Inweekly 20 2023 Issue

winners &

winners losers

RAY PALMER The president and CEO of Pensacola Sports has been appointed chairman of the Sports ETA board of directors. Sports ETA is the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry in the U.S. Palmer has led Pensacola Sports since 2002 and is a certified Sports Tourism Strategist. A 20-year member of Sports ETA, he has been active in the Sports ETA Annual Symposium as a presenter and awards committee member and has served on the membership committee. Palmer has led the growth of Pensacola Sports by adding local and nationally recognized sports events that drive tourism for the Pensacola region.

HEALTH AND HOPE CLINIC The clinic is one of five recipients of a $100,000 grant by Amgen, Inc. to help reduce the risk of heart disease in Black Americans in our community. Amgen Health Equity Challenge Grant was initiated to identify and support community-based, nonprofit organizations throughout Florida that are advancing innovative solutions for reducing disparities in cardiovascular disease among Black communities. Each Health Equity Challenge finalist received funds to implement a yearlong cardiovascular disease health equity solution in their Florida communities. Health and Hope Clinic Executive Director Sally Bergosh said, "This generous award from Amgen presents a fantastic opportunity for our clinic to redouble our efforts at improving cardiovascular health outcomes for the underserved in Escambia County and Pensacola."

THE GRAND MARLIN Florida recently finished second in the U.S. among states with the most toprated eateries for dining al fresco. The online restaurant reservation and review service OpenTable's annual list of 100 Most Popular Restaurants for Outdoor Dining included The Grand Marlin of Pensacola Beach and 16 other Florida restaurants. The list was created by analyzing more than 13 million OpenTable diner reviews. OpenTable Chief Growth Officer Susan Lee said, "Outdoor dining is up 19% (year-over-year) for June (1 – 15), a strong start to the season. With many restaurants elevating outdoor dining spaces for summer and beyond, this list represents dining destinations with incredible outdoor and culinary offerings."

JOE BIDEN According to Axios, President Joe Biden is prone to such furious, curse-filled tirades that some aides have avoided meetings with him alone. Contrary to his sweet "Uncle Joe" public persona, Biden regularly has explosive outbursts behind closed doors. Axios reported the president's temper allegedly often comes in the form of angry interrogations in which aides are asked questions until it's apparent that they don't know the answer, a practice that some have taken to calling "stump the chump" or "stump the dummy."

FARMERS INSURANCE

The insurer carrier has notified the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation that it will end residential, auto and umbrella policies in the state. The move will affect only Farmers-branded policies and will not affect policies sold in the state by subsidiaries Foremost and Bristol West. Farmers will refrain from writing new policies or renewing existing policies. The non-renewals will play out over several months. A source told The News Service of Florida that about 100,000 Farmers policies could be affected across the residential, auto and umbrella lines of business. However, a breakdown by policy type was not available.

TWITTER Threads quickly impacted Twitter's traffic. According to independent sources' estimates cited by The Wall Street Journal, visits to Twitter's site fell 5% in the two days after Threads' debut when measured against the same period the previous week. The company is suffering an even larger decline (11%) when compared to the same period last year. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Monday, July 10, that Threads had amassed 100 million users in its first five days. Elon Musk isn't taking it well.

REPUBLICAN PARTY OF MINNESOTA

That state party is broke. The latest filings with the Federal Election Commission show the Republican Party of Minnesota only had $53.81 in its checking account while owing $335,781.36. According to The Daily Beast, Minnesota isn't the only struggling Republican state committee. The Arizona Republican Party has less than $50,000 in the bank, down from the $770,000 it had four years ago.

Ray Palmer / Photo Courtesy of Pensacola Sports Photo Courtesy of The White House

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

MORE FACTS, PLEASE

I attended Sheriff Chip Simmons' final gun violence roundtable at the Brownsville Community Center on Thursday, July 13, hoping to hear about what didn't work well during his Operation Brownsville initiative that ended June 16.

The only concrete data reported on Operation Brownsville had come from Mayor D.C. Reeves on the city's portion of the area designated for the effort. I thought we would finally hear from Sheriff Simmons about his agency's work and how the pilot program would be duplicated in other Escambia County neighborhoods. That didn't happen during the 90-minute event.

The first third of the meeting was devoted to public comment from the audience of about 50 residents, excluding government employees, deputies, reporters and the 17-member roundtable panel. The panel took up the remaining hour, thanking the state lawmakers for the state funds flowing to the county and reporting on what their agencies are doing in the community—but little had to do with Operation Brownsville.

No one mentioned guns, except for one citizen who spoke out of turn and didn't sign up to speak during the public forum. The panel completely ignored the elephant in the room.

However, the audience wasn't happy about the local TV station's reporting that Sheriff Simmons described recent homicides as "black on black" crimes. Citizens talked about poverty, mental health, the lack of mentors and demographics of the neighborhoods being factors, not race.

A resident near the Fricker Resource Center said, "Crime rates only fall when people's needs are getting met. And our people have a lot of needs. We need truly affordable housing, robust youth programming, quality and abundant public transportation options. We need sidewalks, and we need higher wages."

She continued, "Our community needs to be thinking critically about what to invest in, what can actually make a difference. We need to take a fact-based approach to addressing violence. It doesn't just take endless policing."

Another citizen grew up in Freeport, where he saw similar crime conditions in his all-white neighborhood. He told the panel, "It was crystal clear to me that poverty is the real common denominator."

He added, "We need higher wages. We need lower rent costs. And among other things, we need you to take the 40% of our city budget that the Police Department picks up and invest it back into our communities through one of the dozens of programs people have suggested here today and at the last roundtable."

The sheriff first denied he ever said "black on black," but then defended it.

"First of all, Sheriff Simmons did not say the words 'black on black crime,'" he explained. "Sheriff Simmons was asked who the victims of these crimes were, and I said, 'They were Black.' Sheriff Simmons was asked who the suspects were, and I said, 'They were Black.'"

He continued, "And so I took a look at this thing, and I said, 'You know what, we've had 13 homicides this year alone—in 11 of those homicides, the victims were black, and in all of those homicides, the suspects were black. These are facts. They're irrefutable. There's nothing we can do about it."

Sheriff Simmons said, "We want to hide from the facts. That's just the bottom line. I'm not sure why we're hiding from the facts."

County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh attended the roundtable and later wrote on his blog that the sheriff's declaration was an "enlightening, factual statistic."

However, the sheriff took 13 murders and reduced them to one common denominator—skin color—and figuratively dropped the mic. But is race the sole common denominator?

What about drugs, gangs, domestic violence and identified mental issues? Were some of the murders retaliatory or tied to another crime? Are there certain neighborhoods where crimes are more concentrated? How did the suspects obtain their weapons?

The sheriff needs to come forth with more data to "enlighten" us. We need all the "irrefutable" facts before we can develop more specific, viable solutions. {in} rick@inweekly.net

We need to take a factbased approach to addressing violence.

CHA-CHING: DOLLARS FLOW TO OUR AREA

By Rick Outzen

On June 12, Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $187 million to Northwest Florida communities impacted by Hurricane Sally through the Florida Department of Commerce's Rebuild Florida program. Our area was the primary beneficiary of the state and federal government's largess.

Escambia County received $70.1 million, the City of Pensacola $55.5 million and the Town of Century $12.9 million. Pensacola State College received nearly $2.5 million.

The Florida Department of Commerce is the governor-designated state authority responsible for administering all U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) long-term recovery funds awarded to the state. Rebuild Florida is a partnership between the state agency and HUD. In October 2021, HUD announced Florida would receive $113,191,000 in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBGDR) funding to support long-term recovery in response to Hurricane Sally.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity allocated the balance to make $187 million available for local governments to strategically rebuild homes and harden infrastructure to prevent or mitigate losses from future disasters through multiple avenues.

In the press release, DeSantis said, "Today, I am happy to announce $187 million in awards to aid recovery efforts following Hurricane Sally—an important step in helping Northwest Florida recover."

Senator Doug Broxson added, "Today's awards will go a very long way to get people back in their homes and build up vital infrastructure to strengthen Northwest Florida's resiliency in the face of future storms."

Mayor D.C. Reeves praised his grants office, which worked with 10 different city departments to develop the city's funding requests.

"We knew this Hurricane Sally money had stipulations," he told Inweekly. "There are clear rules in terms of the census track that they were used for underserved communities, and those were scored very highly, as well as the need for infrastructure to mitigate the risk of another hurricane."

The mayor continued, "We had to spend a lot of time internally finding the projects of need and how they would score. There was a lot of lead work before this day, and I give huge credit to our team."

The funds come from several programs managed by Rebuild Florida and have been earmarked for specific projects.

INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIR

The Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Program provides funding for local governments to strategically rebuild and harden infrastructure to prevent or mitigate losses from future disasters. The City of Pensacola received $39.7 million to facilitate a stormwater infrastructure project

at the Hollice T. Williams Park to improve water quality and reduce stormwater in the area, to repair infrastructure at the Port of Pensacola and to repair and improve infrastructure at the Fricker Resource Center.

"The funding for Hollice T. Williams Park will be about $25.1 million for stormwater and greenway," Reeves said. "This is a project that's been talked about since Hurricane Ivan. This is the first real funding for the construction side."

The mayor would like to use this project to reconnect the neighborhoods separated when I-110 was built.

lion to demolish the old Century High School Gym building at 440 East Hecker Road and build a shelter that can also be used as a multi-purpose facility and make drainage and road improvements at Jefferson Avenue, Freedom Road Bridge and Alger Road Bridge, which were damaged during Hurricane Sally.

The town is part of District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry's district. He told Inweekly, "Ten million of the award will be to replace the old high school gym with a building that will serve as an emergency shelter. The current shelter is at Northview High, which is only three or four miles west of Century but can be a lifetime away for those without transportation."

HOME BUYOUT

"We're going to look at how we can enhance what this project's going to be collectively as a community," Reeves said. "We have a generational opportunity here—not just for the neighborhood, but for the community as a whole, make this a center point for our city and take these 18 blocks that were taken away from this neighborhood 50 years ago and turn it into something extraordinary."

The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners was awarded $26.6 million to build a new state-of-the-art, energy-efficient and resilient Escambia County Area Transit Center and $26.4 million to make regional stormwater drainage improvements in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

"The current ECAT building has been there for well over 40 years," said ECAT director Rodriques Kimbrough. "Now we have an opportunity to get a state-of-the-art facility that will align with our comprehensive operational analysis. We want to be more efficient, more effective, and we want to make sure that transit is looked at as something that could be utilized here in the future for our citizens."

The new transit center will also serve as an emergency shelter. Kimbrough said, "We'll have a full kitchen and everything needed for a shelter. So if there is a storm, we can use our buses to bring citizens to our facility."

District 3 Commissioner Lumon May was happy to see funds going to help flood-prone areas in his district and around the county.

"Oakfield Acre has been a systemic flooding area, and this is an opportunity to get that drainage fixed," May said. "We will also be able to make stormwater improvements around Pensacola High School, Carver Park, Monroe Avenue, Brickyard Road and Olive Road. It's just really a win-win for the citizens because we don't have that type of money in our local option sales tax to fix all of the drainage at one time. These funds will supplement what we already had budgeted and help us reach more neighborhoods."

The Town of Century will receive $12.9 mil-

Rebuild Florida Voluntary Home Buyout Program reduces the risk of future property loss and recurrent flooding by funding the purchase and re-purposing of residential properties in high flood-risk areas. Escambia County was awarded $3.2 million to encourage risk reduction through the purchase of residential property in high flood-risk areas to help reduce the impact of future disasters.

"We oftentimes, in order to fix the flooding, need green space and to acquire some houses that are in basins that are going to flood, such as Forest Creek Apartments," said Commissioner May. "There's really no solution other than the relocation of those citizens and take that land and make it a holding pond or use it for water filtration. This will be a win because we can pay people market value for their houses."

WORKFORCE TRAINING

Pensacola State College received nearly $2.5 million to bolster construction trades in Hurricane Sally-impacted communities. The Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program for Hurricane Sally was launched to provide funding for local workforce development boards, educational institutions and technical centers in the communities most impacted by Hurricane Sally.

PSC will use the funds to launch or expand a training program tailored to the specific economic revitalization needs of the community, which may include construction trades like roofing, masonry, carpentry, concrete finishing, plumbing, HVAC, electricity, heavy equipment operations, carpet laying, window installation, plastering, welding and more.

HOMETOWN REVITALIZATION

The Rebuild Florida Hometown Revitalization Program is designed to support the recovery of economic activity in commercial areas of communities impacted by Hurricane Sally, facilitating the return and recovery of businesses, jobs, and provision of goods and services to the area.

Escambia County will get $5 million to improve streetscapes and add solar-powered lighting throughout low- to moderate-income areas by installing 80 new Escambia County Area

Transit bus shelters and updating 32 Escambia County Area Transit Bus Shelters.

The City of Pensacola will receive $10 million—$5 million to acquire, prepare and rehabilitate a targeted property at West Cervantes and North Pace Boulevard and $5 million for the reuse of the former Baptist Hospital campus.

"We vetted our priorities as a city and what we believed would have the best chance to be funded," said Mayor Reeves. "To receive these dollars, the project had to be a 51% commercial area. Our goal is to revitalize the city limit side of Brownsville, which we see as an entry point into the city."

He added, "We asked for $2.8 million and got $5 million with a lot of advocacy. These dollars will build on the Pensacola Motor Lodge acquisition and help us fund facade grant improvements, property acquisition and rehabilitating buildings."

HOUSING REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT

The Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program for Hurricane Sally is designed to provide funding for local governments to rebuild, replace or repair homes damaged by Hurricane Sally, helping impacted Floridians return to decent, safe and sanitary homes. The City of Pensacola was awarded $5.9 million, and Escambia County $9 million.

AND MORE DOLLARS

The day following the Rebuild Florida awards, Gov. DeSantis announced the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Resilient Florida Grant Program will provide $300 million for 71 new resilience and adaptation projects to help prepare coastal and inland communities for the adverse impacts of flooding and storm surge.

Escambia County received $15.9 million for the following projects:

•Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline around Naval Air Station Pensacola along Sherman Inlet and White Island: $5,150,000

•Bayou Grande Villas Drainage: $2,250,000

•Greater Wedgewood Area Stormwater Park and Flood Risk Mitigation: $3,820,000

•Muldoon-Velma-Saufley Field Drainage Improvements: $2,502,381

•Gulf Beach Highway Drainage Outfall: $477,070

•Bridal Trail Estates Drainage Improvements: $1,700,000

"Obtaining this grant funding is monumental for our citizens and infrastructure," said County Administrator Wes Moreno. "We're thankful to state leadership for recognizing the importance of these projects and the impact they will have on our community."

Like Mayor Reeves, the county administrator praised his team, "I commend the staff on their dedication to building a resilient Escambia County through these projects as well as the grant process." {in}

"We're going to look at how we can enhance what this project's going to be collectively as a community."

D.C. Reeves

INSIDE 3M SETTLEMENT

like, 'Big whoop.' It didn't do much good for society as a whole."

Water systems contaminated by the chemicals include Emerald Coast Utilities Authority in Escambia County. McWilliams said 3M picked Pensacola as one of five cities to investigate in the late 1990s and found the water contaminated.

"They came out and secretly tested our water and knew it was in our water before anyone else did, so we're very much at the front lines," he said. "ECUA is one of the 10 bellwethers lined up to go to trial about these issues. I didn't get a letter in the mail from 3M. Did you? They could not have messed up in a bigger way."

By Tom St. Myer

With jury selection and opening statements a mere 11 hours away, Levin Papantonio & Rafferty attorney Wes Bowden roamed the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, to clear his head. Then his phone dinged with a text from fellow LPR attorney Ned McWilliams. The text said, "Wes, there's no trial. You need to come back right away."

A stunned Bowden replied, "Promise me you're not screwing with me."

When he returned to the hotel, Bowden learned that the defendant, chemical manufacturer 3M Co., had agreed to the largest settlement in water remediation history and one of the three largest for LPR. 3M agreed to pay a minimum of $10.5 billion and a maximum of $12.5 billion to settle lawsuits over contaminated drinking water systems that contain cancer-causing perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Normally, a record-setting settlement warrants popping champagne bottles, but neither attorney felt like celebrating—no high-fives, no hugs, nothing.

"Really, you kind of felt deflated," Bowden said. "You felt they avoided having all of their dirty secrets aired in public. What we are able to tell you is almost incomprehensible, so damning. They put their profit above every living animal on the plant, and that's not even the worst of the worst."

The young attorney continued, "We're still under the confidentiality agreement so we can't discuss all the things they knew, all the things they intentionally turned a blind eye to. To know that story doesn't get told in full—at least as of right now—it was a damper on the celebration that night."

LPR served as co-lead trial counsel with the Douglas & London law firm on behalf of City of Stuart, Fla., for the first bellwether case in the

Aqueous Film-Forming Foams national litigation. AFFF, otherwise known as firefighting foam, contains PFAS and is linked to testicular, kidney and bladder cancers, among others. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports PFAS are found in the blood of humans and animals worldwide, and most Americans have one or more specific PFAS in their blood.

Bowden said studies show the cancer-causing chemicals are found in the blood of 98% of the U.S. population. He considered the case a slam dunk and said, "The evidence was so overwhelming it made tobacco look like child's play."

3M will distribute billions of dollars to water providers over 13 years. The money will be used to fund testing and infrastructure to clean up drinking water supplies across the country. Bowden is confident the amount will be the full $12.5 billion.

TURNING A BLIND EYE

McWilliams criticized 3M, DuPont and their brethren for turning a blind eye for nearly 50 years to producing the cancer-causing chemicals. He said the companies made the discovery Nov. 6, 1975, and deliberated for the next three to four years on whether to tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The companies opted to remain silent without any warnings to the public.

"This is such an immense thing they did that it's hard to get your head wrapped around it," McWilliams said. "It's like global warming. It's hard to think about how global warming is going to affect you, but this has caused every family to experience some kind of cancer they wouldn't have otherwise. There is peer review literature that these chemicals are the reason for the global rise in cancer rates and the global rise in mortality rates."

He added, "It doesn't get bigger than this, and what's sad about this is global warming is a result of the industrial revolution and advances in society, whereas this provided no benefit. It's like nonstick fabric, nonstick paper products, it's

McWilliams said Pensacola is the rule rather than the exception. Every municipality either has or will be affected by the chemicals. The "forever chemicals" move around the environment from water to landfills and anywhere between without breaking down. McWilliams estimates more than 100 million pounds of the chemicals have been made and they will continue to move around the environment long after this generation is dead.

Limiting human and animal exposure to the chemicals is the priority for LPR. The law firm first began its crusade in the early 2000s after exchanging notes with Robert Bilott, an attorney depicted by actor Mark Ruffalo in the 2019 movie, "Dark Waters." Bilott exposed DuPont for the hazardous dumping of PFAS, specifically perfluorooctanoic acid, that contaminated drinking water in rural West Virginia and Ohio.

In 2004, DuPont settled a class action lawsuit with class benefits valued at more than $300 million, a cash award of $70 million and $235 million for future medical monitoring. DuPont later settled thousands of individual cases, in addition to a $4 billion settlement over PFAS liabilities.

Bilott teamed up with LPR for some of the litigation. LPR attorney Mike Papantonio, Bilott and Gary Douglas tried the first PFAS case in 2013.

Bowden said the 3M settlement is just the first domino to fall. The settlements so far all pertain to water providers, but what about soils and other areas where the chemicals exist?

"It needs to be captured, and it needs to be closed and contained in a way that can't cause harm down the road," Bowden said. "The first step in that was stopping exposure to people. The No. 1 way is through breaking water supplies. That's partly why we're so proud of what's been accomplished so far, but that's just the tip of the iceberg."

He added, "There's still a lot of claims that are going to be brought and a lot of remediation that has to occur beyond water supplies."

McWilliams is confident that someday he and Bowden will fully expose 3M, DuPont and others for their harmful action. Only then will they exchange high-fives, hugs and truly celebrate.

"We're not done," McWilliams said. "We have other groups of plaintiffs who want their day in court. I'm confident we'll eventually one day get to tell the whole story." {in}

NEW

BLUE ANGELS

The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, selected seven new officers to join the team for the 2024 air show season. The squadron selected three F/A-18E/F Super Hornet pilots, a C-130J Super Hercules pilot, an aviation maintenance officer, a supply officer and a public affairs officer to replace outgoing team members.

By the start of the 2024 show season, these seven officers will join the ranks of the U.S. Navy's most elite aviation officers, ground support officers and enlisted maintenance personnel already serving on the team.

"The Blue Angels have established an unmatched culture of excellence over the past 77 years," said Cdr. Alex Armatas, commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels. "We are thrilled to welcome our newest team members and look forward to the opportunity to represent the United States Navy and Marine Corps in 2024 and beyond.

Each year, the Blue Angels select finalists to interview at the team's home base of Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola during the week of the Pensacola Beach Air Show; selections are made at the conclusion of that week.

The selected 2024 officers include:

F/A-18E/F Demonstration Pilots:

•Lt. Cmdr. Jack Keilty from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is currently assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 211 (VFA-211). He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 2010.

•Lt. Wes Perkins from Georgetown, Texas, is currently assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 122 (VFA-122). He graduated from Texas A&M in 2014.

•Lt. Connor O'Donnell from Freeport, Maine, is currently assigned to Training Squadron Eight Six (VT-86). He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2015.

C-130J Demonstration Pilot:

•Capt. Isaac Becker from Austin, Texas, is currently assigned to Marine Transport Squadron 152 (VMR152). He graduated from Colorado College in 2017.

Maintenance Officer:

•Lt. Natalia Luchetti, from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, is currently assigned to Special Projects Patrol Squadron TWO (VPU-2). She graduated from Thomas Edison University.

Supply Officer:

•Lt.j.g. Mara Mason, from Tipp City, Ohio, is currently assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Fourteen (HM-14). She graduated from Ohio State University in 2018.

Public Affairs Officer:

•Lt. Ben Bushong, from Hagerstown, Maryland, is currently assigned to USS Nimitz (CVN 68). He graduated from North Carolina State University in 2012.

New team members will report to the squadron for a two-month turnover period in September. Upon completion of the 2023 show season in November with the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at NAS Pensacola, the team will embark on a rigorous five-month training program at NAS Pensacola and Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.

EMISSION FREE

At his weekly presser July 11, Mayor D.C. Reeves announced that the city's compressed natural gas vehicles have switched to renewable natural gas (RNG), contributing to the city's overall Renewable Energy Goal.

The change was made possible through an agreement signed by Pensacola Energy to purchase RNG for use in the city's vehicles that previously used compressed natural gas (CNG). The City of Pensacola has 87 CNG vehicles in its fleet, including garbage trucks, recycling trucks and Pensacola Energy crew service vehicles.

RNG is produced from the natural decomposition of organic materials in landfills where the methane is captured and converted to pipelinequality RNG, displacing fossil-based natural gas. The gas is being pulled from landfills by BP.

Pensacola Energy director Darryl Singleton said, "Starting on June 1, we were able to secure renewable natural gas for our compressed natural gas vehicles. Therefore, in June, all of the City's compressed natural gas vehicles were running solely off of RNG."

He added, "We're killing two birds with one stone. We're not wasting methane from a landfill, and we're not producing any toxins out of the tailpipe."

For 2023, this project moves the City of Pensacola 7.62% closer to its 30% renewable energy by 2030 goal. Next year, this project will represent 15.25% renewable energy usage for the City of Pensacola. Combined with 6.2% received from Florida Power and Light, this advances the city to an estimated 21.45% renewable energy by 2024 – a milestone two-thirds of the way to the city's 30% renewable energy goal with six years left to achieve it.

MORE COPS DOWNTOWN Mayor Reeves also announced that one police officer has been added to cover downtown Pensacola on weekends, as of June 26. A fourth officer will be added soon.

"The focus on the two additional officers, three and four, in the CRA were to be on nights and weekends, and we had had our first two officers that had been really focused on during the day, during the week," he told reporters. "And if you talk to people in our community and downtown businesses, they saw a very positive impact with having the first two officers down there."

He continued, "We're a city of 55,000, but we're a city that acts much larger on nights, weekends, special events and Gallery Nights when we see those numbers pulse up. To be able to have additional police focus just on that area is very important to us. The second CRA officer is coming as soon as possible."

A LITTLE FACTOID Mayor Reeves was asked why the Florida Department of Transportation didn't light up the Chappie James Bridge on July 4. He said FDOT was still testing the lights and hadn't worked out the schedule for the lights, but the electric bill could be expensive.

"If the lights are beyond seven days a week,

it costs about $30,000 a month for the power," Mayor Reeves shared. "That's quite a sporty electric bill."

EAST GARDEN EXPANSION The East Garden District will have two additions in August. Chef Blake Rushing will open his new Union Public House location on the corner of Garden and Jefferson streets, and Rafael Simpson and Vinyl Music Hall will open Proper Burger Co. behind the popular music venue known as Side B.

Two years ago, the Pensacola City Council approved a public-private partnership to reimagine a chunk of downtown Pensacola as the East Garden District. Catalyst HRE CEO Chad Henderson laid out plans for 20,000 square feet of repurposed properties along Garden Street and 30,000 square feet of new mix-used developments that will include apartments. The plans also include a 175,000-square-foot hotel at the intersection of Jefferson and Chase streets.

The first steps were reworking North Jefferson Street between Chase and Garden streets and renovating space for The Well next to Perfect Plain. Union Public House will be the latest addition. For information, visit eastgardendistrict.com.

Proper Burger is independent of the Catalyst HRE development but will help expand the culinary offerings east of Palafox.

"This project is actually an extension of Vinyl," said Simpson, co-founder of the Artisan Restaurant Group. "The entire site is called B Side, and Proper is a joint venture between us and the Levins—Terry, Evan and Harry—to make it a really exciting outside activation right here in the heart of downtown."

The B side will offer a full bar, while Proper Burger will be focused on its Smashburger. Simpson said, "We are really focused on getting the best ingredients, because we want to be the best burger in town—but make it simple and amazing."

SAVING BABIES Data from Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic, white infant mortality deaths in Escambia County decreased by 45%. However, Black infant mortality per 1,000 live births increased from 8.7 to 13.8, a 59% jump.

Community Health Northwest Florida and the Zeta Phi Beta sorority are working to improve health outcomes in the Black community, especially for infants and pregnant mothers.

"These racial disparities in our newborns are shocking. It's sad. It's something that we definitely need to address," said Dr. Michelle Grier-Hall of Community Health. "We need to be aware as a society, as a healthcare organization and as a community that this exists. And until we get that information out there and bring awareness to this problem, we can't make much headway until we bring awareness to it."

She continued, "At Community Health, we are trying to improve the access to care that's

available for all moms, regardless of their ability to pay. One of the biggest problems is access to care for African-American moms, and we are trying to change that at Community Health."

Community Health has relocated its women's services to its Jackson Street facility in Warrington and plans to take its mobile van to those neighborhoods without clinics.

Dr. Grier-Hall said, "If we take our services to them, I think that's going to improve health outcomes in those lower-income neighborhoods."

University of West Florida professor Dr. Cynthia Smith-Peters volunteers for her Zeta Phi Beta sorority's prenatal education program, Stork's Nest.

"Stork's Nest is a national project for our Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., which has been in existence for over 40 years through a partnership with the March of Dimes," said Dr. SmithPeters. "We provide prenatal education. If moms are aware of how to access good healthcare and themselves healthier during pregnancy, the moms' health risks can be found earlier, and we have better birth outcomes."

She and her sorority sisters have revitalized the local Stork's Nest initiative since the pandemic.

"We noticed a number of our friends and family needing help, and after Hurricane Sally, we restarted this project in our community. We've seen that people need that support," said Dr. Smith-Price. "We're looking for more people to partner with, and we want to incentivize women to attend their prenatal care appointments. That's one of our biggest goals."

For more information, visit healthcarewithinreach.org. To learn more about Stork's Nest, visit the Zeta Phi Sorority, Gamma Tau Zeta Chapter Facebook page.

NOT MORE FAST-TRACKING

Six Gulf and national environmental groups submitted a petition to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within the Department of the Interior, calling on the agency to end a routine practice of fast-tracking approval for offshore oil and gas projects.

The Interior Department first adopted a "categorical exclusion" for oil and gas activities in 1981, allowing exploration and development plans to win approval for much of the Gulf of Mexico without undergoing the site-specific analysis normally required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Healthy Gulf, Center for Biological Diversity, Bayou City Waterkeeper, Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and Earthjustice are requesting BOEM immediately take steps to repeal or eliminate this categorical exclusion for oil-and-gas exploration and development in the Gulf.

BOEM relied on the exclusion to approve BP's exploration plans for the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling project, which caused the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Although the National Commission that investigated the causes of the BP disaster concluded that this categorical exclusion contributed to a systemic breakdown

in BOEM's environmental review process, the agency has not stopped invoking it routinely.

In the last five years, BOEM approved about 560 of the 600 development plans submitted using the exclusion and about 90 of the 400 exploration plans submitted.

"BOEM's use of the categorical exemption has given the petrochemical industry a pass to extract and pollute for far too long," said Kristen Schlemmer, the Legal Director of Houston-based Bayou City Waterkeeper. "The federal government's priorities for the Gulf of Mexico have been all wrong; they have forced those of us living in Houston and along the Gulf coast to yield our health and ecosystems for generations so that polluting industries may profit over the short-term."

She added, "This petition gives the Biden administration the opportunity to end this practice and value what matters most: the health of our environment and our people."

The groups argue that allowing for expedited approvals of oil and gas activity has taken a heavy toll on the Gulf of Mexico. Given the intensification of climate change and the known risks of deepwater drilling in an era of more powerful hurricanes, BOEM has no rationale for using exclusions.

BAD FINANCIAL ADVICE

Two years ago, Amber McClure, former County Administrator Janice Gilley's chief budget officer, told the Escambia County Commission that the county's finances were going in the wrong direction.

McClure presented statistics that she said showed the county had, had negative cash flow for four years. Commissioner Steven Barry argued that the budget officer was being subjective in what she chose to include in her analysis.

McClure defended her presentation, "I'm simply presenting the information. So I apologize if it's not on these subsequent slides that they don't send the message that we would prefer that it sends, but unfortunately, the numbers don't lie."

She told the board that the county would have a $5.8 million shortfall if property taxes or assessments weren't increased. The commissioners didn't. McClure took off on vacation following her presentation, leaving the county without a proposed budget. She tendered her resignation the next month.

And the county didn't go bankrupt. The budget has increased to $700 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

"Leadership makes all the difference," Commissioner Jeff Bergosh told Inweekly. "I do re -

Transforming Health Care for our Community

The new Baptist Hospital campus was born from a legacy of putting people first by advancing health care access, experience and outcomes for everyone. This bold transformation cannot be done alone. We need you to help us bring the next generation of health care services to our community.

Join us in this once-in-a-lifetime, historic opportunity as we Transform Baptist for the Future. To make a gift to the Baptist Health Care Foundation, please visit baptisthealthcarefoundation.org/give

member those dire predictions, those dire warnings. And I just remember when she was saying that, it didn't square with what I had seen."

He continued, "Sure enough, the proof is in the pudding. Our debt service is going down while our budget's going up. That's the sign of a healthy, robust organization."

ENTRECON® KEYNOTE The Studer Community Institute recently announced one of its 2023 EntreCon® keynote speakers, Dan Collard.

Dan Collard is a seasoned healthcare executive with more than 29 years of experience. He is a hospital operator by background, serving as COO and CEO within LifePoint Hospitals. Today, Collard is the cofounder of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group, along with longtime colleague and partner Quint Studer. He travels nationally as a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator and coach to individuals and organizations.

2023 EntreCon is Nov. 1-2 in downtown Pensacola. For more information, visit entreconpensacola.com.

BUZZ HISTORY Five years ago: According to the latest estimates from Property Appraiser Chris Jones, property valuations in Pensacola in-

creased $234 million (6.9%) over last year's assessments. It is the most substantial percentage increase in more than a decade. Since the Maritime Park opened in spring 2012, city property valuations increased by more than $800 million, a 27% jump.

Ten years ago: State Attorney Bill Eddins determined that the Greater Pensacola Chamber must abide by the state's Sunshine Law. Since both the City of Pensacola and Escambia County have contracted with the chamber to provide economic development services, Eddins recommended that the chamber train employees and board members to fulfill its obligations under the law.

Fifteen years ago: Incumbent Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall reported the most contributions in the council races with more than $13,000. His contributors included realtor Danny Zimmer and developers Bob Montgomery, Moulton Properties, Inc., Jim Cronley, Tony Terhaar and Eric Nickelson.

Twenty years ago: Santa Rosa leaders complained all three of its state representatives didn't live in the county. Holly Benson resided in Pensacola, Greg Evers in Baker and Ray Sansom in Fort Walton Beach. All three would win re-election in 2004. {in}

In the summer of 2023, it's hard to check the weather and not feel like that little cartoon dog in the room on fire, whimpering feebly, 'This is fine.'

With each passing day, we all have less money in our pockets and more sweat on our bodies as inflation and record-breaking temperatures battle it out to be the biggest cause of our collective stress.

Here at Inweekly, we want to give you as many ideas as possible for things to do and consume to lower your temperature without maxing out your credit cards.

This week, we will focus on things to hear, see and do this summer while also staying cool—because beating the heat doesn't mean you can't beat boredom too. And be sure to check back next week for "Chill Out Part 2," which will feature a curated list of seasonal foods and beverages of all varieties and price points.

•The

Handlebar Karaoke

From 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesdays, you can sing your little heart out at The Handlebar's weekly karaoke night, hosted by the infamous twins (formerly of Sir Richard's). You never know who you'll see on stage; we've seen many popular local musicians performing on random Wednesday nights.

The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St., thehandlebar850.com

•Electric Serenade

Or, if you want to test your crooning skills without a crowd, check out Electric Serenade. It's a private karaoke room inside Play available for rent that features a state-of-the-art sound system, gives you access to more than 60,000 songs and has cool add-on options, such as bottle service.

Electric Serenade at Play, 16 S. Palafox, Ste. 200, electricserenade.com

•Shades of Pink Fashion Show

Presented by A Different Swag LLC, this diverse design and style showcase Sunday, Aug. 20, supports Northwest Florida's Breast Cancer Foundation. Doors open at 3:30 p.m., and the show begins at 5 p.m. at the Hadji Temple. Tickets range from $30-$45.

Shades of Pink Fashion Show at the Hadji Temple, 800 W. Nine Mile Road, adifferentswag.com

CHILL OUT Part 1

T HINGS TO DO TO KEEP FR OM MELT ING LIKE THE ICE CAP S

•The Bias Inside Us

Visit a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service titled "The Bias Inside Us," which will be at the Pensacola MESS Hall through Tuesday, Aug. 15. The exhibit explores the effects of implicit bias on us all and what we can do to combat it.

Pensacola MESS Hall, 418 E. Wright St., pensacolamesshall.org

•Hotsy-Totsy-Vrooom-O-Rama

While we're talking about exhibits, don't miss "Hotsy-Totsy-Vrooom-O-Rama," which will be on view all summer long upstairs at the Pensacola Museum of Art. Featuring work by artists Joseph Herring and Amy Ruddick, the show has a carnival vibe and features a series of sculptures, graphics and videos.

Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St., pensacolamuseum.org

•The Grid Arcade

The Grid Arcade is one of Pensacola's newest and most entertaining indoor activities. Complete with numerous arcade games, such as air hockey and pinball, as well as a wide selection of alcoholic beverages in cans and on tap, it's perfect for a grown-up game night.

The Grid Arcade, 2414 N. Pace Blvd., thegridarcadepensacola.com

•Barbenheimer

The most anticipated summer movie is actually a duo of films that couldn't be more different. Film fans all over are planning to participate in 'Barbenheimer' on Friday, July 21, by watching Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" as a double feature on opening day. The only question is—what order will you watch? oppenheimermovie.com, barbie-themovie.com

•Saenger Summer Movie Series

In addition to big-budget summer blockbusters, local film buffs can also experience cinema downtown this season. The Saenger Theatre will feature weekly screenings of classic and cult classic comedies throughout the month of August. Movies in the series include "The Breakfast Club" and "The Big Lebowski."

Pensacola Saenger, 118 S. Palafox, pensacolasaenger.com/classic-movies

•Outdoor Cinema

It wouldn't be summer without a sunset outdoor movie screening by the water, at least not around here. On Friday, July 28, moviegoers can pick between "Moana" at Cinemas in the Sand on the beach or "Strange World" at Movies in the Park at the Community Maritime Park. Both screenings are free to attend. visitpensacolabeach.com, playpensacola.com

•Legally Blonde

Going from the screen to the stage, you can spend an afternoon with a pink-loving blonde (and no, we don't mean Barbie this time) at "Legally Blonde: The Musical," presented by Pensacola Little Theatre (PLT). Shows start Friday, July 21 and run through Sunday, Aug. 6. Ticket prices range from $10-$38, or you can watch Thursday, Aug. 3 for half of the price as part of PLT's Theatre Thursday promo.

Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., pensacolalittletheatre.com

•Drag Bingo

Billed as a "baddie bingo experience" and featuring a rotating selection of local drag hosts, this is a bingo night like no other. The fun kicks off at 9 p.m. each Wednesday at Play. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Ste. 200, iplaypensacola.com

•Liberation!

Join the monthly drag party planners of Liberation! for a dine-and-drag event at 9 p.m. Friday, July 21 at Whiskey Joe's. This month's party will feature drag by Vantasia Divine, Andy Rodginous, Star Freebush and h8male with DJ sets by DJ Brody and BT Wubz. And keeping with the main trend of the summer, the July event is in fact Barbie-themed.

Liberation at Whiskey Joe's, 400 Quietwater Beach Road, Ste. 13, instagram.com/liberationpensacola

•CTRL ALT DRAG

Looking for even more drag? We got you. Terrah Card's beloved alternative drag show is back at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 27 at The Handlebar. A $10 cover is all you need for cool vibes and hot performances by Keke Fox, Oz-

modeus, Discharge, Wanda Doomy and music by Andy Rodginous.

CTRL ALT DRAG at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St., facebook.com/thefunhouseball

•Wine and Chill

Do you think red wine shouldn't be served cold? Think again. Join the natural wine experts at The Nest General Store at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 22 for a chilled red wine tasting with free samples. There will also be bottles available for purchase.

The Nest General Store, 11 S. Palafox, Ste. C, thenestgeneralstore.com

•Dog Yoga

Since working out outside is out of the question, and the sidewalk is too hot for your pooch, why not try dog yoga? Join Wolfgang Pensacola and Travelin Light Yoga & Wellness on Sunday, July 23 at Garden & Grain for a pet-friendly yoga experience with post-class drink specials. Zen Hounds Canine Yoga at Garden & Grain, 50 E. Garden St., wolfgangparkandbrews.com

•Take a Dip

For those without a pool, a public place to swim can be a godsend in the heat of summer. Luckily, Pensacola residents have two pools to choose from—the Cecil T. Hunter Pool and the Roger Scott Pool. Both are open for the season until Sept. 3. playpensacola.com

•Splish Splash

In addition to the pool facilities, the city also has two splash pads open to the public during the summer. Bring the kids (or yourself—we won't judge) to Plaza De Luna or Legion Field daily between 9 a.m.-7 p.m. for a refreshing time. cityofpensacola.com/3313/city-splash-pads

•Skate it Out

Relieve your skating rink glory days, complete with concession stand snacks and wipeouts, at Dreamland Skate Center this summer. Just make sure you check the event calendar for adult skate nights to avoid tripping over toddlers while you get your groove back. Dreamland Skate Center, 2607 E. Olive Road, myskatecenter.com/welcome-to-dreamland {in}

— COOKING CLASSES —

Cast Iron Steaks Demonstration

Dinner

Tuesday, August 8 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Get ready to indulge in a mouthwatering evening of sizzling steaks and culinary expertise.

$75 per person

Hands-On Crab Cake Class

Tuesday, August 22 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Join us for an exciting evening and learn how to craft the perfect crab cake.

$70 per person

Jambalaya Cooking Demonstration

Dinner

Tuesday, August 15 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Explore an evening of the many amazing blended flavors in Louisiana Jambalaya.

$65 per person

Hands-On Pasta Making Class

Thursday, August 24 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Roll on over for recipes, tips and tricks of handmade pasta making in our most popular class.

$65 per person

Arts & Entertainment

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

Take a Chance on Morning Trips

By Savannah Evanoff

sometimes—same thing with streaming and music. I think all of that is rooted in the concept of me wanting to be my idea of what perfect is, or always thinking of how a situation could be more perfect, and how disruptive that can be."

The third song "Delete," which will drop in August, is equally relatable.

"I got tired of seeing Facebook memories, or (how) everyone's always shoving memories or nostalgia in your face," Lynch said. "But that song is about how essentially nostalgia is a crime. It's a two-way street that can be this really fluffy thing, but it can also be this really destructive thing. Whether it's old Snapchat memories or whatever, it's all there on your social media, on the Internet. Even if you do delete it, it's still there in terms of the servers."

The fourth song of a less than 12-minute EP, "Blue," is a re-recorded, "more produced, more mature" version of the first song they put online in 2018.

need a song that tells you everything's not gonna be OK."

"I'm not trying to make this EP be something that's like, 'Here's the answers to life, here's my synopsis.' To me, it's like a stepping stone to figuring out the answers. It's like a chapter, and I think overcoming one chapter in your life, or one little rough patch, is the whole summary of what the EP is."

Lynch hopes the EP will help people identify their relationship with social media and AI without fear mongering. But it's a hard balance, he said.

As far as the sound, Morning Trips often hears "hyper-pop," which Lynch finds a tad silly. "Processing" and "Delete" are straight from the Blink-182 playbook, and "Eight Bit" is straightforward synth-pop, he said.

"We're some down-to-earth dudes who love music," Lynch said when asked about the band's overall vibe.

predicted the social pressure to opt in Meta's new Twitter competitor app.

"The concept is about feeling like you have this social contract to participate in having an Instagram, a TikTok," Lynch said. "It's that feeling of wanting to be relevant, whether it's in your own social circle, your local scene, whatever, and just talking about how tiring that makes me feel."

The indie group's lyrics are often inspired by social and political commentary—likely because the band has thrived in chaos, more so by circumstance rather than choice.

Morning Trips was unknowingly birthed just before the pandemic—halting its ability to perform live—and continues to face the realities of having no label, manager or publicist … and inflation.

Lynch (vocals/guitar), Logan Clinkingbeard (bass/keys), James Amos (guitar) and Noah Townsend (drums) are working on a budget; they

own that way," Lynch said. "And we spent a good amount of time doing that, which led to the broader philosophical, pretentious but still meaningful art conversation of like, 'Who are we as a band? What do we want to express—not just musically, but with the whole experience of what Morning Trips is?'"

From that conversation came their EP, which will drop in totality this fall. They're releasing it in singles—waterfalling is the technical term, Lynch said.

The second already-released single, "8 Bit," describes the pursuit of perfection online.

"I know me personally—whether I'm getting four likes or 100—I turn off my notifications, because I always have an intrusive thought of like, 'Well, what if this had more?'" Lynch said. "I feel like that's a very dangerous, but honest assessment of how social media can make me feel

"That song makes a lot of comparisons to water and the ocean, because we live in Florida," Lynch said. "Most of our music, it all can sound very humdrum, very sad, but there's tiny little messages and encodings of triumph and battling back to win over your enemy, or whatever it is that's bothering you. And sometimes it's not about winning; it's just overcoming."

Lynch isn't the type to tell listeners everything is going to be OK.

"I think musicians, especially now, have a responsibility to be super fucking honest—I'm sorry for cussing," Lynch said. "Not to trash talk, but I feel like a lot of people were deceiving me when I'm watching, whether it's a famous musician or not, or I'm being lied to that everything is going to be OK. Sometimes you

People like the group for a variety of reasons, he said. Basically, if you get it, you get it.

Music is in a weird place, Lynch said, acknowledging how a song from the early 2000s can be in the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a TikTok trend. He thinks musicians need to take more chances, and Morning Trips does.

"We're a band that will continue to take chances," Lynch said. "Take a chance on us." {in}

MORNING TRIPS AT THE HANDLEBAR

WHAT: Morning Trips, Cannibal Kids and The Nitty Gritties

WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 23

WHERE: The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St.

COST: $10 in advance, $13 at the door

DETAILS: morningtrips.com, thehandlebar850.com

Morning Trips / Photo by Ashley Florez

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

a&e happenings

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

BREWS FOR THE BAYS Visit any of the participating breweries and purchase their signature Brew for the Bays during the month of July, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to support restoration, education and monitoring efforts in the Pensacola & Perdido Bay watersheds. Beer trail passports will be available at each of the participating breweries. Make sure to ask your bartender to stamp your passport when you purchase their Brew for the Bay. Visit facebook.com/ppbepflal for details.

Participating breweries include:

•Gary's Brewery & Biergarten

•Perfect Plain Brewing Co.

•Doc's Hop Shop

•Coastal County Brewing Co.

•A Little Madness Brewing Co.

•Beardless Brewhaus

•St. Michael's Brewing Co.

•J&J's Pizza Shack

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Animal

Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Scenic Hills Country Club, 8891 Burning Tree Road. The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. Food and drinks are also available for purchase. A full bar and restaurant offer special adult beverages just for bingo nights. You must be 18 to play. For more information, visit facebook. com/animalalliesflorida.

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD

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

CALL TO ARTISTS

CALL FOR YOUTH MAKERS AND ENTRE -

PRENEURS Gallery Night's "Wonder Years" event Friday, Aug. 18 features a Youth Entrepreneur Zone. The organization is looking for approximately 20 youth entrepreneurs. Gallery Night will cover the participation fee for the accepted applicants. Submissions are open now through Monday, July 24. Applications are available at gallerynightpensacola.org/youth. Please note: This zone is open to those 18 and younger. Youth entrepreneurs who are 18 years of age must be a senior for the 2023-24 school year.

COMMUNITY NOTES

FREE PALAFOX MARKET TROLLEY A free trolley service to carry shoppers between Palafox Market's two locations each Saturday is available until Labor Day. The trolley will run 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. between Palafox Market "North" at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza, and Palafox Market "South" at Plaza Ferdinand. The trolley will stop at the corner of Gregory and Palafox streets, adjacent to the North Palafox parking lot, and on the corner of Jefferson and Government streets, running on a continual cycle and giving shoppers the

opportunity to shop at both markets with ease. You can track the trolley on your phone or desktop at palafoxtrolley.com.

FREE PENSACOLA BEACH TROLLEY SER -

VICE THROUGH SEPT. 4 The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) launched its free, open-air trolley service along Pensacola Beach. The 2023 Pensacola Beach Island Trolley, operated by Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT), will run daily 4 p.m.-midnight through Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 4.

Three trolleys will operate concurrently, running three routes. The eastern route runs from Casino Beach to Portofino, the western route runs from Casino Beach to Park West near the entrance gate to Gulf Islands National Seashore and the commercial core route runs from Casino Beach to Grand Marlin with stops occurring along the new access road and at Pensacola Beach Boardwalk.

Visitors can access the real-time trolley schedule four ways: at visitpensacolabeach.com/ trolleytracker, call (850) 602-9384 and enter the trolley stop number, text SRIA (space) and the trolley stop number to 41411 or scan the QR code posted at each trolley stop with a smartphone.

To see a map of all trolley stop locations, or for more information, go to visitpensacolabeach. com/trolley-information.

PENSACOLA BAY CITY FERRY EXPAND -

ING SERVICE The Pensacola Bay City Ferry Service is expanding offerings for the summer season. Ferry service operates Friday-Sunday with downtown sunset cruises Thursday-Sunday evenings and New Mine Storeroom hours from 11 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

Pensacola Bay City Ferry's yearlong offerings and seasonal highlights include: Downtown Pensacola – Fort Pickens – Pensacola Beach Ferry

Take the ferry between downtown Pensacola to Fort Pickens to Pensacola Beach. Pensacola Bay City Ferry operates two 149-passenger, catamaran-style vessels, the "Turtle Runner" and "Pelican Perch," each with air-conditioned interior seating, covered exterior seating and restrooms. Imported and domestic beer, wines, soft drinks and water are available for purchase. Bicycle racks and storage areas are also available.

On select trips, National Park Service Rangers speak on a variety of subjects including wildlife and landscapes of the area. This is an all-day pass, so you can board the cruise at any of the landings at their specified departure time.

BLUE ANGELS PRACTICE DEMONSTRATION CRUISES See the Blue Angels practice their aerial maneuvers during regular practice sessions throughout the year. This one-and-a-halfhour cruise sails on a variety of mornings throughout the year.

For details, visit pensacolabaycityferry.com/ cruises/blue-angels-practice-cruise.

FORT PICKENS HISTORY TOUR Enjoy a family-friendly tour exploring the historic Fort Pickens. Depart from the Downtown Ferry Landing and cruise over to Ft. Pickens while a National Park Service Ranger gives an overview of Pensacola Bay's history. Upon arrival at Ft. Pickens, guests will be taken on a guided tour of the fort, later returning to the Downtown Ferry Landing.

DOWNTOWN AND FORT PICKENS SUNSET CRUISES Enjoy a Gulf Coast sunset cruise with panoramic views of Pensacola Bay and Fort Pickens National Park. These one-and-a-halfhour cruises offer covered interior and exterior seating, a climate-controlled cabin and onboard restrooms. Sit back, relax and enjoy a cold beverage aboard our clean and spacious catamaranstyle vessels. Beer, wine, liquor, soft drinks and water are available for purchase.

For more information on all offerings and to book an upcoming experience aboard Pensacola Bay City Ferry, visit pensacolabaycityferry.com.

For more information regarding private charter and special events cruise packages, please visit pensacolabaycityferry.com/private-events.

ARTS & CULTURE

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL PLT presents the musical based on the hit movie starring Reese Witherspoon. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays July 21, 28 and Aug. 4; 7:30 p.m. Saturdays July 22, 29 and Aug. 5; 2:30 p.m. Sundays, July 23, 30 and Aug. 3. A Thursday show is 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3. Tickets are $21-$38 with discounts for seniors, military and students. Thursday shows are half price. PLT is located at 400 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN PenArts presents this play from E.M. Lewis about four lonely people who happen to meet at a Japanese garden. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20-Saturday, July 22 and 2:30 pm. Sunday, July 23. Tickets start at $17 and are available on Eventbrite.

GALLERY NIGHT'S SUSTAINABLE SUM -

MER From 5-9 p.m. Friday, July 21, Gallery Night Pensacola will celebrate "Sustainable Summer." Share in the summer festivities as Gallery Night hosts the largest number of white tents ever and brings to the streets extra themed event features. This month, Gallery Night brings Pensacola Vintage Collective, Keep Pensacola Beautiful (KPB) and #Bike Life Pensacola, FL. Shop from local artists, as well as special event feature "Pensacola Vintage Collective,'' whose vendors will line Intendencia with their vintage vibes. Then, learn about the other organizations and local support initiatives. Don't forget to bring your water bottles, as ECUA joins the fun. Bring your own reusable drink containers to fill up from their Quench Buggy, and you will receive a prize while supplies last. Visit gallerynightpensacola.org for details.

THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL Pensacola State College Summer High School Onstage Workshop presents "The Spongebob Musical" at Ashmore Auditorium, 1000 College Boulevard, Building 8. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays, July 21 and 28, Saturdays, July 22 and 29 and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, July 23 and 30. Tickets are available at performingarts.pensacolastate.edu.

THE GREATEST SHOWCASE' First Dance Ballroom Studio presents "The Greatest Showcase," featuring Sasha Farber from "Dancing with the Stars." The performance is 7 p.m. Saturday, July 29 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets are $34-$59 and benefit Children's Home Society. For more information, visit pensacolasaenger.com.

CINEMAS IN THE SAND The next Cinemas in the Sand is Friday, July 28 with the showing of "Moana." Movies start at sunset on Casino Beach. Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/visitpensacolabeach for details.

MOVIES IN THE PARK

The final Movies in the Park for 2023 is Friday, July 28 with a showing of "Strange World" at Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. An inflatable castle and face painting will be on-site. Admission to the movie is free. Visit playpensacola.com for details.

PALAFOX MARKET SOUTH AT PLAZA

FERDINAND Palafox Market South will include a blend of familiar Palafox Market vendors, along with a new mix of local farmers, artists and craftsmen and women, who will fill up Plaza Ferdinand on the corner of Palafox and Government streets. Shoppers can navigate between the new market and the always-humming original located on north Palafox at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday. For more information about Palafox Market, visit palafoxmarket. com. For information concerning other downtown events, please visit downtownpensacola.com

TICKETS ON SALE FOR BEYOND VAN

GOGH Tickets are on sale now for "Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience." In the interactive experience, guests witness more than 300 iconic masterpieces, including such instantly recognizable classics as "The Starry Night," "Sunflowers" and "Café Terrace at Night," as well as many revealing self-portraits. "Beyond Van Gogh" is Aug. 5-Sept. 9 at Pensacola Interstate Fair, Building. 6, 6655 Mobile Highway. Prices start at $39.99 for adults and $23.99 for children (ages 5-15), plus ticketing fees. Tickets are on sale at vangoghpensacola.com.

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

SPIRITS OF SEVILLE QUARTER GHOST TOUR AND LUNCHEON Dine inside Pensacola's oldest and most haunted restaurant and investigate the spirits with actual paranormal equipment at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $12 and include a voucher toward Seville Quarter's menu. Tours are held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 2-4 p.m. Sundays. Make an appointment by calling (850) 941-4321.

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

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Shop small and buy art at Pensacola Arts Market 11 a.m.-4 p.m. every fourth Saturday of the month at Cordova Square, 1101 N. 12th Ave. Enjoy a local artisan and farmers market with more than 50 vendors, food trucks, plants, vintage clothing and décor, live musical performances, kids crafts and games. This is a free event. Pensacola Arts Market is set up 4-9 p.m. every first Friday of the month and 2-6 p.m. every third Sunday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave.

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARKET AT EVER'MAN Local vendors, artisans, holistic practitioners, speakers and more join 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the first Saturday of the month at Ever'man Downtown, 315 W. Garden St. This is a free indoor and outdoor event with door prizes, entertainment and children's activities. For a vendor table, call (850) 941-4321 or go to empowermentschoolhouse.com.

AL ARMIN Check out the work of Al Armin at Open Books, 1040 N. Guillemard St. Visit facebook. com/openbooksbookstore for more information.

THE LAST SURREALIST Featuring Art by davmo, The Last Surrealist, is on view through Friday, Aug. 25 inside the Suzanne Robbert Vault at Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox.

CHLOE BAILY ART Easy Going Gallery celebrates a new exhibit from artist Chloe Baily—Kaleidoscopic Topic at 701 N. V St. Visit facebook. com/easygoinggallery.

HOTSY-TOTSY-VROOOM-O-RAMA House

Pencil Green is the interdisciplinary studio of Joseph Herring and Amy Ruddick. Their exhibition at the PMA, Hotsy-Totsy-Vrooom-O-Rama, is part of a body of work in which the pair explore connections between the "art of the carny" and the "carnivalesque tendencies of the artist." The exhibit is on view through Sept. 17 at PMA, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

DEPTH OF FIELD Depth of Field showcases photography from the Pensacola Museum of Art's permanent collection, alongside objects from the UWF Historic Trust Archives. Artworks on display explore the history, science and alchemical nature of the medium. On view are works by pioneers in the field such as Alfred Stieglitz, Elliott Erwitt, Edward J. Steichen, Walker Evans and Vivian Maier, as well as notable contemporary artists including Valerie George, Richard McCabe, Sheila Pinkel and Gesche Würfel. Exhibit is located at 407 S. Jefferson St., and on view through Oct. 22. Visit pensacolamusuem.org for details.

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 U.S. eyed the region early on, using the Seminole Wars as an excuse to seize territory before turning to diplomatic means to acquire Florida. The Adams-Onis Treaty, debated and initially agreed upon in 1819, resulted in Spain

ceding control of East Florida to the United States. At the same time, Spain also agreed to give up all claims on West Florida, in essence giving the entire Florida territory over to the United States. Ratified in 1821, the treaty was cause for celebration in Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, as it officially became part of America. This exhibit is on view at Pensacola Museum of History through December. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

FOOD + DRINKS

BARBIE DRINKHOUSE Stop by Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St., anytime Thursday, July 20 for their Barbie Drinkhouse Party. Make sure to come dressed as your favorite Ken or Barbie.

HANDS-ON SUSHI NIGHT Learn to roll your own sushi 6 p.m. Thursday, July 20 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Tickets are $75 and available at bodaciousshops.com.

LET'S LUAU PARTY Coastal County Brewing, 3041 E. Olive Road, will host a luau with fun games and food 4-10 p.m. Saturday, July 22. Visit coastalcountybrewing.com/events for details.

BLOW YOUR OWN WINE GLASS Learn to blow your own wine glass 2-7 p.m. Saturday, July 22 at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew for details.

DOWN HOME LOW COUNTRY BOIL Enjoy a shrimp boil and live bluegrass music from The

New Cahoots 4-8 p.m. Sunday, July 23 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox. Visit facebook.com/ oddcolony for details.

STUDER EVENTS PRESENTS: CHRISTMAS IN JULY Holiday season is quickly approaching. Visit Bodacious 4:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 25 to learn how Studer Events can assist with your corporate holiday party needs. Tickets are free and available at bodaciousshops.com.

SIP AND SHOP MARKET AT PERFECT PLAIN Sip and Shop with WolfGang Park and Brews at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St., 4-8 p.m. Thursday, July 27. Visit wolfgangparkandbrews.com for details.

a&e happenings

HOGWARTS BRUNCH A magical and mouthwatering experience 11 a.m. Sunday, July 30 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Tickets are $45. Visit bodaciousshops.com for details.

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

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

BAR BINGO AT O'RILEY'S Visit O'Riley's Irish Pub for Bar Bingo 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays at 321 S. Palafox. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

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

TRIVIA AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS

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

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

PITCHERS AND TAVERN TRIVIA O'Riley's Tavern hosts trivia 8 p.m.-midnight Thursdays at 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern. com for details.

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

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT

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

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

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

LIVE MUSIC

TUFF TURF, BASILANTROS, FUNERAL DATE, GRAVE CHORUS Show is 7 p.m. Thursday, July 20 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10 at thehandlebar850.com.

LEAVING TIME, PRIZE HORSE, MEMORY

DOOR, SNOW HALO Show is 8 p.m. Friday, July 21 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10. Visit thehandlebar850.com for details.

FREE GALLERY NIGHT SHOW AT VINYL

Disco Lemonade, Momma Bear, Allie Bryan perform 7 p.m. Friday, July 21 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Admission is free. Visit vinylmusichall.com for details.

POWER STRIP, PUNK & BURLESQUE

NIGHT Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, July 22 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $15$20 at thehandlebar850.com.

BANDS ON THE BAYOU The next Bands on the Bayou, located at Bayview Park, 2001 E. Lloyd St., is 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 22 with Ben Loftin & The Family. Donations will support six different local nonprofits. To learn more, visit bandsonthebayou.com.

UNITE GULF COAST This is a two-day Christian event featuring bands For King and Country and Casting Crowns. Events are 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets are available at pensacolabaycenter.com.

THE WILDFLOWERS – A TRIBUTE TO TOM PETTY Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, July 22 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Tickets are $18 at vinylmusichall.com.

CANNIBAL KIDS, MORNING TRIPS, THE NITTY GRITTIES Show is 7 p.m. Sunday, July 23 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10-$13 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

86 HOPE, PAID TO PRETEND, CRUZ Show is 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 23 at Bugghouse, featuring a $10 recommended donation. Visit facebook.com/diypensacola for details.

BANDS ON THE BEACH Concerts are held 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. On Tuesday, July 25, Wester performs. For details, visit visitpensacolabeach. com/whats-happening-bands-on-beach.

SPARTA, ZETA Show is 7 p.m. July 28 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $20-$25 at thehandlebar850.com.

JERRY GARCIA BAND Show is 8 p.m. Friday, July 28 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Tickets are $10 at vinylmusichall.com.

AMERICA LIVE IN CONCERT Show is 7 p.m. Sunday, July 30 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets are $59-$134. More information is at pensacolasaenger.com.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

free will astrology

WEEK OF JULY 20

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Your deep psyche will soon well up with extra creativity and fertility. I hope you will eagerly tap into these gifts. You should assume you will be more imaginative and ingenious than usual. You will have an enhanced ability to solve problems with vigor and flair. In what areas of your life would you love to gently erupt with a burst of reinvention? Which of your habits might benefit from being cheerfully disrupted? Give yourself permission to change whatever bores you.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): My teacher Paul Foster Case said the color yellow is midway between warm, exciting red and cool, calming blue. "Yellow has an equilibrating influence," he wrote. "It stimulates the finer functions of the brain, is of assistance in developing alertness and discrimination and helps to establish emotional balance." According to my astrological analysis, Taurus, you should emphasize this hue in the coming days. If you call on yellow to help strengthen the qualities Case describes, you will place yourself in sweet alignment with cosmic rhythms.

By Rob Brezsny

prayers with care and discernment, they will lead you to rewards, not problems. Maybe not the exact rewards you imagined, but still close to your hopes and helpful in the next chapter of your life story. (P.S. No sloppy, lazy, careless prayers, please. Be precise and clear.)

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Leo theologian Bernard McGinn defines mysticism as "the consciousness of the immediate presence of God." In other words, people having a mystic experience are filled with a visceral sensation of the divine intelligence. It's not just an idea or concept; it's a deeply felt communion infused with intimate tenderness. You Leos will be more likely than usual to have such contact in the coming weeks—if you want it. If you don't want it, or don't believe it's real, or don't think it's possible, well, then, you can of course resist it. But why not give it a whirl? There's nothing to lose, and it could be fun.

cles. It fueled his search for a wider array of publications that might host his work. During the fourth year of this approach, luck and fate turned in his favor. Within the next eight months, 12 of his pieces appeared in print. My muses tell me, Libra, you need to hear this story right now.

in communing with these folks. Make it your intention to surround yourself more and more with interesting, imperfect, ever-changing life-lovers who appreciate you for exactly who you are— and who inspire you to grow more and more into the full idiosyncratic glory of your authentic self.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Because I enjoy joking with you, I am slightly tempted right now to give you one of the following nicknames: Fidgety, Twitch, Jittery, Quivers or Shakes. But I will take a more serious tactic. Let's instead see if we can influence you to slow down, stabilize your rhythm, get really steady and secure and stand strong in your foundational power spot. Consider adopting any of the following nicknames: Anchor, Unshakeable, Sturdy, Rock Solid, Staunch, Steadfast and Resolute.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): The sometimes overly clever author Oscar Wilde said, "When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers." I reject that warped view of reality and assure you it will have no bearing on your life in the coming weeks. If you formulate your

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Here's a parable for you. Once upon a time, there was a woman who could read the future in the night sky. She regarded the planets and stars as her divine informants. On one moonless evening, she took a walk down a dirt road near her home. It was so dark she could barely see two feet ahead of her. Oops! She should have brought a flashlight. Lost in wonder, she gazed up at the heavenly bodies, watching and listening for revelations they might have for her. Then one of the lights, the planet Saturn, whispered, "Stop and look down, friend." The woman turned her eyes from the sky to the ground just in time to find she was two strides away from stepping into a deep, muddy hole. What's the moral of the tale? Here are some possibilities. 1. Sometimes the heights provide useful information about the depths. 2. Soaring visions may help you tune in to practical details. 3. To become aware of important facts you've overlooked in your daily rhythm, consult your higher mind.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): A Libran writer I know received many rejection notices when he launched his career. I was amazed at how undaunted he was. In fact, he was the opposite of undaunted. He taped copies of his rejection notices to his bedroom wall. Seeing the evidence of his failures motivated him. It drove him to improve his writing and churn out even more arti-

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): The cartoon character Bart Simpson is one of the stars of "The Simpsons" animated TV show. According to him, "Life is a paradox. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't." While that principle may sometimes be true, I believe you will be exempt from it in the coming weeks. In fact, I suspect you will be as free as it's possible for a human to be of grueling contradictions, frustrating oppositions, clashing truths and paralyzing contraries. There's a good chance you will also outwit and avoid annoying incongruities and silly arguments. Congratulations in advance, Scorpio! Take full advantage of this phase of simple clarity.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): The dragon has appeared in the myths and legends of many cultures. Europe, China and Mesoamerica are just a few places where the fire-breathing, flying reptiles have fascinated the human imagination. In some traditions, they are dangerous and predatory. In China, though, they have been harbingers of good fortune and symbols of great power. Emperors claimed the dragon as their special emblem. In assigning the dragon to be your soul creature, Sagittarius, I am drawing from Chinese lore. What would you like to accomplish that would benefit from you having access to fierce, dynamic and indomitable energy? Call on the dragon for help and power.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): "There is a world of people who will love you for who you are," writes author Cheryl Strayed. "A whole, vibrant, fucked-up, happy, conflicted, joyous and depressed mass of people." In the coming months, one of your prime tasks is to specialize

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): What psychic or prophet is most popular with A-list celebrities? I can assure you, it's not me. Few of my millions of readers are world-famous. What about the planet's most scientifically accurate astrologer? Who might that be? It ain't me. I don't regard astrology as a science, and I mistrust those who say it is. In my view, astrology is a mythopoetic language and psychospiritual system that nurtures our souls and helps liberate us from our conditioning. We shouldn't try to get "scientifically accurate" information from it. Now I encourage you to do what I just did, Aquarius. Have fun telling people who you are not, what you don't believe in and which goals you aren't interested in pursuing.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): To come up with your astrological reports, I study the positions of the sun, moon and planets in relation to your sign. That's the technical part of the work, the framework within which I unleash my intuition and imagination. To augment this work, I meditate and pray, asking higher powers to guide me in providing useful information for you. I often consult books written by my favorite astrology writers. (Currently reading Steven Forrest's "The Elements Series.") I also ask my deep mind to slip me info that might not be accounted for by traditional factors. How about you, Pisces? How do you do the work that you love and care about? Now is a good time to take inventory and make necessary adjustments.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: Is there anyone you love that you could or should love better? {in}

freewillastrology.com

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© 2023 Rob Brezsny

is a

THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS In 1973, Nissim Kahlon was living in a tent on a beach north of Tel Aviv, Israel, the Associated Press reported. He started scratching into a sandstone cliff wall along the beach, and eventually excavated a cave and moved in. Fifty years later, his created home is a sandcastle, with multiple floors, staircases, detailed mosaic floors and plumbing. But now Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry is moving to evict Kahlon, saying the structure is illegal and threatens the coastline. He said he first got a demolition order in 1974, but since then the government has left him alone, even connecting his home to the electrical grid. "I am not leaving here," Kahlon, 77, said. "I am ready for them to bury me here. I have no other home."

BUT WHY? French President Emmanuel Macron now has the singular distinction of being the first French head of state to receive a body part in the mail, the Evening Standard reported. On July 10, a severed finger belonging to a "living human being" arrived at the Elysee Palace, where it was "initially put in a fridge where the police put their snacks," a source said. "This was to make sure it was preserved and could be analyzed as quickly as possible." The former owner of the digit was identified and given "full medical support," but it was unclear what the meaning behind the delivery was.

THE TECH REVOLUTION The Toronto Zoo has a favor to ask of visitors to Nassir the gorilla: Please don't show him photos or videos on your phone. Like any other 24-year-old primate, Nassir is "fascinated by videos, and screen time would dominate his life if he had it his way," according to the zoo's website. The Toronto Star reported that Maria Franke, director of wildlife conservation and welfare, is noticing the effect of visitors sharing their content. "It was causing him to be distracted and not interacting with the other gorillas ... He was just so enthralled with gadgets and phones and the videos." A sign now warns visitors: "Some content can be upsetting and affect their relationships and behavior within their family." Phones down, humans.

PRECOCIOUS An 8-year-old boy faces multiple charges, including first-degree robbery, after he carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint on July 11 in Montgomery, Alabama, WSFA-TV reported. Officers tried to stop the car, but the little driver wouldn't stop and later crashed into another car. A witness, "Snake" Knapp, said he saw the kid pick up two adults along the way. "I think parents just really need to know where their kids are, what their kids are doing," Knapp mused.

EWWWW Doctors at the Wright-Patterson Medical Center near Dayton, Ohio, presented a case in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 6 that detailed a man whom they diagnosed with "hairy tongue." Gizmodo reported that the 64-year-old consulted with doctors when he developed a green, fuzzy layer on his tongue. He was prescribed antifungals, but they didn't help.

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

Hairy tongue occurs when keratin causes a buildup of papillae, the tiny projections on the tongue. The man was directed to scrub his tongue with a toothbrush four times a day and stop smoking, and the green fuzz disappeared.

WELCOME TO MY FETISH Lakewood, Colorado, police are searching for a serial panty thief, The Denver Gazette posted on July 6. The unknown suspect, described as having short black hair, a black goatee, dark eyes and a muscular build, allegedly lifts women's underwear from laundry rooms at the Lakewood Towers at Belmar apartments. Over the course of at least 26 incidents, he "has taken approximately $4,881 worth of items," Lakewood police said.

ANIMAL ANTICS People living in the Travis Heights neighborhood of Austin, Texas, are thinking twice about venturing outdoors—and it's not because of the heat. A red-shouldered hawk is terrorizing pedestrians—to the point that U.S. mail delivery has been suspended in the area indefinitely, KTBC-TV reported. "Imagine walking out of your house and knowing that you're going to get punched in the back of the head by an animal with large talons," said Alfred Del Barrio. He said he avoided the hawk on a run because he saw its shadow. Nicole Netherton of the Travis Audubon Society said the hawk is protecting its young. "Trying to ignore them so that they can get their business and breeding done is probably the best advice," she said. State and federal laws protect migratory birds. Meanwhile, residents are asked to pick up their mail at a local post office until further notice.

•A wedding at Maison Albion in Albion, New York, recently sported an unexpected extra member of the wedding party, People reported. J, a llama, was hired to be a surprise groomsman by the bride's mother, who knew her daughter wants to own a llama farm one day. Llama Adventures provided J and outfitted him in a tux that made him look as if he was wearing white gloves and standing on two legs, and he gamely stood with the other groomsmen as the nuptials took place. "The bride was absolutely delighted," said photographer Cathy Craft, "and the guests thoroughly enjoyed it."

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL KLKN-TV

reported that on July 11, an unnamed 20-yearold man from Lincoln, Nebraska, was pulled over near Norfolk as he drove his motorcycle at speeds up to 106 mph. The driver had a suspended license and, in fact, had just left the Stanton County Courthouse, where he had been sentenced for ... driving with a suspended license and speeding. The judge had ordered him to pay fines for both offenses. He was charged again and bonded out of jail. {in}