Inweekly July 28 2022 Issue

SHARING THE SPRINGS

WITH LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER SEAN MULLINS AND HIS PANHANDLE SPRINGS PROJECT Independent News | July 28, 2022 | Volume 23 | Number 30 | Econfina Creek / Photo by Sean Mullins

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winners & losers

outtakes

4

5

news 6, 8

We listen to the people.

feature story

buzz 10

13

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Bethany Stewart

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Gina Castro, Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, Sydney Robinson, C.S. Satterwhite, Tom St. Myer

contact us info@inweekly.net

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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. © 2022 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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AMANDA LEE The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels have

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named Lt. Lee of Mounds View, Minn., its first female demonstration pilot for the 2023 air show season. Women have served with the Blue Angels in other capacities for more than 55 years, but not as demonstration pilots. Lee currently is a member of the "Gladiators" of Strike Fighter Squadron 106.

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

VIRGINIA BUCHANAN The Levin Papantonio Rafferty shareholder is the 2022 recipient of the Judge Ross Goodman Civility and Professionalism Award, given at the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association's (ESRBA) annual meeting earlier this month. The award is bestowed to an ESRBA member whose dedication to professionalism, civility and ethics exemplifies the character, commitment to the profession and the administration of justice of Judge Ross Goodman.

TINA ARROYO Escambia County named the director's aide in the purchasing department its July Employee of the Month. She began her career with Escambia County on June 23, 2020, working in County Administration. Two years later, Arroyo was promoted from citizen services coordinator to director's aide in Purchasing, where she serves as the liaison between the Purchasing department and county departments, citizens, and vendors to maintain cooperative and efficient relations for the department.

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lege Spanish instructor has been named the head of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. In 2021, Schackmann was named an Inweekly Rising Star, received the NISOD Excellence Award and was inducted into the PSC Academy of Teaching Excellence. He attended Kaskaskia College, a community college in Centralia, Ill., before earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He joined the Pensacola State College faculty in August 2017.

losers

ESCAMBIA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

The district is looking for smokers to fill its numerous vacancies. Since 2011, ECSD has had a policy that prohibited new hires from testing positive for nicotine in their systems. The purpose was to control health costs and insurance premiums. By a 4-0 vote, the school board suspended its new-hire tobacco-free policy in the hope more teachers will apply. At the time of the vote, the district had 74 vacant teacher positions, plus approximately 15 food service, 20 assistant teacher, 15 custodial and 35 open bus driver positions. Will cigarette vending machines be added to the teachers' lounge?

ALISABETH JANAI LANCASTER The Santa Rosa County School Board candidate took her time at the conclusion of a political forum to declare her opposition to prescribed therapies for transsexual youth. Lancaster said, "These doctors that are going along with mutilating these children and prescribing hormone lockers to these kids, in my opinion, they should be hanging from the nearest tree." Her comments drew applause at the event sponsored by the Gulf Coast Patriots. The Santa Rosa County Republican Executive Committee has endorsed Lancaster as its preferred candidate in the District 3 school board seat race. The Santa Rosa County School District earned an A this past school year without lynch mobs.

STEVE BANNON The right-wing podcaster with close ties to former President Donald Trump was convicted on Friday, July 22, of contempt of Congress for his refusal to turn over documents or give testimony to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack. Before the trial, Bannon bragged that he go "medieval" on his critics, but many of his legal arguments, which included an attempt to claim executive privilege, were rejected by the trial judge. Bannon's attorneys ended up calling no witnesses. The verdict came after two and a half hours of deliberations. But Bannon's attorney told the media he would do a "bulletproof" appeal that would get a reversal.

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outtakes

By Rick Outzen

NO SILVER BULLETS For the past five years, our community has emphasized preparing children for kindergarten. The Studer Community Institute has focused on healthy brain development in the first three years of a child's life with its Brain Bag initiative, Basics Pensacola program and Parent Outreach.

Achieve Escambia set out to help 900 more children get ready for kindergarten by 2025. The Escambia Children's Trust has highlighted kindergarten readiness under its focus on improving education and made it the priority of its first round of grants this summer, awarding $40,000 to the Potential Preschool Academy and $27,000 to ReadyKids!

In its Pensacola 2030 initiative, the Pensacola Foundation set among its goals to have all kindergarteners ready for school, all third graders reading on grade level and all eighth graders performing at their grade level or better in math.

The premise for these efforts is that children who start behind stay behind, and nearly three out of every five children are not ready to start kindergarten. The statistics show that children ready for kindergarten are 17% more likely to graduate high school, four times more likely to graduate college and 19% less likely to be arrested.

Despite these compelling statistics and the increased effort to improve it, kindergarten readiness in Escambia County has not changed, ranking 54th out of 67 school districts both in 2017 and 2021.

We can make the excuse that the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from helping more children prepare for their first day of school, but the percentages weren't improving significantly before the virus derailed in-person meetings and classes.

More attention needs to be paid to poverty's impact on academic success. It's difficult to focus on letters and numbers when a child is sick and doesn't know where their next meal will be from or where they will sleep at night.

United Way of West Florida has its annual ALICE report. ALICE is an acronym that stands for Asset Limited, Income, Constrained, Employed. The report shows the number of households in our community that earn more than the

Federal Poverty Level but less than the essential cost of living for the county, also known as the ALICE Threshold.

Individuals and families identified as ALICE are employed, occasionally working multiple jobs, but live paycheck to paycheck. They are unable to achieve or maintain financial stability.

Escambia and Santa Rosa counties have 55,896 that live in households that don't earn enough money to afford essentials like food, housing and health care.

The latest ALICE Report showed that having working parents or guardians does not guarantee financial stability—27% of the Escambia and Santa Rosa children in households with two adults in the labor force lived below the ALICE Threshold in 2019.

Tackling all the aspects of generational poverty is a heavy lift, but we could work on the physical health of our children. The community partnership at C.A. Weis Elementary has shown us the difference a pediatric clinic on campus can make, especially when coupled with the services offered by the Children's Home Society. The school has raised its school grade from an "F" in 2015-16 to a "C" this past school year.

Discipline referrals have reduced by more than 90% and out-of-school suspensions by nearly 94%. In 2021, 49% of its students experienced learning gains in reading, and 51% of students improved in math.

A healthy child does better in school, regardless of how prepared they are to enter kindergarten. At C.A. Weis, the average percentage of children ready for kindergarten over the past five years is 33%.

Would their grades be higher if their parents better prepared them for school? Absolutely, but the point of focusing solely on kindergarten readiness is always doomed to fall short of lofty goals set by well-meaning groups.

We must broaden our perspective and look beyond one silver bullet as the cure for the academic achievement gaps in our county. {in} rick@inweekly.net

Tackling all the aspects of generational poverty is a heavy lift, but we could work on the physical health of our children.

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BUILDING BETTER TEACHERS

Photo Courtesy of UWF

By Rick Outzen On July 1, the University of West Florida launched its School of Education, which will centralize the university's efforts to tap into the latest innovations and technologies to improve education and shape the new generation of professional educators, ranging from teachers, specialists and coaches to organizational administrators and curriculum designers.

The UWF School of Education will also optimize the variety of learning opportunities and career pathways available to students. The school will offer degree programs at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels on UWF's Pensacola campus or online. All initial teacher certification programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the only CHEA-recognized national accreditor for educator preparation.

In the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, the new school replaces two former departments, Educational Research and Administration, and Teacher Education and Educational Leadership.

William Crawley, dean of UWF's College of

Education and Professional Studies, explained to Inweekly that the two departments focused on education from different perspectives.

"One really dealt with graduate programming and doctoral programming, and the other one really focused on teacher preparation and curriculum and instruction design," said Dr. Crawley. "And given the pandemic, we started to see the synergies that are required across all these teaching areas, whether it be administration, whether it be teacher preparation, instructional design, whatever it was, they synergistically feed each other."

He continued, "They cross-fertilized with information, and we thought this was time to build a School of Education in order to achieve those goals."

Crawley and his leadership team took a systemic approach to create the school. "It took about a year working with faculty and thinking about, administratively, how we would do that and having faculty think about how they'd work together. Also, working with students so they would understand and appreciate the value of it. And then finally getting approval from the provost and the president of the university."

The dean believes the School of Education will bring more interdisciplinary focus to the numerous projects the College of Education and Professional Studies has.

"For example, pre-COVID, we spent a lot of time thinking about teacher preparation and classroom management and so forth, leading schools through our Ed Leadership Program," said Crawley. "When the pandemic started to come on, we realized that our stakeholders had certain needs, such as how to use technology, how to build curriculum for online delivery."

He continued, "Next, we started working with the next stakeholder group because it was really parents. And we started doing podcasts and building online support platforms to tell parents that we're co-teaching from home."

Since then, the College of Education has begun examining how to refine the use of teaching and learning with technology. Crawley said, "And that includes things like working with our students as they teach to avatars online in order to learn how to become really proficient teachers before they go into the classroom, making them more confident and comfortable, and then also thinking about how to integrate virtual reality in virtual visualization and so being able to work with students from afar."

He explained the online avatar program, Immersion, that helps students studying to become teachers. "They've not been in a classroom, but they've gone through some of the book learning, and they understand the theories and so forth.

They can go into a room; a screen comes up, and there are about five students in this classroom.

And they are actually live on the other end as an actor that controls all five personas. And that student teaches a lesson plan to them."

The sessions last about 10 or 15 minutes, and the instructors are able to introduce issues and challenges in the classroom within each 15-minute cycle that might not appear for weeks in the real world—accelerating the learning process.

"The other thing that happens is the student doesn't have to concentrate on every single thing," said Crawley. "They don't have to worry about classroom management. They can go into this virtual simulation and focus on something like question strategies. After 10 minutes, they step out they talk with a faculty member—what went well, what could be better. And they get to go right back in."

He continued, "And the number one thing that we see, in addition to enhanced competencies in general teaching, is the student's confidence level. And you can imagine if you want to bring new teachers into the profession and you want to retain them over time, have them have a positive experience, their confidence is a big predictor of that."

Dr. Karen Evans, the School of Education's interim director, told Inweekly that the new school will "maximize our relationships between the different departments, our research, our practical application, our preparation of teachers. So we can better serve the Northwest Florida region."

And technology and innovation will be critical for the new generation of educators.

She said, "We've been doing online education since the 1990s, and we're even enhancing the ways in which we prepare teachers for online education. The avatar program gives our teachers an opportunity to interact with avatars to improve their classroom management skills.

We're looking at virtual reality as a new avenue for us."

The School of Education will improve how UWF interacts with Northwest Florida school districts and its community partnerships at C.A. Weis Elementary School, Central Gulf Coast CDF Freedom Schools, Dixon School of Arts and Sciences and the National Flight Academy.

"We partner with all of the local school districts in the Panhandle to help prepare teachers, administrators, as well as a number of districts further a field in the state with our online program," said Dr. Evans.

"We have a partnership with C. A. Weis and other individual schools, as well as with the districts," she said. "Now that will all be centralized so that if two different departments have relationships, say with the Escambia County School District, then we can pull our efforts together so we can maximize the benefits of those."

Evans added, "I just had a meeting this week with Dr. Smith and his staff to discuss partnerships on ways to recruit more teachers. We have a teacher shortage crisis, and that's going to be an area that we're going to try to focus on to help the local districts."

Dean Crawley said, "The School of Education increases our capacity to partner with our school districts—to provide clinical educator training and graduates that are even more well equipped into the classroom."

He continued, "And hopefully working with them to provide students coming out of high school, the opportunity to think about teaching as a profession and maybe sample it and experiment with us and then work in partnership with the school districts to build those future professionals." {in} For more information about UWF's School of Education, visit uwf.edu/education.

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7

PINE FOREST TO GET CLINIC ical services as soon as possible. The school district partnered with Community Health to secure a $200,000 grant from Health Resources and Services Administration to fund the clinic on Pine Forest High School's campus.

Smiley said the grant will fund initial start-up costs, including staffing, and will offer similar services to the C.A. Weis clinic. The original plan was to renovate the Pine Forest High media center for the clinic, but a tight deadline to use the grant funding and a shortage of funds for required renovations that included moving sewage lines made the task impossible for the upcoming school year.

"This definitely tees us up to do a community school. One of the core elements of a community school is having that health care element and partner. Funding through the University of Central Florida may be available later in the year."

Chandra Smiley

C.A. Weis Elementary Clinic / Photo Courtesy of Community Health Northwest Florida

By Tom St. Myer Plans to open a health care clinic inside an Escambia County high school are on hold, but the school district and Community Health Northwest Florida have agreed on an alternative to serve a community in need.

The Escambia County School District has an available portable classroom that can be reconfigured for a clinic and be open at Pine Forest High by the end of the calendar year. The portable clinic potentially lays the groundwork for a second community partnership school in the county.

C.A. Weis Elementary currently holds the distinction as the lone such school in the county. Community Health Northwest Florida, the Escambia County School District, the Children's Home Society and the University of West Florida serve as its core partners, providing services to address critical barriers for students and their families.

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Each community model in the state is unique to its environment, but the foundation includes on-site access to health and wellness services, on-site food pantries, counseling, leadership opportunities, cultural enrichment activities, after-school activities and parent resource centers.

Health and wellness services provided by Community Health positions Pine Forest as the next community school in the county.

"This definitely tees us up to do a community school," Community Health CEO Chandra Smiley said. "One of the core elements of a community school is having that health care element and partner. Funding through the University of Central Florida may be available later in the year."

She added, "We're already here, core partners are all at the table, and that puts us in a great position when comparing ourselves to other communities across the state."

While a community school is perhaps on the horizon, the focus is on providing students and the surrounding neighborhoods with the best clin-

"For us to get that up and running quickly would require some facility work and a serious amount of money—money not available through the grant, and that caused us to pause and reassess," School Superintendent Tim Smith said.

Fortunately, the portable came up as a viable option and a temporary fix until funding for a permanent clinic can be secured. Both the school district and Community Health recognize the need for a medical clinic in the Pine Forest area.

As at C.A. Weis Elementary, the medical services will be available for students and the community at Pine Forest High's clinic. Schools in the area include Bellview Elementary, Longleaf Elementary, Bellview Middle and Pine Forest High, with a total student enrollment of about 3,750.

Pine Forest is located in the 32526 ZIP code, a growing area on the west side of Pensacola that is currently without a health center. Almost half of the students at Bellview Middle (49.6%) and Pine Forest (49.2%) report they do not have a primary care provider. Those percentages far exceed the overall school district average of 34.3%.

Community Health has made providing a clinic in that area a priority. The health care provider operates 17 clinics in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. In 2021, Community Health treated nearly 55,000 patients, with 95.2% of them reporting incomes at or below 20% of the poverty level. To put its reach into perspective, the Florida Association of Community Health Centers determined the organization's overall economic impact to be $70.2 million last year.

The Escambia County School District fully supports Community Health expanding its services into the 32526 ZIP code and sees the value of having a clinic to treat students who miss out on health care due to transportation issues.

"In the Pine Forest High School area, you have

to drive quite a bit to get to those kinds of services," Smith said. "It's going to be housed on school property, but it's available to people in the community, so if you have a sick child, you can go to the clinic in that area."

The total population of ZIP code 32526 and adjacent ZIP codes of 32505, 32533 and 32534 top 108,000, and the low-income population of the area exceeds 33,000, according to UDS Mapper, a mapping tool used to identify where federally funded health centers currently serve and where gaps in the safety net exist. Every student at Pine Forest qualifies for free lunch.

"There's a great need there in that location, and I think Dr. Smith agrees with me that it could be a future community school like C.A. Weis," said Kevin Adams, a school board member whose District 1 includes Pine Forest. "It would be nice to have that medical clinic and all those wraparound services. You look at C.A. Weis, and all the wrap-around services are important. We need all the help we can to have those at-risk students' achievement gap closed. It looks like we have a temporary solution for this year."

C.A. Weis Elementary has a fully functioning pediatric practice as part of the Community Partnership School Model. Since switching to the community school model, C.A. Weis has raised its school grade from an "F" in 2015-16 to a "C" this past school year.

Discipline referrals have reduced by more than 90% and out-of-school suspensions by nearly 94%. In 2021, 49% of its students experienced learning gains in ELA reading, and 51% of students improved in ELA math.

Statewide statistics indicate the success of Weis falls in line with other community schools.

The Community Partnership Schools graduation rate is 95% compared to the state rate of 90%.

State funding covers a significant portion of their expenses. The budget allocates $7.1 million in recurring funding to divide up among the 29 community schools across the state.

This past legislative session, the Children's Home Society lobbied unsuccessfully for the state to increase funding to $10 million. Executive Director Lindsey Cannon said the agency lobbied for that amount with the intention of opening another community school in Escambia County and increasing the number of community schools across the state by 12.

Pine Forest High School is an obvious candidate for transitioning to the community school model when factoring in its proximity to other schools, its location in a low-income area without a Community Health clinic and its "D" school grade, the worst among high schools in the county. The model is possible for others in a county that ranked 47th out of 67 for adverse health outcomes in 2020, and 11 schools graded out as a "D" or "F." "I'd love for us to be in many other schools," Smiley said. "I'd really like as we get Pine Forest set up to look as partners where are the kids going from Weis and look at the middle school so we can have this in place for the most vulnerable throughout their educational journey." {in} inweekly.net

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GIFTS TO PSC Pensacola State College celebrat-

ed the generosity of the family of Sharen Siefert and the Highpointe Hotel Corporation at a press conference on Tuesday, July 19, in the Dona and Milton Usry Board Room on the Pensacola campus.

The late Sharen Siefert committed $120,000 to support education, and her family established the Sharen Siefert Memorial Endowed Scholarship in her honor. Siefert, well-known in the community for her volunteer work and charitable spirit, died in September 2019.

The Sharen Siefert Memorial Endowed Scholarship will give preference to students pursuing a vocational or nursing program and who do not have access to other financial aid sources. Preference also will be given to displaced homemakers, single parents, children of single parents, first-generation college students and graduates of female recovery programs.

"The Sharen Siefert Memorial Endowed Scholarship honors Sharen's selflessness by serving students who would otherwise not be able to pursue higher education,'' said Mikenzie Francis, PSC Foundation Donor Relationship Manager. "We are sincerely humbled that Pensacola State College was chosen to continue Mrs. Siefert's legacy of caring by honoring her wishes to establish a scholarship."

Siefert worked 15 years as a civil service employee, including a stint at CNET at Naval Air Station Pensacola. She would later become office manager of D&D Welding, a family business she operated alongside her husband, David Siefert.

The Highpointe Hotel Corporation and four of its properties—Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn by Hilton and Residence Inn by Marriot—committed $50,000 to the proposed PSC Training and Conference Center. Highpointe Hotel Corporation has already given PSC $25,000 of the $50,000 commitment.

Initial plans are for a 13,000-square-foot conference and training center that will house activities such as job fairs and small conferences, as well as provide meeting space for faculty and serve as a host location for staff seminars and workshops.

The facility also will be used by the PSC Nonprofit Center for Excellence and Philanthropy, enabling the organization to host larger groups.

"These generous hoteliers are investing in the college's planned training and conference center,'' said Andrea Krieger, PSC Executive Director of Institutional Development. "Their investment will help us build a space close to the airport that is suitable to host guest speakers, training, student job fairs, disaster recovery and community events."

SKATEPARK GROUNDBREAKING The city

of Pensacola invites the public to a groundbreaking event at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, kicking off construction of the Blake Doyle Skatepark, a highly anticipated and monumental project for the Pensacola skate community.

The groundbreaking event will take place at the future skatepark location at Hollice T. Williams Park, under Interstate 110 along North Hayne Street, between Jackson and La Rua streets.

All community members, skaters, stakehold010 1

ers and project supporters are encouraged to join in celebrating this project milestone for the skatepark. Attendees will include Mayor Grover Robinson, city council members and other elected officials, and Jon Shell of Upward Intuition.

The skatepark is part of the overall transformation of Hollice T. Williams Park through a joint project with the city of Pensacola and Escambia County, which will ultimately create a place for community members of all ages to connect and enjoy activities in the heart of the city. The park will also serve to improve water quality and reduce stormwater in the area. To learn more about the Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park project, visit myhtwpark.com.

DISTRICT 5 TOWN HALL Mayor Grover Robin-

son and District 5 Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton will host a District 5 Town Hall Meeting and community meet and greet on Wednesday, Aug. 3, at the Chappie James Museum, 1606 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The evening will kick off with open tours of the Chappie James Museum from 5-6 p.m., followed by a town hall in the museum courtyard.

The elected officials will make opening remarks, and then turn it over to the citizens to ask questions and provide comments. The event will conclude with light refreshments and an opportunity for residents to meet with Mayor Robinson and Councilwoman Broughton. Backpack donations will also be collected for the upcoming Chappie James Flight Academy Back to School Backpack Giveaway, so attendees are encouraged to bring a backpack if they are able.

The Town Hall portion of the event will be live streamed on Facebook at facebook.com/pensacolamayor. In case of inclement weather, the alternate location for the Town Hall and meet and greet at 6 p.m. will be E.S. Cobb Resource Center, 601 E. Mallory St.

GALA OF GRATITUDE The Center for Inde-

pendent Living (CIL) has announced the honorees that will be recognized at its Gala of Gratitude on Friday, July 29, at the Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center.

Innisfree Hotel founder and CEO Julian MacQueen is receiving the center's Joe Oldmixon Award for Outstanding Service to People with Disabilities. MacQueen is being honored for providing programs to help train people with disabilities to work in hotel settings. He also is being recognized for hiring people with disabilities at Innisfree's numerous hotels throughout Northwest Florida.

Pensacola native Tara Blackwell is receiving the Spirit of CIL Award for her central role in founding the Seven Project, which serves men and women with physical disabilities by focusing on qualityof-life enhancement through fitness, nutrition and support. Blackwell, a star Pine Forest High School athlete and member of the Troy University softball team, sustained a cervical spinal cord injury in 2005 that caused paralysis. Tara has used her knowledge, support and skills to invest in the lives of people with disabilities in our community.

Army veteran Paul Viksne is being honored as Volunteer of the Year for his many years as a longstanding assistant and supporter of the CIL across the four counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton.

EMERGENCY MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE Ap-

plications are now open for the Escambia County Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program.

The program is designed to provide assistance to homeowners struggling to pay mortgages or utilities due to COVID-19. Funded under the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program, eligible households may receive assistance of up to but not exceeding three months' costs, or $8,000.00. Visit myescambia.com/emap to learn more and apply.

Emergency mortgage assistance may be provided to eligible Escambia County residents and families. The property must not be listed for sale and must be located in Escambia County. The homeowner must have homestead exemption.

The household must have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and not have received additional mortgage.

Payments will be made directly to lending institutions and utility companies. To apply for the program, residents must provide documentation to determine eligibility, including qualifying COVID-19 impact or financial hardship; proof of identification for applicant/co-applicant and all household members over 18; and current proof of income for all household members.

Citizens may use the computers at the county's public libraries to complete their applications.

A call center is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at (850) 595-0022. Questions can also be answered via email to emap@myescambia.com. To make an appointment for in-person application assistance, call (850) 595-0022.

CLIMATE SMART The city of Pensacola and the

University of Florida IFAS Extension are teaming up to host the Climate Smart Floridians Program to provide citizens with research-based information about local climate change.

This eight-week program will run from Aug. 24Oct. 12 and will meet weekly on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Two in-person field trips will be held toward the end of the program. Lessons will cover the principles of sustainability in water, waste, food, transportation, energy use, green building, landscaping and city resilience efforts.

For more information or to apply for the Pensacola Climate Smart Floridian Program, visit bit. ly/3vtYo7t.

VOTE411.ORG Ahead of the Aug. 23 Florida Primary, the League of Women Voters of Pensacola Bay Area has launched a nonpartisan election resource, vote411.org. This one-stop shop for election information provides simple, easy tools to help Florida voters navigate the voting process. VOTE411 provides candidate information, a voter registration tool, polling place information and other helpful election information for all voters nationwide.

With candidates running at the federal, state and local levels, voters need a reliable way to compare candidates. Voters wanting more information beyond the campaign rhetoric and advertising blitzes can visit vote411.org to find detailed candidate information, including candidates' direct responses to issue-related questions. Voters can enter their addresses to find information about the candidates appearing on their ballot.

2022 ELECTION INFO As the Aug. 23 primary

election nears, here are some deadlines and events to keep in mind.

•Vote By Mail: All qualified voters can vote by mail using a vote-by-mail ballot under Florida law.

A voter, or someone designated by the voter, may request a vote-by-mail ballot from the Supervisor of Elections in person, by mail, by email or by telephone. One request can cover all elections through the next General Election. For the information required to request a ballot and other laws regarding voting, visit escambiavotes.com.

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13. All ballots must be received in the Supervisor of Elections' office no later than 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

•Candidate Surveys: The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce has released the responses to its 2022 Candidate Questionnaires from the candidates for Pensacola Mayor, Pensacola City Council and Escambia County Commission. Responses can be found at bit.ly/3O8VknK. •Political Forums: Women for Responsible Legislation is hosting a forum for Congressional and Florida House candidates, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, in the Hagler/Mason Conference Room at Pensacola City Hall, 222 W. Main St. Bike Pensacola will host a Pensacola Mayoral Forum at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 30, at the West Florida Public Library, 239 N. Spring St. Candidates Jewel Cannada-Wynn, Sherri Myers, D.C. Reeves and Steve Sharp are all committed to attend.

The Greater Pensacola Chamber and Pensacola Young Professionals have partnered to host forums on the Escambia County Commission races on Thursday, July 28, the Pensacola City Council races on Tuesday, Aug. 2, and Pensacola Mayor's race on Wednesday, Aug 10. All forums will start at 5:30 p.m. at Bayview Community Center, 2000 E. Lloyd St. For more details, visit pensacolachamber.com.

The Pensacola Beach Advocates is hosting a candidate forum the SRIA board race, Escambia County District 4 Commissioner, Florida Senate, Florida House and Congress. The forum begins at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, at The Beach Church, 920 Panferio Drive.

If any other groups are hosting political forums that are open to the public, please email the details to info@inweekly.net.

•Podcasts Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen is interviewing all candidates on the primary ballot weekday mornings from 7-8:30 a.m. on WCOA 1370AM/104.9FM. Podcasts are available at bit. ly/3yZyp9R. {in} inweekly.net

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Merritts Mill Pond / Photo by Sean Mullins

SHARING THE SPRINGS

WITH LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER SEAN MULLINS AND HIS PANHANDLE SPRINGS PROJECT

By Jeremy Morrison It's nearly noon, and Sean Mullins is sitting in a downtown Pensacola breezeway, explaining the logistics behind some of his gorgeous halfin-half-out-of-the-water photography.

"Without a dome housing, you just can't push the water back from the lens itself to create that separation," he says, adding that he's currently wondering if he needs to invest in more July 28, 2022

equipment as he focuses on his new Panhandle Springs project.

"It's just that GoPros are so good that it's, like, 'Do I need an actual camera, like a Sony, to take these photos?'" Mullins ponders. "Depending on what my subject is, not really. Because I'm not really doing portrait photography underwater, it's more of a lifestyle company."

Mullins' photography has become a wellknown representation of the local area through his brand Pensacola Vibes.

"The mission with that is to get people outside," Mullins said of his beach-centric Pensacola Vibes.

With this new project—Panhandle Springs— Mullins is hoping to inspire people to explore

springs throughout the region. It's a soaking-upnature activity that he believes can have some associated benefits—"You just feel better."

"Let's say I go to the springs for an hour, and on the ride home, my body feels better; my muscles feel better," he said. "So you talk about, like, the Fountain of Youth, that's how I view that aspect. I know it's not going to add years to 13

Morrison Spring / Photo by Sean Mullins

my life, but waking up in the morning, there's not as many cracks when I start moving."

EXPLORING FLORIDA'S WILD SIDE

Florida, including its northwestern panhandle, is riddled with springs. They differ in size, depth and a host of other particulars, though most are between 68-72 degrees year-round.

Until recently, Mullins was not very familiar with the region's springs, but he got into the sport of free diving. As a photographer, the pleasing aesthetic of a free diver in the freshwater springs was captivating.

"It's just visually appealing," Mullins said.

Once he began exploring the topic, the photographer found that the panhandle is rich in springs. He tried to learn as much as possible as about the regional offerings.

"I went down a rabbit hole of finding springs," he said.

Mullins started visiting the springs, taking photos and compiling notes on each site—places

like Vortex Springs, Morrison Springs and Ponce de Leon Springs. Each site was unique.

One of the primary differences in the region's springs is the degree to which they are developed, maintained or even discovered.

While some are well-known and frequented public recreation areas, others are more off the beaten path.

"So you have Pitt and Sylvan Springs, where there's a parking lot, all these little sites where you can cook food," explained Mullins. "But on that creek, literally, if you have a paddle board, five minutes down that stream there's a spring, but there's no sidewalk, there's no boardwalk, you don't see a bathroom, and I think that's part of the journey of these places and these locations."

It's this journey, this appreciation of the area's natural springs that Mullins is hoping to share with people and, in doing so, spark a desire to visit such places themselves.

Ideally, the photographer said, his work in sharing the beauty and allure of the panhandle's springs will lead people to look beyond the more

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typical fare for the area and begin to explore its natural offerings.

"I love Pensacola to death, but what do you think of? You think of Gallery Night; you think of Blue Angels," Mullins said. "You don't really think, 'Oh, let's go on the nature trail at Fort Pickens.' Like, some of these springs, if I go during the weekday, I'm the only one there. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love it. I absolutely love it."

FROM VIBES TO SPRINGS

Each spring Mullins' visits offer him a unique environment to work with. Some springs, like Morrison, which serves as a site to train scuba divers, are quite deep, while others, such as nearby Ponce de Leon, are much shallower.

"I try to make the best of any situation, any location," Mullins said, relaying how light plays with the varying depths of the springs, providing a different pallet depending on where the photographer is visiting.

The resulting photography is eye-catching.

Just like his work with Pensacola Vibes, the shots

for Panhandle Springs serve as virtual postcards of idyllic scenes that light up social media and transport the viewer to a place a bit more serene.

While Mullins is generally replicating his Pensacola Vibes template, offering prints of his photography for sale, he isn't sure if Panhandle Springs will fully adopt the same lifestyle brand model.

"It's up in the air," the photographer said. "I don't know if I'll sell apparel for Panhandle Springs. I don't think that's the kind of way I'm going. I'm going with a more artistic way of doing it."

And while Mullins is enjoying sharing the natural beauty of the panhandle's springs with people, the photographer said that there are times when he will put his camera away and take time to appreciate the moment's beauty for himself.

"There are times where I'm like, 'I'm not going to take a photo or video. I'm just gonna enjoy the moment,'" Mullins said. {in}

PANHANDLE SPRINGS @panhandlesprings facebook.com/panhandlesprings

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WEEK OF JULY 28-AUGUST 3

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

Dressing the City

By Savannah Evanoff

Caleb Bryan, Cody Himes, Ronnie Beale, Jhalen Harris, Kollin Poirier and Steven Amador of Coastal Kicks Pensacola

Ronnie Beale and Cody Himes are a long way from selling sneakers to buyers at 10 p.m. in a Walmart parking lot—though, admittedly, their Coastal Kicks Pensacola location shares the Creighton Commons with a supercenter.

Together, the sneaker enthusiasts have opened two Coastal Kicks locations in just over a year—a small shop in Mary Esther in December 2020 and a storefront nearly five times the size of the first in Pensacola in January 2022.

And just where did they source the confidence to go from copping and selling sneakers via eBay and Facebook Marketplace to two brick and mortars and aspirations to open more beyond the 850 area code?

Peep their feet.

"Having a new pair of shoes is good for the ego," Beale said with a smile.

Beale's eye for sneakers came from his parents.

"I remember wearing shoes to school and seeing everyone else's reaction, and it made me fall in love with it," Beale said. "I realized how cool shoes July 28, 2022

made you at a young age, like 6 or 7. I didn't even know what I was wearing, but all the grown-ups did. It sparked my interest. It's a way to stand out and express yourself."

Himes' admiration for kicks originated in entrepreneurship. "(It) started with hitting one pair of Yeezys and seeing how possible it was to hit a pair and make $100 in a day," Himes said. "I was like, 'That's pretty cool.' When I first started out, as I was buying and selling sneakers, I would get pairs in my size that I thought were cool and set them aside and wear them. For me, it came from selling shoes, and then (I) learned to wear them and appreciate them."

The sneaker stars aligned when the two met camping in line at a sneaker release at Plus Skateshop in downtown Fort Walton Beach for a pair of Nike Dunks.

"In line, there's nothing but time," Beale said.

"We just started talking about our hopes and aspirations and decided to exchange contact information. We were both interested in opening a store.

He was very proactive, as I was, and we just made it happen. Several people talked about it and entertained the idea, but (Himes) was all about business just like me."

They opened the Mary Esther location a year later, selling rare and exclusive sneakers such as Nikes, Jordans and Yeezys, and clothing, accessories and vintage items. Himes, the expert at logistics and finance, pairs well with Beale, a creative, social type, Beale said.

The Pensacola location was practically born out of necessity because much of their customer base was already there—plus, they needed the space.

"We knew it was only a matter of time before someone else would do it," Beale said. "We had to take that leap to do it first—even though we probably weren't ready for it. We made it work because we'd rather be first and figure out the rest along the way."

"It's just making it work and that being the only option," Himes added. "I feel like as long as we're all giving it all, it will definitely succeed."

It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to transform the space from a former Hobbytown with model trains to the effortless cool it elicits today.

The back right wall is a mural created by local artist Kat Ink, featuring icons in the sneaker world, such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Virgil Abloh—the founder of Off-White and the first Black artistic director for Louis Vuitton.

The biggest challenge since opening in Pensacola has been the race for inventory, which comes from private sellers, retailers and sneaker shows.

Their old method isn't enough, Beale said.

"Running around to Foot Locker and getting one pair here and two pairs there; we bring them here and they're gone in a day," Beale said.

"Then what? It's a good problem to have; we sell so many shoes."

To keep up with demand, they buy in bulk.

Himes also upgraded the website to display its inventory—as opposed to naming everything in a size 10 from memory, Beale said.

Jhalen Harris, the manager, said the customers dictate the styles they carry.

"Over time, we learn who our clientele is and what they like," Harris said. "We listen to the people."

Dunks are the craze right now, Beale said.

"We follow trends heavy," Beale said. "That's all this is, following trends. We're pretty good at it, I think. They don't always work out—I'll tell you that much."

Beale teases Harris for being so choosy about his own sneaker collection.

"There's so many Dunks that come out now, it's hard for me to just be like, 'All of these are tough,'" Harris said.

"That's the joy of it," Beale said. "Everyone has different opinions. That's what makes it fun."

Exclusivity and authenticity are the names of the sneaker game.

"Having a roof or physical building assures them the shoes are authentic," Beale said. "That's the No. 1 thing in this industry is if shoes are real or not. We see fake shoes probably once a week, but we are all experienced in what to look for and preventing that."

Seeing people head to toe wearing Coastal Kicks makes them feel like influencers, Beale said.

"It feels like we're dressing the city," Beale said.

"They come in all the time, 'I want the whole outfit from this picture,'" Harris said. "If it's a super fire outfit, we'll have 10 people send it to us, 'I need this. I need all of it.'" {in} COASTAL KICKS PENSACOLA 2620 Creighton Road, Ste. 302 shopcoastalkicks.com @coastalkickspcola 15

a&e happenings BEACH SEASON UPDATES

FREE TROLLEY RIDES TO PENSACOLA BEACH The 2022 Pensacola Beach Island Trolley,

operated by Escambia County Area Transit, will run daily from 4 p.m.-midnight through Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 5.

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: •Visit the "Trolley Tracker" at visitpensacolabeach.com/trolleytracker •Call (850) 602-9384 and enter the trolley stop number •Text SRIA (space) and the trolley stop number to 41411 •Scan the QR code posted at each trolley stop with a smartphone

ARTS & CULTURE

THE KERR'S FINAL CALL AT 309 Join 309 for the final call with Tim and Beth Kerr as the July artists in residence. This will be the last chance to purchase Tim's book "We are ALL Making History." Event will be 6-9 p.m., Thursday, July 28, at 309 N. Sixth Ave. Visit facebook. com/309punkproject.

SAENGER BRINGS SUMMER MOVIES SERIES BACK TO THE BIG SCREEN The Grand

Dame of Palafox will once again open her doors to the community with a selection of seven films this summer. Tickets for the Saenger Classic Movie Series will go sale on the night of each movie beginning at 6 p.m. Prices for admission remain at $5 per person for general admission seating. Tickets are only available for purchase at the Saenger Theatre Box Office. The next date is Aug. 13 with "Saturday Night Fever."

WHAT'S SHOWING AT PENSACOLA CINEMA ART PCA is located at the Studer Com-

CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTIONS Animal Allies

munity Institute, 220 W. Garden St. "The Duke" will be showing at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, and Saturday, Aug. 20. Classic films are available for free through the PCA website. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for more information and the latest showtimes.

BISSELL PET FOUNDATION CLEAR THE SHELTER EVENT WITH PENSACOLA HUMANE SOCIETY BISSELL Pet Foundation is

MOVIES IN THE PARK The last movie in the park is "Encanto" on Friday, Aug. 5. Movies are free and open to the public. Pre-show activities begin at 6 p.m., and shows will begin at sunset.

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to spread out on the lawn to watch a familyfriendly movie underneath the stars. Concessions from local food truck vendors will be available for purchase, and outside food is also welcome. Pets and glass bottles are prohibited at the event. Visit playpensacola.com for details.

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

will be at Pet Supermarket, 6857 N. Ninth Ave., from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturdays, Aug. 6 and 20. Everett Animal Welfare Group will be at PetSmart on North Davis Highway from noon-4 p.m. If you can't adopt, you can talk about opportunities to donate, foster or volunteer. All cats are up to date on shots, and adoption fee includes spay or neuter with microchip.

helping to place homeless pets from kennels to couches by sponsoring reduced adoption fees of $50 or less through July 31. The longest-ever Summer National "Empty the Shelters" event will be hosted in more than 250 shelters in 42 states, including Pensacola Humane Society. Pensacola Humane Society will participate through July 31 at its main shelter location, offering $10 adoption fees or $10 worth of unopened pet food to adopt any cats and dogs available at any age. All interested adopters can find more details online at pensacolahumane.org/event/empty-the-shelters-event.

ANIMAL ALLIES BINGO Animal Allies Florida is hosting Bingo at Scenic Hills Country Club, located at 8891 Burning Tree Road, twice a month.

Dates are Aug. 9 and 23, Sept. 6 and 20, Oct. 4 and 18, Nov. 8 and 22 and Dec. 6 and 20. Proceeds go to help local animals. The fun starts at 7 p.m. $10 gets you 30 cards. Winners share the pot.

Food and drink will be available for purchase. You must be 18 years old to play.

FIRST DANCE BALLROOM PRESENTS SECOND ANNUAL GREATEST SHOWCASE BENEFITING COUNCIL ON AGING The Sec-

ond Annual Fundraiser benefiting Council on Aging of West Florida, Inc. is at 7 p.m., Saturday, July 30, at Pensacola Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox.

Featuring Pensacola public figures. Tickets are $33-$58. Visit pensacolasaenger.com to purchase.

616 1

CINDERELLA Enjoy a retelling of the classic fai-

rytale with Pensacola Little Theatre. 7:30 p.m. showtimes are Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; Wednesday, Aug. 3; Friday, Aug. 5; Saturday, Aug. 6, Wednesday, Aug. 10, Thursday, Aug. 11; Friday, Aug. 12; and Saturday, Aug. 13. 2:30 p.m. showtimes are Sundays, July 31, Aug. 7 and Aug. 14.

Tickets range from $33-9. $2 discounts for seniors, students and military and half-price for Wednesday and Thursday tickets. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

PENSACOLA OPERA HONORS JERRY SHANNON Pensacola Opera cordially invites

you to Passing the Baton, an evening of dual celebration, honoring Maestro Jerome Shannon as he steps into "retirement" and the official kick-off to the 40th Anniversary Season. The evening will include videos and special performances by some of the maestro's favorite opera stars, announcement of the 40th Anniversary Campaign and new leadership team, and much more. The event is 6 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at Pensacola Country Club, 1500 Bayshore Drive. Tickets are $150. Purchase your tickets at pensacolaopera.org.

PIECES ADRIFT BEACH CLEANUP For any artists looking for materials for their "Pieces Adrift" artworks, join the beach clean up Saturday, July 30, from 8-10 a.m., at Mom's Beach (Qui-

etwater Beach) located at 241-245 Pensacola Beach Blvd. Visit keeppensacolabeautiful.org for information.

1060, located at 1060 N. Guillemard St. The exhibit is on view through July 30. Visit firstcityartcenter.org for more information.

CRAFT & VINTAGE END OF SUMMER MARKET Visit Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, for

EXHIBITS AT ARTEL GALLERY Currently showing at Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox, is local artist Davmo, jewelry made by Christine Rojas and paintings from Mary Jo Rakowski. All exhibits will be shown through Aug. 12. Visit artelgallery.org for details.

their End of Summer Market, Sunday, Aug. 7, from noon-5 p.m. Visit facebook.com/oddcolony for details and a vendor application.

LIFE DRAWING GROUP AT ARTEL Artel's life

drawing group meets every Monday, except holidays, from 6-9 p.m. in Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox.

For more information, contact Melvin at (850) 549-8783 or visit artelgallery.org.

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Enjoy shopping

for a variety of handcrafted wares at Pensacola Arts Market Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 1401 W. Intendencia St. Enjoy art, espresso, vintage goods, baked treats, handcrafted unique gifts and more. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolaartsmarket.

EASY GOING GALLERY ART MARKET Every Sunday, Easy Going Gallery and Carter J Studios present a weekly art market Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Easy Going Gallery, located at 701 N. V St. Enjoy art, espresso, vintage goods, baked treats, handcrafted unique gifts and more. Vendors can participate for a $20 fee. For more information, contact easygoinggalleryart@gmail.com.

IN BETWEEN: OPEN STUDIO AND RESIDENCY EXHIBITION BY MARZIA RANSOM The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida presents "In Between," an open studio residency and exhibition by Marzia Ransom. The public is also invited to visit her open studio hours on Fridays throughout the summer from 11 a.m.1 p.m. at TAG, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg.

82. The residency culminates in an exhibition of her finished work on view Aug. 4, with a reception from 5-7 p.m. A gallery talk will take place on Thursday, Sept. 15, from 5-8 p.m., with live music and refreshments. All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Cat Gambel, Gallery Director, TAG, at cgambel@uwf. edu or TAG at artgallery@uwf.edu.

THE MAROON MARINES: ARCHAEOLOGY AT PROSPECT BLUFF A new temporary exhib-

it at The Destination Archaeology Resource Center, located at 207 E. Main St., features the story of the largest free black settlement in what is now the United States.

During the War of 1812, a fort was built by Black British Colonial Marines and Indigenous people along the Apalachicola River. Called "Negro Fort" by American officials, it eventually became the center of the largest free Black settlement in what is now the United States. When the war ended, the U.S. believed the fort threatened the institution of slavery and must be destroyed.

To the Maroon people who lived there, however, the fort at Prospect Bluff was a beacon of freedom worth fighting for.

For more information, visit fpan.us.

HARMONY DISCORD Harmony Discord is the latest art exhibit at First City Art Center's Gallery

GOODS OF DESIRES PMA's exhibition Goods of Desires from artist Cindy Leung is on view through Sept. 4. The exhibit uses Chinese exports to address the complex relationship between consumerism, colonization and cultural hybridity, as they originated in the East and were popularized in the West through trading and British colonization. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

TAKING A LINE FOR A WALK This new exhi-

bition at Pensacola Museum of Art highlights the diverse materials, techniques and subject matter artists have explored through drawing and printmaking over the last century. Artworks include selections from the PMA's permanent collection, works on loan from The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida and works borrowed from contemporary American artists. Featured in the show are pieces by Pablo Picasso, Käthe Kollwitz, Salvador Dali, Alexander Calder, Alex Katz, Sage Lewis and Richard Lindner. The exhibit is on view through Sept. 4 at PMA, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for more information.

AMERICA'S EVERGLADES: THROUGH THE LENS OF CLYDE BUTCHER With his

century-old camera, Clyde Butcher has been exploring and documenting the Everglades for more than three decades. The result is a collection of large-format black-and-white photographs that capture untouched parts of the nation's largest subtropical wilderness. The exhibit is on view at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St., through Sept. 18. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for more information.

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

1820 is historically defined as the Regency Period. For the Gulf Coast, and Pensacola specifically, the Regency Period was a tumultuous time. It corresponded with the final days of Spanish rule in Florida, and the preparation of becoming an American territory was already underway. Thus, a mixing of cultures happened simultaneously with newer social and cultural trends. 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 now. Visit historicpensacola. org for details.

GREETINGS FROM PENSACOLA Postcards were one of the ultimate promoters of person, place and thing during the first half of the 20th century. Journey through the development of the postcard and Pensacola's postcard past while becoming acquainted with Curt Teich, the world's inweekly.net

July 28, 2022

17

a&e happenings most successful postcard publisher. On view through September 2022 at Pensacola Museum of History. Visit historicpensacola.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 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 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. 23.

Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

CAPTURING SHADOWS: EXPLORING THE MAGIC OF CAMERAS This exhibit looks at a

brief history of the technology behind photography, from the camera obscura used during the Renaissance to modern digital cameras. In this interactive space, visitors will be able to experience capturing the magic of light through dif-

ferent means. The gallery also displays a wide array of camera technology from the UWF Historic Trust collection, including rare images from our archives. On view through Dec. 2022.

SCRIPTEASERS WITH PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE Scripteasers, Studio 400's and Pensac-

ola Little Theatre's Script Reading Club invites you to monthly script readings at PLT, 400 S. Jefferson St. Want to bring your scripts for the group to read and discuss? Contact Pensacola Little Theatre to get in queue. The group reads prospective scripts for future seasons as well as new scripts that need a table read before the next edit. Not a playwright but love to read out loud? This is your easy, fun theatre night. Fascinated by the play selection process? Sit in for a listen and usually a lot of laughs.

Visit facebook.com/pensacolalittletheatre for more information and the latest dates.

OPEN MIC AT THE GORDON Show off your talents on the second Thursday of every month at The Gordon's Open Mic showcase from 7-10 p.m. Admission is free. The Gordon is located at 306 N. DeVilliers St. Visit thegordon.org for more information.

OPEN MIC COMEDY AT BIG TOP BREWERY

Try out some new jokes or enjoy some homegrown talent every Monday at 7 p.m. for Open Mic Comedy at Big Top Brewery, located at 21 W. Romano St. Everyone gets five minutes depending on the number of sign-ups. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m.

NEW SUMMER CLASSES AT STUDIO SOUTH Studio South Yarn Co. has new sum-

mer offerings—crochet and knitting classes for all skill levels as well as openings for the exclusive membership to "Unwind" on Thursdays and Saturdays, and finally, free "Knit in Public" pop ups at various Pensacola locations. Visit studiosouthyarnco.com and follow SSYC @studiosouthpensacola on Instagram to find out the next sit and knit spot around town.

CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Performing Arts (MMPA), a

boutique performing arts studio located at 1010 N. 12th Ave., Ste. 238, will be offering a limited class schedule this fall. MMPA offers professional dance, fitness and "Mommy and Me" instruction for all ages and skill levels with weekly classes including, but not limited to, Creative Movement, Ballet/Jazz Combo, Broadway, Tap, Showstoppers, Acting and Voice. Classes will be provided for children as young as 2 years old (with a parent or guardian) through adult.

MMPA is dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of all students and families and has implemented protocols based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Masks are required for entry into the building and studio. More information about Mixon Magic Performing Arts can be found at mixonmagic.com, by contacting hello@mixonmagic.com or emily@mixonmagic.com or by calling (850) 221-7438.

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

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

Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road.

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AT FIRST CITY ART First City Art Center offers a wide

range of classes and workshops for artists of all levels. Classes include glass blowing, ceramics, painting and drawing, kiln-forming, stained glass and more. For a complete list of classes and times, visit firstcityart.org.

FOOD + DRINKS

LOBSTER FEST Cousins Maine Lobster is back

at the Coastal County Brewing Beer Garden, 3041 E. Olive Road, on Saturday, July 30, from 4-9 p.m.

They'll be serving up lobster rolls, lobster tots, lobster tacos and more. Elvis Horn will perform starting at 6 p.m.

SHARK WEEK WATCH PARTIES Join Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St., through July 30 for Shark Week watch parties, themed cocktails and more. Come dressed as a shark and get 15% off your bar tab. Visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco for more information.

MIDSUMMER FISH FRY WITH MI SU AT ODD COLONY Join Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox,

on Saturday, July 30, from noon-4 p.m. (or when

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a&e happenings sold out) to enjoy a classic summertime fish fry with MI SU Street Food. Visit facebook.com/oddcolony for details.

CRUMBL COOKIES AND CRAFT BEER

Pair your craft beer with Crumbl cookies at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave., Sunday, July 30, from 4-7 p.m. Cost is $20. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew.

POTTERFEST 2022 Harry Potter fans unite for trivia, a costume contest, live music and vendors on Sunday, July 31, starting at 11 a.m. at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Visit facebook. com/perfectplainbrewingco for more information.

GREAT SOUTHERN SUMMER RESTAURANT WEEK Visit Great Southern Restau-

rants—The Fish House, Jackson's Steakhouse, 5 Sisters Blues Café and Angelena's—from Monday, Aug. 1-Sunday, Aug. 7, and enjoy three courses for $33 at 5 p.m. nightly. Visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com for more information.

ABC BEVERAGE CLASS The next Atlas Beverage Class is Thursday, Aug. 4, with fruit-focused brews—Oyster City Fermentus Interruptus, Magners Hard Pear Cider, Golden Road Mango Cart and Pensacola Bay Brewery Desoto Raspberry. Classes are 5 and 7 p.m. at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. Cost is $25. Reservations are required, make yours by emailing taylor@ goodgrits.com or calling (850) 287-0200.

FINE WINE FRIDAY Visit The Nest General

Store at 11 S. Palafox, Ste. C, on the first Friday of every month for a wine tasting from 6-8 p.m. It's $35 a person and includes charcuterie and the opportunity to try their monthly wine club offerings in house. Visit thenestgeneralstore.com/events for more information.

MONTHLY WINE TASTING IN AGAPI GARDEN Visit Agapi Garden, at 555 Scenic Highway, from 5-7 p.m., to sample five wines for $10. For more information, call (850) 813-5683.

SUNDAY FUNDAY BRUNCH AT THE WELL

The Well, located at 42 E. Garden St., has expanded its offerings with a Sunday Funday Brunch cocktail menu including items such as Spicy Paloma made with Mezcal, a cold brew cocktail with Irish whiskey, a cucumber-infused spritz and a Bloody Mary spiced with house-made hot sauce and garnished with fresh pickled vegetables. Price range is $9-$12. Brunch hours are Sundays from noon-4 p.m. Other small plate offerings are available Thursday-Saturday from 4 p.m.-one hour before closing. For more information, visit facebook. com/thewellpensacola.

BAYOU BUZZ COFFEE TASTING TOUR

Seville Savories Food Tour will host a coffee tour of downtown Pensacola Tuesdays-Fridays from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Tickets are available online at sevillesavoriesfoodtour.com.

BURGERS AND BORDEAUX AT UNION PUBLIC HOUSE Every Tuesday night, enjoy a

specialty burger and a glass of Bordeaux at Union Public House, located at 309 S. Reus St. For more information, visit facebook.com/unionpensacola.

July 28, 2022

WINE WEDNESDAY Visit The Nest General Store at 11 S. Palafox, Ste. C, every Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. for a wine happy hour. Deals include $1 off listed by-the-glass wines, a waived corking fee, charcuterie plates and a $15 ‘wine flight' option. Visit thenestgeneralstore.com/events for more information.

WEEKNIGHT HAPPY HOUR Every weeknight before 6 p.m. at The 5 Barrel, get $1 off all The 5 Barrel pints, $2 wine by the glass and half off hummus plates when you buy a pint of beer. Visit the5barrel.com for more information.

TABLETOP TUESDAYS AT THE 5 BARREL

Join The 5 Barrel for a special Tabletop Tuesday event at 6 p.m. every Tuesday in March. A wide variety of games ranging from the classic chess to the crowd favorite Catan will be available.

Players are welcome to bring their own games.

ARAGON WINE TASTINGS Wine tastings

at Aragon Wine Market are back every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in store at 27 S. Ninth Ave. For more information, visit aragonwinemarket.com.

THURSDAY TRIVIA NIGHT AT THE 5 BARREL Gather a group for a weekly Thursday Triv-

ia Night Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. at The 5 Barrel. There will be prizes for every round and select drafts for $3. Find out more at facebook.com/the5barrel.

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.

FINE WINE FRIDAY Visit The Nest General

Store the first Friday of every month for a wine tasting from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person and includes charcuterie and the opportunity to try our monthly Wine Club offerings in house. Visit thenestgeneralstore.com/events for more information.

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is back

at its regular location in MLK Jr. Plaza. In a carefully planned, phased reopening, Palafox Market has launched with about half its regular vendors, showcasing food, farm produce and products geared toward safety and sanitation such as handmade soaps and face masks. For more information, visit facebook.com/downtownpensacola.

EVER'MARKET AT NINE MILE ROAD Visit Ever'Man at 1000 E. Nine Mile Road on the fourth Saturday of each month for the Ever'Market with food, music, giveaways, activities and more. Visit everman.org for more information.

200 SOUTH SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Every first Saturday of the month, the businesses at 200 South will host Small Business Saturday to show support for local businesses. Bring a receipt from a purchase from any other downtown business and receive 10% off your bill at Graffiti Pizza, World of Beer, Taco Agave and Blend Lounge.

19

a&e happenings PENSACOLA POSITIVITY'S SUNDAY MARKETS Sunday Markets on Palafox Street happen each Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in MLK Plaza on Palafox. Local makers, growers and creators gather each under the oak trees to sell their goods to the community. Interested vendors can request an application by emailing requeaskmikellah@ gmail.com. For more information, visit facebook. com/palafoxmarkets.

SATURDAYS AT THE MARKET OUTDOOR VENDOR EVENT Located at 5300 Berryhi-

ll Road, the outdoor market features artisans and crafters alike from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays.

Social distancing guidelines will be in effect. For more information, email saturdaysatthemarket@ gmail.com.

PENSACOLA POP-UP FARMERS MARKET Check out fresh and organic produce, milk, eggs, meat, fresh-baked bread, mushrooms, lumber, grits, cornmeal, pies and plants Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at East Hill Market, located at 1216 N. Ninth Ave. For a list of vendors, visit facebook. com/easthillmarket.

UPTOWN PENSACOLA MARKET Check out

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:306 p.m. Guests enjoy three courses for $35 per person. Diners must be seated by 6 p.m. for offer to be valid. To make a reservation, call (850) 3325224, or go to districtstreaks.com. The District is located at 123 E. Government St.

LIVE MUSIC

BLUES ANGEL MUSIC'S BLUES ON THE BAY The City of Pensacola and Blues Angel Mu-

sic have partnered for the return of their annual free concert series every other Sunday at 6 p.m. at Community Maritime Park, located at 301 W. Main St. Reunion Band will be playing Aug. 7.

BANDS ON THE BEACH Join Santa Rosa Island Authority for free weekly concerts every Tuesday night from 7-9 p.m. at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. On Tuesday, Aug. 2, Wester will be playing.

BANDS ON THE BAYOU The Abby Kasch Band will be playing Bands on the Bayou at Bayview Park 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30. The event is free, but donations will be taken for various charities. Visit bandsonthebayou.com for details.

local vendors of art, produce and other local treasures every Saturday at 7201 N. Ninth Ave. from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit facebook. com/uptownmarketpensacola.

MEMPHIS MAY FIRE Memphis May Fire will

TWILIGHT THREE-COURSE SPECIAL The District's Twilight Three-Course special is back

THE ROAD TO IMAGINE Electrik Lights & 850 Entertainment have Teamed up with Iris Presents

be playing at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox, 6 p.m.

Saturday, July 30. Tickets are $22. Visit vinylmusichall.com to purchase.

for live performances from local bands all day on Fridays and Saturdays. For musician lineups, visit facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.

CRADLE TO GRAVE SHOW Cradle to Grave, Broken Vow, Take it to Heart and more will be playing Saturday, 7 p.m., Aug. 6, at Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St. Admission is $10. Visit facebook.com/diypensacola for more.

JOE OCCHIPINTI JAZZABOUTS Catch Joe Occhipinti and guests at Alice's Restaurant & Wine Bar, 1504 W. Intendencia St., Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30 p.m. and at Calvert's Restaurant & Bar, 670 Scenic Highway, Sundays from noon-3 p.m.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Blues Society of Northwest Florida and Se-

SAXOPHONIST JIM ANDREWS AT ALICE'S RESTAURANT Saxophonist Jim Andrews will be

ville Quarter present Monday Night Blues, the longest running weekly Blues Jam in Florida, starting at 7 p.m. with an opening and followed by the Blues Jam at 9 p.m. Seville Quarter is located at 130 E. Government St. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLONY Music pickers of all levels are invited to play at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, from 7-9 p.m. every last Monday of the night. Bring your acoustic instrument and jam. Visit facebook.com/oddcolony for details.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT PERFECT PLAIN Head to Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E.

Garden St., on Thursdays from 7-10 p.m. through September. Visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco for more information.

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JAZZ BY THE BOOK Join Joe Occhipinti and

the Jazzabouts at the Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St., every Tuesday from 1-3 p.m. for classic jazz favorites.

RAY COLEY AT CAZADORES MEXICAN RESTAURANT Ray Coley performs oldies mix

with jazz and blues every weekend with keyboard, horn and flute. Fridays and Saturdays from 6-9 p.m. and a jazz set on Sundays from 12-3 p.m. on the patio at Cazadores Mexican restaurant, located at 8183 W. Fairfield Dr. Weather permitting. for more listings visit inweekly.net

Friday

July 29 • 6:35 pm Blue Wahoos Beach Towel for the first 2,000 fans

FIREWORKS

Wednesday

July 28 • 6:35 pm

performing at Alice's Restaurant, located at 1504 W. Intendencia St., on the first Friday of every month from 6-9:30 p.m.

GIVEAWAY

Tuesday

Thursday

LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH PENSACOLA BEACH Head to Red Fish Blue Fish

and Imagine Music Festival to bring you another installment of The Road to Imagine Series at Vinyl Music Hall, located at 2 S. Palafox., on Saturday, Aug. 6. Tickets are $20. Visit vinylmusichall. com to purchase.

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free will astrology WEEK OF JULY 28 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Fiction-writer

John Banville tells us, "There are moments when the past has a force so strong it seems one might be annihilated by it." I suspect that's sometimes true for many of us. But it won't apply to you Aries anytime soon. In fact, just the opposite situation will be in effect during the coming months—you will have more power to render the past irrelevant than maybe you've ever had. You will wield an almost indomitable capacity to launch new trends without having to answer to history. Take full advantage, please!

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Researchers

have proved that lullabies enhance the health of premature babies being cared for in hospitals.

The soft, emotionally rich songs also promote the well-being of the babies' families. I bring this to your attention because I believe you should call on lullaby therapy yourself in the coming weeks.

Listening to and singing those tunes will soothe and heal your inner child. And that, in my astrological opinion, is one of your top needs right now.

For extra boosts, read fairy tales, eat food with your hands, make mud pies, and play on swings, seesaws and merry-go-rounds.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Dancer and sing-

er-songwriter FKA Twigs has taken dance lessons since she was a child. In 2017, she added a new form of physical training, the Chinese martial art of wushu. Doing so made her realize a key truth about herself—she loves to learn and practice new skills. Of all life's activities, they give her the most pleasure and activate her most vibrant energy. She feels at home in the world when she does them. I suspect you may have similar inclinations in the coming months. Your appetite for mastering new skills will be at an all-time high. You will find it natural and even exhilarating to undertake disciplined practice. Gathering knowledge will be even more exciting than it usually is.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Cancerian

author Laurie Sheck writes, "So much of life is invisible, inscrutable: layers of thoughts, feelings, and outward events entwined with secrecies, ambiguities, ambivalences, obscurities, darknesses."

While that's an experience we all have, especially you Cancerians, it will be far less pressing for you

By Rob Brezsny

in the coming weeks. I foresee you embarking on a phase when clarity will be the rule, not the exception. Hidden parts of the world will reveal themselves to you. The mood will be brighter and lighter than usual. The chronic fuzziness of life will give way to a delightful acuity. I suspect you will see things that you have never or rarely seen.

Hidden parts of the world will reveal themselves to you.

The mood will be brighter and lighter than usual.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): It's always advisable

for you Leos to carry on a close personal relationship with mirrors. I'm speaking both literally and metaphorically. For the sake of your mental health, you need to be knowledgeable about your image and monitor its ever-shifting nuances.

And according to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are now authorized to deepen your intimate connection with mirrors. I believe you will thrive by undertaking an intense phase of introspective explorations and creative self-inquiry.

Please keep it all tender and kind, though. You're not allowed to bad-mouth yourself. Put a special emphasis on identifying aspects of your beauty that have been obscured or neglected. By the way, Leo, I also recommend you seek compassionate feedback from people you trust. Now is an excellent time to get reflections about your quest to become an even more amazing human.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): At your best, you are a flexible purist, an adaptable stickler for detail, and a disciplined yet supple thinker. Maybe more than any other sign of the zodiac, you can be focused and resilient, intense and agile, attentive and graceful. And all of us non-Virgos will greatly appreciate it if you provide these talents in abundance during the coming weeks. We need you to be our humble, understated leader. Please be a role model who demonstrates the finely crafted, well-balanced approach to being healthy.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): In my Astrological Book of Life, your life purposes as a Libra may in-

clude the following: 1. to be beautiful in the smartest ways you can imagine and smart in the most beautiful ways you can imagine; 2. to always see at least two sides of the story, and preferably more; 3. to serve as an intermediary between disparate elements; 4. to lubricate and facilitate conversations between people who might not otherwise understand each other; 5. to find common ground between apparent contradictions; 6. to weave confusing paradoxes into invigorating amalgamations; 7. to never give up on finding the most elegant way to understand a problem. P.S. In the coming weeks, I hope you will make extra efforts to call on the capacities I just named.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Author Clive

James loved the Latin term gazofilacium, meaning "treasure chamber." He said that the related Italian word, gazofilacio, referred to the stash of beloved poems that he memorized and kept in a special place in his mind. In accordance with astrological omens, Scorpio, now would be an excellent time to begin creating your own personal gazofilacium—a storehouse of wonderful images and thoughts and memories that will serve as a beacon of joy and vitality for the rest of your long life. Here's your homework—identify 10 items you will store in your gazofilacium.

Now is an excellent time to express your appreciation because doing so will lead to even further redemption.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Tips to

get the most out of the next three weeks—1. Keep your interesting options open. Let your mediocre options shrivel and expire. 2. Have no regrets and make no apologies about doing what you love. 3.

Keep in mind that every action you perform reverberates far beyond your immediate sphere. 4.

Give your fears ridiculous names like "Gaffe" and "Wheezy" and "Lumpy." 5. Be honest to the point of frankness but not to the point of rudeness. 6.

Don't just run. Gallop.

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

poet Richard Hugo wrote, "It doesn't bother me that the word 'stone' appears more than 30 times in my third book, or that 'wind' and 'gray' appear over and over in my poems to the disdain of some reviewers." Hugo celebrated his obsessions. He treated them as riches because focusing on them enabled him to identify his deepest feelings and discover who he really was. In accordance with astrological omens, I recommend a similar approach to you in the coming weeks. Cultivate and honor and love the specific fascinations at the core of your destiny.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Author Violet Trefusis (1894–1972) and author Vita SackvilleWest (1892–1962) loved each other. In one letter, Violet told Vita, "I want you hungrily, frenziedly, passionately. I am starving for you. Not only the physical you, but your fellowship, your sympathy, the innumerable points of view we share. I can't exist without you; you are my affinity." In the coming weeks, dear Aquarius, I invite you to use florid language like that in addressing your beloved allies. I also invite you to request such messages.

According to my reading of the planetary omens, you are due for eruptions of articulate passion.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I'd like to honor

and pay homage to a past disappointment that helped transform you into a beautiful soul. I know it didn't feel good for you when it happened, but it has generated results that have blessed you and the people whose lives you've touched. Would you consider performing a ritual of gratitude for all it taught you? Now is an excellent time to express your appreciation because doing so will lead to even further redemption.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: When it's impossible to do the totally right thing, you can do the half-right thing. Example? newsletter.freewill.astrology.com {in}

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2022

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news of the weird OH, THE HUMILIATION Bianca Chambers wasn't going to leave the sleuthing to the Detroit police after her Mercedes Benz was stolen. Using social media tips, she tracked her car all over the city, but each time she'd call 911, police would be too late to nab the thief. On July 13, though, she got lucky: The man who was driving her car parked and went to get his dreads twisted, and Chambers pounced.

She walked into a barbershop, Fox2 Detroit reported, and confronted him. When he denied stealing her car, Chambers took him down by his dreadlocks. Customers subdued the unnamed man while Chambers slashed her own tires: "I thought he was gonna take off and I didn't know how long it was going to take for the police to pull up," she said.

"You're just the dumbest criminal, that's all. You're joyriding in my car like nobody was going to see," she told the perp. Police said the man has a history of car theft.

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY Kent Slaughter of Springfield, Missouri, filed a class-action lawsuit against Bass Pro this month, alleging that the outdoor equipment superstore is not honoring its lifetime guarantee on the Redhead All-Purpose Wool socks, the Springfield News-Leader reported. Slaughter says the warranty influenced his decision to buy the socks, and until 2021 he was able to return them when they wore out for another pair with the same promise. However, last year, the store changed the merchandise; the new socks feature a distinctive stripe design and offer only a 60day warranty. Slaughter's suit notes that the store's "The last sock you'll ever need to buy" claim is no longer true. Bass Pro didn't comment.

WHO KNEW? People in Gorakhpur, India, are struggling with record heat and lack of rainfall, as are many parts of the world. But according to the Daily Star, they had a different solution—and it worked! "It's a time-tested belief that frog weddings are held to bring in rain," said organizer Radhakant Verma. His group found two frogs on July 19 and held a wedding ceremony for them, with hundreds of people watching and a celebratory meal afterward. Sure enough, on July 20, the India Meteorological Department called for heavy rainfall in the area.

MORE HEAT WAVE FUN University of British Columbia researcher Alison McAfee told Metro News that when outdoor temperatures exceed about 107 degrees Fahrenheit, drone (or male) bees begin to convulse, forcing their sex organs to explode from their bodies, an event that causes them to die from shock. "It's pretty extreme," McAfee said. "That's a temperature they shouldn't normally experience, but we were seeing drones getting stressed to the point of death." She believes drones are one of the most effective indicators of climate change.

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT Japan is famously known for its culture of overworking. Rather than try to change that culture, two Japanese companies have developed an upright nap pod, where workers can sneak in a quick, private power nap without having to nod off in the restroom or at their desks. The boxes have been compared to up-

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

right tanning beds, Oddity Central reported. They offer support for the head, knees and back, even as workers stay in the standing position. "It's better to sleep in a comfortable location," noted Saeko Kawashima of Itoki, the furniture company that collaborated on the product.

EWWWW In southwestern Idaho, an annual phenomenon is creating slick spots on the highways, CBS2-TV reported. The Idaho Transportation Department headed out on July 21 with heavy equipment to scrape Mormon crickets off Highway 51.

When the crickets are crushed by cars, the resulting goo can become hazardous for motorists. The department posted a video on its Facebook page, but warned viewers: "If you get queasy easily, don't watch this with the volume on." Crunch!

NEWS YOU CAN USE It's hot everywhere, but Texas is showing off with consecutive days above 100, or even 110. Some wild animals have a unique way of dealing with the heat, and it even has a fun name: splooting. WFAA-TV in Dallas reported on July 21 that squirrels are taking to the street, literally: lying facedown with all their limbs spread out.

The rodents don't sweat or pant, so splooting in the shade helps them cool down. One little guy was even spotted splooting on a sidewalk vent.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT Jim Battan, 57, of West Linn, Oregon, figured out a way to pay off his $110,000 backyard luxury pool: Since September 2020, Battan has hosted about 9,000 swimmers through an app called Swimply, NBC New York reported, making $177,000. Battan admits there's more to the job than providing towels. He and his wife spend 12 to 14 hours a week managing bookings and doing maintenance. "I love the income, but I generally caution people from it," Battan said. "It takes a lot of time to learn about pool chemistry and maintenance. I look at my pool chemicals probably five to 10 times a day." But at $70 per hour for five people, it's worth it to him.

And his customers like it, too—he has a high return rate.

HERE COME DA JUDGE KDKA-TV reported on July 19 that attorney Lauren Varnado, who was defending a Pittsburgh corporation in a courtroom in New Martinsville, West Virginia, accused Judge David W. Hummel Jr. of pulling a Colt .45 pistol out of his robes during the proceedings in March. Varnado alleged that Hummel pointed it "in a waving motion, like he was scanning, first at the defense counsel, and then (placed) it on the bench and slowly (turned) it to make sure the barrel of it is pointed at me." Because of the trial's contentious nature, Varnado had a security detail, but Hummel wouldn't allow them into the courtroom, saying, "I have bigger guns than they have." Varnado said she is working with the FBI and the West Virginia Judicial Investigation Commission. "He cannot stay on the bench," she said. {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2022 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com July 28, 2022

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