Inweekly Jan. 26 2023 Issue

New Year / New Stuff Things to Read, Watch and Listen to in 2023

Independent News | January 26, 2023 | Volume 24 | Number 4

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winners & losers

outtakes

4

5

news 6, 7

I have a hard time with commitment.

feature story

buzz 8

10

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

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

contact us info@inweekly.net

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13, 16 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. © 2023 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

I’m not 99% of lawyers

There are 1,400 lawyers in our area* and less than 1% are Board Certified in Civil Trial Practice* by both the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

zarzaurlaw.com

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(855)hirejoe

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*Board Certification by the Florida Bar Association and the National Board Of Trial Advocacy.

Statistical information current as of November 2021.

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January 26, 2023

3

winners & losers

Peter Steenbilk / Photo Courtesy of UWF

Mobile, Ala. / Photo by Sean Pavone / shutterstock.com

winners

losers

PETER STEENBLIK The University of West

Florida director of choral activities and associate professor recently received the prestigious 2023 FMEA College Music Educator of the Year Award at the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) Professional Development Conference 2023 in Tampa. Dr. Steenblik was selected for his contributions to the field of music education.

ANGELA MCFARLAND Escambia County

Public Schools announced the West Florida High School Business and Multimedia teacher as the 2024 Teacher of the Year. McFarland has been an employee of the district since 1996, starting at Pine Forest High School. Her students have consistently been among the district's most prolific earners of industry certifications. McFarland has also been an asset at West Florida High School as a mentor, FOCUS gradebook instructor, faculty leader and webmaster.

SANTA ROSA EDUCATION FOUNDATION The nonprofit that supports education in

Santa Rosa School District has received a grant for $15,000 as part of a two-year $500,000 grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation to the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations aimed at increasing student interest in healthcare careers and participation in high school health care career academies, particularly among students from underrepresented communities.

The foundation will work with Santa Rosa District Schools to increase student interest in healthcare careers, enrollment in our high school healthcare-related CTE programs and academies, and the number of health-related industry certifications.

HCA FLORIDA WEST HOSPITAL The hospi-

tal announced last week that the HCA Healthcare Foundation had awarded a $50,000 grant to Pensacola State College to establish a nurse explorer boot camp that will encourage high school seniors to pursue a career in nursing. The funding is part of HCA Healthcare Foundation's Healthier Tomorrow Fund, an $80 million community impact fund announced in 2021 designed to support innovative initiatives focused on addressing highpriority community needs and health equity.

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CITY OF MOBILE According to MoneyGeek, life expectancy at birth in the United States has experienced a significant decline in recent years, dropping from 77 to 76.1 years from 2020-2021, the lowest level since 1996. To explore how location affects the average age of death, MoneyGeek looked at the average life expectancy for 119 major metropolitan areas with 250,000 residents or more using data from County Health Rankings and ranked them in order of longest to shortest life expectancy. Jackson, Miss., and Mobile, Ala., metros have the lowest life expectancy among the 119 metro areas we analyzed—74.4 years. For metro areas in the southern United States, MoneyGeek found social determinants of health can partly explain the drop. People born into poverty have fewer financial resources, are more likely to experience food insecurity and often lack access to decent healthcare.

AMAZONSMILE Amazon last week announced

it would shut down its charity program, effective Feb. 20. AmazonSmile donated a small percentage of purchases made toward more than a million eligible charities but felt the charity venture had not grown the impact that Amazon anticipated when it launched a decade ago because the donations were spread over too many nonprofits. Associated charities will receive a "one-time donation equivalent" to three months' worth of their last year's earnings, the company said in a blog post. The announcement followed the revelation that Amazon plans to lay off 18,000 workers.

900,000 FLORIDIANS The federal government paid states extra money to keep people covered under Medicaid during the pandemic even if they were no longer eligible since 2020, swelling Florida's rolls by nearly 1.8 million people. With the federal government phasing out those payments, the Florida Department of Children and Families will begin reviewing the eligibility of almost 5 million recipients, with the remainder addressed by other state and federal agencies. DCF officials have told lawmakers that nearly 900,000 individuals may no longer be eligible as of April 1, leaving them without medical insurance. inweekly.net

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outtakes

By Rick Outzen

REAL ISSUES NEED ATTENTION As lawmakers prepare for the 2023 Florida Legislative Session, Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration are replaying his greatest anti-woke hits.

In Bay County, the governor vowed to pass a measure that would shield physicians from being disciplined for expressing views on issues such as COVID-19. State regulatory boards would not be allowed to reprimand, sanction, revoke or threaten to revoke a healthcare practitioner's license, certificate or registration for exercising their constitutional right of free speech. He also wants permanent prohibitions of mandates for COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements in all Florida schools and businesses.

His Office of Planning and Budget director, Chris Spencer, sent a memo earlier this month requiring that universities answer a lengthy list of questions about issues including numbers of people who sought "sex-reassignment treatment," numbers of people prescribed such things as hormones and puberty blockers, and numbers of people who underwent surgical treatments such as mastectomies, dating back to Jan. 1, 2018. Answers are due by Feb. 10.

On Jan. 12, the Florida Department of Education's Office of Articulation sent a letter to the College Board, the nonprofit organization that oversees Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, rejecting a new AP course on African American studies for high school students because the course is "inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value."

And Secretary of State Cord Byrd has told the state lawmakers that he anticipates more changes to election laws. "You all are probably going to look at some additional security measures with regard to vote-by-mail, to ensure that when someone does vote by mail that it is actually that voter, who's registered to vote, is the person who's voting."

Bash COVID-19 masks and vaccinations.

Check. Bash transgender people and those who try to help them. Check. Bash education regarding Black history and culture. Check. Make it more difficult to vote. Check.

We've heard Gov. Ron DeSantis tout these "issues" annually. His stances create great sound January 26, 2023

bites and raise millions for his campaign war chest but avoid more significant problems. The governor doesn't mention the more than 84,000 COVID-19 deaths in Florida since the pandemic started in 2020 and any of the fundamental issues facing Floridians.

Housing costs continue to rise, and insurance premiums have doubled for many of us. The special session helped the insurance companies without extracting much relief for homeowners. DeSantis has been mum.

The problems with Florida's public education system aren't library books, African American studies and transgender students and teachers.

We need more teachers. The Orlando Sentinel has reported our state had 5,294 posted teaching vacancies and another 4,600 openings for teachers' aides and other school employees. The teacher deficit is more than triple the number of vacancies Florida had five years ago.

GOP lawmakers and the governor have treated teachers like punching bags, and educators have left their profession in droves. DeSantis' plan to let military veterans work in the classroom has been a dismal failure, and boosting the pay for starting teachers did little for the more experienced teachers. According to the National Education Association, Florida's average teacher salary ranks 49th out of 50 states.

In Escambia County, we know that our students in poorer neighborhoods have struggled academically. Federal COVID relief dollars have paid for social workers to help struggling students and their families. Those funds end this school year. What are the governor's plans to replace them?

Another issue that requires the governor's attention is mental health. As Tom St. Myer reports in this issue, nearly 14% of Florida's population has a mental illness. An estimated 225,000 youth experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year. The state commission recommends expanding Medicaid eligibility to help the uninsured battling mental illness. The governor needs to propose it in his budget.

The anti-woke stuff may be great political theater, but we need our governor to address the real issues facing Floridians.{in} rick@inweekly.net

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POOR STUDENTS, POOR SCHOOLS

By Rick Outzen High school graduation rates in Escambia County fell last year, bucking the statewide trend, according to newly released data from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). Even more troubling, only 67.4% of Escambia County's Black students graduated with their class, while the state average for Black students is 82%.

When it released the graduation rates on Friday, Jan, 13, DOE announced that Florida's 202122 high school graduation rate was 87.3%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points over the 2018-19 pre-pandemic school year. Nearly all subgroups of students, including Black students, students from economically disadvantaged families and students with disabilities, increased their graduation rates from the 2018-19 school year.

Unfortunately, Escambia County's 2021-22 high school graduation rate was 78.4%, a decrease of 6.4 percentage points compared to the 2018-19 pre-pandemic school year. The graduation rate for Black students dropped from 78.3% for 2018-19 to 67.4% this past year, a 10.9-point decline.

Escambia Superintendent of School Dr. Tim Smith told Inweekly, "We are not pleased with the decline in the graduation rate. It was significant."

He continued, "The very concerning question for us is why was our drop so much. We need to really dig deep and look at our systems. There are a number of dynamics that go into this."

Smith said those dynamics included students being on the remote learning platform during the pandemic. Another factor is students' absences and missing instruction. "We need to make sure 66

we are instructing in a way that we're teaching and developing the skills associated with the key standards that are measured. An ongoing thing that we always want to do is have that pinpointed instruction."

"One of the biggest challenges that we have in public education is our students who struggle with poverty don't have the same resources as other kids." Dr. Tim Smith The superintendent added, "Then there also is the dynamic of making sure kids are retaking tests. For instance, take the sophomore English requirement. If the sophomore does not pass that test, they can retake it. You can do that your junior year, and you can do that your senior year.

You can also earn a concordant score to meet the requirement through SAT and ACT. So we need to make sure our systems are tight where we're maximizing those opportunities."

Smith pointed out that all the graduation data, locally and nationally, show a correlation between families in poverty and academic performance. "That's just a reality. One of the biggest challenges that we have in public education is our students who struggle with poverty don't have the same resources as other kids."

A TOUGH SITUATION

School board member Kevin Adams shared at a recent school board meeting his concerns

about addressing the needs of at-risk students, especially after the federal economic relief dollars go away at the end of the school year.

"I think it's important the more we can offer these wraparound services for these atrisk students," Adams told Inweekly. "We have been using the Children's Home Society's navigators, who are doing a marvelous job at 34 schools.

We've got 11 low-performing schools that are on the FDOE watch list.

It's a tough situation because those COVID relief dollars are expiring."

At the school board meeting, Adams suggested, "If you can't do the 34, at least 11.

I thought I needed to mention it and talk to my two representatives on that Children's Trust (Dr. Smith and school board member Patty Hightower) and see what they think about it."

The Escambia Children's Trust was created in 2020 when county voters approved an independent special taxing district to fund programs to support educational, preventive, developmental, treatment, intervention and rehabilitative services for children within Escambia County.

Lindsey Cannon, the Children's Home Society of Florida's executive director for the Pensacola region, explained to Inweekly that the navigator program was launched two years ago in six schools. The pilot program was so successful that the school district partnered with CHS to expand to 32 navigators in 34 schools. A $2 million Family and Educational Rights Act grant funded the expansion.

"The navigators are an integral part of relationship building," Cannon said. "Our families want our children to be successful in school. Our teachers are there to teach, and administrators are there to make sure our kids are safe. But the children come to school with baggage, right?"

"All of those issues our kids are bringing into a classroom, and we have an expectation of them to perform." Lindsey Cannon She continued, "Some of our kids come with hunger; they come with poverty; they come with homelessness. All of those issues our kids are bringing into a classroom, and we have an expectation of them to perform. Our navigators

are there to really get on that ground level with that family, find out what's going on, and put in those very basic grassroots social service supports that the families need and that school needs so that that child can be successful throughout that day."

Cannon said the CHS navigators provided 19,000-20,000 services last year. "I just got the numbers from my program manager, and we've provided 14,472 services between July and December. This is very indicative of the needs of families are going up for very, very basic things—food, clothing, health care and supports around jobs."

DIFFERENCE MAKERS

Superintendent Smith called the navigators "difference makers." "They have been very supportive of our families, our students, our staff.

They're able to intervene and help students and families during tough times. And sometimes when those red flags pop up for a student, we can provide resources and support there."

Like Adams, he noted that the navigator program was funded entirely through COVID relief dollars that expire this year. "We're hoping that we're just going to have to look at that and do the best we can with it. We certainly don't want to lose it, but we also have to have the dollars to provide the service."

Adams would also like to see the expansion of the Community Partnership School program, another CHS initiative that pulls together the school district, CHS, Community Health Northwest Florida and the University of West Florida to provide healthcare and other wraparound services to school and the surrounding neighborhood.

The first Community Partnership School was C.A. Weis Elementary, which saw its school grade improve from an "F" to a "C," and its discipline referrals and out-of-school suspensions were reduced by more than 90%.

With Adams' support, Pine Forest High School became Escambia County's second Community Partnership School, and Community Health opened a pediatric clinic on the campus earlier this month.

"I talked to Richard Corcoran when he first was Education Commission about six years ago and told him if I was king for a day, I'd make the 300 low-performing schools across the state of Florida all Community Partnership Schools," said Adams. "But right now, we have a serious issue here in Escambia County. We've got a huge achievement gap. We have a lot of level one and two students. That's the lower levels that need help now. And I'm a little nervous that starting next year, when these federal dollars expire, the numbers aren't going to get better."

Adams added, "The areas that have the higher percentage of these at-risk students living in these pockets of poverty have the toughest time in schools, and it takes a lot of additional services. I'm hoping the superintendent gets his staff together, and we have to really amp up what we're doing to try to get these students help to close the achievement gap." {in} inweekly.net

MENTAL HEALTH CARE FAILURES

By Tom St. Myer In Northwest Florida, healthcare providers treat thousands of patients for mental health conditions yearly. Yet, thousands of others—particularly low-income individuals—slip through the cracks of a system so flawed that a state commission has called for sweeping mental health reforms.

The Florida Panhandle is ill-equipped to care for the increased number of patients diagnosed with mental illness. Tight-fisted insurance companies leave the region woefully short on providers, which makes Northwest Florida the rule rather than the exception in the state.

National advocacy group Mental Health America reports that about three million Florida adults (14%) have a mental illness, and about 225,000 youth sustained at least one major episode of depression in the past year. The nonprofit ranked Florida 46th in the U.S. for access to mental health care.

STATE COMMISSION REPORT

Created in 2021 by the Florida Legislature, the Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse released a 35-page report in January that cited inadequate integrated services, providers and systems "leaving enormous gaps in treatment and disparities in access."

Quint Studer entered the health care industry nearly 40 years ago and remembers when insurance companies consistently reimbursed providers of mental health and drug and alcohol treatment. Insurers began pulling back on reimbursements as the number of patients diagnosed with mental health illnesses began to rise.

Studer said finding insurers who reimburse providers in Pensacola is particularly troublesome. A man searching for a mental health January 26, 2023

program for his 30-year-old daughter recently contacted him for recommendations. Studer found the woman a program to enter—but outside the area.

"There's a real shortage of providers in this area, and it's not because they don't want to be providers," Studer said. "Providers are going to go where the reimbursement is."

"There's a real shortage of providers in this area, and it's not because they don't want to be providers.

Providers are going to go where the reimbursement is." Quint Studer Psychiatrist and nurse practitioner Nancy Hart offers equine therapy at Spirit Stables in Milton. Her patients include Jacob, a 9-year-old boy with autism who is learning to speak by saying commands to the horse, such as "whoa." Jacob is one of her few patients. She could provide therapy to 15-20 children a week, but issues with Medicaid subcontractors limit her services.

Though Medicaid covers her practice, subcontractors still require an arduous application process. Hart said subcontractors usually take months to respond after she submits the forms, leaving potential patients untreated.

"I can't give them the services because of this nightmare, and why should it be this way?"

Hart said.

Florida is among 11 states yet to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse urged the state to examine the potential impact of expanding Medicaid eligibility for young adults ages 26 and under whose par-

ents are uninsured. That is perhaps a step in the right direction but barely puts a dent in the Medicaid coverage problems.

Florida Medicaid is a state and federal partnership that provides health coverage for low-income families and children.

Mental health is among the selected categories available for coverage.

According to the Florida Policy Institute, about 415,000 Floridians earned salaries that exceeded Medicaid coverage maximums yet fell short of the threshold for premium tax credits. The tax credits help individuals and families afford health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Medicaid expanded its coverage to millions of enrollees during the pandemic, but the number of qualified individuals stands to be reduced on April 1 as those federal dollars go away.

"Behavioral and mental health patients are on the rise, and you have people who have coverage who might lose it," said Chandra Smiley, Community Health Northwest Florida CEO. "We have a shortage of providers, and because the reimbursement, particularly for Medicaid plans, are low for those who go into private practice, they can't keep their doors open."

Other recommendations from the commission included increasing jail diversion programs, curtailing the use of competency restoration and uploading patient information into a centralized database to improve treatment and limit duplication of mental health services. The commission further recommended that Florida establish a three-year pilot for one agency to manage all public behavioral health funding in a geographic area.

Currently, behavioral health funding is appropriated through various agencies.

Community Health, a federally funded health care provider, operates 17 centers in Northwest Florida. In 2021, it treated nearly 55,000 patients—67% of them minorities, 10% self-reported as homeless and 74% of whom had no insurance or Medicaid. Mental health ranked top five in conditions it treated, and nearly 7,300 of the patients were diagnosed with anxiety, depression or other mood disorders.

This past year, Community Health expanded its mental health services by hiring a psychiatrist.

Smiley said the psychiatrist accompanies its mobile unit once a week to offer on-site services to the homeless population to treat mental health issues before they reach crisis mode.

"We don't have a lot of wraparound support services for mental health," Smiley said. "Not everybody is in a crisis, not everybody needs to be

Baker Acted, but a lot of people are struggling with mental health, and if we can get to them early, it doesn't have to spiral to where they enter a space that it's now a crisis."

LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE

In August 2021, State Rep. Michelle Salzman pulled together healthcare providers and community leaders to be a part of the Mental Health Task Force of Northwest Florida to build a blueprint for mental health care for Pensacola and surrounding areas.

How to improve care for Baker Act and Marchman Act patients emerged as a focal point for the Task Force a year later when HCA Florida West Hospital announced it would stop being a receiving center after an influx of adolescent Baker Act and Marchman Act patients. According to Kendrick Doidge, vice president of business and public relations, none of its staff has a license to treat adolescents for behavioral health.

The Baker Act enables families and loved ones to provide emergency mental health services and temporary detention for people impaired due to mental illness and unable to determine their treatment needs. The act allows the court, doctors or law enforcement officials to involuntarily commit the patient for at least 72 hours for a mental health evaluation. The Marchman Act deals with substance abuse and allows a person to be involuntarily committed for up to five days.

If HCA Florida West discontinued accepting Baker Act patients, Baptist Health Care would become the lone receiving center in the two counties. The number of beds available for patients would have been inadequate. Baptist sees an average of about 100 Baker Act patients weekly, and HCA Florida West sees about 70.

Months of collaboration among stakeholders to circumvent the looming crisis paid off in December when HCA Florida West announced plans to remain a receiving center indefinitely.

The short-term plan includes expanding mobile response team services and limiting admittance to patients from outside the area. The financial investment for the long term will be significant and includes LifeView Group serving as an adult central receiving facility in either a new or renovated space on its Lakeview campus, according to CEO Allison Hill.

Stakeholders have hired the consulting firm Ernst & Young to assist in identifying space options, personnel needs and funding sources for the facility. The Mental Health Task Force recently hired the consultant to help with strategic planning and develop an action plan to close gaps within the mental wellness and behavioral health system—a Herculean task considering the system is flawed beyond measure.

"There's no quick answer," Studer said. "How do you maximize the funding? How do you get insurance companies to provide coverage when they haven't provided it?"

Until state and local stakeholders answer those questions with viable solutions, millions of Floridians will continue to receive inadequate care or slip through the cracks altogether. {in} 7

BOOK BANNING, ROUND 2 The Escam-

Dozier Memorial / Photo Courtesy of Florida Digital Service

WHITE HOUSE BOYS MEMORIAL Former students and state and local officials took part in a ceremony on Friday, Jan. 13, to dedicate a memorial and honor victims who were abused and, in some cases, died at the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys outside of Marianna.

The ceremony came more than five years after state lawmakers apologized to boys who had been sent to the reform that was shuttered in 2011 after operating for 111 years. The lawmakers also passed House Bill 7115, establishing the Dozier School for Boys Memorial to "tell the story of the boys who lived and died while at the school."

Mike Papantonio and Troy Rafferty of the Levin Papantonio Rafferty (LPR) law firm have met with former students who shared how they suffered brutal beatings, mental abuse and sexual abuse at the Dozier school. Researchers have found remains of dozens of students buried at the site.

During Friday's ceremony, former student Charlie Fudge, part of a group known as the "White House Boys," said, "There's still bodies on this ground that need to be found and buried properly."

The White House was a building near the cafeteria where boys were beaten and abused.

The building still stands but has been sealed off.

Due to a statute of limitations, LPR is not involved in lawsuits for the Dozier School for Boys victims. However, Papantonio and Rafferty are working to have the Florida Legislature pass a bill to compensate victims and their families.

"The memorial is good recognition of what these young men went through at the hands of the state at Dozier," Rafferty said on "Real News with Rick Outzen" on WCOA. "But it can't be the only step. The boys, who are now men, deserve justice. Just having a plaque put up can't be the end."

During the unveiling ceremony, Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, called for the state to provide financial assistance to victims and their families. He echoed Rafferty's sentiments, "We simply must do more as a state."

88

bia County School District continues to review books for objectionable content and removal. Most of the books on Escambia's list have been challenged by one person—Northview High English teacher Vicki Baggett.

The novel "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was the first title reviewed favorably by the district committee, but the book was ultimately pulled as a reading option for high school seniors by the Escambia County School Board after Baggett appealed the decision.

On Nov. 28, a school district review committee began its assessment of five titles that Baggett wanted to be removed from schools—"And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson, "When Aidan Became a Brother" by Kyle Lukoff, "When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball" by Mark Weakland, "Stella Brings the Family" by Miriam Schiffer and "Draw Me a Star" by Eric Carle.

"And Tango Makes Three," based on a true story, is about two male penguins at New York's Central Park's Zoo who form a bond and raise a chick. "When Aidan Became a Brother" addresses transgender issues. "When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball" deals with issues of race and discrimination. And "Stella Brings the Family" is also about characters with same-sex parents. Meanwhile, Baggett objected to "Draw Me a Star" due to a nude drawing in the book.

Only "When Aidan Became a Brother" was retained by less than a unanimous committee vote, 4-1. Baggett has the right to appeal these decisions to the school board.

The district has begun the process on several more titles that Baggett found objectionable. In December, Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," George M. Johnson's "All Boys Aren't Blue" and Toni Morrison's "Bluest Eyes" were sent to committees for review.

This month, the review process has begun for "Drama" by Raina Telgemeier, "New Kid" by Jerry Craft, "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater, "Looking for Alaska" by John Green, "The Nowhere Girls" by Amy Reed and "Ground Zero" by Alan Gratz.

JAIL BATTLE, ROUND 1 Whitesell-Green/Cad-

dell sued Escambia County last year, alleging the county owed the company $3.4 million for the construction of the new county jail. The county has countered the contractor—a joint company between Whitesell-Green and Caddell Construction formed to build the jail—was 224 days late in finishing the project, and under the contract, it can withhold the payment. Whitesell-Green/Caddell

has contended the delays were excusable under the contract because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At its Thursday, Jan. 19, meeting, the Escambia County Commission unanimously voted to terminate the construction contract, per the advice of its attorney, Cole, Scott & Kissane. Termination of the contract protects the county's right to withhold final payment to the contractor.

Cole, Scott & Kissane partner Richard Fillmore told the commissioners that the contract should be terminated because the contractor failed to meet its contractual obligation to complete the project.

"There are very specific requirements that the design-builder has to deliver to the county," said Fillmore. "It requires following a specific process to request that the county participate along with its representatives in walkthroughs to make sure warranty items are complete, to make sure punch list items are complete. It provides the design-builder with an opportunity to repair those items. And most importantly, it notes that the county is not restricted in time to enforce its rights under the contract."

Whitesell-Green/Caddell has hundreds of punch list items that still haven't been completed, even though the new facility has been occupied since the summer of 2021. Fillmore told the design-builder it needed to certify all the subcontractors have been paid before receiving final payment.

The attorney said, "Payment of the subcontractors we know is not true because there are active lawsuits against the payment sureties for a number of subcontractors."

Fillmore continued, "The contract is very specific as to the county's rights that it can enforce under this agreement. And the county can withhold final payment to the design-build contractor if there are material breaches."

He added that other legal remedies for completion of the construction, correction and repair of construction defects, and the recovery of financial losses may be sought through other avenues.

"But the protection of the contractual rights is the first step and the first hurdle and the first most important step for the county to do, to enforce the contract and protect it."

BED TAX AUDIT Florida's Auditor General has sent the Escambia Board of County Commissioners (BCC) three preliminary and tentative audit findings with recommendations that may be included in its report on its operational audit of the Tourist Development Tax collections—also known as bed tax, which is collected from hotel, condo and other short-term rentals.

The audit came at the request of the County's Tourist Development Council after Clerk of Courts Pam Childers requested TDC members to certify its expenditures. The TDC asked the state auditor to review the Clerk's and BCC's administrative costs and certain disbursements for the operation of the Marine Resources Division.

Childers and former County Administrator Janice Gilley objected to the audit.

Finding 1: The auditors found that sever-

al provisions related to TDT administration costs and allowable uses were not consistent with State law. They recommended BCC should clarify that the County may retain a portion of the TDT collected for the administration costs should not exceed 3% of collections, rather than requiring 3% be retained.

Escambia County has two 1% local option taxes commonly referred to as the Professional Sports Franchise Facility Tax and the Additional Professional Sports Franchise Facility Tax (APSFFT). Some ordinances authorize uses of the PSFFT collections that aren't permitted by State law, and those ordinances need to be changed.

Finding 2: The BCC and DOR should have reviewed the expenditures the TDC believed to be unauthorized by Florida law to the BCC and DOR. If they had, the TDC would not have had to ask the Auditor General to do an audit. Auditors recommended the BCC should comply with State law by reviewing TDT expenditures questioned by the TDC and taking appropriate administrative or judicial action. More policies and procedures need to be established to provide guidance.

Finding 3: The audit disclosed TDT projects and expenditures for which BCC and Clerk records did not demonstrate that the primary purpose was to carry out specified provisions of State law and promote tourism. In addition, the BCC did not have policies and procedures requiring a determination of record be made that the primary purpose of a proposed TDT project or expenditure is to carry out specified provisions of State law and promote tourism.

Many of the expenses that needed more documentation occurred during the Gilley administration, including $287,265 to the Marine Resources Division (six months under Gilley), $73,936 for five ATVs, $29,792 for a truck for the Marine Resources Division, $1,425 for a plaque naming an artificial reef, $153,738 landscape maintenance on the beach, $8,000 for temporary staff at Marine Resources Division and $60,000 for bacteria testing of waterways.

Commissioner Robert Bender was pleased with the findings, noting most of the recommendations involved improving the expenditure process.

"We need to tighten some things up," Bender told Inweekly, "not necessarily that we had violated anything, but just to make it cleaner and more concise."

BROWNSVILLE FOCUS Escambia County

Sheriff Chip Simmons held his second Gun Violence Roundtable on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the Brownsville Community Center.

Sheriff Simmons announced that he would like to focus on the Brownsville area, which is partially in the city and county. He asked Pensacola Police Chief Erick Randall, County Commissioner Lumon May and community and religious leaders to join in the effort.

"Let's prove we can come together and collaborate to bring what we need to the table," said the sheriff.

Commissioner May, who led the effort to inweekly.net

create the Brownsville Community Center where the roundtable was held, said he was all in on the effort. He told Inweekly after the meeting he would like Brownsville to become the foundation for helping other neighborhoods. "We create positive changes one neighborhood at a time, block by block."

SUPER FIREFIGHTERS Escambia County Fire Rescue last week announce another statewide honor. The Florida Fire Chiefs' Association named Captain Joel Richardson its 2022 Instructor of the Year.

Richardson's honor follows the Florida State Fire Marshal recognizing ECFR Lt. Nick Gradia as the 2022 Professional Firefighter of the Year and the Florida Fire Chiefs' Association honoring Assistant District Chief Yoshimi Core as the 2022 Volunteer Fire Officer of the Year.

Capt. Richardson joined ECFR in October 2009. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2012 and to captain in September 2022. Since then, he has served as the Training/Safety Captain for ECFR in the training division. He has been a member of the Florida RIT Operations Group since its inception in 2012.

"The recognition of Captain Richardson at this

January 26, 2023

level is an attestation of the hard work on and off duty that the men and women of ECFR put in every day to serve the citizens and visitors of Escambia County," said Fire Chief Jason Catrambone.

MIRAFLORES ADVISORY GROUP Mayor D.C. Reeves announced the Miraflores Burial Ground Study Community Advisory Group that will assist the city in the assessment and future commemoration of Miraflores Park. The members are Barbara Albrecht, Teniadé Broughton, Rand Hicks, Angela Kyle, Michelle MacNeil, Allison Patton, Margo Stringfield, Bianca Villegas, Lonnie Wesley and Dr. Lusharon Wiley.

The Miraflores Burial Ground Study Community Advisory Group will operate in the Sunshine (Florida Statute 286.011), with all meetings publicly advertised and open to the public and minutes recorded. Visit cityofpensacola.com/miraflores for updates.

MAYGARDENS' GIFT The University of West Florida announced a $250,000 gift from Rhonda and Jerry Maygarden to the Maygarden Family Scholarship Endowment at the UWF Foundation and to name the Jerry Louis Maygarden Undergraduate Communication Program.

"The Maygardens are longtime supporters of UWF, and this gift is a wonderful example of their continued commitment to the University," said UWF President Martha D. Saunders.

"We look forward to the impact this gift will make on the next generation of communication professionals."

The Honorable Jerry Maygarden is a retired health care and business leader with a long and distinguished career in public service including having served as a Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives and Pensacola mayor. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in communication arts from UWF and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by UWF in 2013.

"We are grateful for the generosity of the Maygarden family and the impact they continue to make in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities," said Dr. Amy Mitchell-Cook, interim dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. "While the Department of Communication currently names several Maygarden Scholars each year, this generous gift will provide additional scholarships and assist even more students on their path to success."

The gift will expand the funding available through the existing Maygarden Family Scholarship Endowment, which was established in 2019 to support undergraduate students majoring in communication. Students who graduate and decide to pursue a master's degree in strategic communication and leadership at UWF are also eligible for additional support for their first year in the graduate program.

As a student, Maygarden served as president of both the Student Government Association at UWF and the Florida Student Association. He is a UWF Foundation Fellow and serves on UWF's Business Enterprise, Inc. Board of Directors.

When asked about what UWF was like when he attended, Maygarden told Inweekly, "It was a different place back then—much smaller and much more intimate. We had less than 3,000 students on campus, and nearly 98% of the faculty had doctorates. I never had a class with a graduate assistant, for example. It was a closeknit group of highly trained, highly educated people who were working with students in a relatively small environment."

He added, "All that's changed today. It's a different place, but it still maintains that close-knit relationship with its students." {in}

9

New Year / New Stuff Things to Read, Watch and Listen to in 2023

The Last of Us

TV

Party Down

The much-anticipated series, based on the popular video game, is airing now on HBO

The cult comedy series returns for Season 3 on Starz Feb. 24

Abbott Elementary

Daisy Jones and the Six

Season 2 of the Emmy Award-winning sitcom is currently airing on ABC

The miniseries, based on the bestselling book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, debuts March 3 on Amazon

Poker Face

Yellowjackets

The 1619 Project

TBD

The 10-episode mystery-of-the-week series starring Natasha Lyonne premieres Jan. 26 on Peacock

The six-part documentary series, based on journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones' Pulitzer Prize-winning work, premieres Jan. 26 on Hulu

Shrinking

The new series from “Ted Lasso" creator Bill Lawrence, starring Jason Segel, Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford, premieres Jan. 27 on Apple TV+

You

Season 4 of the Netflix thriller will be released in two five-episode batches, with the first dropping Feb. 9 and second March 9

The hit Showtime original series is (finally!) returning for Season 2 on March 24 A few more shows set to premiere or give us new seasons in 2023 •Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix) •Succession, Season 4 (HBO) •Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu) •The Curse (Showtime) •The Idol (HBO) •Project Greenlight (HBO Max) •Reservation Dogs, Season 3 (FX on Hulu) •Three Women (Showtime) •What We Do in the Shadows, Season 5 (FX) •Blindspotting, Season 2 (Starz)

Movies

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Cocaine Bear

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Feb. 17

Feb. 24

Creed III March 3

Scream VI March 10

The Super Mario Bros. Movie April 7

Beau Is Afraid

April 28

May 5

The Little Mermaid May 26

Roosevelt July 14

Barbie July 21

Oppenheimer

July 21

Challengers Aug. 11

Dune: Part Two Nov. 3

Trolls 3 Nov. 17

Wonka Dec. 15

The Color Purple Dec. 20

April 21 010 1

inweekly.net

Books The Survivalists

Raving

Maame

Above Ground

By Kashana Cauley Out Now

By Jessica George Jan. 31

Big Swiss

By Jen Beagin Feb. 7

Palo Alto

By Malcolm Harris Feb. 14

Users

By Colin Winnette Feb. 21

Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock

By Jenny Odell March 7

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

By Claire Jimenez March 7

By McKenzie Wark March 14

By Clint Smith March 28

Evil Eye

By Etaf Rum March 28

Rosewater

By Liv Little April 25

Happy Place

By Emily Henry April 25

The Guest

By Emma Cline May 16

Homebodies

By Tembe Denton-Hurst May 2

When The Hibiscus Falls

Quietly Hostile

By M. Evelina Galang June 13

By Samantha Irby May 16

Crook Manifesto

Yellowface

By Colson Whitehead July 18

By R. F. Kuang May 16

Music Kelela

boygenius

Yo La Tengo

The National

Raven Feb. 10

This Stupid World Feb. 10

Gorillaz

Cracker Island Feb. 24

Kali Uchis

Red Moon In Venus March 3

Miley Cyrus Endless Summer March 10

M83 Mac DeMarco Five Easy Hot Dogs Out now

Sam Smith

Gloria Jan. 27

Paramore This Is Why Feb. 10

January 26, 2023

Fantasy March 17

Lana Del Rey

Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd March 24

Fall Out Boy

So Much (for) Stardust March 24

the record March 31

LOST PENSACOLA On View in Voices of Pensaocla

First Two Pages of Frankenstein April 28

Arlo Parks

My Soft Machine May 26

TBD

A few more artists we're expecting to release new music sometime in 2023 (plus a few that we're always just hoping do— looking at you, Frank Ocean) •Dolly Parton •Blink-182 •Rihanna •Cardi B •A$AP Rocky •The Killers •Doja Cat •Normani •Saweetie •Frank Ocean •And, of course, Beyoncé's Renaissance Act II

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

11

Your Personal Injury Lawyers In Pensacola, Florida Since 1955 850-432-1111 | LevinLaw.com | Google Us 212 1

inweekly.net

WEEK OF JANUARY 26-FEBRUARY 1

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

Conjuring Art and Spirits with Julia Arredondo

By C. Scott Satterwhite

jealous because I'm next-door neighbors to a freight train. They could only hope to have that in their lifetime.

INWEEKLY: There's something about freight train graffiti that's beautiful. Art that is often very intricate, that will likely never be seen again by its creator or the viewer.

Sort of ephemeral, but not really.

ARREDONDO: It's just so sweet.

I've been squashing pennies on the tracks. I'm always looking for them in the rubble. It just seems so unreal to access this.

Photo Courtesy of Julia Arredondo

I first came across Julia Arredondo's work through her early zines and have followed her career closely over the years. Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Arredondo studied art in Prague, Jamaica and Maryland before earning her MFA in Chicago. She's currently the DecemberJanuary Artist-in-Residence at the 309 Punk Project, where I interviewed her about her work, her writing, her philosophies and her stay in Pensacola.

INWEEKLY: Thinking of your stay at 309, how has your work been affected by your stay at the house?

JULIA ARREDONDO: Part of my work has been about rebranding my practice. I do that every few years. Every place that I go to for residencies informs the work. My work changes at every location. It has informed the work that I'm producing here. I'm working with wood grains, like Mallory Luana. I could tell that her work was informed by the wood grain structures in the house, and it's informed the pieces that I'm doing. I have wood grain frames. There's a visual language that I would not have tapped into had I not been in Pensacola, had I not been at 309.

INWEEKLY: I noticed that the trains are coming up in your art, too. Railroad spikes.

ARREDONDO: Yeah, but I just exited a period of conversation when I was affiliated with this graffiti culture, so train and freight graffiti was at the front of my mind. It carries on that lineage, as I'm still in conversation with these people. But now they're January 26, 2023

INWEEKLY: When you wrote your MFA thesis, "Side Hustle is Life," you printed it as a zine. As I've told you, I found it very influential. Can you describe the "side hustle" for those who've never had to hustle to get by.

ARREDONDO: I should preface this by saying I don't necessarily support grind culture. I think grind culture leaves no room for rest. For folks who've grown up in life situations that are economically trying, the side hustle is almost a way to explore one's interest that can eventually bring in larger amounts of income. But side hustle is necessary because having just one job don't fucking pay the bills anymore. So side hustle is a way to have steady income and have a regular job but to also explore your interests that could lead to something that might emancipate you from the awful 9-5. My paper was more focused on examples of the hustle in various pieces of artwork that I'm interested in. The art world is very complicated because of class politics. The paper really focused on how prevalent the financial struggle, or how finances are being talked about in the forefront of fine art and how talking about finances in fine art was taboo. I was mostly focused on how the art world was changing and adjusting to the economic climate and accepting that artists can talk about art and money and financials because we have to. Ignoring that stuff makes the art so irrelevant.

INWEEKLY: So the artists have to talk about it?

ARREDONDO: Not if you're super affluent, you don't have to. But I think allowing artists to have these conversations and allowing artists to be open and transparent about what it takes to become an artist or what it costs, or even what it looks like to not come from a lineage of other artists or wealth, which is sort of how art has been for

a long time. Sort of surveying the changing landscape of fine art.

INWEEKLY: What interested me in your thesis was your discussion of grants and how the pursuit of grants by artists is ultimately detrimental to their work. Can you talk about that?

ARREDONDO: I have been able to support myself for the past couple of years through grants and have been able to evade full-time work due to the aid of grants. But I'm also writing my ass off like a damn wild person, talking this crazy language. It's something I've inherited from academia that I could never use in the real world, but it's like a weapon that I knew that I needed to acquire these resources. I do think that the academic gaze can be really harmful, though. Say an artist doesn't want to present themselves as a shiny, poised, clean individual; they want to present themselves as the grimy, thick-skinned individual that they are. I think the administrative gaze can be really harmful by prohibiting access to resources.

It's funny because I feel like when I'm accepting grants, and writing to get grants, I have to portray myself in a way that erases part of the history I have. And I'm OK with that because my morals are like, "Fuck it! Give me the money! Fuck it! I can be whatever you want!" But that's very political, and I don't think that's very healthy. I don't think this grant writing system or academic hierarchy or administrative hierarchy that a lot of museums are based on is sustainable. I don't know. It's complicated, man. It's bound to fail. But that's the future of the arts. Who knows?

INWEEKLY: So focusing on your own art, outside of the academic gaze, but toward your work here in Pensacola. What have you been doing here? Can you tell me a little about your upcoming exhibit?

ARREDONDO: I've been drawing mostly. I've been a transient. My lifestyle has been as a transient lately, so my art style has been drawing using jelly pens because they're the easiest thing to carry around. The show is called "Talismaniacal."

INWEEKLY: Where did you get that title from?

ARREDONDO: I'm sort of rebranding myself as a talisman manufacturer. I'm fascinated by magic objects, like what constitutes an object as holding some sort of power. I'm interested in making objects that have an air of value and power to them. So essentially, the conversation comes back around to what makes something valuable and what makes something powerful. These pieces don't really engage with that conversation of value, but they are sort of drawings that are collec-

tions of symbols that are presented in a talismanic fashion. They hang on the wall. Objects that are informed by my time here in Pensacola. Conversations that I'm having. Things that I live around.

Icons that are specific to Florida. State butterflies.

State flowers. I'm having a conversation with this place through these pieces.

INWEEKLY: Specific to Pensacola?

ARREDONDO: Yeah, and the thing that I'm getting in Pensacola that I didn't get in Maine, which is where my last residency was, is that there's a big occult and spiritual population here with people my age. That's been really interesting and something I didn't expect to have, all the conversations that I'm having around occult practices, but they're happening. So this seems like the place that would be receptive to talismans and artwork as talismans.

INWEEKLY: You didn't expect that?

ARREDONDO: No! I mean, I did all this research in Maine about witches, indigenous histories, indigenous practices, but it seemed like no one was interested in having these conversations up there.

I don't know. It just wasn't a part of the conversation where I was. But here, automatically, it is. It's just very much a part of Pensacola.

INWEEKLY: Why do you think that's the case?

ARREDONDO: Good question? Maybe it's the body of water? UFOs? There's history of occultists coming out of Pensacola. It's gotta be something with the land. It's gotta be something particular to Pensacola.

INWEEKLY: Do you like Pensacola?

ARREDONDO: I'm starting to. It takes me a while to warm up to a place. Some of the pieces I'm working on are going to be visual offerings to Geronimo so his curse won't keep me here forever.

Right? I have a hard time with commitment. I like Pensacola, but I'm terrified of committing to it. {in}

TALISMANIACAL

WHAT: A public opening/closing reception for 309 Punk Project's December-January Artist-In-Residence Julia Arredondo WHEN: Reception 2-6 p.m., artist talk 6-7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28 WHERE: 309 Punk Project, 309 N. Sixth Ave. COST: Free DETAILS: juliaarredondo.com, 309punkproject.org 13

a&e happenings

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

ANIMAL ALLIES BINGO Animal Allies Flori-

da is hosting Bingo at Scenic Hills Country Club, 881 Burning Tree Road, from 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 24. Cost is $10 for 10 rounds. Proceeds go to help local animals. You must be 18 years old to play. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

HAPPY MEW YEAR KITTY ADOPTIONS

Animal Allies Florida is hosting cat and kitten adoptions at Pet Supermarket, 6857 N. Ninth Ave., every Saturday in January. Adoption fees are $75-$85 and cover spay or neuter and all vaccinations. Visit aaflorida.org/adopt for more information.

THE ESCAMBIA-SANTA ROSA BAR FOUNDATION ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR 2023 The Escambia-Santa Rosa

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

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

CALL TO ARTISTS

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

The Jazz Pensacola Board of Directors will consider all renderings and make a selection.

Initial drafts are due by Jan. 31. If selected, the completed submission deadline is Feb. 28.

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

Submissions should conform to a vertical orientation using a ratio that will fit, with margin, on 414 1

a final poster size of 18 inches wide by 24 inches high. All content must be the submitter's original creation and must be unpublished. The submitter must have all rights to images and graphics used in the final artwork and during the design process.

The poster must include the name of the festival—2023 Pensacola JazzFest—and especially its 40th Anniversary in some fashion.

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

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

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

Submissions must be in low-res (72 PPI) JPEG format and emailed to info@jazzpensacola.com.

There is no limit to the number of entries by a single artist. Each entry must include the artist's name, address, email and telephone number.

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

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

by March 17. Send your films to diyfilmfestpensacola@gmail.com.

ARTS & CULTURE

WHAT'S SHOWING AT PENSACOLA CINEMA ART PCA is located at the Studer Community Institute, 220 W. Garden St. Classic films are available for free through the PCA website. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for more information and the latest showtimes.

PENSACOLA OPERA: THE BREMENTOWN MUSICIANS Pensacola Opera presents a 40-minutes interactive play based on the Broth-

ers Grimm fairytale at local libraries. Future dates include 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at Molino Branch, 6450-A Highway 95A N.; 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, at Tyron Branch, 1200 Langley Ave.; and 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25, at Belleview Branch, 6425 Mobile Highway. Performances are free. Visit facebook.com/pensacolaopera for details.

opportunity to learn about a variety of topics. For more information, please email hparchives@uwf. edu or call (850) 595-5985, ext. 125. The next date is Feb. 15 with Carter Quina about architecture and historic preservation in Pensacola.

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE EVENT The University of West Florida is hosting its first Holocaust Remembrance Event, 5-6:30 p.m., Jan. 26 in the Rolfs Music Hall, located at 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. The event will feature speakers and music. Visit uwf.edu for details.

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

FRIENDS OF WFPL BIG WINTER BOOK SALE The Friends of West Florida Public Library's

ALL THAT WAS BRIGHT The latest exhibit at

Big Winter Book Sale is Jan. 27-29 at the downtown library, 239 N. Spring St. Friday, Jan. 27, is the Friends' Advance Sale.

From 3-7 p.m., Friends of WFPL members get exclusive early access to the Book Sale. Non-members can pay $5 admission to take part in Preview Day. Memberships can be purchased at the door.

On Saturday, Jan. 28, the Book Sale will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. with free admission for all shoppers and half-off the Friday prices.

Sunday, Jan. 29, is the final day of the book sale, with free admission and the popular $7 bag sale from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For just $7, you can get as much as will fit in a brown paper grocery bag.

(Bags are provided.) Credit cards, cash and check are all welcome as payment.

MINDGAME PLT presents a dark comedy and thriller from Anthony Horowitz with puzzling twists and turns. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m., Fridays, Jan. 27 and Feb. 3; 7:30 p.m., Saturdays, Jan. 28 and Feb. 4; 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 29; and 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2. Shows are $14-$20.

Pensacola Little Theatre is located at 400 S. Jefferson St. Get your tickets online at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

JULIA ARREDONDO: TALISMANIACAL

Julia concludes her residency at 309 Punk Project with a solo exhibition titled Talismaniacal, featuring work made during her stay in Pensacola. From 2-6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28, the exhibition will host open hours to the public, concluding with an Artist Talk hosted by Scott Satterwhite at 6 p.m. The event is being hosted at 309 N. Sixth Ave. Visit facebook.com/309punkproject for details.

PENSACOLA OPERA: BROWN BAG OPERA

Take a lunch break with the opera. Brown Bag Opera is a free monthly performance featuring the Jan Miller Studio Artists at the Opera Center, 75 S. Tarragona St. Musical performances include a variety of beloved arias, timeless showtunes and stunning duets and trios. Dates are noon on Tuesdays, Jan. 31, Feb. 21 and March 21. Seating is first-come, first-served. Visit facebook.com/pensacolaopera for details.

TABLE TALKS AT THE TRUST Join the Historic Trust for a monthly lunch and learn series on the third Wednesday of the month at the Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center, located at 117 E. Government St., from noon-1 p.m. The program is free—just bring your lunch and enjoy a casual

EMPOWERED EXPRESSION: GIVING DIMENSION TO DISABLED VOICES OPENING RECEPTION The latest PMA exhibit is a collec-

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

STEAM On view at Pensacola Museum of Art

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

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

69TH ANNUAL YOUTH ART FOCUS The

Pensacola Museum of Art, in partnership with the PMA Guild and Escambia County Public Schools, is proud to present the 69th Annual Youth Art Focus exhibition, showcasing artwork from across the Escambia County School District. The exhibition serves as a celebration of the strong artistic achievements of K-12 students and their teachers.

The exhibit is on view Jan. 20-Feb. 26. The awards reception will be 5-7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3. Visit the exhibit at PMA, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

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

SUDDENLY AMERICAN: A MEETING OF HERITAGE AND COUNTRY This exhibit looks

at the transition of Florida from a Spanish territory to an American region, which formally occurred in 1821. Florida's embattled history dates back much farther than 1821. From refusing independence during the American Revolution to wanting their own freedom in 1810, Florida loved to cause problems. The United States eyed the region early on, using the Seminole Wars as an excuse to seize territory before turning to diplomatic means to acquire Florida. The Adams-Onis Treaty, debated and initially agreed upon in 1819, resulted in Spain ceding control of East Florida to the United inweekly.net

a&e happenings States. At the same time, Spain also agreed to give up all claims on West Florida, in essence giving the entire Florida territory over to the United States.

Ratified in 1821, the treaty was cause for celebration in Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, as it officially became part of America. On view at Pensacola Museum of History through Dec. 2023.

Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

MARDI GRAS MASQUERADE PARTY AT COASTAL COUNTY BREWING Celebrate

CELEBRATE! 50 YEARS OF THE GREAT GULF COAST ARTS FESTIVAL This exhibit

FAMILY COOKS CLASS: KITCHEN FAVORITES Pensacola Cooks Class noon-3 p.m., Sat-

explores the incredible story of the volunteers who keep the festival alive. Through the past five decades, little has made a larger impact on the city than the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival and those who dedicate their time to ensuring it remains a vibrant affair in the heart of Pensacola.

On view at the Pensacola Museum of History through February 2023.

TEXTILES OF THE TIMES: REGENCY ERA DRESS MAKING The period between 1811-1820

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

FOOD + DRINKS

GREAT SOUTHERN RESTAURANTS WINTER RESTAURANT WEEK The Fish

House, Jackson's Steakhouse, Five Sisters Blues Café and Angelena's Ristorante Italiano will once again team up to present Winter Restaurant Week. Chefs from each restaurant will prepare a three-course, fixed-price dinner menu for $33 per person, per restaurant. Menus will be available at each restaurant Monday, Jan. 23-Sunday, Jan. 29, beginning at 5 p.m., along with standard dinner menus. To view menus and see restaurant locations, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

FLIGHTS AND CIGARS AT SIR RICHARD'S

Choose from several liquor flights and receive a premium cigar from Cordova Cigars. Event is 5-7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 27, at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Tickets are $35. More information can be found on sirrichardslounge.com.

January 26, 2023

with CCB and Krewe of Cheers at 5 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28. Includes music from DJ Hunter, Mardi Gras-themed brews and a second line to the Beer Garden. Coastal County Brewing Company is located at 3041 E. Olive Road. Visit coastalcountybrewing.com for details.

urday, Jan. 28, at Pensacola Cooks Kitchen, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $45 per students 18 and up and $35 for students 6-17. Visit facebook.com/ pensacolacooks for menu and sign-up details.

COOKING FUN-DA-MENTALS: SAUCES

Learn to make sauces to top off your dishes with Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave., 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2. Class is $50 per students. Bring your own wine for no extra charge. Visit facebook.com/pensacolacooks to see a menu and to purchase tickets.

SECOND TUESDAY THEMED TRIVIA Visit

Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St., for themed trivia nights on the second Tuesday of the month starting Tuesday, Jan. 10, from 7-9 p.m. Visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco for details.

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT

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

LIVE MUSIC

TOBYMAC TobyMac's Hits Deep tour will make a stop in Pensacola on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Show is at 7 p.m. at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets available online at pensacolabaycenter.com.

THE ZEN REVOLUTION Featuring Broke

Florida Boys, Hennduzae, Spida Mane and more, 7 p.m.-3 a.m., Friday, Jan. 27, at Just One More Saloon, 3810 W. Navy Blvd. $10 cover.

MIKE AND THE MOONPIES Show is at 7

p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28, at The Handlebar, 319 N.

Tarragona St. $15-$20. Visit thehandlebar850. com for details.

DR. GRIER WILLIAMS SCHOOL OF MUSIC PRESENTS: PIANO CELEBRATION-MOZART AND BEYOND Concert is Saturday,

Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m., held in the Rolfs Music Hall at the Center for Fine & Performing Arts, Bldg.

82, 11000 University Parkway. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

For more information or to reserve tickets, contact the CFPA Box Office at (850) 857-6285.

RESPECT THE DECKS Monthly vinyl spinning

night at Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St. First event is Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. $15 cover. Visit facebook.com/easygoinggallery for details.

p.m. every last Monday of the month. Bring your acoustic instrument and jam. Visit facebook.com/ oddcolony for details.

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

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

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND Show is at 7 p.m.,

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Melodious

BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY: FLEETWOOD MAC'S RUMOURS Black Jacket Sym-

FITNESS + RECREATION

PAUL THORN Show is at 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3. Tickets are $25-$35. At Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Find tickets at vinylmusichall.com.

Hour Pensacola host weekly cleanups on Saturdays. On Jan. 28, from 9-10 a.m., the group will clean up Park East. Meet at 8:45 a.m. Ocean Hour provides bags, gloves, grabbers and bug spray if needed. Closed-toe shoes are recommended.

Follow Ocean Hour at facebook.com/oceanhourfl for more details.

Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets start at $79. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for details.

phony recreates Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album at 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets are $30-$35. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for tickets.

MOZART MADNESS Pensacola Symphony Orchestra presents Mozart Madness, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, at First United Methodist Church, 6 E. Wright St. Tickets are $10. Visit pensacolasymphony.com for details.

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

JAZZ BY THE BOOK Joe Occhipinti performs at West Florida Public Libraries twice a month.

The concerts are free. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m., the concert is at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. Visit mywfpl.com for details.

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLONY Music pickers of all levels are invited

to play at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, from 7-9

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

OCEAN HOUR WEEKLY CLEANUPS Ocean

LIVE JAZZ AND SWING DANCING On the first Friday of each month from 6:30-11 p.m., enjoy a live band for dancing Lindy, Foxtrot, East Coast and West Coast Swing. Fun, friendly atmosphere with lessons for all levels, no partner required.

Located at The Way You Move Dance Studio, 918 Winton Ave. Cost is $15. More information at thewayyoumove.us.

WEST COAST SWING DANCE Join the fun

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

for more listings visit inweekly.net

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By Hunter Morrison

Humanities, Sciences and Art

Photo Courtesy of Eniko Ujj

Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA) is currently displaying an exhibition called "STEAM2023."

It's a community-centered, educational experience engaging contemporary art with science and new technologies. "STEAM" is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics and is used to describe and promote collaborations within the humanities and sciences.

The artwork on display investigates concepts related to the environment, biology, digital interfaces and imagined futures. Exhibiting artists challenge narratives of human and non-human ecologies and offer exciting insights into transdisciplinary processes.

"This exhibition has the ability to communicate in a myriad of ways about complex issues and topics that affect all of us living on this planet," said PMA Director Nicholas Croghan. "Because of the multi-faceted approaches each artist or scientist employs, visitors can playfully explore different ways of thinking about our relationship to the natural world."

Started in 2014 and exhibited every three years, the focus of this year's "STEAM" exhibition centers around the idea of ecosystems as a metaphor for critical thought. The exhibit aims to help people understand the idea of an ecosystem as a

concept for mapping and predicting the interdependencies and co-mutualisms of any group of actors.

"Ecology can be described as a method of determining natural or biological inter-dependencies and corporations," the museum states on its website.

"In the greater sense, we can apply that notion as a systems-mapping strategy to also describe the anthropological, geopolitical, urban planning and countless others as organizational domains to evaluate and understand our relationship as a part of the ecosystem."

The exhibition features the work of several artists, including Michael Beach, David Fries and Tyler Fox. "STEAM" also features the work of Eniko Ujj, a Pensacola-based interdisciplinary artist focusing on mural work, conceptual sculpture, pit-fired ceramics and collaborative projects.

Ujj's "STEAM" installations focus primarily on pit-fired ceramics, the oldest known method for firing clay. This method of firing clay dates back to 25,000 BCE, and there is evidence of it being used in every culture that has created pottery.

"Instead of using a kiln, the ceramics are fired in an open-air pit with natural colorants, such as banana peels, eggshells, avocado skins, coffee grounds, horse hair or seaweed, in order to impart distinctive coloration on the surface of the pieces," Ujj said. "During the firing process, the clay becomes porous and soft, and when these items combust, they release a gas that gets absorbed into the clay. This process is rather unpredictable, which means that no two pit-fired pieces will ever look exactly the same. It is more time-consuming and laborious than kiln firing, but the effect is awe-inspiring and unique."

One of these installations, titled "L'Inconnu de la forêt" (French for "The Unknown of the For-

est"), focuses on the ecology of the longleaf pine tree and its importance to Pensacola. To create this installation, Ujj took raw ceramic slabs and made prints of individual endangered longleaf pine needle trees from an area around Pensacola that is under development. She then pit-fires the pieces with collected fallen debris from storms in the longleaf pine ecosystem.

"All of these trees will end up being cut down," Ujj said. "The title references 'L'Inconnue de la Seine' and the tradition of a death mask as a memento of the deceased. The resulting prints and process of firing leave a haunting impression."

The Pensacola area has a long and important history related to longleaf pine trees, as the area was heavily logged and had a thriving turpentine industry. Much of early Pensacola was also built with pine trees. Due to deforestation and overharvesting, only about 3% of the original longleaf pine forest remains.

"More than 30 endangered and threatened species, including red-cockaded woodpeckers and indigo snakes, rely on longleaf pines for their habitat," Ujj said. "Additionally, these trees are more resilient to the negative impacts of climate change than other southeastern pines. They can withstand severe windstorms, resist pests, tolerate wildfires and drought, and capture carbon pollution from the atmosphere. A number of nonprofits, government agencies and private landowners are collaborating to restore longleaf pine forests."

"I wanted to bring awareness to the checkered ecological past of Pensacola's relationship with its natural environment and attempt to symbolically heal those wounds by incorporating elements of the natural world itself into my work," Ujj added.

"Additionally, the uniqueness and irreplaceability of these natural objects inspired me to create works of art which are themselves unique and impossible to reproduce."

Another one of Ujj's installations in this exhibition, titled "To Light a Candle is to Cast a Shadow," is a series of biomorphic pit-fired planters that reference process, ephemerality, the unconscious and our association of the human body with the natural landscape. All of the works con-

tain a negative space or hole that lends itself to both abstracting the form while also suggesting eroded landscapes, the passage of time and the effect people have on the natural world.

"To Light a Candle is to Cast a Shadow" also incorporates live plants into the gallery space. Ujj says that bringing something both living and familiar into a space you wouldn't expect it allows the viewer to feel more comfortable and connected to the pieces.

"I wanted people to have the opportunity to learn a bit about the unconventional yet historical process of pit firing ceramics," Ujj said. "One of the main draws to pit firing for me is its communal nature and its accessibility. It's also a constantly evolving process, and I learn something new with every firing."

Above all, the "STEAM" exhibition aims to educate and inspire through the humanities and sciences. It also demonstrates how science and art can be fun, make you smile and create curiosity about how we fit into the universe.

"Each work is compelling in unique ways," Croghan said. "Eniko Ujj's work deals with the importance of the long-leaf pine ecosystem that is endangered in our own backyard; Aly Ogasian and Claudia O'Steen show creative and clever ways to collect data from large lake systems; David Fries and his collaborators Andre Serafim and Zachary Gravitt give viewers the opportunity to perceive themselves perceiving; and Tyler Fox provides visitors with the chance to interact with glowing bioluminescent algae." {in}

STEAM2023

WHAT: An exhibition that investigates concepts related to the environment, biology, digital interfaces and imagined futures WHEN: On view now-April 9 WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. COST: Museum admission starts at $12 for adults DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

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

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January 26, 2023

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free will astrology WEEK OF JANUARY 26 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Noah Web-

ster ((1758–1843) worked for years to create the first definitive American dictionary. It became a cornucopia of revelation for poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). She said that for many years it was her "only companion." One biographer wrote, "The dictionary was no mere reference book to her; she read it as a priest his breviary—over and over, page by page, with utter absorption." Now would be a favorable time for you to get intimate with a comparable mother lode, Aries. I would love to see you find or identify a resource that will continually inspire you for the rest of 2023.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): "The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity." So declared Taurus philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein in his book "Philosophical Investigations." Luckily for you Tauruses, you have a natural knack for making sure that important things don't get buried or neglected, no matter how simple and familiar they are. And you'll be exceptionally skilled at this superpower during the next four weeks. I hope you will be gracious as you wield it to enhance the lives of everyone you care about. All of us nonBulls will benefit from the nudges you offer as we make our course corrections.

By Rob Brezsny

teries of intense, almost obsessive passion? Have you wondered if there might be ways to deal creatively and constructively with your personal darkness? All these perks could be yours—and more. Here's another exotic pleasure you may want to explore—that half-forbidden zone where dazzling heights overlap with the churning depths.

You are hereby invited to tap into the erotic pleasures of spiritual experiments and the spiritual pleasures of erotic experiments.

More easily than usual, you could enjoy altered states that tickle your soul with provocative insights.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): The circle can and

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Poet Caro-

will be complete—if you're willing to let it find its own way of completing itself. But I'm a bit worried that an outdated part of you may cling to the hope of a perfection that's neither desirable nor possible. To that outdated part of you, I say this— Trust that the Future You will thrive on the seeming imperfections that arise. Trust that the imperfections will be like the lead that the Future You will alchemically transmute into gold. The completed circle can't be and shouldn't be immaculate and flawless.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): If you have any

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Shakespeare's work has been translated from his native English into many languages. But the books of Virgo detective novelist Agatha Christie have been translated far more than the Bard's. (More info at tinyurl.com/christietranslations.) Let's make Christie your inspirational role model for the next four weeks. In my astrological estimation, you will have an extraordinary capacity to communicate with a wide variety of people. Your ability to serve as a mediator and go-between and translator will be at a peak. Use your superpower wisely and with glee!

lyn Kizer said the main subject of her work was this—"You cannot meet someone for a moment, or even cast eyes on someone in the street, without changing." I agree with her. The people we encounter and the influences they exert make it hard to stay fixed in our attitudes and behavior. And the people we know well have even more profound transformative effects. I encourage you to celebrate this truth in the coming weeks. Thrive on it. Be extra hungry for and appreciative of all the prods you get to transcend who you used to be and become who you need to be.

interest in temporarily impersonating a Scorpio, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to play around. Encounters with good, spooky magic will be available. More easily than usual, you could enjoy altered states that tickle your soul with provocative insights. Are you curious about the mys-

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Libran musician

Franz Liszt (1811–1886) was a prolific and influential genius who created and played music with deep feeling. He was also physically attractive and charismatic. When he performed, some people in

the audience swooned and sighed loudly as they threw their clothes and jewelry on stage. But there was another side of Liszt. He was a generous and attentive teacher for hundreds of piano students, and always offered his lessons free of charge. He also served as a mentor and benefactor for many renowned composers, including Wagner, Chopin and Berlioz. I propose we make Liszt your inspirational role model for the next 11 months. May he rouse you to express yourself with flair and excellence, even as you shower your blessings on worthy recipients.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): In this

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): This may risk

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Greek writ-

being controversial, but in the coming weeks, I'm giving you cosmic authorization to engage in what might appear to be cultural appropriation.

Blame it on the planets! They are telling me that to expand your mind and heart in just the right ways, you should seek inspiration and teaching from an array of cultures and traditions. So I encourage you to listen to West African music and read Chinese poetry in translation and gaze at the art of Indigenous Australians. Sing Kabbalistic songs and say Lakota prayers and intone Buddhist chants. These are just suggestions. I will leave it to your imagination as you absorb a host of fascinating influences that amaze and delight and educate you.

Are you ready to embrace the gratification and responsibility of prime appreciation?

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): "All the world's a stage," Shakespeare wrote, "and all the men and women merely players." That's always true, but it will be even more intensely accurate for you in the coming weeks. High-level pretending and performing will be happening.

The plot twists may revolve around clandestine machinations and secret agendas. It will be vital for you to listen for what people are NOT saying as well as the hidden and symbolic meanings behind what they are saying. But beyond all those cautionary reminders, I predict the stories you witness and are part of will often be interesting and fun.

horoscope, I offer you wisdom from Capricorn storyteller Michael Meade. It's a rousing meditation for you in the coming months. Here's Meade—"The genius inside a person wants activity. It's connected to the stars; it wants to burn and it wants to create and it has gifts to give. That is the nature of inner genius." For your homework, Capricorn, write a page of ideas about what your genius consists of. Throughout 2023, I believe you will express your unique talents and blessings and gifts more than you ever have before.

er Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957) was nominated nine times for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature, but never won. He almost broke through in the last year of his life, but French author Albert Camus beat him by one vote. Camus said Kazantzakis was "a hundred times more" deserving of the award than himself. I will make a wild prediction about you in the coming months, Aquarius. If there has been anything about your destiny that resembles Kazantzakis's, chances are good that it will finally shift. Are you ready to embrace the gratification and responsibility of prime appreciation?

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Piscean ed-

ucator Parker Palmer has a crucial message for you to meditate on in the coming weeks. Read it tenderly, please. Make it your homing signal.

He said, "Solitude does not necessarily mean living apart from others; rather, it means never living apart from one's self. It is not about the absence of other people—it is about being fully present to ourselves, whether or not we are with others. Community does not necessarily mean living face-to-face with others; rather, it means never losing the awareness that we are connected to each other."

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: What is the best, most healing lie you could tell? newsletter.freewillastrology.com {in}

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2023

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news of the weird IRONY Early on Jan. 14, in Monterrey, Mexico, Carlos Alonso, 32, allegedly broke a glass door at Christ the King Parish and entered, intending to rob the church, Catholic News Agency reported.

But as he tried to flee with a statue of St. Michael the Archangel in hand, he tripped and fell on the angel's sword, seriously wounding his neck. Passersby saw the injured Alonso and called for help; he is expected to be charged after he recovers from the fall. The statue was unharmed.

RECENT ALARMING HEADLINE On Jan. 16, a drive-thru customer at a coffee shop in Auburn, Washington, wanted more than an extra shot, KCRA-TV reported. As the barista handed Matthew Darnell, 38, his change through the window, a surveillance camera caught him grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him as he fumbled with a zip tie. The barista was able to pull away from him and close the windows as his dollar bills went flying. He drove off, but a distinctive "Chevrolet" tattoo on his arm was captured on video, along with his side profile. Police later reported that Darnell had been arrested at his home in Auburn and was held on $500,000 bail.

MOLEHILL, MEET MOUNTAIN After getting into a dispute with staff at Jinling Purple Mountain Hotel in Shanghai on Jan. 10 over a misplaced laptop, a 28-year-old man named Chen decided to escalate, CBS News reported. He crashed his car through the glass lobby doors and careened around the space, knocking over fixtures and terrifying other guests, who tried to get the driver out of the car.

"Do you have any idea what you've done? Are you crazy? Are you?" onlookers screamed at him. As he attempted to exit the lobby, he hit a door frame and came to a stop, and police took him into custody. It turns out the laptop had been stolen and was found outside the hotel; no one was injured.

ANIMAL ANTICS Carrier pigeons have been couriers of legitimate and nefarious items for centuries, but officials at the Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, British Columbia, nonetheless were stunned when a gray bird with a tiny backpack landed in a fenced inmate prison yard on Dec. 29. The CBC reported that officers "had to corner it," according to John Randle, Pacific regional president of the Union for Canadian Correctional Officers. "You can imagine how that would look, trying to catch a pigeon." After some time, they were able to grab it and remove the package, which contained about 30 grams of crystal meth. "We've been focusing so much on drone interdiction ... Now we have to look at, I guess, pigeons again," Randle said. They set the little guy free and are investigating its origin.

FAIL When Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, was built in 2012, the district installed a high-tech lighting system that was intended to save on energy costs, NBC News reported. But the software that controls the lights failed on Aug. 24, 2021, and every light in the school has been on since then. Aaron Osbourne, the assistant superintendent for the district, says the glitch is costing taxpayers "in the

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

thousands of dollars per month on average, but not in the tens of thousands." Teachers have removed bulbs where possible, and staff have shut off breakers to darken some of the exterior lighting. But help is on the way! Parts from China have arrived to fix the problem, which is expected to be completed in February.

FAMILY VALUES It's important to encourage your children in their scholastic endeavors. But an unnamed mother in La Grange, New York, took parental support too far when she snuck into Arlington High School on Jan. 17 before school started to watch her freshman daughter beat up another girl. The Mid Hudson News reported that Mom was caught on video using vulgar language and egging her daughter on as the girls tussled.

Superintendent Dr. Dave Moyer said the woman blended in with the students coming to school by wearing a backpack. "The students and the mother involved ... will be held accountable for their actions," Moyer said.

•WSMV-TV reported that a car that crashed into a mailbox in Nashville, Tennessee, on Jan. 14 was driven by an underage motorist—REALLY underage, as in 5 years old. The child's father, John Edwin Harris, 53, was seen by a witness grabbing the kid and running from the scene, police said. Officers found multiple open bottles of alcohol inside and ran the tags; when they arrived at Harris' home, he was driving away in his wife's car. He failed a field sobriety test, could barely stand up and smelled of alcohol. He was charged with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident—where's the child endangerment charge?!—and was released on $4,000 bond.

IT'S COME TO THIS Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 of 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a 108% increase in a certain smuggled item at ports of entry, Fox5-TV reported on Jan. 18.

It wasn't fentanyl or heroin, though. Seized egg products and poultry were the hot catch as prices soared in the United States. "My advice is, don't bring them over," said CBP supervisory agriculture specialist Charles Payne. Or, he advised, if you do, declare them so you won't be fined. Thirty eggs in Juarez, Mexico, cost $3.40—a fraction of what they'd cost in the U.S. because of an outbreak of avian flu that forced producers to euthanize 43 million egg-laying hens.

REPEAT OFFENDER An unnamed 62-year-old man from Garfield Heights, Ohio, was arrested— for the 70th time—in early January after he allegedly stole a shopping cart full of packaged meat to sell to restaurants, WJW-TV reported. The Walmart in South Euclid alerted authorities to the theft; in the parking lot, the thief transferred the goods to a stolen suitcase and threw what wouldn't fit in a dumpster. He told officers he sells the meat half-price to area restaurants. He was booked, again, for theft. {in} From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2023 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com January 26, 2023

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Independent News | January 26, 2023 | inweekly.net