court to reconsider whether he should be personally liable for the fees.

He lost on all those arguments.

According to Rodgers, Underhill should have brought up the improper purpose issue earlier in opposition to Bear's motion for summary judgment. However, the judge found the commissioner's argument lacked merit because Bear's request was "a genuine search for public records."

Out of the abundance of caution, Rodgers modified the prior order awarding fees to include "the Court's express determination pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 119.12(3) that based on the record, neither the public records request nor the suit was filed for an improper or primarily frivolous purpose, and there is no basis for reopening the record."

SCHOOL DEREGULATION Senate Presi-

dent Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, wants to take some regulations off the books for school districts.

Don Gaetz, who is running for the Florida Senate District 1 seat, said there are two types of regulations—those that "hold people to the promises they keep and are paid based on their performance," and "the regulation that's just stuff." The former Okaloosa County school superintendent and senate president believes deregulation is good in general.

He said charter schools are already deregulated because they don't have the same requirements as public schools. "There's deregulation that gives charter schools some advantages and some cost-cutting that has nothing to do with the quality of education or the safety of students. It has to do with layers and encrusted coverings of bureaucracies of legislative sessions going back years and years and years. And I'm pleased that there's an examination going on of that."

He added, "When you begin to disassemble something that has been created by government, oftentimes you find lots of bad things that you can get rid of. But once in a while, you find something good that protects the public welfare, quality or accountability. And those are things that I think we need to keep."

TOXIC SCHOOL BOARD Former Escambia County Superintendent of Schools Tim Smith spoke with the Washington Post about how he was fired for his refusal to remove books from schools.

Last May, the board fired Smith by a 3-2 vote, with Kevin Adams, Paul Fetsko, and David Williams voting for termination. Smith's firing was not on the agenda, and the public wasn't allowed to speak on the motion.

"If you have a divided board and superintendent, you are not moving your district forward." Tim Smith "I think my firing and the issues that came to my firing were deep. The books, those were a piece but just a piece," Smith said. "I think a divisiveness had permeated our board. It was toxic.

If you have a divided board and superintendent, you are not moving your district forward."

He added, "I'm very concerned for our school district. My hope is that the person who follows me is better at building unity than I was.

I hoped that would happen. But the bottom line was, it didn't."

Meanwhile, Interim Superintendent Keith Leonard removed the books and received "highly effective" evaluations from Adams, Fetsko, Williams and Bill Slayton without even completing an entire school year on the job.

NEW DSA ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Dalrymple | Sallis Architecture (DSA) has promoted Samantha Garrett, AIA, to associate principal.

In her elevated role, Garrett will continue to act as studio lead and manage her team as she takes on new responsibilities in business operations and practice management.

"From her first day on the job, Samantha's positivity has been infectious, and her commitment to bettering Pensacola and this firm is unparalleled," said J. Scott Sallis, DSA co-owner and principal architect.

Co-owner and Principal Designer E. Dean Dalrymple agreed. "Samantha embodies the core values of this firm, and her strong design skills, business acumen and positive mindset have earned her this leadership role for the firm's future. This is a well-deserved achievement for Samantha and a significant milestone for our firm."

In pursuit of her lifelong dream of becoming an architect, Garrett graduated from the University of Arkansas's Fay Jones School of Architecture & Design and studied environmental design at the University of Colorado for two additional years. She also held summer internships at HBG Design in Memphis and Atlanta-based Portman Architects, which hired her after graduation.

Garrett joined DSA in 2021. She is the first woman to hold a leadership position at the company.

"I am honored by this promotion at a firm I have loved learning and growing with," Garrett said. "I love this city and this region, and I can't wait to see all we can accomplish together as we continue creating impactful designs that truly improve the community."

Garrett played a pivotal role in several wellknown projects, such as the renovation of the former Mount Olive Baptist Church into the current Lily Hall & Brother Fox. She also supported the launch of a new restaurant brand for Pounder's Hawaiian Grill in Crestview, and the design of Hatchmark Studio, WinSupply Plumbing Showroom and Warehouse, an upcoming medical spa and numerous residential projects. Her passion for improving Pensacola, one building at a time, demonstrates her commitment to the Gulf Coast community's growth and development.

ANOTHER PLAN COMING On Friday, Jan. 12, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $135,200 in awards to military communities through the Defense Reinvestment Grant Program. This

program supports community-based activities that protect existing military installations.

"As the most military and veteran-friendly state in the nation, we are committed to strengthening our military communities and providing opportunities for our military families," said Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The grants are awarded to economic development organizations that represent a local government with a military installation that could be adversely affected by federal actions.

The program provides grants to military communities to support infrastructure projects and economic growth to strengthen the resiliency of Florida's military communities.

The Greater Pensacola Chamber received $65,200 to create a five-year strategic plan for the City of Pensacola.

SCHOLARSHIPS The Gulf Winds Cares Founda-

tion will award $25,000 in scholarships—$5,000 each to local students for the 2024-2025 school year. Since 2007, Gulf Winds has awarded $242,500 in scholarships to 65 students.

Three scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors entering a college or university.

One scholarship is reserved for a high school senior entering a trade school, and the final scholarship is reserved for a student currently in higher education courses to pursue a medical career.

The Rex Burt Trade School Scholarship remembers Rex Burt, former facilities manager at Gulf Winds Credit Union. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to a student pursuing a trade.

The Micah Williams Memorial Scholarship recognizes outstanding students and supports their ambition to provide professional medical services. This scholarship is in memory of Micah Williams, an 8-month-old infant who lost his life to hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Applicants must live within Gulf Wind's field of membership and either be a member or have a direct family member who is a Gulf Winds member. Applications are currently open and can be found at gogulfwinds.com/scholarship. The application portal closes at 11:59 p.m. March 8, and recipients will be informed by the end of May. {in}

INJURED?

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B y T o m S t.

M ye r

Photos Courtesy of Visit Pensacola

Once dubbed a party for all of Pensacola, our local Mardi Gras is transitioning to a party for the entire Southeast this season.

The establishment of the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Foundation as a nonprofit organization and the subsequent awarding of a $250,000 grant allowed organizers to expand the number of events and market the festivities throughout the region.

"We saw some wisdom to make an investment in that," said Danny Zimmern, Pensacola Mardi Gras President. "It's never been a moneymaking event. It's been a for-loss operation.

It needs some fuel to grow regionally. For 30 years, we've appealed as much as possible to local folks. Now, we're trying to appeal regionally by spending money out of the market to bring folks from outside Pensacola."

Zimmern eyed the future in expanding the marketing reach. He said how it operated in the past made it susceptible to downsizing if there was a change in leadership.

"If I walked away, I know it would get smaller," he said. "At some point, we have to grow it to the point that it's self-sufficient and I don't have to backstop it with my money. It's been a transition. The grant is reimbursable, so you have to spend the money before you can get it back. That's one challenge we're facing, but we'll get through it."

Zimmern said early returns from the expanded marketing efforts show promise.

Krewes from Biloxi, Mobile and Panama City made the trip for the opening events. Their 414 1

additions increase the number of participating krewes to over 100.

"It makes the krewe community much bigger, much more active and much more important," he said.

Mardi Gras festivities attracting folks from outside Pensacola benefits the hospitality industry by putting heads in beds. Restaurants and shops benefit, too, from the influx of visitors.

"Across the board, we have economic studies for past years that show Mardi Gras has contributed $30 million to the economy," said Zimmern, who expects that number to increase by attracting visitors from outside Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

Some of the grant money is being put toward events. Pensacola Mardi Gras expanded its festivities by taking over management of the recent Cordova Mall Ball and scheduling a concert Friday, Jan. 26 at the Pensacola Bay Center called "Mardi Gras Mambo."

The concert will open with a brass band performing Mardi Gras anthems. Awardwinning rapper and songwriter Flo Rida will headline the event.

"Flo Rida is a big deal," Zimmern said. "We could have never done that without that grant."

Overall, Pensacola Mardi Gras includes 15 events this year. The festivities kicked off the first week in January and will conclude Fat Tuesday, which falls on Feb. 13 this season.

Of course, the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday, Feb. 10 is the headline event. Zimmern said the annual parade features

more than 6,000 participants and attracts up to 100,000 attendees when Mother Nature cooperates. That turnout marks the largest gathering of people in downtown each year. Neither alcohol nor tobacco are permitted in the area during the family-oriented parade. Another Mardi Gras parade, Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated, occurs the night before downtown.

The Mardi Gras parades are two of five hosted in downtown Pensacola, joining Martin Luther King, Jr., Grand Fiesta and Christmas. Zimmern said the Mardi Gras parades easily attract the most participants and the largest crowds.

Another popular event is the annual Fat Tuesday Celebration. Pensacola Mardi Gras will partner with Seville Quarter and krewes for the Big Easy-style Mardi Gras festival. The celebration will include a crawfish boil, Cajun food trucks, king cake and beignets, along with dancing and partying downtown. The coronation of a new king and queen Priscus will also be included in the festivities. The King and Queen Priscus are rulers over all Pensacola Mardi Gras' Celebrations.

Norm Cain and Amy Miller of Krewe of Anarchy will be crowned as king and queen this year.

Miller has been involved in Mardi Gras festivities for over a decade. She said she has seen tremendous growth in that timeframe and is excited about the prospects of expanding into a regional event.

"I've really seen it grow from kind of a locals' fun weekend to really a full-blown Mardi Gras season that starts with 12th Night and goes

through Fat Tuesday," said Miller, who serves as deputy city administrator for Administration and Enterprise. "It's really about an extended five to eight weeks of economic activity. Yes, Mardi Gras is a blast, a really great time, but really why it's important is the economic impact to the community and the people who come from out of town and stay."

While he doesn't see the number of parades growing right away, Zimmern still has his sights set on continuing to expand the local Mardi Gras season.

"I don't believe we'll have any more parades downtown than the five we have," he said.

"But parades are super important. Look around the country at parades and you see how important they are. It's a celebration that brings people together."

According to economic studies, local Mardi Gras festivities contribute a $30 million economic boom during the shoulder season between the holidays and spring break, and that was before this year's additions like the Flo Rida show. Zimmern said the foundation will apply for more microgrants in the future to continue growth and build a sustainable model.

"This is worth some investment to continue to grow the season," he said. "We have a lot of events crammed into those six Fridays and Saturdays."

PENSACOLA MARDI GRAS @pensacolamardigras pensacolamardigras.com

inweekly.net

MARDI GRAS EVENTS MARDI GRAS MAMBO Flo Rida will headline the inaugural Pensacola Mardi Gras Mambo 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26 with Mardi Grasthemed food and beverages. Other acts include the DeLuna Brass Band, The New Orleans Ramblers and Mr. Big and the Rhythm Sisters.

All ages are welcome. Mardi Gras Krewe attire is encouraged. Visit pensacolabaycenter.com for more information.

MILTON MARDI GRAS PARADE The

City of Milton Mardi Gras parade is 5-9 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 27. There's also a free afterparty at Jernigan's Landing with live music, vendors, food trucks, kids' activities and more, and fireworks begining at 7 p.m. Visit facebook.com/ steampunkpiratekrewe for details.

PENSACOLA PAWDI GRAS Krewe of Hip

Huggers and WolfGang will host the third annual Pensacola Pawdi Gras with vendors, costume contest, music and, of course, parade of pups. Event is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. More information is at facebook.com/wolfgangparkandbrews.

MARDI GRAS MASQUERADE PARTY & KING CAKE COMPETITION Visit Coastal

County Brewing Co. for a masquerade party and king cake competition 5-10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 at 3041 E. Olive Road. Enjoy live music and beer releases. More information is at coastalcountybrewing.com.

NAVARRE KREWE OF JESTERS 38TH ANNUAL MARDI GRAS PARADE The

family-friendly parade is 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3 on Gulf Boulevard. Visit facebook.com/navarrekreweofjesters for details.

MARDI GRAS FAVORITES WITH MELANYA KUSHLA A Mardi Gras-themed cooking

class featuring fried green tomatoes, jambalaya and king cake buns. Class is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $50. Visit bodaciousshops.com for more information and to sign up.

KREWE OF LAFITTE ILLUMINATED PARADE The long-running parade rolls rain

or shine 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 in downtown Pensacola. Visit kreweoflafitte.com for details.

KREWE OF WRECKS DANCE PARTY AT BAMBOO WILLIES Get down at Bamboo Willies beach parade pre-party noon-3 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 10 at 400 Quietwater Road.

January 25, 2024

PENSACOLA GRAND MARDI GRAS PARADE Catch moon pies, see local krewes,

and more at the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade 2-7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 at Palafox and Government streets. Visit pensacolamardigras. com for details.

"MARDI GRASS" AT ODD COLONY Enjoy

pre and post-parade free live bluegrass shows with The New Cahoots at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 10 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. The brewery and MI SU Street Food will both open up at 11 a.m. for all your parade drinking and snacking needs. Details at facebook. com/oddcolony.

MARDI GRAS WATCH PARTIES AT BODACIOUS Catch both downtown Mardi

Gras parades from the Bodacious balcony, 407-D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $85 per person, per parade. Visit bodaciousshops.com for more information.

CELEBRATE MARDI GRAS WEEKEND AT PERFECT PLAIN Join Perfect Plain Brewing

Co., 50 E. Garden St., on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 for Mardi Gras parade celebrations with karaoke, DJs and live music. Details at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

KREWE OF WRECKS BEACH PARADE The Pensacola Beach Krewe of Wrecks Parade is 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 running from Via de Luna to Gulfside Pavilion. Details at pensacolabeachmardigras.com.

MARDI GRAS CLEANUP Join Pensacola and

Perdido Bays Estuary Program to clean up beds from trees in Pensacola. All collected beads will be donated to Arc Gateway. Volunteers with the heaviest bag of beads collected gets a swag giveaway. Clean up is 8 a.m.-noon Sunday, Feb. 11 at Plaza Ferdinand, E. Government Street and Palafox Street. Sign up at ppbep.org.

FAT TUESDAY AT SEVILLE QUARTER

Pensacola Mardi Gras and Seville Quarter will host a Fat Tuesday celebration from 5-11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

SPECIAL NEEDS MARDI GRAS Join in for a

Mardi Gras parade event for individuals with special needs hosted by The Starfish Project. Parade is around Navarre High School, 8600 High School Blvd. Line up at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. Parade begins at 11:30 p.m. {in} 15

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WEEK OF JANUARY 25-31

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

Horror Movie Meets Opera

By Savannah Evanoff

Abigail Rethwisch, starring as Lucia / Photo by Meg Burke Photography

Corey McKern describes Pensacola Opera's "Lucia di Lammermoor" as everything opera should be. Impressive. Excellent. Highlevel singing.

"I think our audience is going to be blown away by what our singers are capable of doing," McKern said.

"Lucia di Lammermoor" is based on a Scottish novel, in which Lucia Ashton is madly in love with Edgardo, leader of the Ravenswoods—her family's fiercest political enemies. However, her marriage to Lord Arturo Bucklaw has already been arranged by her brother Enrico, in order to save their family from poverty. Caught in the middle of the two rival families, Lucia loses her strength and descends into madness, leading to the opera's tragic conclusion.

"It's intense, it's dramatic, but in only the way opera can be," McKern said. "It's sort of heightened emotions."

Gaetano Donizetti's score is highlighted by the iconic "Mad Scene," an extended, virtuosic showpiece that runs about 20 minutes. It's incredibly demanding, McKern said.

"It's not many pieces where you're gonna have that kind of length and just singing solo by January 25, 2024

yourself," McKern said. "You have to be sort of a vocal athlete and know how to pace yourself.

There's also some of the high notes in it, so it's kind of the equivalent of watching someone walk on a tightwire. It's definitely a difficult endeavor for the soprano."

Cody Martin, the music director, explained "Lucia" came to fruition during a period in opera called "bel canto," which translates to "beautiful singing."

"These operas are characterized by their strong focus on the voices—beautiful melodies, vocal fireworks and plenty of high notes," Martin said. "Lucia's 20-minute-long 'Mad Scene' is the ultimate example of all of these things."

The music is virtuosic for singers, McKern said.

"We think of like Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera doing runs and all that, that is kind of what these singers do," McKern said. "There's a lot of moving parts, but also a lot of beauty in the singing."

Many of the vocalists are people with connections to Pensacola Opera's staff members.

Abigal Rethwisch, who portrays Lucia, went to school with Martin and has had a "very successful career, McKern said.

Jason Ferrante, who plays Arturo (the ill-fated husband) is an old friend of McKern's.

Ferrante's partner, Richard Ollarsaba, will portray Lucia's brother Enrico. He is a Mexican-American bass-baritone who represented the U.S. in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and was a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

"He has a really big career," McKern said. "So we're lucky to have him."

McKern has sang that role in five productions himself, and he's always loved the role, he said.

"It's fun to sing; it's very dramatic," McKern said. "And if I'm being honest, the baritone we have sings that much better than I do, so I'm grateful for that."

Pensacola Opera was fortunate to get the singers they did for this show—and that's the idea, McKern said.

"You want to get the best singers you can possibly find who are also really wonderful human beings and work well within our community, with our staff and with the other singers," McKern said. "And we've really lucked out in this production. Everyone is sounding fantastic."

Dona Vaughn, the director, is also one of McKern's friends, he said.

"She is wonderful," McKern said. "She's very experienced. She was in the original production of 'Company' by Stephen Sondheim on Broadway, so she has deep roots in the theater, and we're lucky to have her in our town."

McKern is equally grateful for the wardrobe and set. The costumes are designed by Glenn Breed, who owns Wardrobe Witchery—a national costume rental company located in Pensacola.

"He's building brand new costumes for this production," McKern said. "The physical production is owned and designed by New Orleans Opera, but they just are redoing it. They've built half of it brand new; they've painted new backdrops. So really a lot of the stuff you're gonna see on stage is going to be the first time anyone's seen it, costumes and scenery. It's very lavish."

McKern chose "Lucia" for this season to complement Pensacola Opera's other MainStage production of "Die Fledermaus" in March. "'Lucia' is kind of dramatic and 'Fledermaus' is very funny, and it's in English," McKern said. "Then we just kind of put the pieces of the puzzle, 'OK, we'll do these two this year, and then maybe these other two next year.' And we also researched productions and look for the singers we like who are available and free, and what they might want to sing. We have a sort of a matrix of how to put it together and what to do season to season."

While "Lucia" doesn't warrant the same name recognition as "La bohème"—which Pensacola Opera performed in 2023—the music and entertainment value is every bit as good, McKern said.

"It's very romantic Italianate music," McKern said. "When you think of opera and excitement and opera, this is the kind of piece that you think of.

This has got the right drama; it's got the right vocal fireworks in order to be enjoyable, even if you're not an opera buff. Not every opera is super easy to access. Some things take a little work to understand. This one, you can just go and be entertained.

It's almost like a horror movie meets opera in some aspects, but it's very compelling." {in}

PENSACOLA OPERA'S "LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR"

WHAT: An opera by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26 and 2 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 28 WHERE: Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. COST: Tickets start at $25 DETAILS: pensacolaopera.com 17

a&e happenings ENIKO UJJ CLOSING EXHIBITION AT 309

Join 309 Punk Project 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 for "Threads," the closing exhibit for Eniko Ujj, the artist-in-residency at 309. Ujj's exhibit will feature a series of new oil paintings, a captivating ceramic installation piece and an immersive video installation. Artist talk begins at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a collaborative musical performance by Doud Stanford and Tyler West, directly inspired by the video installation. No admission is required, but donations are welcome. Located at 309 N. 6th Ave.

LIBERATION PENSACOLA PRESENTS: FIRE AND ICE Enjoy a drag show with live DJs

at Subculture Art Gallery, 701 N. V St. Dress up to match the fire and ice theme 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. Drag shows are at 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. There is a $15 cover at the door or $10 presale tickets at pensacolasubculture.com.

BROWN BAG OPERA Take your lunch break at Pensacola Opera for a free performance noon12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 at The Opera House, 75 Tarragona St. No tickets or RSVP required.

STOMP The Broadway show "Stomp" comes

to Pensacola Saenger, 118 S. Palafox St., with two performances 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. Details are at pensacolasaenger.com.

RADIO IS NOT DEAD Join Sandcastle Radio

Matisyahu / Photo by Juliana Ronderos

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

CATWALK CHRONICALS FOR CHILD GUARDIANS Fashion show benefiting Charity Child Guardians. Funds from the silent auction and custom clothing to the highest bidder will go toward the charity. Food and beverages will be available to purchase. Event is 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave. Details at facebook.cm/garysbrew.

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Animal

Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Scenic Hills Country Club, 8891 Burning Tree Road.

The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. Food and drinks are also available for purchase. The full bar and restaurant offer special adult beverages just for bingo nights.

You must be 18 to play. For more information, visit facebook.com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTION Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3

p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. Ninth Ave. to meet your furever friend. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD DRIVE The Gloria Green Caring & Sharing

Ministry is attached to the Historic St. Joseph 818 1

Catholic Church, 140 W. Government St. The ministry feeds the homeless at 10:30 a.m.

Tuesdays. The ministry's food pantry opens at 10 a.m. and has clothing. Food donations needed are pop-top canned goods, Beanie Weenies, Vienna sausage, potted meat, cans of tuna and chicken and soups. Clothing donations needed include tennis shoes for men and women as well as sweatshirts and new underwear for men in sizes small, medium and large. Call DeeDee Green at (850) 723-3390 for details.

CALL TO ARTISTS

JAZZ PENSACOLA'S JAZZFEST POSTER

Jazz Pensacola invites fine artists and graphic designers to submit renderings for the official 2024 Pensacola JazzFest poster.

The commission is $500. The Jazz Pensacola Board of Directors will consider all renderings and make a selection. Initial drafts are due by Jan. 31, 2024. If selected, the completed submission deadline is Feb. 28, 2024.

The poster design should reflect the deep, rich and diverse jazz music heritage of Pensacola and communicate a sense of place. Submissions should conform to a vertical orientation using a ratio that will fit with margin on a final poster size of 18 inches wide by 24 inches high.

All content must be the submitter's original

creation and must be unpublished. The submitter must have all rights to images and graphics used in the final artwork and during the design process. The poster must include the name of the festival: 2024 Pensacola JazzFest.

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

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

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

ARTS & CULTURE

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Pensacola Opera presents "Lucia di Lammermoor" 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets start at $25. More information is at pensacolaopera.com.

for a four-day event celebrating arts and culture around Pensacola. The celebration begins 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1 with WUWF's RadioLive at Museum of Commerce, 201 Zaragoza St. On Friday, Feb. 2, be a part of live radio shows and join a salsa party 4-11 p.m. at 321 N. DeVilliers St. Watch more live radio shows 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3 at 306 N. DeVilliers St. and finish the night with a house party at the historic Bunny Club, 500 W. Belmont St. On Sunday, Feb. 4, the celebration concludes with a gospel brunch.

Details are at sandcastleradio.org.

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

COMEDY SHOWCASE AT SUBCULTURE

BTB Comedy presents a comedy showcase the first Thursday of every month at Subculture Art Gallery, 701 N. V St. Follow facebook.com/pensacolasubculture for updates.

SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers the second Saturday of every month.

The next date is 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

PALAFOX MARKET Enjoy Palafox Market

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

CABARET DRAG SHOWCASE AT AMERICAN LEGION POST #193 Don't miss Cabaret

Drag Showcase every second and fourth Sat-

inweekly.net

a&e happenings urday at the American Legion Post #193, 2708 N. 12th Ave. Doors open at 8 p.m. Showtime is 10 p.m. For more information, contact show director Taize Sinclair-Santi at taizesinclairsanti@gmail.com.

SPIRITS OF SEVILLE QUARTER GHOST TOUR AND LUNCHEON Dine inside Pensacola's oldest and most haunted restaurant and investigate the spirits with actual paranormal equipment at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $12 and include a voucher toward Seville Quarter's menu. Tours are held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 2-4 p.m. Sundays.

Make an appointment by calling (850) 941-4321.

AFTER DARK: SEVILLE QUARTER GHOSTS, MURDER, MAYHEM AND MYSTERY TOUR AND DINNER After Dark Paranormal Investigation and Dinner happens inside one of Pensacola's most haunted restaurants with actual ghosthunting equipment 6-8 p.m. Sundays. Listen as your guide weaves tales of ghosts, debauchery, murder, mayhem, paranormal activities, history and more related to Seville Quarter and downtown Historic Pensacola. Following your ghost tour, enjoy dinner at Seville Quarter Palace Café, 130 E. Government St. Reservations are required.

Call (850) 941-4321. Tickets are available at pensacolaghostevents.com.

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Shop small and buy art at Pensacola Arts Market 11 a.m.-4 p.m. every fourth Saturday of the month at Cordova

January 25, 2024

Square, 1101 N. 12th Ave. Enjoy a local artisan and farmers market with more than 50 vendors, food trucks, plants, vintage clothing and décor, live musical performances, kids' crafts and games.

This is a free event. Pensacola Arts Market is set up 4-9 p.m. every first Friday of the month and 2-6 p.m. every third Sunday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave.

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARKET AT EVER'MAN Local vendors, artisans, holistic

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

CANVAS AND CLAY RECEPTION The new member show "Canvas and Clay" is at Quayside Gallery, 17 E. Zaragoza St. Visit quaysidegallery.com/publicevents. Exhibit is on view through Feb. 12.

70TH ANNUAL YOUTH ART FOCUS

The Pensacola Museum of Art and Escambia County Public Schools presents artistic achievements from students in grades kindergarten through 12. The exhibition is on view through Feb. 25. An awards ceremony is 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

FIRE IN THE EVENING Enjoy a debut show from Louisiana-based painter Dan Charbonnet.

Exhibition is on view at the Switzer Gallery at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd., through March 8.

6-8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern.com for details.

GREEN THUMB WINE TASTINGS Join

Green Thumb Wines for a free wine tasting 6-8 p.m. every first Friday of the month at 9 E. Gregory St. For more information, visit greenthumbwines.com.

THE FLUIDITY OF PERCEPTION Exhibit from Chris Gustin and Nancy Train Smith in collaboration with the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society. The show is on view at the Switzer Gallert at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd., through May 17. A live panel discussion will take place 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8.

SATURDAY SIPS ON THE SIDEWALK Stop

by Green Thumb Wines, 9 E. Gregory St., every Saturday for wine selections. Visit greenthumbwines.com for details.

FOOD + DRINKS

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT CAFÉ SINGLE FIN

GREAT SOUTHERN RESTAURANT WEEK Chefs from Great Southern restaurants will prepare a three-course, fixed-price dinner menu utilizing the best in local and seasonal ingredients, showcasing their culinary expertise, for $33 per person, per restaurant. Menus will be available at each restaurant beginning at 5 p.m. through Jan. 28. Visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com for menus and details.

BIG DOG DAY AT CCB Visit Coastal County Brewing for a dog day afternoon with games, contests and dog-friendly vendors 1-3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3041 E. Olive Road. Visit coastalcountybrewing.com for more info.

WINTER LOW COUNTRY BOIL O'Riley's

Uptown Tavern will host a winter-themed low country boil with live music and drink specials

Partake in brunch specials, full café menu, espressos and bottomless mimosas until 1 p.m.

Sundays at Café Single Fin, 380 N. Ninth Ave. Live music begins at 10 a.m. Visit cafesinglefin. com for details.

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

GAMER/JACKBOX NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S Gamers unite 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Mondays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

BINGO NIGHT AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS Play a game (or two) of Bingo 6-8 p.m.

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a&e happenings Mondays at Calvert's in the Heights, 670 Scenic Highway. For more information, visit calvertsintheheights.com.

BAR BINGO AT O'RILEY'S Visit O'Riley's

Irish Pub for Bar Bingo 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays at 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

SECOND TUESDAY THEMED TRIVIA Visit Perfect Plain Brewing Co. for themed trivia nights 7-9 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at 50 E. Garden St. Visit facebook.com/ perfectplainbrewingco for details.

TRIVIA AT O'RILEY'S Test your trivia knowl-

edge 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

TRIVIA AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS

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

PITCHERS AND TAVERN TRIVIA O'Riley's

Tavern hosts trivia 8 p.m.-midnight Thursdays at 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern.com for details.

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

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT Gary's Brewery Trivia Night is back by popular

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

TRIVIA AT SIR RICHARD'S Flex your trivia knowledge 8-10 p.m. Fridays at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

FREE POOL AND BAR BINGO AT O'RILEY'S TAVERN Enjoy free pool and play bar bingo 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays at O'Riley's 3728 Creighton Road. Details at orileystavern.com.

LIVE MUSIC

STUDIOAMPED Catch the last StudioAmped with Karli Ryan show 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Jean & Paul Amos Studio, 1000 College Blvd. Admission is free. Donations for Manna Food Pantry are accepted at the door. Visit wsre.org for details.

MARIGOLD'S APPRENTICE, FEED LEMON, JUMPING THE GUN, NERVOUS PULP, WILD CHARGE Show is 7 p.m. Thurs-

day, Jan. 25 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10-$15 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

404 PRESENTS: ZODIAC FEAT. WES PIPES AND DJ SASQUATCH Live DJs are

7 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26 at Subculture Art

Gallery, 701 N. V St. Details at facebook.com/ pensacolasubculture.

THE FOUR HORSEMEN: METALLICA TRIBUTE BAND Show is 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $15 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

CANCERSLUG, CROW ROAD, BULLETBELT Show is 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26 at The

Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $12$15 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

SCREAM OUT LOUD, GLSNR, LOSING CADENCE, THE AUTUMN DESCENT Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10-$15 and available at thehandlebar850.com

MARC BROUSSARD Show is 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $30 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

PENSACOLA SONGWRITER ROUNDS See local singer-songerwriters 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 at The Handlebar. Tickets are $10 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

MATISYAHU Show is 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan.

p.m. every last Monday of the month at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Visit facebook.com/ oddcolony for details.

LIVE MUSIC AT FIVE SISTERS BLUES CAFÉ Visit Five Sisters, 421 W. Belmont St., for live music on select days.

•Tuesdays: Greg Bond 5:30-8:30 p.m.

•Thursdays: John Wheeler 6-8 p.m.

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

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

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 7 p.m. every Monday at 130 E. Government St. in End O' the Alley. The Flavors will be playing Jan. 29. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

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

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

KARAOKE AT O'RILEY'S UPTOWN Sing

31 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $33.50 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

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

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLONY

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT GARY'S BREWERY

Music pickers of all levels are invited to play 7-9

Open mic night is hosted by Renee Amelia at 6

Leading the way in ER care When you need care quickly, doctors and care teams at Ascension Sacred Heart listen to quickly understand and care for your needs. Our ERs are open 24/7 and backed by leading heart, stroke, surgical and trauma specialists that are always ready to deliver expedited care for your symptoms and injuries.

And before you leave, our ER care navigators connect you to follow-up care, including specialist appointments, labs, imaging and your preferred pharmacy.

The ER at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola is a Level II trauma center, delivering advanced care for life-threatening and traumatic injury such as complex fractures, spine injury, brain injury, uncontrolled hemorrhages, and blood vessel injuries. And when your child needs immediate, advanced emergency care, the ER at Studer Family Children’s Hospital is a pediatric trauma center — specially designed and staffed for children with serious illness and injury.

To find your nearest Ascension Sacred Heart ER or chat with us, visit us at ascension.org/SacredHeartCare

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or dial 911.

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a&e happenings p.m. every other Wednesday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave. Visit facebook. com/garysbrew for details.

KARAOKE AT WISTERIA Wisteria Tavern, 3808 N. 12th Ave., hosts karaoke 7 p.m.

Wednesdays. Details are at wisteriatavern.com.

WHISKEY WEDNESDAY KARAOKE Kara-

oke starts at 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar. com for details.

KARAOKE NIGHTS AT SIR RICHARD'S

Bring your singing talents Monday and Thursday nights at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Festivities are 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

SUNDAY KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Karaoke starts at 9 p.m. Sunday at Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar. com for details.

FITNESS + RECREATION

OCEAN HOUR WEEKLY CLEANUPS Ocean

Hour Pensacola hosts weekly cleanups 7:45-9 a.m. Saturdays. On Jan. 27, the sites are Park East and Casino Beach (meet at pavilion). Follow Ocean Hour at facebook.com/oceanhourfl for more details and locations.

WINTER BIRD WALK AT FT. PICKENS Join Audubon Florida for a walk in Ft. Pickens to

January 25, 2024

identify shorebirds 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27.

The walk is free, but there are park fees. Meet at the parking lot outside of Ft. Pickens gate. Register by emailing marcymcgahan@gmail.com.

2024 DOUBLE BRIDGE RUN The Double

Bridge Run is Saturday, Feb. 3. The 15K starts at 7 a.m. and the 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. Register at pensacolasports.org/double-bridge-run.

PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS The Pensacola Ice

the first and third Saturday of the month at 4301 Spanish Trail Road. Visit facebook.com/asherandbeeapothecary for more information.

HOOK, LINE & SINKER MONTHLY FISHING SEMINAR SERIES Hot Spots Charters

hosts a monthly free fishing seminar held at Flounder's Chowder House, 800 Quietwater Beach Road, on Pensacola Beach the first Monday of every month. A free fish dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. with the seminar beginning at 7 p.m. and typically lasting about an hour. Visit facebook.com/hlsseminar for details.

Flyers 2023-2024 season home games are held at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets are available at pensacolabaycenter.com.

Upcoming dates: •7:05 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 •7:05 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3

FREE YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Take a free yoga class at Ever'man, 327 W. Garden St. Visit everman.org for full calendar of events.

PUBLIC SKATE Ice skating sessions are available through April at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets are $12-$15. Season passes and group rates available at the box office or by emailing sjette@pensacolabaycenter.com.

Upcoming dates: •9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 •9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3

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

ISLAND FIGHTS The next Island Fights is 7

WEST COAST SWING DANCE Join the fun

p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets and information are available at pensacolabaycenter.com.

YOGA WITH MARNI AT HA-YA Visit Ha-Ya

Wellness for integrative yoga with Marni 10 a.m.

6:30-10 p.m. Wednesdays for $5 and 6:30-11 p.m. the fourth Saturday of each month for $10. All levels welcomed; no partner required.

The Way You Move dance studio is at 918 Winton Ave. More information is at thewayyoumove.us.

BALLROOM, LATIN, SWING DANCE

From 6:30-11 p.m. the second Saturday of each month, enjoy a mix of music for all dancers.

All levels welcomed; no partner required. The Way You Move dance studio is at 918 Winton Ave. The cost is $10. More information is at thewayyoumove.us.

PENSACOLA PARKRUN The Pensacola Rec Plex North Parkrun is 7:30 a.m. Saturdays.

The weekly timed 5K run or walk takes place at the University of West Florida and is open to everyone, regardless of fitness level. For more information, visit facebook.com/rpnparkrun or email recplexnorth@parkrun.com.

YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Beginner Yoga with John is 10 a.m. Thursdays, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesdays and 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays. Funky Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Tuesdays, and Vinyasa Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Thursdays. All classes are at Ever'man, 327 W. Garden St. For a full calendar of events, visit everman.org.

KID-FRIENDLY

LITTLE RED'S MOST UNUSUAL DAY This

Pensacola Opera performance is 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at Molino Branch Library, 6450 Highway 95A. Details are at facebook.com/ pensacolaopera.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

21

free will astrology WEEK OF JANUARY 25 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Aries author

Dani Shapiro has published six novels, three bestselling memoirs and a host of articles in major magazines. She co-founded a writer's conference, teaches at top universities and does a regular podcast. We can conclude she is successful. Here's her secret: She feels summoning courage is more important than being confident.

Taking bold action to accomplish what you want is more crucial than cultivating self-assurance. I propose that in the coming weeks, you apply her principles to your own ambitions.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Throughout

history, there has never been a culture without religious, mythical and supernatural beliefs. The vast majority of the world's people have believed in magic and divinity. Does that mean it's all true and real? Of course not. But nor does it mean that none of it is true and real. Ultra-rationalists who dismiss the spiritual life are possessed by hubris. Everything I've said here is prelude to my oracle for you: Some of the events in the next three weeks will be the result of magic and divinity. Your homework is to discern which are and which aren't.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Several wise

people have assured me the pursuit of wealth, power, popularity and happiness isn't as important as the quest for meaningfulness. If you feel your life story is interesting, rich and full of purpose, you are successful. This will be a featured theme for you in the coming months, Gemini.

If you have ever fantasized about your destiny resembling an ancient myth, a revered fairy tale, a thousand-page novel or an epic film, you will get your wish.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): "Life as we live it is unaccompanied by signposts," wrote author Holly Hickler. I disagree with her assessment, especially in regard to your upcoming future.

Although you may not encounter literal markers bearing information to guide you, you will encounter metaphorical signals that are clear and strong. Be alert for them, Cancerian. They might not match your expectations about what signposts should be, though. So expand your concepts of how they might appear.

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By Rob Brezsny

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): I wrote a book called "Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings." Among its main messages: There's high value in cultivating an attitude that actively looks for the best in life and regards problems as potential opportunities. When I was working on the book, no one needed to hear this advice more than me. Even now, I still have a long way to go before mastering the outlook I call "crafty optimism." I am still subject to dark thoughts and worried feelings—even though I know the majority of them are irrational or not based on the truth of what's happening. In other words, I am earnestly trying to learn the very themes I have been called to teach. What's the equivalent in your life, Leo? Now is an excellent time to upgrade your skill at expressing abilities and understandings you wish everyone had.

Taking bold action to accomplish what you want is more crucial than cultivating self-assurance.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): In 1951, filmmaker Akira Kurosawa made a movie adapted from "The Idiot," a novel by his favorite author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Kurosawa was not yet as famous and influential as we would later become. That's why he agreed to his studio's demand to cut 99 minutes from his original 265-minute version. But this turned out to be a bad idea. Viewers of the film had a hard time understanding the chopped-up story. Most of the critics' reviews were negative. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, with two intentions: 1. I encourage you to do minor editing on your labor of love. 2 But don't agree to anything like the extensive revisions Kurosawa did.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): I have selected a

poem for you to tape on your refrigerator door for the next eight weeks. It's by 13th-century Zen poet Wumen Huikai. He wrote: "Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, / a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. / If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life." My wish for you, Libra— which is also my prediction for you—is you will

have extra power to empty your mind of unnecessary things. More than ever, you will be acutely content to focus on the few essentials that appeal to your wild heart and tender soul.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Psychologist

Carl Jung wrote, "Motherlove is one of the most moving and unforgettable memories of our lives, the mysterious root of all growth and change; the love that means homecoming, shelter and the long silence from which everything begins and in which everything ends." To place yourself in rapt alignment with current cosmic rhythms, Scorpio, you will do whatever's necessary to get a strong dose of the blessing Jung described. If your own mother isn't available or is insufficient for this profound immersion, find other maternal sources. Borrow a wise woman elder or immerse yourself in Goddess worship. Be intensely intent on basking in a nurturing glow that welcomes you and loves you exactly as you are—and makes you feel deeply at home in the world.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): In a set of famous experiments, physiologist Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to have an automatic response to a particular stimulus. He rang a bell while providing the dogs with food they loved. After a while, the dogs began salivating with hunger simply when they heard the bell, even though no food was offered. Ever since, "Pavlov's dogs" has been a phrase that refers to the ease with which animals' instinctual natures can be conditioned.

I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Pavlov had used cats instead of dogs for his research. Would felines have submitted to such scientific shenanigans? I doubt it. These ruminations are my way of urging you to be more like a cat than a dog in the coming weeks. Resist efforts to train you, tame you or manipulate you into compliance.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Before

poet Louise Glück published her first book, "Firstborn," it was rejected by 28 publishers.

When it finally emerged, she suffered from writer's block. Her next book didn't appear until eight years after the first one. Her third book arrived five years later, and her fourth required another five years. Slow going! But here's the happy ending: By the time she died at age 80, she had published 21 books and won the Pulitzer Prize

and the Nobel Prize for Literature. By my astrological reckoning, you are now at a phase, in your own development, comparable to the time after Glück's fourth book: well-primed, fully geared up and ready to make robust progress.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): "All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath," wrote author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I'd like to expand that metaphor and apply it to you, Aquarius. I propose your best thinking and decision-making in the coming weeks will be like swimming under water while holding your breath. What I mean is that you'll get the best results by doing what feels unnatural. You will get yourself in the right mood if you bravely go down below the surface and into the depths and feel your way around.

What I mean is that you'll get the best results by doing what feels unnatural.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In honor of this pivotal time in your life story, I offer four pronouncements. 1. You can now be released from a history that has repeated itself too often. To expedite this happy shift, indulge in a big cry and laugh about how boring that repeated history has become. 2. You can finish paying off your karmic debt to someone you hurt. How? Change yourself to ensure you won't ever act that way again.

3. You can better forgive those who wounded you if you forgive yourself for being vulnerable to them. 4. Every time you divest yourself of an illusion, you will clearly see how others' illusions have been affecting you.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: Release yourself from the pressure to live up to expectations you don't like. {in}

freewillastrology.com

newsletter.freewillastrology.com freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com © 2024 Rob Brezsny

inweekly.net

news of the weird THE PASSING PARADE South Korean model Ain, also known as Angel Box Girl, is being prosecuted for obscene exposure following incidents from last fall, Oddity Central reported.

In Seoul and Gangnam, Ain walked through the streets wearing a large cardboard box with holes for her arms and legs—plus two more, which she invited strangers to put their hands in to grope her breasts and other body parts.

Naturally, she attracted large crowds that police were called to disperse. "It's freedom of expression," she said. "I just wanted to market myself.

I actually saw many positive reactions, with people telling me they support me and applaud my courage." If found guilty, Ain could face a $3,800 fine or up to a year in jail.

OHHHH-KKAAAAYYYY Pet owners who are exceedingly attached to their furry friends sometimes go to the trouble of having them preserved through taxidermy after they die.

After her Roborovski dwarf hamster, Hammy, passed away last year, Jess Porter-Langson, 27, who lives in Brighton in the U.K., sought out Bea Ostrowska, a local taxidermist, hoping to immortalize her beloved pet as a pole-dancing stripper, Metro News reported. "This hamster was so iconic, and all my friends knew Hammy and wanted to see him," Porter-Langson said.

"He needed something special." Ostrowska posed Hammy on a small platform with a pole and sewed a little thong for him to wear, which is stuffed with tiny dollar bills. "He's got this creepy little smile going on," Porter-Langson said. "I was blown away. What is more iconic than a hamster on a stripper pole hustling for money?" What, indeed.

FUNSUCKERS The U.S. Federal Highway Administration, in an effort to suck any remaining fun from highway commutes, has laid down the law: By 2026, states must ban messages on electronic highway signs that include references to pop culture or evoke a laugh. Examples: "Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late" from Ohio; "Use Yah Blinkah" from Massachusetts; and "Hocus Pocus, Drive With Focus" from New Jersey. The Associated Press reported that the agency wants the signs to be "simple, direct, brief, legible and clear" because clever messages might distract or confuse drivers.

One Arizona state representative, David Cook of Globe, was underwhelmed: "Prime example that the federal government is not focusing on what they need to be."

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR The Lexington (Kentucky) Convention and Visitors Bureau appears to be desperate for tourists, the Associated Press reported. It is using an infrared laser to send messages toward potentially habitable planets in a solar system 40 light years away, luring extraterrestrials with "lush green countryside ... (and) famous bluegrass."

Lexington native Robert Lodder, an expert in astrobiology and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), conceived the idea, and lin-

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

guistics expert Dr. Andrew Byrd consulted: "We included ... the molecular structure for water, bourbon and even dopamine ... because Lexington is fun!" he said. See you in 2064!

BRIGHT IDEA Jessica Beatty, 42, of Clearwater, Florida, thought she might throw off the court by submitting someone else's urine for a mandated drug test, The Smoking Gun reported.

She didn't choose just any old random donor, though—she allegedly collected urine from her aunt's dog. Beatty was arrested on Dec. 28 for possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license; she had priors for cocaine possession and other offenses. When she was confronted on Jan. 11 for her "fraudulent urine sample," she admitted that it wasn't her pee. Her bond is likely to be revoked, sending her back to jail.

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION In Oklahoma, a proposed new bill, HB 3084, would prohibit students who "purport to be an imaginary animal or species"—i.e., furries—from participating in schools' curriculum or other activities, KOKHTV reported. Rep. Justin Humphrey of Lane, Oklahoma, filed the bill on Jan. 17; it would also require parents to pick up their furry offspring from school or risk them being turned over to animal control. Leave the cat ears at home, kids.

•You'll need your dictionary for this one. In York, England, signs have been popping up that appear to encourage citizens to "exercise obtundity," the BBC reported on Jan. 17. Of course, no one knows what that word means: "Knowing the police, it could be anything," said one resident. Social media has come alive with speculation about the signs, but it turns out that "Exercise Obtundity" is the name of a training program involving the York City Council, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, and the signs are merely warnings of streets that might be closed during the activities. Stand down.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL A man in Sulphur Springs, Texas, was arrested on Jan. 9 for stealing a Lamborghini in Houston, KLTV reported. Everett Van Jennings, 34, parked the sports car in his own garage, police reported— along with two other vehicles he had nicked. Police said together they were valued at $500,000.

The Lamborghini's owner tracked the car using a GPS device and set off the lights and alarms, but Jennings claimed to be out of town and unable to return home. Law enforcement got a search warrant and along with the cars found materials used in VIN swapping. Jennings was charged with at least two felonies. {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2024 Andrews McMeel

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BEST SPORTS BAR

(that’s not really a sports bar, only a bar that shows sports) AGAIN!

23 PAL AFOX PL . | 850-43-BRUCE

Stock Market Losses?

Hire a lawyer who is a former Merril Lynch stock broker.

11 East Romana Street | Pensacola, Fl 32502

genemitchell.org

WINNER BEST LATE NIGHT EATS Runner Up Best Bar–West Pensacola/Perdido Key, Best Bar Ambiance, Best Bar for Games Best Bar Food, Best Hot Dog and Best Restaurant for a Birthday Dinner

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com January 25, 2024

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Independent News | January 25, 2024 | inweekly.net